Hello again from Maybelle Farm.  Its Thursday night, October 27, 2011 and we had the first snow of the season today.  This is way too soon if you ask me, and I would rather it waited to snow until at least Dec. 24, but nobody asked me!   There was enough snow accumulated on the roads to make the trip home for David and Jonathan very slick!  I cannot believe that I haven't written since Oct. 12th so there is a lot to add to this blog. 

I have been working all through the beginning of October to get all my stuff ready for the Gilfeather Turnip Festival last weekend.  Thank goodness I have had Olivia to help me on Saturdays or I would have never been able to get stuff ready.  Olivia didn't have school on Friday Oct. 21, so she helped me do a lot of things here at the farm. We moved sheep, packed up everything with the help of Agathe, Emma,and Jonathan and loaded the van for the Festival on Saturday Oct. 22.  I left here at 8:15 a.m. and Agathe, Olivia and Emma helped me set up my booth and be ready to sell.  My booth was outdoors in a tent and by early afternoon, more rain arrived.  There was a very big crowd but not a lot of sales.  We were all very excited because the Library was selling raffle tickets for the beautiful wool mural that was made at the Fiber Fun Camp this summer.  I think someone from Connecticut won the mural.

On Thursday Oct. 20 my sweet little white Casper ( ram lamb) went to his new home in Windham,VT.  He will be with 5 ewes and I'm sure he is a very happy little boy.  On Sunday Oct. 23 my little Cedric (ram Lamb) went to Maryland to be with some very beautiful Shetland ewes.  I am so happy that both little boys went to very nice farms and hopefully produce some lovely lambs.  I have Custer (white ram lamb) that should go for breeding because he is so handsome but so far no-one has inquired about him.

Saturday evening I went with my daughter Darcy and her children Rowan and Declan plus my niece Cindy to a Medieval Dinner at Flood Brook Union School in Londonderry.  We had dinner there that you eat with your fingers, the children did a great job as servers and they put on a skit.  It was a really nice evening with lots of laughs.  The attached picture shows Rowan dressed as a princess and Declan as the Blue Cross Knight!  Cindy and Darcy both dressed up but I went as the party pooper.........shepardess!  HA HA!

Monday morning Jonathan and I loaded three dog crates inro our van and drove to Donna Carlucci's Farm in Center Sandwich, N.H.   We went to pick up two little Shetland ewe lambs and two Shetland adult ewes.  It was such fun to get to have a short visit with Donna and Ken.  I wish they were my neighbors......but oh my, the trouble Donna and I would be in. :-)   You see, we both LOVE our sheep and like the saying for potato chips......"I bet you can't have just one"!  HA HA!   Well we loaded little Maggie and Cedar into one crate.  Flopsy in her own crate and Rosie in the third crate.  They were wonderful travelers and when we got home, they hopped right out into the pasture.  Olivia, Emma, Agathe and Bill all arrived and could not believe how tiny the two little ewe lambs are.  We were all so excited and they are just beautiful sheep.  Emma and Olivia come over each night to take care of the little girls.  Last night I went to their house to check out their barn/stall for the two little girls.  It will work out really well and will be very secure.  Bill has done a great job and will put down plywood for the floor and hook up electric fence for security.  The little ewes arrived on the Oct. 24 and will go up to their new home in three weeks.  It's so rewarding to pass on the knowledge about raising sheep and to see both girls so happy.

My grandson Declan had a sleepover last night and I took care of him today.  I've got on my flannel pajamas and am going to curl up with a good book for a little while then off to bed.  Oh yes, when Darcy got home this afternoon, it was snowing and we decided to move the 4 new sheep into another pasture closer to the farmhouse.  Darcy and Rowan put hay in both sheds, brought some loose minerals for them and I took the grain bucket to the pasture where they were waiting.  I opened the gate and said, "Come with me little ladies" and down the road we walked like a parade.  They are just absolutely too cute and I'm attaching some pictures.  The white spots are the snowflakes on my camera lens.

Goodnight from Maybelle MaMa

Hello again from Maybelle Farm.  Its Monday Oct. 10, 2011 and its my mother's birthday.  How I miss her!  It's also my nephew Michael's birthday too.  It is a beautiful fall day, the sun is shinning, the birds are singing and life is great at the farm.  I have a load of hay coming today, what more could a farm girl want!!!!  I have really been worrying that I wouldn't be able to find enough hay for the winter. 

