Just another fall day in paradise

It was beautiful for a walk about on Saturday and I couldn't help myself from taking a picture of our lovely yard.  The Shepherd really works hard on keeping it that way too. 

The end of the season.

All that's left in the garden are the butternut squashes.  They are a mini variety, just the right size for dinner for two. 

Almost Alaska sized!

The Shepherd doesn't do anything by halves and his cabbages this year are as big as your head!  He's got mondo acorn squash coming on too.  Everyone who wanted some at church this morning was rewarded, with one gal getting this one to take home "to make sauerkraut" she said excitedly. 

Gosh they've grown!

They are only 4 months old, but they know who brings out their hay.  Our little girls love their Shepherd.

What's in bloom?

I have had beautiful flowers from The Shepherd's garden on my desk for the last month and a half.  It's so much fun and so cheery.  Always a nice surprise to see what he picks and leaves in my car.

Love summer!

It's green bean time again. It's also what's for dinner for the next month or so.  Sure glad they are tasty. 

Let the wailing begin

 One of my least favorite times (well, really my VERY LEAST favorite time) on the farm is weaning day. 

Everyone is gathered up, and moms go into one pasture and babies go into another.

 Our friend Nancy G. came over to help.  We coincided the weaning with ear tags for all the babies. 

You see, in order to take an animal off our premises, it MUST have an ear tag.  The Shepherd got a rather nasty letter from the feds for taking a couple of ram lambs to the auction without them last year. 

The feds want to know where our sheep are at all times.

Hmm - too bad they don't feel that way about immigrant babies.  Sorry, I digress...

   So, we have 22 sheep, 12 babies, 6 mamas, 3 yearling ewes and one auntie who is a non-breeder.

The have all been screaming ever since Friday night - the lambs wanting to know where there mommies were - the mommies, whose udders were getting tight, wanting to know where their babies were - and the teen-aged girls and Auntie Donna wanting to know what they were missing out on...

 Hey, you, where'd you put the lambs? 

Actually, the moms and yearling ewes have quieted down significantly, but the baaabies - Not so much -

I'll be very glad for Monday this week. 

Moooommmmm, mooommmmm, where are you? 

Peacock colors

I was looking for a change-up in my life and decided to get some color streaks in my hair.  I couldn't love it more. 

Loving spring in the northwest

Dogwoods are just one of my favorite flowering trees.  This one is outside the restaurant where I had lunch with my girlfriend today. 

Spring pretties

This peony was given to me about 10 years ago by my friend Diane H.  Even though it's planted in kind if a sketchy place (more rocks than dirt,I think)it has flourished and has about 8 or 10 buds on it this year.  They start out dark and as,the,blossom opens it fades to pink.  Such a beautiful flower.  Thanks to my friend for so many years of beauty! 

Dreaming of summer

The Shepherd is just going nuts with too many things to do right now, and then there are all these little plants that need transplanted out of the seedling,flats.  A farmer's work is never done

A little thistle salad for breakfast anyone?

The sheepies have been out in the pasture right by the front gate the last few days when I've been leaving for work.  The lambs are growing so fast right now! 

Growing like Topsey

Oh my.  These lambs are growing so fast you can almost see them change from day to day! 

Down the garden path.

Happy May Day all. 

They saved the best for last

With one more ewe left to lamb, on Monday afternoon The Shepherd told our friend Nancy that he wanted a "Panda Girl" - or a ewe lamb with a white head, dark eye patches and white socks. 

Well, what do you know? 

His wish was granted.








Meet Cali - or, "Marietta's California Girl"

Her dark color is Dark Brown, and she's cute as a button, don't you think? 

He let mom's and babies who were born last weekend out this morning - Pure Pandemonium!  But so fun to watch, and listen to.

Pictures soon.   

One Busy Day

 It's been a nerve wracking time waiting for the lambs this year - after Vanessa having triplets and taking so LONG to do it - The Shepherd was starting to get just a little bit sleep deprived.

So even though he was thinking that Lyla and Katie might have babies today we still went ahead and headed off to church this morning.

 Sure enough- when we got home - Katie was in full labor and a little freaked out - the little one would not pop out - he had to pull her out.  Turns out her elbows were kind of compressed and when he got them straightened out - plop, out she came.  Katie is a new mom, but just fabulous - got her up and cleaned off. 

We had planned to drive down to Skagit county to look at the tulips in bloom and have dinner to celebrate our 24th anniversary (actually tomorrow)

One more check on Katie before we left and discovered she'd had another one.  All seemed healthy, so we went ahead and drove out the driveway.

 Dinner at The Outback Steak House was delicious.

And the tulips were quite beautiful.

An added bonus of a flock of snow geese - picking up some extra calories before they head out for summer nesting grounds.  

Here's a picture of Katie with "Colleen" her second one - has about a half dozen white hairs on the top of her little brown head.  

 And this was our surprise when we got home - Lyla had a set of twins too!  The littlest one was still wet, so they couldn't have been more than a half hour old. 

That's 4 more ewes!!!

Happy Earth Day and Happy Anniversary to US!

That's 9 lambs, 2 rams and 8 ewe lambs - Now he has to decide who goes and who stays - that's the hard part.

Happy week to you!  

Out in the wide world

The triplets got to go outside yesterday.  Two moms down, 4 to go!!

Here they are

Here is a first picture of the tribe.  Two ewe lambs and a ram lamb who will soon become an "it" . They are all doing well.  Mama's udder was a little blocked from being so distended for the last week, but the lambs had pretty much taken care of that by this morning.  He bottle fed some colostrum and will get some milk replacer for the littlest one just to make sure she thrives. Vanessa didn't seem to mind and even gave the babies a face washing afterwards. 

There was a reason.

Everyone kept saying, "is she having triplets?"  But we didn't think so, never have had triplets born on our farm.  Well we have now.  The Shepherd just called me at work and Vanessa had two girls and a boy this morning.  Pictures soon! 

First lambs

Well I'm a little late with this, they are a week old today. We still have 5 more ewes in waiting.  It's going to be a long month. 

Happy Easter

We're on relaxed baby watch right now. Their udders are VERY full, but they haven't dropped yet.   They held off for Easter. 

One good thing

Boys went to the auction last week so now he has a separate little pasture to put our yearling ewes in while we have lambs coming.  It was kind of like weaning all over again (crying lambs into the night) but in the long run it will be calmer in the big barn.  Lambing should start next week. 

Happy Spring

The daffodils are popping out all over the place.  Lambs will be soon to follow. 

Also dreaming of summer...

The sheep are dreaming of summer too.  They were happy to have a break from the rain. 

Dreaming of summer

Got these little beauties at the store last night.  They were on sale for Valentine's Day, $5 for a little carton with twice this many berries.  Surprisingly they are quite good.  I'll eat a few fresh and freeze the rest to put in my yogurt for breakfasts.  Yum.  Worth every penny. 

Oh and I forgot to mention that we had a northeaster blowing, it was like 20 degrees outside.  Brrrrr.  But it's warned up today and the wind has stopped. 

Have a great weekend!

Time to let go

Heard lots of springtime birds this morning.  Guess it's time to let the Christmas wreath go.