Hello again, it Monday March 29th and it has been raining very hard all morning.  We are suppose to get rain, heavy rain through Wed.  Oh well, at least it isn't snow!  The sheep are finally able to come down to the pasture by my house.  Jon looked out the window and they were chewing on the bark of Darcy's Christmas tree that had blown down over the hill.  I went out and got the tree out of the pasture and the sheep are having a rodeo........they are totally crazy and it must feel so good to be able to run and jump without slipping and sliding in the snow.

I went with my son David and my grandson Austin on Saturday to Chester and got 26 bales of beautiful 2nd cut hay.  He doesn't have any more but I was able to find 2nd cut hay on Craigslist and its in Walpole,N.H.  Now I just have to find a way to get it to the farm.  I want the second cut now as Arly, my white ewe, if she is pregnant will need 2nd cut hay and grain from now and after she lambs.  If she does lamb, it would be mid-May.  I also have to figure out a time to get Luther, my moorit (brown) ram home from Windham.  He will be going into a pasture by the farm/garage and will be in with 3 wethers.  We have a pack of coyotes that are around the farm at night and that is making me pretty nervous to have him out in a pasture.  Right now, I shut everyone in at night so I can sleep.
I sold my first whole raw fleece on etsy last week and mailed it to Chicago this morning.  Its always exciting to sell stuff on etsy.  I just added a kitten, Marion the Librarian, and Malcolm the Mortician to etsy.
I'm going to be working with Darcy setting up classes at Maybelle Farm for the spring/summer.  Please watch our website for the up-coming classes.  Got to go get some work done.  Good-bye from Maybelle MaMa.

Well here it is Tuesday March 23rd,2010 and I survived the March Madness Fiber Sale.  It was so much hard work but it was sooooooo successful.  I really had a wonderful time and it was a dream come true for me to have all my wool,needlefelting,etc out in the beautiful Fiber Studio.  Everyone was very impressed and couldn't believe how much space there was.  Now I really have to get hopping and start scheduling classes and workshop.  Cheryl Flett is going to do a Wet Felting class on Sunday May 2nd.  I am so excited because I have never done any wet felting!  Patty Blomgren will be doing some Beginner Spinning classes and more Special classes.  I will do some Needlefelting classes too.  It is so nice to have all the plastic tubs up at the studio and be able to sort and package roving and put up kits,etc.  WOW, I can really get a fiber fix every day now!  I have to sit down with my daughter Darcy and make up a schedule of classes and workshops that will be posted on our website.  It was fun to hear how people found out about the March Madness sale.  Some saw it on Ravelry or read about it in the Reformer, Deerfield Valley News or read our web page.  This is what I want to be doing at this stage of my life.  They say when you find what you really enjoy, that is what you should be doing.  YIPEEEEEEE, I can be a Fiber Nut!  I have also signed Maybelle Farm up to be a Host Farm for the Strolling of the Heifers event in June.  We will be open to the public for tours of the farm,petting the sheep and seeing little lambs, check out the chickens,watch spinning,drop spindle,needlefelting demonstrations and refreshments will be served.  Watch for more informations as it becomes available.  Got to sign off now and go finish a little needlefelted dog Kipper that I'm making for my grandson Declan.  Goodnight from Maybelle MaMa.

Hello from Maybelle Farm. Its Sunday March 14,2010 and I was going to being working at the barn today with two friends skirting fleeces.  Wouldn't you know that the weather would change our plans.  It is sleeting right now and I didn't want them to drive from Windham and Wilmington in such awful weather.  We have rescheduled for this coming Wed. at 5p.m.  It is such fun to have help with skirting and all the talking and laughing makes the work go so much faster.  Well with my skirting plans cancelled, I now have a playday for me!!!!!! Lets see, what shall I do first??????  I just bought........yes thats right. I just bought two fleeces from a place I found on Etsy.  Its called Sheeps and Peeps farm in West Virginia.  I got 2 lbs. 8 oz. of Borderleicester/cross lambs fleece and 2 lbs. 11 oz. of a coopworth/cross lambs fleece.  Well the box arrived yesterday and I washed some of both......OH MY GOODNESS, its sooooosoft and beautiful.  I guess thats what I will do today is card and spin some of that.  I also brought a bag of Dulcie (one of my shetland ewe's) fleece down.  I'm going to spread it out,take pictures and put it on etsy.  I have had requests for raw wool,so I will try it. I will also put it on Local Harvest.  Yesterday was Darcy (my daughter's) birthday.  Rowan and Declan ( my grandchildren) helped to make a birthday cake and decorate it.  We also made birthday cards on Print Shop with their picture on the front.  Well, I'm going to sign off for now and go play.  So long from Maybelle MaMa.