Now I will start with my weekend story!  Jonathan, David, Austin and Ella went to Maine on Saturday and stayed overnight.  It was a special weekend with PaPa at a Trolley Show. They had a wonderful time and nice they could all be together.  Darcy, YaYa (that's me), Rowan and Declan went on our own adventure.  We went to West Brattleboro looking for an apple orchard.   I thought I knew where an apple orchard was but it just ended up being a nice ride on the wrong road!  However, we did however find hay for sale so it was definitely worth the trip on the wrong road.  Darcy read the article in "The Commons" this week about the Miller Orchard on Bonneyvale Rd. and knew were that was so we decided to we go there.  I was thrilled to see Nancy Miller again and we had a very nice short visit.  Off to the orchard we went to pick our apples on the hill behind the farmhouse.  Rowan and Declan with small wooden baskets and Darcy with a large bag.  We all picked some of the most beautiful Cortland apples!   "OH my Goodness"  I'm just in little piggy heaven!!  I am sure I was a bear in a former life!  Put me in a berry patch or an orchard and I am beyond happy.

This reminds me of a funny farm story.  Our first year we had sheep, they were in the pasture by the farmhouse.  There were huge blackberry bushes all along the fence hanging into the pasture.  We had two white sheep Marcus and Willow, but we could not find them.  Where are the sheep?  Finally I found them under the berry bushes.  When they came out to see me.......their faces and nose were very dark purple.  I didn't even have to dye the wool - they did it naturally for me......just throw them in the berry patch! HAHA!  Next adventure:  we have two pear trees and I thought the sheep should have a few to eat.  I throw in a few and oh my goodness... Duncan, one of our big rams, starts choking.  I jumped over the gate, picked him up and did a couple of heimlich maneuvers and out popped the piece of pear! WHEWWWWW!! I almost wet my pants, thinking I nearly killed my own sheep.

If I wrote a book of all the foolish farm adventures, it would be quite a book.  One of our first days with the sheep (and we only have 4 at the time) Willow got her head stuck in the water bucket.   The metal handle went over the back of her head and she ran all around with the bucket hanging down in front of her head. She couldn't see where she  was going and Darcy and I chased her until our tongues were dragging!  We finally got her into the barn and got the bucket off her head!

Oh yes, now back to Saturday with Darcy and her children.  We ate lunch and then went to Guilford to the Gaines Farm.  Darcy, Rowan and Declan went through the corn maze and I stayed in a lovely wicker rocking chair and watched some of the funniest people.  They have small, medium and large bouncy horses as one of the things you can play with.   I watched a family go in to use them, the parents each get on a horse and start to bounce then both flopped over on their side and layed there laughing like fools.  Of course, I found that extremely funny!  There were also rides on the Cow Train which is a four-wheeler pulling little cow cars.  I will attach a picture of Rowan and Declan in the cow car.  They have hay rides, a farm animal petting barn, pony rides and food for sale.  You can also shoot an ear of corn at targets and win a prize.   What a nice place to take a family for just plain fun.

We got home about 4 p.m. and I went down to take care of Jack that is my son David's dog.  Chores at the farm were done and I helped Darcy give baths to Rowan and Declan.  What a nice day just enjoying some wonderful, much needed sunshine adventures.

I worked in West Brattleboro yesterday until 3 p.m. and got home about 4 p.m.  Jonathan and David got home about 5 p.m. and Darcy's family had worked all day at the farm.  I went up to stay with Rowan and Declan while Darcy and Todd went to the barn to trim hooves on Luther, Spartacus and Blake.  Well that is all for now so I will sign off and go get busy.  So-long from Maybelle MaMa.

Hello again from Maybelle Farm.  Well, I survived the Vermont Sheep Festival!!!!!!  Jonathan and I arrived up at the Tunbridge Fairground mid-afternoon on Friday Sept. 30 to set up the tent and unload the van.  Number one, there should be a warning on all tent shelters: DANGER: Do not put this shelter up with your spouse !!!!!!!!!!  It was raining and we both had our own ideas as to how to put the frame up.  One leg was stuck and required a screw driver for some repairs......half-way thru Jonathan said "If you say one thing more, I'm leaving"!!!!!!!  It finally went together with the cow print Moo cover was on.  The sides that Jonathan bought were not for this type of a shelter.  Thank God for Duct-tape!!  Cheryl arrived when we were almost through setting up the ten.  Then Jonathan helped Cheryl get her tent up.  Jonathan headed for home and Cheryl and I put up everything we could and then went to the camper.  There were 6 ladies and one 13 yr. old in the camper for the weekend.  It was an evening of lots of conversation and laughs.  Everyone to bed, but not much sleeping as we could hear the rain pouring down.  I was so worried that my stuff would be blown all over the fairground, but come Saturday morning, Oct. 1, it was still there. 

