The Danger Lamb

Okay, so I was properly shamed for not posting a picture of Maisie for Mother's Day ;-). I tried to get a picture with my iPhone yesterday evening when we were hanging out at the bridge, but while she was being super cute, leaning on my legs (sheep hug), wanting me to rub her tummy and her face and tell her what a good lambie she was (which I did, of course :-), the pictures were, um, weird.  

Luckily I remembered some funny pictures I taken a few weeks ago.  I'm torn between taking Mother's Day points away because I was letting her play in a basket of wool with very pointy objects or giving extra points for holding the wool combs away from her while she was playing and keeping the camera rolling ;-). 

We call her the Danger Lamb because from between her birth 'event' to a couple 'fling myself off the couch into the coffee table and knock myself silly' events to 'hey watch me jump off the Wool House porch' and her friend Hickory (!) trying to 'play' with her...she's given her momma more than a few gray hairs!

Where Are They Now - Maisie And...(Sigh)...Graham Lamb

Maisie, Maisie, Maisie... What can I say - The Danger Lamb. My hair has turned much grayer since her arrival, but she's still one of my all time favorite sheep :-).

No new near death experiences to report, but I keep finding her hanging out with Graham lately. This can't be a good thing.

At least if they're eating, they're probably not up to anything else...for that moment.

That Graham is one large unit!

I like the composition of this shot, with Renny in the background and the big tree balancing out big Maisie, but it has an almost harsh feel/look to it compared to the pictures above it.  See that?  They were all taken within just a couple minutes of each other.  What changed?

The (too) bright picture was taken with my back towards the sun, the "right" way.  The pictures above it were taken with the sun almost behind Maisie and Graham, the "wrong" way.  With many things in life, the rules matter, but with photography, they frequently don't**.  

Think about moving around as you shoot and play with the sun.  Something as simple as that can turn a good picture into a great picture, no matter what kind of camera you are using.  I've enjoyed figuring out tricks like that and was happy to take this series of photos that provided a perfect example.  Give it a try!

I don't usually like to broadcast when I'm going to be away from home.  I always think of the goofy lady in the insurance commercial letting the burglar know she was headed to Hawaii and her house was left empty...  Luckily we have a good farm sitter to hold down the fort while we're gone :-).  

I'm headed to the Finger Lakes Fiber Festival later this month.  I had such a nice time there last year that I knew I'd want to go back.  This year will be extra fun because they've asked me to teach two classes, a blogging photography class and and an introduction to drop spindling, two of my favorite things.  Both will be fun, low key classes and the festival is one of the best.  I can't wait :-D.

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**By the way, there is one photography rule you must never forget. "Don't let Graham touch anything!"  That's a funny link to follow.  Well, all of the Graham stories are pretty funny.  Just click on his label under this post or find it on the right hand side.  

From The Department Of You Can't Make This Stuff Up

On the very same day that Maisie put something in her mouth that she shouldn't have, the mouth broke off my favorite sheep planter. Seriously.

I hesitate to even share this next story.  

The very last thing I do when I'm pulling the horse trailer is walk all the way around to check every door latch, even the doors I know I didn't use.  This trip I was in the trailer with Maisie so she would be less stressed on the ride to and from the clinic.  I asked someone else to check the doors and was given the all clear.

As we came around a turn on Newtown Pike, one of the side doors flew open!  I quickly threw Maisie to the back of the trailer, grabbed the door and slammed it shut from the inside.  Are you kidding me?!?  If I hadn't have been in the trailer, Maisie probably would have ended up flying out the door into oncoming traffic.

I realize a trailer door coming open is a very common worry, but really, how many times do you hear of one actually coming open?  Only the Danger Lamb...  

The only consolation I got from this - yet another - horrifying experience is maybe this means that whatever little evil gremlin who's been trying to kill Maisie SINCE THE DAY SHE WAS BORN realized that the string wasn't going to do it and had to move on to the next thing.

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The vet from Hagyards called me first thing this morning to confirm that he'd spoken to several other vets and they were all on the same page with leaving things be until there was an obvious problem and then send her for surgery.  He recommended contacting Ohio State (our closest vet school) to make sure they were in agreement and didn't want to follow a different protocol and so they'd also be at least familiar with her case should she need to be admitted.

