Night Sights

I rode Hickory up to check the rams and fill their water tank last night. It was getting dusky and out from the Frog Pond I saw a waddling cluster of black fur.  We rode down to (carefully) get a closer look.  A beautiful momma skunk and four tiny babies.  I love watching mommas (of all kinds) teaching their little ones how to forage.  

Working on a farm, I frequently find myself still working, watching the moon come up.  Two nights ago the moon rose while it was still really light out.  Last night, one night later, it was almost completely dark as it cleared the trees out back.  I'd like to find a good book that explains why that is (remember, simple shepherd, not scholar, aka limited big words ;-).  Any suggestions?

Maisie Goes To The Wool Mill

Here she goes!

The washed wool gets dumped into the back hopper, gets picked up and picked out by the swinging arm thingy, then over the top...

...and falls out of this smaller hopper...

...where it's picked/fluffed some more and then onto the drums.  I think I counted 20 or 24 rollers, but now can't remember.

And then, after it's brushed and brushed and brushed through all the rollers, it gets pulled off the final drum into ready to spin roving.

Here's where it gets a little dicey on who this is.  It appears to be Maisie according to my camera files, but looks too clean to be Maisie.  My tongue in cheek post about her fleece being white as snow came back to haunt me.  I hope the shotgun shells don't jam up their machines!  Maisie, Maisie, Maisie...

This I know is Blossom.  Remember the huge fleece from the festival?  Yep, still huge.

Beth sets it all in neatly and then (over and over) pushes it down into the bag in the box...

...where it springs back out, ready to have more added to it!

This is Hershey's lamb fleece, flying free around the drums.  That'd be Hershey for sure!  Luckily most of it drifts back onto the drums, but some has to be swept up off the floor and tossed back in.  Yep, classic Hershey ;-).

B. Willard.  I thought this would be an interesting shot with the contrast between the stationary curls and the whirling drum getting ready to pick them up.  However, when I look at it now, it kind of makes me feel like someone getting ready to jump off the high dive for the first time. 

Ideally I'd hoped to show the gradients from dark gray to white, but the lighting was tough and I didn't have my "big girl" camera.  (Left to right) Hershey, Boudreaux, B. Willard, Henrietta, Ford, Allie, Maisie and Blossom. 

It's sure hard to beat a car full of fresh roving!

Ohio Valley Natural Fibers

Tree Climbers

Baaxter had a stressful day yesterday, nearly dying from starvation and neglect as he was left with lots of company, a big field of grass and yummy weeds, a shady, fan cooled barn with hay, water and some (quickly gobbled down) lamb chow while I was gone for several hours to the wool mill yesterday.  

I immediately tried to revive and rehydrate him with his miniature baba as soon as I got home, but I knew it was going to be touch and go ;-).  I peeked out on him and the boys a couple times throughout the afternoon and all was well, but as the sun was starting to set last night I saw the three boys...and no Baaxter.

Baaxter grew up with me as his mom.  It took him several days of staring in amazement at the new boys out eating grass in the middle of the field during the middle of the day before he'd finally join them.  We always grazed in the shade!  Mad dogs and Englishmen...

This is where I found him.

Comby, doing a little tree climbing, too.

Speaking of cats, as I peeked in on the boys for a late barn check last night, there was Betsy, sleeping next to them in the hay.  She loves her lambies :-). 

I'll leave the Calling All Bottle Lamb comments open until 6:00 tonight and then draw for a winner.  The top stories so far have been Litter Trained Lila, Blossom and the Cot, Maisie Goes To (and Leaves) Church and Maisie Destroys Her Halloween Costume.  Any other good ones we've forgotten?

Almost Overshadowed...Almost

As long time readers of the blog already know, if I wasn't the crazy sheep lady, I'd be the crazy ferry lady. I love having our wool processed at Ohio Valley Natural Fibers, but I just as equally love the ferry ride crossing the Ohio River over and back at Augusta, Kentucky. 

Auntie Reg and I got up with the chickens this morning to make sure we'd get to the ferry ramp for the first shuttle across to Ohio.  We made it, too!  Until we saw this...

It was the American Queen, docked next to the ferry ramp.

 Needless to say, we missed the first ferry :-D. 

While the American Queen was a very exciting and impressive sight, the Jenny Ann will always be my favorite river boat and we happily drove aboard on the second shuttle :-).

Exciting and impressive fiber pictures coming tomorrow.

Calling All Bottle Lambs

* * * * * Update * * * * * 

The winner of the drawing is Cary at Serenity Farms

 Drop me an email (thecrazysheepladyatgmaildotcom) with your mailing address :-).

My favorite picture of Maisie.  It NEVER fails to make me laugh.

*   *   *   *   *

sheep! magazine is holding a contest for Best Bottle Lamb stories!

"Think about the most pampered, spoiled, obnoxious, loved bottle lamb you have ever had - or heard about.  ("Cute" counts too.)  Write about all this and send your reflections and ruminations to Poor Will.  The most ridiculous (true) story will win its author a $10.00 prize, but everyone whose tale appears in sheep! will receive a $2.00 royalty!"

Can't pass that up!  Pampered, check.  Spoiled, check.  Obnoxious, check.  Loved, CHECK.

I'm trying to think of some of our best bottle lamb stories.  Lila being "litter trained" is an obvious choice.  Maisie going to (and leaving :-o) church...for sure.  Blossom and her cot...definitely falls under spoiled ;-).

What are some of your favorite Equinox Farm bottle lamb stories?  A good way to jog your memory is to click on each sheep's "label" on the right hand side of the blog and scroll back.

Leave a comment and not only will it be fun to remember some of the crazy antics that I may have tried to put out of my mind forgotten, but I also have a Lamb Camp giveaway surprise.  I'll leave it open through Friday and draw a random winner that evening.