Meet the "Flockers"

Halo Effurybody and Effury Kittie!

George here with the summer "state of the union" event - W&W   -  or Worming & Weaning! 

Our friend Nurse Nancy came over to help, since Mummy is not too steady on her feet out in the barn.  

The Shepherd tried a new approach this time - he gathered everysheep into a smaller pen inside the barn using panels from the lambing jugs! 

It worked like a dream. Everyone was calm and, most importantly, easy to catch - no running or jumping - what a concept. 

So, without further ado - Meet The Flockers! 

This is Frostiana - her wool is much like her daddy, Elliott's wool - lusterous and long.

This is Lori - she needs a new home. 









Her wool will eventually be white - but I think this first fleece will be fawn colored.

This is Ana - She needs a new home too. 

Ana's fleece is more mioget - golden - and I think this lamb fleece will be beautiful! 

Elsie is what we call a "snausage sheep"  - she is a little roly-poly -   but she is one of The Shepherd's favorite little girls.  She likes to lie down on his feet! 

Elsie is Ana's sister - and she'll be staying here on the farm.

Lettie is Lori's sister - she really does have a sweet face when she's not being strangulated to death by The Shepherd. 

And Whoo-ee - look at the color of her fleece!

Vikki is also a favorite of The Shepherd.  We thought she was going to be black and white from looking at her when she was born - but look at her now - soon she'll be white. 










She also has her daddy, Elliott's fleece characteristics.  Soft and lustrous.

Christopher will have a nice white fleece - he needs a new home - because we have limited space - the only wether that we can keep is the ram buddy - that will be Jackson (see below)

Christopher will have a beautiful white fleece! 

Here's our "ram buddy" Jackson - he is very close to Django in size and temperament.

I'm hoping that we will have some fleeces to take to Black Sheep next year.  What do you think? 

And here's our new little man himself.  Django! 


Pretty color, good nature, and nice fleece - we have 3 or 4 ewes who are not very closely related who will be put in with him in the fall. 

Talk about a golden fleece! 

Donna, Sandy & Vanessa look somewhat relieved that the lambs are out in a pasture by themselves - but oh, what a racket!  Great amounts of wailing and gnashing of teeth! 

"Gracie, do you think they'll ever shut up?"

"I don't know George - those lambs sure can do a good holler" 

Mummy here - The lambs pretty much cried for 24 hours, STRAIGHT!  Then they realized that they were on this wonderful lush pasture, and one by one, they quieted down.  Thank heavens! 




.

Sigh

Beautiful tulips in The Shepherd's garden

Sigh –

I’m sitting at the kitchen counter, eating a bowl of tomato soup with tuna fish on crackers (is that the oldest lunch in the book, or what?).

Sitting at the kitchen counter because it is the only open counter space in the house (have I ever mentioned that my housekeeping methods leave a little to be desired?) and sighing because it is my last day of "my" spring vacation.

Lambs first day outside!

My Staycation – as they are called – little bits of time carved out so you can just stay home and nourish your soul - - - man, I had a lot of things planned – but with lambs, general exhaustion, gosh, they just didn’t get done.

So,  I’m trying to decide if I should go finish cleaning the living room or make these yummy looking cookies I found on the Land ‘O Lakes web site - maybe if I get off the computer and get busy, I could do both…


But first, a few pictures from around the farm -




Everything in The Shepherd's greenhouse is reaching for the sky.  This stuff is only a week or so old - spring is so marvelous...










And here is some of the pretty stuff I bought on Saturday at the Wonderful Woollies Farm Sale that we participated in.  "Oh," you say, "the object of being in that sale was to sell, not to buy..."

Huh - coulda fooled me...

I did sell five skeins of yarn (one of which was priced at $69!  Yay me. 

And this is the view from the barn.  In the chair where I spend a bit of time waiting this week.

Waiting for lambs to be born....

Waiting for The Shepherd to get home and check on the lambs that were being born...

But generally enjoying one of my favorite views in our garden -

Maybe I can get Gracie to tell you about the Wool Sale in her Caturday report.

No doubt she'll be bummed out because her Mummy had to go back to The Salt Mine tomorrow - but not as bummed as her Mummy is. 

See ya Saturday. 




.

Oh, it's - Lunchtime

The lambs grow so fast - this was a week ago and now the "Olambpics" have started












Ptooey - this straw stuff is just blechy -


Blanco, straw is for bedding, not for eating - why don't you go check out what your mom has to offer...






Hmmm - don't mind if I do...

Hoversheep?

The Shepherd caught this picture a week or so ago -
I call it "The Amazing Flying Felix"

MORE BABIES! (This is the last of 'em, finally)

The shepherd found these two little charmers when he went out to the barn yesterday a.m. Actually Violet had been on baby watch since the night before - I checked before I went to bed at 11:30 - she was out boogieing around in the pasture with her buddies. She'd had one before his breakfast and then one afterwords. I caught these pictures before I went to work.

I'm calling them Skippy and Bosco - for lack of better names right now - they will most likely go to Denise for the beginning of her spinner flock, in exchange for the beautiful vest that she knitted for The Shepherd this winter. So she gets naming rights.

Meanwhile, Luna and her week old babies nestled in under the eaves. . . They got kicked out of the barn temporarily because they were causing such a ruckus.
















And Pearl waits to know if it's safe to come in yet. Yup, all's clear girl.

.








Speaking of Pearl, It often seems that when one ewe has her lambs if her friend is anyplace close to lambing it will happen within 24 hours.

Last night, The Shepherd noticed that Pearl was "kicking her udder" and "talking to her side". When she started burrowing into the corner of the barn, he knew things were going to happen soon. Nothing this a.m, and The Shepherd/Gardener had appointments with customers, so he had to take off.

When he got home after lunch, Pearl had already cleaned up this young lady. Her name is Ruby - she will probably be fawn and brown like her momma -


Here are a couple of pictures that I took of the boys this afternoon - they are just a little over 24 hours old here. Sure wish they'd been girls.....

Come See the Babies!

Lots of changes on the farm in the past week. We've added Krissie to the list of lambs - she was in the little pen with her mom for just a day or so - she really wanted to get out and play with the "big" boys.











Speaking of "big boys" - here is Bode's "Whatcha doin?" face













And Wicket gets cuter every day.









Kind of reminds me of that scene from "West Side Story" -

"When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way..."







Common Krissie - you stay away from those bad boys...














Speaking of "bad boys" - look at what The Shepherd found in the hen house yesterday morning!






Just after he found these two in the barn. This is Dusty. Actually he was born second - The Shepherd helped clean him up and get him going after Luna dropped him out on his noggin.










Now this is where the cat blogger term "Sheep Furs" really comes from - doesn't he have the prettiest wool?

OK all you Shetland Shepherds out there - what do you call these markings?







And here is Robin - She is a pretty brown with krunet markings on her head and ears.











We had an "Open Barn" this morning for some friends who wanted to see babies - Luna had about had enough and really wanted out of the jug. (ie, lambing pen)








Out to meet the new neighbors....














Then a few dashes up and back in the pasture - but as you can see here (click on the picture to biggafy it) poor little Dusty got his new found legs tangled up in the long grass and, as my dad used to say, went "ass over teakettle"










Oh, Dusty, you'll be OK. Just look where you are going the next time.







We think that Violet will be next - what do YOU think? ? ?