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NH is having a fabulous two day event this year! The weather could not be better~65 to 70 degrees and sunny skies.Thank you to all who stopped by to visit our booth today to learn about our sheep, Earthues natural dyes and to just visit!
We had a naughty sheep back at the farm today…Jack found a sheep coat hanging on a fence line mid-afternoon today. Apparently Charlotte had snagged it and torn it right off her back. A coat repair day is in my not too distant future! When I got home from the show we went down and popped a new coat on her. One thing about our young stock, they are so easy to catch…they’ve been handled by us since day one and don’t mind a little one on one once in awhile! The top picture I took this morning at the festival of a family getting their sheep ready to show for 4-H; the bottom picture…waiting for the next step; great shots of kids doing different things, even hoof checking! Way to go 4-Hers!The bottom picture is me with the famous Caroline of www.fiberarts.typepad.com!! She did lots of shopping on Saturday and kept swinging by to make sure I didn’t starve to death or dye of thirst! Thanks, Caroline!
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It’s almost time again for the NH Sheep and Wool Festival, our 31st annual! As compared to last year’s horrific rains and massive flooding it looks to be a nice weekend of cool temps with some sun!
I have finished skirting and preparing all our fleeces in just over a month from shearing day and already sold half between reserve orders and the CT festival so what is pictured is all that’s left! I plan to take one or two to Rhinebeck in the fall for the judging and perhaps a couple to NH this weekend for judging and sale so fingers are crossed for a rosette! But regardless of rosettes, our sheep are all winners in my eyes.
So make plan for Mother’s Day weekend and come to the NH Sheep and Wool Festival, this Saturday 9-5 and Sunday 9-4. It is located off Rt 89 North in Contoocook, NH at the Hopkinton State Fairgrounds. I will be set up in the Crowley Building and along with offering our farm products and Earthues natural dyes I plan to be doing some indigo dyeing so stop by for a visit!
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Today Jack and I celebrate our 26th wedding anniversary. It’s always kind of a low key affair for us, seems best to just be home and recognizing our blessings.When I first arrived home from work and went down to the barn there were three deer grazing in the near field pictured above. It was so quiet all about and they were spanned out across the field, quite content. After Jack arrived home from work and we tended to the daily chores, we took our ATV’s, a bottle of good wine, fresh shrimp cocktail and warm garlic bread up on the long ridge where we sat and enjoyed the moment of this one special day. The sun was going down, the wind was a bit high, there was a chill to the air and we sat and reflected for that one brief hour; blessings, losses, hopes and dreams. It’s been a great quarter plus century for us…we wouldn’t have it any other way. As we returned down off the ridge the deer were back in the field once again grazing as we headed for the barn. Nice.
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Here are a few pictures from the CT Sheep and Wool Festival last Saturday. It was a very nice event, with a great group of vendors, sheep events such as shearing demos and ongoing demos about how to skirt a fleece, plus a sheep to shawl contest; the judges were the famous Roving Spinners, Richard Muto and David Lima! What stood out to me as the best part of the festival was the organization of the association. They had thought of everything to keep it flowing nicely. There was a fantastic Shepherd’s Cafe that served lamb burgers and lamb stew plus many other items all day, at great prices. There was a large fleece sale with more than 100 fleeces offered and by noon there were less than 20 left! I heard the gates were closed about 11AM as there was no more parking!And the fairgounds were a nice size. The sun came out just after 9am after a dreary, foggy start and it was sunny all day UNTIL 4:30 when all of us vendors and members had to start packing our cars to go home, and then did it pour! My clothes were still wet when I got back to NH at 7:30PM!
Two thumbs up to Connecticut Sheep Breeders Association for a great festival!
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To the Connecticut Sheep and Wool Festival, tomorrow, April 28th! I have a truck load of wool, fleeces, dyes and related items! And of course it is raining cats and dogs (so to speak!) so what could go in the back of the pickup will have to be stuffed inside instead. If you are in the vicinity of the Tolland Ag Center, Rt 30, Vernon, CT stop by and visit. I will be in the Gold Building, it’s heated, yeah! Cheerio!
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Button, button, who’s got the button? Remember that simple game when we were kids?( I know, probably dating myself!) It was so simple…someone would have a button between their hands and would go around the group and pretend to pass it to each person…and one person would get it dropped into their hands. Then one person had to guess who had it. Of course as kids it was easy to spot the winner, they had smiles all over their faces!
Well, these buttons pictured are great fun also. They are made from Tagua nuts and are part of a successful rainforest preservation initiative in Equador which Earthues has been proud to support. Through a collective the nuts are gathered and fashioned into vegetable ivory buttons, the monies raised helping local villages in that region.
I have tinted the buttons with various Earthues extracts and they make a wonderful finish to your own projects! I will have them posted on the store in a few weeks or be sure to visit me at my booths this year
www.longridgefarm.com/events.asp where I will have them for sale.
