Spring, 5 weeks, 1 week, 2 days

Yes, it is spring. Everything is progressing slowly because we can't seem to get any warmth. It is still sweatshirt weather or maybe t-shirt weather when working hard in the afternoon. Which reminds me, I should get outside and work on the manure and old hay in the ewe's pasture. I have learned to run the front end loader on my tractor, and I can fill up the manure spreader. Jake takes it out to the field in the evening. Better than using the old pitch fork. Just like a man, I can use the machine.

This is Curly; he is five weeks old now and looks so big alongside of Meg. I hope his mother likes having an only child because I do not think I will breed her again. Her weight is a problem. She looks ready to give birth right now. She also had a problem with her udder, and only one side has milk now. I think her breeding days are over.

The twins are one week old now. They are being raised by a very good mother who keeps a tight rein on them. All three of them come in at feeding time to have a taste of corn in the jug.

The two dogs are quite happy out in their yard. They both slept well and were ready to go this morning. We have already been out for a walk and a romp in the backyard. Libby is still exploring everything here. I will find out as the days go on, how she treats all the "stuff" in the house. She is very affectionate, loves attention, and mild mannered like Scooter.

Three Dog Night

Well, tonight will be a Three Dog Night up here on the ridge. Libby has arrived without too much trouble. I had to go to Black River Falls to get her since her ride was using a GPS, and they didn't know that they would be going onto I94 when they hit Tomah. It all worked out, and she is home with us. She acts (so far) like she has known us all these nine months. She is beautiful and pleasant to be around. I think this will all work out for us. She and Scooter have been chasing in the backyard and in the house just like I dreamed. So far she does not bother Suni and takes the cats in stride insdie and out.

Todd has surgery again tomorrow. I hope this will be the last time. That is my wish and my prayer. He would be happy to be back where he was in December. Now isn't that a strange turn around?

Sheep babies just growin and growin. They have found an adorable place to rest on top of a stump. I hope I can get a picture of them together up there.

Four in a Tub

Well, here is the final picture of Todd's litter of bulldog puppies. They look like they are ready to go. He said they were full of piss and vinegar. They all went to their new homes yesterday. At their age they had become quite a handfull. I think that is obvious just looking at those faces in that tub.

May they have a long and happy life. It would be very hard to part with a group like that.

Four days old

The twins are growing, but still easy on the eyes. I made them sleep in the shed last night. They are out playing and eating like big sheep again today.

Bulldog puppy pictures still unavailable, but not for lack of request. I asked, but I have not received them yet. However, the puppies have moved on to new homes as of yesterday.

Willow/Libby should have left Florida today. Due to arrive on Tuesday. She was to have her stitches out earlier in the week because Dr. Suzy, her owner, spayed her about two weeks ago. We will not be breeding dogs.

Weather on the ridge: more of the same for this spring-------windy and very cool. We can't get much growth out of the alfalfa, but we do have green. I have to go out with the weed eater today. The lawn got cut yesterday.

The big wide world

Well, they went outside and had a look around. No one paid them any mind, too busy eating new hay, except that pesky little white ram lamb. Boy, did Lucy tell him in no uncertain terms that he should leave her babies alone. She is turning out so far to be a good mom. The pictures aren't great. It was hard to keep my hair out of the picture and get the lambs as they moved around. It's windy today. I am no Nancy or Michelle, that's for sure.

I am still a little juiced on caffeine from my drive home last night. I don't know how you coffee drinkers do it. It upsets my stomach although I did sleep without any of the usual trouble.

Four days to Libby. Scooter is becoming unbearable waiting for her.

One day old

The twins are doing fine today. It isn't a big deal for real shepherds, but for a small time shepherdess like me, it is a major event. They are just as cute as they were yesterday. Today they figured out how to get out of the jug. I caught Ruffy outside with the other sheep and had to return him to his mother. Meg learned how to get out, also, and by evening they were going in and out at will. By then I had the door to the shed shut. Jake fixed they escape place, so they can have the door open again. I can hardly wait to get them outside on Saturday.

