Christmas Blitz and Visitors

We've played in the snow,

decorated the tree,

modeled Christmas gifts,

baked and eaten Christmas delights.

For the recipe, click this link.

And then, after the glitz and blitz had settled, it was time to get to work. 
David Tometich made a trip to shear our sheep. 

Shearing the last of the sheep.

No one but a shepherd understands why we shear them in winter, but its for a number of reasons (not all of them are privy to me, either).  Our ewes are bred to have lambs when it's still cold and no matter who you are or how cold it is, a dingle-berry-infested environment does not make for happy, healthy babies.  Also, a cold sheep will seek shelter from harsh weather.  They're not the brightest animals in the world, so if they register the actual temperature, there's a chance we'll find new lambs in a protected place during a classic mid-west ice storm.

David Tometich and the Big Guy weighing the wool.

Do we keep the wool? No.  We don't have a market or the ability to process it correctly.  David Tometich pays us for the wool.  We pay him to shear.  It's a win-win proposition, but we end up with healthy, clean sheep as our compensation.

That same day we were thrilled to have Zoe Martin, a field representative from Iowa Farmer Today,  interview Grace for a feature article this next month.

We'll let you know when and where it comes out--and we haven't forgotten to let you in on the secret in the hay bale, we just haven't gotten to it yet (Believe it!  Or not!).

After the interview, the Big Guy came to the house to sample goodies and get a report.  If the experience can be measured by Grace's after-interview demeanor, it was a huge success.  Thank you, Zoe!

Today, with family visiting from Colorado and a hopeful expectation of the Boyfriend, we are planning to break open the bale--and resume work on the new office (pictures coming soon to a blog near you).