The Titan

There has been a group of sheep here over the years that I've considered titans.  Buddy, Woolliam, Ewen McTeagle, Jester, Marcel, Keebler, Graham Lamb...  Big in stature...and personality.  Count Chocula was The Titan.  

We've been trying to fight through a bladder stone attack for a week.  He patiently tolerated everything we tried and we tried pretty much everything.  I finally had to call it. 

I will sure miss seeing you standing in your doorway.  Thank you for one final classic picture last night.  You were a good sheep.  The bravest Titan of them all.

May 2013 - June 26, 2020

Fiberuary Day Three - Knit In 2019

I'm trying to do I am doing the February fiber challenge Fiberuary again this year.  I enjoy these month long challenges because a. I like a fun challenge and b. I frequently think about things I wouldn't normally and sometimes learn something new either about myself or my craft.  I've also made some great friends following other posts.

Yesterday's challenge was "Knit in 2019".  The obvious first thought was the epic Muffin and Pepperpot sweater. I've used that for a several posts already though, but the only other thing I could think of was a teddy bear sweater I knit over the Christmas season.  I stewed on it off and on all day while caring for a sick sheep and just couldn't get enthused.  

And then it hit me.  I did have another 2019 knit that I hadn't already over-shared.  The Rebecca Boone cape.  The cape I really enjoyed dyeing the yarn for and knitting. The cape I sent off to the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival and won a blue ribbon with.  The cape I...had still never even tried on. 

I don't know why I hadn't.  Maybe because I was afraid it wouldn't fit or I'd look stupid in a cape and I would no longer love it the way I did.  I know I'd hoped to wear it during the Kentucky Wool Festival or for the Rhinebeck Blues party, but both events were too warm.  I didn't worry about it though because I knew I had plenty of time...until I didn't.

The sick sheep I'm caring for is Rebecca Boone and she is very sick.  I had hoped it was "just" pneumonia due to the crazy weather, but is most likely a heart problem that has now developed into pneumonia.  The vet was back out this morning and we are trying one more thing, but I don't have a lot of hope.  One thing I can say about Cotswolds though is they don't go down without a fight and she is still fighting. 

So as I sat in the truck where I could watch her without bothering her (she is quite over being doctored) I beat myself up for forgetting to do a "dressed alike" photo shoot with her.  Then I added in never making the Ewen mittens and the PPPP sweater or Renny's steeked flower sweater and...

The only one of those I could maybe fix was Rebecca Boone.  I decided to try and called my neighbor to see if she could come over and take a couple quick pictures while I sat down with her in the barn...and I went in to get the cape...that fit perfectly and I now loved even more.

I had hoped she'd just keep laying down and I could crouch down next to her without bothering her too much, but she saw both of us coming and made a run for the door.  I quickly grabbed a bag of cookies in hopes that would stop her and it did and she even ate two for me while Jennifer quickly snapped a few pictures.  We then hightailed it out and let her go back to bed.

Jennifer got several pictures that most people would think looked fine, but as I know the sheep (and the shepherd) I look at them and mostly see a sick sheep and a sad shepherd...who is wearing a lovely cape she made from the wool of one of her very favorite sheep.  I hope we get another chance to re-take these pictures.

Once Upon A Time...

...a sheep walked into a bar.  Ewen McTeagle would have followed me anywhere.  It was truly an honor.

Ewen McTeagle

April 2007 - December 28, 2019

Golden Oldies

My original paragraph started by stating "Renny is the youngest sheep in the Golden Oldies group...", but I wanted to make sure about Rebecca Boone and then started checking everyone and, yikes, time has flown.  

PPPP is 14, Ewen is 12, Billy Belly is 14, Rebecca Boone is 11, Woolliam is 11.  At 10, Renny is not the youngest sheep.  That would be B. Willard, who is just 9.

(!)

Ewen McTeagle.  It seems like just yesterday you were terrorizing the cat food on the back porch. 

There's a new puzzle :-).

It's Going To Take More Than A Couple Weeks

I've been told the only difference between a good haircut and a bad one is...about two weeks.  I think these are going to take a bit longer.  When the majority of the flock was shorn back in March, we didn't shear the oldest sheep.  If you are frail and thin or not super mobile, you shouldn't have to work hard to stay warm until the weather breaks.  

The weather has broken.  Or is broken.  It was 90 yesterday.  In May.  That extra wool needed to come off.  I managed to get Ewen, Woolliam and  PPPP sheared...and only had to call the vet once. Needless to say I'm not going to quit my day job and start shearing sheep anytime soon.  Or any time.  

PPPP doesn't look too bad.

Well, relatively speaking...

A little Biscuit and Muffin break midway through :-).

Kate nervously watching yet another storm headed our way.

"Rebecca Boone.  I'm trying to take a picture of Ewen."

"Whatever."

Handsome Ewen

"She snipped me under my jaw and to make matters worse, because it's summer and fly season, she called the vet out and she put six staples in on top of it."

"I"m sorry, Big Wool :-(."

