Every year I try to make an effort to travel the short distance from our city to visit Rising Meadow Farm in Liberty NC. Every spring the owners of this vast rolling farm open their barns and home to visitors from all over North Carolina for the yearly shearing of their flock of sheep. This is one of my favorite events of the year, and I took off special from work to attend with my friend Kate. 
All of the buildings on Rising Meadow are rustic and artfully made. Here is a view of the barn they use each year for the shearing.
All of the buildings on Rising Meadow are rustic and artfully made. Here is a view of the barn they use each year for the shearing.
The shearers use the traditional hand shears, which look like really big scissors, instead of the more modern electric shears. The shearer sits the sheep up on its rump which has a calming affect on the animal.
Here, Kate is skirting the freshly shorn fleece. Skirting a fleece involves removing the locks of the fleece that are very short, or have vegetable or fecal matter in them.
This ewe was not feeling very well today.
Two 10 day old lambs.
Just waiting for her turn.
After a long afternoon of skirting fleeces and talking shop, it was time to relax a little on pounds and pounds of freshly shorn wool in the sun.
1 comment:
Ah, memories! I still have some of that rainbow yarn -- I'm working on a blanket. :)
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