Got The Rhinebeck Blues?

Next weekend is one of the country's best loved festivals, the New York State Sheep and Wool Festival, more commonly known as "Rhinebeck".  I've been several times and it's always an amazingly good time.  Here's a fun link with a good short video.  Go watch!

This year a bunch of my long distance friends are going.  Robin and Julie will be there with the Nistock Farms booth (Building 22D) and a group from the Meridian Jacobs Farm Club are flying in from California.  

I really toyed with making the trip to meet up with everyone.  What fun that would be!  Leaving the farm though is very hard for me.  Even though we have great farm sitters, I worry about everyone, especially with so many oldies now.  Add in the 14 hour drive and how homesick I get...and I've decided to stay home.

That's not to say I'm not really sad about it though.  Rhinebeck is one giant party for sheep and wool people.  Everyone wears their best hand knits, there are sheep galore throughout the barns, the shopping can't be beat, you can learn so much in the workshops, the book signings, competitions and demonstrations are top notch...and there are cider donuts and artichoke french ;-).

If Auntie Reg didn't have such a loser friend who doesn't like to leave home, she'd be on her way to New York next week.  Everyone should go to Rhinebeck at least once.  Instead, we decided it could almost be as fun to have a stay at home Rhinebeck party here on the farm.

• We have sheep! Sheep for breed representatives, sheep that are cute, Livestock Conservancy/Shave Em to Save Em sheep, sheep for selfies, sheep for hugs...

• We have shopping in the Wool House.  There is some roving left from last weekend, plenty of gift items, hopefully the 2020 calendars will be finished!  

• I can teach some informal workshops - maybe a beginning spinning class? Shepherding? Fleece washing?  Sheep to Sweater discussion?  I'm open to suggestions!

• I've got lots of fiber related books I could set out for the "author area".

• Everyone can wear (or cast on ;-) their Rhinebeck Sweaters and I will take the portrait pictures.  

• Instead of a competition area, we can just show off our favorite yarns, shawls, sweaters, hats...

• Reg will bring in cider donuts from that terrible (in a good way ;-) donut shop in Winchester.

• And if we get really ambitious we Reg might even try to make the famous Artichoke French dish.

• The best part?  No pan flute music ;-D.  If you've been to Rhinebeck, you know why that's funny.  I actually kind of like it...but maybe not all day ;-).

So if you've got the Rhinebeck Blues, come out to the farm next Saturday the 19th from 10:00 - 4:00.  If possible, please RSVP via email so we make sure we have enough donuts, goodie bags...  Also, let me know what sort of workshop you'd like.  Or just bring a current project and sit on the porch and [sheep] watch.

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NOT to confuse things, the 9th Annual National Hug A Sheep Day Farm Party is still on the schedule for the following weekend, the 26th.  Yes, that will be two farm parties in two weeks :-o.

Hey, any excuse for donuts ;-).

All Together Now

Awwwww :-)

This is the first time I've seen Hank and Salt actually hanging out together.  The cooler weather has done everyone a world of good.  I feel almost human again and I think Hank feels almost...human as well.  I'm so glad to see him happier.

Thank you for all the good tips and things to check and think about with him.  Because I hadn't actually seen him limping or stiff, I hadn't considered arthritis pain causing him to lick his elbows.  Good point!  

We tried treating that first, but it hasn't seemed to make a difference.  Our next step will be an anti-anxiety medication, but I'm thinking/hoping we won't need to try that.  He's settled way down since the upper 90s broke at the end of last week.  That was making me pretty anxious as well :-(.

Have I mentioned how much Hank and I hate summer?  Oh...okay...sorry ;-).

And This Is Why I Keep Him Around

I'm not naming names, but I have had yet another issue with the feed mill that [was] mixing our sheep food. We're not going to go into what we should do or not do or why or...  We are just going to have a laugh about Saint Tim's take on the situation when I texted him Solid Proof that there was something not right about the mix this morning.

Cotswolds...  

Funny husbands...  

Gotta love 'em both :-).

We Made It

It's finally fall!

If it's too cold and dreary for you to go play outside, there's a new puzzle for you ;-).

Watching...

...for fall?  For rain?  For cooler temps?  For the upcoming Kentucky Wool Festival?  For a new puzzle :-).

This has been the hottest September I can ever remember.  We are still in the 90s and my "if I can just make it until Thursday..." has been changed this morning to "if I can just make it until Friday."  If this trend of pushing back the end of this brutal heat stretch continues, it's just going to become "I hope I make it..."

To make matters worse, other than a freak rain storm yesterday morning, we have had no rain.  Everything is brown and crispy and when the wind does blow, it's a hot wind that does nothing to help anyone.  Speaking of the freak rain, it rained 2" at the house, but only 3/8" at the Wool House, just yards away.  The rain was that spotty.  

Hank is doing pretty well.  His foot has healed up beautifully, but he's back obsessively licking both of his elbows now and right after I took this picture I had to stick the cone of shame back on him :-/.  They are actually blow up pillows now and if it wasn't so blasted hot, it probably wouldn't be that uncomfortable to wear, but still.

I'm in the final crunch week of getting ready for the wool festival.  My Ohio Valley Natural Fibers run scheduled for last week was cancelled, but they are hoping they can run my roving this Tuesday.  I have my fingers crossed, but am still stressing about a contingency plan if they can't get their machine back up and running.  

I've got a good amount of wool pumpkins made, lots of wool balls, quite a few mini wreaths and I'm finishing up some big wreaths.  I'll also have all the usual Punkin's Patch "swag" in tow and hopefully some felted sheep as well.  The calendars won't be ready until after the festival, but we have plenty of the "...and to all a good night" Christmas cards packed up and also mixed sets of all 15 years.

Tring Farm has eight pretty raw fleeces to sell and for some reason Andy and Tavia's fleeces (two of my favorites) didn't sell back in the spring, so I'll have them there as well.  Everything else is washed and ready to process,  so it will all work out somehow.  

The booth will be full and fun and pretty and if the forecast holds, it should be a great weekend.  We might even be able to wear some wool in the evenings...which seems odd to say after so many weeks/months of not breaking out of the 70s at night.  

I'll believe it when I see it.  I'm watching!