Hug A Sheep Day ~ two days later!

I'm sorry for not posting sooner but I was SO exhausted after preparing for and experiencing  the first annual Hug A Sheep day , Open House and Fiber Festival at Bluff Country Shetlands (and Backyard Chickens!) that I got absolutely nothing done yesterday.  After sleeping until noon, I got up and fed the animals, sat with the sheep, then sat on the couch, spinning and watching television all night.  Good Grief!  Imagine if I actually had to WORK.  Scary thought...

Hug A Sheep day was FUN! 

I met some very nice women and I think may just have begun a new friendship or two.  I certainly hope so, anyway.

There was NOT a lot of actual sheep hugging going on.  I believe you can see in the above photo, just how excited Alice was about the prospect!  It seems the other girls were equally enthused.  Although, as you can see in the first picture, Diane did get some lamb kisses from Duke.  Everyone came up for cookies but nobody stuck around for hugs. 

If you want to see some really cute sheep HUG photos, check out the Crazy Sheep Lady's post at Punkin's Patch.  Next year, I will be sure to have a few of the sheep outside of the pasture before guests arrive...

There was some hugging going around:

Josh posed with Sable and Bella
(shown voicing their opinions of hug a sheep day)

Bella Kitty came home from hunting to a FAMILY REUNION! 

The family that loves her so that they let her come live in the country because it was obvious she didn't want to be a house-kitty anymore, came out to visit their beloved Bella.  She was so happy to see them that she brought them a present! 

Fortunately, Bella's family had left by the time she returned with her 'gift'.

;-)

There was lots of spinning in the sunshine and fresh air:

Even some spinning lessons indoors, on my Roberta, electronic spinner:

Diane is an experienced spinner but has never tried an electronic wheel.

  

I knew she'd love it!

You'll have to come back and spin some more, Diane!

For any of you who saw my needle felted had (in progress) on television last week, here's my middle grandson, Matt, modeling it Saturday:

It's still not done but it's sure looking a lot better than it did on TV!!!

We had home-spun yarn on display

And all sorts of homemade goat milk soap!

j

My friend, Katie, was so proud that almost all of the Black Raspberry,Vanilla soap that she made when I was giving her a lesson, sold out.

I made up lots of cute, gift-baskets with teddy bears and soap and or roving or yarn.  I think they'll be good sellers for Christmas.

My friend, Mary, brought all sorts of colored roving and sheets of felt ~ gorgeous stuff!

In spite of the fact that it's not quite finished yet, I have to admit that even I like my needle felted hat!  I having fun considering options regarding how to finish it...

All in all, it was a great day! 

I will definitely have some sheep out with the guests, next year ~ rather than taking the guests into the pasture.   I do think that everyone had a nice time and I learned a lot about what to do and what not to do in the future. 

And when it was all done...

DREAM says...

"Mom came out and sat with us for a long time

and

hugged

ME."

Hug A Sheep Day and My walk with God (true story)...

Dream asked me to remind everyone that there are only THREE MORE DAYS until the very first, annual Hug A Sheep day! 

She also says that if you can't make it to an Open House / Fiber Festival this Saturday, you are certainly welcome to Hug A  Sheep, vicariously, through one of the many sheep blogs available.  She definitely thinks that you should VOTE for which sheep you'd most love to hug on the sidebar of this blog.  Just so you know, fondling wool  yarn or wool  garments counts, as does hugging the closest thing that you may have to a sheep ~ such as a dog or cat ~ use your imagination!  Just be sure to give a moment's thought to all of the wonderful products, not to mention the joy, that our woolly friends provide for us.

Now, about my walk (and talk) with God...

Last weekend, I was in Russell, Pennsylvania, visiting my very Dear Friends, Linda and Pete Westover, of Foxglove Farm Shetlands.  On Monday, we went to a wine tasting at a wonderful vineyard in nearby New York.  After the wine tasting, Linda had planned a picnic on Barcelona Beach for the three of us.  It was delightful!  While Linda and Pete strolled the shoreline of Lake Erie, looking for Sea Glass, I decided that I wanted to hunt for something different ~ something I've been wanting to start a collection of for a long time.  I was going to hunt for heart shaped rocks. 

Aren't they cool?

I've been wanting to start a heart shaped rock collection for some time and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

I mean, you'd think that out of the kazillions of rocks washed up along the shoreline, surely some of them  would have to be heart shaped!  Sometimes, I had to use a bit of imagination to see the heart.

