Everybody asks me “What do you do with your sheep?” My typical answer is pet them and feed them and watch them, it’s very relaxing. But there’s another side to shepherding, a darker side, one you can never fully recover from… Fiber Arts. Fiber Arts are all those things you do with the wool once…
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Fantastic Fiber Retreat
There are so many good things about this retreat that I just don’t know where to start. Lets start with Art. My friend and neighbor Becky created this amazing “painting” using nothing but fiber. I can’t wait to see it framed. I talked to many about the wonderful uses of fiber and got schooled on…
What a Wonderful World
Some years fall in Alaska is those two days between rain and snow where the sky clears and the temperatures drop and the leaves change color so fast you can watch it happen. This year it has been a multi-week progression, without wind or snow to hasten the process. I find myself stopping to enjoy…
I’ve Got Good Taste
Or maybe I’m just lucky. Recently one of our local fiber community matriarchs posted that she had 10 fleeces dyed, all but the EK fleece as it is special and needs to be treated with the utmost care. I had no idea this breeders fleeces are so highly prized, and I was very proud to…
Night Walks
Night owls have their own special world quite different from early birds. Their circadian rhythm is marked by a completely different drum. The moon and stars are the light that marks their days and suns warmth is the blanket that covers them while they sleep. I dangle precipitously somewhere in between. Existing mainly in the…
Fall Colors
It was a beautiful night, the late day sun hi-lighted the mountain above our farm and all the trees with their amazing fall colors. Some people think farming in Alaska is hard. Sometimes it is, but on nights like this, it’s heaven on earth.
Fleece Checks and Sheep Suits
OH MY!!!! Getting my hands on the sheep and feeling the wonderful fleece is always such a treat but today I got the most amazing surprise. 68 has so much crimp! Just look at this stuff. I think I’m in love! 65 has some remarkably soft white fleece too Both Cormos have an amazing amount…
Hay Day
After a long hard drought followed by unending rains Alaska hay farmers are left with less than half the crop they usually raise. This is causing quite the panic among Alaska livestock owners. Today was a great day at Tower Ranch because we got all 6 huge round bales of hay that we need to make it…
Tower Ranch Alaska 