Good evening from Maybelle Farm. 
It's Sunday night June 12, 2011 and all is well here at the farm.  Its been a very busy week, as all of them are.  Some just happen to be more busy than others and this one was jam packed with things that had to be done.  Let me think where to start.  First I have the schedule of caregivers completed for my little Catherine at Toby Hill.  She will be arriving on Thursday June 23rd and I am so excited to see her again.  I haven't seen her since last October and I could jump up and down.  My son David is going with me to pick up a hospital bed and take it to Toby Hill later this week.

The two shetland ewes Arly and Aphrodite and their little boys are now in with Juliette and all is well.  We still don't dare put big old Tinka and her two lambs in with the other Moms/lambs but it will have to be soon.  The grass is so tall and the sheep cannot begin to keep up with it.  The two rams/wethers that are in two seperate pastures are soooooo fat and happy. They really look great and its wonderful to have so much grass.  I just have to get sheep switched into other pastures and shut down some of the ones they have grazed.

I took my friend Nancy with me and we did volunteer gardening at Tasha's garden on Monday June 6th.  We had a picnic lunch and headed for home about 2:30 p.m. It was a wonderful day and we really got a lot done.  I was at the Museum on Wed. June 8th, and Amy brought Leigh to work at the Museum.  Leigh will catalogue all the items in the Museum and be our new curator.  The Museum will now be open Wed., Thurs., Fri. and Sat.  10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  Jenna's husband Kevin is working with Amy to up-date the website/blog for the Museum.

Thursday afternoon I was supposed to have a dress rehersal for my Tap Dance Recital at the Townshend Town Hall.   BUT the weather forcast was predicting severe thunderstorms so I did what I have never done before! I CANCELLED the dress-rehersal!  Well my dance recital was Friday evening June 10th and the children were fantastic and everyone had such a great time.  My little grandaughter Rowan had come home from school Thursday with a vomiting bug that was going around and I did not expect her to dance.  WOW, she came and did a great job.  I had two grandaughters and two grandsons tap dancing for me this year and who could ask for anything more!

I got a call Friday evening from Jocelyn Linnikin.  She had borrowed our old ram Luther last winter and she has three little ram lambs and two little ewes.  She said they are all different shades of chocolate........oh my goodness!  She has one more ewe to go and her lambing season will be over. Luther did well this year.  He was the father of Tinka's twins (chocolate colored Chloe) and (Gulmoget little Cecil).  Now he is the father of 5 little lambs at Jocelyn's farm.  He is Mr. Fertile Turtle!

Battenkill Fiber Mill called on Friday to say that my moorit yarn is ready so I'm hoping that tomorrow Jonathan, my sister Bev and I can go pick it up and then go shopping. We will see what tomorrow brings, weather ,etc.  Well that is about all the news for this week.
Goodnight from Maybelle MaMa

Hello again from Maybelle Farm.
Jonathan and I went to the Massachusetts Sheep and Wool festival this past Sunday and it was a really nice event.  The vendors said that it wasn't as busy this year and that people definitely are much more careful about spending their money.  I was very happy to get to see Faye, Jocelyn, and Margaret.   I also got to talk with Mary Jean from the Battenkill Fiber Mill and tell her again how pleased I am  with my roving and yarn.  Also on Monday Cheryl and Alison came to the farm.  We planned a lot more classes for the farm this summer, visited with the lambs and went to check out my brother-in-law's barn/craft building for a possible fiber co-op!  It's in the planning stage and seems to have a lot of potential.  It would really be great for Wardsboro to have an Art/Coop business for our little town.  Mr. and Mrs. Steiner, who I buy hay from,  came to visit the farm and see all the lambs.  They are such nice people and I'm so pleased to have such a nice hay source, just a few miles away in Stratton.

I fixed supper and we went to my sister Bev's house for supper Monday night.  Monday nights are my nights to visit with Bev and we watch  "Dancing with the Stars" or whatever is the latest show.  She has so much company all the time and with the weather being so hot, everyone is down enjoying her swimming pool.  Jonathan has been using a shop-vac in the barn and taking down the enormous cob-webs.  The barn is looking mighty spiffy and we have quite a bit of work to do as the Strolling of the Heifers farm tour is this next weekend.  Last year we only had two families because it was heavy rain and a tornado warning.  The weather for this weekend looks to be very nice. I have to either be in the Tasha Tudor booth on the common in Brattleboro or at the Museum on Saturday.

On Monday I went to Toby Hill to meet with Taf and Cary to get everything set up for my little Catherine to come up the end of June.  Catherine is the sweetest little lady that is 97 yrs old.  I have taken care of her for 5 years every summer and we just play away the days.  We make jams, jelly, pies,etc... and go out on a little toot here and there.  I just think the world of her and her family and count the days until they come back.  Every October their beautiful Toby Hill home is closed for the winter and every spring, there is a planting party.  They have 5 raised beds that Catherine calls her "Coffins" and they have a beautiful garden.

Well I have to close for now and go to bed.  The little lambs are growing like weeds and we will be putting another video on shortly of their playtime in the pasture.  Life is good at Maybelle Farm. 
Goodnight from Maybelle MaMa.