Sometimes, the heart was broken.

There were a LOT of broken hearts on that beach.

As I was walking along, searching for heart-shaped rocks, I began 'talking' to God.  I often do that.  I'm not a classically religious person.  I haven't been to church in years.  But I definitely believe there is a kind and wonderful God and that for some reason, he seems to love me.

So, as I was walking and searching, I mentioned to God that hearts often symbolize love.  Like the imperfect rocks that I was finding, love was not perfect either.  Sometimes, Love is difficult to recognize...

Sometimes you really have to use your imagination to see it.

I didn't mind the imperfect rocks/imperfect love.

But my neck was getting sore and I was looking through hundreds, if not thousands, of rocks.  I asked God if maybe I could find one that really did look like a heart.

  

Not that I wasn't happy with the 'sort of' heart shaped rocks that I was finding.

  

The ones that I had to use a little imagination to really see the heart,

 

I could still see the love  heart ~ even if nobody else could.  And I was satisfied with that.

But I explained to God that I would really like to find a TRUE heart shaped rock.  I'd be happy with just one.  It didn't have to be perfect...

Just close enough to obviously be heart shaped.

One that I didn't have to use my imagination to see ...

because it was clearly, unquestionably a heart.

Guess what happened...

Not instantly.  It took a little while.  But when I saw this rock (above), I knew that God was listening.  Like he always does.  Not that I always get what I want, but at least I know that he hears me.

Something interesting happened when I was putting this post together today.  As I was going through my wonderful, heart shaped rock collection, it occurred to me that most of them look MUCH more like hearts than I thought they did at the time I found them.

I suspect there's a message there... 

DREAM says...

"You can see Mom's heart shaped rock collection (although, I can't for the LIFE of me, figure out why anyone would want to)  and ME,  if you come to our "Hug A Sheep" day, Open House and Fiber Festival.  And DON'T  FORGET  TO  VOTE  FOR  ME ~  er, of course I mean:  for the sheep you would most like to hug...  Which would of course, be ME!!!"

Hug A Sheep...Dream's a Star!

Yesterday, Dream paid a visit to a local television station where she was the star of the noon news program:  "Save The Date".   Dream enjoyed her visit and politely greeted one of the station's weathermen, Josh Blumenfeld. 

She also appeared to be very interested in the noon news:

I swear Dream giggled when Martha Kowalski applied lipstick during a commercial break.

I just viewed a video from the segment with our interview and have copied and pasted the 'embed code' here, but I don't think it's working!  If not, I'll see if I can figure out what's wrong and post it later.  (in spite of how fat and dumb I look!)  Dream looks pretty cute and that's the important thing.

"I really DO look good!

What they say about the camera adding  twenty  er, ten extra pounds is clearly true.  You'll have to see me ~ and maybe even HUG me ~ to see just how lovely I really am..."

Don't forget the Bluff Country Shetlands Open House and Fall Fiber Festival at our place (11512 Hwy 4,  Houston, MN) on Saturday, Oct 30.

1 to 4 pm.

Scroll down to yesterday's post for more information!

Savor the Holiday!

Happy Labor Day!

How wonderful that many people in the United States get to have a Monday off.  Of course, I'm off all the time since I still haven't found a job.  Ah well, more time to enjoy my critters!

Look at this little beauty!

"Bluff Country Sizzle"

I'm completely in love with Zest's moorit ram lambs!

Storm Warning and Rain

I have GOT to update my "For Sale" page on my website!

Beautiful "Daisy" left for her new home yesterday.

She'll be living with Maria & Josh Krenz of Princeton, MN.

Congratulations Maria & Josh!

 Zaria's gorgeous twin ewe lambs

Snip and Smudge went with Daisy

And Godiva's flashy HST son, "Jazz",  went with three girls. 

Can you imagine having your FIRST FOUR SHEEP  be these four?  What a great start with Shetlands!

At least Godiva still has her handsome, black son to keep her company.  He's really growing into quite the correct ram lamb!  Definite flock sire quality.

(Jazz's brother is for sale)

DREAM says...

"I'm just laying in the weeds here, enjoying the peace & quiet. 

No labor for me this year!

Mom's all excited about something BIG that she and the Crazy Sheep Lady are cookin up..."

Don't forget to

"Hug A Sheep!"