November 07, 2024

From the Pastures: Making memories

The summer has certainly been speeding by. Always seems like summer is so short and winter so long. We have been blessed with great weather so far in August. After one hot week, it has cooled down just in time for our county fair.

The Boone County Fair comes to a close today as I write this. We did not have any sheep in the barn this year, but looking forward to next year when my oldest granddaughter is in 4-H. My youngest granddaughter visited from Georgia. She was so amazed to see all the different animals. Her favorite were the cows, even though I tried to persuade her the “baas” were best. It was great to see all the families coming together at the fair.

Next year, my family will start the fourth generation in 4-H. I know there are a lot of other families like ours. The fair brought together families in every barn, as well as those non-exhibitors who attended. Thank you to all the volunteers who make the Boone County Fair successful. It takes a lot of people to make the fair run smoothly and offer so many different events. Without the volunteers, our families would not have such a wonderful place to make memories.

We always laugh that during fair week the dishes don’t get done, the grass grows long and the house is a disaster. The mill gets a little neglected, also. Today, I am busy cleaning and setting up for a tour. A group of students from the University of Florida is traveling in our area and plan to stop for a discussion on the benefits of wool, raising sheep and a demonstration on how to make yarn. Glad they are stopping by and look forward to their questions. Next week, we will get back to work on customer orders and getting ready for the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival scheduled Sept. 8-10 in Jefferson, Wisconsin.

Hope you had a chance to make some memories at a fair this summer.

Jane Zeien

Jane Zeien

Belvidere, Ill.