Connecticut Sheep and Wool Festival 2019

The Connecticut Sheep and Wool Fest is behind us now and we'd like to thank all those who shopped and supported us!  We had an amazingly great day even with the cold and windy weather ripping through the barns!

Thanks to Naomi who not only let me borrow this amazing shabby chic shutter but also gave me a ride to the Festival. Between her and Tim they got me there and back! 

Our sign hung proud...

Of course I had to feed my fleece addiction! This beautiful Corriedale fleece was ear marked for the Historical Society but a nice friend graciously donated the exact same fleece for the Society so it's all mine!

A neighbor booth had these beautiful pin keeps! I just wished they had one in a raccoon! I didn't get a chance to look around much but what I saw, the other vendors had some very nice things!

Maple syrup sold by our neighbor! Of course Tim had a chat with him.

One of the best pieces of news I heard was that the Festival is moving next year! The Festival will be closer to home and we are excited! 

The things you'll find!

Today I was cleaning out the hives to get them ready for the bees who will be arriving over the next couple of days. I opened the first hive and found this beautiful wolf spider just sitting there. She was moved over to an empty box and hopefully she will move on.

The next hive, when I opened it I thought I saw something poke it's head up but I thought I was seeing things. I pulled some frames out and found this nest. If you look close, it is made with alpaca fiber! The alpacas are a good distance away from the hives so this mama mouse has been working over time making the perfect nest.

When I pulled the box off, a mouse ran under the hive with 2 of her babies attached to her. She left these two behind! I quickly covered it back up and left the area. You can see the milk in their bellies so they were recently fed.

I left the entrance open slightly like she had it. I did check back a couple of hours later, she had returned the other 2 back to the nest thank goodness! I left her a couple pieces of kibble and will allow her to use the hive until she is done raising her babies!

Signs of Spring!

Signs of Spring are everywhere! We are so busy getting ready for Spring! The crocus are up!

These gorgeous daffodils are up and open. I did not plant these, they popped up on the hill a few years ago. Whatever type they are, they are gorgeous!

The Elderberry bushes we planted last year are budding and we are excited to see if we get berries this year!

It wouldn't be Spring without chicks! These girls arrived today, so sweet and tiny! They are Golden Laced Wyandottes. We are so excited to add these to our flock! These girls were early arrivals, with more chicks coming in a couple of weeks. We will be adding another new breed then as well. 

Can you stand the cuteness? OMG they are so cute! The sound of peeping from the dining room keeps drawing me to go stare at them. Welcome Spring and the busy season to prepare! 

We seem to have an under acheiver!

It's seems we have an under achiever or did this chicken forget something?! Small eggs like this happen in the process of the chicken laying. Some terms for these small eggs are called "Fart eggs' "dwarf eggs" or "fairy eggs".

This happens when the chicken doesn't have a yolk for the egg to develop around. They can range in size to even smaller than the one pictured. We don't see this often but it is funny when you are collecting eggs and one is there.

Too pink?

Is there such a thing as too pink? You bet it is! I was trying to go for a subtle pink, soft and baby like but got this! Did I read my notes on the bottle? That would be no! So I have dyed 7 ounces of alpaca fiber the very color I didn't want. However, there is truly no such thing as a dyeing mistake because you can always use it for something. 

Happy April everyone! April is such a busy time here on the farm! Baby chicks, honeybees and baby bunnies are all on the way! So stay tuned for some adorable cuteness overload! This year we are introducing some new breeds of chickens to our flock! Enjoy the warm weather and get outside! Winter is over and new life is everywhere!