So I Did A Thing

I decided I wanted to go to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this year.  It only took me over 20 years to get over the extreme heat from the first time I went when I swore I'd never go back ;-).  Anyway, I thought if I was going all that way, I should challenge myself to enter something in the Skein and Garment competition.

My favorite class is the Spinners Yarn Basket and from there it was an easy jump to figure out some way to include Jared.  If you are going to put that much effort into making something, it needs to be with a good friend.

In 25 words or less, you spin at least one pound of yarn, tell how you processed and spun the yarn, include the pattern you are going to use the yarn for and a swatch to show how it will work.  My favorite description for everything after that is "flower arranging for yarn".  

I am extremely honored that Big J and I brought home the blue ribbon.

I always wished I had a picture of the two of us so I decided to paint one.

And I wrote him a letter and put together a little booklet with some more information and "flower arranging".

And some of my favorite pictures that helped illustrate how much he meant to me and everyone who met him.

I made a big "basket" to hold his big yarn from the apple crate I used to sit on in the barn with him.  I lined it with a drawstring project bag that I made from one of Bill's old shearing bags and a sheet that we use to wrap the freshly shorn fleeces.  The tags are my required entry information.

This is the front and back (outside) of the booklet.  The inside spread was an excerpt from his obituary from the blog.

And this was what I would have said to him if we were standing in the driveway.  The Xs were to make sure there was no identifying information anywhere.

Meteorological note - this year was one of the coldest on record.  Of course it was.  

Maisie note - I included the picture of Maisie sashaying away from my wrecked bike with Jared looking on in horror because if you are going to do something bold, you might want to do it with Maisie...or not ;-).

And After

I always love Murphy's marbled colors.

And how black Muffin still is.

The two Kristas, grandmother and granddaughter.  I wonder if the little gray ewe on the left is related to them as well.  She looks more like the OG Krista than the new Krista does, although her "Baa" sounds just like her grandmother :-).

Everyone in the main flock together in one picture.

And a new puzzle!

Before...

Is Maggie taller than she is wide?

Big Moose

Pinto...only taller because he has long legs ;-).

White Krista.  What a sweet little ewe.

This is a fun puzzle :-).

 

Meanwhile, Back Before Spring Shearing...

April has been just a blur.  These pictures are fun of Archie and Possum, so better late than never.  I also have pre-shearing sheep pictures and post shearing pictures.  Any interest in seeing those or has that ship sailed until next year?  Maybe as a puzzle or two?

Archie and Possum both loved hanging out on the roll bale. 

But as with most things "Possum", frequently dissolved into a fight.  

"Possum!"

"What?"

The top roof is the one Archie fell off of a few years ago?  Well, he fell off the lower roof, too, on the way down.  

I'm guessing he only has about three lives left...that I know about.

I Gave Up

I'd hoped for the last two years that I'd be able to pick up a neighborhood swarm and feel pretty sure that I had at least some descendants from Stella's bees.  That didn't work out and I finally decided to just start over.  Of course, now that I've gone to all this trouble and expense, I'll probably find a swarm next week.  

I've never installed a package of bees before.  I've had lots of experience handling bees in general and am comfortable working with nucs (a small box of established bees with a queen), but dealing with a queen in a cage in a package of bees she doesn't know was a little daunting.  

I wanted a particular strain (Buckfast) bees though and a package was my only option.  That's okay.  Stella and I loved learning new things about beekeeping.  She'd have enjoyed the whole day, from going to pick them up to getting them settled.  She'd especially have liked the new inside feeder I'm using.

While a friend and I were waiting for the stragglers to move from the package into the hive box, we were able to watch some of the bees start to fan and talk to each other and then saw some take  orientation flights circling over the hive box.  A few even started exploring whatever these flowers are.

By nightfall, all but a few were tucked into the box and I was able to pick up the last 10 or so and deposit them at the entrance.  Hopefully they'll be happy here.  They've had a long couple of days I'd guess being packaged up and moved.  I promised them that tomorrow will be a better day.