Boulderneigh

Say what? (amended)

2009-12-30T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'll tell you one thing, yesterday's forecast didn't say anything about THIS! Oh no, the weather was supposed to warm slightly, and then the wet front was going to move in and give us rain. Ahem. Not that I'd rather have mud, but I nearly had a wreck on my way home from Salem yesterday afternoon (it started snowing while I was there). There was ice under the snow on a bridge with traffic halted at the far end. I wasn't going fast, but still couldn't get stopped in time. Managed to steer the car between the SUV and the guard rail without hitting either one; lots of thankful prayers for that near miss!

Turned the dogs out when I got home; Jackson LOVES snow but Dozy wasn't so sure. This may be his first experience with snow; I don't know. But after a few tentative bites of the stuff, he and Jackson actually played in it.(Click to biggify; you'll see the glitter of Jackson's manic eye!)

And last night? Magic:
This morning Brian couldn't bundle up fast enough to get out there with his snowboard. With rising temperatures and falling rain, the snow is melting fast, but the icy slush made for a slick surface. He even "slid" down to the barn to do chores this morning:
That's it for now from . . .

Pup presents

2009-12-29T07:09:00.000-08:00

Every year we give a gift to our dog(s), and often our friend who takes care of our canine companion(s) does, too. Rosie used to love opening presents - demolishing any box, for that matter (as does her brother Montie, who lives with the above-mentioned friend). Jackson and Dozer have no such compulsion, so we have to help them with their presents. What did they get this year? Identical Nylabone toys from us, and another Nylabone from Debbie. Of COURSE the singular toy was the most desirable, and was repeatedly stolen from one dog by the other throughout Christmas Day. (Since then, things have calmed down.)
I have to show you what Debbie got ME:Isn't that the cutest bag? The bulldog even looks a bit like Dozer! Dozer himself was a wonderful gift this year; thanks to his presence the wound left by Rosie's death has finally healed. But my heart is sad for a dear friend who suffered a similar wound just yesterday. Their dog was obviously not feeling well last weekend, and when they took her to the vet yesterday, a ruptured tumor was discovered and nothing could be done but administer the final mercy.

So short a life.
So big an impact.

That's it for now at . . .

Crushing crowds or crashing waves?

2009-12-28T11:06:00.000-08:00

No after-Christmas sales for us; we went for the crashing waves!

Since we had no plans for Sunday, Rick suggested we head to the coast to look for migrating whales. No spouting whales were spotted, but we were treated to some spectacular surf.Those last two are my favorites; the late afternoon sun broke out and provided exquisite light just as my camera batteries were giving up the ghost.

Of course the dogs came along, too. They were happy, happy!
Brian got bored with watching the waves and wanted to visit the lighthouse. On the way we stopped at Cape Foulweather, the first Anglo-named site in Oregon. The panorama from that viewpoint is breathtaking! And the little white gift shop hanging on the cliff was the only retail experience we had yesterday (we didn't buy anything).
We ended with a visit to Yaquina Head Lighthouse at day's end. Here we left the dogs in the truck so we could go inside (the last two visits I walked Jackson while the other humans in our party went inside).
If you're still reading, you must love the coast like I do. And for that, if you tell me which photos in this post are your most favorite and how to contact you, I will put your name in the hat for a set of four photo notecards. You can choose one photo, or four different photos, or any combination that totals four. Drawing closes at midnight New Year's Eve. Just sharin' the love. :-)

That's it for now from . . .

Raveled

2009-12-27T07:06:00.000-08:00

If unraveled means something taken apart by pulling a strand, then does raveled mean something made with yarn?

If so, these are raveled:Aren't they beautiful? When I dropped off the third 8-oz. skein of white alpaca at Wings and a Prayer the day before Christmas, the owner showed me these lovely items her step-mother crocheted for the gift shop with the yarn I spun! There were other baby items crocheted with mill spun yarn; they didn't look anywhere near as soft and lacy as these.

