Spring, at Last

We have been stuck in a weird time warp here for the entire month of April, waiting for the weather to warm up, to hear a robin sing, to see something other than shades of slush underfoot.

You could feel a great collective sigh of relief this weekend over the whole of southern Manitoba as spring finally arrived. Now the spell has broken, it's catch-up time. Gardening, fencing, shearing, lambing .... bring it on!!

There is not much colour in the landscape yet, but Linda's latest wall hangings are a feast of spring greens. She calls this pair  Urban Jungle Cats. 

You can see these at the WEST Handmade and Vintage Sale next Saturday, May 4, 11 am - 4pm at R.A. Steen Community Centre in Wolseley. These "Westies" are a dynamite group and they really know how to throw a party! Come by and join the fun. 

Laddie's First Trip to the Farm

The new pup is very enthusiastic about sheep, and has a whole lot to learn. The entire flock is ready and willing to teach him a thing or two! First, don't try sneaking up. We see you.

The llamas are on high alert when a new dog comes on the property, even one on a short leash.

Linda demonstrates the correct way to greet a llama...

Laddie considers it, with encouragement from Trixie.

And .... contact. He's braver than I am. I still don't trust that llama.

But a word to the wise Laddie. Do not go near that fluffy white one. Old Auntie Pearl just loves to knock little dogs flying, and she has her eye on you.

Coming out of our Winter Dens ...

The calendar says spring is nearly here, so in spite of the snow and lingering cold, it's time to get into gear for the new season and get back in touch with the outside world.

Needlefelt Dragon

Not that we've been sleeping the winter away. Linda has been busy with looking after the flock and other critters, which gets more challenging with every snowfall. The deep snow makes it harder to open gates and move feed, while making it easier for adventurous animals to challenge the fences.  There is a  story yet to be told about Bowmore and his failure to leap over the fence in a single bound ... 

Linda has also been working all winter as program co-ordinator for an Equine Assisted Learning program at Symatree Farm. Since she boards her horse Myste at Symatree she was able to spend some quality horse time in a nice arena this winter. Myste is a gorgeous Arab/Friesian cross that Linda has raised and trained from birth. Here she is modelling the headstall Linda made for her -- from handspun Shetland wool of course!

I just recently finished a two month theatre stage management contract. Just when things were about to settle down around my house, I adopted another dog. Hazel is delighted with her new buddy and thank goodness they can actually tire each other out. The new dog - Laddie - is about eight months old, a male border collie cross. I'd love to show you a good picture of him but so far all my photos look like this:

or this:

They are easier to train after they have had some good exercise, right?

We have some spring craft sales coming up and lots of new creations to show you. But first I have to go walk a couple of dogs.

Bowmore's Second Chance

Bowmore doesn't believe it right now, but he is one lucky sheep.  He has always had a rather high opinion of himself, based largely on his most visible attributes, his handsome horns. He likes to use them to butt heads with his big brother Archie and generally carries them like a royal crown.

This assertive personality made us question the state of his not-so-visible assets. As a little lamb, he was wethered by our vet using --- stop reading now if you are squeamish -- the crusher. This is a quick and common way of neutering a young male animal. It worked like a charm on our other wethers. But Bow is almost three years old now and we finally had to admit that physically and mentally he shows many signs of what we tend to think of as testosterone poisoning.

Linda managed a good groping of his nether regions the other day (I can only imagine the look on his face) and discovered not one but two little testicles still in existence. Uh oh. This is not good. Then yesterday he really took to seriously bullying Linda's golden boy, Archie. That is really not good. So this morning Bowmore found himself loaded into the back of the SUV for a quick trip to the vet clinic.

This is the sort of situation that separates the serious farmers from the soft-hearted novices with big fluffy pets, perhaps.  On a real farm, don't the sheep ride in trucks instead of the back seat of the family vehicle? And a troublesome butthead would be taking a trip to the freezer, not booked in to the local clinic for full anesthetic, a couple of quick snips to solve his problems, and a pedicure, all the while being admired and fussed over by the kind staff.  He's not the only lucky one though. We got a real break from the vet who recognized that the job hadn't been done successfully in the first place and didn't charge for today's procedure at all. That was very generous, and much appreciated.

So Bowmore and his lovely fleece are safely home again. He still has his ever so impressive set of horns, but hopefully he'll be losing the urge to use them. We want peace and harmony to reign in our little flock when the lambs arrive in May!

Manitoba Fibre Festival

Here is some good news for the new year  --  the first 

Manitoba Fibre Festival will be September 28, 2013

at the St Norbert Community Centre!

It's going to be a delightful gathering of all things fibre related, including vendors, workshops, and demonstrations. 

 We have a great community in this province of fibre producers, spinners, knitters, weavers, and felters, not to mention the sheep, alpacas, llamas and more. The goal of the fibre festival is to strengthen our connections while drawing ever more people into the wonderful world of fibre. Okay, I'm in!

There is a Manitoba Fibre Festival website

and facebook page

where information will be shared about this event, and other fibre related gatherings around the province.  Hopefully the website will become a valuable resource for anyone with a question about local fibres, farms, and artisans.

There is information on the website for anyone interested in being a vendor at the fibre festival; and a call for workshop proposals.

See you there!

Woolly Warm Wishes

The festive sheep adorning the Tree.

Perhaps they are  under the misapprehension that they are birds ...

Wishing you much warmth and laughter, from Linda, Margaret, and the whole crazy flock.

While Waiting for the Light

I like snow. Really. And I appreciate a muted palette. But oh my goodness it is about time we had a bit of that famous prairie sunshine around here. All my photos from my last visit to the sheep are shades of grey with indeterminate lumps of darker grey, and by mid afternoon there isn't enough light to take a photo without a flash anyway. 

Here are two pocket purses recently finished for a custom request. On the upside, the gentle natural light is better than glaring shadows for photos, and the horses look even more realistic with the snow flakes collecting on them, don't they?