By this point it was raining hard so I sat down with everyone to wait it out.  You can tell by Kate's ears (glued to her head) that she wasn't enjoying the storm break as much as I was.

Oldies But Goodies

I think I've talked about "Easy Breezy" on the blog, but in case I haven't, it's the bigger version of Del Boca Vista, utilizing the end of the outside stall and the level paddock next to the barn.  DBV is perfect for a couple sheep, but when the population as a whole starts getting older, more and more sheep needed to move into "assisted living" this fall.

Silly Lila, one of my very favorite bottle lambs from quite a few years ago.  She's not exceptionally old, but she has some arthritis issues that make it hard for her to keep up with the younger sheep.

Popcorn PeePee Pants.  Her birthday is in January, but I don't remember the exact day.  I'd look it up on the blog...but she's older than the blog!  She will be 14 next month.  

PPPP is the lamb on the bookmarks we hand out in the festival booths :-).  She makes a nice puzzle, too ;-).

Renny the invincible.  She's not old and definitely not skinny, but she's starting to have trouble with her horribly damaged back legs and can't negotiate the hills on the other side of the barn any longer.  She's loving the Easy Breezy life ;-D.

Billy Belly and Heidi.  Heidi is another of the old girls.  She'll be 13 this spring.  Billy Belly is only 12, but he was a bit thin heading into fall so I moved him into EB so he could get some extra food.  He's also loving the EB life ;-D.

Ewen McTeagle, Woolliam and Allie do still come out and graze at least a little bit.  Ewen can usually be talked into grazing in the yard for a few minutes after breakfast if I stand out there with him.  Allie likes to go out in the afternoons and Woolliam does a bit, but he's also quite happy to hang out indoors and eat hay and wait for the next Bingo game ;-).

Old Friends

I wanted to add Ewen McTeagle and Woolliam to the "easy breezy" paddock.  Allie was doing really well in there, even getting out to graze some, so I knew if I could talk the boys into moving they'd be happy.  

Well, they weren't.  The two grumpy old men who have always slept in the back of the inside stall were absolutely Not Happy that they were now being forced to sleep in the front of the outside stall.  I had to lock them in there the first night.

The next morning (yesterday), when they only had to walk a few steps to the breakfast bar and could just step out the door to graze, they started to come around ;-).  This is what I found when I headed back out after dinner.

Woolliam and Ewen would normally already be tucked deep into the barn, missing out on a nice evening outdoors.  Allie, too, but she'd be more to the front...and yelling at everyone to come in with her.  They all have to be happier outside on a nice evening.  I know I was happy to see them out there :-).

Warm Winter Sun

It can be way down in the teens, even single digits, and as long as it's not windy and the sun is shining, it feels warm to me. Some more pictures from the Del Boca Vista Distraction Party the other day.

Maisie

Heidi - who's foot is all better now since I popped a big mud ball from between her toes after the Boxing Day cookie party :-).

That is Muffin (!) standing just to the right of Levi in the foreground.

Renny

Bullwinkle, Levi and Spud

Biscuit

The Sheep Chicken and Woolliam

A little slice of heaven...and two new puzzles :-).  

Enjoy!

2017 Hug A Sheep Day Party - Part One

We almost cancelled the party this year. Every day for a week the forecast looked worse and worse and by Wednesday/Thursday/Friday it was calling for 45 degrees and 90% chance of rain.  Rain is not fun.  Cold is not fun.  Cold and rain?  No one would want to come out in that :-(.  

Turns our we were all wrong!  One of Saint Tim's big sayings is 90% of the things you worry about happen 10% of the time.  There was a 10% chance it wouldn't rain and it didn't!  And the sun even popped out for a little while.  And as the afternoon went on, we had about 50 sheep huggers...and cookie feeders ;-).

Amy (Auset Images) came down from Indianapolis and took a ton of pictures for us.  Thankfully.  Not only because I never pulled my camera out, but also because she always gets such fun pictures.  The best part is you never even notice she's doing it.  She also sees shots I'd never notice.  Very fun and a great eye.

Woody and Murphy: "Now that's what I'm talking about!  Wait...are those cookies low fat?  What are you saying, lady!"

Buddy never fails to crack me up.  He is licking the bag of treats ;-D. 

As usual, Ewen preferred to just stand next to me while Liddy worked the crowd.  Boy bottle lambs... ;-)

We rotated sheep in and out of the "hugging pen", but even the sheep not in the pen were able to get plenty of attention...and cookies.

"Plleeeeeeeease???"

Chocula and Woody showing how it's really done.  "You've got to climb up on the door!"

Liddy trying to mind meld "Look at the cookies.  You know you want to give me one."

Tabitha made several attempts at being brave enough to come up for treats.  I was surprised that Tavia never came around.  She's usually the friendliest of the Ts.  

Dear old Annabelly was the only Jacob who got duped into volunteered to come out in the hugging pen.

Woody worked the crowd from inside the stall to the hugging pen to the field to the back of the barn to the hugging pen back to the stall and then the field and...

Next up - Biscuit, Muffin and Mrs. Pepperpot :-D.