As mentioned, on Christmas Day I cast on the Knotty but Nice hat with my first spindle-spun yarn. It's coming along nicely, although my 3.5x40mm Addi turbos have painfully pointy tips. I've also spent an unprecedented amount of time on Ravelry (trust me, it didn't take much to make it an unprecedented amount!) adding finished projects the last few days; figured it was a good way to document them. Nothing terribly exciting, but if you're curious, I'm "sheepmademedoit."

That's it for now from . . .

Merry, and blessed

2009-12-25T23:57:00.001-08:00

Rick's mom is snowed in with Rick's sister and her family in Lincoln, NE; my sister and her husband enjoyed an unheard-of white Christmas in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex, and we enjoyed a bright Christmas - crisp, cold, and clear - in the sunny Northwest!

We had a lovely day. It started with just the three of us opening presents, eating breakfast and doing chores together Christmas morning. The girls are enjoying their clean, refurbished henhouse (on Thursday Rick cleaned the coop, put down floor vinyl and fresh bedding, installed a couple proper perches, and put a slanting top on the nest boxes to keep the hens from roosting there) - so much so that they gave us five beautiful eggs today! (That's high production for this time of year.) The sheep girls enjoyed their fresh minerals and water (Inky was behind me eating her extra ration), and the horses all got a Christmas treat of apples. Around noon we joined good friends to feast on Christmas dinner and spend the afternoon socializing, playing (the kids), singing (Rick took his guitar) and knitting (I cast on that gift hat and my friend Pam is working on her very first sock). I really can't think of anything that could have made the day more pleasant. None of our relatives could be present, but we connected with almost all our immediate family on the phone sometime during the day to express our love. We have so very much to be thankful for!

That's it for now at . . .

Twas the night before Christmas Eve

2009-12-24T09:34:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas Eve when the house was left quiet,
Because dear husband thought we should have a change in our diet.
So off to a favorite Salem restaurant he took us to eat,
Then he drove to the Mission Mill Museum to give us a treat.
It was the very last night of "Magic at the Mill."
For Christmas festivities this sure fit the bill!
Every building and bush was covered with lights,
And there men in bright kilts playing on drums and on pipes!
There were crafts for the kids and a cool model train,
All at a historic woolen mill I would love to tour again.
At the end of our visit we looked through the shops.
While I was a bit disappointed that sheep were not tops,
We found a wonderful welcome sign to add to our place.
You'll see it when you visit; it will put a smile on your face.
I'll close now with photos of our wonderful night,
And say Merry Christmas to all; may you walk in God's light!

Final Christmas preparations

2009-12-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Brian decided our house didn't look festive enough, so he worked on adding more decorations. Apparently, Mr. Jack Frost thought the same thing, and added his delicate touch outside last night.

The final Christmas gift I have to deliver is blocking and drying as I type. I'm tied to the place today waiting for the UPS man to arrive (sometime between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. the recorded message said - sheesh!), so will probably deliver this and the skein of alpaca yarn tomorrow. Dear friends invited us to Christmas dinner at their place, so I will also assemble "Green & White Lasagne" (Brian's requested entree) and Rick's favorite Cranberry/Strawberry Jello Salad to contribute. Need to come up with something special for Christmas Eve supper, and make at least a couple recipes of holiday treats; I'm leaning towards Krumkake and Quick Toffee (the recipe with saltines). Might sneak some time in there somewhere to wind the longwool and cast on this hat, and start a new fiber on Louie II, too.

That's it for now at . . .

Wet wool

2009-12-21T13:07:00.001-08:00

Yesterday morning I took pity on a miserable-looking Braveheart. He was trying to seek shelter from the cold, driving rain under a scrubby clump of hazelnut saplings, so I decided put him back in his old corner pen in the fold. When I approached him with a halter, I heard him grind his teeth, never a good thing in sheep. His spirits revived miraculously when in close proximity to other sheep, though. So much so that THIS is what "welcomed" me at choretime last night!All is reinforced now, though, so Braveheart can be dry AND chaste.

