Oh, goody!!! New hay!!!

There isn't enough fresh grass in my small pasture to make the girls happy, so they were real enthusiastic about a fresh bale of hay,   The lambs had never had hay this way, so they were excited, too, for the novelty of the experience.  Yes, they all got full of chaff, but they really didn't care.

Look carefully and you will see a white lamb in the bottom of the feeder.    Black gulmoget girl on left. 

These are five of the seven lambs.   Little girl, single, on the left.   Gulmoget twins-- moorit in the foreground and black at the feeder.    Solid moorit single and and one of the white twins.

Maybe the rain or snow tonight will clean them up.   Today it is winter again with lots of wind and spotty showers.    Once I even saw those tiny snow balls when I let the dogs in the house.    Next week we are supposed to have a day in the mid-eighty's.  Go  figure--------Wisconsin!

Carrie & Campbell

Sunday early afternoon brought the last two lambs.    They are Carrie and Campbell.    Carrie is a black gulmoget and Campbell is a moorit gulmoget.    I wish it was the other way around, but can't complain since at least one of them is a ewe lamb.

Here they are getting acquainted with the guy in the next cell.  It is probably Whalan since he is the most outgoing of the "W" twins.

Everyone has a name now.    Denver, moorit ram lamb,  Martina, white with brown spots ewe lamb, Johnny, black ram lamb, Carrie, black gulmoget ewe lamb,  Campbell, moorit gulmoget ram lamb, Whalan, white ram lamb, and Willie, white ram lamb.   It won't be long, and they will be makin' some powerful good music together.

Lambing, so far..............

Wheat had twin ram lambs last Saturday night.    

 Minnie had a single ewe lamb at 7:30 yesterday morning.

 This is a closer picture of my lone ewe lamb.   She is adorable.

 Juni B had a single black ram lamb. Johnny, about two hours later.

 Juni's mom, Darla had a single moorit ram lamb two hours after her daughter from last year.

Whalen and Willie really like basking in the rare sunlight in the front of the garage/lambing barn door.  I put the blanket down, and they promptly settled down for a nap.  I have one ewe yet to lamb.  She is Minnie's mom.  Maybe their line will give me all girls this year.

My herd is very small, so lambing is a real big deal here.   I was so shocked to have three ewes lamb yesterday morning.  The weather was not cooperative, but we managed.  They did most of the work to get them dried and fed and warmed.  Today they are jumping all over their jugs and keeping me from doing anything because I keep running out there to snuggle them.

Their names will reflect their mother's first initial and the names, first or last, of country singers.   Little girl and one boy are not yet named.    Some suggestions have been made, but they have been rejected by the shepherdess.   (All suggestions would be appreciated.  I don't do country music.)

March is here!!!

Here it is................our official photo for 2013.    They all look so sweet in the picture when they are not making a fuss about something.     They really do get along quite well.    They went for a walk a few days ago.   They remember all their commands when walking, but they were not happy when they did not  go out again the next day.   I will be so happy when we can get out every day. 

In the sheep shed:    I am happy to just have my nine poll carrying sheep.    I am hoping for the three mature ewes to lamb this spring.    We will be late, after May first.    I want to be able to go out to check for lambs in the night in my bed clothes.   No cold shepherdess or cold lambs.   I am not breeding for any particular time, so warm weather lambs are just fine here.  One thing I do know is that I will be looking for a new ram for next year.    I need one so that I can breed my lambs from last year.   Right now the next thing on the calendar is shearing and lamb fleeces.     Hooray!

In the house, Jake has had one of his thumbs fixed.    The thumb joint was bone on bone just like the shoulder and knees.   He is doing well having skipped the cast and just jumped to the splint after three weeks in a soft cast post surgery.   On March 25 he may begin being weaned off of the splint.    He does not have pain in the thumb now.    Next year he plans to have the other one fixed.    Then I think he will be done with the arthritis thing.

We have had much snow in February, but I am ready for spring.   I have done a lot of spinning during the winter and knitting also.    I have only knit shawls since they use up a great amount of wool.    I did make a cowl that I liked, also.    I don't spin or knit well, but I enjoy doing the shawls because they are simple to knit.    I have joined a small group that knits at a library on Thursday afternoons in a small town nearby.    It had been lots of fun and the source of many laughs and many new books to read and, best of all, new friends.

This is the first shawl.   It has kept me warm through some cold days this winter.    Since this one, there have been four others.    They are all different colors and have different edges.   The first two were three ply, and the rest are two ply.    Two ply is heavy enough, but I like my heavy one.  Beaver doesn't look particularly happy to be modeling the shawl, but he is still in the same position as I write this.   Guess it can't be too bad.

Everyone here at the farm will be very glad when spring gets here.

'Tis the Season

     Fleece on Earth!   Good Wool to Ewe!!                        And a Happy Ewe Year!


From all the cats, dogs, cattle, and people at High Ridge Farm.

Dolly (not the sheep), the robot

One of the best birthday presents I have ever received.................and it is a vacuum cleaner.     Leave it to a husband to give a wife a vacuum cleaner as a gift.    BUT, I couldn't be more excited.     It is a robot!!!    WOW!    It cleans by itself.    

So far the dogs just looked at it funny and then went on their merry ways.    The two cats were much more upset by the thing that moved and made noise.    They will get  used to it.

It really works without my help.    I just have to redirect it when it gets stuck somewhere.   Does this make me part of the 21st century even though I am not welded to my cell phone and seldom even have it when I need it?   I don't care; I love Dolly.

Hug a Sheep Day

October 27 is Hug a Sheep Day.    The girls are looking forward to it.     They are especially hoping it will be a warm, clear, sunny day.   They sure do like to be hugged.    Stop on over and hug a sheep with me.