Sheep, wool, and dogs
In spite of a developing head cold, went to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival as planned. My friend Susan and I had never been before. The typical two barns full of vendors' booths, of course, selling everything from felting needles to raw wool. At least it wasn't all yarn, though the preponderance of foreign made alpaca products was distinctly noticeable. The alpaca pyramid scheme in the US is collapsing now, and overpriced animals are not selling. Those who bought into the scam late are desperate to find a profitable way to get out of it. Alas, I doubt that flooding the market with alpaca yarn or socks knitted offshore somewhere is going to do the trick.
What we enjoyed most, though, was the herding dogs. They had demonstrations, instinct testing for untrained dogs, and a full sized competition going on. We also saw new born lambs (both of us have seen plenty of them before, but they're always cute) and exotic sheep breeds, including the Barbados which looks like a goat, and the Jacob which often has FOUR horns instead of just two.
Met up with other guild members at noon, exchanged pleasantries and delivered items for the show in October, and we were off, getting home a little after three in the afternoon. I let Tess out into the pasture and collapsed, the cold symptoms having become too much for me.
Now off to bed, as soon as I take some medicine that will hopefully let me breathe and sleep.
What we enjoyed most, though, was the herding dogs. They had demonstrations, instinct testing for untrained dogs, and a full sized competition going on. We also saw new born lambs (both of us have seen plenty of them before, but they're always cute) and exotic sheep breeds, including the Barbados which looks like a goat, and the Jacob which often has FOUR horns instead of just two.
Met up with other guild members at noon, exchanged pleasantries and delivered items for the show in October, and we were off, getting home a little after three in the afternoon. I let Tess out into the pasture and collapsed, the cold symptoms having become too much for me.
Now off to bed, as soon as I take some medicine that will hopefully let me breathe and sleep.