Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Livin' up to my name!

Zippy here! (a.k.a. Solstice's the Flying Farmer)

Now, just so you know, UN mom calls me Zippy, mostly, but today I was really living up to my name. First she took me out to feed the sheep. Now, we have done this before, but not for a while. I think she got kind of upset when I went under a wire and was feasting on something. I thought it was an eating contest. My face was real dirty. I think she said it was a "pie". She eats pie. Why shouldn't I?

Well..........Today we went to a different spot in the fields. Boy, did we fly in that little cart. I just put my nose up in the air so I could catch all the different smells that were out there. It was grand. Then we had to do some work.

UN mom filled the card and the wagon with green stuff for the sheep because she said there wasn't any in the barn. I just wandered around looking at everything. I sampled some dirt and stuff in the newly planted corn field. I am the only one allowed to walk in there because I am such a light weight. Then we got in the cart again and went back to the sheep pasture.


As you can see, I am still in my training crown. UN mom said I am giving her fits with my ear. I don't have a clue what that means. But I know that some of my teeth are already coming out, and I am getting new ones. I wonder if that makes a difference to my ear?


I guess I would do this again because it was good Cardi fun-----flying and farming.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

For Peti Jr.

This post if for a young man in Hungary a way across the ocean. Peti, Zippy would love to play with you.


It is too hot here for the dogs to even stand up and play. Soooooooo, they lay down and play mouth games. Most of the noise comes from Scooter. Zippy is pretty quiet when he plays with his collies.







Although there are a lot of teeth showing, it is all in fun. Even with that ferocious looking set of teeth, they were only playing. Scooter seldom gets really upset with Zippy. Libby is more likely to react when she gets too much of the little razor teeth in Zippy's mouth.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

For Kristi

Here is Zippy today with his collies. No action today. I knuckled under and got out some new rawhide and let them go at it. It is too hot for anything else. Even the FL dog wants to come in from outside. Little Texas goes and lays in the weeds when he gets too hot. Sometimes, I can't even find him. Guess I had better get the weed eater out and knock down those weeds.



I just go outside and do some work and then come in and watch some more of the NCIS marathon. What a day for that.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

To P.J.


Hi, Dad,

It's me, Zippy. I hope SW Jinnie lets you have lots of fun on this Fathers' Day. I hope I grow up to look just like you. I am sorry about my ear this morning, but I am having a terrible time with it. I think that maybe my ears are a mite tooooo big. I promise I will keep working on it.

I am having a good time this morning with my collies. We are running and chasing all over the house. Right now I am hiding under the chair with a hedgehog in my mouth. Then sometimes I burst out from under whatever and run like the devil. Of course, they can't catch me because I am sooooo fast. UN mom took me outside for my formal portrait. I sat on the rock just like she told me to.

TTYL, love,

Zippy

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Differences

Just some lamb pictures, the horny ones in particular. There is such a difference in horn growth

These two were born one week apart.


These two were born four days apart


These two are again four days apart.


This is the first born and largest and friendliest lamb. It doesn't show anything good about him except his horn growth.


I wonder if Lucy's twins with the white caps may not have huge horns. There is nothing really showing now unless you look closely at "one foot". "Two foot" just seems to have little buttons now. I will catch them soon and give them "the once over".

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Water Baby

We don't have a lake nearby like some lucky people do, but we have a new pool. Isaac was willing to sacrifice his body and go into the pool. Zippy wasn't to sure about the water thing.



The miracle of animal crackers!!!! Zippy is in the pool.



After a while, Zippy was willing to discuss the pros and cons of swimming pools with Isaac and Mr. Snuffles....formerly Fuzz Nutless.

Monday, June 15, 2009

And This Week........

First, Zippy graduated from puppy kindergarten. It is beyond my ability at this time to assume the pose of the other participants. Zippy had a major weekend---activity wise. He almost made it walking and running around the grass path out in the field twice. It was pretty warm yesterday afternoon, so we had to stop several times. He finally needed to be carried for a while before he could get his energy back. The troup was the two boys taking turns driving the golf/utility cart and Kia and I with the dogs, Scooter and Zippy off leash, and Libby on a long lead. A good time was had by all.




Former neighbors come to visit. The two boys worked at cleaning the rock that broke the plow out in the field.


Isaac, the older boy, and I were great friends when he was small, and we lived next door to each other. He is staying here at the farm for the week. Now he is old enough to really work and play with me. We are going to get lots done and for sure ride the Sparta/Elroy bike trail.


This black dish seems to be a favorite of the white lambs. I had hoped to catch one of them using it as a bed. I think that is my last born lamb, a single out of Justalitl Millie. Happily, SHE, is doing fine. That made my total, 5 rams and 2 ewes. That is even worse than the calf ratio.

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Sibling Rivalry



Note to my SW mom and grandmom,

I did not want you to be ashamed of me because my ears would not stand up, so I made UN mom take the tape off tonight. I look awesome. She took two pictures while she was sitting at the computer so you could see that I have "big boy" ears tonight. Heaven only knows what they will look like in the morning since I like to sleep in all kinds of funny positions in my little house. I hope they are still standing up because the tape is not that much fun.


That's it from here!

Friday, June 05, 2009

Two and a Half Dogs

Hey, Zipppy here!!!! I have been very busy lately learning stuff that my UN mom thinks I need to learn. But when I look at her like in this picture, she lets me play with the "big dogs".











She even bought us some new toys because we were getting low on stuff to play with. They were great because we could play "tug of war" with them.



Hey!!! That's me on the right side of the picture. Just a little corner of my fur underneath all that wonderful collie fur. I just love their fur. It is so much fun to hang unto.




At first Scooter didn't really like to play with me, but now we have a great time together.


Now you have some idea of how we play when UN mom lets us. We have a great time!!!!

Six lambs

Nothing spectacular here, just four little ram lambs and one of their mothers. You can easily tell who the sets of twins are.



Snowy's white twins. The ram has a pink nose, and the ewe has a black nose. What does that indicate? (I assume that it indicates something since everything else in the Shetland world is significant.)


Highridge Polka Dot showing off her dots.

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

One Is Better Than None

Sheltering Pines Snowy had twin lambs this morning. Happily, one is a ewe lamb.


I think I may call her Polka Dot since she has a black dot on each of her legs on her left side. Her brother has real thick horn buds. Snowy did fine except she chose to lamb outside, and I had to put up a fence to protect her from one of my yearlings.All is well, and they are in the shed for bonding time.

Lucy and her twins will come out of their jug in a little while when I feed everyone.

Another Super Tuesday!!!