We were going to go out but it was one of those days. The reservations never got made so we’re going to have a pizza fest — 3 kinds — and a big salad. Today we took advantage of decent weather to get work done outside. Jim spent a bunch of time cleaning up in front of the barn doors. It’s an ongoing project to keep that spot as clear as possible. Any time the temps are above freezing and there’s even a little sun working on the snow and ice, we have another shot at making the build-up go away. A couple of years ago, we had a big snow followed by a big rain followed by a big freeze and we had to get the sheep into the barn for shearing. There wasn’t any way to defrost that huge ledge of ice in front of the doors so we shortened them a bit. Yes! we actually cut the bottoms off.
I dug through some more fleeces and checked the stash of white ones I’ve been collecting. We’ve had so few white sheep for so many years that it’s been difficult to get any white yarn made. It really doesn’t make sense, economically, to send off just a couple of fleeces. It looks like there may be enough to send off now. While looking through them, I found myself not wanting to part with them…I don’t know why I have such a problem with this. Maybe it’s because in my heart, I love fleeces just the way they are and I wonder whether that has to do with having learned to spin in the grease (before it’s been washed) — thanks to Betty O., my wonderful (and patient) teacher. To some (maybe most) handspinners, this way is unappealing — you do get your hands “dirty” (if you think lanolin & suint is dirt) but surely seeing the fleece as it grew on the animal, the smell of fresh fleece, the liquid feel of lanolin as the fiber glides through your fingers — there’s a connection to the animal that makes it worth having to wash your hands.
Going to pick up another load of hay tomorrow. We’re getting about 12-14 days out of each load.
