Sunday Stills - Transitions

For this next weeks challenge I want you to photograph your interpretation of a transition……what comes to my mind is one that goes from the end of winter to the beginning of spring but you might want to do something uniquely different.

Well, an obvious transition on a sheep farm and what I'd originally planned for today's challenge is shearing. However, I was afraid if I posted too many days of fiber photos that Ed's head might explode, so I headed out for some budding blooms ;-).













For more transitional Sunday Stills...

When We Last Saw Our Hero...

He was waiting patiently (Graham-patiently that is ;-) for a haircut.



Marcel: "Please, mister. Can you hold him down for a little longer? A few of us have some stuff we want to, um, say to him."



Marcel ended up one of my favorite shears. Look how dark chocolate brown he was underneath all those sunbleached tips!



Pretty, pretty. The first picture is truer color - more brown than red.



Petunia, our other moorit, is a completely different type of brown (and fleece - see how loose the locks are compared to Marcel's?). She turned "oatmeal" after her first shearing several years ago and continues to be one of my favorite fleeces.



Petunia is one of the most laid back, easy going sheep on the farm...but she ain't so into shearing. I think she's been shorn four (or could it be five?) years now and there was only minimal improvement this time. Gavin spent some extra time with her, making sure she was more relaxed when they finished than when they started, even kissing her on the nose before he turned her loose.

"I don't care what you do. I don't like shearers and I HATE getting my hair cut!"



Keebs isn't much into it either.

"I just hope you don't mess my hair up like that one time!"



Pretty Mia. Pretty fleece. Pretty tough to shear as well. Sigh. Always tip your sheep shearer.



And I wish I'd gotten a better wide angle picture of this huge fleece (see it piled all the way to the wall?). Who's sitting there all pretty, behaving herself like a good sheep should?

Yep, that's Renny!

Renny looks like she lost about 100 pounds yesterday. And it's the prettiest shade of gray. Very long, not super soft, but with great character (sheep and fleece). The very best kind.

And yes, it was wrapped in her green sheet :-)

The Cardinal Rule

Shearing Day!!!

Bill Haudenschield brought a new (to us) shearer with him this trip, Gavin McKerrow. And he broke The Cardinal Rule.



Never...



Ever...



Turn your back on Graham Lamb.

Look at those wheels turning while he's waiting his turn.

Shearing went well. Uneventful. The best kind. More pictures (with a couple surprises) tomorrow.



In the meantime, who do you think this is?

In Case You've Ever Wondered If Sheep Have Feelings

Over the last several days, I've watched two of our old sheep behave in a way that I'm sure "the experts" would not agree with. The same experts who'd also most likely say that chickens don't have the awareness or concern for their friends and family either.


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Jester, Joshua and Elizabeth are the last of our original flock of Jacobs. They are all at least 11 years old, if not older, maybe much older. Jester became a favorite sheep early on, not only for his interesting horns, golden eyes and "moo-o-o" instead of "maa-a-a", but for some unusual behavior.

Jester is the flock guardian. He adopted Emily when we brought her in. She was a 6 month old lamb trying to mix with a flock of older sheep. Not only was she young, but they'd allowed her to be bred and she soon had Annabelly. He adopted her too. Then came Billy Belly and Baby Belly. Also adopted. Casper Belly? Yep.

By adopted I mean he watched over them. He'd stand by them watching you while you trimmed feet, vaccinated... Billy Belly's first hair cut? Jester stood right on the other side of the gate and watched. Those original five Jacobs were all tight, but for some reason he took to Emily and we like to call him Uncle Jester.


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Here he is standing with Emily and Casper Belly back in the winter.



Last Tuesday I noticed Jester not behaving "normally". See him staring out through the fence, looking back at the barn? I knew something wasn't "right". I walked back and found Joshua standing back at the barn. If a sheep isn't interested in eating, there's a problem. A big problem. Sheep are good eaters.

