A Walk Thorugh Shearing Day!

Shearing Day has come and gone. The day a Shepherd waits for all year long. It was a rainy day this past Saturday but we managed to keep nice and dry in the barn while shearing, then we moved to the front porch to skirt (clean) the fleeces getting them ready them to be washed and carded at the mill.
The shearers arrived at 9am and the activity began immediately. They oiled the blades stepped into their overalls and the fun began. Mike and Rick had the job of sending in the sheep which were divided from the shearing area by a gate. 2 by 2 they entered to be shorn, returning back to the holding area to stay warm and dry after they suddenly became naked. Ashly had the job of cleaning up the mats in between each sheep, removing any undesired wool that had fallen. Then Ashly and I rolled up the freshly shorn fleece and packed it into a bag. Each fleece is kept in its own bag. The shearing went very smooth. After the sheep were done being shorn we injected them with their yearly injection and wormed them. They seemed happy when all was done. I bedded the barn with lots of fresh clean straw and we sent inside for a big breakfast. We served egg and veggie casserole and homemande coffee cake and a big cup of coffee for each! Now the sheep were happy and content, the shearers were happy and content and so were we. We said our good-byes to the sheep shearers and then moved all the wool bags to the front porch where Mike had already set the skirting table up so we can clean each fleece. The table is a frame with wire on it so that all the small cuts of wool and hay that may be in the fleece can fall to the ground. We all went through each fleece taking out the nasty parts, form the neck and belly area. You also don't want the leg wool. After we sorted each fleece it was rolled up and bagged, ready for the next step. Our job, done. Untill its cleaned and ready for spinning. Then my FUN begins for the year!
That was not the end of my day. A Birthday party arranged by Ashly and Rick!!! Later that day our neighbor came by along with my family Brooke Massimo and Luke for a wonderful dinder that Rick and Ashly prepared at home, cooked here and served us! What a day I had. Couldnt ask for a better day. Our good friends came by to help us shear, skirt and pack of fleeces and then celebrated my Birthday with us!! Another wonderful day here on Dream Come True Farm! Iv'e said befor but it needs to be said again Life is good here on the farm! I hope the pics below show you exactly what a day of shearing is like. Enjoy your week!

We welcome another season here on the farm

I think I'm right in saying that Spring is defiantly here! I saw the male blue bird building a nest for the Mrs. in the same bird house as he did last year! I see the Mrs fly in and out to check on the progress and so far I guess she's happy. To me that wes a sure sign of Spring. This week I really cleaned up, little by little each day all the gardens. There is so many herbs and things peeking up through the earth, another sure sign of Spring. The bird house pictured is where the Blue Bird family resides, this morning I opened the kitchen window to enjoy some of that spring air and I heard the song of the blue bird. How beautiful it was.
The animals all seem to be so happy that all that cold white stuff is gone from the ground for a good long while and the good old days of laying outside the barn door all night chewing cud, enjoying the night air and watching the stars are back! Breakfast time is long and relaxed. I feed, we visit, I sit, they wonder what I'm up to and its all so good. The sheep will be shorn in 2 days, another sign of spring. The brightly painted shed pictured is my Secret Life of Bee's garden shed and quiet place to sit, which is fenced off right in the middle of the paddocks, a variety of mints grow wild in the area. Its my fun place, shhhhh dont tell anyone where I hide. There's no place like home" I enjoy my life here.
Seasons come and seasons go and no matter what season it is, life is good here at Dream Come True Farm
I hope Spring brings much happiness and renewed life to your homestead. Enjoy.

Shearing day is almost here!

Well its about 2 weeks away until these woollies get sheered! I thought I'd post a few pics of some of them in full wool and then show you how much smaller these guys will look after shearing. Shearing is April 23rd. We have sheep shearers that come to do the job. It should take only a couple of hours. I then skirt (clean) any chaff, belly and leg wool out. Then its all bagged up and sent to a mill for cleaning and to be put into roving form spinning. This will take about 3 months. When its shipped back the best part begins, spinning dyeing and planning projects. The coats on the sheep are to help keep the wool clean and from being weathered. There will be no chaff in the covered parts or no sun bleached tips. All our sheep wear coats so that we may produce the best wool possible. I'll post pics of shearing day so that you can see the entire process.