On Saturday it rained the whole day, with a lot of heavy rain!   To say it rained really doesn't describe it!  By late afternoon everyone in the outside booths were hopping up and down trying to stay warm.  I have to say despite the weather, it was a lot of fun to see so many friends and people I have seen before or sold to.  Agathe, Olivia,and Emma from our hometown arrived in the very heavy rain.   I appreciate it so much that they came up and helped me get my 11 skirted fleeces to Zeilinger's, which had come to the Festival from Michigan, to have it processed into crew socks.  Next to arrive was my buddy Donna and we got to laugh, grouch and have fun together.  We went to the animal barn and only found two pens of Shetland sheep and were disappointed.  Next Alison arrived and she had found the sheep barn towards the back of the fairgrounds.  I went with her and thank goodness, Jonathan had left me there without the van!  Oooooooohhhhh!  I found several adorable little Shetland ewe lambs that would have fit very nicely into the van.  Lets see, if I cut some holes in the plastic crates.....could I sneak them home???????? Ha, ha, ha!

Jocelyn stopped by next and we discussed all her lovely moorit lambs from our old ram Luther!  Carlene, who had bought one of rams about five years ago - Toby,  stopped at my booth.  It was not busy on Saturday but I did sell quite a bit of the Shetland roving.  It was fun to be able to show off my "Vinca Vest" and that helped to sell the wool.  On Sunday Rayleen was up to the festival having lots of fun.  I got to talk with Chet Parsons (the UVM Sheep Guy) for a few minutes and its always great to see him.  Saturday evening Cheryl and I went to So. Royalton and had a very nice dinner and got warm.  Back to the camper for more talking and laughing.  Saturday night everyone slept because we were all sooooo tired.

Sunday afternoon I went to the town hall and taught a needle felting class: "How to make a Vermont Gnome".  I had four ladies in my class and they did a fantastic job making their gnomes. I'm going to attach their pictures to this blog.  I love teaching needle felting and seeing people enjoy finishing a project.    When I finished my class it was about 3:30.   Jonathan had arrived to help pack up and head back to Wardsboro.  I put my crates with supplies in the van and we drove back to the place where the tent was set up.  Time to pack up everything, take down the tent and head for home.  Time for more heavy rain just when we are folding up the tent.  Needless to say, we were both soaking wet, cold and hungry.  We stopped in White River Junction and had the Chinese Buffet then headed for home.  When we got to the house, I told Jonathan to just leave everything in the car.  I came inside to a very happy Lettie (my Japanese Akita), put on my flannel pajamas and crawled into bed!!!!!!!   Whew, that was quite a week-end!

The Maybelle Farm Fiber Camp Mural won 3rd prize and I have a picture of Cheryl with the mural.  I have taken the mural back to the Wardsboro Library and it will hang there until the raffle drawing at the Gilfeather Turnip Festival on Saturday Oct. 22nd. I'm so proud of Cheryl and her students to have won both at the Deerfield Valley Fair and the Vermont Sheep festival.

On Monday I got up, took Lettie for a walk, went out to the barn and did chores and visited with all my sheep.  I then had to unload the van and took all the crates into the fiber studio and spent the morning putting things away.  I took the mural back to the Library, fixed lunch and went back to the farm to work.  It was Open Farm Day for Shetland Sheep visitors to VT,  but we didn't have any visitors.  That is alright, because I got a lot of work done.

Now its time to head back to the barn for night chores, get everyone settled in, come home, fix dinner, crawl back into some warm flannel pajamas and watch "Dancing with the Stars"!!!!!!  WHEEEEEE!!!

Goodnight from Maybelle MaMa

Hello again from Maybelle Farm.  Its Wednesday Sept. 28th, 2011 and I am playing at the computer when I should be working on getting things ready to pack the car tomorrow afternoon for the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival.  I went to Brookline today to pick up my t-shirts and tote bags that were made by Darlene Ballentine who owns SpecialTee Designs.  WOW!!  The shirts and bags are wonderful and I'm thrilled.  Now if my credit card machine and shelving units arrive tomorrow....  The YIPPEE I'm ready to go!

