Growth can be either exciting or rather intimidating. I think we all have experienced growing pains, and I don't mean in our bodies physically although we have done that throughout our lives as well.
I'll start with the updates first to give you an overall picture.
PayPal - we are now accepting PayPal for your convience. We also accept check and cash of course.
The
Mealworms are transforming. I honestly thought I had killed them off but then to
realize that was them transforming over to the beetle stage. Thankfully. The investment in them wasn't a Significant one where I would have just kicked myself from here to there.
Lambing has begun around here for several shepherds. We have a few bum lambs which is rather impressive has these babies were either from Twins or Triples, except for one which was orphaned. :( As we are getting in the swing of things with them it has been an educational process all over again. Can't help but look at them and enjoy the life that they are setting forth. When they call out it sounds like Mom when I'm going over to them. It reminds me of several Bible verses with the shepherds and ironically has brought back memories and new thoughts of what is to come.
Chickens I think they are confused or is it just the season. They are not too sure of what to think about the baaing that is going on over in the other part of the yard but they do their inspections as they have now decided to boost up egg production! We have a coop to get built for them that can be transported. We will be making it out of repurposed lumber and pallets.
Fibers They are coming and going. My love for fibers runs deep. I think because it encompasses so many things, the animals and the people that all have to work together to make it come together. It is a Symphony of making it all work. I believe that Montana is one of the best places for woolen fiber. As we experience all the seasons here and sometimes we are fortunate to experience those seasons all within a day. I've seen it and I've heard stories of long ago how dangerous it was when it happened then. As a result of experiencing the different seasons and that it could happen at anytime of the year, these animals are hardy that survive. There is no room for error in this. As a result you will see less breakage in the wool, which would indicate an illness at sometime when the fleece was grown. More specifically where the break is when the lapse happened. Montana has a large base of different breeds here to chose from and I find more each day. From Rambouillet, Merino, Cormo, Babydoll Southdown, Debouillet, Targhee, Border Leicester, Lincoln Longwools, Romney, Wensleydale, Jacob, Icelandic, Navajo-Churro, Friesian Milk Sheep, Finn, Barbados Blackbelly, Corridale, Suffolk, Columbia, Hampshire, Shropshire & I'm missing a few I'm Sure. We also have Alpacas - Suri & Hucaya, Llamas, Camels, Angora Rabbits, Angora & Cashmere Goats.
I decided on my Mission that I will help people find their wool they want here in Montana, if for some reason I'm not able to find it here in Montana I have other valuable resourced people that I know I can find it from a good producer near by. I'm striving to have Montana Grown and Montana Made Products here available for you.
On my first Special order Request. I asked a Friend what she was looking for. She told me Navajo-Churro Fleece. I said, give me a week and I will find it. When I said I would find it I should have said we would find it. As it took a network of individuals knowing different people and we came up with a sustainable source to choose from. I asked a local fiber group I belong to and the women chimed in like it was Christmas. I Just Love the Ladies! I was able to contact the owner of the sheep to see if they had any fleece for sale. They said they did and they were able to email me some beautiful pictures and I was able to pass them along. The Fleece was sold Pending inspection. The fleece was shipped off this past Friday.
Fiber Trips & Sustainable Lives
Our first fiber trip for business aspects was last Sunday. Yes, It has taken me this long to 'digest' all of what has gone on during that time. Several lessons learned in the process and long the way there after. One, when traveling with teenagers Always, Always pack the night before. Add a few bum lambs to that mixture and expect departure to be hours later than what you had expected to originally done had you just gone by yourself. Our first stop to find nipples for the bums as they were not liking the ones that I had for them. Off to the Ranch store and Nope they didn't have the pitchered nipples! I would think for as many sheep are around the area that they couldn't afford not to carry them especially now. Then to Wal-Mart out of all places. We got baby bottles with different nipple ages for them. Found a lamb nipple for the bigger calf bottle. Then we are off on the road again. Co-pilot feeding the lambs as I go down the road.