Well today is Saturday March 6,2010 and I have had an absolutely wonderful day.  I went to Brookline,Vt. and taught a needle felting class to 6 very,very nice people.  They fixed a wonderful lunch and then we got down to being very creative!  It was such fun watching each person make their item come to life.  They made the following:  a very cute ladybug, an adorable little gray elephant, a really neat gnome that will hang out in the woods in Guilford,VT, a very nice black and white chicken, a just too cute little chimp, and Olive Oil that came out really great.  It is such fun for me to have an afternoon to just teach and play with fiber.  Some of the ladies are going to come to the March Madness Fiber sale here at the farm on Sat/Sun. March 20th and 21st.  I am so hoping that I can sell some of the fleeces and then ship the rest to a fiber mill.

My son arrived a little while ago with my dinner.  He had cooked dinner at his house and brought me a very nice meal!  My little grandaughter Ella was with him and she played in the playroom while we had a nice visit.  My grandaughter Rowan that is 5 yrs. old had a sleepover here last night.  It seems to be a very big event to pack her backpack and stay overnight with YaYa, even though I live just next door.  Now my grandson Declan that is 2 yrs. old says it is his turn for a sleepover so next week he can stay overnight!

It is sooooooo nice to have the sun shine and see the snow start to melt.  I will just be so very glad when spring arrives.  My little Catherine that I take care of during the summer, called from Cambridge,MA to tell me she is sending me seeds to start for her garden.  She comes up the second week in May to her summer home in East Dover,VT with her daughter and 3 friends for a planting party.  They are a wonderful family and I have so much fun all summer long with Catherine.  She was 95 yrs. old in mid-January and is still very sharp and full of fun.

Well, I guess that is it for tonight.  I'm going to bed early and try to be very productive tomorrow.  I want to start sorting fiber in the studio tomorrow and do an inventory list.......that will take most of the day.

Goodnight from Maybelle MaMa.

   Well, its Wed. March 3rd and my brother Everett just came over with his skidder and drove up thru the barnyard to the barn and cleared out a large area so the sheep can come outside finally....WHEEEE  they are all very happy now and so am I!  I walked behind the skidder up to the 8 foot green metal gate, then I needed to go around the skidder to try to get the gate out of the snow.YIPES, I went into the snow up over my hips and thought I was there until the snow melts!  Everett jumped off with a shovel and we finally got the gate open, meanwhile I have a very wet butt!  I should have had on my carhartt bib overalls but raced out of the house without them.  Oh well, it made me work faster.  It is a very fine,light snow today and it won't accumulate, just make the roads a little slippery.  I'm back in the house with a cup of coffee, a wonderful hot fire in the soapstone stove and I can sit at the computer for a little while.  If my sheep are happy, then I'm happy.

   I also with many other things that I do, teach tap dancing.  I have to work on getting steps and music ready for tomorrow.  Its lots of fun and I love the costume part of it, getting ready for a dance recital in June.  The children are ages 2 1/2 to 11 yrs. old and I have two grandaughters, a grandson and three great nieces that are dancing. There are also little girls dancing and I taught their mothers to tap dance!  They are so funny the different age groups and the type of music they like.  The little tots class is doing "Who's afraid of the big,bad wolf".  The next class of 5-6 yr olds are doing "Old Susanna" and "When I grow Up".  The next class is doing  "Achy,Breaky Heart/Throwdown/Hoedown"  and "Life is a Highway" from the movie "CARS". The oldest class loves, LOVES Taylor Swift so they are dancing to "You belong with me",  "Mama Mia", and "If I were a rich girl".

    Well I've got to stop playing with this blog and get some work done.  Talk to everyone soon.  I'm getting lots of replies about the fiber sale and people all ready reserving fleeces.  Don't forget to e-mail or call if you have questions or want a fleece saved!  Thanks from Maybelle MaMa.