What I did Last Weekend - or Hooked!

Some of you might recognize the dog in the photo as the subject of several other blogs, recent and not. This is Clifford, my Welsh Springer Spaniel, known officially as American and International Champion Briarbanc Brych Red Dog, RE, OA, NAJ. I'm the person in the middle - the only girl in the photo. The two guys are Spaniel Hunt Test judges, Erich and Dave. The orange rosette is important.


The American Kennel Club offers competition for a wide variety of performance events, one of those is Spaniel Hunt Tests. I have wanted to enter Clifford in one of these since he was a little puppy retrieving his first birds. He is without a doubt the best upland hunting dog I've ever owned or hunted with in over 3 decades of hunting. The only thing that's stopped me (besides squeezing a little more time out of each day....) was his retrieving. Spaniels are required to retrieve on land and water. Clifford wants to find the birds and doesn't care too much about bringing them back. (He has Labradors to do that for him!) Yes, I tried teaching him to retrieve numerous times over the last 6 1/2 years - making me question my dog training skills - and "something" always came up and I'd put it off again.

About 2 weeks ago a message came across the local Spaniel list announcing that entries were still open but closing soon for three upcoming local spaniel hunt tests. I looked at the calendar and saw (wonder of wonders!) that two of the days were "open". I thought back to the last training session where Clifford was stealing bumpers (retrieving training objects) from the Labradors and bringing them to me. What the heck - I entered him in the two days.

A friend was setting up training sessions, one last Sunday and then one on Thursday. I managed to make both of them. The first one was semi-encouraging and semi-disastrous. He was a bit out of control and brought back 2 of 4 birds. The Thursday training session was much better. He brought back 3 of 3, and did a great job of quartering (finding the birds on land), and one outstanding retrieve.

In between days, I pulled out a bumper and played fetch with him. He was less than stellar at bringing them to me, but improved each time.

Saturday came and we headed out. His land work was acceptable (I thought) and he flushed 3 birds, one was shot and he retrieved it (!!!), one flew away behind us (no shot), and one landed where Clifford caught and brought it in. Unfortunately, the judges wanted to see a little more retrieving. They threw a dead bird, Clifford found it easily but only brought it half way back, left it and wouldn't pick it up again. Dang!

Home again, and I did some fun bumper games with him, encouraging that retrieve to be complete to me.

On Monday, we were at a different site. It was open, thick grass, and the dogs were having a lot of trouble locating the planted birds. Clifford was the next to last dog to run. His work was excellent! He found birds that many dogs had run past, and brought his required 2 all the way in to me. :-) We then got to wait several hours while the more advanced dogs did a couple other tests before we moved to a pond for the water retrieves. Clifford was, again, the next to last dog to run. He enthusiastically ran into the water, swam out to the bird and brought it back... not quite to hand, but CLOSE ENOUGH! He earned the Orange Rosette and the first "leg" of his AKC Junior Hunter title.

So here's the "hook". It takes 4 qualifying performances - or 4 "legs" - to earn the title of Junior Hunter. Now, could someone who persevered to get her PhD at age 52, stop with 25% of a title completed? I don't think so! ...then there's Senior Hunter... and Master Hunter... but we won't go there - yet.

- Franna

Tag, I'm it!

Michelle recently tagged me for a meme and asked me pretty please to play, so here goes:

The rules: Posted here at the beginning. The player answers all questions. The player then chooses six people you want to know more about and tags those people by listing their names at the end of the post and going to their blog and leaving a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Also, you let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago, 1998. Life was a lot different for me ten years ago. I was working for Boeing on a fighter aircraft program, making titanium parts. I was a single mom raising my daughter, assisting with her 4H Club - Dawg Gone Dogs, going to school to get my Master's degree in Engineering. We had 3 dogs, none of whom are alive now, and 2 cats, both of whom are still alive and relatively healthy for senior kitties. I had no idea that I would learn to spin and have a farm with sheep 10 years in the future.

