Somehow I Thought It Would Be Noisier

I'm finding everything about this very interesting.  I've seen them in all stages individually and I've seen their holes in the ground, but I'd really love to be able to watch one emerge from the ground all the way through to shedding.

The Farmer's Almanac has a great article with all sorts of information if you are interested in learning more.  

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Kaala

 Kaala

2016 - May 14, 2025

I sure hope there's a big group of good sheep somewhere all hanging out telling great stories.  

A Rabbit Hole

An actual rabbit hole and not just the usual ones I find myself falling into...

So I mentioned Pinot's underground tunnel a few weeks ago.  He worked Very Hard on that project and ended up tunnelling 30" under that big rock.

And then one evening he filled it all back in.

Digging and filling are fairly similar processes.  Use the front feet to scrape it under your belly and then use your back feet to kick it out behind you.  When the pile gets too big, you turn around and start pushing it in front of you with your front feet like a bulldozer.  

Rabbits can move a lot of dirt.  

The other day...he dug it all (or most of it) back out.

"I can change my mind."

And now today he's filling it back in.

My dilemma...  

I usually plant zinnias in that area.  

It is my patio.  

Who am I fooling.

But I really like my zinnias.  

Sigh...

 

Burrnie

Burrnie

2013 - May 2, 2025

My dear little Sesame Street character.

I moved Burrnie into Second Easy Breezy this spring because he was having a lot of trouble getting up and I worried about him toppling over out in the big field and not being able to make it back to the barn with everyone if something sent the flock running.  

He loved being in the Easy Breezy group because he got a little handful of grain twice a day and extra cookies and he loved going out to graze in the side field with everyone...until he couldn't.  

I will miss this sweet old sheep.  

A New/Old Horse

Long time readers of the blog might recognize this horse.

Or maybe you've noticed him on the blog header painting.  

The dates are all foggy now, but I found some pictures of Gato back in 2012 and a picture of him still here when Hickory was here...which I'd have bet money that never happened, but there you go.  Pictures don't lie.  Thank goodness for the blog.

Gato has spent the last however many, many years at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, as part of their Equine Studies program.  He has been a long time favorite there and, as was stipulated when we donated him to them, has returned here to retire.  He's now 28 years old!

I picked him up yesterday and let him explore the front field by himself for a bit while the boys watched from their stalls.  Everybody seemed pretty chill.

"I'd never do anything bad."

 

"Yeah, right, Lancelot!"

"Let's get him!"

Things started off okay, but Lancelot got very possessive of Frankie and told Gato to stay away from HIS best friend.

Gato said, "No problem.  I'm just here to hang out and eat some grass."  

And then Lancelot repeated, "I said STAY AWAY from Frankie!"

"Dude, I heard you the first time."

This continued on until things escalated to the point I had to lock the two idiots in one of the smaller paddocks so Gato could settle in in peace for the night.  Everything seems to be going better this afternoon.

Boys...

Gato's in great shape for his age and is still a very beautiful horse.  I'm glad to have him back here...even if Lancelot's not thrilled ;-).  

Want a new puzzle?

Good Morning!

The sunlight this morning was beautiful!  Have the sunrises not been very stellar lately or am I just not seeing them for some reason?  I noticed a different light coming through the kitchen door this morning and  when I got out to the barn I was able to quickly snap this picture...and maybe felt a little glimmer of normal or old times or...I'm not sure what to call it.

Nothing is really going wrong here.  In fact, I almost feel like I'm further ahead then normal for this crazy time of the year.  Still, everything feels a bit heavy and sad.  Or is hitting harder than it should.  Or something.  Even Pinto looks like he's looking for something. I'm glad I have my sheep to get me up to the barn to catch the sunrise.  

As requested via IG, here it is as a new puzzle.  It's a fun one :-).

Good Evening!

Taking care of old sheep can be a real challenge, balancing quality of life with whatever issues they face, usually just arthritis.  Seeing these three out grazing in front of the Wool House the other night made me very happy.  All that green grass made them happy as well.  

It's still sad seeing The Bald Eagle out by herself without her beloved sister, Goldilocks, but she's chummy enough with the other chickens, so she's pretty happy too.  

Do you see Pinot?  He's pretty happy as well, living his best bunny life :-).

It's too nice out to be sitting inside, but if you'd like a puzzle to work later, I think this looks like a fun one.  Enjoy!

Photo Fail

Sorry for the lack of after shearing shots.  I took a couple, but wasn't able to get everyone in them and thought I'd just go back and do some more later...and then it was too dark.  It ended up being a pretty long day because we didn't start shearing until mid afternoon.   

Not a great picture, but it made a fun puzzle :-).

I loved seeing Maisie and Short Round out chowing down on fresh green grass.  This wasn't the best picture of them, but it includes Murphy and I wanted to show his fancy gray spots that you can only see just after shearing.