Tomorrow I am going to Kenosha to visit and friend and meet the some of the teachers from the school where I taught.

Five days to Libby.

This year's crop

Just to prove that there is a shepherdess, I like to have Jake take a picture of me holding my new lambs every year. I can do that since I have so few sheep. It is a fun way to remember the passage of time.

Oh, happy day!!

It has been a wonderful day, so far. The lambs are doing fine---eating and sleeping and getting licked by their mother. Todd is happier which makes me happier.

The two pictures show High Ridge Sweet Woodruff, or Ruffy and High Ridge Nutmeg, or Meg. I think those will be their names. I am so glad the Meg is the one with the three colors. I get to keep her. She has such darling small eye patches. Ruffy's are much bigger, but his tail is a hoot!

It will sure make the next few days waiting for Willow/Libby to arrive go much faster.

Thanks be to God!

Todd was granted his SS status. As he just said, "Now I can concentrate on getting well." It is such a relief for him to have all that fuss taken care of for good. He can hardly believe that it was a positive outcome since he has had so many physical problems since January.

Good Reason to Rise Early

I had checked Lucy three times during the night, the last time being at 4:00 this morning. I knew she was close to lambing. When I got up at 6:30, I went out in my nightgown and slippers just like during the night. Lucy was in the shed laying down, but when she got up, there were two tiny white hooves protruding from her behind. It was happening! (You should always get up early!) Without too much work,(I might have helped a litle.) she gave birth to a black and white ram lamb and a brown, black and white ewe lamb. What a thrill!!!

They are doing well, but the simple shepherdess needs help with identifying color and markings on these flashy twins.

It is an overwhelming experience for me to be present when lambs are born. I never feel closer to God than at those times. It lasts through the whole day leaving me feeling full of awe and wonder. How could anyone not believe? Thanks be to God for all the wonders of this world that I am able to observe and be part of.

I will take better pictures when I can go out to the shed for an extended period of time. Right now I am waiting for a phone call from Todd with more good news, I hope.
I have prayed for a positive result in the SS hearing today for quite a while. Maybe the wonderful birth was a good sign that it will be a wonderful day.

Puppies

I have a beautiful poster of Todd's puppies, but it is in a format that this blog does not recognize. They are just at the absolutely adorable stage. It is an Adobe pdf file. Boy, how I wish I could get it on this blog. Does anybody know how to make my Mac upload that poster?

The picture is another story. Scooter needed a friend because Suni was tired of being a pull toy. I'm just kidding, but he did indeed try to pull her by her tail. Libby will be coming on Friday from Fort Lauderdale. She belonged to two of the vets that Todd goes to in Fort. Her aunt, dad's sister, won best of breed at Westminster this year. She is nine months old. I never adopted a grown dog before, so it will be a new experience for me. According to her owner, she is a doll and already working on her herding techique. I guess I need to get up and get going on some of this dog training stuff. I sure have some good raw material to work with now.

Lucy is still pregnant, but I do not think that Ami will give my any babies this year. Maybe it is for the best.

First born

Millie gave birth just before 5:00 this afternoon. I think it was a difficult birth. It seemed like she had to try too many times to make it happen. I even had a call in to get the vet out to our farm. She did manage to make it on her own, but the ram lamb's tiny sister was stillborn. He weighed over six pounds, and she only weighed four pounds. That is my first loss, but only my ninth lamb. It is still sad. I don't know if Millie's weight influenced what happened. I guess I never will. The young ram is a mass of crimpy curls and long legs and just has patches where horns should be budding. What will become of that? Time will tell.

There is nothing wrong with having your first meal before you even stand up. A guy gets hungry with all that "birthing stuff".

This is his first time on his own four feet. He is a long legged little guy.