Vets were called, tests run, nothing conclusive, but something definitely wrong. Over the next several days, any time Joshua didn't feel up to walking out with the rest of the sheep, his friend Jester stayed back with him. That's the two of them up by the gate in the top picture.


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Here he stayed by Joshua's side even though I was sitting in the stall with them, which made Jester very uncomfortable. Anything I did to Joshua, Jester watched. Sometimes he'd stamp his foot at me, maybe trying to protect him by scaring me away. In the end though I think he understood. Or at least I'd like to think so...as he was staring holes through me.


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We lost Joshua last night. All the sheep seemed to know and Ewen especially seemed confused and upset as we wrapped Joshua in a sheet and put him in the truck to take him to the university. I will never forget the look on his face as he'd sniff the sheet and then look up at Tim. Jester was nowhere to be found.

After the sheep settled down and headed out to graze I saw Jester and Elizabeth out by the tree, away from the other sheep. Jacob sheep are very flock oriented so this is very unusual. Jester just stood there looking back at the barn, looking at me. And while I wish I knew how much they understood or could tell us if we could talk, I never wonder if they care.

Don't ever wonder.

I Drew A Sheep!

Much cuter than the sheep from outer space I shared a couple days ago.



This is supposed to be Miss Ewenice and Buddy. It looks quite a lot like Buddy actually. Other than the ears, Ewenice is a bit generic though...but they are fun and I'm encouraged enough to try some more :-). Thanks, Junelle!

Have you tried to draw some sheep yet?

Speaking of Buddy...



He's just so darn cute. And fuzzy. And it's almost shearing day and all those cute curls will soon be gone :-(. I hate spring. Yes, I said it. So there! ;-)

Draw A Sheep - Part Two

If you aren't already hopelessly hooked on Junelle Jacobsen's Yes and Amen Blog, lamb leap over there for a few lot of minutes and meet her and some of the over 1000 sheep she loves and loves to share. I tried to pick a favorite post, but just couldn't. Here's a link to her Barnyard. That's a good start. See you back here in a few hours... ;-)

Junelle takes the most beautiful lamb photographs and creates some of my most favorite sheep art. Her love of God's world and all the wonderful creatures who share it shines through everything she does. I'm so excited - but not at all surprised - that she is willing to share with us.

Her video is fantastically good. Don't be discouraged if it takes a few minutes to load. It is worth every second.

Enjoy!

When Sara approached me about doing a sketchy sheep project, I jumped at the chance. Of all the creatures in the world to sketch, sheep are by far my favorite!

With a couple of active days of moving and shearing sheep this week, I have seen my share of sheep personalities. Off the top of my head I can easily see the: slow movers, eager wigglers, fast jumpers, wily-eyed sneakers and defiant stompers. You, too?

(She is seriously not going anywhere...Nope.)

As anyone that knows and loves sheep can attest to, these sweet creatures are not alike ~ as similar as they sometimes appear, they have wonderfully unique traits and quirks. Some are so laughable and lovable and some just want to make you pull out your own hair! Agreed?

(I am going to hang a sign off the tush of this one that says...close the gate!)

Taking photos will sometimes capture that telling look or funny antic, but choosing to sketch your sheep gives you so much more to work with.

As a photographer and sketchy artist, I love to keep both feet in the door. My name is Junelle Jacobsen and I am sheep-smitten photographer (baby lamb photographer) and resident artist. I have a home in the central mountains of Utah and document my stories and images on my home blog ~ http://www.yes-and-amen.com/ .

As you can tell, my imagination gets away from me some days, too.

I just can't help but be engaged in the everyday lives of these sheep. My heart races when lambing season approaches and I go through depression when they leave to the deserts in the winter.

I work for a local sheep rancher. He thankfully accepts my silliness at the farm, and we work hard to maintain his herd of Rambouillet sheep. I often come home from hard days at the farm and use my sketch book to get through sad times. I also create *sheep art* to bring joy to myself and others as I re-live the wild adventures we have in the blessed barnyard.

(A simple sketch after we lost our first two lambs this spring.)

sheep + sketch from Junelle Jacobsen on Vimeo.

