On Tuesday we drove up to Susie Sizemore's Misty View Farm. When we visited once before, I noticed her hay feeders. They looked perfect for nearly eliminating hay waste and VM in fleeces, and I have kept them in mind ever since. Now that we are building a permanent sheep shed, I wanted to look at them again and take photos, so we could replicate them here. The key components are 2"x4" wire panels, plywood, 2"x6" boards, and bungie cords....
As before, Susie was a gracious hostess. Her farm is picture-perfect, from the landscaping and home in the front to the vegetable and cutting gardens and sheep quarters in the back. Wish I could have her do a "farm make-over" at my place, but I'm afraid I'd still need a professional grounds crew to maintain it all! (The inside of her home is picture-perfect, too, with lots of sheepy art and accessories.) Anyway, after taking photos of the feeders, we HAD to love on Susie's Shetlands. Her main PR agent is this moorit ewe lamb named Ruby Jewel. She does her job well!
After tearing ourselves away from Susie's friendly girls, we stopped by the house to wash our hands. Then, somehow, we diverged into fiber, and she showed me her homespun yarn, demonstrated her Louet spinning wheel, and showed us the gorgeous blankets MacAusland's Woollen Mills makes from her fleeces. (I had no idea such a service existed, and they are SO reasonable.) I thought tearing myself away from her sheep was difficult - I could have stayed a lot longer and enjoyed every second of it!
On Thursday, an old school friend of mine came over with her daughter for a play date. The kids rode my horse and petted the sheep (sorry, I was too involved to take photos), ate lunch and ran and played. This day was more for Brian and Tuesday was more for me, but we both enjoyed both occasions. :-)
I'm really looking forward to another visit soon, my first "Shetland Visitor." Lois Moore of Stonehaven Farm is coming west for OFFF (Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival) next Thursday, and she has kindly consented to let me pick her up and bring her to Boulderneigh to help me evaluate my sheep with her experienced eye. She's also offered to help me learn to spin on her wheel at OFFF, so I can figure out if this is something I want to pursue and if so, what kind of wheel I might like best. Lois has been a tremendous shepherd mentor to me, and I owe her a huge debt of gratitude. Thank-you, Lois -- and my sheep thank you, too!
That's it for now at . . .
4 comments:
Wow! When you have visitors, you REALLY have visitors! I would LOVE to see Susie Sizemore's place. I met her at the 2002 AGM, in Indiana, and she is an incredibly nice woman. (tons of fun too) I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Lois yet, but have corresponded with her for a number of months and sold her two of my favorite ewe lambs. I doubt you could ask for a better mentor! Judging by the company you keep, I'd say you're going to be a very successful Shetland shepherdess...
;-)
Oh, come on, now! You're ALWAYS having sheepie visitors in Bluff Country! I AM honored that Lois will be my first sheepie visitor, and I agree, I couldn't ask for a better mentor. I wish she didn't live so far away.
Hi Michelle - Yes, isn't Susie & Jim's place too cool for words? We were down there last year when we picked up Thorson. And boy, you guys have been working hard on your place!
I hope you will be coming up to Franna's in Auburn on the 30th! Tina
I'd love to come join the "party" on the 30th, but that's four hours away and on the one day of the week that I reserve for God and family, in that order. Have fun for me and let me know if the next get-together is on a different day!
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