In other "wet wool" news, yesterday I plied the last bit of alpaca and wound off it off into a skein. Then it and the white longwool from my spindle got baths, and are hanging in the guest bathroom to dry.Since the temperature dropped last night and we started up a wood fire again, they should dry quickly. I would like to deliver the alpaca by Christmas, and knit a hat with the long wool by January 14.

With that temperature drop I mentioned, some of the rain turned to slushy snow. I'm afraid what greeted me this morning is as close as we will get to a white Christmas:I'm not complaining, though. I like our Willamette Valley winters!

That's it for now from . . .

The rest of the weekend

2009-12-21T12:43:00.001-08:00

My first real indulging of the 2009 holiday season happened Saturday night. Some friends of ours hold an annual Christmas open house, and there are always loads of gourmet goodies, savory and sweet.

Sunday I loaded up Blackberry, took Dozer along for company, and headed north. Franna met me and picked up Blackberry (who is now happily courting five Shetland ladies), and I spent some time with my dad and his wife (and, of course, their little companion Fritz). The weather was mostly rainy, but there were some beautiful breaks.
Got home in time to tuck Brian into bed. Even though hours of the day were spent driving, it was really very pleasant with the radio on and a snugglebug dog to talk to and pet. It was also good to see Franna and my family.

That's it for now from . . .

Sheep prayers

2009-12-19T13:11:00.000-08:00

Do sheep pray? And if they do, would they pray about feeling picked on, or left out, or just not feeling as special as the other sheep? Perhaps they do, and Browning's prayers were heard.

Last night we got a call from the lady who teaches one of the kids' study classes at our church. They are currently studying the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and how it pointed forward to Christ's sacrifice for our sins. The teacher planned to use a toy sheep to help the kids imagine what it would be like to have to take the life of an innocent animal (or watch your father do it for you) when you had sinned against God. She called a mutual friend last night looking for a toy sheep, and learned that I have real sheep - and how much better would the object lesson be with a living, breathing animal?

So this morning after chores, instead of dressing in my "best" as befits worshipping the King, I donned slacks and practical shoes, put Browning in the trailer, and took him to church. I chose him because he is probably the calmest of my sheep around strangers, leads well, and has the biggest horns (kids have stereotypes in mind, after all).

He didn't disappoint me. The kids (and I think we ended up with ALL of them, not just the one teacher's class) loved him, and I think he truly enjoyed the attention – AND the break from being a ram ~~punching bag~~ companion!
Happy Sabbath from . . .

Man about town

2009-12-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

Blackberry is going to end up quite the seasoned traveler. In June he went to Eugene to strut his stuff at the Black Sheep Gathering; last month he visited the vet school in Corvallis to prove that he had his stuff, and Sunday he's traveling to Everranch in WA to share his stuff with some of Franna's ewes. Franna let me use Blackberry's father Franjean last breeding season, so I'm returning the favor this year. It will also be nice to get a broader picture of what Blackberry can produce, since he only got to breed one ewe here this season. Who knows; maybe he'll sire the fine, poll-carrying ram I seek out of one of Franna's ewes! The lamb would still be closely related to Bramble and Bronwen, though, so that really isn't what I need. Sigh. Putting together the right genetics in a tiny flock feels a bit like a game of chess!

Blackberry was going to have a date with Katie, the new ewe from Brook and Lois that I'm getting. But risky driving conditions necessitated postponing the sheep delivery trip they were going to make today, and I didn't want to breed her any later. But the delay means Katie might come with some new chess pieces for the game, a possibility I am excited about!

That's it for now from . . .

What's under YOUR tree?

2009-12-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

Presents?

Aussie dogs?

Here; let me turn the light on for you.
Presents.

Aussie dog.

Yes, we have arranged our presents to accommodate the 'coon cop's favorite look-out post. "Grrr; gotta watch those thievin' varmits." Maybe Jackson will get his wish and nab one on Christmas Eve! Or not....

That's it for now at . . .