Last week poor little Chet, who was  wethered and had to have his horns removed, needed 1 c.c. of Penicillin each day for 5 days and silvercote sprayed on his head.  I called our friend Bill and asked if he and Olivia could come help me as Darcy and Todd were both not able to help.  Bill held Chet while I gave him his shot and sprayed his head. Everything seems to be doing o.k. and its nice to have extra hands.  Emma and Olivia got  to feed Clementine and Chloe and put out hay and water.  I am so thrilled to have extra help and they will be getting two ewe lambs in the spring.  Today I moved the 4 ram lambs to a new pasture.  I just shake the grain bucket and they follow me up the road and into the pasture.  I took down two rolls of portable from the back yard and moved it to the front yard.  This means everyone is very happy and has good eating.

Monday Jonathan and I went to Dartmouth Medical Center for Jonathan to have a liver biopsy.  We got there about 8:50 a.m. and got home at 5 p.m.  It was a very long day but everything went well.  I even got my "Vinca Vest" that I have been knitting, completely finished.  I am going to put a picture on this blog so everyone can see it.  I am so happy to have it to wear at the festival and show how beautiful the roving spins up.  Now if the weather will just not be too rainy, snowy, etc for this weekend!  Jonathan and I plan to leave Friday morning between 10-12noon.  Cheryl will come up mid-afternoon and we will get our booths set up.  I'm a little concerned that the crowd will be smaller because of all the road damage but we will see.

Well, I guess that's all the news from Maybelle Farm so I will sign off and go do some more needle felting.  I just finished a black llama and want to finish an alpaca.  Jonathan has made a wooden base for a Canadian Goose  I needlefelted and will hook it down with leather straps.  I couldn't make it stand up on its own. 

Good-night from Maybelle MaMa

Hello again from Maybelle Farm. 

It's Monday Sept. 19th, 2011 and it had been a very busy day on the farm. I went and did chores and got everyone switched around in the barn so I could bring the 6 little ram lambs to the barn.  It was the "W" day!  The Vet was coming at 2 p.m. to wether or (castrate) two little ram lambs!!!!!!!!!  Holy Hen Poop.......!  it's not a nice thing to watch and I am certain a terrible thing to have done.  I make my son-in-law hold the poor little rams and he is just about green from the process.  We have a wonderful Vet Deb who sedated the little boys before the procedure.  Poor little love Chet had to also have his horn removed because they had been broken from the other little ram boys butting him.  They cut the horns close to the head and cauderize the hole.  Next they spray sivercote to prevent infection because removing the horn leaves is a hole in their head down into their sinus!!!!!!!!!  He also has to have a shot of penicillin for 5 days to keep from getting infection.  Good heavens, what the poor little boys have to go through!! It's either that or the meat factory which I couldn't do, so now I get to keep both Chet and Cecil as my little wethers.  All 8 of the lambs including the two little girls got their 2nd CD & T shot.  The Vet also checked poor old Luther (my moorit ram).  He is 10 yrs. old and has been sick from an infected horn and pink eye.  As you can tell there is never a dull moment on the farm and just when you think things are under control......WHEEEEE something else happens!

I am working frantically trying to get ready for the Vermont Sheep Festival on Oct. 1st and 2nd.  Its at the Tunbridge Fairground and I will be gone Friday Sept. 30th,Oct. 1st and 2nd.  Its a lot of work but also a lot of FUN.  Cheryl Flett of Cheryl Avenue with be in the booth next to me as we are sharing a 10' X 20' space.  We are renting a camper on the fairground so you can imagine how much laughing will be going on with 6 people in that camper.  I have Olivia (a very nice 11 yr old) come to help me on Saturdays to get ready for the festival.  She has got price tags put on all my critters, hats, etc..  I'm working wet felting wool objects and also trying to get my vest finished.

Today is a beautiful, crisp sunny day and I have been so busy.  It just feels like fall is just around the corner and there is so much to do.  Jonathan helped me Friday night pick all the red and green tomatoes because of a possible frost.  Now I have to make green tomato relish.  Well I have to close for now and go try to get some more things done.

