Nun Island and Fresh Food!

We recently enjoyed a trip to our "coastal" home, near Seattle. We lived most of our lives in the Puget Sound region and have myriad family and friends in the area still. So....in spite of their winter rains.... a trip home sounded like a break from our Montana winter "snows and lows." We were not disappointed in the rain department. And though the greenery and February shoots breaking the moist soil were a welcome sight; the rain and bumper to bumper traffic soon cast our thoughts towards our Montana home. But, we really were glad to see many friends and family.
A major highlight was our stay at Our Lady of the Rock Monastery in the San Juan islands. We are Benedictine Oblates of this Monastery, so our visit was welcome by us and our community there. Last time we visited, we had our son's family with us and our grandkids dubbed Shaw island where the Monastery is located, "nun island".
Off to "nun island" we went in a downpour. And, though more rain was on the menu, the clouds broke as we neared the Anacortes ferry dock. Our voyage was rocky with whitecaps and rough water in the straits and island passages. But....sun illuminating water and sky gave stunning colors only available in that land of rain.
At the monastery farm, seven nuns work hard raising Costwold sheep and wool, raw Jersey milk, hogs and poultry. They also chant their prayers for the world in Latin, seven times a day. Three farm-interns were excitedly preparing for their first lambing! The curly, natural color and white fleeces of Costwolds bring good money, as do the breeding animals.  Sophia, a white ewe, was in "lambing mode" the first day of our visit and all guesthouse-"hands" were on deck to interpret her every move. When all the interns had given up watching, Sophia lambed twin white ewe lambs. A nice treat! They are so darn curly!We were also treated to more sun than forecast and some excellent winter beach time.




Back home in Montana the snow keeps piling up. We are 1 foot above normal! March has come in roaring like a polar bear with negative temps in the 20's.
But.....next Saturday, March 8, is the Fresh Food Forum at Great Falls MSU campus. This wonderful, free event features local family farmers selling product or teaching and is the perfect way to look toward spring.  Gardens from Garbage hosts the event and offers a day of inexpensive, family-oriented gardening classes on many springy topics. Local growers will have plant starts available.

I will be hosting a table for Heifer International. HI has been fighting hunger through agriculture and education for decades and I volunteer for them periodically. Check out their website for more info.
I also will be hosting a table for our small sheep farm and will have many of the items on this blogsite available for purchase.
Think Green for Spring!

Under Brigid's Cloak

"Fa bhrat Bhrighde! Be under Brigid's cloak!" is an ancient Irish blessing. Today, Feb. 1, is St Brigid's Day. She is one of my favorite saints for many reasons: she's Irish; she was known for hospitality, generosity, careful animal care, justice and faith. Brigid started a great center of Christian life at Kildare in Ireland and most likely presided over male and female monastics there. She was devoted to perpetual praise of God, oversaw spectacular illuminated manuscripts--some believe The Book of Kells to be from her Foundation. She is called "The Mary of the Gaels" after one of the many legends surrounding her life and may well have been ordained a Bishop. She is the ultimate" renaissance man"--long before the "renaissance"--and definitely not a man. Her cloak had  many legends associated with it, one of them being that the stars of the Christmas sky were placed on it by the Holy family themselves. To "be under her cloak" was a warm greeting of blessing between friends.

We too rest under a sparkling starry cloak this season. The winter cloak of brilliant white comes and goes here in central Montana, but our meadow wears it throughout the season even when other areas periodically melt out. Today, with 8 new inches and single digit temps, millions upon millions of stars glitter across the hillsides and cliffs, flatland and trees. The pervasive, white and shining mantle reminds me of Brigid's purity and generosity, as well as the steady coming of the light at this halfway mark between Winter Solstice and Spring equinox.

This season, which the ancient Irish called Imbolc, is the traditional start of lambing season in many parts of the world and also in Montana. Many shepherd friends are already sleeplessly keeping special watch on their flocks by night and day. I recently visited our friend Geraldine's ranch, Montana Aerie. Geraldine and husband, Tom Key, raise registered Columbia and Border Leicester sheep. Their new lambing barn is a windless and warm haven for their rounded ewes. St. Brigid's cloak hovers over them as well.


Tomorrow, the Christian church celebrates the Feast of the Dedication, when the infant Jesus was presented in the Temple according to Jewish law. While there, his parents met 2 prophets, Simeon and Anna who   prophesied memorable words concerning Jesus. He is  "the Light" according to Simeon, bringing full clarity to the many "light celebrations" around the world at this time. Each scintillating point, in our winter "Brigid's cloak" of snow, reminds me of that Light. We are ALL under His Light.

