June scenes

At long last, I do believe we can call it summer here in the Bluegrass.  The farms around us are cutting and baling hay (and I'm ever so grateful we don't do that anymore) and I'm trying hard to catch up on the mowing.  The garden looks hopeless and I'm not sure if I'm physically going to be able to do much about it this year.  We've eaten our share of asparagus, enjoyed a short-lived strawberry crop (the peacock somehow missed the berries this year) and until I get the beds in better shape, there's not going to be much happening out there for a while.

(Jim Dandy's current favorite perch - the top of the greenhouse)

But first, I'm bound for Squam!  Last week the whole idea of making this trip was looking extremely doubtful.  I had a major rheumatoid arthritis "flare" and couldn't walk for several days.  So now I'm on a rather large dose of prednisone for the next several weeks and the doctors have assured me that I will be able to stay upright and do the walking required to make my way around the camp.  I'm so ready to experience being on the lake and seeing friends from my previous two years there.  This year I'm taking Cal Patch's sewing class, the Sweetest Tunic.  Last year it was the Squam Smock and I've loved wearing it.  Cal has really inspired me to get back into sewing.  The other class I'll be taking is the Hap Shawl with Gudron Johnston.  I've heard so many good things about Gudron's teaching (and she's a good friend of Mary Jane's, so she must be special).  I'm excited about both of these classes, but to be honest, they are the icing on the cake, as far as I'm concerned.  It's the whole atmosphere of Squam that I love best.  If you ever have the opportunity to experience Squam, I can highly recommend it.

(I love how they've picked a nice hard rock outcropping to lie down on)

Meanwhile, back at the farm, Midgie and Phaedra are going to keep Mike straight about the feeding schedule.  We had hoped that Mike could go along again, take his fishing kayak, and spend some time on the water, but our college student farm sitter has gotten a regular job and we didn't have anyone to watch the farm and care for the sheep. To make it more complicated, we still have 7 lambs getting two bottles each every day.  Mike has generously agreed to take care of the babies, so I can go to Squam without worrying. 

If you want a good report on the 2014 Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival, please go read Mary Jane's blog post.  It sounds to me like she had a good time while she was here!  We loved having her and hope she'll come back again.

I'll be back soon with a report on Squam and on the fabulous eco-dyeing workshop I recently took from Nicola Brown.  Who knew eucalyptus leaves and rusty water could be so much fun?