On another note......Yes, Michelle, two of Todd's puppies did die. He thinks it was his inexperience with keeping their temperatures where they should be. The other four are doing fine. Todd, however, is not. He got out of the hospital today. He was in since Sunday afternoon because he has a blood clot in his neck. He is on Coumadin now for six weeks. He is done with the powerful antibiotics that he was getting through a "pick" line. He says that was the cause of the clot. He is a walking drug factory. He still does not know what is causing the anemia.

My sheepies

Lucy says,"What did you say was going to happen to me?"


















Ami is first on the right. She is a mother twice over. She is pictured with one of my yearlings, Lollie. Is Ami PG? I don't know. The other two years, I could tell easily after she was shorn. But this year, I really don't know.

This is Lucy another two year old. First time mother, I hope, daughter of Ami. She is not very rotund, but she is showing signs of eminent birth.

This is "Miss Piggy" whose real name is Millie. She is just incapable of passing up anything that is food. I don't know how to handle that. She is going to give birth. I hope it is not a problem because she is so rotund. She is a two year old, first time pregnant.

I'm full now.......

Todd tells me that these little guys just eat, sleep, and poop. I love how they sleep. I guess they just fall off the food bar and are fast asleep. I sure wish I was closer to them so that I could see all of this in person.

More progress

Maggie had her babies. Early Monday morning, Bruno, the dad, woke Todd up, and he heard squealing. Maggie had already delivered one baby. He decided that if she did one, she could keep going- which she did. When she was done, there were six, two boys and four girls. He had tried to get a vet, but would have had to use an emergency survice. He thought that she was going into labor. Guess he was right. His vet was very surprised that Maggie delivered the puppies on her own. I guess that is kind of rare. Last night one of the girls dogs died. Todd said earlier when I talked to him that he was worried about her. Otherwise, all seem to be doing well. Maggie is being quite a good mother. I am not surprised since I found her to be a real nice dog both times I met her.

Yesterday, Jake took the day off work. We went into Sparta and ordered two windows for the kitchen and then went to an antique/used store just to look. Well, wouldn't you know it, but they had a cabinet that would fit on the counter to cover where there used to be a door. We went back and bought it, and Jake secured it to the counter. It will be moved several times before it reaches it final spot, but it will be in approximately the same place that it is now. It will cover the new logs that will have to be positioned where the door was cut out. Now, if we can just get the two new windows installed, that will be a wonderful improvement to the kitchen.

Naked Ladies

I just like the sound of that phrase. Naked Ladies. Everybody got shorn last Friday, a real milestone in the year for a shepherdess. They all got their shots on Tuesday. Now we just have to wait to see if we are going to have lambs. Millie looks huge, but she is a pig and has a weight problem. They wouldn't be due until the end of April, so I guess they have time to pork up yet. I will try to be patient. They are stil in the barn, and it is such fun to go out and sit with them.

My kitchen is even more primitive this week. Last Sunday Jake took down the ceiling and exposed the rafters. Now he can look at it and do his "thinking". When he decides to do it, he will know what he wants to do. Yesterday he found a dealer where we can get our windows. It is local and on his way home from work. No extra trip needed. That is good with the cost of gas what it is.

Todd is on high-powered antibiotics through a "pick" line twice a day. He has found out that he is anemic, also. No reason so far. For someone who didn't have much energy anyway, he is really lethargic now. At least, I think that he is paying attention to what he eats. I suggested liver sausage. We used to eat it all the time when he was young. He even listened to me. His "lady in waiting" is getting huge and slow. Thursday he takes her to get x-rayed. That should give him an idea how many little creatures she is expecting. I hope he can handle all that he will have to do when they arrive. It will certainly be a new experience for him.

Here we go again, I hope.

We have started again. The pictures show Jake taking down the cupboards in the kitchen and then later how it looks when the coverings and plaster are removed. The idea is to get the ceiling taken down. That can't be done until the wall was removed since the ceiling went in first. Here we go again. The "I hope" is me just wanting to make some progress. It helps with my disposition.

