We celebrated summer and sheep at our inaugural gathering at MCC!

What better way to celebrate summer and sheep by having Mustang Court Common’s inaugural gathering for friends, family and supporters of our ongoing project at MCC.

For this special day in June, we arranged for a sheep shearer named John, to shear the warm winter coats off the sheep.

This was wonderful for the crowd to watch, many of whom had never seen sheep being sheared before. John took the time to explain what he was doing and to answer questions, like “How many sheep can you shear in a day?” The answer, “150!”

The sheep looked much happier and 10 years younger with their new “haircuts”!

Sarah the shepherd then demonstrated how to skirt the fleece. Skirting is the process of removing vegetable matter, dirtier parts or unusable cuts from the wool, in order for the wool to be processed. Skirting is done over a, wait for it… skirting table! A skirting table is a special surface that has holes in it so that dirt, debris and short cuts of the fiber can fall through while the rest of the fleece remains on top. This demonstration gave our guests the opportunity to touch the fiber and feel the difference between the fleeces of each sheep, as well as to try their hand at skirting the fleece. Fiona took the wool home and is watching YouTube videos on how to clean the wool and spin it into yarn! More on that later!

On display at the gathering were architectural plans for the renovation of the main house, construction of the ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) and landscape plans. Susan was on hand to answer the many questions from interested parents who are considering long term housing options for their adult disabled children.

The gathering was also an opportunity for Living Unlimited’s new President, Katie Carney, to meet with and get to know the friends of MCC. Katie is also Living Unlimited’s representative on MCC’s board. We welcome her with open arms and give 3 cheers to women power!