Happy Holy Days

A whirlwind autumn gave way to winter last week. A visit from mom for Thanksgiving, record low temps in early December( negative 35), a new job, Advent, and more have filled our days to bursting.
We have been blessed with a traintrip to the North Pole with the grandkids, good theatre, music and hard work. Advent was white here and so is Christmas. Weather has varied from near +60 to negative 40 in the past few weeks. Must be Montana!
The sheep do well in this weather with their full winter woolies on. The horses have done very well also in spite of amazing white eyelashes and hoarfrost faces during "the negatives". I hope to get time for spinning and weaving now that the Holidays are fading. God's  blessings to all during this season of quiet.


Hoarfrost Harvy-negative 35

Wearin' woolies to the North Pole



Fiber-like icecrystals on the grass



shoveling for the sheep

Bridget The Ever-Milker

     "Tuffy"; Uber-Milker; "Our Lady of Perpetual Lactation"........

These are a few of the nicknames Bridget earned over the past 10 years with us.

Bridget was born at our Washington place in '03, on St Patrick's day.
She earned the name of our favorite Irish Saint, Bridget, who is patron of dairies and shepherdesses.
Bridget was the first lamb of Venus and Hank--our black ram, and first foray into natural colored dairy sheep.
Venus decided to reject her little black lamb. We raised the darling, black Bridget in the house, in diapers. She enjoyed old Marx brother's movies, the cats, the kitchen, the couch....you name it.  She made the most of her hard beginning!!
Bridget's first lamb was a premie and born dead. Another set-back.
Learning to get on the milk-stand was a trauma as Bridget seemed inclined to slip off....but she perserveared (and so did we) as she was an excellent milker.


Soon, the first commercial sheep dairy in Washington state, Black Sheep Creamery, was started by our friends, Meg and Brad Gregory. A jaunty drawing of Bridget became their logo. 
Bridget's next lambs were a set of 3 black  beauties.

The next year's lambing, she endured a bad bout with ketosis requiring 2 vet visits and expert lamb pulling. Triplets again. But.....as the vet said.... "she's a Tuffy".
Another set of lambs the following year and her abundant udder lost its ligature pinning and became pendulous. We decided against breeding her again.
This is when her career as "uber-milker" began.
We tried in vain to dry her off that fall. She kept making milk--enough that we could not ignore it.
Next spring she upped her production to match the ewes who had lambed. Amazing! Rob says, "Her "on switch" just got stuck!"

For the following 6 years she continued to lactate whether we wanted her to or not.
We became accustomed to, and grateful for her fresh creamy milk in the winters, when all else were dry.
We thought, surely moving her to Montana would "shut off the switch". But no.
As the oldest sheep we moved, we worried about her making climate transition and the trip. She did go down in the trailer part way here. We were unsure whether she'd make it.
But "Tuffy Bridget" sprang up and out of the trailer as soon as the door opened. She endured the first Montana winter in the drafty rented cow barn and came into glorious milk on the lush green grass here over the past 2 summers.
But, this fall Bridget lost condition rapidly in spite of our various attempts to keep her well. We knew she should not face another winter.
So did she. Two days ago she stopped eating, and the fight was gone from her eyes. It was time for her to leave us.
We will certainly miss her fresh winter milk. And her silvery fleeces. And her "flock-boss" presence in the barn.
Over 10 years of life, and 7 of it in continuous milk production, Bridget gave us 100's of pounds of milk and cheese and dozens of lbs of lovely wool.
It is fitting that the likeness of this "Ever Milker Ewe", who gave so very much to us, should grace countless sheep milk products from Black Sheep Creamery.
Rest in Peace Bridget

Winter Woolies

 Our first snow fell last week. Rob was pictured on the front page of the Great Falls Tribune carrying the mail in the 7 inches that fell that day there. He was wearing wool socks and long underwear top to bottom. A pet peeve of ours is that the US Postal Service does not have ANY wool clothing available from their official  uniform suppliers. And the 1000's of USPS employees are required to wear official uniforms ---at least on the outside! Wool outperforms synthetics in average conditions, let alone extreme ones! Synthetics get colder when they are wet; they do not breath when a person in sub-freezing temps works up a sweat; they chafe skin to an unbearable degree when wet or cold. Wouldn't it be great if our USPS supported US wool producers AND kept their employees better equipped? Ok......Enough of the "peeves".

**If you need handspun yarns for your holiday projects check out my sale pages. I have new yarn blends all the time, or can custom spin for you.
I have 2 pretty new rovings for you spinners.
And cute sheepy tree ornaments which also make good nativity scene figures.

