Boston Lake Farm

Winter Ewes

2012-01-31T14:40:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I've taken pics of the sheep. Last evening Clancy helped me get larger coats on all the girls, which means I got my hands on those fleeces! Today was gray...and I had to 'brighten' a few of the photos just to see the eyes of the black sheep...but I felt compelled to snap a few photos anyway so I could record the things I noticed yesterday.

Above is coming 2 year old, Esyllt. (Whitepine Arvada x LRO January). Her fleece was softer than I expected...and longer than most in my flock. I'm looking forward to getting micron data on this girl.

Carys will be 2 this spring as well. She is practically identical to her 2 white full-sisters in the flock. Nice white wool.

Lyneth, the fattest of the sisters. :)

River Oaks Lana and her daughter, Penelope. Pen still is not tame, but was easily caught with some oats. Happy with her fleece.

Vianne in the background...pretty girl! Hannah, and Justina upfront.

Nhu, my only katmoget daughter from AnnaBelle. So soft.

River Oaks Hannah...super friendly and lovely fleece.

River Oaks Lana. So refined.

Little Justina...my only S'more Courante daughter. I was not disappointed with that coal black fleece under her coat. She is also a sweetheart.

Work in Progress Mouse

2012-01-29T17:15:00.000-08:00

I should have used some wire to create a form to build this mouse on. But I didn't have any wire around so I just started...leaving me with a standing mouse that couldn't support itself on its tiny back legs. So then I had to create props to stabilize him.

The cheese and crackers are not completed. I do want to add some detail to make it more realistic. And Clancy offered to make a small wood cutting board to display the sculpture on...as if someone set out a snack and this little mouse found it.

I'll post another pic when I get it all put together.

More Bunny

2012-01-27T11:51:00.000-08:00

Trying to make a more 'realistic' bunny...as the boys said my other one looked like a mouse. True...though I think it could pass as a 'baby bunny'. Clancy said he liked the cartoonish style of the first one. Constant constructive critique...one of the joys of living with several artistic people! lol

I already see many things I wish to improve in my sculpture...but rather than re-work this one, I'll just make more. Practice makes ~~perfect~~ better. Clancy asked if he could show me some techniques that might help me achieve the shapes I'm seeking. After almost 18 years of marriage to this man, I know for a fact that his first attempt at needle-felting will produce an animal more full of style and personality than I could hope to achieve in months of trying. But I intend to humbly accept his offer anyway. :)

Needle Felted Bunny

2012-01-26T12:48:00.000-08:00

This is what happened when I took a gob of wet felted gray wool and started tucking it together with the needle. I had no idea I was going to make a bunny...but eventually this form took shape.

I like how the ears and tail turned out.

Asa's Artwork

2012-01-24T02:08:00.000-08:00

My son,

Asa,

brought home this large pastel from his art class the other day. I fell in love with it instantly and hung it at the top of the staircase. I also posted it on facebook, but I had to share it here too.

The photo does not do it justice. The colors are so much more vivid and "joyous" in real life. But all the same...it reminds me of my son's talent and unique perspective. Asa has been creating abstract art since he was a small child...and I am always surprised by how he sees the world.

Surprised and delighted.

Color Added...

2012-01-21T19:15:00.000-08:00

Remember the simple gray flower I made from my first attempt at wet felting?

I added a little color today using Icelandic wool that my friend, Mary, raised and dyed. Then I sewed a jewelry pin to the back. Hoping the little girl I had in mind while choosing the colors likes it when I mail it to her. :)

Needle Felting Wool For Sale

2012-01-17T09:42:00.000-08:00

I am excited to introduce a new product line...

Needle Felting Wool and Wool Locks...

all 100% Shetland Wool, of course!

Large bags (sandwich size filled up) are available in a variety of single colors or multi-color packs

$6.50 + S&H. MN sales tax also applies to orders shipped to MN residents.

Small bags (approximately 1/3 sandwich bag size) are $4.50 + S&H.

MN sales tax applies to all MN sales.

Wool Locks are also available. Small bags are $2.50. Large bags are $5.00.

Again, S&H applies as well as MN sales tax to MN residents.

To give you an idea of how much lock wool is in a small bag...small bags contain enough locks to make beards for 3+ dolls with "barbie doll" sized heads. I hope that makes sense.

At this time, the locks are only sold in single colors, but multi-color packs can be shipped upon request.

If you have any questions or wish to order wool, please contact me at

sabrinalea19@yahoo.com

All of the above products are also available locally in downtown Bemidji at

YARN DANCE

on 15th ST & Paul Bunyan DR.

Prices at the shop and direct from Boston Lake Farm are the same.

I would like to thank Patty at Yarn Dance for encouraging me to produce this product line and for offering it through her beautiful shop. Please stop by Yarn Dance and discover all the gorgeous yarns and fiber-crafting supplies Patty carries for fiber enthusiasts!

Carding a Gray Katmoget

2012-01-02T17:30:00.000-08:00

The fleece pictured below came from Sextant...one of the lambs I sent to the processor in October. It is a 6 month old lamb fleece...with a 1.5-2.5 inch staple. Deliciously fine and very crimpy.

I decided to card the darkest locks up first. Sextant was a dark katmoget...all his underbelly black had been skirted away. The only true "black" locks in these batts came from the bit of stripe under his neck. The rest of the dark came from his regular fleece. Below are the batts after the first run through the drum carder.

For the second pass through the carder I divided each batt into 2 or 3 sections and carded them separately. The lighting for this photo is completely different...but you can still see there is a very distinct gradient. I love how much variety a black katmoget fleece can give. And I especially love the blue color!

I am dissatisfied with all the noils in these lamb fleeces I've been carding up recently. The lambs were coated, and the very tippy-tip of the locks seems to be the source of the noils. I don't expect it to matter much since this wool is intended for felting. But if the locks had been longer and intended for spinning, I believe combing each lock would have been a better way to process the fleece.

Felted Junco - Female

2011-12-18T16:10:00.000-08:00

This evening I created a little brown mate for the male junco from yesterday. It may not be clear in the photo, but the brown lines are actually thin wisps of moorit yarn.

I used a completely different photograph to guide me...it had more detail...which I think I tried too hard to represent. I think the tail was more accurate on the male.

Oh, well. I'm having so much fun. :)

Felted Junco - Male

2011-12-18T11:27:00.000-08:00

Needle felting is fast becoming one of my favorite crafts.

Last night I was stuck for inspiration when Clancy suggested a bird. So I got out the field guide and settled on the male junco since it has a soft rounded shape without too many details. It took me about two hours to make the bird and then the little nest with eggs.

Note of inaccuracy: male juncos do not incubate the eggs, only the females do.

The hardest part for me was getting the eyes to look realistic. I'm not 100% pleased with them...but I decided to stop before I really messed them up.

In my opinion, this little felted bird looks the most realistic from the underside. Unfortunately, I've seen a few juncos hit the window glass, or get offered up by the resident cat.

I had so much fun with this little bird, and I'll definitely try to do more. I would like to get some black wire to make little feet in the future.

In the meantime, this little guy will have to snuggle into the nest I made for him.

Felted Flower

2011-12-16T05:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, on a whim, I decided to make felt for the first time. I had only a vague idea of how to do this based on some other blogs I had read. And except for the wool, water, and soap, I didn't have any of the "supplies" that supposedly make the process easier. Bubble wrap is somehow involved, but I substituted a strange crinkly cellophane from my wrapping paper stash. Then there was the plastic trash sack spread out on the counter top. And a bakers rack to lift the felt out of the water and dry it on. As it turned out, most of the felting ended up happening in the sink, since it was a small batch....only one bat's worth of wool.

In the spirit of Red Green's "any tool can be the right tool" I forged ahead, trusting hot water and agitation to do most of the work. And it did, though I could have "agitated" it all a bit longer, I think. In the end I had an uneven sheet of loose felt about the size of a regular sheet of paper. Hurray!

Because it was so thin and loose, the felt dried quickly. So I grabbed the scissors and started cutting up flower petals. Some needle felting and pale yarn accents was all it took to create this 7 inch diameter flower.

My first attempt at a three-dimensional felted object isn't quite what I hoped it would be. The gray lamb's wool wasn't blended well on the carder so it sort of resembles dryer lint. And I had to bolster the wet-felting process a tad here and there with needle-felting. But all in all, it was easy, quick, and fun....and it does actually resemble a flower. :)

As I always tell folks that are curious about working with wool: "Just go for it!" Wool is incredibly forgiving. The most inexperienced spinner can still make chunky-fun yarn that knits up wonderfully. And needle-felting seems to be able to fix what a novice's wet-felting process lacks.
I can't wait to try more projects with the lambs wool I harvested this fall!

Bright Sunday

2011-12-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

It is 43 degrees F outside today. Unreal! Hardly a trace of snow. Not a typical December...but Clancy is getting lots of outdoor work done. Sort of the winter equivalent of "make hay while the sun shines."

Because it has just been too long since I've taken any sheep pictures, here are a few. Sorry about the harsh lighting...

River Oaks Lana.

Lana's ewe lamb by LittleRedOak Ash: Penelope. I still can't touch Pen. But she is coming in much closer now, as long as other sheep are crowded around me. I think this eweling is so beautiful and correct...it just drives me nuts that she is not tame yet. I so want to get my hands on her fleece again.

The last two pictures are of Sian's twins by Ash. They have scadder around their necks like their dam and grand-dam, Rachel, did. None of the other lambs this year had it. I don't mind it...though I wouldn't select for it. When I get back into breeding again, I will see if aiming for finer fleece and/or the polled gene eliminates this trait. I'm really hoping these two girls got some polled genetics from their sire. Sian had horned genetics...but she had a non-fading fleece, a nice shape, good feet, and a hardiness about her that I liked. I'm fond of my original Rachel line...so these little sweety pies will hopefully carry that forward into a polled generation.

Jane

Francesca

Tales of Fiber: Part Two

2011-11-20T15:57:00.000-08:00

No Advisory Caution Required

The indoor part of this story follows. It concerns only the handling of safe, clean wool...complete with photos. (Aren't you glad I didn't take pictures for Part One?)

Dedicated to Amanda

Sometimes someone gives you a gift that you never allowed yourself to even wish for...

That was how I felt when Clancy's mom gave me an antique (working!) spinning wheel out of the blue. It is such a treasure.

And a couple of summers ago Amanda, a friend from high school, offered me all the spinning equipment and roving her late mother had left behind. Little did I know she meant bags and bags of silk and merino blend rovings and this Pat Green drum carder...new in the box...complete with two separate drums for fine and extra fine fibres.

To say I was overwhelmed with surprise and gratitude would be an understatement. For the longest time I didn't even have the courage to take it out of the box and assemble it. And I usually spin in the grease so I never wanted to get this grand tool dirty. But with all the clean wool that Mary had helped me harvest recently just sitting around, it seemed like the right time to conquer my hesitation and produce some bats/roving.

It took about 5 minutes of turning the crank on the drum carder for me to loose my inhibitions and start imagining all the exciting projects and blends I could create with it. In the past week I have carded up all of Ian's moorit katmoget lambs wool (not pictured) and January's longer cream colored fleece (not pictured). Now I've started in on Sextant's lambs wool (above/below). He was a black katmoget with gorgeous crimp and dark color.

As you can see, the staple length is quite short. The lambs were only 6 months old when I sent them to the processor. By spring their staples would have been 4-5 inches....but I couldn't hold on to them that long. So I am experimenting with what I got from them.

After flicking and drum carding the wool, I just had to spin a bit of it. I wanted to determine whether it had a long enough staple for this inexperienced spinner to spin on her drop spindle...or whether it was destined for felting projects. Truthfully, I didn't mind spinning it a bit. But I knitted up this little swatch anyway...just to see how it responded. It is nice and soft. I brought it to church today and I asked two little children to tell me what they thought of it. After rubbing it all over their faces, ears, and necks, they declared it soft enough for a hat or scarf. That is not scientific...but I do trust little people to be honest about the "scratch factor." :) So I think I will attempt a small garment with this fleece.

I also finished plying the last of my Rachel singles this week. One was spun from washed locks and one was spun in the grease. Really had no idea if that was going to affect much when I washed the skein. It didn't seem too. Shown above are two similar Rachel yarns (gray) and two very small Zora yarns (light gray). I plan to make another Rachel scarf and add the Zora to the ends as an accent.

