Happy Easter

"I'm supposed to give everyone candy?" 

"I already ate all the candy." 

"Boy, I sure hope Hank doesn't see me like this."

More Babydolls

"Yeah, I looks just like my mom."

"I can't believe you put up that goofy picture of me yesterday.  And I don't know what an Ewok is, but I don't think that sounds too good and my mom said you shouldn't pick on lil kids like that!"

"Yes, we DO have a ramp that leads right up to the porch (How awesome is that?!?).  That's where we drink our "tea" and we don't let little kids up there, so beat it squirt."

First Day Of Lamb Camp!

These Babydoll Southdown lambs at Bergamascos' Babydoll Brigade should definitely come with a cuteness overload warning!  Let's just go ahead and get the head splort over with with a big teefy grin :-).

I think he/she was just finishing yawning as I got a couple normal looking shots a second or two before and after...but you gotta go teefers, eh? :-D

Babydolls are small sheep.



Known for their big smiles :-).

Think Michelle loves her lambies? :-) 

They're good mommas.

With sweet babies.

And big mouths when one triplet isn't listening to her momma!

Little Chunky Monkeys with chubby cheeks.

I want to be that lambie.

All the lambs have colorful collars that match their mother's collars.  Practical and adorable.

More pictures tomorrow and Michelle posts daily pictures on her facebook page if you can't wait :-).

Better Know Your Sheep

Freshly shorn, Renny and B. Willard look very similar, being both fairly chunky, light gray sheep with black faces. Do you know an easy way to tell them apart?

Willard's (Border Leicester) ears stand up  and Renny's (Hampshire cross) ears hang down :-).  

I skirted both fleeces the other day.  You know, that one day when the sun was out?  Anyway, both are really nice and I took pictures, especially of Renny's massive and pretty fleece.  However, I got to snorgle some adorable Babydoll Southdown lambs today and of course took a bunch of pictures of them.  Lambs trump wool any day :-D.

A Warm Winter's Nap

Once again, this is obviously/sadly Not Today. Saturday afternoon was lovely.  And that's all I'm saying about the weather.  So, grab your own raked up pile of straw or lean up against the fence and soak up some rays :-).

Miss Maisie Daisy

Lila and B. Willard.  Yes, her nose stayed wrinkly :-).

Blossom

Hank, keeping an eye on "the criminals".  I can't remember why Gavin called them criminals on shearing day...but it's stuck ;-).  At this point, our cold sheep are thinking he's the criminal.

Heidi and Beanie Baby.  Mother and son.  Just a coincidence (I think) they are sleeping near each other.

Emily and Casper Belly.  Mother and daughter.  No coincidence (I know) they are sleeping next to each other.  I like how everyone's staked out their own pile of straw.  That's Popcorn PeePee Pants on the left.

And what is our dear friend Graham Lamb doing while everyone is sleeping?  Standing there staring longingly at Hank's food bowl, plotting a way to get to it.  And yes, Graham and his tail are so fat that it DOES look like he has four butt cheeks.  Go ahead, click to biggify.  Four butt cheeks.

"I heard that!"

Going...

Going...

Going...

Gone.

This would be obviously Not Today.

Sunday Stills - Green

A little green.

Inside...

...and out

The first bud is probably obvious.  Do you know what this one is?

For more Sunday Stills...

One Down

27 to go.

Henrietta just happened to be lined up with her freshly skirted 2013 fleece. 

Henri is one of our "characters".  And other than cookie monster Mia, our only chummy Jacob.  She has the softest, darkest (too dark for breed standard), loveliest fleece...that is so full of VM (vegetable matter) that I didn't even skirt her 2012 fleece last year.  

After testing the King of VM (Boudreaux) last year and finding that Ohio Valley was able to clean it up to a tolerably spinnable roving, I decided it might be worth giving ole Henri a try this year.  I even pulled out her 2012 fleece.  We fed Bermuda grass hay last year and orchard grass this year.  We are going to stick with orchard grass from here on out.  Her 2013 fleece is salvageable I think.  2012...probably hitting the mulch pile.  Henri, Henri, Henri...

My assistants.  With a crowd of onlookers trying to figure out how they might get in that extra grassy special  lamb lot.  I moved the skirting table in there in an effort to get Maisie situated in there and out of the yard.  The strawberries have filed a formal complaint ;-).

Indispensable

"Is everything on this place held together with baling twine?"

Not-A-Spring-Chicken

I've been told this March is going down as the coldest March on record. I don't doubt it. Neither do the sheep.  It was warm (albeit wet) leading up to shearing, hot the actual day of shearing and at the time, the 10 day forecast looked like a normal March.  We decided to have everyone sheared, even ancient Elizabeth.  Bad decision.

Missing several teeth, she is skin and bones even with the extra grain and soft cookies, crackers, Cheerios...we try to give her.  Unlike, say Boudreaux, she only eats what she feels like and then walks away.  And for sheep's sake, don't tell her she has to do something.  Elizabeth has always had an opinion.  Usually a loud opinion.

The weather turned for the worst and she looked miserable.  She needed that wool back on and there was nothing we could do about it.  I tried putting a dog coat on her and the rest of the sheep lost their ever-loving minds, which in turn upset her as well.  We finally rigged up a small pen in the inside stall and hung a heat lamp over her and hoped for the best...but felt awful for her.  She was Not Happy about being locked up (because she wouldn't go over there on her own) even though she was surrounded by her friends and family.  (See loud opinions above.)

For the last couple of days I've been forcing her to stay under the lamp.  And it's been a struggle.  So we have an ancient sheep, barely hanging on, looks like she's starving, shivering hard...  It becomes "the question".  The sun came out yesterday though and while it wasn't warm, it was pleasant if you could stay out of the wind.  And here is where I found Elizabeth.

Laying in the sun, in a sheltered spot, surrounded by her friends, looking pretty darn happy.  So I guess that's the answer. 

This chicken is sure I'm taking her picture.  So vain ;-).

Buddy and Jester, another old timer.  Only he and Elizabeth are left from the original flock.

And Cecil's been here too.  More later.