Trapped

2009-12-16T12:45:00.001-08:00

That's it for now from . . .

Transitions, continued

2009-12-15T11:17:00.000-08:00

During my last post, my guys were putting up the outside lights. Now our house and the Japanese maple in the island bed are festooned in blue and white. (I thought this "flubbed" photo was kinda cool!)

Remember the ice on the twig in my previous post? Now everything is dripping wet. As predicted, our weather is back to its "regularly scheduled programming." :-)

This morning I noticed these crocus shoots. More transitions! Hard to believe that soon the first flowers of Boulderneigh - daphne odora and snowdrops - will be blooming.

Braveheart doesn't look like he enjoys the rain much. We've talked about building him a shelter, or at least a shed roof, but it hasn't happened yet and I'm not sure he'd use it.

I sure hate to turn this handsome boy into "freezer fill." He has so many nice qualities; I just wish he had finer fleece! Before the rain started, I snipped a fleece sample from his last rib area. I'm going to get Lois' opinion on it when I see her this week to pick up my new ewe. It feels soft against my face and neck, but I am not known for my sensitive skin. I measured the crimp out of curiosity; he has 7-8/inch.
The rest of the sheep are still sheltered and dry in the fold. As soon as the new ewe is bred, I plan to start utilizing the lower pasture for the girls - and throw Blackberry and Browning out in the elements with Braveheart. Here is the lovely Bronwen, daughter of the ewe (Dinah) pictured in my header. This fawn gulmoget sweetheart definitely has her mother's ears. :-)
That's it for now from . . .

Merry Christmas to Rayna - and everyone!

2009-12-15T10:38:00.000-08:00

Brian pulled Rayna's name out of the hat, so a pint of apple butter and a set of photo notecards will be in the post to her shortly. Thanks to all who entered; I wish I had the resources to send some sweet homemade something to ALL my blog readers and pals!

That's it for now from . . .

Transition

2009-12-13T10:43:00.000-08:00

Yes indeedy. We are finally making the move from clear and COLD to wet and less cold, passing briefly through freezing rain. Thankfully, not a lot of the latter, just enough to make things beautiful before melting off. This week our weather is forecast to return to its regularly scheduled programming. I must admit I haven't missed the mud, but it was nice to put away all the extension cords and tank heaters/heated buckets this morning!

Friday afternoon the sky looked like this, and the news from Eugene, where freezing rain was already falling, was full of automobile accidents. (I hope my friends further south survived that unscathed!) We awoke to just a little freezing rain on Sabbath morning and got to church and back just fine; enough more fell last night that we were glad we had no need to venture out today. So I am inside finishing Christmas cards, baking bread, and making Christmas goodies while Rick and Brian string Christmas lights on the house. I have a few more Christmas presents to wrap and some to package up for mailing, too. I suppose I should have Christmas music playing, but I've been enjoying the quiet! I hope you are getting to enjoy just what you would like today as well.

That's it for now from . . .

Holiday give-away (amended)

2009-12-11T09:33:00.000-08:00

Deborah over at Antiquity Oaks is hosting a holiday give-away, and although I don't have much lying around ready to gift, I thought I'd join in anyway. Guess I'm a sucker for give-aways and holiday fun! Here is how it works:
• Write up a blog post (this is it!) with information about the really cool item(s) that you're giving away, as well as any information about limitations. (For example, be sure to let your readers know if you can't ship internationally.)
• Use the Mr. Linky widget on Deborah's blog to type in your name or the name of your blog and the link to your blog post.
• On your blog, be sure to post a link back to Deborah's blog, so that your readers can also see the other cool give-aways that they can enter!
• Make the deadline midnight Monday, Dec. 14, so people will have plenty of time to visit your blog and enter.
• You can choose your winner randomly, or you can set some sort of criteria for choosing the winner, such as most clever or touching comment.
• Ship your give-away item by Friday, Dec. 18. If you must ship later, be sure to note that in the description, so your winner realizes the item might not arrive before Christmas.

