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