Bye, Bye Carder

I said goodbye to my Patrick Green Cottage Industry Carder. I'm glad I never had a chance to use it or I would never have been able to part with it. I paid it off over a long time and was so proud that I finally owned the "means of production," in true Marxist fashion. I would be a complete home based operation and not have to cart my wool to the festivals to give to the mills, or pay a fortune to ship it to them. But it was not to be. Matt being out of work all winter has absolutely killed us, and farm taxes are due. I didn't want to send my big boys to market, which Matt was threatening to do. I couldn't look them in the eyes and knowingly send them to a horrible fate, in fear and terror, being shoved and prodded and violently killed....and all that beautiful wool soaked in blood. After all the caring and nurturing, helping to birth them, dripping colostrum in their mouths, sacrificing so much to feed them, buying a farm for them, I'm going to kill them for a pittance? Or let them linger for days in the back of a truck on the highway, sucking in fumes? No, can't do that...just can't do it! I could have sold my diamonds - I never go anywhere to wear them, but I am saving them for Hannah and Mia. I already sold two of my wheels to Laticia, who, in a gesture of amazing generosity, offered to hold them for me until I could get the money together to buy them back. Can you imagine? A complete stranger essentially giving me an interest free thousand dollar loan? I didn't know people like that existed anymore! So the carder had to go. The lady who bought it is so happy to get it, a dream for years she said. That made me feel a little better. Now I can pay my taxes, get some bulk grain in so I don't have to pay so much more for bagged feed, and get myself some NEW GLASSES!!! I can't sew my tote bags blind!