So Long from Maybelle MaMa

Hello again from Maybelle Farm.  I can't believe its been so long since I wrote for our blog.  I just checked and it was July 27th when we last added to the blog.  It is now Monday Sept. 5th, 2011 and its pouring rain this afternoon.  Maybelle Farm came through Hurricane Irene without too much damage.  Our road washed out some and the small brook went over my spring, but we are up on a hill so were safe from serious damage.  I'm so glad that we live up here!   Before Irene arrived, we shut our 39 sheep in the barn and screwed the backdoor closed because we were worried about heavy rain and wind.  The sheep just stayed inside munching away, oblivious to the terrible weather.  At the bottom of our hill is Rt. 100.  This was washed out both above severely to the north and south of our hill. My nephew Norman, who lives on Route 100 right at the bottom of our hill,  and his family lost their shed, garage and home due to the flooding Whetstone Brook.  My niece Jackie, who is our Town Clerk, also lost her home along with five other houses in our town.  The river came up so high that my niece Debbie went to my brother Burdette's house to rescue them.  My brother Burdette just turned 82 yrs. old and they were in their basement trying to pump out water and didn't know how high the river was.  All the towns around here were hit very hard and the roads are washed out in so many places.  The schools have postponed the opening and Darcy has to go back tomorrow if she can get there.  It is so scary to hear the rocks rolling in the brooks and to see the water come up so fast.  We are all so very lucky to be safe.

The summer has been so very busy and now here is fall.  Where did the time all go?  We had a good garden and still have summer squash, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, beets and which is wonderful.  When the power was out during the days after the hurricane all of us on the "hill" decided to get together to help each other out until we could be reconnected with the world.  The local excavating companies and my brother Everett and nephew Mark have been working long, long days trying to clean up the mess from the flood.  The National Guard arrived on Wednesday to start helping with the repairs and helicopters have been delivering supplies.  We have been getting together every night at my niece Debbie's house for supper. Everyone brought stuff to eat because we were without power from Sunday to Thursday night.  We all used up stuff from our freezers as some of us had generators but others just had to cook up lots of stuff.  There was anywhere from 15-25 people each night and then Saturday night we had a birthday supper/party for Burdette.  It is very comforting to be with family through this and everyone is looking out for each other.

We do have some exciting news from Maybelle Farm! Cheryl Flett,  who taught the Fiber Fun Camps this summer, had the students make a wool mural as a part of their weekly projects.  She entered it at the Deerfield Valley Fair in Wilmington and it won FIRST prize and also "Best in Show" so we have two blue ribbons!!  We have donated the mural to the Wardsboro Public Library.  It will be raffled off at the Gilfeather Turnip Festival and the money from the raffle of this mural will go to the Library.

I have put a couple of the little ram lambs up for sale so I will add a couple of pictures to this blog.  I'm going to put a picture of Norman's house with the river going around it and then some of the sheep too.

That's all from Maybelle Farm for this time.

Kathleen

Hello again from Maybelle Farm! 

I can't believe its Wednesday July 27th, 2011 and I haven't written in the blog since July 3rd!  The time certainly does fly by and so much has happened.  It was such fun at the 4th of July with my friends of the "Fab Fiber Five".  There was a very large crowd at the parade and everyone seemed to enjoy all the fiber happenings.  Darcy, Todd, Rowan, Declan and their dog Kara got home Sunday evening July 3rd so then everything was back to normal at the farm.  We had a nice picnic at my sister Bev's house 4th of July evening.

The next event was the Fiber Fun Camp with Cheryl.  It started on Monday July 11th with 4 girls in the morning class and 3 girls in the afternoon class.  They worked all week learning new things to do with fiber and created a project to enter in the Vermont Sheep and Wool Festival.  It will be fun to see what they make and hopefully win a ribbon or prize.  The August class is probably going to be a bigger group and I will actually be able to enjoy some of the classes.  We also have an adult fiber class set up for the week of Aug. 15th.  Cheryl will teach Mon./Wed./Thur. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. for the adult classes.  I can't wait for these classes and also to make refreshments for them.

I drove to Gardner, MA. on July 13th and picked up my little Catherine and brought her to Toby Hill.  She is up for the summer and I finally have enough caregivers to do 24 hr. care and not be working soooooo many hours.  I think she is enjoying meeting new people and making raspberry jam,etc...  Art Wright that made a beautiful ramp up to the kitchen door for Catherine, stopped over last Sunday and on his way to the house saw a mother bear with triplets!!!!! WOW!  They must know there are blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, apples, peaches and what a place for a picnic.  I prefer a "Teddy Bear Picnic"... not the real thing!

