Hello Goodbye

Brian Redmond, Matt's nephew, came through for a brief visit before reporting for a summer job at a Vermont circus.  Brian is an "art handler" in Manhattan, and has just finished hanging a Picasso exhibit.  I can't imagine holding Picasso masterpieces in my hands and straightening them on the walls, like a photograph of my sheep, but that's what Brian does.  Brian is  also a chef, and decided to cook dinner for us over a wood fire in the barnyard.  It was a real treat for me to sit and watch as a handsome young male cooked dinner for me.  I wanted it to last forever.  When Brian expressed a desire to do some homesteading, I offered him a few acres here on the farm.  Amazing what a delicious hot meal can do.  Brian is as sweet and soft spoken as he is handsome.  If I could figure out how to download pictures with this lovely new camera Mia bought for me, I would show you.  Matt is driving Brian to Burlington, Vt., today while I work at home.  The weather was just too gray and drizzly for the market yesterday, which gave me a rare opportunity to linger on the farm a little while before venturing out to the Louis Gale Feed Mill.  I have several pregnant angora goats who eagerly look forward to their corn snack at night.  I love the way they sneak back in the barn to get the corn before the big fat sheep figure out what they are doing.  I toss out the corn then almost like they have radar, the sheep stampede into the barn and push the skinny goats out of the way.  Long range plans include separating the two species for better feeding arrangements.  My two little does are doing fine.  The black girl, who has cute white splashes on the black, is wild as her mother.  I have the second mom, a bit wildish herself, in a pen with her baby.  I just wasn't satisfied she was nursing properly and kept them in to make sure.  I checked her yesterday and found an impossible fecal impaction covering her cute little butt.  Took a bit of careful clipping to free her up.  A baby goat's first poo is horribly sticky and we wouldn't want flies getting at the mud pack.    I am excited about the goat babies, fathered by a nicely covered, although smallish, red buck.  The famous Velvet, AKA Monkey, is expecting soon.  I have her penned in also, in hopes that I am around when she gives birth so I can save the second twin.  She has, for three years in a row, favored one twin over the other - just her mother did with her.  Fifteen more days of work and I will be in a much better position to prevent that from happening.  In the meantime, the Bouckville Sheep Festival - that's what I call it as the name CNY Fiber Artists and Producers is a terrible name - is taking place this Saturday and Sunday, from 10-5 on route 20.  The Fabulous Kimmie Cornerstone is travelling from the wilds of the Canadian outback to teach drop spindling and be my booth neighbor.  A great time will be had for all, wallowing in wool, mohair and llama fiber and all things practical and frivolous we can do with it.  Can't wait...