It's Caturday!!!

Hello Effurrybody and effurrykitty!

It's me, Bella and I get to do the Caturday report this week!  It's almost St. Patrick's Day, so Mummy decorated me with this very cool hat & green ribbon.

And for all those who've been waiting, yes, the sheepies got their furs all cut off this week. 

 

The shearer guy's name is Dan Riley and he came up from Arlington (about an hour's drive to the south) on Thursday and sheared our sheep and our friend Nancy G's sheep.

Mummy seemed to think he did a pretty good job. 

He had good control of those squirmy things and didn't make any cuts or nicks on them.

And Mummy said she didn't see any second cuts - what ever that means...

This fluffy goodness looked very appealing to me, but The Shepherd shooed me away. 

I thought it would be great fun to jump in the middle of that puddle-o-wool and just roll around.  He didn't think so at all. 

It always amazes me the different colors that come off of the sheepies. 

This one was The Shepherd's favorite, I think. 

And see - they look pretty skinny and geeky, don't you think. 

They got all freaked out when Mummy tried to go into the barn, and ran out into the rain.  Silly things.


Mummy took a movie of the shearer guy at work for all of our friends who don't have sheep of their own - but the ebil blogger would not let her down load it today. She'll try again next week.

 

Now  that the guy with the scissors is gone, I can lay back and relax - I didn't want to add my pretty furs to those big piles, so I kept far away from him.  Hope you had a nice weekend.  See ya next week! 

Wordless Wednesday

The Caturday Report!

 Hello effurry body & effurry kitty!  Its ME, George & I get to do this week's Caturday Report!

Not much nooze here -  Mummy is always gone to The Salt Mines and The Shepherd has been busy scaring up pruning and winter clean up work for his customers.

As you can see from the blu skies in the background, it was a very beautiful sunny day here at the farm.  Mummy went to her spinner group and The Shepherd had to work, so we had the farm all to ourselves.  When Mummy got back home from spinning, she pulled her camera out of her basket and became the "Dredded PaWperatzi" -

She follows us around and snaps and snaps and snaps.  Mummy said this picture makes me look VERY handsome though, so I didn't mind it too much.  ! 

Truth be told, we spent most of the day snoozing inside, until Mummy came home, then me and Bella chose our favorite sun puddle spots - on Mummy's car.  One of her friends at work said he knew she had kitties, because there were muddy footprints all over the hood and big chunks of furs (now, Bella, where would that come from???) all over the top of the car.  I think it's time for her to put her car through the car scrubber, don't you? 

Gracie was practicing her Yoga and making cat shadows on the side of the house.

Then, we all went out to the barn to see the woolies.

Yes, as you can see, they are all still wearing their winter wool coats.  They were supposed to get haircuts last Thursday, but there was a "scheduling snafu" and the shearer man couldn't come up.  He's promised The Shepherd that he will come hell or high water this coming Thursday.

Personally, I don't think The Shepherd will want  to shear if it's high water.  But, around here, you can never tell.

Mummy says to say thank you to everyone who said what pertty fleeces our girls have on.  









The Shepherd had moved a bunch of his little potted plants out of the greenhouse so there would be room for the new fleeces.  Since the weather is supposed to be pretty good, he's going to leave them out on the bench outside. 

The Shepherd and his little sheep Sandy have a new trick.  When he is done dumping the little bucket that he carries out to the sheepies big water bucket, Sandy has decided that she needs to inspect and clean out the little bucket.

It is pretty funny to watch so Mummy took a movie for you to see.... 

 

Good to the last drop!

Effurry body have a great new week.  Til' next time.  George

Fotos of the Flock

The Shepherd moved his girls onto the back pasture last weekend. 

They came in for grain that night, but weren't too interested in the hay.

They were full of lush green grass.

Take one last look at these fluffy little sheep. 

Tomorrow they all get nekked. 

Sheared. 

Unfortunately I forgot to ask for the day off, so I will miss shearing this year.  Darn. 

We're not plump, we're fluffy!

This is also the first year since we've had sheep that we won't be having lambs.  It just didn't work out this year. 

So, one less worry. 

The neighbors with grand-kids are all disappointed though. 

Well, they don't have to get up at 2:00 in the morning to go out and check that ewe who, at 11:00 when we went to bed, looked like she just might be ready to give birth. 

And since the boys have never "been there/done that" they weren't even disappointed. 

You'll get your chance next year, Maks. 






All photos courtesy of The Shepherd. 

Looking back Sunday & some Random Thoughts...

03-01-2007

No snow for us in the far north corner of the Pacific Northwest in February 2013 - but not so in 2007.  That was the year that The Shepherd hurt his back at work and was bedridden for several weeks.  I took this picture one morning as I went out to feed the flock.  It was beautiful and peaceful out.

03-04-2007

And four days later - all gone and the crocus was up and blooming like nothing had ever happened. 

03-01-2008

It didn't snow the last week in February 2008 and the Shepherd went to a church meeting in Tacoma,  I stayed home to farm-sit.  This was my "reward" - a beautiful bowl of spring flowers for the back porch. 