I called up there and was put in contact with an extremely kind and knowledgeable ruminant surgeon and we spoke twice today discussing options and risks and probabilities of success...  He thought there was good chance that if it stayed tied in a knot that it would stay in her rumen and not cause much trouble.  Apparently she's not the first sheep to eat baling twine.

If the knot unraveled and headed further down her digestive track it would mostly likely cause trouble, but as long as nothing twisted and cut off the blood supply, we'd have up to maybe 24 hours to get her into surgery, and the surgery, while far from a sure thing, wasn't a completely lost cause.  Definitely worth a try.  

So, we will continue to watch her like a hawk and hope and pray we never see any sign of trouble.  We're going to look into putting a security camera behind the barn where she and Baba and Lila sleep, so I can peek in on her whenever I want throughout the night without having to get up, get dressed, walk out there, turn on the lights, disturb everyone else...

I wish I could fix this whole awful mess so we never had to worry about Maisie ever again, but for now, this is the best I can do.  And besides, who am I kidding.  She's always going give us something to worry about :-o.

"Momma says since I give her so many heart tax she can post as many embarrassing pictures of me and my teefers she wants."

"That's okay."

"I know I'm really pretty and that everyone loves me."

An Unceremonious Start

She'll stop when she realizes she's lost her Cheerios ;-).

I thought I'd just be posting Maisie's Iknitarod button, some pictures of the yarn at the ready, the pattern I've chosen, the swatch I (finally!) worked on yesterday, some race info...and then I went to the barn this morning.  You will Not Believe what happened to poor Maisie.  Yep, it's Iknitarod time!

I was just getting ready to set some fresh hay out back when I heard a snow slide start rumbling down the barn roof.  Of course there were sheep everywhere, including Maisie.  Somehow, as the wall of snow fell, everyone managed to get out of the way...except???  Yep, the Danger Lamb.

"What the heck???"

"I really don't know how this stuff keeps happening to me."

"Pppfffftttttt!"

So, yes, the Iknitarod starts this afternoon.  For anyone who hasn't lived through the last two years here, the Iknitarod is a knitting challenge that follows the Iditarod Sled Dog Race.  We cast on during the Ceremonial Start and if your project or goal is completed by the time the Red Lantern is extinguished, you "win".  

You can click the "Iknitarod" label below or on the right to read all about our first two races.  They were both very exciting and (mostly) fun.  Maisie figured strongly in both, so I've been waiting all year to cast on for a Maisie sweater!  This will be another tough challenge, but I'm jumping at my harness :-). 

I have pictures of the yarn, my swatch, the pattern...  Normally this would all have been shared before now, but wow, things got crazy here, eh?  I'll try to get the blog caught up over the next couple of days.  I still have tons of snow pictures that I want to share, too.  Besides, having trouble fitting all the good stuff in really isn't a trouble at all! 

Sailors Take Warning

A mini Maisie and a whole sweater's worth of Maisie handspun yarn enjoyed going to the beach a few days ago.

And then boarded a cruise ship...and I haven't heard from her in over two days.  

That's just because there's not cell service on the ocean...right?

"I don't know how that iceberg ended up in the middle of the Caribbean."

If you don't know why taking Maisie on a cruise ship is a really stupid brave idea, you should look back through the archives.  Things have been pretty quiet on The Danger Lamb front lately, but...

Here is one of my favorite posts :-).

The Birthday Girl

Since I'm terrible at remembering actual dates, I just always remember Maisie was born early Sunday morning of the Turkey Trot Dog Trial.  Is it just me or does it seem like way longer than two years ago???

"This is the best birthday cake ever!"

"Hey, how come you didn't light my candle?"

Getting every. last. Cheerio.

"Oh, I missed one?"

"How come I can't have any birthday cake?"

Not to worry.  Everyone got to share the "cake".  And look!  There's a kitty at the party with Kate :-). Actually, Claire Bear was there, too.  Good Girl, Kate!

Kate is on a lead only because coming from a real sheep farm, we weren't sure how she'd feel about one very opinionated sheep loose in the middle of the driveway chowing down on a box of Cheerios. I think she'd be just as happy to herd Cheerios ;-).

And like all good parties, it rapidly deteriorated into Maisie punching stuff.  Yes, that's her foot all the way up there!