Whether you have sketched before or not, this video is for you!

***simply click on the screen and then pause the video for a moment to let it load. You can enlarge the screen by clicking on the four small arrows next the word "vimeo".

I hope you enjoy!!!

Love and Lambs,

Junelle

Okay, Maybe I Was Wrong

These are some pretty bizarre contour line drawings of sheep. And Hank. Who was quick to point out that as he was NOT a sheep, he should not be required to play along.



These were done without looking down at the paper.



I did look at the paper for this one. Didn't help much :-o. I'd better get reading!



One copy for me.



And the other for Spinner's End :-D. Send me an email with your address and I'll get that sent right out.



Tomorrow we are in for another special treat!

Junelle Jacobsen of Yes and Amen will be our guest blogger and not only has she drawn some super cute sheep for us, but she also made THE most fun sheep drawing video ever! I got a sneak peek and I don't think anyone will watch it and not want to draw at least one sheep. Or twenty.

Sunday Stills - A Small Part Of A Whole

"For this next challenge (March 11th) I want you to take two pictures…..one of “the big picture” and the second of just a part of it. If you're into Macro photography you might want to take a photo of a whole flower and then one of the centre for example. Maybe a tree and a birds nest in the tree itself…….you get the picture ;-)."



I was leaning up against Hank's tree fort (the Grahaminator 2000) while he was eating dinner. The sun was setting and bright, so I held up my Jersey gloved hand to shield my eyes as I watched the sheep. I'd been scratching Graham's knobby head and accumulated this piece of fuzz along with a small stick, known as "vegetable matter" or VM when you are talking about complaining about fleeces.



With the flock of sheep in the background and this tiny curl of wool in my hand, I realized this messy tangle of fiber was truly a small part of my larger whole...VM and all.

It's been a rough few days. One of the old sheep is not doing well. While more than likely just an old age issue I'm powerless to do anything about, I can't help but worry if I've missed something, done something wrong, haven't done everything I could. It's hard being responsible for another's life.

Yet at the end of the day, standing out in the barn lot, listening to Hank crunch through his dinner, scratching someone's back (or boney head ;-), smelling their warm wool ready to be shorn, watching everyone settle in for the night, it's all part of the whole, especially the small parts.



I think I actually like this shot better - not quite as well focused, a bit over exposed or suffering from sun glare, but warm, colorful. It's there. I can smell my sheepy gloves. I can feel the breeze blowing the accidental yarn.



And this faulty picture tells me all sorts of tiny stories. Miss Ewenice is peeking out from inside the barn, watching me. Emily is looking back over her shoulder to see what someone is doing behind her, her daughter Casper Belly by her side, as always. Woolliam is telling Baby Belly something - I'm not going to speculate what - and old Joshua is there with his friends. His family. My family. My whole family. That I'm so grateful to be a small part of...VM, fuzzy focus, overexposed and all.

For more Sunday Stills...

Snow Melt

Looking out the Wool House window Monday afternoon. The snow didn't last long, but I enjoyed every minute.



The next morning. All Willard, all the time ;-).



Or maybe the all Hank blog.



The Keeb-Myster. What an odd - but favorite - sheep.



I love sheep tracks in snow.



Four Corners - Boudreaux, Ewen, Renny and Marcel.



Emily and Casper Belly. Jacobs must have at least two horns, but can have up to six. Look closely - Emily and Casper Belly have four.



Happy Hank. He loves cold weather and snow. That's my boy!



And this might end up being my favorite picture. Is Jester trying to catch a snowflake on his tongue?

Some Snow Shots Sans Sheep

But if you squint...sorta looks like a field of sheep ;-). Looking down the tiny creek that runs through the front field.



Part looks that green; the rest, like this.



Poor Iris and her snow feet.



Hickory had plenty of hay up at the barn, but there was green grass under all that snow! Betsy went everywhere. Eli and Claire Bear never left their heated beds.



Winter wonderland. Handy in the distance.