Nala's fleece- before washing
Nala's fleece- post washing 
They will be three weeks old on Monday. Here is Taffy sleeping with reckless abandon...
Yup, three buns here. Two faces and a bum!
Buffy has been mated to Wensledale and we are expecting another nestbox of kits around June 23. Buffy has also had small litters in the past. She is a lovely fawn tort and is vienna marked. Wensleydale is a BEW (Blue Eyed White) so the mating should produce a 50-50 chance at BEW's and vienna marked kits. Vienna marks are basically a white patch on the nose that signifies that the rabbit carries the BEW gene and has the ability to have BEW kits. Most white rabbits have red eyes, so the BEW gene is "special".
Will spent several hours in Manistique at "Rainbow Ronnie's"- a rather bizarre homebuilders salvage store searching for chicken coop construction materials. My brother donated three windows and an exterior door to the project which saved us a bundle...the cost of the coop materials was rather ridiculous...though it wil be a spacious10 x 12 feet.
See how big they are getting? They are still in that awkward "tweener" stage...still naked in spots and fully feathered in others. This Barred rock is one of my favorites- she follows me around and jumps up on my shoulder when she can.
The polish chicks are getting big too! I love their coloration.
The sheep don't want me to forget about them. Here is little Beltane- his horns are growing nicely and he is such a sweet boy.... Soon to be banded and wethered!
Gaia doesn't want to be left out of the post either and says "come on, lets play!" She always looks like she is smiling.
Lastly, the kids constructed "Cherry Blossom Castle" using some Cherry brush that Will cleared (at the site of our new compost pile) and their wooden swing set. It is pretty neat- only wish the greenery and flowers would last longer!While Will was off doing good deeds in Manistique, the kids and I made butter. I bought a quart of heavy cream for $4.47. We put it in a big jar and took turns shaking it and within 8 minutes the butter was floating in the buttermilk! Duncan and I drained off the buttermilk and he has a small glass which he said was good. So, we ended up with about a pound of butter (which is AWESOME!) and perhaps a pint of buttermilk. Probably not very economical, but it was fun. I have a friend in spinning group that has dairy cows so I will be getting a few gallons of milk from her to try some hard cheese making and will likely make more butter. Tomorrows pancake and waffle breakfast will use the buttermilk in the batter. Good chance at a frost tonight- Will is out covering up the tomato plants and the hanging baskets have been brought in.
Lila did a really cool self portrait (though she didn't really like it herself), and a beautiful rendition of Monet's water lilies. 
Sam also did a self portrait and this really cool collage of "the Grouchy Ladybug" after the book of the same name by Eric Carle.
Not to be outdone, Duncan graduated from preschool on Tuesday evening with all the pomp and circumstance accorded to such occasions. We found out that his favorite food is chives and that he also wants to be a scientist when he grows up- just like his brother Sam who wants to mix things together and make them explode... 
Will also helped out in Lila's class and the rest of the second grade classes doing a sheeps eye dissection- in second grade for heaven's sake! I'm pretty sure I was in eigth grade before we did a sheeps eye... Lila was not impressed and said it was quite disgusting. I have to agree that the smell of formaldehyde is not my favorite scent...but sheeps eyes are so cool...
Even if you aren't feeling well, it is good to open birthday presents. Sam was much taken with many of his presents and received a bunch of Michigan Chillers books, some v-smile game cartridges, a couple of transformers, two tee shirts and overalls (his were most definately too small for him), a couple of books about space and dinosaurs, some cards, balls and other things I can't remember off hand. He did get ten bucks in a card that he was terribly excited about and carried that around for quite some time before he put it into his bank (only after taking everything out and counting it before putting it back in).
Oh yes, a new marble run that Duncan was also very excited about!
Spinners End Farm is a small family farm in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Spinners End was started with the gift of a spinning wheel and three rescue llamas. We soon added a small flock of registered purebred Shetland sheep and a few English angora rabbits. Our children (ages 8, 6 and 4) assist us with some small, but significant tasks to help them learn about the responsibility, care and joy that comes from animal stewardship; the biology of the animal and the ecology of a farm.
Spinners End is a modest farm where the welfare of our animals is of the utmost concern. Our fiber animals are a part of our family- everyone has a name and receives daily individual attention and affection. It is our intention that they will live their lives out at our farm if at all possible. Our sheep are guarded by their companion llamas and we are a “predator friendly” farm. Our sheep and llamas graze in a small pasture during the summer months and are supplemented with quality locally grown grass hay. In our area, grass hay is generally harvested only once a season, allowing nesting grassland birds the opportunity to raise and fledge a full brood of young. During the winter months, grass hay is supplemented with treats of whole oats and roasted soybeans. Fresh water, mineral and kelp supplements are available at all times. Animals are vaccinated and examined for internal parasites and wormed if necessary. Part of our philosophy is we don’t believe in the routine application of chemicals or pesticides where it isn’t warranted. 
Shearing and processing wool is done here at the farm by hand! Sheep and llamas are gently shorn with hand shears and the wool is skirted, soaked, washed and dried on our back deck in the sun. English angora wool is harvested by gently plucking the loose fiber- ensuring a long staple wonderful for spinning. Wool is then processed and blended by drum carder into thick, soft, lofty batts that are wonderful to spin. If you choose the yarn CSA, all yarn is handspun and is double ply. 
By purchasing a CSA share, you become part of our extended farm family. The dollars you invest in our farm will help us provide the best possible care we can give to our animals in the form of high quality grass hay, mineral & kelp supplement, vaccinations and medications (when necessary), hoof trimming and shelter. This year, we hope to begin construction on a small New England styled barn to increase the comfort and security of the flock.
In return for your investment as a CSA shareholder, you will receive two pounds of spinning batts, or one pound of handspun yarn made from the animals on our farm. You can choose the colors and blends of fiber- Shetland wool is soft and luxurious and blends very nicely with small quantities of llama and angora fiber, or you may choose 100 % Shetland wool which “spins itself” and also makes a wonderful felt. Please contact us for the many choices available to you- there is a wide variety of natural colors to choose from! Based on your selection of fibers, you will receive information and photos of the animals that grew the fiber, and your name will be listed as a CSA shareholder on our farm blog where updates on the farm are regularly posted. 
See their puffy topped head? It gets quite crazy looking when they get their adult feathers.
They weren't too crowded, and they need each others body heat to keep warm enough for the travel from Iowa to Michigan. The bottom had a nice piece of honeycombed cardboard so they weren't sitting in their poop all the way here.
Lila decided she wants to make one of the buff orpingtons a pet. Sam wants a barred rock, and Duncan wants "one of the all black ones" (Black australorp). His chick is black all over the back and yellow on the tummy and face.