Last but not least...some of the roving Amanda gave to me...a beautiful shimmery gray. I've been spinning it a little at a time for over a year now. At this rate that ball of roving is going to last me a lifetime. :) That is partly why I like to spin on little spindles...like the one shown above that I made out of a yo-yo kit. A small spindle fills up faster and then I get to unwind it or Andean ply it. Keeps me from getting too bored with a single thing. I tend to leap frog around from project to project, depending on how much time and space I have. So it is not realistic to think that huge ball of roving is going to shrink anytime soon. For now, it is my goal to get the rest of the lamb fleeces carded up so I can get the drum carder off my dining room table before Christmas.

Tales of Fiber: Part One

2011-11-18T17:49:00.000-08:00

Beware!

The following story may be viewed by some as gory.

Do not read if you are uncomfortable with dead sheep and the women who are grateful for them.

Dedicated to Mary

It seems natural to work with fiber in Autumn and Winter...when the short days give a person more time in the house. Thanks to the amazing, dry, clear, warm weather we had right up until this week when it snowed....and also thanks to my dear friend, Mary....my efforts with wool have been more ambitious this season than they ever have been before!

This story begins a few weeks ago when Mary and I were discussing the trip our ram lambs were scheduled to make to the processor. She had the clever idea to harvest the wool off her hides and invited me to join in the fun. Another friend, Gail, had told me how she washes the whole hide in an old washing machine, and then deals with the wool after it is dry. So that was the plan. Mary had a heated garage, and an old washer hooked up to cold water just outside. Once all the hides were gathered from the processor, we started in.

Little did I know...until Mary warned me...that the hides came back with legs, tails, and heads still attached. Think of those toddler blankies with little stuffed animal heads and legs that stores sell in the baby department...only bloody. I thanked God for small mercies, like the fact that none of my lamb customers wanted the tongues packaged up in their orders. Mary showed me how to take a utility knife and slice off the bony bits. These got thrown in a big garbage sack, which later had to be half unpacked when we realized we had filled it too full of sheep parts to lift.

After we had amputated the appendages from each hide, we carried it outside to the washing machine. One of the most satisfying moments of dealing with each fleece was watching the first run of water being wrung out of the washer from hose that was strategically angled toward the lilac hedge. I'm predicting some mighty fine blossoms next spring. It was also quite satisfying to see how the fleece couldn't be felted with agitation because it was still attached to the hide. All those perfectly aligned locks...the stuff of dreams!

With each hide, Mary and I streamlined our methods, until we got quite good at hacking, stuffing, stirring, wringing, and hauling wet fleeces. I theorized that there were probably never very many real witches in history....just a lot of women burned at the stake because someone caught a glimpse of them laughing hysterically over cauldrons filled with bloody sheep hides. A theory born out even further when Mary and I tried to move the garbage bags full of offal to the back of my pickup box. Bent double with the strain of tugging those bags, a wide bloody smear followed us across the garage floor and the graveled driveway. How we hefted those dripping black amoebas up into the truck is beyond me. The anticipation of being rid of them once and for all supplied the adrenaline, no doubt.

After a pause for a scrumptious lunch of dill pickle chicken soup and Asian delicacies provided by Mary...of course we still had appetites...why wouldn't we?...we returned to the garage to find a couple of the hides dry enough to shear. I will never again mentally criticize my shearer for the minor amounts of second cuts he inevitably produces in my wool crop each spring. Equipped with Mary's shearing machine, I proceeded to mutilate the first fleece I worked on. My shearer can remove fleece from a thrashing, shifting, roundness of live Shetland. I struggled to remove fleece from a perfectly flat, deathly still hide. With Mary's guidance, I improved slightly by the end of the first one. By then it was time to go home, though, so we postponed the rest until the next day.

When I returned the following afternoon, Mary cautioned me that the smell in the garage had become quite strong. Apparently it had sent her brawny son-in-law reeling from the open doorway. She wasn't exaggerating...but it is amazing what a fiber enthusiast will endure to add to her stash. After a short time, I became indifferent to the odor of rancid tallow. The shears, however, were not cooperating that day, so I ended up using sharp scissors on the next fleece. The second hide took longer to finish, but I was infinitely more sure of myself, and not as worried about loosing a finger. Since I didn't have much time, I only got one fleece off the hide. I took my remaining three fleeces home where I draped them over the steel clothes line, said a prayer for their safekeeping, and gave the dogs a growly warning not to even think about it.

Throughout this adventure, the back of my truck was filled with bags, buckets, and tubs of appendages from about 9 sheep. Quite the cargo. I had volunteered my dear husband to dispose of it all far, far away. Turned out he was quite busy that week, though. The gore was temporarily transferred to the back of Clancy's old work truck, where it sat for about a week before he got around to dealing it. Meanwhile, the dogs had all they could do to fend off the coyotes that were lured into the yard by the overpowering stench of decomposing carcasses. Each night they barked with all their might, and each day they took turns sleeping as close to Clancy's truck as possible. So close, but yet so far.

Though he had stated quite clearly that he didn't appreciate being my offal boy, Clancy eventually did make time to dump the grisly remains on the far corner of our property. Bless his optimistic heart. It took all of 24 hours for the first sheep head to show up in the yard...the darling prize of a very proud Pooja. Day by day, our dogs rescued what they could from the ravages of the coyotes, ravens, and foxes. Night by night they barked their claim to the loot. It took about a week to exhaust the supply of wool, jawbones, and hooves. There was obviously a great deal of competition. But at last, there was nothing left to retrieve from the remote corner of our field, and Clancy threw the last bone into the outdoor stove.

During this battle of wills between Clancy and the dogs...the gory nightmare that just never seemed to end for my poor husband...I was scissoring the fleece off the last three hides. How I wish I could have held those ramlings over winter so their staple lengths would have been closer to four or five inches. But I was determined to make the most of what I could get. So once I had all the fleece harvested, I began washing it in hot water. The dry breezy weather dried the wool out quickly, and soon I was rewarded with five bags of gorgeous wool.

To be continued...

October Ewes

2011-10-31T10:04:00.000-07:00

I've been letting the ewe flock out of the electronet every day so they can roam far and wide for the remaining green grass and brush. They love this, of course. And I enjoy watching the flock move as it would "in the wild".

Francesca, curious as ever. (Ash x Sian)

All my Bramble AnnaBelle daughters together:

Lyneth & Carys (back). Vianne & Nhu (front).

(Bombarde x AnnaBelle)

Esyllt (Arvada x January)

Poor little Justina. I must have hit a nerve or something when I tagged her ear because it has drooped ever since.

(Courante x Hannah)

Some of the girls are spending time by Courante's fence line. Since I don't plan to do any breedings for the next two years, I'm hoping that fence holds. AND that the lady that is buying Courante will come collect him soon. I have mixed feelings about stalling my breeding program (fine fleece, polled). But now that I've committed to it and eliminated all the other ram lambs I don't want any "accidents" to happen. Especially not this early in the fall! Keeping my fingers crossed until the last ram is gone. :)

Tradition

2011-10-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

Once again, it is time to post one of my birthday photos from waaaaaayyyyyy back.

This one was taken the year I turned three! hahaha.

Auntie Helen made the cake, which I adored because it was a horse. It was covered in Lifesavers and had licorice whips for the bridle and tail. If I remember right, it was also covered in coconut flake.

This was October 1975...before we had carpet on the floor...

and before my little sister was born.

Well, I'm not three anymore...I'm entering the last year of my thirties!

I took a bike ride today...something I haven't done since the boys were little munchkins in the pull behind trailers. It felt great.

One thing I can say for having children while I was still quite young: now that they are starting to wander farther from home and needing me less...I'm still young enough to enjoy a lot of the hobbies I put on hold. Maybe some moms don't put their lives on the back burner the way I did...but I found motherhood a bit overwhelming and it took all I had just to cope the first several years. So now I'm teaching myself how to count myself into the equation. It's all new again. :)

Looking forward to another good trip around the sun!

TRANS AM: SOLD!

2011-10-13T05:54:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Lorie and Lance K. of Nebraska for giving Trans Am a great home.

I hope he gives you many terrific lambs!

I had Trans Am earmarked for a particular situation, but that did not come to fruition. I know it is last minute, but TA is available as a breeding ram lamb immediately. I am not overwintering any male sheep for the next two seasons...so I can't keep him. And I DO have a butcher lamb customer waiting for him if I can't sell him for breeding. The processor date is October 25th...so not much time.

Trans Am is a spotted (head,two socks, tail) black katmoget that carries moorit and solid.

S'more Courante x RiverOaks Hannah.

Can be registered.

He has absolutely excellent conformation, tail, wide hindquarters, and super terrific soft crimpy fleece. His parents micron data can be found on my Fleece Page and my Flock Page.

Trans Am has round profile horns that clear his head. He very much has a British look to his horns...I am guessing he carries a poll gene from one of his parents.

Mouth and testes are very proper.

Just an all around super ram lamb.

Never Too Old...

2011-10-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

...to turn a chore into play.

Asa (green), Isaac (blue), & Leif (red)

The beginning of a wrestling match...

I'm glad they still know how to have fun! :)

Pooja's Happy Story

2011-10-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

Sweet Pooja wants a belly rub.

So much has happened with the two new LGD's that I brought in this August. However, the main point of recent events is that Pooja has stayed here at our farm and Capone left last Saturday to live on a farm in Hines, MN (only 15 miles from here). I just talked to his new owner today and she said he is adjusting well to her farm, her livestock, and her three other Great Pyrs. Yay for Capone!

And yay for Pooja! She was whiney and lonely the first few days after Capone left. But as hoped for, she soon began seeking the companionship of our other dogs. Without her brother to back her up, she lost her aggression towards Shachah. And Shachah let go of his rigid defenses toward her.

On Tuesday I let her be off leash with me in the ewe pasture for two hours. At first she fretted on how to get out. Then she settled down to watch me move electro-net. Then she euphorically rolled in some sheep manure. And finally, Pooja walked into the long grass where the ewes were grazing and flumped down to take a nap. The lambs came up to sniff her and she just wagged her tail. This was the first time I had ever seen Pooja relax since she has been here.

On Wednesday I took her into the vet to be fixed. Yesterday I brought her home. My main worry was how to keep her subdued during her recovery. Every time she was kennelled she paced, whined, dug, and tried to climb over the panels. So I took the chance and just left her off-leash yesterday. Praise God she showed no interest in running off. In fact she seemed to finally LIKE her new home.

Pooja was by the back door this morning and she even helped me visit the sheep. She and Shachah frolicked up and down the driveway together, and then they settled in for their morning naps.

I'm so glad this has finally worked out! She is such a lovey dog, and I know she is good at her guardian job.

Welcome Home, Pooja!

October Morning

2011-10-06T20:04:00.000-07:00

The weather has been so mild...and the morning light is just golden with all the trees decked out in Autumn colors. It has been a while since I posted...but it has been just too nice to stay inside!

I have news about the sheep and the new Great Pyrenees dogs...but it will have to wait.

I need some sleep!

SOLD-Pair of Working LGD's

2011-09-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

POOJA & CAPONE (called Bannon at our farm)

SOLD: a working pair of Livestock Guardian Dogs.

A brother-sister pair. Very bonded to each other. 4.5 years old. Great Pyrenees.

Male is neutered. Female is not spayed.

These two dogs are friendly with their humans but will bark at strangers. They were raised guarding alpacas and they have been fine around my sheep. They have shown zero aggression towards our 2 house dogs (indoor/outdoor border collie and chow/boxer mix) or our cat.

They have been fully groomed of all mats and burs. Current on shots as of May 2011, including three-year rabies shots.

TO A WORKING FARM HOME ONLY!

Serious enquiries only.

Please call 218-556-zero86two

or email: sabrinalea19@yahoo.com

for more information including price.

Please be prepared to answer questions about the home you would like to offer these working dogs.

Do not call if you have no experience with, or understanding of, LGD's and the work they do. These dogs are unique and display specific behaviors because of their instinct to be guardians...you must know what that entails.

Capone/Bannon-male

Pooja-female

To those of you that follow my blog:

Over the past few weeks it has become more and more clear that Bannon & Pooja & Shachah do not intend to get along. Our first commitment is to Shachah, and so we must find a good working home for the new pair we brought in. If you know of someone that needs an excellent working pair of LGD's, please send them to my blog. Personal references are much appreciated.

Progress of a Sort

2011-09-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Bannon and Pooja (her original name, Fuji is a nickname the boys gave her) have lived with us for 9 full days now.

I've used that time to finish their grooming for the season. Bannon now has a trimmed rear like Pooja.

I've also been working with them on some dominance issues. They are good, gentle dogs, but this is new territory, and they are testing me as well as their new canine pack.

They have used their time to explore the farm.

