It was so good to see friends from all over at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival this past weekend!  But did the crowds seem a bit smaller than previous years?  Or maybe folks looked at the roiling clouds that came in on Saturday afternoon, and - anticipating a thunderstorm - decided to stay home?  Or (the vendors wanted to know) is the economy really affecting fiber artists?

The sheep did decide to let themselves out into a pasture while we were away over the weekend; the goats (always knowing better) have been letting themselves out for weeks.  And it's time for (Border Leicester) Gonzo to come out of the barn, where he has spent the winter in his own pen - separate from 4 By, the other ram!  

I am always glad to be back home and enjoy the beauty surrounding us at our farm. We've been joined the past weeks by Rose Breasted Grosbeaks passing through, nesting bluebirds near our deck, and the return of the herons to the road pond.  And the first bass have been caught - and released - from the house pond.  The best?  waking to the chorus of bird songs - second only to the peeping of the frogs in the evening!