2. What were five things on my to-do list today (not in any particular order)?
I didn't make a to-do list today :-) I worked at Take Root farm in the morning weeding turnips and onions. I then took Clifford and met a group for hunting training. I came home and took a nap... zzzzzzZZZZZZzzzzzzz After that I was inspired and trimmed Clifford's feet and nails, then took on Thomas, and finally Villa. Then I picked up pizza for supper. Last will be a sheep check and change the bandage on Black Market's leg. Well, that's more than 5.

3. What snacks do I enjoy?
Ohhh, snacks. Sweet things, salty things, fruit, finger size veggies.

4. Where are some places I've lived?
Well, I grew up in Seattle, unincorporated King County between Burien and DesMoines, spent a year (4th grade) in Cambridge, Ohio, on an 18 acre "Gentleman's Ranch", lived in Richland, Wa for 12 years, spent time in Pullman at WSU, a few months in Alexandria, VA, and the rest in the Seattle area.

5. What things would I do if I were a billionaire?
Oh my! Keep it quiet then pay off our debts, number one. Put enough away to be comfortable. Travel. New Zealand is high on my list, as are Scotland, Sweden and Nepal. Sponsor research into alternative energy, sponsor some sheep vets. Support charities for abused children and old dogs. Learn to weld. Build a hobbit hole house. Have an electric gate ;-)

Here are the six people I'm tagging: It's hard to ask six... does anyone want to volunteer? Drop me a line and I'll "tag" you. DH said he would, so I'll tag him. Kathy and Tina, will you play with us? :-)

Thanks, Michelle. You gave me an easy post to write. I have several more in the works but have been trying to limit my computer time so I get more done. It works sometimes ;-)

- Franna

Confessions of an Age 55+, Retired, PhD Engineer, Shepherd, Mom, Daughter, Wife, Farm Hand

I am never bored. There is always something interesting to read or learn, or someone interesting to listen to. Sometimes, though, inertia takes hold and I can't decide what to do, or just can't get past that first step.

On Sunday, Mom and I went out to brunch at a restaurant neither one of us knew - the Mark Restaurant, in Olde Burien. It was very nice. I love my Mom and like spending time with her. So why do I see her so seldom?

When I dropped her off, she offered to loan me some books. I like reading books. My taste runs from sci-fi and fantasy to historical novels, self help and the "Chicken Soup" collections. Killer Angels is one I re-read now and then, the Harry Potter series can keep me up late, Nuts! was good (about Southwest Airlines), and Marley was a tear jerker - especially since we'd lost 3 of our dogs in the previous year. On airplane trips, I find a trashy romance novel and bury my nose in it for the duration. (I'm a white knuckle airline passenger.)

I poked through her bedside collection and picked out three very different sounding books.

First I started Dead Wrong by Janice Kay Johnson, an author from Seattle (!) The book is set near Bend, Oregon and kept me up late. It's kind of a romance novel, but also a mystery. The main character was a young woman detective who solves (rather personally!) a violent serial rapist/murder case.

The next one was Big Fish by Daniel Wallace. It was entertaining. A group of short, embellished, larger than life tales about Edward Bloom as told by his son as his father lay dying.

I just finished the third one this morning: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. The book is laid out as a biography (purely fictional? historical basis???) of an Afghani who emmigrates to the US after the Soviets invade Afghanistan. During his childhood he watches his best friend get brutally raped while he hides in the shadows. This event colors his whole life. He eventually returns to Afghanistan to rescue the friend's son and finds some sort of courage. This is an outstandingly written book - haunting. Nightmare provoking.

The Kite Runner and Dead Wrong are not the type of books I like to read. (Big Fish was just strange, but I got some laughs from it.) I hate reading or watching (movies) where children and women are the objects of senseless and twisted violence. Couldn't these authors have used some other events to make their points? Yes, they are well written, but is it worth the nightmares, the flashbacks to the violent parts of the books? I like trashy novels where my flashbacks are to the steamy sections. ;-) sci-fi where the flashbacks are to the battles that the (women) commanders win by the skin of their teeth, fantasy where dolphins speak and diagnose illnesses and people ride dragons to battle alien life forces. Yet, I read these books and after some fashion, enjoyed them, and, if you like that kind of book, would recommend them.