Mr. Steiner brought 92 bales of beautiful hay so the barn smells wonderful.  He called this morning and will bring another 90 bales next week.  It certainly feels good to have hay going into the barn and not have to worry about where I will get hay for next year.  The sheep are doing well and today we put Tinka and her lambs Clementine and Chet in with Arly, Aphrodite,and Juliette and the 6 lambs Casper, Custer, Chloe, Cecil, Cedric and Cornelius. Yippee!!! No fighting!  Tinka was so busy eating lovely new grass that she couldn't be bothered to fight.  Chet was in little piggy heaven with all the "GIRLS".  He rode Arly's head and then each and every little ram lamb.  There was a conga line going of 5 little rams riding each other.....its just too funny to watch, so Darcy made a video of some of their antics.

Darcy, Rowan,and Declan and I went to Storyland in Glen,N.H. for a short three day trip.  We stayed at the Christmas Farm Inn in Jackson, NH.  It was a wonderful place to stay, very reasonable  and the food was incredible.  We had nice weather and rode on quite a few rides.  The  Geyser raft ride was fun but we certainly got soaking wet.  Declan was even brave enough to ride on the Bamboo Chute (log ride) but really didn't enjoy it!   The picture shows Darcy and Rowan shrieking and laughing and Declan looking scared to death! It was nice to get away for two days but now I need to get back to work.  I'm at Catherine's until 1:30 p.m. then Olivia from our Fiber Camp is coming to work with me packaging roving for the Vermont Sheep and Wool festival.

Life is good at Maybelle Farm.  Goodnight from Maybelle MaMa

Hello from Maybelle Farm.  It's Sunday July 3rd,2011 and it has been a very busy day.  I got up, took my Akita Lettie for a walk, did chores and checked on all 39 sheep, took care of Darcy's chicken and came home.  Forgot to eat breakfast and went to the Town Hall to help my niece Jackie make pies for the Wardsboro 4th of July Event.  We made blueberry, cherry, strawberry-rhubarb, raspberry, peach and apple.  They plan on about 150 pies to sell and its a lot of work. But lots of fun too talking and laughing with other ladies.

Next I went with my friend Alison to the Red Barn to set up for our "The Fab Fiber Five" fiber demonstration area.  I will be with my very good friends: Alison Schantz,  who is going to teach spinning on her beautiful Ashford wheel, Margaret Silvia from Margie's Muse will be teaching table weaving, Jenna Konesko will be teaching the drop spindle, and my buddy Cheryl Flett who will be teaching Wet felting.  I will be teaching needlefelting and the five of us will be selling our own products that we make.  We finished setting up about 3:30 p.m. and it really looks lovely, if I do say so myself!

It has been such a hectic week.  Darcy's family left on Saturday to go to the Thousand Islands for a week.  I had to work all week at Toby Hill taking care of my sweet little Catherine that is 97 yrs. old.  She arrived on Thursday June 23rd and went back to Cambridge, MA on Thursday June 30th.  Saturday night June 25th, it rained so hard that the basement flooded at Catherine's and water was up around the house.  I cancelled having Grace come into work and I stayed.  That meant a 36 hr. shift...........whewwwww!!!  Thank goodness, my son and grandson did chores so the sheep and chickens were taken care of.

I worked at the Tasha Tudor Museum on Wed. and Friday.  Friday was the Gallery Walk and my friend Patty Blomgren came in to do a weaving demo on the very large Barn Loom that was Tasha's.  That meant I was at the Museum from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and then back to the Museum yesterday 10-3 p.m.  It was very busy at the Museum on Friday and lots of fun.  The time goes by so quickly when you are very busy.  We are planning a big event for the week-end of Aug. 26-28 to celebrate Tasha's birthday.   Stay tuned for the announcements about it.

We are having a family picnic tomorrow at my sister Bev's house so I'm baking beans today.   We have ground round, hot dogs, chips, rolls, etc... to take to her house. It will be lots of fun after a day at the fair.  The Wardsboro Street Fair usually has a very large crowd and hopefully we will sell lots of wool!  It certainly would help to buy the hay for this coming winter.  I got a note from my very good friend Donna and her husband had to have two stents put in.  Please everyone send lots of prayers and good thoughts to them in New Hampshire.  I bought two little ewes and my handsome stud muffin ram "Thistle" from Donna.  I am also getting Flopsy,Aster and Aster's little ewe lamb whenever Jonathan and I can find the time to go pick them up.

Happy 4th of July from Maybelle MaMa.

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.