Found 'Em!

It's not that Baaxter hadn't seen the sheep before today.  It's just that he's been way more focused on Where Is My Next Baba???  And it was raining so he had to play inside this morning ;-).

"Will you give me a baba?"

I'm a good sheep.  I really am.  That lady says that to me all the time. I don't know why she won't give me more babas."

"This will just have to do I guess."

"Oops, gotta go!  Maybe it's time for my baba!!!"

*   *   *   *   *

Yes, we have a name correction.  Baaxter Black, but of course!  Good catch, Dreaming :-).

 

Baxter Black

"My name is Baxter Black!  They said that was perfect for me 'cause I'm black, Baxter has an "x" in it, I like to talk a lot, I have a white mark on my shoulder that looks like a cow horse brand and he's one of their favorite poets.  I'm actually yawning in this picture, but Mom said you might want to see my black spotted tongue. I stopped yelling after that first day when they finally started feeding me better.  Mom says she's never fed a lamb so much goat milk in one day in her life!  She also says I'm the best little black lambie she's ever had so I guess that's why she loves me so much."

"This is my favorite toy.  Well, it WAS my favorite toy when I was little.  Now that I'm 5 days old I get to go out into the lavender garden when Mom's pulling weeds and I race around on the paths and climb on stuff and eat dirt and dried leaves and nibble on green grass that's not s'posed to be in there.  She took my baba in there too and when I got tired she gave it to me and said it was time to go to the house and take a nap."

"I love to sleep in the dog house.  I tootle around on the porch for a bit then put myself to bed when I'm ready and I sleep and sleep and sleep.  That's the only time Mom can do stuff and when I wakes up she gives me a baba and says I did a Good Job and thanks for being so helpful and then we go back out and play some more."

zzzzzzzzzz

"Um, hello..."

"I'm the new lamb here.  The people don't have a name for me yet, but I hope they come up with one soon.  Lambie Lambie Lambie isn't going to be fun when I grow up, I don't think."

"I heard this was an okay place, but I had a pretty rough start here.  I didn't understand why I had to leave my mom and brothers and I was really hungry but they wouldn't give me enough to eat and I cried and cried and just wanted to go home."

"See, I knew my mom really loved me and I'm sure she didn't want me to go away."

 "But me and my two brothers were all really skinny and we were our mom's first kids so she didn't really have enough milk for all of us and so we had to do this 'cause it was best for everyone."

"And I'm having a better day today.  I'm not so hungry and the lady seems nice and she took a nap out in the grass under a shade tree with me so I guess it will be okay."

Getting Ready For The Kentucky Fiber Festival

I was asked to paint a 'cut out board that you stick your face through the holes and someone takes your picture' (What on earth is this really called?) for some fun at the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival.  I think it turned out pretty cute.  Hopefully everyone can recognize the five fiber animals.  Hint - that is NOT a lamb or baby abominable snowman on the bottom!

Poor Iris hates to have her picture taken.  I did manage to get one with her eyes open.  Sort of.  Usually she's got them squinted shut in nervous embarrassment.  I had an old "Lassie" collie years ago that LOVED to have his picture taken.  You didn't even have to ask.  If I pulled the camera out, he'd run over to wherever I had it pointed :-).

Tilly's not big on pictures either. 

*   *   *   *   *

I'm not good at self-promotion (I feel like Iris and Tilly staring into a camera!) but on May 17th and 18th...

• I'll have my usual Punkin's Patch booth set up with cards, roving, raw fleeces...  

• Some of the sheep will be there as well.  Not. Maisie. as we remember how much she hated going to the festival last year :-o.

• The sheep have volunteered to be part of a Kissing Booth special edition of Hug a Sheep Day both afternoons to help raise money for the local 4-H and FFA. 

• And...I'm going to teach a workshop this year, Blogging with a Side of Photography.  We are going to talk a little about blogging and how one would go about getting started and then get into the best part of blogging, the pictures.  I'll share some of my favorite photography tips, kick you in the butt encourage you to dig out your camera's (any type of camera!) owner's manual to really step up your skills and then we'll head out into the festival area and take some pictures.

• And don't forget the Bluegrass Classic Stockdog Trial will be going on at the same time :-D. 

It will be a fun weekend for sure!

I Knew It Was Bound To Happen

I walked into the barn the other morning and saw Jester out grazing by himself.  And it was quiet.  Nothing but chickens rustling through the straw, sheep chewing cud and birds singing.  I stopped.  You know it's going to happen and you think you are ready for it and for goodness sake, she's in such bad shape it's got to be a blessing...but still.  The quiet was deafening.

I've listened to Elizabeth yell at me for more than 11 years.  That's a lot of yelling.  She's spent the last year living in the retirement community continuing to yell at me but specifically yelling at Jester for various "crimes".  He agrees that's a lot of yelling, but he's taken it well, just sighing and doing whatever she's demanded.  I guess some marriages are just like that.

After a minute or so I walked out the back door, ready to face things, so glad that for once I didn't have to make a hard decision.

And she was just sound asleep!  Jester had snuck out and was enjoying a bit of peace and quiet...for once.

"Okay, I can see you."

"But I'm still gonna yell at you!"

"I know..."

Elizabeth and Jester were several years old when we got them.  We guess they have probably been together for at least 15 years.  And I will miss the yelling.  Eventually.

Puppy Camp!

Lambs and puppies at The Training Center!  All under the watchful of guardian dog, Sam.

"Hey, where'd he go?"

To his second job, washing dishes (the bucket from the lamb bar ;-).

"Now kids, let me tell you about these Border Collies..."

Uff!

"Did you see that huge bee just buzz right by me?!?"

Interestingly, these two lambs are sisters.  The little one on the right was so tiny when she was born that her mother must have thought there was something wrong with her and didn't even clean her up.  Nancy intervened and now she's just fine and, I think, one of the prettiest lambs of the season :-).

I really should bring Lamb Camp to a close and get back to work here.  Well, I've been working here, but you know what I mean.  I have pictures and stories of our "lambs", pictures of stuff I'm getting ready for the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival, stuff in the greenhouse...and an endless supply of sleeping cat pictures.  

I'm not sure why I keep taking those other than the complete disbelief that they don't. do. anything.  

All day.