Signs of the times

plus, how to make a felted world

I don’t know what to say about the “big beautiful bill” that no one except billionaires and DT wants, that will take healthcare away from millions of people, including hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians, that guts education and clean energy, that closes rural hospitals and nursing homes. I know that we will keep fighting, and that we get Thom Tillis out of office in 2026. However he votes (with the safety of other cowards voting for it), he is an ineffective voice for North Carolina. I look forward to having a new, Democratic senator in 2027.

So today we have three signs for you. The first two concern an ongoing mystery:

Have you locals heard about the loose sheep, rams, goats, and maybe also cows that have been spotted for more than two weeks along Chicken Bridge Road? This mystery has been the talk of the neighborhood, and has also brought Chatham County Animal Services out with their trucks and fences on multiple occasions. We also have signs, in both directions, warning motorists:

Here’s what we know:

When did the animals show up?

We first saw four loose rams on June 11. They were eating grass in the ditch on on Chicken Bridge Road, between the bridge and Old Graham. We called Chatham Animal Control, and they said they’d check into them. Then we saw two rams the next day, and some goats the next day.

Where did these animals come from?

“They were probably dumped,” the animal control officer told us when we stopped to ask. That was before the goats and cows were spotted (we saw the goats, but our neighbor reported the cows).

Reports are that eight sheep have been captured, but two remain. No word on the other animals (?). Do you know anything about these animals and how they got here?

The girls have also been in camp at our beloved Clapping Hands Farm. To get a sense of this place, check out the morning meeting “big ideas” (second sign, spotted at the end of the week potluck and art/game share):

Harriet wanted us to share this how-to, with a favorite art activity she did this week. Her “felted world” is a room, but some kids (see the photos) made books of felted worlds, where you turn pages to interact with different scenes. We think this would be a great gift for a young kid going on a trip. Take it away, Harriet:

How to make a felted world:

Supplies:

-Felt in different colors

-Maybe some pompoms and googly eyes, charms and gems, and pipe cleaners

-velcro tabs for moving things around

-Scissors

-Hot glue and glue gun

How to make it:

1. First, choose a background color for your world. I chose to make a bedroom for a girl whose favorite color is yellow, but other campers made forests, outer space, a snowy day, and a day with different kinds of weather.

2. Make a character by cutting out a person shape. Cut out clothes and glue them on. Give your person eyes and hair.

3. Then decorate your world according to your theme in all sorts of ways. Add a bit of charms and pompoms. I made a painting and ceiling decorations and a dresser.

4. Cut out more shapes and move them around to see where you like them. I made a bed and left the top open so the girl can be tucked in. My friend Hummingbird made a closet with lots of clothes for her doll to try on, which she can wear in different felted world scenes. She join the scenes together in a book using a hole punch and rings.

It’s fun to play with a felted world, because everything sticks together when you move it around. I brought mine home to play with it at my house. You could also take it on a plane, or make one as a present for a friend.

How are you holding up, Frog Troublers? In the words of Clapping Hands Farm founder/artistic director Louise Omoto Kessel, “Love EVERYBODY. Let them feel it! PLAY!”

Don’t you think Louise should write a book? :)