 But I had other things to do that weekend here at home - I was just learning how to spin.  Sinda is wondering what this fuzzy stuff is - it is the first bump of roving that I ever spun - Blue faced Leicester

Oddly enough, the yarn that I made from this roving ended up being part of the crocheted shroud I wrapped around her body when we buried her in Feb 2011.   

 

02-26-2009

A heavy late night snowfall on Feb 26, 2009 blanketed everything in several inches of the white stuff - are you beginning to see the common thread here? 

02-25-2010

 
Feb 25, 2010 was shearing day.  Remarkably it didn't snow, but it got real cold right after - of course all the sheep were nekked.

Since we aren't having any lambs this year, he hasn't sheared yet, but the sheep are starting to roo (a genetic thing with Shetland Sheep where their wool comes off naturally - probably from all those hundreds of years of living out on the wild coasts of Scotland.)  I just found out today that the shearer we've been trying to get hold of is not an appropriate shearer for a handspinners flock.  We won't continue to try to reach him.

02-26-2010

It was, however,  nice enough in the greenhouse in 2010 that his little bonsai forsythia was blooming

02-25-2011

For some reason I can't find any pictures that I might have taken in Feb. 2011 - Sinda, (my 21 year old kitty) died on Feb. 5.  I think that I just didn't see much beauty in the world that month.

The Shepherd took this picture up at one of his customer's job sites though - notice the date - our end of February snow struck again. 

02-26-2012

The 2012 snow didn't stay long, but it sure looked fierce coming down. 














While somekitty had found a warm place to sleep.  Jeepers creepers he has grown a lot this year.  He doesn't sleep up here much any more because he "flows over the edge" and it's not really very comfortable.  His new happy warm spot is the heater vent in the bathroom. 





And there is nothing better on a cold snowy weekend (or even one that isn't cold and snowy) than to snuggle down with a good book.  Nora Roberts' publisher is raking in the bucks re-releasing some of her older (and far less "racy") novels.  And even though I've read them before - - can't put them down -

I got Maeve Binchy's last novel "A Week In Winter" last week - I stayed up WAY too late several nights in a week - "just one more chapter" - I will really miss her writing.

February 2013

So this is what it has looked like for much of February 2013 - Grey and soggy.  But at least it didn't SNOW!  Sorry Boston...

Happy Valentine's Day!

May all your dreams come true

The colors of February -

Our beautiful Mt. Baker

The mossy spots in the yard are getting greener and greener with all the rain we've been having.

Don't get  me wrong, I'd rather have rain than the snow that's been happening in the other parts of the country.

The Witch Hazel is covered in spiky yellow flowers.  The Shepherd has a red one in the greenhouse, but I forgot to get a picture of it.  

When I went to the grocery/deli for lunch last week they had little potted primroses at 4 for $5 - so I got one for each one of my lady co-workers - they have all been keeping them watered so they are really pretty and cheery looking

Work has been a little slow for The Shepherd lately, so he has been spending a lot of time sprucing up our yard.  Looks like a park, don't ya think?

Concatulations to our Furriends

 at  THE KATNIP LOUNGE

for the occasion of their 1000th Post! 

These are some of the 13 fabulous, fun & funny kitties that live at The Katnip Lounge with their Mommy Trish and Daddy Scott in a posh enclosed cat lounge in the wilds of the Mojave Desert outside of Henderson/Las Vegas Nevada. 

 They are having a big PAWTY!

Make sure you stop by to tell them hello!  For every comment you leave (one comment per blog please) Mommy Trish will donate 50 cents to the Nevada SPCA!

So, click HERE TO GO TO THE PAWTY!

And tell 'em that Tina sent ya.  See ya there! 

Hello Effurybody & effury Kitty! It's Caturday!

Hello Efurrybody!

Mummy finally got it together so I could give you a Caturday report!  Of course, these pictures were taken LAST Caturday - but she had been furry busy at The Salt Mines, as her work there has changed (again).  She keeps getting up and going there every weekday morning, so I guess she must like it.  I wish she'd say home with me. (Mummy here - nice thought little one, but it will be a few years) 

Seeing this picture of "da Boyz", just  reminded Mummy that she was going to tell you all about the sheepy girls spa day last month.  She says she'll try to do it later next week because she doesn't have any church work or guild work to do. 

I heard The Shepherd say that this will be the first year since he's had sheeps that there wouldn't be any lambs here - I guess getting things worked out so "the correct parties" could get together just didn't happen at the right time.  The nice thing is, that there is always next year.  But we will all miss seeing the little things bouncing around in the pastures. 

Look, up in the air - It's a bird, it's a plane -

No, it's Georgie up on the top of the barn again - he gets up there an acts like a vulture - can you see him next to that tree top? 

I heard Mummy say that she is staying home from church tomorrow so she can have tome time to herself.  She also has to get her Christmas presents for her sisters wrapped, as none of them will speak to her until she gets them sent off.  Heck, it's only almost Valentine's Day - what do they want anyhow??? 

We hope all of our friends in the Northeast part of the country are safe inside from storm Nemo and that the rest of you have a great week. 

Love, Your roving reporter, Gracie