Dear Blog........

.....I'm sorry I missed your birthday.  You were two on March 1st and I didn't even mark the occasion with a post.  It's not for lack of thinking of you, I've just been really busy.  That sounds bad, as though you weren't worthy of my attention but really I was hoping for something excitingly blog-worthy to happen and nothing appeared. 

We've gotten the flock vaccinated so all the moms will have antibody-filled colostrum.  The entire lower barn complex was cleaned out and fresh bedding laid down in preparation for lambing.  Shearing is scheduled for March 7, 11 and 15 for the bred ewes and the rest will be done when weather improves.  The 2013 fleece list has been uploaded to the website and many reservations are already arranged.  Fleeces have been requested and older ones pulled out of storage and sent to Canada, California, Idaho and other states.  A Cotswold ewe - Fiesta - is being treated daily for a bout of pneumonia and seems to be gaining ground.  A group of 20 sheepskins has been boxed and sent to the tannery.  Frog Pond roving has returned from Acorn Works mill and been put back on the website.  Appointments have been kept, meetings attended, laundry and dishes washed, emails answered.......stuff, stuff, stuff to keep one busy.

We had snow, thawing and then more snow.   The conditions were just right to cause the snow on the wool shop roof to slowly slide and ooze over the edge, thankfully not taking off the gutters in the process.

 Then it turned colder and has snowed ever since.

Over the last few months we had quite a number of ash trees taken off part of the farm where they were becoming unhealthy.  Many logs went to Tru Temper to become handles for tools.  Andy also had some hemlock cut to turn into lumber, also a couple of very large oak trees.  A log hauler brought them up to the house today.

 
Watching him operate the grapple boom to take them off was fun. 

He made a nice neat stack.

Which will keep Andy busy at the sawmill for some time.  These big logs are the oak.

 

He's happier than he looks, really.  We're both just sick of winter.

 

And so, dear blog, I will do better by you in the future since fun things are coming up - shearing and lambing!  There should be no lack of material then!