The term "smallholding" is used in England to describe small farms. In this land of really BIG holdings--like our friends who farm many 1000's of acres--"small holding" seems to fit what we do on our modest 4 acres.
SO on our smallholding, we have been winterizing for weeks. We made the final "animal addition" to our place with the arrival of our new ram-lamb from Tucker Family Farms in Victor MT. Tyler Tucker's uncle, who lives near us, found the time to haul our sweet ewe lamb, Twinkie, over the Rockies on the 4 hour trip to Victor. He then brought home our new little ram, affectionately named, Tucker.  Tyler and his wife have been busy developing their organic, self-contained farm....and having their first baby! So life there has been hectic. We are grateful to know this delightful family! Other activities here include reducing the animal census, drying off the milkers, setting up heated watertanks and heat lamps, worming, hoof-trimming etc. I even got a new snowshovel!

The Montana Farmer's Union conference was a happy success! Five MT wool businesses showcased their products in a booth we organized. Area spinning guild members staffed the colorful booth and delighted people with their spinning and weaving skills. Our grandson, Toby, helped me set up the Fiber Market as well as my Heifer International booth.


As you do your Holiday shopping, Heifer International offers a unique approach to gift-giving which you may enjoy. They seek to end world hunger through gifts of agricultural development, so people in various parts of the world can become self-reliant. Check out their website at www.heifer.org  for "honor gifts" of animals, trees, water and more.

Blessings on your Thanksgiving!

Local Fiber Market

Oct. 18-19, is the Montana Farmer's Union annual conference in Great Falls. It is at the Heritage Inn.
Last year I did a lecture and trade booth for Heifer International at this event. It was an exhilarating experience, and I met many great people.


Beaverslide DryGoods

I love the mission of the  Montana Farmer's Union as it supports smaller and working family farms. They have been doing this for 92 years and counting in myriad ways. MFU's commitment to global family farmers is carried on through their  association in the National and International Farmers Unions as well.
This year the conference is focusing on Local Food and Fiber Farming.
There will be a Local Fiber MarketPlace in the trade show with fabulous yarns, rovings felts, mattress toppers, comforters, pillows and other great fiber products!
All from local ranches and wool mills.
Everyone is invited to shop the trade show from 10-5 each day.
Spinners are invited to bring their wheels for the Spinner"s Circle available daily.

Here is a sample of the products and info available:
13 Mile Wool Mill;  Bozeman: Natural dyed, and blended yarns, felts and rovings.
Beaverslide DryGoods; Dupuyer: Merino, mulespun custom-dyed yarns, rovings
Sugarloaf Wool Mill; Hall: Pillows; felts
A Land of Grass Ranch; Conrad: comforters, mattress toppers, rovings
Wilson Woolens; Highwood: Handspun blends, Freisian rovings





A Land of Grass Ranch-local wool on the hoof!



13 Mile Mill Yarns

Harvest Time Hats

When not wearing my "wooly hat", I am also known locally as Gretchen the Gardener. I earned this title not because I am a great gardener....but because I corral the Highwood Afterschool Garden Club. In spring, the students and I plant early greens in the school greenhouse for school lunches while we  get the big garden started. During summer I keep the school garden alive and weeded. Now it is


Highwood School Garden

harvest time!! The local farm families are just finishing their harvest of wheat, peas, mustards, barley and more. Now the school garden kids gear up for tons of tomatoes, peppers, squash, beans, cukes and more! The school cooks use it all in the students' lunch program bringing fresh veggies front and center in Highwood school. Seven lbs of cherry tomatoes were consumed the first day of school as snacks! Recent studies show that when kids grow their own food......they make better choices at the table. When I see 1st graders vying for the biggest carrot or grabbing bunches of salad greens like hungry horses....I believe those studies!!
The "Harvest Hat" also extends to our Montana Woolies. I JUST got our over-dyed, natural color, Friesian roving from Sugar Loaf Wool Mill! It looks superb.
For a "totally Montana" and totally unique spinning or felting experience, be sure to order some Luscious Plum or Crazy Cranberry roving. See the sales page for prices.


Crazy Cranberry Friesian Wool Roving

Another "hat" I wear is a "Horsey Hat". We just added another horse for the winter. Harvey, one of my mom's Morgans, needed winter digs and he arrived last week. MANY thanks to Lynda Henning of GF for her help hauling him! He and our Morgan gelding, Tanner, are VERY happy for each other's company.

Great Falls Farmers Market- there are 4 weeks left in the market on Saturday mornings. It is at its very best right now! THE best selection of local veggies and goods are available in September. If you came earlier and were looking for more--NOW is the time to come back!
I will be there selling rovings, yarn and other wool goods for most of the next 4 weeks at a Land of Grass Ranch. Right near Faster Basset.
Blogwatch: Be sure to check out these blogs!
Life in an Island Monastery;
Prairie Heritage Farm;
Peter and Molly's Music.



Happy Highwood Gardeners



Peter and Molly play Concert on the Lawn in Great Falls