Shachah has used that time to completely ignore them unless they get too close to the hole under the porch that is the domain of his napping activities.

Megan and Greta have learned to accept the newcomers, for the most part, and to steer clear of them during scuffles about hierarchy for the other part.

The only aggression I have witnessed is between Pooja and Bannon. I get the impression that she has ruled over him completely in the past...and she doesn't appreciate him possibly obtaining a new position in the pack. I'm making sure Bannon gets a little time each day to be separate from her. He usually uses this time to eat...I think Pooja's dominance could be the reason he is quite thin at the moment...he may have not had ample opportunity at the feed dish when he previously shared it with her.

Bannon, in all his shining white glory.

Pooja, contemplating a little explore.

Guess What's New?

2011-08-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

If you guessed fur of the canine variety...you are right!

Two more Great Pyrenees came to live with us on Saturday. They came from Tim and Kim's alpaca farm down in LeSeuer, MN. A female, Fuji front, and her neutered litter mate, Bannon back. They are 4.5 years old and have been guarding alpacas for the greater portion of their lives. My goal is to have them adjust to guarding Shetland sheep and learn to love living here on Boston Lake.

But first I have to get them past the stress of moving to a new farm. I also need to finish grooming Bannon's backside. As you can see, Fuji has already been trimmed. She looks like a white lion now! Then Shachah has to accept them. He doesn't seem to mind the fixed male at all. He won't let the female come near the house though, unless she is on the leash with us. All Shachah does is bark to keep her just beyond the car park area. He doesn't seem to mind if she wanders all around the rest of the farm. So the aggression isn't very intense. I am hoping that more time...and getting Fuji spayed...will help.

For now we are rotating the new dogs through the kennel, on the assumption that they are so bonded that they will not leave the other one behind. This has been working...with the exception of Bannon following Clancy to the mill yard this morning. (about a mile away) I had to walk him home from the mill. So tomorrow morning, Bannon will have to be in the kennel when Clancy drives away. We learned early on that they will not stay in electronet. Dang! that worked so well for Shachah when he first came here.

I admit, introducing adult dogs is more difficult than introducing puppies to adult dogs. And introducing very instinctual working/guardian/territorial breeds is harder still. I am trying my best to rise to this occasion.

Sudden New Friend

2011-08-11T09:35:00.000-07:00

Penelope

(LRO Ash x RiverOaks Lana)

Thanks to a mad flock-wide rush to the grain treat being served, I was able to catch this wary little ewe lamb and get her coat on her. She is incredibly soft.

This is Penelope's dam, Lana. Lana came to live here about a year ago, and I have never had such a flighty ewe in my flock before. I couldn't tempt her to come near me. She kept the flock between herself and me at all times. She was shy about coming up for grain. She would climb the walls when I entered her lambing jug this spring. Nothing seemed to ever reassure her that I wanted to be nice and gentle to her.

Then Clancy and I caught all the girls a few days ago to put coats on them. Lana freaked out when we caught her diving in at the grain pan, and she struggled while we wrestled with her coat. But we didn't just let her bolt as soon as we finished. We held her gently and rubbed her chest and scratched her ears for a moment while we softly let go of her, and then she trotted off as soon as she realized she was free.

Later that day, I visited the pasture to take some pictures. Without any sort of warning, Lana walked right up to me and put her head in my lap. I was stunned...even more so when she didn't flinch as I raised my hand and began scratching her ears. After a nice long lovey session, I was the one to move away first. And ever since then, Lana has come straight up to me for pets as soon as I enter the pasture.

I treasure miracles such as this...so unexpected and precious! It might be only a matter of time now before Lana's bewildered, flighty eweling, Penelope, decides to come in close enough with her mother that I can pet her too. I'm hoping. :)

Late Summer Ram Lambs

2011-08-09T16:33:00.000-07:00

Ta-Da! The inspiring Trans Am!

I never get tired of photographing this boy.

Tucker's head. Just minutes before he broke off one of his button scurs. Wish all my ram lambs had so little horn material! Tucker has improved in his attitude. He is seldom even interested in me anymore, and when he does come forward, he sniffs and walks away again. I never did get him banded. So I am impressed that he seems to have outgrown his shenanigans. Tucker is my second largest ram lamb, recessive for moorit, and carrying solid.

Nhu's twin ram lambs, Gwilym & Ian. Both have gorgeous fleece. I'm showing their back ends because the moorit was born with what appeared to be a long hairy tail. It was so out of line with his parentage. But look at him now...a very small and proper tail! How these lambs can surprise me.

Here is Nhu's moorit, Ian, from the front. One of his scurs broke early on, the other is it's original length. This boy had a spotted forehead at birth. And I'll be coating him as soon as I get out the needle and thread to repair one more C coat.

August Already...

2011-08-08T15:59:00.000-07:00

...how can that be?

Boston Lake Esyllt ('10) & Sextant ('11)

(both wearing size D coats)

We have been having a hot and humid summer with ample (too much!) rain so the pastures have been as lush as can be. It has almost been hard keeping up with them, but the sheep are doing their best.

Boston Lake Lyneth

Yesterday, Clancy helped me put coats on the ewe/lamb flock. I wish it hadn't taken me this long to get that accomplished. At least they have been on pasture since shearing this spring. No hay feeding without the coats on is my rule around here.

RiverOaks Hannah

All of the ewes are looking good except for Nhu. She still has her twin ramlings with her, so that might be part of it. She also tends toward the thin/narrow type. But I gave her some Valbazen de-wormer anyway.

Boston Lake Trans Am

(S'more Courante x River Oaks Hannah)

Even the lambs were coated. Most are in a size C coat now. But Trans's twin, Justina, is still in a B; and Sextant is in a D! He will be a nice butcher lamb this fall.

Tree Placemark

2011-07-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

This post is for my benefit: like a bookmark in time so I can look back and see how things were...

My favorite tree died this spring. An elm that succumbed to Dutch Elm Disease. It was right in front of the house, so beautiful and shady. Years ago Clancy and I decided where to build the house based on the placement of that elm tree. We knew it would likely die from DED before it got too old, but I was hopeful. I thanked God every year that tree leafed out in the spring... and I mourn its loss. But we have plans to remove the dead tree and plant another tree in about the same spot next spring.

Below is the other elm tree that was located right outside our back door. It also gave us lovely shade. Again, we expected to loose it eventually to disease, but storms took it first. It lost a huge portion of its top last year in a severe storm, and just the other day it lost another significant portion. It will be removed this winter. We'll plant something else there, but put it a little farther away than this one was.

Here is my favorite walnut tree that a friend gave us as a seedling. We must have put it in the perfect spot because it has grown by leaps and bounds.

Here is the other walnut sapling we planted at the same time. It was a bit smaller to begin with, but it is in a very shady spot and I think it might need more sun to really take off.

Last, but not least, our great old white pines along the shore. Most of these trees are doing very well. The oldest and biggest one (far left) is dying off quite dramatically at the top. It is a common problem in white pine. So I also thank God for every year I have with this grand old giant.

My other tree photos wouldn't load today so I will post a sequel soon.

Having Fun

2011-07-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

I haven't bought yarn for ages...but I couldn't resist this beautiful Plymouth Yarn KUDO cotton/synthetic/silk blend when I saw it on display with a demo scarf at Yarn Dance (our adorable local yarn shop)

The "waves" scarf pattern came free with the yarn. It is my first attempt at reading a pattern, doing yarn-overs, and dropping stitches on purpose. But thanks to Patty at the shop for giving me a mini-lesson on those new skills...and to my dear mother-in-law Nancy for a much needed second lesson...I am off and running. I just wish the photo did the yarn justice. The colors are much more vibrant in real life, with flecks of many other colors in each strand.

Sparkle

2011-07-11T09:27:00.000-07:00

The perfect summer day.

Ramling Update

2011-07-10T07:08:00.000-07:00

As promised in the comments section of this recent post, I managed to catch all of my ram lambs this morning to inspect their "masculine equipment." And I have very good news to report:

I was mistaken about Tucker having two testicles with the one being only partially descended! He definitely has two, fully-descended testicles, of equal size. I checked twice and I am absolutely certain about this.

I also inspected Sextant again and I am very certain that he only has one descended testicle.

The wonderful point here is that there is NO indication that the cryptorchid comes from any particular line because there is only this SINGLE instance here on my farm. It does mean that LRO January and S'more Courante produced a cryptorchid/monorchid. But that is the only incriminating fact in the matter. Those two sheep will not be paired again, and I will also carefully monitor all future ram lambs for the same problem and publish any faults I come across in my breeding. It would be easier to not talk about it...simply send cryptorchids to butcher...but no one will learn anything from that. And I would like to think of my efforts as being helpful to the breed as a whole.

The other bit of good news is that my other three ram lambs, Trans Am, Gwilym, and Ian, all have proper equipment. I am so glad of that.

Penelope

2011-07-10T04:46:00.000-07:00

Still haven't been able to tempt little Penelope (LRO Ash x RiverOaks Lana) to come near. But I did get an eartag and coat on her friendly look-alike, Justina (S'more Courante x RiverOaks Hannah). So now I can tell them apart from distance. When I was petting Justina a few days ago I was amazed to find her hairy birthcoat had become a super soft fleece What a transformation! I am hoping Penelope's similar birthcoat has changed for the better as well.
MORNING UPDATE: I caught Penelope this morning and she is lovely soft...but still not tame.

Question...

2011-07-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

LittleRedOak January with her great big ram lamb, Sextant.

While I was handling Sextant to deal with his broken scur, I gave him a "once-over" and realized that only one of his testicles had descended. I grabbed Tucker and gave him the same inspection to find that one of his was completely descended and the other was only partially so. These two rams are completely unrelated... out of unrelated ewes and two, separate, unrelated rams. Sextant was scheduled to leave in a week to become flock sire at another farm.

So... is the 11 week old mark the normal time for testicles to start descending in ram lambs, or do I have a couple of cryptorchids? (I haven't had a chance to inspect the three other ramlings in the flock yet) I DON'T want to sell a flawed ram lamb to anyone. But is it worth it to give the lamb more time to descend or is that hopeless?

Any thoughts or info on the matter would be appreciated.

Horn Report

2011-07-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

Trans Am.

His scurs or aberrant horns continue to grow. I do believe he is a half-poll, since full-horned rams usually have much bigger horns by this age. He is still a beauty and developing well in every other respect.

Ian

He has just the tiniest fragile little spikes. I expected them to break off by now, but I never see the ram lambs butt each other. I know it happens, but nothing like the way it used to with the full-horned ramlings. Ian is turning into a nice lamb. His facial spots are less noticeable now, though. His tail used to have long hair on it, but it seems to be falling out or being grown into, so it is nice and proper now. He is very soft.

Gwilym

Kind of an odd-angled photo, but Gwilym is turning out very nicely too. Too bad his scurs have to be so significant. He is also wonderfully soft!

Sextant

Sextant broke off a scur the other day and it bled quite a bit since it seemed to rip right at the base. We had to clean it out once and put fly repellent on it for a few days. It is healing up just fine. This lamb is so chunky and burly, I just love it. I don't know if it is because he was a single or what, but I wish all my lambs were built like this one. :)

Tucker

Tucker (gray lamb, center) is built just like Sextant (he's also a single). And he seems to have given up being such a pest and spends most of his attention on eating now. Occasionally he comes up... but I wonder if flipping him once might cure him for good? This is a cropped, long distance photo, but I can report that Tucker has the least horn material of all the ram lambs: one tiny point smaller than Ian's, and one little flat button. He is also my only LittleRedOak Ash ramling.

Mid-Summer Group Photos

2011-07-05T21:08:00.000-07:00

With one thing and another, I have been too busy to take photos of the sheep. And when there is a spare moment, the mosquitoes and deer flies and horse flies are so horrible I don't want to stand out there in the long grass! The poor sheep! They have to deal with it 24/7.

Tonight I was determined to take a few shots. Not many pictures turned out since both the shepherd and the sheep were trying to keep from being devoured by bugs. And that meant a lot of movement. Oh, well...

The entire ewe/lamb flock.

Full sisters, Vianne and Lyneth. My AnnaBelle daughters.

Vianne lost her first lamb to pneumonia a few days after it was born. But it was a beautiful ewe lamb...so I have high hopes of another just as nice next spring. Lyneth is 3 years old and has not produced a lamb yet. I don't really have breeding hopes for her anymore. Thankfully, she is friendly and has lovely fleece. I also just think she is a pretty girl. For the time being, I have room for her.

Some lamb tails...left to right:

Jane, Trans Am (white), Justina. Sextant's head up front.

