Category: Wool

It’s still snowing here. Started sometime this morning but we only have about six inches so far.  It will be dark soon and I might go out one more time to shovel.  Or maybe not.

The sheep and donkeys  spent most of the day in the barn, except to come out to eat and drink.  Not that it bothers the sheep to have a layer of snow on their fleece.  They don’t feel it at all.  But the donkeys are more sensitive to getting wet.

The hens didn’t come out at all.

When Biddy wasn’t at the gate this morning looking for a piece of apple, I guessed there was something wrong.  Still I brought out the hay and when she wasn’t at the feeder I found her in the corner of the barn.

Biddy had died in the night.

I knelt down bedside her and placed my hand on her body.  I sat that way for a while, saying goodbye and thanking her for being a good sheep. I was grateful that she was able to die naturally in the safety of the barn.

Last spring when we sheared the sheep Biddy was very thin.  So thin I worried about her making it through another winter.  But she plumped up on the spring grass and seemed to be doing well.  Since they started eating hay I’ve been supplementing her diet (along with Socks and Suzy who are also old) with some grain.

I didn’t see any signs that Biddy wasn’t doing well.  Yesterday she was at the feeder with the rest of the sheep.

But I also wasn’t surprised to find Biddy this morning.  I’m not sure how exactly how old Biddy was but I’d guess she was 11 or 12 years, which is about how long sheep life.

Biddy was the last of the four Romneys that we took in eight years ago from a farmer who could no longer care for them. They hadn’t been shorn in a couple of years but they all had wonderful wool.

This year Biddy’s wool made yarn softer than ever before.

I sat with Biddy until Socks, standing at the barn door, started baaing.  She and Suzy wanted their morning grain.

I could tell by the small amount of manure in the barn that the rest of the animals spent little time there last night.  Zinnia barked when she saw Biddy’s body, but none of the other animals paid her any attention.

Jon called our neighbor Mike to help take care of Biddy’s body.  In the past he has loaded our sheep into his truck and put them in a nearby field for other animals to eat.  But  we decided to put Biddy  in our own woods.

Mike pulled Biddy’s body on a plastic sled down the hill and through the gate into the woods.  We left her in the brush where I’ve put more than one of the animals who have died on the farm.

I will not visit that spot until the spring when she is sure to be mostly gone.  If there are any bones left I will take some to keep.

Biddy was a sweet sheep.   I’m sad she is gone, but I’m also glad I got to live along side of her in this life. I will miss her knowing look, pretty face and gently spirit.

Dea bought the lavender yarn for her friend and neighbor.  She’s 92 years old and loves to knit and crochet so Dea thought some Bedlam Farm Wool would be a good Christmas gift.

These photos that Dea sent of her friend looking so happy with her wool, were a wonderful Christmas gift for me.  I think my smile matches Dea’s friends as I look at them.

I took this picture yesterday when the sun was shining.   I’m not sure what is going on, but it looks like Constance is taking in the scent of the greens protruding from Lori’s mouth.

Maybe she’s thinking of eating them.

I found out this week that The Vermont Fiber Mill is being sold.  Deb and Ed, the owners are retiring, they’re looking forward to doing some traveling.

I’ve been bringing by wool to Deb since I got my first three sheep, Suzy, Socks and Tess over ten years ago.  I had no idea what I was doing and Deb was always helpful.  Over the years I’d look forward to to discussing with Deb different ways of processing my wool.

Our trip four times a year to Brandon has become a kind of ritual for me and Jon.  We’d catch up with Deb then have lunch at Cafe Provence, and enjoy the three hour ride through Vermont.

I’ll miss working with Deb.  It meant a lot to me to be able to trust my wool to her.

It’s possible the Vermont Fiber Mill will be sold to someone who will keep it going right where it is.   But that doesn’t mean it will be up and running in time to process my spring wool.  It’s also possible that someone will just buy the machinery and move it someplace else.

But I learned a lot over the past ten years.  So now, when I search for another mill, at least  I have experience. I’ll know what questions to ask and what to look for.

I’m sad about the Vermont Fiber Mill being sold, but I am also happy for Deb and Ed to be moving on.  And I’m confident that there is another wool processing mill out there that I’ll be able to work well with.

This time of year no hay is wasted.  The sheep nibble it off the frozen ground all day.  But they begin by eating off of each other.

Which is just what Issachar is doing here.  It looks like he’s nuzzling Socks, but he’s really have a little snack after breakfast.   And Socks seems happy to be groomed by him.

I love the expression on Kim’s face in this photo.  As if, while the rest of the sheep grovel in the hay,  she’s above it all.

Merricat peeking over the gate in the barn.  I think she was hoping for some grain.

Suzy was enjoying the sun this morning and was late coming to the barn for grain.  But when I called her she came.

The three old ewes getting grain has become a part of the morning chores.

Today, because it was so warm out, I also moved some of the donkey manure to my Dahlia bed.  It will work its way into the soil over the winter and replenish the soil for spring planting.