And Maisie punching people.

And trying to grind them into the dirt.

Martha Stewart Pro tip - you need to anchor the "cake" box to the straw bale "table".  John used a couple big nail spikes.

And as the box is empty, John is trying to remove the nails, because the last thing The Danger Lamb needs is either an open candle flame or a rusty nail to gulp down :-o.

"I WANT MORE CAKE!!!"

The little stinker.

"Who me?"

Happy Birthday Silly Girl.  We love you very much :-).

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Let's see how many people we can get to wish Maisie a Happy Birthday!

There are two Christmas card designs featuring Crazy Miss Maisie, Baked With Love and Two Eyes Made Out Of Coal.  For every 25 people wishing Maisie a Happy Birthday here in the comments, we'll draw for a box of cards, winner's pick.  For example, if 75 people say Happy Birthday, we'll give away three boxes of Christmas cards...

Yes, it's that time of year already!

And no, I haven't started painting this year's design :-o.

Prayers Needed

The Danger Lamb strikes again.  Yesterday morning, in a typical running around the barn being a crazy kid as I'm feeding moment, she grabbed a mouthful of loose hay from some hay stacked in the aisleway.  I'm 95% sure there was a tied up polypropylene hay string mixed in.  When I raced over to try to pull it out of her mouth, she gobbled it down.

There is a very, very slim chance I imagined the whole thing.  That would be the best scenario.  The next best would be she brings it back up as cud, spits it out and all is well.  If she can't bring it back up and it just floats around in her rumen for the rest of her long life, that probably would be okay.  If it leaves the rumen and gets stuck in her intestines, the prognosis is not good. 

Myself and two very knowledgeable shepherds have been in contact with six vets and a couple just as good as vets.  The options and opinions are varied.  We have the nearest surgical unit alerted and we are watching her very closely for the first sign of trouble, which may never come or may take days or years  to show.

I don't know what else to say other than to ask everyone to please hold Maisie in the light.

A Cereus Showdown

The last two nights have been exciting.  Wednesday night I had THREE night blooming cereus blossoms open.  I stayed up until midnight watching them and walking past them to stir the air so I could smell their beautiful fragrance.

I've had this plant for quite a few years now, maybe ten.  In the early years it was just a big unwieldy plant.  When I moved it out in too much sun, even if I did it gradually, it sunburned horribly...but in the hot sun it finally started blooming.  Just one bloom a year or two in a big year.

The sun burning really bothered me, but if I moved it to a less sunny location it didn't bloom.  This year I built it a lattice shade.  That's the weird contraption in the earlier month end compilations.  It apparently loves it.  Just the right amount of sun without the blistered leaves.  

I had two more blooms last night and there are at least seven more starting!  

But wait, there's more!

I was gifted a moon flower seedling this spring.  I'd seen pictures of the giant flowers and decided to create a safe space to grow one here.  The plants are highly poisonous and while there is plenty else to eat around here, we all know one danger lamb who'd grab a pretty flower just to be a brat...  Most of the fence around the Wool House it to stop the chickens from tearing all my flowers up.  The moon flower fence is to keep "honest sheep honest" ;-).

Last night it bloomed for the first time.  Two blooms.  Over six inches across.  And less than six feet away, the two cereus blossoms.  It was a night time showdown!

I'll give the moon flower points for opening up early, by 9:00, and it's still open this morning.  The blooms are gorgeous.

I'll give the cereus points for being even "extra" and the fragrance...oh, the fragrance.  This time of the year it takes until almost midnight to fully open though.  Midnight is past my bedtime ;-).

So...it's a tie.  Two gold medals.  Or with their color, I guess they'd be silver.

 Here's the moon flower as it was starting to open yesterday late afternoon.  It's probably eight inches from the green bottom to the top flair.  I have several more buds so the show will go on :-).

To The Moon And Back

It will be a surprise to no one that she didn't go down without a fight.  She'd started having trouble getting up and needed help a couple of times.  She didn't like that, but once she was up, she cheered back up and trucked on like normal.  Not normal Maisie, but normal for these last few months.

She wasn't able to walk around very much and no one was any longer in any real danger of being taken out in a side attack, but she'd still swing her head around to remind us and her teeth still worked just fine if she thought you were not scratching her back enough or being stingy with the cookies.