"We'll try to do better next time."  Tony Kornheiser

Pinot Brown-o

Remember when I had a white rabbit with just a hint of gray scattered across his back?  Pinot is working on a huge construction project under that big rock he's sitting on and now he's looking more like a natural dye  experiment with red clay and brown top soil accents. 

He's digging a tunnel under the sidewalk heading up the front of the Wool House, not trying to get out under the fence.  I'm guessing he's working on a warren, but maybe it's just a tunnel.  I know he's having a ton (cubic ton?) of fun.

Hair Cut Day

I kept meaning to go out last week and take pictures of everyone while they were still in full fleece because as much as I love knowing my sheep are comfortable and cool, I miss tucking my hands in their long curly fleeces, so shearing is a little sad for me.  I also planned to take a bunch of pictures throughout shearing yesterday and didn't manage to get that pulled off either.  

I did take this quick picture of Krista and Maggie right before we were ready to start shearing and I love the two of them side by side.  Krista loved both of her lambs, but was always a bit sweeter on Christopher as a baby and I remember watching Maggie get just a tiny bit less attention and thinking about what would happen once they both grew up.  Christopher still hangs with the family, but Maggie is always the one right by her side.  

I did take some pictures of a neighbor's sheep as she was getting shorn and while you don't know or recognize this sheep, if you look behind her, you might recognize the orange and white kitty.  Bullseye stuck around for all the people showing up and the clamor of sheep moving and the first sheep being sheared before he decided it was a bit too noisy on the front line and moved onto the hay stack behind him.  He's come a long way and is just a darling kitten.

Thankfully I had the idea to set up my iPad to do a time lapse video throughout the afternoon and that worked really well and is a fun souvenir from a good day with my favorite sheep and friends.  

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I realize some of you can't watch it without an IG account, but I don't know any way around that so just know that I'm sorry.  Maybe some day I'll try to get YouTube going, but at this point I'd just be happy if I could keep the blog current.  Hopefully now that the stress of shearing is over and I feel like a huge weight has been lifted, I'll get re-focused...pun intended.

Spring Has Sprung

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Well, that (springtime in Kentucky) escalated quickly!  Like it always does.  

Most people look forward to spring.  I'm more a of fall person, looking forward to the quiet of winter.  I haven't finished my Iknitarod vest yet, but I'm still working on it.  I stopped to knit a small sweater for a chilly new sheep friend (not at bottle lamb...sorry) who I'll introduce maybe tomorrow.  I have garden news to share.  An exciting new fiber tool.  Plans for the summer.

Just not enough hours in the day, even though the days are getting longer.

Sigh...

 

Old Ladies

Short Round has really had a hard time this winter.  Well, she was okay until the real winter weather hit and then, even though things sure felt like they were headed north, they were actually headed south.  I kept hoping if she could make it out to spring grass that maybe she'd get her legs back under her.   

When I saw her totter out the other night I knew I'd made the right call.  Everyone stays here as long as they're happy.  And seeing her happy sure made me happy. Taking care of pensioners is not easy.

"Neither is getting old, but I'm doing okay."

It's had to believe that Betsy is going to be 17 this summer.  She's still tottering about as well and I always like to see her out on the spring grass as well.

"What am I doing in a post about old ladies?"

Maisie still got a few licks in on some folks in for the I-64 Spring Fiber Fling last Saturday.  She's hoping to get a few more opportunities tomorrow.  She will be greeting visitors between 11:00 and 4:00.  I'd bring some cookies...just saying ;-).

I love twilight photos.  Here's a new puzzle.  Enjoy!

Wednesdays Are For Painting

I painted this several "Wednesdays" ago, but forgot to share it.  And when I was taking a picture of it I forgot to take one that showed exactly what it is.  It's a drop spindle.

This picture really doesn't show them that well either...and looking at it now I see that I'd forgotten to completely tighten down the hooks after they dried.  This picture was from the November Kentucky Shepherd's Market.  I am nailing this marketing thing!

I just love these colorful spindles.  I especially love to spin with them.  As the spindles twirl they look like kaleidoscopes.  The spindles on the bottom picture are just generic sheep.  The spindle in the first picture is a custom order with Pinto, Short Round, Tabitha and Maggie.  

It's hard to beat spinning with your friends...and actually spinning your friends.  The roving the spindle is nestled down into is some of Tabitha's.  I'm glad it has good home :-).

Bullseye

"I'm Bullseye and I'm the new kid here.  Except I'm not a kid anymore.  I am officially a big boy and this is my barn.  I keep an eye on everything up here.  It's a Big Job."

"I watch everything including the sheep and the chickens, but mostly I watch for the lady who feeds me.  I really like food and I've learned that I really like pets and cuddles too.  The food lady says that's a Big Job too!"

