Farmer' Day Parade

It's Farmer's Day at the Buckwheat Festival and after the Ag-Olympics and other morning activities, it is finally time for the Farmer's Day Parade (our favorite of the three).

Royalty comes first, of course. Here is King Buckwheat, Jonathan Mauldin, of Aurora, joined by his train bearers and the Little Princesses.

Next, the Junior Princesses. Our cousin's daughter, Sarah Wiles, is honored to be on this float.

Then, of course, the Senior Princesses and their escorts.

And then, Her Majesty Queen Ceres, her Maids of Honor, escorts and train bearers. Queen Ceres and King Buckwheat disembark and watch the remainder of the parade from the review stand in front of the fire hall.

The best part of the parade (in our opinion) follows. Drum roll please...

The Parade of Champions!

Here are just a few notable winners -

first, Lena's good friend, Danielle Blamble, of Aurora, the winner of Grand Champion, Reserve Champion and Rate of Gain Market Goat.

Lena's 4-H club, the Aurora Pioneers, won the Lamb Dressing Contest with their 'Grease' themed entry.

And here comes the Sheeps and Peeps crew, riding the Purebred Sheep Champions float!

Supreme Grand Champion Wool Ewe, Sheeps and Peeps 721 'Hannah'.

Reserve Champion Wool Ewe, Sheeps and Peeps 720 'Cassidy'

Reserve Champion Wool Ram, Sheeps and Peeps 701 'Goliath'

Many, many thanks to everyone in the family for all their help and support throughout this long week of hard work and unseasonably warm temperatures.

It's Show Time!

Show day at the Preston County Buckwheat Festival has finally arrived! Everyone pitches in to help. Lena gives a pre-show pep talk.



Goliath is ready!



The boys and girls are waiting their turn in the show ring.



Show ring wisdom provided by the judge.



Many thanks to judge, Gabriel Shane Zepp, (from Carroll County, Maryland) who managed to remain professional and enthusiastic despite enduring a 12 hour day judging 139 market swine and then feeder calves and crossbred heifers before even beginning the Purebred Sheep Show.



Judging for Supreme Grand Champion Wool Ewe, lambs Cassidy and Hannah, and yearling ewe, Princess, are participating.

A very long day, but a lot of fun. Winners will be in tomorrow's parade.

Dyeing with marigolds

All summer long we have been picking the marigold blossoms from our dye garden and drying them. We devoted today to dyeing.


We boiled the flowers, prepared the dyepot and soaked the roving.


Here is the result on some blue-faced leicester mordanted roving. The color is actually deeper and much richer than the picture shows. It really turned out quite lovely.

First Guinea Eggs!

When we went to feed this evening, we were surprised to find two little guinea eggs in the coop!



They are very small as you can see when they are placed in a regular egg carton. (To incubate or not to incubate that is the question.)



The guineas have developed into lovely birds with these beautiful facial features which are kind of fluorescent in the twilight.



There is now no hesitation when the coop is opened in the morning. They hop right out and rush into the barn to their feed pan.



At the slightest sound at least one of them pops their head up to see if it is necessary to sound the alarm.



Once they are assured that everything is right with the world, off they go to explore.