Of Course She Is

Here are a few more shots from Andy's integration day.  I was so sad to not find a good shot of Kate for the calendar this year.  Calendar pictures need to be the right direction (horizontal, not vertical), sharp, good color, interesting composition, high resolution...  I think we've got one for next year!

Kate goes everywhere with me, especially if there are sheep involved...which there almost always are ;-). Her motto is "I can help you with that!"  When I let the main flock into Graham and Andy's paddock the other day, I went in with them to make sure no one tried to modify the borrowed "space ship".  Kate followed me in, but I didn't notice that because I was busy taking pictures.

I don't have much true stock dog experience.  Iris and I figured out more things than I thought we did over the years, but I definitely need more training.  Letting Kate follow me into a paddock full of sheep, while accidentally setting up a nice photo, might be a big no-no.  Not paying attention to my dog in the first place is probably even a bigger no-no.  A dog not as good as Kate would probably teach me that lesson the hard way ;-).

However, to me (again, remember I am definitely no expert), if I turn around and see that my dog has followed me somewhere, but is laying down waiting patiently while I'm goofing off not paying attention, that's not just a pretty calendar shot.  I think that means she's a great dog and I am so honored for the opportunity to learn from her.  I am looking forward to stepping up my game this year.

We all sat out there in the paddock for a good while letting everyone get acquainted.  Being a cocky young punk, Andy got a fair sampling of who would send him flying if he got too friendly (Rebecca Boone) and who would make some good new friends for him (the boys).  When I was ready to clear them out of there, Kate was up in an instant.

"I can help you with that!"

We had to make an emergency run to Florida this weekend.  My mother is in the hospital down there and needed someone to come get their two dogs and cat who were traveling with them.  I left a note for our farm sitter and explained how to use Kate to set hay out for the sheep.  "Open the stall door. She knows what to do."  I got a text the next morning, "Kate's awesome!"  She really is.

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Here's a new puzzle and a new puzzle tip.  If you click the puzzle piece at the bottom right of the frame it takes you to the same puzzle, but on the puzzle site.  There, if you click "play as", you can change the number of pieces to make it easier or harder, depending on your mood.  Have fun and stay warm!

B & B

After last night's storms and through-the-night lambing checks, I could really use some bed and breakfast, but around here, B & B is known as Buddy and Boudreaux.



I just love this picture, with Buddy showing off his "hops".

I trimmed off the brown ends of Boudreaux's fleece, and spun by itself it was surprisingly matte and, of course, dark. So much so that it was hard to even see the stitches enough to knit a sample, much less to go to the trouble of adding any design elements. I wanted something more interesting than a straight knit sweater, so back to the drawing board.



I blended in some of Buddy's shiny Cotswold curls and bingo.



This is the sample swatch with a portion of the test pattern. Here is the delimma. While held up to the light, the pattern shows quite nicely.



Here it is on the off-white carpet, closer to what it would look like worn over a white turtleneck. Still too dark?

Playground Brawl

The boys having a little fun.


Boudreaux (the brown sheep) and Ewen (the tall sheep) love to mix it up, especially on a sunny winter day. Buddy (the curly sheep) is like the small, nerdy kid who, afraid to fight because he might break his glasses, is happy to cheer on the contenders.


Miss Ewenice (Mrs. Cleaver on the hill) watches with motherly disapproval. She loves her boys.