NH Sheep and Wool
Today was the first day of the NH Sheep and Wool Festival, and since I had been out of the country for Gore Place we made every effort to make it to this one. Last year Chiquita had declined to go at the last minute, and she really wanted to go this year. She was particularly been interested in the shearing and dog herding, so those were two things we didn't want to miss.
Of the two we found the sheep shearing first. After a few moments though, she couldn't bare to watch, though I am not sure why. I guess she was nervous that the sheep would be cut?
Nearby there were examples of all different sheep breeds. These lambs were among my favorites. I love how full of life and spunk the lambs are.
I also learned a fair amount about Navajo Churros. Heritage breeds have always interested me, and I had never heard of this type of sheep before.
Besides the sheep, of course there were plenty of alpaca. I love how silly alpaca look after they are shorn. They have such very interesting lines to their legs and necks that are so much clearer without all the extra fiber.
Seriously, how cute is this guy? She was just under a year old but was of a good size. How can anyone possibly resist this face? She was just like a giant (camelid) teddy bear.
And yes, after all that walking around, we did sit for a while and watch some of the Border Collies compete. I am not sure if the sheep were particularly skittish or what, but the human/dog partnerships seemed to be having a rough time of it. No one was able to do a "shed", which apparently is to split up the herd, though we didn't see any examples. After a few pairs though, Chiquita was ready to move on.
Then at the end of the day, disaster struck. Suddenly my daughter realized that one of her knitting needles had fallen out of her bag. We searched everywhere we had been, but we didn't find anything. Luckily her project is fine, just the empty needle is missing. It was still a sad way to end what had mostly been a very fun day.
Now I am sort of torn. On the one hand, I want to replace this pair of needles with a pair just as nice, because I think good tools are an important part of enjoying the process. On the other hand, I want her to realize that these are her special tools and that she has to be careful with them. If I just replace them each time she misplaces one, am I teaching that? Advice from parents and non-parents alike appreciated.
Of the two we found the sheep shearing first. After a few moments though, she couldn't bare to watch, though I am not sure why. I guess she was nervous that the sheep would be cut?
Nearby there were examples of all different sheep breeds. These lambs were among my favorites. I love how full of life and spunk the lambs are.I also learned a fair amount about Navajo Churros. Heritage breeds have always interested me, and I had never heard of this type of sheep before.
Besides the sheep, of course there were plenty of alpaca. I love how silly alpaca look after they are shorn. They have such very interesting lines to their legs and necks that are so much clearer without all the extra fiber.
Seriously, how cute is this guy? She was just under a year old but was of a good size. How can anyone possibly resist this face? She was just like a giant (camelid) teddy bear.
And yes, after all that walking around, we did sit for a while and watch some of the Border Collies compete. I am not sure if the sheep were particularly skittish or what, but the human/dog partnerships seemed to be having a rough time of it. No one was able to do a "shed", which apparently is to split up the herd, though we didn't see any examples. After a few pairs though, Chiquita was ready to move on.
Then at the end of the day, disaster struck. Suddenly my daughter realized that one of her knitting needles had fallen out of her bag. We searched everywhere we had been, but we didn't find anything. Luckily her project is fine, just the empty needle is missing. It was still a sad way to end what had mostly been a very fun day.Now I am sort of torn. On the one hand, I want to replace this pair of needles with a pair just as nice, because I think good tools are an important part of enjoying the process. On the other hand, I want her to realize that these are her special tools and that she has to be careful with them. If I just replace them each time she misplaces one, am I teaching that? Advice from parents and non-parents alike appreciated.
Labels: travel
posted by omly at 9:43 PM
6 Comments:
I'm not a parent so I can't pretend to know how these things work :) But my thought is that I would replace it with the least expensive option (something that will get the job done but that doesn't cost all outdoors) and let *her* replace the original by saving her allowance if that's important to her. There's nothing like having to spend your own money to teach you to look after things :)
I'm glad you had such a great trip - I really enjoyed your pictures (and paintings) of the places you visited! That Bhudda was especially magnificent!
Looks like you had fun... and you got some really great shots. I especially like the up-close shot and that face was priceless!
Oh, and I would replace the needle, but I'm just softhearted that way. I would replace it and explain what you are doing and why you are doing it. After all, that could have been you who lost the needle out of your bag... when you're at an event like that -- things happen. She was probably so thrilled and excited about the day that she didn't even notice. Come on mom, replace it! Or give me your address and I will!
I suppose it depends on how old she is, and how much of an allowance she gets. I would probably have her replace it from her allowance money, or, like Robbyn said, if I had to replace it i would replace it with something cheap.
A bunch of us were there yesterday. I can't believe we didn't see you! Feels like we saw everyone else. The Mind's Eye crowd was very well represented!
I'm not a parent, persay, but I did have a fairly large hand in raising my little sister. My advice would be to replace the needles with a warning that this would be the only "free shot" she got. Any others lost would have to be purchased with her own money or though extra chores.
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