Second cut haying is right on time. We got our first cut Memorial Day and the call to get second cut came Sunday afternoon. The sky threatened our plans all day with big gray clouds and it was pretty cool so the hay had to sit before baling til about 3:30, but we hightailed to the field and managed to pick up and get into the barn 140 bales in about an 1 1/2 hours. Lauren, grandaughter and pony paid us a visit and as we left the field after the second trip, the raindrops started but, thankfully, not for long. We have been getting our hay home with pickups for too many years now so we are buying a multi-purpose trailer this week to make one trip with 150 bales. We aren’t getting any younger! We now stand at 1/2 way to done for haying. Yea!

We have jumped into summer this week with both feet. We are on day three of temps in the high 80’s to 90’s with the dewpoint well into the mid 60’s. Yuk! By now you know I am a fan of cool to cold temps. It probably is because farming in this kind of weather is much more taxing than in the winter when it is cold. These pictures were taken on the dog walk today and you can see the haze in the air. A cold front is coming through later on this afternoon and strong storms with rain to cool it all down again.

I was in Jamaica again, yes, Jamaica, VT last weekend, teaching another group of gals how to dye with indigo. We all met at www.margiesmuse.com/ and set up on the front lawn. It was a gorgeous morning, quite crisp with lots of sun. Around noontime a woman came across the street to say there was a downpour about 15 minutes to the south in Townsend and we may want to move under cover. She was right and there was about that much time to reset on the porch, eat lunch and commence with more dipping. Beautiful blues were created as well as some greens that one student had yarns she dyed with marigold and other flowers and then dipped in indigo. The rain could not wash out the creative juices!

Last Saturday I traveled to CT to teach the Yankee Fiber Friends guild how to dye with indigo. There were 12 participants, a fantastic pot luck lunch, torrential rains, thunder and lightning, lots of laughter and some fabulous blues! Indigo blues, that is. Thank you one and all!

One of my dye customers, Barb, sent these pictures showing how she uses natural dyes to create garments for her husband Marvin. He is involved in historical trekking which involves hunting, camping and hiking in pre-revolutionary era clothing and accouterments (flintlock guns, moccasins, etc). Every piece of clothing has to be correct for the period, such as a black walnut dyed linen hunting shirt. They cook and eat the game they hunt, cooking in the style for that period. Here Marvin is cooking squirrel for dinner. Marvin and Barb live in Western Montana and from their land they can hike into state and federal land where they feel like they are back in the late 1700’s. The second picture is Marvin showing off his breech cloth which Barb dyed in plum with indigo dyed stripes. The dog in the lower left is their Australian Shepherd who insisted on being in the photo!