For Your Browsing Pleasure...

We set up some new shelving for you in Ray's Barn & Garage to make your browsing easier! Take a look at our hand spun natural alpaca, try out some hand dyed yarn, make up a kit and check out our knitted items for sale...

Look who is wispering about Alpaca weekend at Simple Gifts Farm!

They are getting ready for visitors and can hardly wait until Saturday, 9/25 and Sunday 9/26 from 10-5!

Alpaca Farm Weekend 9/25 & 9/26!! We are ready!

So they tell me that people are going to celebrate alpacas this weekend. What do you think of that! We like watching people, it should be fun!!

Come for a visit National Alpaca Weekend 9/25 & 9/26

We will be open from 10am to 5pm. So come on over and see what we are up to! The animals always love company and we enjoy these fall days being outdoors with you! Check out my new projects from hand dyed yarn which are kitted up for you knitters. See our alpaca gloves that my friend Pam and I ordered from the alpaca we banked in the fiber pool. This is fiber grown and product manufactured here in the USA! Raspberries both red and black found their way to the cookpot and are set up in jams for you to purchase. I will do some spinning and Ray and I are always glad to tell you about our alpacas, llama, sheep, pony and dog!!!

Ray baling our hay field...

Twice a year our hay field puts forth for our animals. Here is the field and here is Ray working on his baler. It is always a BIG job. The twine doesn't always tie. The weather doesn't always cooperate but this hay came in just fine with no major difficulty! Yeah!!

Celebrate being home in the USA!!!

Ray always makes mealtime special! Having friends over and a good meal too, priceless!!!

Marti goes to China!!

Yes, believe it! My granddaughter, Emma and The Red Star Twirlers went on tour in China and I got to go with them to Shanghia, Wuxi, Suzhou and Beijing!!! They performed four times and my favorite was at The Great Wall of China! We did so much in 9 days and The Red Star Twirlers (check out on Facebook) did an amazing job in 90-100 degree temps!!! Very appropriately the music,"We are the world, we are the children"....as many young Chinese children joined The Red Stars on stage at every event! Great cultural and good will exchange!!

Tulips In Custody and CT Sheep & Wool Festival

These beautiful red tulips are in protective custody!! That is right. This is the first time Ray was able to plant a tulip garden that wouldn't be gobbled up by the deer!!! Brilliant!! Spring is here and so is the CT Sheep and Wool Festival to be held on Saturday, April 24th at the Tolland Agricultural Center, 24 Hyde Avenue-Rte. 30 Vernon, CT (Just off I-84 exit 67). Hope to see you all there!!!

Some folk dye Easter Eggs; We dye yarn!!

Spring is a wonderful time to light up your life with color! We saved the egg dyeing days for our grandchildren but I couldn't help but dye up some Spring colored yarns!!

Sugar on Snow-Maple Syrup Time!

We have had a wonderful time this year making maple syrup. Friends and family came by to watch the sap evaporate into the liquid gold we call Maple Syrup! We will have some maple syrup available at CT Sheep and Wool Festival end of April! Great effort is made to boil 40 gallons of sap over several days to net one gallon of syrup! Nathan and Colby, our grandsons savored the Sugar on Snow that we made. A nice reward for them for helping carry sap and wood for the stove!!!