Oh, confessions. I read books while the sheep were untended (though they don't need much tending out on pasture!), the dogs in their crates instead of lounging at my feet or being trained and played with, taxes need to be done (we filed an extension), much paperwork is languishing, websites are out of date, fleeces need skirting, yard work, and drywall, painting, and on and on and on.

What I need is a good dose of ambition. Something to get me away from the keyboard and on to tasks that need doing. I find that taking vitamins regularly helps my attitude and gets me motivated. So why do I slack off? heh... just before starting this post, I took my vitamins. ;-) Maybe that will get me taking more photos, sharing more regularly, making progress.

heh... confessions. I'm a farm worker now. The local CSA (Take Root Farm) was doing a work-share for the summer. It was full when I asked, but they needed some part time farm hands. I started last week. We planted beans, lettuce and fennel transplants. It was all bending and reaching. Ouchies. My back still isn't the same. Add exercises and situps to my list. :-\

I did figure out how to make videos (I still have to learn editing) and post them on You Tube. There are two. 1) Franjean (Shetland ram) walking around and eating ( a video to complement photos and fleece samples; he's now living in Oregon) and 2) Clifford at the latest agility trial where he gives me half attention after a bird swoops over him between the second two obstacles. There are flashes of brilliance, so maybe we'll get there.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKPdV299xoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoRZw2h7w2E

Ohhhhh, I just got an idea for the Moonspinners Sheep to Shawl project (I'm the Chairman this year). I'll have to hustle to get examples together for tonight's meeting. Inspiration!

- Franna

New Storm Clouds

Meet "Bandit"...

and "Stormy"

It's not so bad that the newest twins are boys. They are destined to be market lambs anyhow. (sigh). Mom, Electra, doesn't care. They're hers to protect, defend, lick and feed.

They are awfully cute. Just look at all those little curls. Those curls didn't come from Mom, so they must've come from Gotland/BFLxBL Dad. Well, maybe someone will be interested in a pretty grey fiber wether... or 15!

- Franna

Bessie's Silver Lining

Bitterroot Bessie is an experienced Mom. She lambs easily and has wonderful lambs. She was in labor while all the grafting of Black Market and Charcoal was going on. I hung around just in case and to watch the miracle of birth.

When Bessie started pushing REALLY hard, I was afraid something wasn't quite right. I peered at her business end and saw... A TAIL. Not good. Another dash to the house for lambing supplies and back to the Hilton. I pushed back, Bessie pushed ... no, Bess, relax... I managed to get the (naughty) tail pushed back enough to hook a hock, then a bit of another (also feeling more legs entangled therein). Bessie pushed, then pushed harder and out he came! A vigorous fawn katmoget ram! Bessie went right to cleaning him up, and a few minutes later he was joined by a moorit brother (oh, bother... more rams). Good girl, Bessie. Away they go into another jug with lots of straw.

Somewhat later, after checking other ewes, I returned to watch Bessie's little darlings and she started pushing again. It seemed a bit much for passing the afterbirth, and INDEED - another lamb! This one is a GIRL! A dark fawn katmoget GIRL. She's just got to be "Silver Lining". :-)

GOOD GIRL, BESSIE!

- Franna

In Every Cloud There's a Silver Lining

This is Before:

This is After:

And this is the "Rest of the Story":

Yesterday morning Bibb had twins. Boys - sigh - One white and one black (top photo). I found the black one wandering amongst the other ewes and their lambs. Somehow he'd gotten through the fence separating them and had wandered off. He was apparently the first born, and must've gotten "lost" while Bibb was cleaning number 2.

As usual, I put them in a jug with fresh straw, food, water. However, Bibb was having nothing to do with the black boy. White boy was definately the most favored son. I haltered her and struggled to get black boy fed. We did that several times... not fun, although the last time all I had to do was clip her halter to the hog panel and she held still. This morning, she was still batting him away - I spied on her via Lamb TV.

Now this morning. Charcoal was acting restless last night, even at the late night check, but no discharge yet. Bessie was starting to act restless. When I checked them this morning, I found two dead lambs and a distraught Charcoal. So sad!!! The little white one was a ewe, the other still in the sack, and didn't look good, so I just bagged it up. In the midst of lamenting, inspiration hit - I could try to get Charcoal to accept Bibb's black boy! The worst that could happen was that I'd have a bottle lamb to raise, and he was well on the way to being a bottle lamb already.