These guys will be sheered just in time for those warm days that are just around the corner. A newly sheered sheep is a happy sheep and a happy Shepherd will be me, with all that new fiber!

A new chapter here on the farm and a wonderful morning spent

After spending time with the folks who have taken the boys yesterday and being in touch with them right through the entire trip and the unloading of the boys to their new farm, I am at total peace. I must admit when they drove away it was quite emotional for me but when the first call came from them and then pictures and comments followed that evening I had a deep sigh of relief and peace. This morning, more pictures and comments then my first visit to the barn yard for morning chores made me realize with no uncertainty that I made the right and best decision.
The boys are happy and safe, my work load is lighter and my back says Thank you!

As you can see this morning on the farm was quite nice, still lots to love and care for and be loved by....ahhhhhh

Peace in my heart, relief in my mind

After spending time with the folks who have taken the boys yesterday and being in touch with them right through the entire trip and the unloading of the boys to their new farm, I am at total peace. I must admit when they drove away it was quite emotional for me but when the first call came from them and then pictures and comments followed that evening I had a deep sigh of relief and peace. This morning, more pictures and comments then my first visit to the barn yarn for morning chores made me realize with no uncertainty that I made the right and best decision.
The boys are happy and safe, my work load is lighter and my back says Thank you!

Now the visit to the barn yard was quiet and peaceful. It was very enjoyable because my sheep who were always under the feet and pushed around by the alpaca were all slow moving, extremely friendly and very interested in all that I was doing. I realized in that hours time outside that they have been in the shadow of the alpaca boys. The alpacas were such characters, so friendly and inquisitive that sheep got pushed aside. So now the sheep are front and center stage. A new chapter in the barnyard. I'm happy with my decision and mostly I know it was the right thing to do. I enjoyed my time this morning in the barnyard, we shared snacks, there was quite a bit less clean up, I sat around with the gang and took lots of pics. My Dream Come True still exist, just another chapter of it.... Life is good.

Bittersweet News From Dream Come True Farm

Today April 3rd I have a sad but a necessary decision to tell you about. Some of you know that I have had a terrible fall and winter with a bad back. A back that has kept me from participating in life the way I'm use to. I was diagnosed with a spinal condition that will progress as I age, something I had thought I could refuse to do, ageing that is! HA, well life happens, and here I am. Doctors wanted to do spinal fusion surgery on my back this year after I went through 8 weeks of PT with no relief. I have chosen alternative methods of treating this which I'm happy to say has given me much relief, but wont cure the condition. So the bottom line is I have to lighten my work load, to prolong or hopefully put off any kind of serious back surgery. My husband Mike does so much around here as it is and works his full time Phone company job, I just can't keep adding chores onto his list. So as sad is this is, I have made the decision to move my alpaca boys to a new farm. The GOOD news is they are going to a wonderful farm in Windsor CT and will be cared by for by two wonderful people who have seemed to just fall in love with the alpaca boys.The farm itself is called The Foster Family Farm. You can view them on FB. Its a gorgeous setting, beautiful grass paddocks, corn fields, they produce their own hay and they have miniature donkeys. Sheep will be added to the farm when the times is right. I'm very happy with this home for my boys. I don't thing I could have found a better place. My work load will much lighter with the boys gone. They are a strong animal that needs to be handled every 6 weeks for worming injections, they produce much manure that I clean and haul away each and everyday and the hay that they eat needs to be brought from our bottom barn up to the top barn for storage. So you see, the work will be less. My Babydoll SOuthdown sheep will still be here, my two Nigerian goats, the two llamas and the miniature horse and the pony will remain. The additional good news is I will continue to have access to alpaca fiber for spinning and dyeing from a farm here in CT. So alpaca supply will still be available. I may even seek out some more CT wool growers that would like to sell their fiber.
Its a bittersweet decision and a necessary decision. My boys will be missed not only by us, but by their barnyard friends. It'll take a few weeks but all will settle down around here and we'll know that the right decision has been made. I'll always have a spot in my heart for the boys. My other barnyard friends will help me through the adjustment.
Dream Come True Farm will still be here, thriving and enjoying life. We're a tough bunch!

We will miss our boys but they are leaving us with some great memories and now they will bring some great memories to a new farm. Enjoy the boys Foster Famil Farm!! I know we did.