Archives for sheep

Sleepless nights

Sleepless nights

April 5, 2011 | 11 Comments

"Check out my wrinkles!" No new developments on the lamb front since the weekend. MacIntosh (above), Duchess and Pippin are mixing it up with each other in the super-sized pen we created for them. Now they can have play dates. Chanel is mellow about her little ones hanging out with the lamb from next door. But Chloe is an overprotective ewe. She doesn't want anyone getting too close to her lamb, including other sheep. It's kind of funny, since her "baby" is twice the size of Chanel's twins. I love watching all of it during barn chores. I am not
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Shearing Scenes

Shearing Scenes

March 29, 2011 | 4 Comments

Come on, And bid us welcome to your sheep-shearing, As your good flock shall prosper. The Winter's Tale      We worked all day on Friday, grateful for the mild weather and sunshine. Can you believe, we didn't finish? By 5 everyone was tired and even though there were just a dozen left, it's better not to push. Beautiful fleeces. Lots of Cocoa's daughters (black and speckled) in this group. I'm off to the barn right now to check on the mothers-to-be. No "little apples" yet, but all signs point to any time now. I wish the temperatures were more
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Winter’s Waning GiveAway

Winter’s Waning GiveAway

February 11, 2011 | 170 Comments

We've hit the winter doldrums. Freeze, snow, thaw, freeze, snow, thaw, repeat. Ice dams on the barn roof, glacial ice sheets in the barn yard, ginormous mountains of grimy slush everywhere. Winter has worn out its welcome but it's too early to start hunting for signs of spring. Instead I'm looking for signs of winter easing up:  the angle of the sun in the sky – a little higher than it was just a week ago; a few extra minutes of daylight for evening chores. Aside from the drama of our weekly storms, there's a sameness to winter farm routine.
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On Snow & Ice & Sheep

On Snow & Ice & Sheep

January 18, 2011 | 9 Comments

 Another Snow Day . . . Driving in snow doesn't scare me. Eating outdoors in a snow storm doesn't bother sheep. Mike and I did morning chores today during the "snow" portion of today's storm. Even though the photo looks grey and dismal, it was lovely, really. Just four inches of flour-y powder. Wind, not so bad. The "ice" portion of today's storm is hitting now. Crystal pellets are pinging off the windows in my study as I write. I'm sure the sheep have retreated to the barn where we stashed extra servings of hay. It saves us another trip
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Breaking Trail

Breaking Trail

January 14, 2011 | 4 Comments

This was the scene yesterday morning after our first bonafide, rip-roarin' storm of the winter. The snow started Tuesday night and fell thick and heavy straight through the day on Wednesday. After driving mostly sideways down Patten Hill to get to the farm for chores Wednesday morning, I got stuck on an unplowed road and had to wait for a town plow truck to bail me out. The sheep stayed in by choice, happy for snow day. And after I finished chores, and Mike and Fred dealt with plowing and shoveling, we all stayed put for the day. Storms are
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Snow Llama

Snow Llama

January 8, 2011 | 18 Comments

Woke up to a frosted farm today. Very pretty for morning chores. Sol, our new llama, and the lambs dined al fresco on clean snow. Sol studies everything. Nothing escapes his attention: the Belties (Belted Galloway cattle) next door, tractors, mail truck, UPS deliveries. Today he'll get to watch Mike shovel snow. He just takes it all in. The straw delivery truck earlier this week proved spooky. Sol stood in the paddock some distance from the barn and watched with his ears cocked forward while the bales were tossed off the truck. The lambs clustered around his legs. He is
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Sol Llama

Sol Llama

December 22, 2010 | 31 Comments

Animal rescue requires a leap of faith.The caregivers at the Animal Rescue League shelter an animal that's been abandoned or neglected, in hope that someone will give it a home. Adopters take on responsibility for the well-being of an animal whose complete history is often obscure. You sign a contract and hope for the best. We 've adopted our new llama following a gut instinct. His behavior is cautious and understandably so given the hand he's been dealt. There isn't the slightest sign of aggression. We know that he was brought to the shelter in September after escaping from his
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Simple Gifts – day two

Simple Gifts – day two

December 20, 2010 | 9 Comments

Home The simple gifts each day brings can easily be overlooked or taken for granted. For just a moment each day this week I'm making a point to pause, reflect and appreciate. Please join me.   (BTW – In the early hours of tomorrow morning a full lunar eclipse coincides with the Solstice, something that hasn't happened since Dec. 21, 1638, according to NASA. Set your clock, witness the full eclipse on the longest night of the year with me – 3:17 a.m. ET.)
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