Okay, so rather than doing another post, I'll insert the details of my give-away here. The winner (domestic only, please) will receive their choice of homemade apple butter, pear butter or prune butter, plus a set of four photo notecards of the Yaquina Head lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. The deadline is midnight Monday, Dec. 14, and I will ship it the next day or so. Winner will be chosen at random, but clever or touching comments are appreciated!

"Yeah, that's why they like me; I'm clever and touching!" Dozer photo by Brian

(In case there is any confusion, please note that you do not need to join the holiday give-away in order to enter this one, or Deborah's! If you want to win, just leave a comment saying so; that's IT!)

That's it for now from . . .

Playing in the white stuff

2009-12-08T19:38:00.000-08:00

No, I don't mean snow, thankfully. I have enough to take care of in this cold with Rick gone. This morning, even with the heat bulb in a closed chickenhouse, the girls' water was frozen again. So I thawed it and filled it with warm water from the house. They appreciated it:
The white stuff I'm playing in is MUCH warmer. There's this eight-ounce cake of white alpaca singles ready to be plied:
There is my very first skein of "spindle-spun":Hopefully four ounces (approx. 142 yards) is enough to make a warm barn hat for my farrier's wife. (She owns the long-wool ram who grew this fleece.) There is even a bit of laceweight from the same roving collecting on the laceweight spindle!I decided to "take it for a spin" on the same fiber I've been spinning on the heavier "Sara"spindle for comparison's sake. Now that we've gotten acquainted, I think it will soon be time to introduce this little spindle to some Shetland!

I'm still working on the same two gift knits; nearly done with one and not close enough to done on the other. Spinning less and knitting more would probably help, and that will start tonight. :-) Once they are complete and gifted, I'll show them to you. In the meantime, here is a pic of my mom wearing her September birthday gift knit (the tam, not the sweater!).
That's it for now from . . .

Where are my long johns?

2009-12-07T10:40:00.000-08:00

I must be getting soft in my old age. It feels bitterly cold, even though we are *only* getting into the low teens at night. We moved here after one winter in Minnesota, where it didn't get above 0°F for 30 straight days, and sometimes got as low as -45°F. But that was 20 years ago....

This morning ALL the "watering holes" in barn/fold/henhouse were frozen up. With no break in this clear, cold, windy weather predicted for awhile, it was time to dust off the extension cords, heated buckets/tank heaters and heat bulb. Can't have horses colicking when my favorite vet is out of town for continuing education!I also rigged the chicken house door so it will stay open just wide enough to let the hens slip in and out during the day. (Redoing the chicken house and yard and creating a popdoor is on "the list.") If the heat lamp over the chicken waterer keeps their water thawed, then the Shetland boys will be the only who ones for whom I have to "pack and carry" water.
I can almost hear the electric meter whirring away with all these heating devices plugged in and the furnace running in addition to the wood stove. But at least we HAVE electricity, and wood, and plenty of hay. The sunshine is lovely, and frozen turds are easy to clean from stalls and yard. But I'm going to have to find my insulated coveralls before chore time tonight!

That's it for now from . . .

A Sunday surprise!

2009-12-06T17:12:00.000-08:00

You just never know what a day might bring! This afternoon I got a call from Laura, another blog pal with whom I share much in common - sheep, horses, fiber, dogs, mutual blog pals. We've connected on the phone and talked of meeting (managed to miss each other at Black Sheep Gathering this June); she has even offered to board Braveheart for me if that would make flock management easier. She happened to be coming through my neck of the woods to deliver some turkeys and chickens and wondered if I was going to be home! I was delighted to be able to say yes, and in less than a half hour she pulled into Boulderneigh. While she may have had the advantage of recognizing me, Brian and all our critters, I certainly didn't feel like I was meeting a stranger; it was yet one more wonderful occasion to put a face and a hug to a name and voice.

Laura didn't want me photographing her, a sentiment I totally understand, so I took pictures of the handsome poultry in the bed of her truck instead. That striking Welsummer rooster and a couple of those Light Brahmas (one is peeking around on the left) could have stayed right here if I had more room in the chicken yard!

