Fleece, fleece and more fleece

Four solid days of shearing at the farm last week. Enormous thank yous to the wonderful volunteers who helped things move so smoothly.

Several home school groups came to volunteer. Within a short time some of the older students were preparing syringes for the deworming injections, and a few even gave a shot or two.

It rained nearly every single day, which is never a good idea. But mostly the gang stayed dry in the barn.

Folks brought delicious food to share -- and the lunches were scrumptious.

We also had several school groups visit during shearing. A preschool group from St. Teresa School in Belleville; a "moms of toddlers" group; Mrs. Price's class from Illini School; and the wonderful helpers from Belleville East. They made walking sticks; met the animals and shearer; took pictures in front of the tipi; and ate lunch in the yard.

Shearing is a busy, busy time here. And a special "tip of the hat" to the members of the Artisan Guild of Southern IL. Those folks can WORK. They caught animals, caught fiber, and sorted and weighed volumes of individual fleeces. Way to go!

Every year when shearing is done I say, "I'm never going to do this again."

Until next year, I guess.