I lured Charcoal into a temporary pen with the dead lamb and raced to the barn to rescue black boy from his mother. (She now has another strike to add to the several she already had....) Carried him down to the Hilton, and on the way dunked him in the water tank. He was not happy about that!!! I rubbed the dead lamb all over him, trying to get the right scent on him.

Charcoal now acted confused and distraught. She'd sniff a little then push him away, circle around, baaaing. Finally I decided I had to wrap the boy in Charcoal's lamb's pelt. - You know you really accepted they're dead when you skin them. - Skin off, I tied it around black boy. Charcoal was still confused... and had not yet passed the afterbirth. We still had a chance.

I fixed up a pen for her and black boy, put in lots of fresh straw, went pottering about for a bit, then back in the pen. This time, when I held her, she let him nurse. I sat and scratched her chin and neck for several minutes while he suckled and waggled. She started cudding. Oh, this is a good sign.

Finally, she passed the afterbirth and I rubbed it all over black boy. She licked him!!! Then licked him some more!!! I pottered about some more, feeding and moving straw around. When I left them a few minutes ago, she was happily cleaning him off and he was happily nursing. I think I'll name him Black Market.

Bibb is happy with Favored Son. Favored Son is happy he isn't getting pushed around with his brother. (Photo 2) Charcoal is happy with a lamb. Black Market is happy with a real mom. (Photo 3) The Shepherd is happy she doesn't have to bottle feed a lamb but isn't very happy with 2 dead lambs :-(

Maybe Bessie will add some more silver lining to the clouds.

- Franna

We Interrupt this Lambing... (Revised with Photos)

...for some time at Shepherds' Extravaganza.

This is the first big Sheepie event of the year in the Pacific Northwest. This year, it could have waited a few more weeks, as the feeling was definately WINTER! I envied the sheep their woolie coats. No matter how many layers I put on, I had to keep moving to keep warm. Periodic walk abouts through the "ShowPlex" - heated! - helped as well.

We took Gotland/Finn, Shetland and a Finn fleece to the show. All 7 won Blue ribbons from judge Kirsten Holbo this year. We were pleased. :-) We also took 5 sheep - 4 Shetlands and Captain, our remaining grey Gotland/Finn ram. They generated a lot of interest, especially since they are quite friendly, but no buyers.

As much as I need more fleece, the Black Sheep Creamery had several Friesian fleeces there, and I took the opportunity to get one just to "try it out". ;-) I ended up with half of a white Friesian fleece and half of a black Friesian fleece, splitting each with a friend.

Of course, I couldn't wait to try it. Saturday evening I washed up a sample of each, hurried its drying, and spun it up on Sunday and Monday on my Turkish Spindle. It was very interesting.

The judge thought it might be soft enough for next to the skin wear. Of the two small samples I took from the fleeces, maybe the black one would be next to the skin soft, but the white one would make nice outerwear. They were both quite lofty, and I attempted to spin them woolen.

Below, the Turkish spindle shows its advantage. When the spun yarn is wound around the 4 arms (over 1, under 2, ad infinitum), it makes a center pull ball when the shaft is pulled out, then the arms are removed.



I carded and portioned them out: white, black, blended white and black, white, black, white, blended white and black, black, and white. Spun in that order, it made a yarn that transitioned from white to black to grey to white to black with just a bit of barberpole colors in between. There was enough to make a small bag for the Turkish spindle. :-) I decided to crochet the bag, since it's been many years since I've crocheted and it just seemed "right".

There was just enough to hold the two arms and shaft, with a little of the shaft poking out. I still need to make a drawstring to close the bag. Now, I can keep the three pieces together even when it isn't "busy" with yarn. :-)



Yeaaaaa! I got through to Bloggers photo posting page! Enjoy. :-)
- Franna

The Hurrier I Go...

...The Behinder I Get.

I don't remember where I read that. It sure fits my days. Days that go faster and faster, speeding toward? I though "Retirement" might slow down the speed. Nope.

