May Newsletter
- Julie Payne
- May 5
- 2 min read
Hilltop Fair - This Saturday
I'll be at the 12th Annual Hilltop Fair this Saturday, May 9th, from 10 AM - 3 PM, and I would love to see you there.
Susan, my friend, from Singing Sheep Farm, and I will be bringing our sheep, along with sourdough bread, handmade goods, and a collection of my art and crafts. It's a beautiful local event filled with student art, music, farm animals, and community - the kind of day that feels simple and full in the best way.
If you're nearby, come say hello, meet Franklin and Jellybean, and spend a little time on the hill.
From the Farm
Lambing season came in full and fast this year!
Sparkles gave birth to a beautiful little ram, now named Franklin D. Woolzevelt. In true farm fashion, Opal, Sparkle's mother, stepped in, cleaned him and claimed him as her own - a lamb thief, but a devoted one. The only problem.....she couldn't nurse him. So Franklin has officially become a bottle baby.
Not long after, Opal delivered her own ewe, Jellybean. With a sore preventing nursing, she too joined the bottle baby crew.
So here we are - two lambs, two bottles and a whole lot of early mornings and soft bleats. They're growing quickly, full of personality, and already hard to imagine life without.
Paint Your Own Hedgehog
A new children's class is coming - and this one is pure joy.
Young artists will be guided step by step as they paint their own hedgehog adorned with flowers, learning basic techniques in a relaxed and encouraging environment. It's a fun and creative experience designed to build confidence and let kids enjoy the process of making something all their own.
Details and sign-up available on my website.
From the Music Studio
Garage Band Night. This is FUN - lean into it!
At the end of the month, my students will take the stage - garage style. We're talking flannel, string lights across the ceiling, and a rug on the floor. A full playlist, a little courage, and a lot of heart.
They choose their songs. They step in. They play loud! It's not about getting it perfect - it's about claiming the music as their own. Watching them do that, watching them become a little more of themselves through sound, is something I never get tired of.
At the Water's Edge
Lately, the Selkie has begun to take a clearer shape in the story. Not as something imagined, but as something remembered - a quiet knowing of what it means to belong to yourself, even after you've learned how to stay for others.
She does not ask for permission to return. She does not argue her case. She simply recognizes the moment and steps toward - not in defiance, but in truth. The story is no longer about choosing between worlds, but about remembering that both can exist, and knowing where you stand within them.
The writing continues.
Thank you for being here with me - on the farm, in the studio, and in the story.
Signing off - Juls
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