Shepherds’ Extravaganza

We were happy to be able to get to the Spring Puyallup Fair this year, which we’ve never attended before. The fall fair is “the Big One” - the State Fair. But the spring fair is much more low-key, and Shepherds’ Extravaganza is just one part of it. We had a great time catching up with some friends there.

Doug tried his hand at handling a sheep without a halter, a skill that we will need if we decide to show our two rams at this summer’s Black Sheep Gathering in Oregon. The fellow he practiced on was one of the more cooperative beasties. With our rams, even *on halter*, it’s a three-ring circus. The last time we tried moving them to a new pasture, one of them turned into a demon-possessed bucking bronco, and the other one went flat on the ground & wouldn’t budge. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.

We saw and heard a bagpipe band - always one of my favorites. There has got to be some Scot in my heritage. In any case, despite suggestions & begging on my part, my hubby and sons have no interest, whatsoever, in donning kilts or playing bagpipes. Sigh.

On the Home Front




The chickens are growing every day. Wilma is the most adventurous & likes to climb on my shoulder - occasionally up on top of my head. She is a very pretty girl & mugs for the camera almost as shamelessly as our sheep, Anemarie, does. Daisy, the darker gray/rust one, is the only one who clucks. I’m wondering if by any chance she’s a dude. All of the others are still peeping.


And as for the Oregon Shawl, it is coming along well. I’m on row 59/81 of the border, and then, will need to knit a patterned edging all the way around it. A friend has knitted this particular shawl three times. And as lovely as this shawl seems to be turning out, I don’t see myself doing it again. At least not for a very long time. It’s an *enormous* shawl. Yardage is somewhere over 2000. I think I’ll want to try something different next time - maybe circular. But then, I’ve vowed to come off this lace binge for awhile & work on something with cables. So we’ll see what comes next. In the meantime, I’m just slow-jogging along.

It's Like Having a Box of Hyperactive Squeaky Toys

The peeps have grown like crazy, and are now replacing soft fluff with real feathers, sprouting tails & even beginning to grow combs. (I hope that doesn't mean that they're roosters.) They are busy playing leap frog most of the time when I go out to check on them. They'll be moving into a larger home soon.


The barn is actually progressing! The snow is long gone and weather somewhat warmed (although we still have freezing nights & I have to haul out morning water to the sheeple). We are hoping that all will progress well & the new barn should be done in about three weeks.

On the knitting front, I'm trying to get three rows a day done on the huge blue shawl. Photo next time. I promise. :-)