In The Beginning.........

Actually, it's pretty hard to decide where the begining is.  Certainly it's the beginning of this blog.  Very First Post.  So you can expect to see this area change a lot as I learn what can be done format-wise, but you can be sure it will almost always be related to the flock, farm, pets, and work associated with all of the above.  But it's not the beginning of our sheep flock, nor is it even the beginning of the calendar year, or the beginning of a cycle since cycles are, well, cyclical and there's no real beginning or end so you'll just have to try to run alongside the merry-go-round and jump on.

The next big task in our year is shearing.  Most of the sheep are shorn once yearly (more later on why some are done more than once) and the shearing needs to happen before lambing.  First potential due date is March 20, so we're waiting for a break in the weather.  We have upwards of 70 ewes that have been bred, so they will be done first and the others (rams, young stock, geriatrics) will be done later, probably in April.

While waiting for the weather to smile on us, I've been working in the Wool Room, skirting, washing and dyeing gray Cotswold to replace the sold-out Blue Jeans roving.  I just love the way different shades of gray become fifty different shades of what you've dyed it.

Skirting and accumulating raw white Cotswold to be sent to Stonehedge Farm and Fiber Mill to be spun into yarn.  I have 93 lbs ready to ship and that will be turned into yarn of a few different weights.   UPS will be operating in the black this week!

It doesn't wind up all the not-gotten-to jobs and plans, but it does make a dent..........