It's Hot

Okay, so it's hot. It's not like we are in Texas where it's been over a hundred for a month...but we are not used to it up here in the Great North Land. The flies are out in big swarms, all over the windows and sitting on my arms and legs when I sort wool in the work room. They like the salty sweat on my forehead - have to find a schmata to wrap around my head! I have a lot of chickens eating them but the little feathery friends are working overtime. At least we don't have the biting flies like they do in New Hampshire. I know I've told this story before, but the worst flies I've ever experienced were in the wilds of northern Finland in 1965. The horses were black with them, and the hired man where I visited was swatting them with a blanket, killing hundreds of them at a time. I know this won't last for long. We might have a killing frost in late September and they'll be gone. In the meantime I am trying to keep my barn ventilated. I have one working fan which I had to clean the angora out of before I could turn it back on for fear of fire. I was told by the previous owner that these barn fans were $700 each, new, 15 years ago. Wish I could get them all working. Having this giant "historic" barn is wonderful but I fear I will never get it in the kind of shape I would like. Just keep plugging away...after all, it's the quest that counts. Keep on picking, washing, dyeing and drying. Thank you water, soap, sun and thank you sheep!