Friends...With Assigned Seats

Remember how I painted all the Jacobs sleeping together on the right side of the barn in the Christmas card?  They really do all tend to sleep there.  There actually being the aisleway stall...which is the furthest to the right in real life.

Blossom is sleeping in there with them right now.  She picks a spot for awhile, then moves to another spot and then when she's tired of that spot she moves again...  I should keep a note of how many days she stays each place, just for curiosity.  The "T" in this picture is not actually a "T".  That's Clover Belly.  

Clover Belly stayed with her mom, Baby Belly, her whole life, the way Muffin did with Mrs. Pepperpot.  After Baby Belly passed, Clover Belly just sort of drifted.  No one ever picked on her (Baby Belly saw to that early on ;-), but she didn't really seem to have any close friends.  

I'm not sure why that was and I don't want to speculate on all the reasons that might factor in.  I'm just happy to see six T's now, whether out in the field or napping together in the sunshine.  

Don't get excited.  It's not sunny here.  I took this picture last week before the weather changed.  Sigh...

Some Sunday Sunrise Sheep Shots

Note the Ts running across the top of the field.

Annabelly coming up to say "Happy Birthday!"

Three old timers.  Too many birthdays!

Baaxter and Chocula getting ready to have less birthdays.  All that nice grass and you are eating grass covered in fence paint over spray?!?

Pretty Petunia.

All the fences and barns have been freshly painted.  The over spray makes this look like I photoshopped the  paint on there.

I'm not sure what is going on in this pictures.  Obviously Woolliam doesn't have a clue either or else he's just decided to sleep through whatever those two girls are having words about.  Baby Belly and Annabelly.

Three new puzzles up. 

Enjoy!

Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch

By the time we got to the Jacobs on shearing day it was getting late, everyone was tired and they got shorted on pictures.  I love the sunbleached chocolate color of their full fleeces, but also love how black and white they look underneath.  We've had some lovely evening light this spring.

The T's.  Ts just looks wrong.  I'm in a grammar vortex :-o.

Sun to the camera face.

Sun to my back.

Billy Belly and Annabelly.  Both came through winter in good order.  I was relieved.  I was afraid they'd be thin.  They are both 13 I think.  Or, wait, Billy Belly is just 12.  Annabelly was the first Emily lamb.  Billy Belly and Baby Belly were her second lambs.

Time flies!

A Grateful Chicken

Remember the chicken that likes to sleep out in the sheep stall, up on the tall shelf?  The one who needs some help getting up there each night?  She's still out there and I just love to watch the sheep team up each night to help her get safely to bed.  

Daniel seems to be a favorite spring board, but Boudreaux is a good choice as well...as long as he's already had dinner.  If he has to choose between helping a chicken or pushing his way up to the "table" in the aisleway, the chicken is on her own!

I didn't realize she was in mid climb one night and called the "dinner crowd".  Boudreaux came in from the outside stall, through the inside stall, with the chicken riding along.  She jumped from his back onto Daniel's (who's not an old guy needing some extra food much to his dismay ;-) and he walked out to the shelf and stood there until she was able to jump/fly up.

I've been trying to remember to get a video of this ever since. It happens every night, but usually so fast that by the time I notice what's going on, it's too late.  I will get it eventually.  Here are a few quick phone shots from last night.  The sheep of choice started out as Baby Belly.

You can see that as they are the only sheep in the barn, that this is a deliberate attempt to work together to help their chicken friend, not just a "oh this one happened to be handy".  That's Spud facing the wall.

I'm not sure if Baby Belly was too close to the wall maybe or possibly just not tall enough, but the chicken couldn't make the jump.

It sure looks to me like the two sheep are conferring about what to do.  Spud must have told her to change sheep.

And now look at him head over to the wall.

And the next thing you know, she's up on her perch.  I tried to take a mid-flight picture, but it was too dark and too blurry.  

Must. Remember. Video. Camera.

Some Happier Snow Faces

Chocula, reviving his role as The Contemplative Sheep.  Look, Baaxter, he's even smiling! ;-)

Over exposed Murphy, but I think it's an interesting shot.

Baby Belly

Spud.  Look how similar he and his brother Hershey look.  Neither mind the snow one bit.

A disclaimer - Hershey is one of the very most handsome sheep I have ever been around.  That being said, if you let your mom cut your hair and it grows out funny, pushing your awesomely cool dreadlocks off to the sides, and then she takes your picture during a freak snow storm...  

Other than this unfortunate (but hilarious) picture, the "special cut" he got last spring has worked well all year and we'll be repeating it later this month.  I kept it clipped short most of the year, but let it slide the last few months.  Doesn't he look like some weird uncle from the 70s?

The happiest face of all.  My new favorite picture.  Two of my very favorite subjects, Liddy and snow, and I love how she's looking at me.  If you can look at this (click to biggify) and not smile back at her, well, I just don't want to know.

Off to knit for the afternoon!

A Collective Sigh Of Relief

With a little rain and some 80s instead of 90s...