Update on Todd: His infection reared its ugly head again on his shoulder last Wednesday. The infectious disease doctor, another doctor added to the mix, wants to administer high power antibiotics through a "pick" line. Last night Todd was ready to just go to Chicago and have the whole mess removed next week. This morning, the doctor convinced him to try two weeks of the treatment. The doctor feels that the infection is near the surface and not in the pocket where the device resides. The drug will have to be administered twice a day, once in the doctor's office and once at home. Todd feels like he just can't catch a break with this whole thing. Prayers are needed. I hope that his pregnant bitch will help take his mind off of this additional problem. She is due at the end of March, and it is the first time that Todd has done the "puppy thing". Pictures to follow when that all comes down.

Bonsai Brockhaus

Well, here I am in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I drove down here in 27 hours. I was sort of a shaky mess when I got here, but we got here without any problems. I fly home tomorrow, Monday. I left the farm again at the worst time that I could have. That is two years in a row.

Florida is horribly crowded, and I long for the farm. After living at the farm, I would have a very hard time living in any city, anywhere.

I am down here in bulldog haven. The girls are happy to be home and act much better than they did in the strange surrounding "up north" where they have all that snow. You can sure tell that they belong here. Bruno however had another bad trip and is not a happy camper, yet. I sure hope he gets back to normal soon.

Friends

I just got lucky enough to snap this picture before Pearl decided to vacate the premises. The color looks a little off, but aren't they cute?

It's a long long road

It has been a long time since I posted to this blog. The major reason is my youngest son. He has a disease called cervical dystonia. The usual treatment did not bring him any relief. He decided to have the surgery that could possibly help. It involves placing leads in his brain, attaching wires which run to batteries placed just below his shoulder blades. This was all supposed to happen in September, but due to errors with the paperwork at the hospital, it did not happen until January 9. He lives in Florida, but he had the surgery up here at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago. The surgery lasted 10 1/2 hours. It was a long day. He was concious during the whole thing. All went well, and the second surgery was on the next Tuesday. That also was successful. He went back to Florida on Saturday, the 19th. I was in Chicago from the 8th to the 13th.

Last Wednesday, I flew to Florida and on Thursday and Friday I drove him back up here to our house. We looked like the Beverly Hillbillies. We had three bulldogs, one generator, one chain saw, and one small rocking chair, plus our stuff. It was a difficult two days. On Sunday he went back to Chicago and left the pups up here. They were going to activate the devices and adjust them twice a week for three weeks.

Today, he found out that the left side device is infected, and he is in surgery as I am writing this. I am devastated. I cannot believe that the doctor yesterday did not pick up on this. His chest was so swollen. I sure thought that something was not right.

What more can I say? I just sit here shaking my head. I know I won't hear from him until tomorrow. There is nothing that I can do. He is there alone. In this life, I have found that there isn't much that hurts like seeing my children in pain, either physical or emotional. Motherhood.

Toooo Long up on the High Ridge Alone?

This is what I do in my spare time. I buy sheets or duvets at The Company Store outlet in LaCrosse and cut them apart and put them on my long arm quilting machine. Then, I quilt them, bind them, and sell them. If there is enough material, I make pillow cases with the binding trim to match. Now, this all sounds nice and easy, BUT the pillow cases in the picture made me think of those IQ tests that we used to take in grade school many long years ago. You know the ones where they gave you one figure, and you had to match it with three others that were in different positions. I used to think that was fun. Well, I must of failed that part. I can't believe that I can even make a children's puzzle. I had the most difficult time making the two pillowcases. I had Jake help me figure how much material to keep aside for the cases. Then, when I went to work on making them, the cats were heading in the wrong direction and the pillow was about half of the right size. Tear apart. Now, back had to be pieced to make them the right size. Then, sew again, and the cats on the border were heading in the wrong direction, and the trim was on the wrong layer. Tear apart. Jake came in the house in a foul mood because he couldn't get the Bobcat started even though he had many new parts on it, and it had run the last few nights. He came upstairs after he had a pop, and we talked our way through what I was trying to do. Obviously, being a mechanic, he is not spatially challenged like I am.

