The groundhog saw his shadow on February 2nd... and according to lore that gives us 8 more weeks of wintery weather. The bitter cold has been the hardest to deal with and may make my upcoming workshop on Hypothermia (at Goat Day) particularly well attended. The last couple weeks have been teasing us with sunshine one day and snow and ice on the next.

Speaking of workshops and icy weather : my mitten workshop at Fiber Retreat is full and in fact, had a waiting list... so I got on ebay to see if I could find some additional materials so that I could increase it from 12 to 16 participants. We are in luck! Materials found and class max increased to 16! We will be making a mitten that uses your handspun or purchased yarn, but incorporates and showcases a third strand of designer yarn on the top of the hand.

Inbetween rows of knitting, I am running out to check on the livestock and occasionally grabbing up a chilly newborn and dashing it and its mom to the barn. The weather has been rough for kidding. Here is a report on babies so far:

The first kids have arrived and we got off to a flying start with quads! Number 3 was DOA , and the others are small but fiesty. I have never had such tiny kids. The smallest is 1# 10 oz and the largest is just over 2#. Born to the Pygmy Joan... one of the does I had for sale in the newsletter last month! Glad she didn't sell. This was quite an experience! "Smidge" and "Midge" are for sale and could be bottled easily. I have been taking them a supplemental bottle so they know the drill. Other kids right now are boer goats out of "Pinto Machismo" , dairy kids out of "Coup de Chance" and angoras out of "Feanaro" and "Amadeus". See goat page for details.

The first litters of bunnies are here out of Sable, Chocolate, & Black mothers. More expected soon. They are too young to post yet, but there will be bunnies posted in the April issue! In the meantime, you can check on the rabbit page for questions from our customers regarding breeding/gestation and sharing cages. Also some news about Rabbit U and an offer from HMFF to any ARBA rabbit clubs out there.

"Go shorn and come wooly" as the celtic sheep blessing goes. I am starting to shear this month. Watch for the new 2008 leicester fleeces on ebay! My Ebay Store is found at http://stores.ebay.com/herbal-Maid-Gallery The fleeces are looking good!

Coyotes are singing in February and March , which sounds beautiful, but brings a pang of worry to the sheepherders heart with all those new babies on the ground.... therefore in response to an email question from one of our customers: Large Guard Dogs (LGDs) are the topic of discussion this month. I can only speak from my experience with Pyranees, Komondor X, Anatolian and Anatolian X. , but check out the LGDpage for photos and commentary.

Fiber Retreat

March 7-9, 2008 GW Carver Conference Center and Research Farm, Jefferson City, MO FANTASTIC opportunity for learning and networking. Focus this year on SPINNING. http://extension.missouri.edu/fiber/2008 My mitten workshop is Saturday afternoon. it is a four hour workshop and you should be able to complete at least one mitten in that time. See class description and sign up at the website listed above for Fiber Retreat. Workshop is $20 and includes 50 grams of designer mohair.

Goat Day March 28th, 2008 GW Carver Conference Center and Research Farm, Jefferson City, MO Dairy, Meat and Fiber Focus. Be sure to tour the barn and check out the new babies! For more information/newsletter contact hswartz624@aol.com

22nd Annual Southern Illinois Sheep & Craft Festival, April 12, 2008 at Monroe County Fairgrounds .Sponsored by Monroe County Sheep Producers Association 8am to 5pm Booth fee is only $20. Add $10 if you bring animals and need a pen. Contact Bobbie Bayne 618-939-4012. General Admission is free. Good lunch! Only 15 minutes from St Louis

Fiber Faire - May 17th Marshfield, MO (near Springfield) A fun outdoor marketplace with fun competitions too! Always an enjoyable day. for more information contact fiberartist@msn.com

Heart of America Sheep & Fiber Show May 31 - June 2, Sedalia MO - anyone else interested in teaching, needs to call or send your class information to Donna Turney. Her phone #:816-697-2104 address: 31609 Stringtown Rd Greenwood, MO 64034

Jacobs Cave Swapping Days June 5-8 www.jacobscave.com jacobscave@earthlink.net or 573-378-4374 A HUGE event for buying , selling, swapping or just looking at a multitude of small livestock, poultry, pets and exotics. Camping and refreshments on the grounds. Located at Jacobs Cave Meadowlands between Versailles and Gravois Mills.

here is a little craft idea to help get you into the mood. You can use styrofoam eggs or use a few of the early goose eggs, blown out and dried, like I do.

Place dried lavender and a few drops of lavender oil in a plastic covered container . Shake and toss the lavender to mix . Take a styrofoam egg and run a wire through the middle from pointy end to round end (this will serve as a handle and will be removed later) Cover the egg with spray craft glue and then roll, sprinkle or press dried lavender all over the egg and allow to dry. You can add some tiny pressed flowers flowers, ribbon, or other decorations with more glue. Finish with a light coating of spray glitter if desired. Rest the wired eggs across a bowl until dry... then remove wires and place your aromatic eggs in a small basket or bowl filled with easter grass for a great smelling centerpiece.