We arrive to the friends home which is going to show us to the locations that we are to visit. A Brief moment of relaxation as we figure out exactly how this is all going to go for the rest of the day. We head to the first farm where I will be taking pictures of the fleece there as I have people whom are interested in Romney fleece. It's always interesting to have a brief look into how people do things for their herds. There is a beautiful fleece laying out on the skirting table. This is two fold for me as I've not seen a skirting table like this before and I'm liking the advantages that this presents and the fleece I have a clear view of the quality it has in it. Very little VM (Vegetable Matter) and even crimps throughout the fleece. She proceeds to show us several other fleeces as well as a scale sample of the fleeces that she has so we can see the quality and the length on them. Did I mention the colors. Oh the Beautiful Natural colors. I Love seeing deep Natural Colors in a Fleece. Of course White is always Great too. She has classic white, Deep Silver, Steely Silver, Light Grey, Cream, Brown & Black. I had to tell myself I'm there for the photos for the customers and not for getting fleece for myself. I came home with a ram fleece that has multiple colors in it from Silver, Steely Silver, Grey, Cream and Tan. His staple length is a solid 6 to 8 inches in appropriate spots. The texture of this fleece for a ram is Superb, the crimps are uniform and consistently throughout the entire fleece like the other fleeces that I inspected. So much for looking for the customers.
After such a lovely adventure I was parched! Probably from all of the drool. We ran to the store to get something to drink and process all that we just experienced. From there we met at the friends house to take a few and go through their fleeces that had the same consistency as it's from the same flock. There is something to be said for flock management when you can see the fiber and the improvements that it's working towards in the fleece that comes from it no matter where you turn. After I took several pictures of those beautiful fleeces and we were off to the next farm visit.
Mind you I'm going to look at the Navajo-Churro fleece. I mean they wouldn't dare have any other animals there would they? As we drove up I felt like I was in some sort of dream as I could see what they were doing. There were the Traditional Devon Cattle, then the sheep both Navajo-Churro and Jacob, followed by the Beautiful Muscovy Ducks in array of colors, to pull further ahead to see the Vibrant Peacock Males. I do not think I've ever seen Peacock males in such Prime condition. Their colors were Phenomenal! We were greeted by the owners and they graciously showed us around explaining what they are doing and I was beaming. We made it to where the fleece are stored and I was again in Awe.. That day was defined by 'Awesomeness'.
I've had the chance to wash some of the Romney ram Fleece that I got and I was once again in love with what it brought to the table. To think with the first wash I got a brillant shine to it and it pulled apart so well that I will not put it into rovings but will be able to spin directly from the way I hand picked through it and washed it. To me that is success in a fleece. How much handling I have to do to it in order to make it to the loom or spinning wheel.
As I took that trip that day there were several things that came to mind. First off was, Oh this is going to be a ride with the lambs. It was but it really did go well. The lambs didn't run off when let out and they were very happy with the new nipples. The fortune of having good friends show you to places unknown and willing to be there throughout the whole process was a Blessing that is so Appreciated. For the Wonderful People I did get to meet for the first time and their patience and willingness to tell me more and for those I didn't get to meet this time around as I have a feeling this will be a repeat area with plenty of growth potential that needs to be tapped into. The one thing that I had asked myself over and over again. Am I going into the right business? I had that answered a few times over and over and that was YES! There is something about seeing things come full circle. Where you build interpersonal relationships with people and you let them know you are there and not for you but for them and their success as well. I've always enjoyed watching someone learn something new and that has carried over to this as I have been able to help people get their products sold to people whom have been looking for them but I get to talk about some of the most important things in life.. That is from the Foundation up is how you build.
We now are accepting PayPal and I'm informed I need to start an Instagram account.. Let's Grow together!
#HeritageHillsHomestead #RawWool #Romney #Navajo-Churro #RoadTrip #Fiberfetish #EweSayBa #Natualfibers #Spinning #MontanaGrown #MontanaMade #MontanaHome #
