Tag Archives: shearing and wool

5 Tips for Raising Kids That Are Self-Motivated

Walking in High Cotton Posted on by 8

We got a late night call from the sheep shearing about rescheduling our appointment due to rain on Sunday. You can’t shear wet sheep, so they had some cancellations from folks that couldn’t get their animals under cover. They knew we could, and asked if we wanted to bump our appointment up to first thing the next morning. It meant that Mr. Fix-It and I had to move the sheep from one side of the farm to the other and pen them in the tractor shed. In the dark. Without … Continue Reading…

5 Days of Summer Reading {Books You Need on the Homestead}

Walking in High Cotton Posted on by 8

This week I’ll be part of a 5 Days of Summer Series and I’m talking about 5 Days of Summer Reading. Each post comes with recommendations for how to choose good books, tips to encourage a love of books, and ideas for how to enjoy reading as a whole family–as well as a book list, so be sure to check them all out! MONDAY: 5 Days of Summer Reading {For the Homestead} TUESDAY: 5 Days of Summer Reading {For the Boys} WEDNESDAY: 5 Days of Summer Reading {For the Girls} THURSDAY: … Continue Reading…

Sheep Shearing Time!

Walking in High Cotton Posted on by 8

We’ve been waiting for shearing day to get here. Virginia’s spring weather can be a little strange–60s and 70s with chilling rain one day and then 90s by the end of the week. And getting on the shearer’s calendar is, well, challenging. It’s a skill in high demand. And you can’t shear wet sheep, so spring rain is always a fear. Mr. Fix-It can shear in a pinch. He used to do it for us when we had fewer sheep and weren’t as worried about wool quality. But it’s hard … Continue Reading…

Sheep Shearing Day

Walking in High Cotton Posted on by 4

Friday afternoon was shearing day, here at The Lowe Farm. With the cosmic alignment of the stars (and unlimited long distance on our cell phones) we managed to schedule our shearing much earlier this year. Usually we shoot for the first week in June. Last year was even later! May tends to be ugly and unpredictable around here. We’ve sheared in early May and then had everyone come down with field pneumonia after a week of cold rain before.  (Thankfully that year everyone was only 6 sheep!) In the past … Continue Reading…

Shearing Day!

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I wish I had some great, exciting story to tell about how shearing day is so fun, but honestly…it’s really not.  It’s definitely a relief–but that’s about it. The weather is strange around here.   A lot of people shear early in spring before lambing, but we lamb in Feb/March, out on pasture, which I think is just too early.  We also usually get a wet, rainy May, and we don’t use a fully enclosed barn, so we don’t want anyone to get wet, cold, muddy, and chilled while they’re…well, naked. … Continue Reading…