Annigan goes to the farm

Forget a weekend at a swanky spa, the three days I spent with Sarah on her homestead were exactly the relaxation and inspiration I needed. I had the best time there!

Of course, I got to meet Sarah's darling husband, who is an absolute dear. And then there were all her critters. Since meeting Sarah I have been anxious to meet her boys - the pygora goats.
Here are Darwin, Spike, and Mr. Nibbles, ready to greet us and hoping for treats.
Nibbles is clearly the self-appointed star of the show, and is eager to make friends. He gave me a good tasting, including testing the rivets on my jeans and trying out the zipper on my sweatshirt. He is a huge ham and attention hog, and is a gregarious bundle of fleecy friendliness! All three goats are absolutely cute and charming, and I am now completely certain that I will one day fulfill my longstanding desire to have some fellows of my own.
I was also won over by the chickens. Her flock includes several breeds, all of whom are perfectly lovely ladies. I had a great time feeding them and watching them do their cute chicken thing. They are much friendlier than I ever thought chickens to be!
And her muscovy ducks are perfect examples of sweet duckiness! Here are the three grown-ups, Mopsy, Cottontail and Flopsy,
and these are the three babies. All are just the bees knees, and the most puppy-like birds you can imagine! They loyally follow their people around, wagging their tails and hoping for treats and affection.
Clearly, affection is something that is generously handed out on the homestead, as all of Sarah's animals are gentle, friendly, and absolutely sociable.

Truly, I have been re-inspired to pursue our dream of one day owning our own small farm; now that I've seen that it can be done, and in such a charming way.

On Saturday, we drove down to Canby, OR, to the annual Flock and Fiber festival. It was a fiber extraveganza! There were tons of fiber-bearing animals, including goats, sheep, alpacas, llamas and bunnies, all looking lovely in their finery. There were lots of people spinning, on wheels and hand spindles. And there was ample opportunity to buy all manners of fiber, from raw, unwashed fleece all the way to lovely hand-dyed and spun yarn. I bought several types of fiber to spin, including some vibrant merino-tencel, some yak fleece and a cotton/hemp blend in their natural colors, some basic wool, and a "mystery batt" of mixed ends. (I will photograph all in the near future.) Sarah gave me a refresher course in spinning, as well as some gorgeous fiber to practice on, and I am well on my way to spin-tasticness!

At the festival there was also a show of fiber creations. There were everything from basic scarves to this - a life-sized family made of felted wool. It was amazing, as well as a bit puzzling. (Yes, the woman is breastfeeding.) I don't think that project would have ever occurred to me. Anyway - it was quite the display. While the fiber-arts show was very nice, with a few impressive pieces, I was firmly convinced that Sarah needs to submit several of her creations - most especially her yarn! - next year, as she would definitely clean up the competition!

It was a truly fantastic weekend, and I enjoyed every moment. I am so grateful to my lovely hosts, and hope to be able to visit again!