Well, they are made, but they are not the same size, and the backs are pieced. Guess they will get a "reduced" price due to challenges faced by the machine operator.

Dont get me wrong, the pattern for the cases is really magic. It works like a dream in the right hands. These are not the first ones that I have done. I don't have any idea why I couldn't do it on the kitties. I really thought the blanket was cute with the cats on it and thought because of the cats that it might sell, but who knows, now.

It is a wonderful blanket however, which I know since my friendly neighborhood blanket tester was up there laying on it when I turned around from taking the close-up. In the close-up you can see that I write words that pertain to the theme of the blanket. Now, if the pillowcases hadn't been such a fiasco, I would be very proud of my product.

Wonderland?

I guess I mean "wonder" in the sense of the word that means that I don't really comprehend something. While I was doing chores in the below zero temperature this morning, I WONDERED. Do we forget how bad these temperatures are like we forget the pain of childbirth and just say "I don't mind winter so much?" Maybe so, because it is big time bad out there this morning. I WONDERED if someone could invent something that would just swipe by my nose about every minute or so to get that drip that always seems to form there in this firgid weather. I have seen those glasses with little wiper blades to keep glasses clean in the rain. Why not something to keep my nose from dripping when my hands are frozen inside of bulky mittens or gloves, and I don't want to get out my Kleenex which is buried under the bulky layers of clothing that I am forced to wear to keep from freezing to death? It is just a thought that would make doing chores easier.

I know for certain the the sheep have the right idea. That wool coat is tooooooo great in this weather. I love sticking my fingers, without gloves, down deep to feel the warmth they have down by their skin. Someone was planning that for them.

BUT, all is well inside. Outside, I did not get out to see if all the cows are up, but I will do that the next time I go out. I will have to go out again to check the wood stove since we are using some little junk for heat right now. I am waiting for the semi load of logs to show up sometime around noon. Most of the outside cats are in the little schoolhouse. Only the kittens and their mother even thought about going outside today. I told the kittens to stay where they were and only their mother went out. I know she can find a place to hunker down until I come out again and let her in. What a pushover I am. Guess I can be if I want to.....

Sugarplum Snowflake

The young lady in the pictures is Sheltering Pines Sugarplum Snowflake. I gave her the silly name, but it is timely right now. She has been untouchable since I brought her home from Stephen in Michigan. Lately, she would take a cookie from my hand, but that was her limit and that has only been lately. Yesterday we had a breakthrough. I went out to sit with my three ewe lambs, who are in the barn, late in the afternoon. I took along the usual cookies. I sat down and started holding out the cookies. Snow would come and get a cookie, but she would back up if I put both my hands out towards her. This went on for a little while and then all of a sudden she did not back away from two hands when I scratched her under her chin. THEN......we were friends. No being tentative. Friends!!! She would let me touch her anywhere. Now, why???? Don't get me wrong, I love it, but why does it happen all of a sudden and completely like that? It really puzzles me.

Today, she was on my knee like she is in the one picture. She just stood there, no pawing, just standing calmly and eating cookies. The other two girls will eat cookies, but they will not let me touch them. There time will come. They are progressing, and I am sure they will become my friends, also. It is just so darn interesting to see them go from totally afraid of me to being my good friends in a matter of seconds. Ah, to understand the mind of a sheep.

A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go......

Hi, ho, the dairy-0, A hunting we will go.

