Olive's Flowers

Some of Grandma's lillies, growing at Mom's place.

Pile O' Sally

There is no end to the shedding of dog hair at my house. On any given day, one might find fur bunnies the size of Yorkie's in all the corners.

After finishing the vacuuming this morning, I turned around to find brand new tufts of Sallyfur on the rug behind me. It was the last straw...Even though I had other, more important, things to do today, the grooming couldn't wait.

Except for the dog comb in the corner, there is little point of reference in this photo: But trust me, the pile of Sallyfur that I brushed out this morning was BIG. It took me about an hour to get this far. The fur filled a plastic shopping bag. One of the boys combed this much out of Sally just last week. I figure I have two more brushings to go before she is shed out. Blah...

White Pine Parker

Yesterday I got a few snaps of the new lambs. Parker is the polled musket boy in front. Day one he was just a scared little lamb. Day seven he's Dominant Boy. Shake a bit of corn in a bucket and he meets you at the gate.
I have always been a fan of Ag (the greying gene). I don't mind having a nice ram that is also Ag. I actually love working with light colored fleeces.

I know Ag is dominant and can take over the flock. But I'm not worried about it. All of my ewes are solid. And Parker has a lot to offer my flock with his polled genes and beautiful fleece. Someday I'll have to reduce the grey in my flock. But I look forward to getting a couple of good Ag ewes first. Then I can move on to strictly solid rams again.

Goodbye Lambs, Hello New Friends

I'm a little late in posting my final goodbye to Bam and Ris. It's been a busy few days. But just as planned, Tifany came down from Rice River on Monday and picked up the boys. Check out her blog for the photo of these two ramlings in a jungle of fresh new foilage at her place up in Northeast Minnesota.

Tifany, you are such a beautiful person with a heart of gold. I truly enjoyed meeting you and your adorable son, Isaiah. I know the rammies will be just fine in your care. And I wish you all the very best with your new flock of Shetlands.

My New Polled Babies

I drove down to Ramsay Farms yesterday and picked up the polled ramlings I bought from Garrett. Oh, did I have fun! Hours of talking sheep, talking farming, examining sheep, examining fleeces...

I finally learned how to read a micron report. Thank you, Garrett. And I agreed to micron the lambs I bought once this fall and again next spring, so Garrett can add the data to his immense flock spread sheet. I supposed there is the chance I will learn something too. :)

Garrett, generous person that he is, even sent home a little ewe lamb that I have long admired. Meet White Pine Silverthorn. She is adorable. We examined her and her black twin sister yesterday and discovered Silvy has indentions in her skull, and so might be a poll carrier. Her dam has polled genetics so there is a good chance. I get to test breed her. But I think I will wait till she is a yearling because she is the smaller of the twins. What a cute little bug. I'm delighted to have her here.

White Pine Parker insisted on napping during the photo shoot this morning. But I think you can see the tiny button scurs he has even though he has his head mostly behind Arvada. (Parker is the brownish one.) I'm so excited to have a polled ramling.

Last, but certainly not least, is White Pine Arvada. He is a gorgeous katmoget that is also carrying polled and modified genetics. I love his tiny tail.

All of these lambs have beautiful soft fleece: as good or better than my two best lambs of 2008. I look forward to the fleece genetics these rams will add to my flock, as well as the gains I am taking toward my polled goal. Thanks again, Garrett. :)

My Little Fairy Angel

Boston Lake Lyneth is my most precious lamb. From Bramble Anna Belle X Sheltering Pines Bombarde, she is everything I hoped that cross would be. Actually, her twin sister, Nhu (the black kat in the background), is everything I hoped the cross would be. I REALLY wanted a katmoget. I had about zero interest in white lambs until this year, when I actually got some white lambs. Lyneth is my Little Fairy Angel. My Pretty Dolly. My Sweet Petite. I call her so many different terms of endearment that I have to think a bit to remember the name I gave her at birth. Even then it's Lynny.

Lyneth, and Nhu, are my best chance at polled genetics in the ewe flock. They both have depressions and leathery patches on their heads. All my other ewes have bone knobs or even tiny horn points.

Lyneth is also built like a brick-shaped butterfly. She's truly that delicate. Not undersized, but my smallest and most dainty lamb. But her hind quarters look like a BFL in miniature. And look at that tail! At best it is only 3.5 inches long. It's so tiny I laugh everytime I see it. Everything about Lyneth is just too cute.

Even her little attitude is adorable. She just loves attention. Pretty much from anyone. She cuddles right up to the boys and the little children that visit the farm. In fact, she usually sits down against them so they can love her up better. She really is just the honey of the flock.

The Boys

Ris and Bam are leaving for their new home next Monday. Bam will be a flock sire and he's taking his buddy Ris along for companionship. How lucky for both of them. They get a nice big pasture with lots of trees all to themselves. I wish them and their new shepherds all the best.