The only good photo I could get of Francesca, who is so friendly she is usually crawling on me.

Gulmoget, RiverOaks Lana on the left, and Fran's dam, Sian, on the right.

3 of 4 Ewe Lambs

2011-06-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post about all of my ewe lambs, but I could not get Sian's black daughter, Jane, to pose for any photos. Here are the other three ewe lambs...

Justina (Courante x Hannah)

My only Courante ewe lamb...but she proved that Courante carries solid, so I'm pleased. Justina carries moorit and spots - as evidenced by her tiny white head spot at birth. She is twin to Trans Am (Mr Spotty). Justina is also the lamb I thought might be modified. She still has an odd black color compared to the other black ewe lambs, but I can't see any color change at the base of her fleece. So maybe not. This little girl is super friendly like her dam. :)

Penelope (Ash x Lana) (left), Trans Am (right)

Penelope and Justina look a lot alike. I need to get ear tags into them soon. However there are some differences... Penelope's poll wool comes down to a point on her forehead while Justina's is an oval shape. Penelope is also skittish like her dam and won't come up to me yet. I'm tempted to wean her at the end of summer in a barn stall for a few days to tame her down. Having friendly sheep is so much more convenient than having skittish sheep. This little girl is lovely in every way. Perfect tail, great conformation, and the genetics and promise of great fleece. So glad she is in my flock.

Justina (left) & Penelope (right)

Francesca (Ash x Sian)

Fran is just the sweetest little ewe lamb. Friendly, lovely color, terrific tail and conformation. I'm very excited to finally have a home-bred moorit ewe in my flock! Please excuse the mineral on her nose. :)

I am so tempted to breed my ewe lambs to Courante this fall... in case I decide to sell him so I can be ram-free the year my twin sons graduate from high school. (I know that their grad party is going to be a lot of work to prepare for so I'm trying to think ahead.) But I'm not a fan of breeding ewe lambs... So I guess I'll be hashing that idea back and forth till fall. Leaning away from that choice at the moment...

Trans Am

2011-06-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

Even though Trans Am has horns/scurs growing, I still think he is just such a nice looking ram.

Square, with a good tail. The tail still has some baby hair on the tip, but that will disappear as he grows.

Love that face!

Lots of presence.

Sextant

2011-06-17T17:08:00.000-07:00

Sextant (Courante x January)

I was able to feel his fleece the other day and it is so nice and soft. Just beautiful. This boy is the biggest ram of the season. He is scheduled to leave for another farm after weaning...hopefully to sire nice big unregistered Shetlands with lovely fleeces. I think he will be perfect for the job!

Pardon the mineral all over his nose. :)

Handsome Fellow

2011-06-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

Liking this boy more and more each week!

This is pic from 5-30-11 though.

Thief of Hearts

2011-06-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

Clancy brought this small dog home from work on Wednesday. This little guy had been living in a stack of round bales at my dad's mill yard where Clancy has his sawmill. He was first discovered in January!...and after many months of coaxing, he finally tamed down enough to hang out around the guys during the work day. They would set food out for him...he would even take it from their fingers...but he still wouldn't let anyone touch him.

Finally, Clancy borrowed a live trap from a friend and captured this sweet little guy.

He is extremely timid. Clearly he has learned that he can't trust anyone. But even after just a day at home with us he has learned it is safe to relax a little bit. Since we live so far from other people, we think someone must have dumped him off along the main road. He was obviously some one's pet, once upon a time, because he is housebroke and leash trained.

He also prefers women to men. He warmed right up to me, and now I have a little white shadow. He doesn't like to let me out of his site. Yes....he's a little heart breaker....

This dog is definitely a survivor, and I think he has more than earned a safe and happy life with people that love him. The plan was to tame him down and then find someone to take him. Clancy got pretty attached to him at the mill, though, and claims he would not give him up to "just anybody." We do NOT need a fourth dog! But with Clancy's heart already melted...I have a feeling that this little dog could end up staying...
(sigh)

Significant Changes

2011-06-01T11:46:00.000-07:00

A while back I mentioned that I would be taking a few years off from breeding Shetlands. I had very good reasons for making that choice. But I have been re-evaluating my situation... I've always run 2 or more rams on the farm. This year, instead of nothing, I'm going to run just one ram. That should ease stress and work load quite a bit while still allowing me to make progress toward my polled and fine fleece goals. I came to this decision after a fellow breeder asked to buy my last ram, S'more Courante. I did have him for sale. But I was already rethinking that notion when the offer was made. With the pressing reality of Courante actually leaving, I decided only one ewe lamb from him was just not enough of his genetics in my flock. And the breeder was kind enough to accept my removing the ram from my sales list. So Courante is staying for another season at least. And hopefully next spring I will get some more ewe lambs from him that are as impressive as his ram lambs are.

I also decided to sell 4 adult ewes this year to make room for the four ewe lambs I am retaining. Three of these ewes are reserved now, and it is hard to imagine that they will leave, as they are all friendly girls. But their bloodlines are well represented in their lambs, and even improved upon with regard to the polled gene... so there is no regret... just a wistfulness at not being able to keep them all.

Below are Sian's two ewe lambs that will be staying, while she and her other daughter, Leil, leave for a new home.

Francesca (Ash x Sian)

Jane (Ash x Sian)

Horn Growth Report

2011-05-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

All the ram lambs, except for Trans Am, are 6 weeks old today. So I took photos of them to record their horn growth.

Above is Gwilym (twin Courante x Nhu). He has the biggest scurs so far with these little wiggly points. His face looks exactly like his sire. His twin, Ian, is in the background.

Ian (Courante x Nhu) ties for the least horn growth. You can't see any horn material unless you look straight down at the poll.

Tucker (Ash x Leil) is the other ram without any real scur growth.

Sextant (Courante x January) is the biggest lamb of the year. He is so aloof I rarely get a photo of him. This pic is more of a "place holder." From what I can see, Sextant has a little more horn material than Ian and Tucker, but his scurs are not as long or pointy as Gwilym's.

Trans Am (twin Courante x Hannah) is only 4.5 weeks old today. He has the most horn material of all the ram lambs. His horns are still substantially less than a full horned ram's would be...but I have no idea what his scurs are going to look like.

Chives

2011-05-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

I started drying one of my clumps of chives today. I love having home-grown herbs to use in the winter. They are so much more flavorful than store-bought herbs! I have never been able to grow onions in this soil, but chives are almost indestructible...so a good choice for my purposes. Now the whole house smells like onions. :)

Trans Am

2011-05-26T07:03:00.000-07:00

photos taken 5-15-11

The Big Guy Saves The Day!

2011-05-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

Once again a young bear decided to investigate our yard.

Last year I chased one away myself while Meg and Greta looked on in horrified silence from the porch. Though I was glad the bear was frightened away by my scream and charge, I sincerely hoped I would never be faced with such a situation again.

Tonight, Shachah was the hero.

Even though chasing away big bad predators is exactly what a Livestock Guardian Dog is supposed to do, I still think the big guy deserves honor and praise for his gallant work...

Around 9:30pm all three dogs started barking in a vicious manner. Clancy went out to investigate and came back in to announce that the dogs had treed a bear in the white pine by the house. I wanted to shoot it, but I ran out to see it first. The bear was apparently even more afraid of human voices than barking dogs because as soon as Clancy got Greta called off, the bear slipped down the tree and ran for the woods. The cool thing is that Shachah LET him. The big guy chased the bear without engaging it in a fight until it was well away. (The other two chicken-dogs joined in the chase once they were sure Shachah was in control of things.) Clancy and I walked out to check on the sheep. All was fine there. We could see Shachah's dim white form step out of the woods as we walked back to the house in the dark. He continued to investigate the "crime scene" and willingly accepted a cold hamburger as a token of our esteem.

I love how Shachah didn't fight the bear. He just made sure it left with a good reason to never come back. I am continually amazed at the wisdom and grace and courage of these LGD's.

Shachah, you are AWESOME! Thank you.

Nhu's Twin Rams

2011-05-20T06:42:00.000-07:00

Once again, Nhu gave me a stunning set of ramlings. Last year they were by White Pine Arvada. This year they are by S'more Courante.

Gwilym is the black and Ian is the moorit.

They are a full month old now, and still no visible sign of horns...though I believe they have little bb's or chocolate chips there...I just haven't had my hands on them in a while.

They both have promise of the gorgeous fleeces their parents have and Nhu's former lambs displayed.

Gwilym is my favorite of the two. His fleece is very crimpy right down to his tail. I guess I just have a thing for black katmogets.

Plums

2011-05-18T14:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure whether the plums fall under the category of wildlife or gardening... They are a wild variety that was here before we were. But we've been cultivating them for several years so I guess they are sort of "ours"

We just might get a plum crop this year after several seasons of nothing. The past few years it was either too cold for bees or heavy downpours during the blossom. But it is warm and sunny today. And the thicket is simply humming with bees.

And the scent is heavenly!

Justina

2011-05-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Hannah's solid black daughter, Justina, is the only ewe lamb of the season by S'more Courante. For that reason alone I am interested in her development. Thankfully, Justina also happens to be a fine lamb with promising conformation. Here she is with Hannah and her twin brother, Trans Am.

While Trans Am has the super crimpy lamb fleece I've come to expect from Courante's offspring, Justina is a complete mystery. She has the most uniform, un-wool-like, dog hair coat I have ever seen. In fact, she looks like a glossy black lab retriever. Both her parents have lovely fleeces, so I'm not worried about hers. But I am curious about it and how it will develop.

I'm happy to announce that I made friends with little Justina this past week. She shyly crowded in with Tucker, Jane, and Francesca one day and I surreptitiously rubbed her chest without her seeing my hand. Even after the other lambs drifted away she was still dreamily receiving pets and accepted the fact that shepherd = bliss. I love it when that happens!

Justina is the lamb I suspected of being modified because of the lighter skin color around her eyes. So far I don't see any evidence of modified in her fleece. That's ok. Even if she is only plain black I am still glad of her. She's a little sweetheart.

All Tuckered Out

2011-05-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Never once have I petted or made friends with a ram lamb.

Never, EVER!

Until Tucker came along...

I'll be honest...I don't think I had much choice about befriending this ramling. Tucker is a truly outgoing spirit that found his fretting mother absolutely boring after his first day of life on this planet.

Tucker happens to be a lamb with more vim and vigor than what's good for him. I'm surprised he hasn't been murdered by the flock yet. I've watched him snitch snacks from every lactating ewe. He chases them down if they object! He relishes hopping on top of resting ewes and biting them in the ears until they get up and chase him around pasture. Lyneth has a special grudge against him over this behavior. He even frolics and bounces around when all the other lambs are napping...just to keep himself busy.

I've come to the conclusion that he either has ants in his pants or he is ADHD!

Tucker is also the first lamb I've ever met that LOVES to be held... except the last time I snuggled him he reached up and bit my nose... hard!

How can a lamb so naughty look that angelic?
I'm not sure...but I do know what it is going to cost him...
Anyone interested in a wethered fiber pet?

Facebook Info

2011-05-14T06:41:00.000-07:00

I recently posted this photo of Francesca stretching at my farm page on Facebook. I try to post separate content there. So if you crave more farm info and photos, visit Boston Lake Farm on Facebook. :)

More Lamb Pics

2011-05-12T06:42:00.000-07:00

Justina & Trans Am (Courante x Hannah)

I took the coats off the remaining lambs last night. Trans Am is the softest lamb of this crop. He's just a superstar, I guess. lol

Francesca (Ash x Sian)

This little girl is just so docile and sweet.

Jane (Ash x Sian)

Jane has the most presence of all the ewe lambs this year.

Tucker is napping in the background.... one of the rare instances in which he is not being naughty.

Gwilym (Courante x Nhu)

Gwilym was my favorite Courante ram lamb until Trans Am came along. I still think he is just fantastic though. He is super crimpy right down to his tail.

Ian (Courante x Nhu)

That bit of white on his face was a surprise to me. Didn't know either of his parents carried spots until he was born.

Sunshine For A Day

2011-05-10T08:26:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday was beautiful and I managed to get some photos of the lambs. I'll dole them out over the next few days while the thunderstorms roll through.

Sextant (Courante x January) and Ian (Courante x Nhu)

Sextant has amazing presence. He is always the first lamb to catch my eye. He is super crimpy right down through his tail.

Jane and Francesca (Ash x Sian). These two little girls have become just as friendly as their dam. They even gave attention to some 7 year old visitors that came out on Sunday afternoon. I finally got their coats off this weekend and they are lovely soft!

