Yes, LOOT!

 (Thanks Michelle for reminding me that I hadn't put a title on this post!!) 

Well, as you surmised from the last post, last week was the Black Sheep Gathering down in Eugene.  Our annual vacation.

Some changes this year - all the vendors were in the concert pavilion - Air conditioned comfort
and lots of room - but more on that soon -








The thing is, to get to Eugene, first you have to go through Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Chehalis/Centralia - and then there is Portland.

 

 The land of bridges & tail lights -

Portland is called "The Rose City" and they have bush roses planted all along the freeways there.








It is so dry this year, they look kind of stressed already and all the brown grass in the medians - somebody throws out a cigarette and everything is going to burn to the ground!

But we MADE IT through Portland, with only a few delays - Generally Thursday early afternoons are not too bad (and actually coming home on Sunday morning we breezed right through!) 

 The Lane County Fairgrounds is comprised of this big pavilion, then barns that the animals are in - because they had moved the MarketPlace into the pavilion, they also included alpacas this year. 









 As you can see, lots of wide aisles
and lots and lots of vendors!

 With room left over for three spinning circles!  (no, my wheel stays home - I bring my crochet projects on the road)

 This was one of my favorite booths - she has such pretty colors! 

 How could you pass this up?????

















 So, while The Shepherd shopped for sheep,



I shopped for spinning goods

One lady said she figured that her stash had now exceeded her life expectancy.....  


















Gracie says: "I think mom has EASILY exceeded that mark - she brought home TWO BIG BAGS of spinning stuff!"

 

We wish they all could be California Girls -

Well, not really - we really like our Washington Girls - but adding some new blood once in a while -

This is "Joshua's Farms Garnet" - she has come to be company / BFF for Lilah, our one ewe lamb from the babies we had this spring. 

She is very well behaved and leads like a dream.  She came from the same breeder where we got Elliott a couple of years ago.

In fact her bloodline goes back to my old friend Nancy Krohn's boys Skittles & Apocalypse.  (her Great Grandfather and Grandfather respectively)  Even though Nancy is no longer in the sheep business, I know she would love to know that her sheep continue to make a difference. 

The Shepherd and his new sheeplet.
















Isn't her wool just the prettiest color? 

It will be November of 2016 before he breeds her with Django - (we don't breed ewe lambs)

It will be a long wait to see what happens, but that's the sheep business. 

Gracie want's to know what the heck all the ruckus is about........

Garnet and her new friends were less than thrilled to be put into a pasture by themselves...

What the?????

 

Um - who are you and where are you taking me?????

.

OUR FLOWER COMMUNION

    "The Flower Communion is an annual ritual in many Unitarian Universalist churches that celebrates beauty, human uniqueness, diversity, and community.
     Originally created in 1923 by Unitarian minister Norbert Capek of Prague, Czechoslovakia, the Flower Ceremony was introduced to the United States by Rev. Maya Capek, Norbert's widow.
     In this ceremony, everyone in the congregation brings a flower. Each person places a flower on the altar or in a shared vase. The congregation and minister bless the flowers, and they're redistributed. Each person brings home a different flower than the one they brought." (From the website www.uua.org)

Each flower unique.

Each person is unique.

By themselves, they may look rather plain -

Our Flower Communion at church was last weekend.  It also coincided with our "Good Bye" service for our minister, Rev. Marcia Stanard who is leaving us after three years to become the new minister for Atkinson Memorial Church in Oregon City.  We will miss her alot, but she has proved to us and to the world, that even a church as small as ours deserves and can sustain a great minister.

You take that one plain flower and add another and another, and soon you have a display of great beauty.

I think people are like that, too.  Don't you?


PS - and if you get to Oregon City on a Sunday morning (starting late August)  stop by Atkinson Memorial for a great church service.  Tell them "A friend of your minister" sent you!   








.

A Good Read - "The Beekeepers Ball"

 

After having spent the last few months on a marathon of old Nora Roberts romance novels, the books that my sister included in the "Christmas" package that I received last month promised to be exciting reads.  I decided to start on the Susan Wiggs novel, "The Beekeepers Ball" Bella Vista Chronicles, Book 2 .  

This is just a great book.  OK, I thought it was going to be a little slow at first - you get used to Nora hopping her characters into bed at the first possible chance - that didn't happen here - although the "dance" was there - a slow romantic waltz, that morphs into a delicious tango as the book goes along. 

The side story of Tess & Isabel's grandfather's life in Nazi occupied Denmark is believable and interesting.  Wiggs' engaging characters leave you wanting more and hoping there will be another book in the "Bella Vista" Chronicles.   I definitely have to find "The Apple Orchard" (Book 1, of course)

Hope you're having a great week!