Another chapter closes. RIP Ozzie

 

In the midst of all the joyous spring happenings (birthdays, lambing and shearing) my loyal 11 year-old Australian Shepherd, Ozzie became terribly ill. He began consistently vomiting and eventually he refused to eat. I took him to the vet on St. Patrick's Day. The diagnosis was pancreatitis. He was on sub-q fluids and penicillin for a week. There were points when he looked like he was going to make it. He would bark at visitors and come with me for chores, but he never regained his appetite. Yesterday he took a turn for the worse and he passed away during the night.

I'm sure going miss him, he was a big presence in this house since 2003. He was a great watch dog and very smart. You'll notice him somewhere in many of my sheep photos. He was a link to the life I used to have. Things change, life goes on and now there's one less link to that old life. 

 

Raw Felted Fleece Classes

The weather here in Minnesota is unseasonably warm, the ewes are about ready to lamb, shearing is scheduled in two days, and I'm home washing and felting fleeces. It sure feels like heaven to me. :-)

I will be teaching some raw felted fleece classes this spring and summer.

The first class will be at Shepherd's Harvest in Lake Elmo May 15th. I will also have a booth there May 16-17, 2015.  Class registration begins March 15th, here's a link to the class description, there are lots of good classes lined up this year.
http://shepherdsharvestfestival.org/festival-info/friday-classes/

I will also be teaching it in Ogilvie, MN by appointment. The class is about 6 hours long. The cost  is $125, which  includes materials, handouts, a lunch of wood-fired pizza and refreshments. Bring your own 1 to 5 pound raw fleece. Come and see the sheep grazing and felt a fleece! Contact me to sign up or for more information. This is a messy project, so we will need to work outdoors.