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Hello Again, It’s Been Awhile

It has been awhile and every time I let this blog slip through the cracks it’s that much harder to start up again. Believing I have any ability to write words worth reading has always been the toughest for me to grasp.

I’ve been meaning to get a blog post up this summer though and the recent discouragement with social media has spurred me on. Social media apps all seem to be moving toward video content so those of us who enjoy photography, who take pride in capturing a notable still image, are left out in the cold. With a barrage of quick video taking over the apps it all feels rather chaotic out there.  But blogs are still one place where the speed of life slows down instead of ramping up.  I am reminded to stay beyond the rat race and if I can invite you to do the same for a minute, that seems worth it.

walking with dogs

Aside from this social media frustration the year so far has been a sleepy one. The flock is smaller and the day to day tasks are light. With fewer ewes there are less frequent moves to new pastures and keeping up with the water station is the largest task of any given week. Allen is away much of the time so the larger two man projects we might accomplish in the warm season are on hold.

And the guardian dogs? There are fewer of them here now with the passing of a couple of the elder dogs this past year. Lily and Hawkeye are the pair stationed with the flock and they have taken on a new mission to drive the pair of younger dogs off. One of these younger dogs is the black Kangal cross and I’ve had to concede he’s not going to measure up to being the flock dog I need anyway. He’s become rather fond of the Kelpies and I, and of being a good ole farm dog. The other outlier is Birdie, my female Maremma. Not being allowed to stay with the sheep she’s just not sure what she should be doing. Then there is the senior Anatolian Shepherd and he resides with a handful of bottle lambs and dogging sheep, content as can be but becoming more and more fragile with each passing month.

maremma livestock guardian

The stock dog crew remains the same although they are also an aging group of dogs with the youngest coming in at five years and the oldest sleeping away the days at thirteen years of age. I have not added any dogs (stock dogs or guardians) and I have little desire to do so again because the appeal for new dogs seems to have left me along with the appeal for any more sheep. Yet I sense the time for a new guardian pup is coming and I must get my head around to the idea. It is that or I sell more ewes and downsize again to a tidy fibre flock that does not require as many canines looking after it.

sheep grazing prairie

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Felted Flock Goes Public

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The idea to needle felt a flock of sheep first arrived three years ago. I dismissed it. The real flock of sheep was around 500 head, already down from its previous 600+
There were 13 dogs here.
Coyotes were ever present.
The prairie was becoming dry.
A year went by and the idea was still rambling around in my head. I made one sheep, then three, then a guardian dog… I thought at the least it could be a way to promote wool.
Drought came in the time between then and now.
The real flock of sheep is down to175 ewes
There are 11 dogs
Coyotes are still abundant.
Prairie is hanging on.
And just recently I entered the Felted Flock into an art show, displaying what became of a crazy idea, sharing a visual story of this sheepish life. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2814″ img_size=”500 x 300″ alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The flock drew attention to itself. A popular comment from adults: absolutely amazing. Followed by: how much time does it take? A popular comment from children: oh this is so cool. Followed by: how do you make these?
” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Now that the show is complete and I have a moment to digest i thought i would share a little about my entry and the artistic side of this project from my perspective. I recognize that sharing some felted sheep online can come across as cute play and many will pass it by, however, there is something deeper going on here that I know now is experienced when people see the flock ‘in the flesh’. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The art show was an adjudicated event and also the first opportunity to display the flock in public. Each entrant was allowed to enter a series of five pieces. The set up of the flock was done in five scenes which merged into one another as real life with them does. 1) At Winter’s Pace 2) The Wool Harvest 3) Lambing and Grazing 4) Coexisting 5) Of Circular Nature

There are also other nuances to the set up – a fox watching in the background, a guardian dog sitting near the dead ewe, sheep with different wool type, animals with different character. All meant to be absorbed by the viewer as they take a longer look.
By the way, I did a practice set up of this at home in order to figure out who was going where and how the story line could connect as seamlessly as possible and still fit on an eight foot table. That took an entire morning to figure out and not all the sheep are present.

Once entered into the show I mentally propped myself up for receiving the adjudicator’s critique; necessary to helping one grow and expand. I prepared for the possibility of being told that this was not art and not a valid entry. But I did not consider the opposite result. I did not consider that the Felted Flock display might take a winning spot, which it did.

I am very pleased of course, and a little taken aback, that this wee flock and the creation of it was deemed worthy of such recognition. Onward we go.

This is not the finish for the Felted Flock. I still intend to carry on to 150 sheep.

It’s an odd feeling to head out in the am and feed the real sheep and then head off to town to watch the reaction to seeing the felted ones. I am ever so grateful I went and for the chance to watch people take this in and enjoy it. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”2815″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Progress on The Felted Flock

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The felted flock passes the one hundred sheep mark. For the love of wool, the project is two thirds complete.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”2793″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]Missing from this photo are the shepherdess, who is taking the photo, and the Kelpie who is at her side holding all in place with a steely gaze.

Since I last posted about the felted flock here on the blog two shearer’s and a couple new non-sheep characters have been added, along with more sheep of course, there are always those. Three old characters were stripped down to the wire armature they are built upon and re-done. No matter how I tried to justify leaving them be they needed to be changed up or head to the trash.

Outside of spending days and nights immersed in every thing sheep, real and created, I have secured two public events to show the Felted Flock at. One is an art show and one is a fibre festival. I am super excited about both these opportunities. While the project has a ways to go before being complete it is time for it to be seen by eyes other than my own. [/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”2794″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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