The baby of the bunch, Penelope (Ash x Lana). Lana is quite shy of me so I get very little interaction with this eweling. But I have hopes of taming her down eventually. She is so tiny compared to all the 3 week old lambs. Could have named her Smidge. lol

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T05:38:00.000-07:00

Sextant was the first lamb born this spring on April 18. I put that little green lamb coat on him after he was dried off. He swam in it. Now, just three weeks later he has ripped himself out of the back legs and the thing is dangling like the tattered clothes of the "Incredible Hulk." Don't worry, shortly after I took this photo I cornered him in the barn and removed the coat entirely.

This photo may seem an odd choice for a Mother's Day sentiment. But if there is anything so poignant about being a mother, it is the undeniable fact that children grow up...fast. A recent cartoon in the newspaper, (either ZITS or Arlo & Janis...sorry, they both feature a typical teenage son with frazzled parents) captured the experience perfectly with the words, "The days are long...but the years are short."

So true.

I took a good long look at my sons yesterday as they were doing yard/farm spring clean-up work. (The best Mother's Day present EVER!) I cannot fathom how they got to be so big and capable. But there it is. Children grow up. We can't see it happen, we just look up one day to realize their clothes have shrunk.... again.

Lambing Summary

2011-05-04T11:33:00.000-07:00

Here are the stats for the 2011 lambing season.

Rams underlined. Ewes in bold. Lamb names in italics.

Little Red Oak Ash

BL Leil: Tucker (single gray krunet ram)

BL Sian: Francesca (twin moorit ewe), Jane (twin black ewe)

BL Vianne: Glisten (single black kat ewe) DECEASED

River Oaks Lana: Penelope (single black ewe)

S'more Courante

Little Red Oak January: Sextant (single black kat ram)

BL Nhu: Gwilym (twin black kat ram), Ian (twin moorit blesset kat ram)

River Oaks Hannah: Justina (twin black ewe), Trans Am (twin blesset, smirslet, sokket black kat ram)

BL Lyneth: remained open

Meet the Sun

2011-05-04T03:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I let Hannah and her twins out into the small enclosure in front of the barn. We have had some horribly cold, snowy, windy weather this past week. So this was the first sun the babies had seen.

I love watching lambs discover there is a world beyond the small stall they were born in. It takes about half a minute of little heads bobbing up and down... cautiously sniffing the new ground... and then a tentative bounce with a bit of a kick thrown in.

And all of a sudden their brains grasp the limitless space of their new world and they are leaping through the air... twisting and bucking... showing everyone how canty and clever they are.

I will admit to being disproportionately attracted to my one and only spotted lamb. For every picture of plain little black Justina I took about four pictures of Trans Am. What a little superstar he is!

I am a bit curious about Justina, though. I have noticed that the skin around her eyes is lighter compared to the other black lambs I have this year. Does that indicate something? I thought it might signify modified genetics. But I am not aware of Hannah or Courante carrying modified. So maybe it is my imagination, or maybe it is just the way she is. Regardless, she is a darling lamb. :)

And then there is pretty boy... Gotta nip that itch...

Lana Lambs

2011-05-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

Meet little Penelope.

Lana delivered this little girl early this morning. She is not very big for a single, but she is already very chunky.

SO CUTE!

Yeah, I wanted a gully girl... but a ewe lamb is better than a ram lamb so I am happy.

She is LRO Ash x RO Lana, and carries moorit.

Sweet ending to a tidy lambing season. :)

Hannah Delivers!

2011-04-30T10:58:00.000-07:00

After doing my best to completely ignore the fact that Hannah refused to leave the barn yesterday, I found this little black ewe lamb all dried off around 8pm last night.

Yaaaayyy! At least I got ONE ewe lamb from Courante this year.

She has the tiniest white spot on her poll. And the most uniform dog hair coat I have ever seen. It's just plain odd as all the other Courante offspring are super-crimpy. It'll be interesting to see how her fleece grows out.

I think I'll call her Justina.

Then at 9pm I found this little guy bouncing all over the pen. To say I was surprised is an understatement.

I've never bred for spots. So he was charmingly unexpected.

I'm calling him Trans Am! ...after Clancy's flashy silver and black restoration project!

Love the white tail! How cute is that?!

And one more just because I like his little pink nose. :)

Notice the horn buds? Since I am breeding for polled sheep, this little guy will be for sale if he develops into a breeding quality lamb by the end of summer. He carries moorit and solid.

Hannah has since returned to the size of an average ewe that is pregnant with twins... how does she stay so huge? Now I'm only waiting on Lana, my gulmoget, to lamb. I'm thinking sometime after Wednesday...

Lamb Races

2011-04-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

I have yet to capture any spectacular photos of leaping lambs. But I did get some snaps of the little bunnies flying past me in their wild lamb races. I laugh out loud at their fierce enthusiasm to expend as much energy as they possibly can!

Head On! Tucker and Jane raced right past my ankles

Split around the tree!

And a little "kick"

Up and down!

Moving out.

Please, Hannah...

2011-04-28T14:00:00.000-07:00

...Have your lambs while the sun is shining and it is 60 degrees.

Don't wait for the rain and snow that is supposed to move in tomorrow afternoon.

I'm begging...

(photo taken yesterday...her udder is even bigger today)

Spring 2011 Micron Data

2011-04-27T15:55:00.000-07:00

The micron data on my wool samples came in the mail this week.

Click on the photo to make the image larger (and legible).

The flock as a whole is getting finer each year, so I'll count that as progress. Though I wish for finer fleeces than I have now.

On the "Our Flock" page I have listed age and micron data for each sheep. I will add the same info to the "Fleece For Sale" page soon.

Yes, I Cry

2011-04-23T21:42:00.000-07:00

I lost one of my 3 ewe lambs tonight... Glisten (Ash x Vianne).

I found her sprawled in a corner of the barn at 6pm. She was still able to stand at that time but she was breathing heavily and had a racing heartbeat. I had my own foreboding thoughts on the matter, and a call to an experienced shepherding friend confirmed my two suspicions: pneumonia or being crushed/hurt by an adult ewe.

Clancy and I administered the proper dose of penicillin for pneumonia. And since she seemed unable to stand, we also gave her a 0.1 dose of selenium. I didn't think deficiency was the problem since she had been active since birth. But I wasn't overly hopeful of saving her so I decided to just do whatever was possible.

We also milked out the ewe and Clancy bottle fed her just a bit while I went back to the house to prepare the shots. He said the feeding didn't accomplish much except to exhaust her. I was going to take her to the house for observation. When I was removing her from the pen, though, she kept calling to her mama. So I left her in a private stall with just her dam, thinking the mothering bond would be better for her than anything else I could offer.

A few hours later she was gone.

It is hard to lose a lamb.

I could elaborate... but there is no use.

Two of the Sweeties

2011-04-22T11:37:00.000-07:00

I'm in love with Sian's little twins, Francesca and Jane!

They are so perfectly delicate and sweet.

Francesca, the slightly smaller twin, was more bouncy and adventurous on her first visit to the great outdoors.

Jane was a bit more timid, but just as cute.

I'm so delighted to get some solid colored girls in the flock.

And I can't wait to spoil them with smooches.

I love the smell of clean baby lambs!

All at Once - corrected

2011-04-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

In a 24 hour span, starting around 7am on Monday morning, 5 of my ewes lambed. I know some folks lamb out dozens of ewes at a time. But since I usually only have a tiny handful of pregnant ewes each year, this spring felt like a flood of lambies!

Gwilym: Courante x Nhu

Plus, my little barn is set up to handle three or four penned ewes. Clancy had to use some chipboard to improvise a couple of extra pens.

Francesca (moorit) & Jane (black): Ash x Sian

So far Courante has given me 3 ram lambs from his ewes- January & Nhu. My favorite is Gwilym because his fleece is super crimpy. But all the boys are very solid and nicely fleeced.

Ash has given me 3 ewe lambs and 1 ram lamb from his pen of girls- Sian, Vianne, & Leil. All three are wonderful and I just might keep them.

I'm pretty sure Lyneth from Courante's pen didn't take again this year.

And each pen has one more ewe to lamb...Hannah/Courante and Lana/Ash. I'm hoping for ewe lambs!

Ian: Courante x Nhu

My friend with the Icelandics, Mary, made me a whole stack of these wonderful little lamb coats. She modeled them off of a Premier One Supply coat that she had bought. I am SO GRATEFUL to her for this gift. The weather has alternated between cold/windy to cold/windy/wet. So these little coats helped the shepherd sleep so much better knowing her lambs had an extra layer of warmth those critical first days. They do cover up the fleeces so it isn't as easy for followers to see what I got this year. But I am very happy with the fleeces. One thing that is great with this lamb crop is uniformity.

Glisten: Ash x Vianne

All in all, I'm very pleased with the babies from this first round of lambing.

*~*~*~*~*~ SUMMARY ~*~*~*~*~*

S'more Courante:

LRO January: "Sextant" single black katmoget ram

BL Nhu: Twins: "Gwilym" black katmoget ram, "Ian" moorit katmoget ram with head spotting

Little Red Oak Ash:

BL Leil: "Tucker" single gray ram lamb with tiny head spotting

BL Sian: Twins: "Francesca" moorit ewe lamb, "Jane" black ewe lamb

BL Vianne: "Glisten" single black katmoget ewe lamb

This Can't Go On

2011-04-21T05:09:00.000-07:00

River Oaks Hannah has grown to be about the same size and shape as a hippopotamus.

I thought for sure she would be the first ewe to lamb.

All the other girls have given birth to their lambs, though. And Hannah remains laboriously unconcerned with the fact that she can hardly waddle.

I think today might be the day, though.

She was a bit separate from the group yesterday. And when Leil and her lamb escaped the jug for a few minutes last evening, Hannah seemed determined to kill Leil and steal her baby. That kind of vicious behavior usually means birth is less than 24 hours away.

I'm hoping she lambs today, if only for the fact that it hurts to look at her!

Grandlambs

2011-04-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Grandlambs: definition. offspring produced by one's own sheep that have previously gone to live at other farms.

photo note: the broom was used to keep a naughty rooster at bay. :)

A dear friend from church, Mary, took Beck, one of my 2010 ram lambs, home last fall to use over her two Icelandic ewes. Her two girls each gave her a set of twins this week. A set of black ram lambs, one with HST spotting. And a set of black katmogets, a plain ram and a HST spotted ewe lamb.

HST stands for Head Socks Tail spotting pattern

Since both of my friend's ewes are wildly spotted blacks, these lambs told me a bit about Beck. Though he is a plain brown katmoget, he does carry spots (never would have guessed) and he does carry solid (his dam and sire were both kats). Not that this info does him much good. He'll go to the freezer as soon as he's sheared next week. But that is no surprise to me. Mary has a small farm and I totally support the fact that some folks choose not to keep breeding rams year 'round. Adult rams do not make good pets.

I snapped this photo of the dam to the katmoget twins for those Shetland folks interested in spotting genetics. It looked like the "caped" pattern that was mentioned a while back.

And here is that little ewe lamb up close. I think Mary is super lucky to have the only ewe lamb of the season turn out to be fanciest lamb in the bunch. Best wishes to Mary and all my little Grandlambies!

Odd Angles

2011-04-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

Boston Lake Sian

Boston Lake Tecwyn

River Oaks Hannah

River Oaks Lana

Boston Lake Clennam

Little Red Oak Ash

S'more Courante

Amongst the Nibbling Green

2011-04-12T19:50:00.000-07:00

Once again the grass is starting to show the slightest tinge of green, so I decided to let the sheep out of their pen for a few hours of wandering.

Just like in springs past, they loved it. My older ewes didn't think twice about their change in situation. The River Oaks ewes and the two ewe lambs were a little disbelieving of the sudden freedom. They spent a little more time sniffing about.

Shachah, our livestock guardian dog, was startled to notice the sheep wander up to the house. He barked a few times, and I told him 'thank you' for the notification of loose sheep. Apparently, he was willing to accept the new situation as long as I was fully aware of the matter. I more or less followed the flock around, picking up sticks and tossing them into the brush pile as I went.

Yearling Esyllt really tested Shachah's patience. She insisted on walking right up to him and investigating his face at close range. Shachah barked a warning and she didn't even hesitate to move in closer on him. He bared his teeth and she sniffed his ears. He growled and she stepped forward. I thought for sure he would knock her down at least... if not actually bite her just a little. But he never did. He was disgruntled and upset with her lack of respect, but he also seemed to understand that she was simply curious and not threatening.