Thank-you so much, Laura, for blessing us with your surprise visit; come again on a warmer day and maybe we could go for a ride!

That's it for now from inhospitably cold . . .

Party crasher

2009-12-06T11:54:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to a Christmas party and got home late. I turned the dogs out for a potty break before bed, and could hear Jackson on high alert. He always storms out (and has taught Dozer to follow suit) looking for "varmints" to chase off; last night it sounded like he found some. So we turned on the deck lights to see this:These two juveniles were NOT happy Jackson crashed their party! In the other picture I took (which was slightly blurry), both 'coons had their ears pinned tight against their heads and snarls on their little masked faces. After taking their pictures I escorted Jackson inside (Dozer was already waiting at the front door) so they could escape back into the woods. This morning the roof/lid was back down, so obviously our visitors have had a proper upbringing. :-)

Today is sunny, blustery and COLD. It has been cold all week, but the wind came up last night. We've been using our wood-burning insert constantly since Thanksgiving, but lately it hasn't always been able to keep the house above 60 degrees. Oh well, that's what polarfleece is for. At least the mucky chicken yard is frozen hard!

That's it for now from . . .

Awaiting wonderful surprise packages

2009-12-04T10:07:00.001-08:00

This morning I had my favorite vet out to ultrasound my ewes. My main question was whether or not the ewe lambs were pregnant, and thankfully it doesn't look like they are. However, Braveheart's break-out occurred three weeks ago today, so it may be too early to tell. Here are the gully girls getting their exams:
I have a breeding date for Brava, so she provided a good benchmark for fetal development. She appears to be carrying twins:

Dinah was next. Her single embryo was a bit smaller than Brava's, but hopefully big enough to indicate a Blackberry breeding. I hope so, because this will be Dinah's last Boulderneigh lambing. Next summer after weaning she is moving on to a spinner's flock.

Inky's embryo was the largest. Yes, I said embryo, because Rick thinks she's carrying a single. That would be a disappointing surprise, because Inky has lambed eight times and never singled. I hope she doesn't have a big bruiser of a ram lamb that gives her trouble during delivery!

Tiny fluttering heartbeats were visible in all the embryos; such a neat thing to see.

This morning's work wasn't just a curiosity-satisfying exercise. A new ewe is coming to Boulderneigh this month! She is a possible poll-carrier, and I would love to see what she would produce with Blackberry sooner rather than later. However, I don't have room for SIX ewe/lamb sets; that is why I wanted to ultrasound the ewe lambs. We may ultrasound them again in a couple weeks just to make sure before putting Blackberry with this lovely lady:I have it on the very best authority that she is as sweet-natured as she is silky-soft fleeced, and I am looking forward to making her feel welcomed and loved in her new home.

"Merry Christmas to me, merry Christmas to me, merry Christmas to Michelle; merry Christmas to me!" :-)

That's it for now from . . .

Progress

2009-12-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

Rick hasn't gotten home early enough the last two nights for us to decorate the tree together, so last night before he went to bed, Brian gave us permission to put the lights on without him. What a blessing! After chores, Rick and I had a lovely, relaxing time listening to Christmas music while replacing bulbs, untangling strings of lights and putting them on the tree. I picked up 400 colored mini-lights for Rick and Brian (I prefer the little white lights), so this year we have both on our tree. Rick got the topper on, and I hung the ornament my friend Debbie gave me for my birthday, in honor of Dozer joining our family.Brian and I put the rest of the decorations on today.

My spindle was being uncooperative, I think from the weight of the yarn, so I decided to wind it off and start a new spindleful. The resulting ball only weighs 1 1/4 ounces; a little disappointing when I can get 8-9 ounces on my Louet S10 bobbins! But the act of spindling is mesmerizing, and I really want to spin enough this way to make my farrier's wife a hat from her ram's fleece.

