Shearing Day at Grace Valley Farms

Shearing went exceptionally well this year! Many volunteers turned out to help and the two shearing days went ever so smoothly!

 Our favorite shearer, Karsten, returned to shear the sheep.

After each sheep was shorn, Ben and Karsten removed the soiled wool from each fleece.

When a sheep was finished being shorn, it was helped up and moved over to the recoating area. A new, smaller coat was applied. Here, Pat holds a gray ewe while a new coat is selected for her.

Zach holds a ewe lamb while Forrest puts a new coat on her. 

The shearing crew.

Robert, Ben, and Karsten carefully skirt each fleece to avoid contaminating it with soiled wool from the sheep's neck and belly.

When the fleece is done, Ben picked it up and carried it into the shop for further skirting. 

  

The skirting crew at work on a black fleece.

Rolling a silver fleece after it has been skirted.

A beautiful charcoal-colored lamb fleece.

Emily and Diana roll up a fleece.

Lunch Time! Lunch is always a fun time of food, fellowship, and friendship!

This year we cooked up a big Mexican meal.

We served almost 30 people for lunch.

A big "thank you" to all our friends and farm workers who came from near and far to help us. We all worked together like a team and the process went smoothly. It is such a joy to have friends who take good care of our sheep!

We are currently in the process of sorting, photographing, and grading our fleeces. When they are all cataloged,  we'll notify our customers.

Photography by: Russ Angwin

In Memory of Doug

On January 28th, Doug Meyer left this earth and went to be with the Lord Jesus. While we grieve the loss of our loved one, we are comforted in knowing that he is now home in heaven with his Savior, free from the pain of the cancer that had ravaged his body.

  1956-2014

Thank you for your love and prayers on our behalf. We would appreciate your patience and understanding in the weeks and months ahead as we move forward without our husband and dad.

Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever. - Psalm 73:24-26

Puppy Update

Abby's puppies have been growing very well and are quite big now! All of them are healthy and enjoying life. They like to be petted and held. The pups are fast on their feet and take great delight in following and chewing on us!

 

Bullet and Abby, the puppy's parents.

Happy New Year from Grace Valley Farms

Happy New Year 2014!

 We were greeted this morning by a beautiful layer of fresh snow!

The snow was wet and stuck to the plants and trees.

 Ruger and the rest of our dogs enjoyed playing in the snow.

 The cows were busy eating on their alfalfa bale. We are expecting six calves in the spring time!

Fiona

Freckles

Caramel

Flower (center camo coat), surrounded by her friends

Garnet

Delores

Griffin

Grover and Gretchen

Genevieve 

Garfield 

Evelyn

Murphy, our guard llama, leading his sheep out to pasture.

The view from our place

 

Sally and Ruger with the egg collection from this morning. 16 multi-colored eggs were gathered!

 

 Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. - Psalm 103:1-2

Abby's Christmas Eve Delivery

Abby, our female German Shepherd, gave us a special Christmas gift! On Christmas Eve she delivered her first litter of puppies!

 She has been a great mother to her babies, carefully cleaning and watching over them. 

The little pups enjoy sleeping on Abby's legs.

Her litter consists of 9 males and 1 female.

 The pups look like little butterballs with fat tummies.

The puppies will be AKC registerable. 

December Winter Wonderland

We have had a blast of winter here at Grace Valley Farms! The past couple weeks have been very cold and snowy. 

The sheep enjoying their morning meal after the big snow storm.

Our area received around 10 inches of snow. 

 Graham, Galileo, Gilbert, and Emmett awaiting their hay. 

Three nights in a row our temperatures dipped to between -20 and -30 degrees.  After a few days of sub-zero temperatures, the wind began to blow and the snow started drifting. 

 Due to the extreme cold and windchill factors, we had to cover up from head to toe to stay warm while doing chores. 

Blossom enjoying her hay.  

The temperatures have now warmed up into the 40's during the day. The snow is melting and we are all thankful for warmer days!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at 

Grace Valley Farms!

 O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 107:1

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. - Proverbs 27:23, 25-26

Top Skirtings Now For Sale !

Grace Valley Farms is pleased to offer top-skirtings from our 2013 premium fleeces! We are offering these to our customers at a special holiday discount!

Wool from our adult fleeces is $6 / pound and lamb wool is $8 / pound.

To learn more about this special opportunity, please click the following link.

Grace Valley Farms Top Skirtings

Delilah's Top Skirtings from 2013

Gifford - 2013 Cutest Lamb

Our sweet friend and customer, Judy Stark Angwin, painted a beautiful portrait of Gifford on a rock.

As you may recall, Gifford was the winner of our Cutest Lamb Contest this spring. 

 Here is a photograph of Gifford the lamb. Judy did a great job of capturing our cute little lamb in her painting.

Thank you, Judy, for the time and effort you put into creating such a beautiful keepsake for our family!

Indian Corn Harvest

What beautiful Indian corn our garden produced this year! The variety of colors if striking and the overall quality is very high this year.

 Here is a potion of our crop.

Many of the ears were large and filled all the way out to the tip. 

 Beautiful variegation in color 

 We ran across some pastel-colored corn.

 This was one of our favorite ears. Notice the unique star burst patterns on some of the kernels. 

We've been growing Indian corn for a few years now and this is our best crop, to date.