I have a theory that ewe lambs are quite prissy and naughty because they expect their mommies to come thundering in if anyone threatens them. At least the ewe lambs of dominant ewes seem to do this. The other yearling, Carys, approached Shachah later and his warning barked worked on her. She gave him about 5 feet of space. Could it be that Carys didn't have as much nerve since her mother was sold last summer and she has been on her own since then?

All the older ewes either completely ignored Shachah or sniffed at him as they passed by and he didn't even mind them. And to his credit, Shachah also moved with the flock. He wasn't always close to them, but he made sure the flock was always in sight. It was really neat to watch him work!

If my schedule allows, I will let the ewes out for a few hours every day until there is enough grass in any one place to set up the electronet and keep them fed. While the grass is still sparce, though, they will continue to get their regular ration of hay.

We Got Away

2011-04-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

Clancy and I got away for an overnight in Walker, MN this past weekend. Our only plan was to spend time with each other... it was so nice to not have any cares for a couple of days.

Our real wedding anniversary was near the end of February, but this was our official date for the year. I'm happy to say that I am still in love after 17 years of marriage.

Thank you, Clancy, for being such a fantastic person. I love spending my life with you.

And thank you to our sons... they did all the farm chores while we were away.

Shearing

2011-04-11T11:43:00.000-07:00

Byron Johnson sheared our flock last Friday, April 8. It was wet and soggy all week, and then the sun shined bright on Friday morning and shearing went off without a hitch. I feel infinitely lucky to have it over with before lambing begins. Lambing could begin this Saturday, April 16.

Sian, 5 year old black, once again shows some iset on her hips. But it took three years to develop that iset, and so far, her ribs and shoulders are still black. Maybe some more experienced breeders could tell me whether she is a non-fading black with ordinary age graying, or if she is iset. I've had other black Shetlands that were frosty with iset from head to tail by their first shear. Just curious to hear opinions on how other breeders would categorize her.

Little Red Oak January and her black kat daughter, Esyllt. I was pleased to see that all the ewes, bred and open, had good flesh under their fleeces. They were fed grass hay all winter. I did start a whole corn/oats/molasses blend feeding at 6pm each night about 2 weeks ago.

River Oaks Hannah is the biggest girl out there. She looks like she is carrying triplets compared to the others. But I'm truthfully just wishing for nice twins out of her. I was happily surprised with her soft fleece this spring.

The shearer had a hard time with River Oaks Lana's fleece. He couldn't get the clippers underneath the rise all along her back and hips. And her belly had completely rooed. She is skittish of me so I don't know if I'll get her cleaned up later on or not. Lana does have the lighter flash marks along her hips now. They are not as dramatic as some gulmogets I've seen. Some breeders prefer solid sided gulmogets. I can't say I have an opinion either way. I am just so pleased to have Lana in my flock.

Here is little Carys, unbred yearling. I think she looks like a little dolly.

And finally, some hind shots. White Lyneth is the girl that didn't take last year. Her kat twin in the background gave me twins for her first pregnancy. I think Lyneth might just be really fat again this year. If that is the case I will decide her future based on her micron results. Excellent numbers may persuade me to offer her as a fiber pet. I had wanted lambs from Lyneth especially because of the deep depressions in her skull. I figured she has the polled gene for sure.
The shearer thought she looked bred. Ah well, we shall see.
Let the waiting for lambs begin.

Checking Off the List

2011-03-29T20:08:00.000-07:00

Leil & Lana

Clancy and I gave CD&T shots to all the ewes last night. And I also snipped off wool samples from every girl to send out for micron testing.
Here's hoping the results come back very soon!

Having the girls on their backsides for a minute gave me a good look at which ones are bagging up. None of them are due till April 16th or later. But it looks like a couple will come in quite close to that date.

In order of biggest bag to smallest, with ewe color and ram mate in parenthesis.

Courante = scurred black katmoget. Ash = polled moorit.

Hannah (moorit x Courante)

Leil (gray x Ash)

January (moorit kat x Courante)

Nhu (black kat x Courante)

Sian (black x Ash)

Vianne (white x Ash)

Lana (black gulmoget x Ash)

Lyneth (white x Courante)

Unfortunately, Lyneth and Lana are not showing any signs of being bred yet. Lyneth didn't take last year so I'm starting to doubt her ability to breed. I am hoping my dear little gully girl took, though. The ewes were with rams for an extra long time this season. I suppose both girls could be bred and just not showing yet. Please, please, pretty please!

Lyneth & Hannah

Pet Portraits

2011-03-28T10:22:00.000-07:00

Chloe Cat... 14+ years old...still in charge of it all.

Megan...easily distracted.

Shachah...committed to napping.

Sunday Swan Return

2011-03-27T19:08:00.000-07:00

The Trumpeter Swans have returned to Boston Lake.

They bring me hope.

Late March

2011-03-26T11:41:00.000-07:00

I just finished working at my season job this week. For the first time in months I took a good look at the flock. There is a ton of work I better get done in the next two weeks! Lambs are due on April 16th. And at least one of the ewes looks like she'll barely be able to wait that long.

I did start feeding corn/oats this week. Hopefully Clancy and I can get the CD&T shots done over the weekend. We'll probably do hooves before we let them out to pasture. And I have to call Byron, our shearer, to set up a date. I hope I can schedule prior to lambing. That always makes it easier to see what is going on with the girls.

S'more Courante, my 2 year old ram, is still for sale. I just put new photos of him up on the Stock for Sale page. Take a look if you are interested in polled genetics.

Here are some other photos I took yesterday:

Clennam & Tecwyn...rowdy idiots like most ram lambs are.

My beautiful Vianne.

A very pregnant Hannah, yearling Esyllt, and Lyneth up close.

Lana, distracted from the hay pile by two bald eagles skimming the tree tops.

My pretty Nhu.

I hope she gives me ewe lambs this year that are every bit as nice as last year's ram lambs.

Almost March

2011-02-27T19:18:00.000-08:00

Esyllt, open eweling, eating fresh snow after licking mineral.

Last week I worked 53.5 hours. The week before that was about the same. And this one will be too. I'm so tired. Thank you to Clancy for doing so many of my sheep chores the last few weeks. (months)

Here are just a few random photos from last week... just to prove I still have sheep.

Hoping for polled lambs from all my pairings this year!

River Oaks Lana... oh please give me a gully ewe lamb to keep!

River Oaks Hannah... she is such a friendly girl.

Boston Lake Lyneth. Did she take this year? I hope so.

Boston Lake Carys, open eweling, making sure I'm not too close while she takes her turn at the mineral.

Silent Shachah

2011-02-26T03:32:00.000-08:00

Let's Have a Little Humor, Shall We?

2011-01-18T18:22:00.000-08:00

YIPES! Not HUMOR!!!

Greta the Bouncy Dog.

When she is excited and wants to play,

Greta will find a small twig, or stem of hay, and fling it into the air and catch it.

over and over and over...

I'm Game

Courante with a mouthful of hay.

Sheep teeth always make me laugh.

"You Call That Funny?"

Deadpan Shachah

ba-dum-bom...pish

Changes

2011-01-05T02:50:00.000-08:00

I've been too busy and tired to write much lately. Health, my job, and just the daily race to keep up with three teenage boys and their activities have consumed most of my limited energy. So I decided to post about the changes to basically bookmark where I'm at.

1. I make my third trip down to the Mayo Clinic next week. I'm very excited because this time my GI doctor will give me the results from my first round of tests. I'll either have some answers and a plan or I will start on round two of testing. Either way, I feel hopeful that progress is being made.

2. I now wear these huge black military glasses with purple lenses that help correct my peripheral vision problems. For as long as I can remember, driving through flickering sunshine has put me to sleep suddenly... almost like a narcoleptic. It didn't bother me too much when the boys were little, and I rarely left the house without Clancy driving the car. Now, though, I have to drive almost every day. I've had some near accidents because I couldn't stay awake. I've had to pull over at rest stops to sleep on trips as short as 1 hour. For the past several years I've staggered into bed the minute I get home and slept for three hours. And I haven't had to do that once since I got these funky glasses. Whatever works! I can hardly believe that part of my life has changed. My doctor said my brain was spending an enormous amount of energy just reconciling my place in space- to the point that it would spontaneously knock me out. Now I can drive to town and back and actually function the rest of the day. It is liberating beyond my wildest dreams! :)

3. Even with all the gains I have made in my health, I have decided to stop breeding Shetlands for a couple of years. As anyone can imagine, I've had to rely on Clancy's help for chores more and more as my health has failed. He has done almost everything for the flock the last six months... and that really is not fair since it is my hobby, not his. I contemplated selling the whole flock, but it really broke my heart to think of it. I am so close to some of my goals. And I just love these Shetlands. So the compromise is to sell the rams and not breed for a couple of years. Not having to keep two separate pens, or go through all the work of setting up breeding groups, and tearing them down again, not having to feed and water up to four separate pens every winter... that should go a long way toward making chores more manageable for us all. This may seem like a sad decision... but I'm a lot happier since I thought of it than I was when I thought I would have to sell out. So if anyone is interested in either of my two rams, LRO Ash or S'more Courante, please let me know!

4. My employment is another thing that is changing in my life. Because of poor health, I have cut back to three days a week... as apposed to the six or seven days I used to work during the winter. The hard part for me has been learning how to respect my own created boundary. The ski hill has been my life for 13 years and I pretty much lived and breathed it from October to April every year. Luckily, my two new co-workers are doing a fantastic job of learning the ropes, and my old duties are in good hands when I'm not there. This has allowed me to get a lot of much needed rest and to focus on cooking and eating the limited diet that is keeping me going. As Clancy says... my new job is to EAT!

5. Last, but not least, I am trying very hard to adjust to the fact that my three sons are active young men. Not my little boys anymore! They are driving, practicing soccer before school three days a week, taking music lessons, spending time with "girlfriends", and in general... growing up too fast. But I must say, though it is hard to keep up with their fast-paced schedules, they are becoming truly wonderful young adults. They surprise me everyday with their capacity to juggle schoolwork, organized sports, leisure sports, friendships, relationships, chores, and attitude. They have been a tremendous help to me while I've been frail. And they make me laugh every day. :)

So as fellow Shetland blogger Bill likes to say:

"Life is Good"

White New Year

2011-01-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

Frost on Sumac Berries

photo by Clancy Erickson

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T07:12:00.000-08:00

Right before opening the presents.

Isaac, Leif, and Asa. Of course, Meg's in there too.

From our family to yours...have a very Merry Christmas!

Sample Skein

2010-12-05T17:51:00.000-08:00

I brought my gray fiber to the guild yesterday, hoping the ladies there could help identify it.

The three main characteristics of the fiber were that it was soft, the staple was long, and the fiber had hardly any crimp.

The two main guesses were baby alpaca, and super wash merino.

No one had a definitive answer for me though. And that's ok.

I plied up this sample skein from what was shown on the spindle in the last post. That spindle was bothering me... it just wasn't helping me with the spinning process. However, it plied wonderfully. So I started the process again with a different spindle and it is going well.

The feel of the skein against my neck is very comfy. I'm looking forward to making a scarf with this yarn. I just hope it doesn't take me all winter to get enough yarn made.

Beyond Me

2010-11-28T19:25:00.000-08:00

A while back, an old friend gave me all the fiber tools and stash that her late mother had left behind.

I will tell that story some day, as it has been a huge blessing in my life.

But this is a different story:

Yesterday, the day I put my first and oldest ewe down, I also wound off a spindle of single that I had been spinning from Rachel's washed fleece. And because of her passing, I decided to move on to a different fiber. So this afternoon, I chose the most scrumptious roving in my stash...this gorgeous silver.

And I began spinning.

Within minutes I learned that my skill was hardly sufficient to handle this fiber. It slipped in the most luxurious way every time I tried to let go of the spindle. For a while I supported the spindle on the coffee table. Or I turned it by hand as I slowly drafted. It was painfully obvious that my experience with crimpy wool was not serving me very well with this incredibly fine gossamer.

I did finally get the hang of it...though I doubt anyone would call my yarn even. Yet instead of giving up in favor of less challenging fiber, I think I will continue. It is one of my smaller spindles anyway; even I can see the light at the end of the tunnel

I don't even know what this fiber is. All I know is that within this gifted stash I also received several merino/silk and merino/kid mohair and kid mohair/silk blends. And this gray fiber is the finest of all by far.

My guess is cashmere? Really, I have no clue. I have zero experience spinning any kind of fiber except that which I harvest off of my own Shetlands. I'm hoping that the fiber ladies from the guild can help me figure it out at Saturday's meeting.