Well, not really. We don't hunt, but we dress up when we go walking this week. In Wisconsin it is the only safe thing to do. With a little help from Jake's old highway department vest and a "dog safety outfit" from Farm & Fleet and a little sewing ingenuity, Scooter has a hunting suit. Luckily he doesn't object.

In the picture, you can see the cows out in their newest pasture. It is really just a smallish area where Jake plans to put out the hay that he feeds them in the winter. It is off to one side at the back of the barn where the hay is stored and should be an easy trip for the bobcat. A new gate and a new place to feed the cows should make feeding much easier this winter.

All Grown Up..........Nearly

Here are the five little faces that were four kittens and their mom last summer. They are all fixed and grown up......mom, three daughters, and their brother. He is the striped gray one in the middle. They mostly live on the outside porch on our house. It was pretty late to put them outside, but they will be able to keep warm when the weather gets real nasty because I will let them into the guest house. They will just have to share it with anyone else who wants to get warm at some particular time.

They aren't the most tame and affectionate of all the cats, but Toonces, the boy, and the grey girl are getting pretty good.

Weather here is raw. Scooter and I will have to go out for a walk, but I am putting it off hoping that it will be a little warmer this afternoon. It takes much longer to get ready to go out for a walk since we have to wear out hunting outfits. Scooter has an old highway department vest that I altered. After the alteration, I added a dog vest on top. He looks pretty cool and doesn't object to the whole thing. I just wear a highway vest that is a bit newer than his was. We can be seen, and it is necessary. Up here the whole world stops when deer season starts. Stores are closed that are usually open on Saturday and stuff like that. We are really out of it, so I feel more included when I wear my blaze orange.

Soooooo.....Now, Who is This?

Who is this kitty sitting on my "deck"? He/she has been around here all summer. I think she must be nearly feral since we have never gotten near her. However, she is getting closer to us as time goes on. This morning I happened to look out my big kitchen window to see her sitting under that chair. I jumped at the opportunity to get a picture of her. (Hopefully, she is not a she. The last she turned into five this summer.) But.......this kitty sure looks like the one in my previous post. That cat acted wild until caught. Could this kitty be the same? Will we ever know? My life is just one big question.

Sooooooo Big

Now, who would give up a kitten as cute at the one sitting in Jake's hand in the picture? It sure was a mystery to us. He was caught in our barn after several attempts, couldn't get a trap small enough. When we took him out of the trap, we expected WILD.......what we got was totally socialized kitten. I just couldn't leave him outside, and he became cat number four in our house. He kept his claws and is often threatened with being tossed out of the house to fend for himself. He is a bit of a terror, but last night he paid for some of his keep by catching a mouse. It is only the second mouse we have seen in this house which is quite a surprise considering the condition of the house.

As can be seen by the picture, Junior Minty Fresh, grew up to be a very big boy. He is overweight, but it is hard to control his weight with three other cats in the house. He plays with Scooter which is good. When Scooter came to our house, Junior was afraid of him, and I was disappointed. I thought they would be good playmates since both of them were young. It just took a while for Junior to understand what this other creature was all about. Now they chase and play fight whenever the mood strikes them.

The other two pictures show how Scooter has grown from March to now. Within a few days he had adopted Suni and become her greatest friend. He sleeps touching her all the time. Suni does not have a problem with it except when he happens to lay on top of her. Right now they are right behind me back to back, head to butt. I don't know what he will do when she is no longer with us. That could happen any time since she is 13 years old with several medical problems. I am sure that he will show obvious signs of missing her. Right now, they are good buddies until he wants her to play. She does't play. It is either age or temperment, but she doesn't play. He needs to run off his energy. Walking with me doesn't quite do it, but it helps. He is a great companion with only one bad habit. He keeps eating the books that I am reading. Today was number three. Luckily, he only chewed the binding. The first one, he ate the last pages, the second it was the first pages, and now the binding. There are books all over the living room, but he only eats my novels. Go figure. I have been trying to be careful, but I messed up today. Oh, well, I will have to try harder