Morels, Raised Beds, Ducks, Goat milk Soap, and Felt Birdhouses at Shepherds Harvest

This is what my neighbor found on his side of the fence line in my front sheep paddock. Not a single one on my side. Sheep must like morels...

I usually try to get my garden in by June 1st. Last year is wasn't until June 15th.  This year I will have two raised beds!  I've always wanted raised beds. I've filled them with 3 yr old composted sheep bedding.  I've got celery, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, and cucumbers to plant. I'll try some old seeds for peas and green beans too. I also have lots of strawberries to plant and I'm starting some grape vines thanks to my friends Barb & Ray Dreyer. I would love to learn how to make wine someday.

I had a fox come through and thin my poultry flock the past few weeks. I now have to keep everything locked up tight day in and day out. I have 5 laying hens (one is a limping survivor of a fox attack), two young chicks, and one female Saxony duck with a single duckling. The good news is that there are more Saxony duck eggs incubating. The little duckling in the photo was hatched in my incubator and then I tucked him under the duck who is still setting on eggs. She adopted him and he's so cute sitting with her.

And I finally got back to making goat milk soap last night. This is a batch of Lavender Tea Tree soap. It smells so good in the house now. I want to make some straight Tea Tree soap next. It's fun playing around with various oils and tweaking the recipe. So thankful to get the goat milk from a friend.

I had a great time at Shepherd's Harvest. It was nice having it the weekend after Mother's Day, the weather was beautiful. I enjoyed being in the booth with the Anoka Fiber Works ladies and seeing lots of old friends and meeting new ones. The felt birdhouse class I taught on Friday went very well.  Thanks to my investment in a portable instant hot water heater, we had a steady supply of warm water -- a first for me at Shepherd's Harvest. All the birdhouses were successful and the students seemed to have a great time!  I will be teaching this class at North Country Fiber Fair in September. That should be fun too. Click on the link for more information.

Shepherd's Harvest Sheep & Wool Festival!

I am super busy getting ready for Shepherd's Harvest in Lake Elmo, MN at the Washington County Fairgrounds this weekend.
Tomorrow I am teaching the felt birdhouse class, that's always a fun and useful project.
After that, you can find me in the Anoka Fiber Works booth in Bldg. B. I will have some skirted fleeces, birdhouse kits, combed top, and lots of samples of upcoming felt workshop projects including: raw felted fleeces, slippers, hats, scarves, and of course the birdhouses.
I also will be selling my beautiful registered Bluefaced Leicester yearling ram, Red Oak Mason (white carrying color) and three of his ram lambs (two white, one natural colored). The lambs are available at weaning. 
I hope to see lots of old friends this year. It will be nice to be in a booth with others so I can get around to check out all the vendors and displays. I am taking Carol Wagner's class on Spinning Novelty Yarns Sunday morning. Should be a fun weekend!

Coming soon -- Pam MacGregor Teapot Class!

The Felt Teapot Class is coming up in just a few weeks. The ladies at Anoka Fiber Works have decided to close the shop for the full three-days of the class which will allow room for a couple more students!
If you are interested in learning from Pam in a close-knit friendly atmosphere, contact me as soon as possible. This will be a fun class, we will have exclusive access to all the products in the store and plenty of time to explore our design options for a full size felt teapot.