Round 1 of lambing at EverRanch is complete. All of the AI Ladies that "took" have lambed, 10 of them. We had lambs born every day for a week, except Wednesday. I was up to date on photos, then more came and I need to go take more. Posted below are the ones that were "up to date" on Wednesday... or was it Thursday? ;-)

Here is the "Barn Group". The 5 Finns had 12 lambs, one set of quads, one set of triplets, two of twins and a single. Two were dead when we found them :-(

These are all half Gotland, half Finnsheep.


Freckles gave us a flashy pair of twins this year, as she did last year. This year's twins are a ram and a ewe. Spatz is on the right.



Spatz, below, shows off his named "part". Does anyone know what the singular of spatz is? Or maybe a spat and a quarter?

Spatz has too much "chrome" (as Juliann would say) to be a good breeding prospect for the Gotland breeding up program, so he'll be wethered and for sale to a spinner's flock. Freckles produced very nice, soft and silky fleece on both of her lambs last year and we see the same starting on this year's lambs.

The Barn lambs have a creep in the corner for protection. We have known lamb bashers in this group of ewes. Yesterday, even without Hortense in the group - the worst lamb basher - Niblet's boy was hobbling around.


The Brain's twins (down from quads) figured it out pretty quickly. The rest explore it now and then. Just wait until you guys get creep feed in there! The white lamb is a ewe, the black guy is ... well... a guy. He's just a bit of a thing, with a personality that is many times larger! He's been christened Tom Thumb.

Speaking of The Brain. Her udder has gone down to almost normal proportions. The lambs readily nurse on the smaller side. I milked the other side and offered a bottle to her lambs. Tom Thumb took it for several days, then started getting enough from mom and started refusing the bottle. Friday was the last day I milked her. I put by a few cups and some colostrum for just in case. :-) The left side is still a bit enlarged in this photo. It's gone down more since then.


The Hilton is now busy with lambs. Bossie was the first to lamb, with a single black/grey ram lamb - 75% Gotland! Snowflake was next with twins - rams. One white and one very ghostly grey katmoget. If I hadn't seen this photo on the Tongue River Icelandic Sheep color genetics site, I might not have recognized his pattern. Snowflake's sire was grey katmoget, so I knew there was the possibility she'd carry the pattern. It helps assure her place in our flock. :-)


"Casper" has very light phaeomelanin on his head which adds to the ghostly appearance. Below he's contrasted with his white brother from the rear, as they're busily competing over the same teat.

There's no doubt about the sex of these two! Casper is on the short list of possible cleanup rams here. Katmoget, like White, is one of the A locus alleles whose phenotype enables us to know their genotype when bred to a homozygous grey Gotland ram. I know - lots of genetic terms. If you know what I'm talking about, you'll understand our "white" filtering program where we use mostly white foundation stock to get homozygous grey animals in the second AI generation. (We get white, too, of course, and those are used for the next generation until we get enough grey ones. :-)

Katmoget works as a filter, too. In the North American Gotland breeding up gene pool, there are almost all of the color and marking genes known to sheep! The A locus filters ensure we're avoiding dominant black, recessive solids, and "ordinary" grey. Recessive brown can still slip through. I wonder what a musket Gotland would look like????

I can at least update you blog readers with our total lamb count:

The Brain - 1 black/grey ram; 1 white ewe - lost 2 ram lambs

Tucker - 2 black/grey rams; 1 black/grey ewe

Niblet - 1 black/grey? ram; 1 white ewe

Freckles - 1 black/grey ram; 1 black/grey ewe

Pinky - 1 white ewe

Hortense - 1 black ram

Bossie - 1 black/grey ram

Snowflake - 1 white ram, 1 Ag grey katmoget ram

Asa - 2 black/grey rams

Bunnie - 1 black/grey ram - gorgeous, gorgeous!

15 - 50% Gotlands, 10 rams, 5 ewes

2 - 75% Gotlands, both rams

I'd better head out to check on things.

- Franna

Lambs!

Last evening (while I was blogging and saying we were still waiting for lambs!) The Brain and Tucker presented us with 7 total lambs. Unfortunately two of Brain's quads were dead when we found them. It's hard to know if they were stillborn or not. She was so quick - we'd been checking every hour or two and noticed nothing imminent, then bang! there were four!