I had started watching her pretty closely on the barn cameras and noticed Saturday morning she was struggling to get up so I went out and helped her up.  It was 6:00 in the morning.  She didn't lay back down until 1:00 Sunday afternoon.  31 hours on her feet.  Not. Giving. Up.

I couldn't figure out if she was just scared to lay down or if her arthritis was just so bad that it hurt too much to lay down.  I let her decide what she wanted to do and even though I really wanted her to just  please take a nap, I didn't force it.  I'd have helped her get back up forever.

In the end I think she believed if she went down that it was all over.  And I think she was as disappointed as the rest of us that she didn't live forever.  When she finally laid down, she instantly fell asleep for good while and that brought me some peace watching her...like I'd watched her for so many years.

I sat down next to her and then leaned over and put my head next to hers and we laid there nose to nose, both afraid we'd never be able to get up again.  She snuggled into my hands and I'm not sure if she was looking for comfort or trying to comfort me.  She heard the vet pull in and I knew she knew and I could tell she was upset.  I'm not sure if she was scared or sad.  

The vet and I talked about how tough she had been her whole life while she gave her the first shot.  She was chewing on a mouthful of hay and then closed her eyes and went to sleep for the last time.  I held her head in my hands, stroking her face telling her how much she was loved while she got the second shot.  I hope when she woke up, there was a big white dog sniffing her, wagging his tail in greeting.  I hope she's not as gutted as I am.

This morning I walked outside in the pre-dawn to a brilliant rainbow around the full moon.  All the colors were there and so bright.  I went back inside for my camera, but couldn't capture it.  I'll  keep the colors in my memory.  My heart wants to believe it was a gift from over the rainbow bridge.

To end this on a more cheerful note, here's maybe my favorite Maisie memory.  There are so many great ones.  I'm not sure I ever wrote about it and I sure wish I'd taken some videos.  We can curse these crazy cell phones these days, but I'd give anything to have had a smart phone back in her baby days.

She lived in the house for months that first winter.  Once we got her eating issues straightened up and her legs growing in the right direction, she loved to run.  There's only so much some towels on a slick kitchen floor would help, so she was allowed to run all over the carpeted house to play and exercise.

Tim would sit on the couch with his arm hanging over the side and she'd come over and sniff his fingers.  Right when she'd almost touch them he'd make a buzz sound and she'd scream with lamb laughter and race away with her tail spinning...and come right back to do it again and again.  She loved that game.

At a neighborhood gathering once I admitted that "I've never loved anything as much as her...and I'm pretty fond of Tim."  The comment of course got back to him and he quickly replied that he already knew where he stood.  

We all loved her to the moon and back.  

Saturday Spinning

I left my Tour de Fleece goals pretty loosey goosey.  While spinning every day would have been ideal, I figured that getting anything done was better than what had been getting done.  I've washed several fleeces, wove the Daniel scarf, prepped some lamb fleece, spun a couple of small skeins.  Today I wanted to clock some mileage.  

I'm not sure why I grabbed Henri, but I'm glad I did.  I love spinning Jacob fiber and hers has always been a fun spin.  She had an almost silky fleece that practically spun itself.  I recently got Kate Davies' Book of Haps and decided Henri would make a nice hap.  Of course, half the fun is deciding which one...and spinning the yarn.

I don't remember when I did this, but found one ball of singles already finished.  Can't beat that. Now to look back through the blog to see if there's a note about when I spun that.  Surely not last year's Tour de Fleece...right?  Oh, good grief, it was :-/.

Pretty Henri

This was her last fleece (2015) and it has some quite a bit of VM (vegetable matter) mixed in. Too much to think about selling it...and I doubt I would have anyway.  She was a favorite sheep and much missed.  I'll love having a cozy memento.

Henri had gotten too feeble to make the trek in and out of the Del Boca Vista annex this summer and this has not been a summer you could weather out in the little shed.  Yeesh, it's been hot!

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Bullwinkle got himself in all sorts of trouble today and now the Unit is in danger of being called the BRS (Bullwinkle Retrieval System).  Pictures on Instagram, but also shared to Twitter and FB...in case you aren't already following his adventures.