Until then, I will just keep at it. I'm hoping to knit up a beautiful scarf with it someday.

Less Than Idyllic

2010-11-27T11:37:00.000-08:00

The snow came along and blanketed us in white perfection.

Appearances can be deceiving. So far this morning:

I put down my oldest ewe, Rachel.

I had been planning on this so it wasn't a surprise. But it is still bullets and death.

I discovered my naughty outdoor cat, Chloe, has been sneaking inside the house to use the potted rosemary as a litter box. GROSS!!!

Betty Bird decided to land on my unsuspecting nose, and now I have scratches on my face!

Ordinary life is far from idyllic here at Boston Lake. In fact, it is hard to imagine any life with animals as being truly idyllic. One can love the life, but it isn't always pretty.

Now...off to turn this day around!

All Before the Snow

2010-11-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday the plan was to put breeding groups together and tear down the summer electronet paddocks.

It was cold with a light dusting of icy snow that had settled into the pot holes and between the tufts of grass. All in all, a bitter, gray November day.

But the sheep fully cooperated with my strategy for moving them. Even the lambs followed where I led.

I love bucket trained sheep!

The breeding groups were assembled.

Ash seemed to be the lucky ram: Lana (gulmoget) was immediately receptive on Saturday.

None of Courante's ewes wanted to be anywhere near him. That didn't stop him from trying, though.

This is a photo of three of my Bombarde x AnnaBelle daughters. They really do appear to be clones separated only by age.

Yearling Vianne (left) was put with Ash because he is the smaller of the two rams. Two year old Lyneth, (right) was paired with the much larger Courante. And lambykins Carys (center) is safe from the stinky boys until next year.

River Oaks Lana sporting a size F coat....too big. She's wearing a size E now.

The moorit girl in front is River Oaks Hannah. Hannah must be an easy keeper because she looks like she is about to have twins. All that girth fills out the size F coat just fine, though I doubt she will need a bigger size this winter.

Yearling LittleRedOak January is still in an E coat. Her fleece is quite long, though, so I'm sure she'll move up to an F for the remainder of winter. Even though she did get bred as a lamb, I am very satisfied with her growth this summer. She raised a nice big daughter, and grew herself. I really love her Shetland face and ears!

My two remaining ram lambs were given a dog kennel panel pen attached to a barn stall, thanks to my dad who procured several panels from a guy that works at a landfill. (It is truly amazing what people throw away.) It is not nearly as roomy as all the other pens, but I daresay it is the coziest. They will be brought up to the small round pen after the ewe lambs have returned to the big ewe pen. After breeding season...early-ish January.

So as darkness fell on Saturday, a snowstorm moved in. Between then and now, we have received over 14 inches of snow. I can't express how grateful I am that all this work and rearranging got finished before the first big snow.

I have observed Ash breeding:

Lana 11/20/10

Sian 11/22/10

and he seems very interested in

Vianne 11/24/10 (today)

Courante is still courting his girls, but I haven't witnessed anything yet. I used to worry about such things, but I've learned that the rams almost always get the job done whether I watch it happen or not. But it is so nice to have a guess at lambing dates, so I peek out the window whenever I'm home during daylight hours. I sincerely hope Lyneth takes this year. I really want lambs from her. Last year she was too fat, but she hasn't received any treats this year so I hope that solved the problem.

I would like to wish everyone a lambing season full of wishes come true!

And to the non-sheepy people out there...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Pink Sunrise

2010-11-16T16:46:00.000-08:00

We received a small layer of snow Saturday night. The temperatures also dropped and the lake is slowly beginning to ice over. For the most part, though, our weather has been very mild.

The adult rams have been moved to their winter pen: which is one of the two round pens built out of horse panels lined with no-climb horse fence. In a week or two we will split the rams up and add ewes to each of their pens.

The ramlings are stationed out by the lambing shed with a roll of electronet. If I can spare the money, I'm going to buy a few cattle panels to make a pen so the electronet can be put away for the season. Sometime in January, when I dismantle breeding groups, the little boys can go to the smaller, abandoned, round pen near the big boys. I have learned not to pen ramlings with adult rams as the little guys don't get much to eat with the big guys guarding the hay piles all day.

The ewes are still out on pasture with electronet. Hopefully this weekend I will have the time to bring them up to their winter pen. I'm still trying to devise a round bale feeder. Ideally, I would splurge on the

Premier 1 specialized panels. But I think I'll have to make do with something homemade. Once again, as finances allow.

Below is Shachah, all decked out in his Blaze Orange collar. So cute!

As Becky suggested, we brought Shachah in the house during the day for Deer Hunting Opener. Unfortunately, we have heated floors and he was so hot and uncomfortable that he tried to get out every time we opened the door. The next morning we couldn't even catch him, much less get him to come near the house. So we went to Plan B: during the day, Meg stays in the house, Greta stays in the outdoor kennel, and Shachah is free. Shachah won't leave Greta behind, except to check his yard/pasture perimeter. So it is working. We just have to be super careful to not let Greta out to play before dark.

I had to laugh...the other evening I let Greta out on my way to do chores. Shachah was so excited to see her out of the kennel and available for play that he charged toward her. In his exuberance he plowed into her and sent her rolling. Greta was completely overwhelmed and not a little shocked. She tucked her tail between her legs and retreated to the porch for good that night.

Poor Shachah had no idea why she didn't want to play.

Poor Greta, to be the unsuspecting landing pad for a dog more than double her own weight.

Shetland Breeding Plan

2010-11-12T06:19:00.000-08:00

I finally decided on my breeding groups for the Shetlands.

Because I still have a couple of horn-genetic ewes in the flock, I put the emphasis on polled pairings. If I'm lucky, I might get some ewe lambs to retain and then I can move out the horn girls. It is hard to think of turnover like that. But it is the only way I'm going to move forward toward a full-polled flock.

I favored conformation, medium size, and fleece as well. With these priorities, I had to disregard color and pattern. I'm ok with this tactic, and I think I will still get a nice variety of color in the lambs.

LittleRedOak Ash will get the following ewes:

Boston Lake Sian: solid black, horn-genetics

River Oaks Lana: black gulmoget, poll-carrier

Boston Lake Vianne: white poll-carrier

Boston Lake Leil: gray, possible poll carrier

S'more Courante will get the following ewes:

sorry for the bad photo

River Oaks Hannah: moorit, polled

LittleRedOak January: moorit katmoget, polled

Boston Lake Nhu: black katmoget, poll carrier

Boston Lake Lyneth: white, poll carrier

This will be, potentially, my biggest lamb crop ever. I'm a little nervous about it, but I am excited to see what these rams can do. Breeding groups will be put together after Thanksgiving.

My two ewe lambs, Esyllt and Carys, will sit out the breeding season together in the girl's pen.

Beck Moves On

2010-11-09T03:51:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, Beck went home with our friend Mary. Bence, the ram lamb she got from me two years ago, was getting a bit much to deal with in her flock of two Icelandic ewes. So I suggested she put Bence in the freezer and come pick out a different ram lamb.

Pulling the coats off Beck and his twin,Tecwyn, was a bit of a surprise...

Tecwyn, my favorite, was indeed soft and silky. He has a rather wide crimp pattern, a lot like his sire Arvada had.

But Beck had super crimp coming in-even on his hips. It was just amazing! And I would have never guessed.

So my little Dark Horse has gone to meet some Icelandic girls. And I am happy for him. And happy that Mary will get that lovely fleece from him before she sends him to the freezer.

Now Beck, be a good boy and give Mary some ewe lambs!

Bright Sunshiny Day

2010-11-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

I have lots to say, but no time or energy to say it. So I'm just posting a couple of pictures to show how mild and beautiful it has been around here. It is hard to believe this is November weather.

Happy Day to all of you!

Good Dogs

2010-11-01T11:40:00.000-07:00

Greta had a rough week after her quill incident last Sunday. By Friday she was depressed and obviously in pain, so I brought her to the vet. She was diagnosed with Lyme's Disease and a small abscess under her chin which was probably an infected quill. Two separate antibiotics later, she is feeling much better. She will need to take the Lyme's med for a full 28 days.

Shachah has recovered nicely from his quill incident and vet visit. For a few days his front paws were very sore and he didn't walk much. He's no longer limping now...just enjoying the nice weather.

Megan, who did not have time to pose for pictures yesterday, suffered greatly from all the misplaced attention the other dogs received. Her jealousy almost unraveled her. Luckily for her, a 7 year old friend named Shayn came over for a visit Friday afternoon. Shayn and Megan got on like a house on fire, and I think he may have just been the first person ever to wear out my Megan Pie. I think this new-found friendship will be great for both of them.

Birthday Post

2010-10-19T17:28:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the heavy influence of recent dog incidents,

I decided to feature my first dog in my

Traditional Birthday Old Photo Post...

This photo was taken in 1973 in Deer River, MN.

I don't remember much about the dog, though I do remember his black and whiteness.

Funny how even tiny kids can remember blurry images like that.

I've been told that I enjoyed crawling in his dog house and eating his dog food with him.

I'm struck by how similar his shape, size, ears, and face are to my Megan Pie.

He must have had some border collie in him.

Good As New

2010-10-18T15:55:00.000-07:00

In fact, Greta Grub seems to thrive on porcupine encounters. We usually give her a chunk of meat, gristle, or fat after we pull her quills, and days later, she still waits expectantly for more treats. Her boxer genes really shine at this time: she spends quite a bit of energy on a vertical bounce to her jaunty gait.

We just watched the animated film Monsters vs. Aliens over the weekend. In case you are unfamiliar with Greta's general personality, you can refer to Bob in that movie. Bob the Monster and Greta Grub are about the same...good natured and brainless. :)

Poor Shachah didn't fare as well. He had fewer quills, but a few were embedded very deeply. He actually let Clancy pull out most of them. He didn't even need to be held. He would sit still until it hurt too much and then he would walk away. When he was ready he would come back up to Clancy so more could be pulled. Amazing! But he had several quills deep in his front paws and he would not let Clancy touch them.

Shachah loaded quite easily in the car with Clancy's help The vet sedated him and removed the final quills. When I came to pick him up, Shachah headed straight for the car and didn't hesitate to get in. Poor boy wanted to go home. He is limping badly on both front paws. But in the end, the whole experience might have created just a little bit more trust between dog and family.

Testing the Outer Limits...

2010-10-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

of Patience and Devotion...

I'm happy to report that all quills have been removed.

Greta didn't appreciate our ministrations.

It took a hefty effort.

We had the motivation of avoiding a monstrous vet bill on our side, though.

Unfortunately...

Shachah has some quills too.

Darkness fell before we could deal with him, though.

We'll check him out in the morning.

He will probably need a vet visit, as Clancy and I are both sure we couldn't hold him down like we do Grubby.

Harvest

2010-10-16T08:39:00.000-07:00

The gorgeous weather is still with us. I am not complaining...it's wonderful. The temps will be low overnight this coming week, though. So Clancy and I picked the last of the peppers. They are so pretty together in the bowl.

I also purchased all of my winter hay this week. The gentleman that leases my dad's hay fields put up his second cutting without rain and he agreed to sell me twenty bales. That should definitely cover me if I can keep it tarped well and reduce spoilage. The best part is that the field is right next to Clancy's mill...exactly one mile away. He can just bring a bale home with the bobcat when I need one. I am so thrilled...God really answered my prayers in this matter.

Today is a day to get lots of yard work finished. Hopefully I can get the last of the pastures mowed and the winter pens and barn cleaned out. Clancy and I are also going to sketch out some hay feeders. I'd like to build the style I saw at Becky's farm. We already have the materials salvaged from other projects.

Hopefully, we will accomplish much today. Have a good one yourself!

Back & Forth Boys

2010-10-10T14:49:00.000-07:00

What to do with the ram lambs? I go back and forth.

Sell? Keep? Market as butcher lambs? Wether for fiber pets?

I changed coats on all three boys yesterday. My own sons were helping me with the changes and then moving them across the yard to a new paddock...so I didn't bother with getting photos during the process. But I did get a chance to evaluate fleeces again.

Beck...not quite as soft as a newborn. But yesterday I couldn't feel any difference between his fleece and his brother's fleece. I had made up my mind to wether him. Now I'm doubting that decision. I'm assuming that decisions like this start getting harder as one approaches flock goals. So I will count it as a sign of flock improvement that my least favorite lamb seems as soft as my favorite.

Clennam and Tecwyn knee deep in clover. Having good forage this late in the year is so uncommon.

Clennam with his broken scur. Since it isn't hurting him in anyway, I keep forgetting to get it clipped off. Clennam has gorgeous black tips to his fleece under that coat.