Hershey's back in front of  "his" fan, Emily and Casper Belly (left) and Baby Belly and Clover Belly (right) are all settled back in "their" spots in the outer stall.

No one is crowding Daniel or getting on B. Willard's last nerve and even Hank (sleeping in the back) has come out of his "dog cave".

Whew!

How Hot Is It?

There are Jacobs in the aisleway of the barn!  Completely against the code of Jacobs.  Jacobs hang out in the outer stall (except Billy Belly who is always in the inner stall - maybe because he snores or something).   Jacobs, being a more "feral" breed than, say, any of the Nistock sheep, don't like to draw attention to themselves.  They stay "outside".  Yesterday they were "inside".  That's pretty darn hot.

Ford, Henri and Jester have learned to like being in the aisleway.  It took awhile.  That's Heidi and Allie standing up.  Look how many sheep are lined up along the wall.  

I'm not sure who's idea it was, momma Baby Belly or daughter Clover Belly (like Emily and Casper Belly, they are inseparable), but there they are, smack in the middle of the aisleway.  I took this through the gate because I knew if I got too close I'd spook them and they'd scatter.  Let 'em sleep.

Oh, and here comes Casper Belly with momma Emily behind her.  It's getting pretty crowded in there!

Uh oh, and now Hershey (cue duh duh duh duh music).  I'm not sure why he left his Number One Profile position in front of the outer stall's fan.  Possibly Murphy finally got one over on him.  Or maybe he came in to get a drink and saw I was in the barn.  He's the opposite of feral ;-).

Daniel has been ruling the left side of the aisleway fan.  Last year he had the outer fan.  Hershey pushed him out this year.  Is he making a move on the aisleway fan too now???  Can you tell how close he's standing over Daniel?

"Ready to say Uncle yet?"

"I can take whatever you dish out."

Actually, I'm not sure that's what's going on.  For some reason, the hotter it gets the closer sheep want to stand.  The physics of it probably work if everyone's a sheep, but if it's me they are all leaning on, usually at least four at a time...it's not at all cooling or comfortable.

But it could be a show of strength.  I think of Jester as being a pretty big sheep.  He's definitely big for a Jacob.  He's actually using the gate as a head rest (I think), but I wouldn't be surprised if he's was wishing he could get a couple licks in on Hershey.  

B. Willard just wishes everyone would go back inside.

Yesterday seemed to be the hottest day so far.  Today is supposed to be in the 90s too, but tomorrow there's a chance of rain and the high is just the upper 80s.  I can't believe I'm saying "just the upper 80s".  Sigh...

Fleece Peeks

Spud

I normally don't like sunbleached tips, but I think his are stunning.

Woolliam

The longwools (Woolliam, Keebler, B. Willard, Buddy, Rebecca Boone, Hershey) have nine months growth instead of six this year, so the staple length is really nice.  Long, but not too long and no one had a heatstroke last summer :-).

Murphy

Henri

Baby Belly

I still can't get over how clean the fleeces are this year.  Finally!

Lila.  This is my sleeper favorite this year.  Lila just cruises along under the radar...

Buddy...the best curls...and the "best" lanolin producer ;-).  It really does wash out.  Just be prepared with super hot water!

Keebler - another grease ball, but we know how he cleans up :-).

Chocula on the left, Ford on the right.  Guess how much Chocula weighed!  Well, you'll never guess because the picture just doesn't really capture it.  13.5 pounds :-o.  Daniel weighed just over 13! That's a lotta sweaters!  I'd be willing to divide those two fleeces into two 6.5 pound fleeces...which is still a lotta sweaters :-D.

Liddy, working hard growing her first fleece :-).

The forecast is looking a bit damp for this weekend...so just dress appropriately and come have some fun anyway :-D.

Springing

So it finally stopped raining (for one day :-/) and the farm began showing signs of life.  You wouldn't have known we had sheep here for the last three weeks.  The horses stayed front and center, but the sheep had holed up in the barn and barn lot and only I knew they were still around.

First late winter/early spring nap.

Hank taking a lap.  This picture was taken only hours after the first shot.  The change in grass color is partly due to the fact that the sun was starting to come out and reflecting differently, as opposed to still cloudy with the first picture, but also, you really could see the grass starting to turn green throughout the day.  

And the sheep left the barn.

With Hank by their side.

Baaxter thought Woody was a little too close to Blossom's side and wedged them apart.

So he could have Blossom all to himself.  Short spring romance :-).

"Baaxter, you're silly.  She's not interested in you :-)."

Even the old guys came out.  I'm so proud of how well they came through the winter.  Those two old guys are tough!

It's been awhile since I could take golden evening pictures.  My favorite time of day.

Graham and Maisie.  The last pictures in full fleece.

And that's a lot of fleece!

Shearing went well.  I took a ton of pictures and some videos.  I'm way behind on the Iknitarod as I'm sure you can guess, but I'm going to keep plugging on in hope.  I can't say I'm "knitting on with confidence", but I refuse to give up.  It's the Maisie way!