Funny, I got to the barn and each of the live lambs had 2 Finn ewes fighting over them. It took a bit to sort them out and jug the white ewe lamb and black ram lamb with mom - The Brain. Tucker was in the process of lambing at that time, and quickly presented us with black triplets - two rams and a ewe. The rest of the ewes took the night off (thank ewe, thank ewe!), then Niblet had a set of nice sized twins late this morning - a white ewe and black ram.

Brain and her two remaining Quads - white ewe and TINY black ramlet.

Tuckers two ram lambs. These guys look a LOT alike. They may need ear tags now.

Tucker's ewe lamb - tucked back behind the post and feeder. She was firstborn. We were hoping for more like her :-\

Then there were photo opportunities in the TV room. Thom and Villa shared one of the dog beds. He wasn't too sure about this cuddling stuff at first, but he's getting used to it.

Clifford sometimes even gets close to Villa. She's a real interloper - taking lots of Mom's time away from him. Every now and then he even plays with her. I tell him there will come a day when she seems REALLY attractive - and we're not looking forward to that!

- Franna

Still no lambs - but SOON!

...at least as independent life forms. So I'll post a few more photos of the Ewes in Waiting.


In the "Sheepie Hilton" are the "smaller" ewes, young'uns and first time moms. Eve is one of our "mystery" ewes - the mystery is when she was bred. She was obviously bred (!) but I wasn't stealthy enough to observe when. My guess was sometime this weekend - I was wrong.

Next is Snowflake. Snowflake is looking very uncomfortable and like a "double" sheep. The photo is a little bit of an illusion, although her "lamb lump" is pretty good sized when she lays down. She looks like she'd really like to get on with it! Just wait, Snowflake, be careful what you wish for.

Asa is the other Shetland that we AI'd with Gotland semen. She's looking very pregnant and we expect her to deliver late in the week. Last year she went 147 days. She's looking like she wants to get on with it, too.

Bossie is one of our Gotland/Finn lambs from 2007. She was also AI'd and looks like she took!!! She should give us 75% Gotland lamb(s). She actually seems fairly comfortable still.

Take a closer look at Bossie's fleece. This is why we're doing Gotlands! Too bad you can't feel it through the photo. ;-)

Charcoal, another Gotland/Finn, still seems somewhat comfortable, too. I saw her bred by Kibbles, though, so she has another couple weeks to wait.

The other group of ewes is in the Barn. I call them the "Upstairs Sheep" - the barn is up a bit of a hill from the house. Here are the 6 adult Finnsheep and the two BFLxBL horses... errrr, ewes.

This photo shows Niblet and her well developed udder. Niblet was restless all morning, and deserves watching as she was first to deliver in 2007 - on day 141 - that's TODAY!

Last, and certainly not least, this photo shows "The Brain" and her very swollen udder! I hope she's okay. I expect her to lamb very soon from the looks of "things". (Yes, her udder is pixelated - to maintain our "G" rating... or should that be "PG-18"....?)

So now we wait.
- Franna

No lambs yet.

I have an excuse... Really!

It's new! Its USB ports work! Software is getting loaded! I can print directly from my workstation! I can upload photos to my own computer for the first time in months!!! Happy Shepherd, Happy Doc :-) :-) :-)

We'll see if it really makes a difference in more timely blog updates. Well, the ewes might have something to say about that, too. It is Day 141 since we AI'd 15 ewes. Last year the lambs started coming late on Day 141, with the Finnsheep delivering first. Three of the Finns are very restless and uncomfortable. One of the Shetlands is, too.

Congratulations to Michelle at Boulderneigh on the arrival of her first 2008 lambs!

Last week we had a very unseasonable event - snow!

I tried to "track" the flakes with the camera, so the background is a bit blurry. The flakes were huge and wet, so I thought it would just fall and melt... the above photo shows the ground getting white.

Villa watched her first snowfall and tried to catch a few flakes. She doesn't know that it just doesn't snow in Western Washington in late March.

Mom, you're just foolin' with me. Look! Here is snow and it is late March. So there.

The rams stayed under their shelter, such as it is.