It was cold and clear this morning; such sunshine in December is rare and wonderful. I'll leave you with the scene that greeted me as I headed to the barn this morning to do chores:
That's it for now from . . .

News from the fold

2009-12-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

Sunday I broke up my last breeding group - which was also my first breeding group - and the interrupted breeding group....

You may remember that back on November 6 I went out to do morning chores and found ALL the sheep mingled - Braveheart's breeding group (two ewes), Blackberry's breeding "group" (one ewe), and two ewe lambs I did not intend to breed at all. So I threw Braveheart out into the elements to face any predators alone (where he is perhaps a bit lonely but otherwise fine and dandy) and separated Blackberry from the girls for the duration of our trip to Kentucky so the person doing our chores wouldn't have any hormonal headaches to deal with. When we got back I discovered Bramble had a raging vaginal infection, and started treating her for that. I decided not to do anything to abort any unplanned pregnancies, and see what happens come spring.

On November 20 Blackberry had a doctor's appointment at OSU to evaluate him for breeding soundness. Another breeder was planning on leasing him, and I had my doubts he had successfully bred Dinah. She was never receptive to him, and when I restrained her for Blackberry's eager advances, it didn't look like he got the job done. But according to the theriogenologist, Blackberry is just fine, thankyouverymuch. He enjoyed the physical exam, but that electric probe was another story entirely....
Reassured that I wasn't offering a 'dud' for lease, I put him back in with a dubious Dinah for the interim, just in case she was still open. Hopefully I will be able to ascertain by lambing date and/or color/pattern who the daddy is to Dinah's 2010 offspring! I really hope it is Blackberry, since he isn't going to cover any more ewes this season after all. The person who was going to lease him very considerately called to tell me she had an undiagnosed health problem on her farm, so we made the decision not to expose Blackberry to any potential health risk.

So now the ewes are together, Browning and Blackberry are together (where, regardless of the difference in size and horn material, Blackberry is doing his best to act like the biggest and baddest), and Braveheart is still out standing in his field. It is tempting to throw Blackberry in with the ram who really IS the biggest and baddest, just to teach the newly rude little guy a lesson, but I know that lesson could be fatal. Rams; can't live with 'em, can't lamb without 'em!

Last week I picked up a sack of extruded soybeans as a feed supplement for Russell (recommended by my farrier for faster hoof growth), and decided to add a little to Inky's twice-daily ration. She is perpetually thin, and I figured the extra fat and protein might help. She is less than thrilled with the addition, but all the other girls think it's wonderful stuff. Goodness; is there anything pushier than a pack of greedy sheep?

While not the Shetland ambassador to all comers that Val was, Brava has become my "love bug."While we cuddle, I wonder what she and Braveheart will produce for me next spring . . . and what she and Blackberry will produce for me the following spring. Such is the dream life of a shepherd!

That's it for now at . . .

Show and tell

2009-11-30T16:10:00.000-08:00

I haven't had time in weeks to sit down at my wheel, but that doesn't mean yarn isn't being spun. I am totally blaming Sara for a new hobby for which there is not enough time! Not only am I filling up this "Punkin's Patch" spindle with singles, I decided I really need a lace-weight spindle for finer yarns. But how does a complete beginner to spindles go about choosing a good lace-weight spindle? There's a guy on the Yahoo Spinning list who makes spindles; since he is a "regular," getting one from him seemed less of a risk than buying from a complete stranger. So I emailed him, asking if by chance he would be open to a trade of fiber. He emailed back and said he has plenty of fiber but is interested in natural dyestuffs; did I have access to black walnut hulls or other plant materials? I do, in fact!

Last week on a beautiful afternoonI drove over to this treeon a friend's farm, donned my rubber gloves, collected over 12 pounds of black walnut hulls,and sent them off in the mail. In exchange, I got this lovely little tool:

I do intend to get back to my wheel soon; I would love to hand over another eight ounces of two-ply pure alpaca yarn by Christmas to the alpaca farm owner who is trading me spinning for fiber. Isn't bartering wonderful?

That's it for now at . . .