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.
The sheep are dreaming of summer too. They were happy to have a break from the rain.
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!
Heard lots of springtime birds this morning. Guess it's time to let the Christmas wreath go.
Well, I decided to take the Instant Pot plunge. The programmable electric pressure cooker that had taken the internet by storm. And I must admit, it's pretty cool.
First off, I don't have any extra space on my kitchen. One solution, give the bread machine to my church for our garage sale.
Secondly, they are kinda pricey. Enter Christmas elf, sister Merrill. I could get it on sale at Amazon, and it was right in her giving budget. Woo hoo.
Gotta love Amazon. Ordered that baby up and it was here in a day. Then it sat in the laundry room/back porch for the past month. I had to find the right time, study the blogs and the recipes, etc, etc, etc.
Well that roast sitting in the freezer wasn't getting any younger, and I've had a week off to study and read, etc, etc, etc... tonight was the night. Actually it went pretty well. I didn't blow anything up, and the pot roast was quite tasty. Mind you it took an hour longer than I thought it would, they say "oh it cooks so much faster", but they don't mention all the time you have to wait around for it to come up to pressure or for the pressure to drop. But now that I know that, I can allow for it.
So, it might be a little late in the game for me to have one, but I think I'll enjoy using it. Didn't have time to take a picture of that beautiful pot roast...someone was very hungry and I think he might have bit me if I said, "oh, wait, I have to take a picture". Ha ha. Stay tuned for more stories from my kitchen and the Instant Pot
The Shepherd had started halter training before Fiber Fusion, but when Annie got sick that was put aside. He had a couple of the boys sold and it is infinitely easier if they will walk on a lead. Sometimes it goes well and sometimes it's like dragging a dead sheep behind you. These lambs seemed to take to it pretty well and just hopped up into the trailer when it was time to go.
Mother Nature surprised us with an early snowfall. Actually it wasn't on Halloween, but pretty darn close. Like me, Gracie isn't a big fan of snow.
I have been making up for lost time on my new electric spinning wheel. Since I'm working on yarn for a new vest for The Shepherd, I have decided to do one bobbin for him, one bobbin for me. (I get easily bored spinning plain white yarn) This green is some merino and fire-star that I got from Paradise Fibers in Spokane. I finally had to unsubscribe from their newsletter because I kept buying stuff and god only knows I don't need to add to my already abundant stash. (You think I'm kidding don't you...)
This is also the last project on my Ashford Traveller wheel, so it is for sale. Contact me if you are interested.
Well, I have been widely rounded for neglecting my blog. So, since I have a little time this week, I'll do little catch up. Sadly I have a spammer who will not leave my blog alone so I've had to implement comment moderation. I really hated to do it but the spammer was bad, so it goes. I hope you will still leave comments.
These are some pictures from our garden. It was so pretty this year. The biggest red maple was planted shortly after we moved here. It was one of the trees that formed the background for our wedding in 1994!
The Shepherd has planted our yard with great thought to how it will look at all times of the year. His 45 +/- years of landscaping experience shows.
We had quite a scare with Annie last week. The Shepherd was getting ready to go to Monroe and Fiber Fusion NW with our "teen aged girls" and he realized that something was wrong with Annie. Called the vet and loaded her into our dog crate not knowing what was wrong...did she have pneumonia like Jefferson had just had or what.
She was in very bad shape by the time he got there - they sprang into action and a quick diagnosis determined it was most likely sheep polio, caused by a deficiency of vitamin B1. Which causes swelling on the brain which leads to blindness. They started B1 shots immediately and something to stem the swelling in her brain.
Long story short, we almost lost her and she did go blind, but she began eating the next day and more shots here at home plus pills for pain and isolation from her sisters and brothers miraculously she has recovered. No blindness that we can tell and she seems to not be any worse for wear. Shetlands are genetically hardy little sheep, they have to be to live on those cold windy islands in the North Sea.
Now we just need to stop the bullying that happens when you reintroduce a sheep that's been out of commission into the flock. Poor little thing.
The Shepherd calls him #1 son, I call him Lamar - but we're both calling him "For Sale" He even comes with a little brother wether buddy. (that's a must) 
Getting bigger every day. These are a French pumpkin that don't necessarily turn orange, but if I remember, they were very tasty. I'll keep you updated.
The Pacific NW has been on fire for the past month but a particularly bad one is burning critical habitat and endangered species in the Columbia Gorge. Fire was started by teenagers setting off fireworks. It makes me incredibly sad.
One of my coworkers will be out of the office tomorrow and my boss asked me to work. I'll miss the sleeping in time, but appreciate the hours.
Well, time to go fix dinner. Fresh corn out of the garden tonight. Yum.
I'm on Instagram now. @menolly44.
Yes, the "Great American Eclipse" - coming up on Monday and I'm ready. Got my official solar shades and my observing guide - ap's on my tablet and King 5 will be broadcasting all morning. And I decided not to even try to pretend that I was working on Monday morning, I took some vacation hours so I could stay home and see the real deal. 
The Shepherd has been working on socializing his crew of lambs. They are coming along quite nicely. Next is halter training. That is always fun to watch - (not for The Shepherd, however) Most of the time they will do the "flop" until they get used to having that weird thing around their nose. He is taking them to Fiber Fusion in the fall and needs to have them halter ready to show. 
Here's Mr. Jefferson, looking Oh so Regal, and proud. His fleece won blue ribbons at the NW Washington Fair in Lynden this past week. 
Some of the older girls, looking as brown as their pasture. You can see the haze in the air - these pictures were taken during the time of the BC fires. 
All his hard work came to fruition. First and fourth place fleeces out of nineteen. Yahoo!!