About 5" of snow accumulated and actually stayed for about 24 hours, then it snowed again a couple days later. It didn't accumulate, though. We're going to start some chicks this spring. I'm really glad I waited to get them. My original plan would have them on pasture by now - chicks don't do that well in the cold and snow! Maybe in another week or so. We're planning to raise broilers and a laying flock for meat and egg sales. YUM!

-----------------------------

The Black Sheep Creamery Auction update:

DH just finished his donation to the auction - a custom model. Just look at this awesome piece of work!

Al Showalter chose the "Woodie" model and wanted it customized for his blog - Lake Boren Rapid Transit Report. It's detailed with mirrors, door handles, spare tire, customized license plates, customized signage, hot rodded hood and exhaust, gages, and on and on.

Check the engine detailing with wires, carb and hoses!

I know there are more custom items that were donated to the auction, and items made from the items won. Send photos and updates and I'll keep the page updated. :-)

...out to check the ewes.

- Franna

Here's A Rambling Post

Ain't she Cute????!!

I've been saving up photos for a blog. Villa is asleep - or at least quiet - giving me an opportunity to post uninterrupted. Not even the cat is laying on my arms right now!

Villa's favorite chew toy is Thomas! They get into fierce looking and sounding battles with no marks on anyone.

She is such a smart puppy. She runs through tunnels already, spins, does Sit, Down, Stand, Come, Fetch, goes over jumps (really just the ground bar) and even did her first "back cross" yesterday! She waits for supper, runs into her crate, and is *almost* potty trained.

She is a little puppy in a big world, as she accompanies me doing farm chores.

Farm chores are something I can't do with Clifford, as he is so obsessed with the birds. I've failed to break him of chasing, catching and killing them. :-(

Thomas is a great chore dog, too. Both Villa and Thomas follow along as far as they can, then wait at fences and gates while Dave and I go in with the sheep and camelids. Villa thinks the sheep and camelids are all potential friends. She's going nose to nose with Acclaim, our alpaca.

Do you notice "something" about Acclaim?

He rooms with the ram-boys and recently was discovered bending down the electronet fence to get at the succulent new grass on the "other side" of the fence. As he's overdue for shearing, his long neck fiber was protecting him from getting shocked. The last straw was one afternoon when Dave came home and asked "Why are the rams loose?" When we rounded them up, Acclaim got some special treatment:



We weren't ready to completely shear him, so he got a custom cut. It sure solved the fence issue!

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We're in Waiting mode. Waiting for lambs, that is. Waiting for warmer weather. Waiting for construction at ERN (EverRanch North). Hortense is waiting (usually for her lunch/breakfast/dinner/snack) and lambs.




She's bagging up and broadening nicely. We're hoping for twins from her this year out of the Gotland ram, Daniel. Hortense gives us a wonderful fleece each year. I try to shear her every 9 months or so, sometimes I keep the coat on her, sometimes not. Coated, she has a beautiful variegated grey fleece. Uncoated the grey is tempered with some sunbleaching and it comes out a heathery brown-grey. I've got several of her fleeces ready to weave into "something".



The "Hilton" ewes are waiting. I'm guessing Eve will be our first to lamb. I'm guessing this weekend. Her lamb(s) will combine all three of the Scottish rams we imported semen from.

Scattered around Eve are 4 ewes expecting Gotland lambs from the ram Daniel, 4 ewes expecting Gotland cross lambs from our backup rams, her cousin - Sweet Pea, and the 4 Shetland ewe lambs that weren't exposed to a ram. No, not all of them are visible in this photo.

Here is the handsome ram that Eve was bred to:

This is EverRanch Butch Cassidy. He's the guy who was splinted for several weeks as a young'un. His leg appears to be completely healed.

Shetland ewe, Cinnamon shows what happens when Shetlands are sheared "in the rise". It is really difficult to get the shears underneath the old/new fiber mat when it's so close to the skin. These patches will either shed off, or I'll trim them off as her fleece grows out more.

And Gotland/Shetland Bunny is waiting.

Bunny should be "incubating" 75% Gotland lamb(s). We're hoping for twin ewe lambs from Bunny. :-) We'll know in a couple of weeks.

...lots to do while "waiting".

- Franna