24 March

Maria’s Bedlam Farm Yarn

by Jon Katz
Bedlam Farm Yarn
Bedlam Farm Yarn

We went to pick up the yarn Maria sent to Maple View Farm in Vermont to be cleaned and made into skeins for sale. Maria has about 20 skeins (two bumps of roving) and she is figuring out how to price them and who gets them. Details on her website. This was a neat thing to do. I find this a wonderful thing to do with animals. It is very satisfying, we put coats on the sheep to keep the wool clean, and many people seem to want yarn from Bedlam Farm. It is expensive to maintain sheep and care for them, and Maria will  never come to come close to earning that back on the sale of some skeins. But we both love that the wood from our sheep will go out into the world as Bedlam Farm wool and metamorphisize into scarves, mittens, sweaters. Go Zelda and the crews. Sometimes it is necessary for animals to be killed on a farm, this feels better to me, something very meaningful and exciting.

24 March

Hen’s Daily Briefing

by Jon Katz
Hens Daily Briefing
Hens Daily Briefing

The green rocking chair has been taken over by farm animals. Minnie and Flo, our barn cats, take turns napping there, in the afternoon the hens come by and settle on the chair. They always seem to be conferring earnestly, like members of congressional committees, only they are a lot more productive. I imagine they are talking about the roots, about what a pest Strut is and men are generally, about the obnoxious dogs who keep running around. Or perhaps they are content with their lives, and simply like to shoot the breeze.

24 March

Return Of The Daily Egg

by Jon Katz
Return Of The Daily Egg
Return Of The Daily Egg

At the former Bedlam Farm, I liked to post a Daily Egg photo once in awhile, I love the shape and texture of an egg, eggs are a work of art. So now that our hens have started laying again, I’m going to pick up the practice, which was surprisingly popular –  I don’t know why. Here, I am happy to return to the Daily Egg.

24 March

Stand By, Red. There Are Things Even You Can’t Herd

by Jon Katz
Stand By, Red.
Stand By, Red.

I’m not sure Red understands that some things cannot be herded, and even he has his limits. We went to Vermont to pick up Maria’s yarn from our sheep and Red and the Alpacas confronted one another. Alpacas get along well with dogs they know, and are not especially dangerous, but they won’t be herded and when Red saw them, he ran up to the fence and assumed his power position. This has always worked for him but the alpacas weren’t buying it. “That’ll do,” I said and he ran over me, somewhat relieved I think.

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