Trick or Treat

This morning, as I was making coffee, I peeked out the window.  And saw Sweet Pea, peacefully grazing.  However, the idyllic morning scene was disrupted as my undercaffienated brain took its sweet time realizing that my sheep were outside the fence. 

Apparently the yaks aren't the only ones who find the grass greener on the other side.  Even more concerning- the fact that my dog had been outside for over an hour at this point with no clue that we had escapees.  Some farm dog she is.  The sheep eventually just meandered back into the fence.  Apparently Adam will be putting up yet another string of barbed wire this week.

In other news, love is in the air.  Pullo has apparently decided that mating season is here, regardless of whether any of the other yaks know it or not.  The love of his life?

Gaia.  Gaia is, of course, totally uninterested.  She's still about six months too young for breeding.  Still, poor Pullo is puffing himself up, trying to look as pretty as he can, banging around things with his mighty horns and his Juliet would rather stare dreamily into a hay bale than his big brown eyes.  I kind of feel bad for him.

The course of true love never did run smooth.

Also in other news, it's snowing here.  Our first flurry of the season.  It always snows by October 31, and we thought we might have gotten out of it this year.  Mother Nature waited until the bitter end, but pulled through. 

Turkey

Over the weekend, Adam's dad brought over two of the turkeys he has been raising over the summer: Trigger (male) and Nutsy (female).  If you're a fan of the Disney version of Robin Hood, those were the vultures that were with the Sheriff of Nottingham.  Turkeys + Vultures = turkey vultures. 

Yeah, it doesn't take a lot to entertain us around here.

But right now we're in a bit of a turf war.  The turkeys were temporarily put into the yak side of the barn to get comfortable.  This did not thrill the yaks, as they couldn't get into their barn and they've gotten somewhat spoiled.  Two days later, the turkeys escaped out into the open, but not before deciding that the barn was *their* home.  The yaks feel differently, and are not about to let some gobbley interlopers near their haven.  So we've have a lot of the turkeys trying to get in the yaks chasing them out and the barn cat is enjoying the show.

Shearing Day

Today was the first shearing day at Skirted Fleece. Adam's parents, Dan and Mary, came over to help shear Fathead and The Nose.
First they were walked to the stanchion:

secured in:

and Mary started shearing. 

When the fleeces come off they get skirted, which is where the really nasty bits get thrown away.

The fleece then gets bagged up until it's time to wash it.

Then the belly and neck are trimmed up:

Before and After:

Rhinebeck

Last weekend was Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool, which is THE wool festival on the east coast. 

The purchase of the day was this little girl:

She's a black otter giant angora. 

Adam has named her Fluffy Nimblekins, Destroyer of Worlds.

I just call her Nova.

In Pictures

Open House

Yesterday, Skirted Fleece hosted our first open house party.  We invited family and friends, some of whom had not been able to see the farm yet, and some of whom had helped us get the farm to where it is today.

Even the animals looked their best for the party.

It was a great time and it was wonderful to see everyone. 

The arrival of sheep

We finally have sheep at Skirted Fleece!  It was very odd to be a fiber farm without sheep, the primary fiber animal, so we're very happy to have some new arrivals.

From left to right:

Sweet Pea, one of this year's bottle babies

The two white ones are Shetland/Babydoll Southdown mixes, who Adam has taken to calling Fathead and The Nose.

We're open to other naming suggestions. 

Very open.