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On the wheel
Sletto makes homemade yarn
GARFIELD — The fiber-bearing animals at Shepherds Bay Farm have helped Terry and Kathy Sletto fulfill their dreams of spinning yarn. Using a wheel from the 1800s, the Slettos spin wool from their animals.
The farm is home to sheep, llamas, rabbits and a few friendly barn cats that all serve a special purpose.
The sheep herd is made up of 40 Shetland sheep who produce high-quality wool, Kathy said. The farm is home to 30 Angora rabbits, which grow hair long enough to be spun into yarn. Kathy waits until the hair is around 8 inches in length before she trims it off the animals.
Living heirlooms
Hidden Springs Peony Farm creates, reignites family legacies
SPRING GROVE — Laura Kubes inherited peonies from her grandmother and great-grandmother. Now, since purchasing a peony farm a few years ago, over 600 varieties of peonies shower her rural Spring Grove acreage with vibrant blooms.
The location is Hidden Springs Peony Farm, owned by Kubes and her husband, Bryan, and their daughters, Gwen, Bianca and Mira. The family purchased the flower farm — which opened in 2012 — in late 2022.
With a legacy of passing down peonies, Kubes said buying the peony farm felt right.
“Peonies can be a family heirloom,” she said. “They live for more than 100 years, and they’re just such a great and beautiful sign of spring. I think it’s something fabulous to look forward to after a long winter.”
