Archives for fiber farm

2010 – A Year In Pictures

December 31, 2010 | 16 Comments

This morning I combed through my iphoto library while sipping coffee and watching daybreak. What struck me most is that in a year of challenges and some major crashing and burning, stuff got done. Sheep were fed, shorn, lambed. Yarn got dyed, shipped, shared. Through Flock For Healthy Hearts we raised over $3500 for the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women, a campaign to promote awareness of the serious but often overlooked risks of heart disease in women. I can't thank you enough for your support. (If you would like to make a donation, please follow the link in
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Simple Gifts: Mellow Winter Morning

December 30, 2010 | 4 Comments

Mornings like today's are sublime. Sunshine, temps in mid 30's, yard full of sheep, no wind. Couldn't ask for a better way to start the day. Or to end the year. Come back tomorrow for a look back at 2010 in pictures. Sheep Shares 2010 members, stay tuned. I've been busy in the dye studio and am excited to share color choices for the winter shares tomorrow!
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Transitions

December 29, 2010 | 34 Comments

It's the time of year for looking back. And looking ahead. Starting anew. Or frogging, and starting again. My birthday (today!) falling right between Christmas and New Years heightens my urge to reflect, recalibrate, reboot. Thanks for sharing the year with me. I'm looking forward to what 2011 holds in store. Hope you'll join me again.
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Holiday Weekend

December 26, 2010 | 7 Comments

A few scenes from Christmas day at the farm. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. We're getting hammered tonight with the first blizzard of the year. Tomorrow will be busy, plowing, shoveling, snow blowing. But for tonight, I'm just enjoying the storm as the holiday weekend winds down, crossing my fingers that we don't lose power.
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Sol Llama

December 22, 2010 | 31 Comments

Animal rescue requires a leap of faith.The caregivers at the Animal Rescue League shelter an animal that's been abandoned or neglected, in hope that someone will give it a home. Adopters take on responsibility for the well-being of an animal whose complete history is often obscure. You sign a contract and hope for the best. We 've adopted our new llama following a gut instinct. His behavior is cautious and understandably so given the hand he's been dealt. There isn't the slightest sign of aggression. We know that he was brought to the shelter in September after escaping from his
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Sheep Shares Yarn CSA Winners

December 22, 2010 | 5 Comments

The two lucky winners of Sheep Shares 2011 Farm Yarn samplers are: Marie (comment posted 12/21 at 7:17 pm) and Kris (comment posted 12/17 at 10:44 pm) Welcome to the flock! Mistral's first morning, from April 2010 If you are interested in joining Sheep Shares CSA 2011, we still have yarn shares available. We now have a wait list for fiber shares. Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word!
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New Arrival on the Winter Solstice!

December 21, 2010 | 15 Comments

Last week Mike and I took a little detour on the way to visit my cardiologist in Boston. I had just received an email from Lisa Lagos, the director of the Animal Rescue League of Boston's large animal facility in Dedham. A 7-year-old llama who has also had a rough year was seeking a home. We stopped by to meet him. Honestly, we had no plans to adopt anything right now. But that trip to the Rescue barn in Dedham on Thursday has brought the newest member to our flock today, in time to celebrate the Solstice. I promise to
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Simple Gifts – day one

December 19, 2010 | 11 Comments

At this time of year, the season of giving, it's so easy to get swept up in the holiday shuffle and bustle. The simple gifts each day brings can easily be overlooked or taken for granted. For just a moment each day this week I'm really making it a point to pause, reflect and appreciate. It feels especially important to me, in a year that has been spectacularly difficult although I'm working on seeing that too as it's own gift. Simple Gifts, day one: Teamwork Mike, Holly and I spent this morning rounding up the remaining sheep at the top
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Sheep Sharing Give-Away

December 16, 2010 | 108 Comments

This morning I wondered why the sheep prefer to camp under the stars along the fence, right up by our house, when they have a perfectly good house of their own at the edge of the paddock. Perhaps they like having a front row seat for the daily theater of humans. The show starts when I raise my bedroom shade just before sunup. Their eyes are instantly on me. They follow my movement through the house, downstairs to the kitchen window. We watch each other while I brew coffee. It's a daily ritual – one of many in the work
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Name-Storming?

November 29, 2010 | 60 Comments

Whoa, before you get too excited please know this is a photo from a few year's back. It has been suggested that it's not too early to begin "name-storming" a list of themes for next spring's lambs – since the work is now in progress with the flock. Here's a list of themes used in most recent years: 2005: Greek Mythology 2006: Herbs & Spices 2007: U.S. cities & towns 2008: Fashion Lambs 2009: Colors 2010: Computer Fonts & Typeface We'll start a list of ideas now and then put it to a vote. Let the name-storming begin!
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