Not A Saint But Close

Here is a video from this evening.  The Sheep Chicken was already on Clover Belly's back and Clover Belly was already positioned over by the ledge when I saw them and started the camera.  Petunia comes over to help and then Ewen McTeagle.  Petunia leaves for a few seconds to go yell at June, who you can see calmly walking through not deserving anyone stamping their foot at them, Petunia!

The chicken knows Clover Belly is too short, which is why she moved to Ewen, but Ewen wouldn't move over to the ledge so she finally gave up and used Petunia, who'd come back to help, to get back to Clover Belly and she makes the jump...which was an "epic fail".  She then jumped back up on Rebecca Boone, who is only marginally taller, and I picked her up and set her on the ledge.

The black and white hen, most famous for sitting in the Wool House with me and Tilly this summer has also decided she wants to sleep on the ledge, but she's an ungrateful guest and picks on The Sheep Chicken if you try to set them both up there.  That's not fair so we built her her own private shelf.

Speaking of sheep yelling at June for no reason, that's why Clover Belly is Not Quite A Saint.  I have no idea why she hates her so much, but she's given June some charges that are very ungrateful.  I'm not sure what to do about that.  I keep hoping they'll work out a truce, but Clover Belly has her buffaloed and June doesn't have Kate's "I give you permission to punch that bad sheep back" button.

Sheep... 

Chickens...

I could also add a story about the stupid corgi, but it's late...

Aren't you looking forward to spending the afternoon with everyone this Saturday?  ;-).

A Funny Lambing Story

Lambing stories are usually sweet.  Or crazy.  Or heroic.  On rare occasions, heartbreaking.  I can't really think of a funny one...until a couple days ago.  

I help out at two nearby farms each spring, The Training Center and Final Frontier Farm.  TTC lambs primarily in March and FFF starts lambing April 1, so I get to spend at least two solid months playing shepherd almost to my heart's content.  Luckily I have my own sheep to take care of or they'd all be saying "When is she ever going to leave?"  

Several sheep in our flock have come from each of those farms.  Ewen McTeagle, B. Willard, Maisie from TTC and Keebler, Lila, Blossom, Liddy, Andy, Levi, Bullwinkle from FFF.  Both flocks feel like just an extension of our farm and I've cared for some of those sheep for years now so I was thrown the other morning when, after receiving my day notes, the shepherdess from TTC said, "Oh, and Glenda lambed this morning!"

.

.

.

I don't know a Glenda...

.

.

.

"Glenda?" 

"Glenda!  The Good Witch!"

.

.

???

.

.

"The Maisie lookalike!"

It's uncanny, isn't it?!?

I about fell over laughing.  Poor Maisie.  Yes, there is a sheep over there that, with her pink nose and fuzzy forehead, could very well be related to Maisie.  Her primary claim though is she somehow missed getting her tail done as a baby, so while pregnant, she looked very much like a short, fat, long tailed sheep we all know and love. 

The similarities end there.  Glenda is a good witch who would never think to run over and punch you in the kneecaps or bite you while you try to trim her feet and there is no fear that she'll be teaching that cute youngun anything other than how to be a good citizen and productive member of the flock.

So, speaking of similarities...that cute black lamb has an Uncle Willard!  Her mother is one of Willard's cousins.  The first clue should have been that distinctive Border Leicester nose.  The second clue...straight from an earlier blog!

Random.org picked Shelley (drop me an email with your mailing address :-) as the winner and Willard picked LannieK as a second winner, as the only person who guessed him correctly, and now all the Lamb Camp calendars are gone :-).  

Soaking Up Some Sun

It's been a little colder than I'd like (down to 4 the night before last) but I've loved the snow!  Walking out to the barn late at night to check on everyone and toss out a little more hay - everything is so bright and crunchy and sparkly and quiet and...  

We've been lucky and no wind.  Everyone can handle single digits when there is no wind.  Beautiful sunshine yesterday.  Clouds moving in today and we are headed back to the mid 60s and rain in a couple days.  I (and the sheep, but maybe not the chickens ;-) will take sunny cold and frozen any day!   

Annabelly, Billy Belly and Heidi

Keebler and Allie

Keebs again

Buddy.  He may never have a cool 'do but he has awesome ear fuzz :-D.

Hershey, Hank and Liddy

Ewen

Oh, and from the If something weird is going to happen, it's going to happen to Maisie department...here's a sort of funny Maisie story.

I did remember to unhook the hose from the hydrant last week, but forgot to drain said hose...so it's been full of ice for the last four or five days.  Not really a problem as I can carry buckets of water to refill the water tanks.  Just an inconvenience...much like the pioneers faced ;-).

The other night I was carrying out a big bucket of water.  Somehow Maisie bumped into it and got thoroughly splashed.  It was heading down to five that night.  Five and wet would be horrible, except it was Maisie, who has probably five or six inches of wool on her so it probably hadn't reached her skin.

Still, I didn't want her to lie down and have it soak in, so I quickly (and sort of without thinking) started madly brushing as much water off her side as I could.  For those who've met the little darling, let's just stop and think about what was going to happen next...

 At least I lived to tell the story ;-D.