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This is where things started.  I heard a cat crying at the back door one snowy bitterly cold morning early in February.  I opened the door and found a half grown kitten...and Archie.  I'm not sure if it was just a coincidence they were out there together or if Archie told him to follow him home and get some breakfast.

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We tried for several days to trap him, but while he was young he already had some street smarts and I realized it was going to take some time.  If we'd have known for sure he was a boy, I wouldn't have been so panicked, but for a good while I was pretty sure he was a she and fixing to be a teen mom :-(.

I set the heated box up on the porch and he sat in there for a little while, but I think Possum ran him off.  Possum can be very not nice to other cats and he was no exception.  He'd find a warm-ish spot and the next day he'd have moved on to a different spot.  I was not sure what I was going to do about that, especially if there were kittens coming.

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One night I got him trapped in the greenhouse and hoped I could get a better look at him, but the greenhouse is frail and he figured out how to break out one of the back panels.  A day or so after that he moved up to the barn and started sneaking in for offered food up there.

I set up the big dog crate, started feeding him at the front, then the middle and then the back and then shut the door and we were off to the vet where we learned he was just a potbellied wormy boy and not a way too young girl getting ready to have kittens.  Whew!

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I kept him in the cage for several days and got to where I could pet him some and I thought he was good and settled and wouldn't split at first chance and then finally opened the door. I told him he was now an Equinox Farm cat and that it was a pretty good place to be a cat...except for Possum ;-).  

That was Saturday and he's taken over the barn and even seems to be winning over Possum...or at least flying under her radar.  He's super friendly with me and just needs some experience with strangers and I think he's going to be one of the nicest kitties we've ever had :-).

Things To Know

If you are headed out on the I-64 Spring Fiber Fling Trail this weekend, here are some things to know if you are coming here.

Yes, the Wool House is my studio, but it's also a fiber shop, class room, gathering spot, place of respite.  Please come on in!  

Everyone is welcome here.  This is a safe space.  

If you want to just stop by and get your passport stamped, that's perfectly fine.  

If you only want to meet the sheep, that's fine too.  I'd  probably bring some toll "money" - vanilla wafers or saltine crackers ;-).

If you'd like to spend an hour or two sitting on the porch with your spinning wheel or current project, watching the sheep and horses and listening to the birds (or the rain fall on the metal roof), that's also fine...and encouraged.  Bring a picnic lunch!

If you are stumped by your current project or spinning wheel or spindle and feel comfortable asking for help, I'll do my best to get you back on track.  Note that I am more hack than genius, but sometimes it's better to be lucky than good :-).

And obviously, if you are looking for some unique local yarns or spinning fibers, learn to spin kits, wool sheep ornaments, farm inspired folk art cards,...  please fill your free My Favorite Sheep bag to the top :-).

Yep, if you stop by during the I-64 Spring Fiber Fling, you'll get a free tote bag (while supplies last).

And if you've enjoyed your visit, but just don't need anymore yarn (whatever), but would like to tip the sheep, you can always Buy Them A [Bale Of Hay]

* * * * *

The forecast is not great, but it's Kentucky in the spring...  The Wool House will be open from 11:00 to 4:00 on Saturday and 1:00 to 4:00 on Sunday and again next weekend.  Other hours can probably be arranged.  Just email to make an appointment.

Thursdays Are For Spinning

I did follow my plan and was able to fit in some spinning today.  Notice I did not share a Wednesdays Are For Painting post...but there's always next week.  This week has been crazy.

While it would seem delightful to spin in the barn with the sheep, Maisie is not always a delight around  tools and I have a video to prove it.  My ultimate goal was to spend time hanging out with our new cat who had just gotten home from getting his vaccinations and big boy surgery.  He'll get his own post, maybe tomorrow.  It's a cute story.

I was spinning Muffin and the fancy background is just our messy gravel barn aisle.  I need to remember this along with the nice diffused light.  Do they still do those family photos with the drop down backgrounds at department stores or am I really dating myself?

I'm still borrowing the electric drum carder from my friend, but I have one of my own on order and I'm super excited about that.  More about that to come as well. 

 

I had some freshly washed Muffin fleece and she's always a favorite of mine so I decided that would be my Thursday spin.  And then, because I can't think of Muffin without Biscuit, I "shopped" in the Wool House loft and grabbed a bit of him to blend in as well.

After one pass through - first Muffin and then Biscuit layered over the top.  I then split the batt and drafted it out and ran it through two more times to more evenly blend the two colors.

Muffin in the back and the blend in the front.  More about this to come as well.  I have plenty of blog fodder.  I just need winter to come back for a bit so I can get caught up...and go back to complaining about winter ;-).

I'm working on how I want to store the batts I make and I'd love to stay away from plastic.  I have a huge roll of kraft paper so I'm trying out some options.  I love the little vintage black and white lambs.  One should never get too old to play with toys ;-).