This photo shows how good Beck's hindquarters are. All three boys are nice and wide like this.

And here is my favorite...Tecwyn. He has fine bones and yet a very alert, masculine presence. And the softest fleece in my flock.

Lovely Weather

2010-10-09T21:26:00.000-07:00

The temps have been in the upper 70's all this week. It is the best 'summer' weather I think we've had in the last 5 months.

Strange...but I am not complaining. There is still so much we have left to do before the weather turns nasty. I'm grateful for the extension.

As you can see, the leaves have fallen off the trees.

Ash has his head down in a brush pile to rub off the mosquitoes and gnats that were swarming today. I guess warm weather has a bit of a downside.

Just off the boat landing, a Canada goose.

I was fooled the first time I saw it. After it failed to fly or float away, I realized it was a decoy some hapless hunter had lost track of.

Shachah absolutely loves to roll in the leaves. I think he likes the sound...or maybe he just loves the cooler temps. I caught him napping, obviously after taking a stroll through the mucky swamp.

I just love this big mellow guy.

Last, but not least, a true sign of the season: our wood stove is burning again. Not that we needed heat today. But this is a good thing because Clancy has had our heating system torn apart for three weeks. To satisfy the insurance people, he had to move the outdoor boiler 50 feet away from the garage we are building. So the yard has been torn up with a trench, and insulated pipe, and new electrical stuff. What a mess! And of course, it always takes longer than one hopes, to finish the job. But the test run was successful! And I am very grateful Clancy is so skilled at building and fixing. Even though I would love to have weeks and weeks more of this fine weather...technically, we have heat again...so it can get cold when it has to.

More Sheep for Sale

2010-10-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

I have reached that point where some of my foundation girls have to go if I am going to keep their ewe lambs.

With a heavy heart, I am offering the following three ewes for sale. I will try to update my sale page soon. But for now, photos and fleece information can be found on the "Our Flock" and "Fleece for Sale" pages.

FOR SALE

Boston Lake Sian $200

4 years old

Solid Black with Moorit Recessive

minimal iset, excellent mother, excellent conformation/tail, wool on poll, large size, horn genetics

Little Red Oak January $200

yearling

Moorit Katmoget with Solid Recessive

excellent conformation/tail, terrific mother, medium size, polled genetics

Bramble AnnaBelle Reserved
To an EXCELLENT HOME only!

8 years old

White with Solid Black Recessive

big deep build, tiny tail, excellent mother, 32 micron but very lustrous & silky hand, possible full poll

I have 4 daughters & 1 son from Anna. She is a very special ewe.

These ewes are completely unrelated stock.

2010 Lambs are also for sale on the "Stock for Sale" page.

Thank you for looking.

Fall Chores

2010-10-04T18:35:00.000-07:00

The list of chores is pretty much the same every year.

But it does help to write it all down so I can feel like I accomplished something as I strike through each one. So here goes:

1. Change coats on the sheep.

Vianne is a yearling that needs to move up to a size E coat.

Leil is overdue for her size E. She is also a yearling.

River Oaks Hannah needs to be introduced to a sheep coat. I believe she will take a size E as well. Lana, my other new ewe, needs a coat too. I wanted to trim her up a bit more first, but she is still skittish with me. For lack of patience, I will probably just coat her.

Nhu also needs an E coat. So that makes 4 more that I need to order in that size. D's and E's seem to be the basic adult sizes for my Shetlands. Size F will probably come into play a little later in the winter.

2. Ear tag the two ewe lambs, Esyllt and Carys.

3. Give all the lambs a round of CD & T. I usually would not do this...but I discovered earlier this summer that I had accidentally bought just the "CD" part of the vaccine, minus the tetanus. So I want to get one tetanus shot into them.

4. Trim all hooves.

5. Check eyelids and condition on all sheep. I only have one girl out there that seems a bit slim to me. But she is normally built like a fawn and her twin ram lambs were only taken away a short time ago. She might just need time to bounce back.

6. Clean out the barn. I've been avoiding this job all summer.

7. Buy some good square alfalfa bales for lambing and stack them in the barn.

8. Buy some round bales for winter and tarp them.

9. Finally build hay feeders!

10. Repair and clean the ram pens.

11. Make some decisions about breeding groups.

12. Market my 'for sale' sheep. Speaking of which...here is a sweet little girl that is looking for a new home. Her name is Carys and all of her info is on my sale page.

13. And let's not forget the most important task of all...

just hanging out with the girls ;-P

October Swans

2010-10-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

One of the most amazing things about Boston Lake is that a pair of swans choose to nest on the north end every summer. They are bold birds, apparently finding the shore of our farm tranquil enough to frequently skim alongside. For as often as I see them up close, I rarely pursue them with a camera. They seem to know when I am just out doing my chores and when I'm trying to spy on them. I prefer to help them feel as welcome as possible.

In the early spring and late fall, several swans congregate here. They spend quite a bit of time socializing before they migrate. The sound of their wings beating on the water is loud enough to hear from inside the house. Which reminds me of one of the greatest gifts of living next to Boston Lake: hearing the swans talk to each other in the middle of the night. They have the clearest voices which can be heard in the wee hours as they gently speak to one another. It is hard to describe. Suffice to say that their midnight calls are in complete keeping with the awe-inspiring beauty of the Milky Way and depth of heaven.

These photos were taken from my truck, on the road that borders the south end of Boston Lake. My camera's zoom seems to be broken...or the batteries are low. But if you click on them, the photos might give you an idea of just how lovely these majestic birds are. My heart-felt thanks to the folks that worked so hard to bring Trumpeter Swans back to Minnesota.

Wild Dawn

2010-09-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

Codon 171 Test Results

2010-09-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

I took advantage of an offer from USDA to have my rams genetically tested for scrapie resistance at Codon 171. An official USDA veterinarian collected blood samples from the five rams I have on my property on 9/9/10. The results came in the mail 9/24/10.

Helpful information supplied by Gene Check, Inc:

"Codon 171 is the most commonly tested codon. It is used to test for susceptibility to Strain C scrapie (the most common form of scrapie in the U.S.) Result possibilities are QQ, QR, or RR.

QR and RR sheep are resistant to strain C scrapie.

Codon 136 is used to test for susceptibility to Strain A scrapie (recently discovered in the U.S.) Result possibilities are VV, AV, AA.

Codon 136 [testing] is necessary only on QR and QQ animals. It is not necessary to test RR animals as they are automatically AA at Codon 136.

Only AA sheep are resistant to Strain A scrapie.

Testing at Codon 154 is generally used only for research purposes."

My flock results

Little Red Oak Ash QQ

S'more Courante QR

Boston Lake Clennam QR

Boston Lake Tecwyn RR

Boston Lake Beck RR

I have listed this info with each sheep on the Flock and Sale pages. Using this information, and that from Kimberwood Kavan's results in 2006 (171: QR 136: AA), I was able to add some knowns to offspring of these rams. Therefore, some of my ewes also have some partial information.

Partly Sunny

2010-09-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

It has been raining buckets for two days now. The weather report predicts a little bit of sun peaking through the clouds by late afternoon. I believe this community will welcome the light as the flooding recedes.

I have noticed how life can go for weeks without major incident. Not that it is boring during that time. But there is only a general hum of progress and maintenance. Dishes, homework, music lessons, chores, grocery shopping, supper, bedtime... Then there are specific periods in time where life is suddenly thrown into stark relief. One is suddenly facing a crossroads. A decision is weighted with complexity. A clear mind is needed to navigate an intense situation...

This week has been filled with important issues. It has required me to be very mindful of each word, each thought, I release into the universe. I haven't been able to dance down life's path. Life's path is suddenly overgrown with thorns and shadows. If I'm going to continue forward I have to tread carefully and believe there is light beyond this immediate condition.

And there IS light.

No matter how torrential the rains or wild the tempest, above the turbulent atmosphere is a clear view of the sun. The sun does not cease to shine, we simply must weather the storm.

I am grateful for God's love, mercy, and guidance today. For truly, I could not withstand some trials without His presence and strength. In fact, the minute I turned over my fears to Him in prayer, solutions appeared. Assurance bathed me in warmth. Peace gently spread over my soul. Compassion supplanted hurt.

My path was cleared enough for me to move forward.

All is well.

Why am I sharing this? What does this have to do with a small flock of sheep and the rhythms of farming?

For me...everything.

Though the troubles I faced this week had nothing to do with my flock or farm, Shetland sheep, the organization that maintains their registration (NASSA), and shepherds involved with this breed are currently facing division and turmoil.

Anger, fear, and hurt are being sputtered and spit across North America regarding this small adorable animal.

So what should be done?

Truthfully, I do not know. I do not know if I have a solution, or if I even will be a part of a solution.

But know what I want for this breed...

I want the positive energy of each singular Shetland to be one of the most obvious messages of it's public persona.

And I know one cannot battle negativity with negativity. The problems I faced this past week would have become nightmares for me and my family had I relied on my gut reactions and emotions. Did I have a right to those feelings? Certainly. However, they were no more than swirls of justifications and self-righteousness.

If Shetlands are going to survive in North America, I believe every shepherd of them is going to have to tap into the power of light and love. Sounds flaky, I know. But how else do I express this?

Let us each reflect before we speak or publish. Let's remind ourselves of one terrific thing about a person that completely disagrees with us or has attacked us. Let's open our minds to the positive aspects of each perspective. Let's listen to the energy of each voice and allow ourselves to be moved only by those that seek harmony and growth, rather than those that seek division and hatred.

In the course of world events...perhaps this is a tiny, insignificant battle. What is not insignificant is our personal response to it's fallout. I believe our individual actions create vibrations for better or for worse. How do we each weigh in on this subject? I'm not asking for your opinion on the subject. I'm asking how you intend to conduct your response. How do you navigate a path of thorns and shadow? Do you draw strength from judgement or from faith in positivity?

I'm just pondering aloud. Not that I'm dismissing what I said in a hope that no one will criticize me for my opinion. But I can't control those responses in others and I have decided I don't really need to worry about them either.

If there is one gift I would like to give the Shetland Community, and those folks that are considering becoming shepherds of these terrific little sheep, it is this:

I believe you have a mind, and I believe you have the right to make your own decisions.

Do your research.

Work with breeders that encourage your dreams rather than press you to join their personal battle.

A good breeder will introduce you to the breed in all it's variety, and refer you to other breeders if you are searching for something not offered in their own flock.

How can they do this? Because they are proud enough of their own stock, effort, and vision to realize it will survive because it is GOOD.

Shetlands are quite variable. Shetland shepherds are quite variable.

The only similarity I can think of between each of my Shetland friends that are spread far and wide across this continent is NOT the type of sheep or wool they raise.

The similarity is their kindness, civility, and decency.

Each shepherd is in a completely different place with their flock goals at this time.

But I rejoice in their positivity and their commitment to these dear, small sheep.

Boston Lake Farm

Winter Ewes

Work in Progress Mouse

More Bunny

Needle Felted Bunny

Asa's Artwork

Color Added...

Needle Felting Wool For Sale

Carding a Gray Katmoget

Recommended Reading

Felted Junco - Female

Felted Junco - Male

Felted Flower

Bright Sunday

Tales of Fiber: Part Two

Tales of Fiber: Part One

October Ewes

Tradition

TRANS AM: SOLD!

Never Too Old...

Pooja's Happy Story

October Morning

SOLD-Pair of Working LGD's

Progress of a Sort

Guess What's New?

Sudden New Friend

Late Summer Ram Lambs

August Already...

Tree Placemark

Having Fun

Sparkle

Ramling Update

Penelope

Question...

Horn Report

Mid-Summer Group Photos

3 of 4 Ewe Lambs

Trans Am

Sextant

Handsome Fellow

Thief of Hearts

Significant Changes

Horn Growth Report

Chives

Trans Am

The Big Guy Saves The Day!

Nhu's Twin Rams

Plums

Justina

All Tuckered Out

Facebook Info

More Lamb Pics

Sunshine For A Day

Happy Mother's Day

Lambing Summary

Meet the Sun

Lana Lambs

Hannah Delivers!

Lamb Races

Please, Hannah...

Spring 2011 Micron Data

Yes, I Cry

Two of the Sweeties

All at Once - corrected

This Can't Go On

Grandlambs

Odd Angles

Amongst the Nibbling Green

We Got Away

Shearing

Checking Off the List

Pet Portraits

Sunday Swan Return

Late March

Almost March

Silent Shachah

Let's Have a Little Humor, Shall We?

Changes

White New Year

Merry Christmas