Ease on down, ease on down the road -

Elliott & Frosty have been barn mates since we brought Elliott back from Eugene last June.  They've gotten along pretty darn well - but, Elliott was getting bored, and decided to take out his energies on his "Ramada" - do you see how the little roof over the door is "slightly" listing?  - That's because the blockhead punched the other 4"post out from under the back corner of it. Then he proceeded to work on the roof - Run, run, run, JUMP, bang, hit the roof.  Dot it again, do it again, do it again. 

It doesn't take much for a ram to get bored. 

After all, he "did his duty" in November and December and then The Shepherd took all his girlfriends away. 

It doesn't take much for a bored ram to get into trouble...See the big divot in the middle of his nose.  Big dummy -

Elliott photo bombing my picture of Frosty

It doesn't take much for The Shepherd to lose his patience with a destructive ram.  Oh, Elliott was always very respectful of The Shepherd, and never charged him, but Run, Run, Jump, Bam - he loved banging on that Ramada. 

So, now we come to the part of farming that I hate.  When The Shepherd takes somebody to The Auction.  :-(    -  It leaves me unsettled and with a longing for the way things were,  for days - sometimes weeks afterwards. 

Even the excitement of the new lambs doesn't dull the ache - Oh, I know, they've had good lives and were well treated here, and maybe, just maybe, someone will buy them to live on another farm, instead of going to "freezer camp" (ad my friend calls it)

But,  that's life on a farm - (and that's why all my chickens all died of old age, rather than for the stew pot...)

And like Dorothy said to the scarecrow in the Wiz - They've got to ease on down the road...

The Caturday Report

 Hello effurry body and effurry kitty! Gracie here with this week's Caturday report!   Mummy says it has been San Diego weather here this week, what ever that means - (Lovely & warm - only rained once)    
                                                 



 It was pretty busy at Mummy's Salt Mine - she said Friday was just a heck of a day. That sounds nice, don't you think?

(Actually people were acting like it was a full moon!)

So, today, I led Mummy on a wild goose chase around the farm so she would get out and have some exercise. 

She was being tempted by her string machine, but I convinced her that she needed to get out and smell the flowers. 





Like this pretty day lily that was a gift from a friend for her birthday last year.  Purple with a green inside - Quite splashy, don't you think...











So we walked a bit then she would find a chair and rest a bit.  Sheesh -

Well, it was warm and it was nice to find shady places to have a little time out. . 

The woolly boys were being shy and wouldn't come out of their little barn - but they finally got curious as to what Mummy was doing and came out to see. 

Elliott, the new guy (in front) seems to be getting along very well with his new BFF Frosty, and they were very polite and stayed back when The Shepherd went into their pen yesterday to do some maintenance (He was taking down the electric wire - they don't seem to be banging on things like the other woolly boys did and he was afraid that they would get it wrapped around themselves and get hurt - so he took it out.  We'll see how long that lasts....

We'd like you all to take a minute and send healing purrs and thoughts to Shadow, a kitty who lives with our friend Trish's parents in Tucson Ari-zona,  Shadow, a pretty little grey girl cat, had a very bad reaction to a "combo vaccine" and has been very very sick.  Georgie and I both got the sickies from our vaccines, so we feel very bad for Shadow and want her to get better soon. 

It must be kind of a common thing, because Mummy said the company that makes the shot medicine is picking up all of Shadow's V.E.T. bills - so they know that their stuff could make us kittehs sickie.  Hrumph - you'd think they'd work on that, or something. 

Anyhow, Shadow, like I said, we hope you gets better really soon!

This bell was rung during Mummy & The Shepherd's wedding to celebrate!  Now it lives in the front garden. 

The Shepherd has some very pretty flowers in his garden, don't ya think? 

Oh look Mummy, I'm maskerading as a pussy willow - ha ha ha ha.....















One of the reasons it was so busy at Mummy's Salt Mine is that a lot of people have been taking days off.  A couple of them have been sick with colds and Mummy is afraid she might have caught one of them.  She has been coughing a lot - but she slept a lot today trying to "head things off at the pass" - or so she said - she might have just been bein' lazy...

There was a bunch of little white butterflies flittering around the lavender - I tried catching one, but couldn't reach it because it flew up.  So I'm watching to see ifn another one comes along so I can catch it. 

That's about all there is for now.  Mummy is trying to decide if she can get 9 more posts in the next week so she can get to her 900th post by next Sunday.   Purrsonally, given her posting history, I think it's a pipe dream, myself - but who knows...

Until the next time - HAPPY TAILS effurry one! 

Love, your roving reporter, Gracie







.

Introducing - - - Joshua Farm Elliott

Like many sheep & fiber people, we spent this past weekend in Eugene. Oregon at the 2013 Black Sheep Gathering. (more about that later this week, OK)

Occasionally when you have a flock of sheep, you have a plan.  Sometimes that plan goes awry, and sometimes something happens to get you back on your original track. 

Like color - when The Shepherd realized that our little black Ram (Max) was really not what he wanted for fiber color.

So he put his shopping hat on and we headed off to Eugene.  

We arrived Thursday evening - before the show opened and prime time to do a little browsing. 

We looked at a several other rams and ram lambs - but their fleece was either the wrong color (grey/black) or course or moorit (brown) and not really very inspiring. 

Then we spied this little guy.  How could you not fall in love with this sweet face, and look at the pretty apricot color of his wool.

And his name is Elliott - my mom's maiden name - it was a sign - don'tcha think?  .

Arrangements had already been made to bring him back home after the show, with our friends Doug & Yvonne who had some of their flock of C.V.M./ Romeldale sheep there, so The Shepherd's job complete, he was able to relax and enjoy the rest of the show.

This morning, he loaded Max up and hauled him off to the auction.  (He is a cute little guy with fairly nice black fleece, so, hopefully someone will buy him as a flock sire and not as lamb chops.)

Then he went to our friends to collect his new boy, and brought him home.

 

"Hey, you! - you!  Get me outta here"

"Hey Bella -what's making all that racket?"  George asked, keeping an eye on the trailer. 

"I think he brought home another one of those vishus sheeps.  I'm outta here." says Bella...

So, out of the trailer, curious as to all get out as to where the heck he was - and what is with this wet stuff falling out of the sky??? 

Elliott was born and raised in Oroville, CA - the dry northern part of California - His fleece is very soft, and a very pretty color. 

The Shepherd is proud and excited - and "counting his chickens" for next spring's lambs. 

Elliott found his interim accommodations quite acceptable - especially the hay! 












"Hey you, in there - what did you do with my friend. Max?"

Poor Frosty - He was pretty Maaaaaaaaad that he was by himself all morning - it seemed like hours and hours, I'm sure  - He has finally quieted down, and Elliott is quiet too - Maybe all is right with the world...