Catnip Mat Action Video

Catnip Mat Action Video, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

After ignoring it for months, Gus decides to drag the catnip mat off the rocker to the floor. After chewing on it for a time, he can't decide if Woodrow needs a lickin' or a whoopin'. After this episode, Gus went outside and caught himself a mouse.

Breeding Groups for 2011 Lambs

Just back from breeding ewes in Boyertown, PA - Blue gets the biggest group: Seven of my ewes plus visiting ewe, Alice. What can I say? He's a lucky guy!Blue's yearling lambs get bred this fall. We needed some fresh blood for them.
Here's seven month old Newman from Olde World Farm in NY, with his two ewes, Jetta (left) and Tundra (center):Then there's year old Mick from Jersey West Farm, NJ with his two ewes, Jensen (front) and Liberty (right):

BR's Batty Pumpkin and Grim Reaper Pumpkin

BR's been honing his pumpkin carving skills in the past week.

The Cat's Out of the Bag

cat's out of the bag video, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

Gus and Woodrow at play. When Woodrow watched it on the computer, he put his paw on the monitor. Gus pays no attention to tv's and computers but Woodrow is quite fond of them.

Woodrow

Although Facebook friends knew of Woodrow even before he came to live with us, I have yet to introduce him in the blogosphere. After losing Merlin at Christmas, I thought Gus needed a friend. No, we weren't actively searching for a cat.
Friend and co-worker, Tonya, found two little kitties sleeping on the road as she went home from work in the middle of the deep, dark night. She took them to the vet for cleanup. She had them for 2 weeks, debugging them. Woodrow's brother is now with a Maryland family.
Woodrow came to live with us in June. We love him. Well, I love him. BR puts up with him.He daily sleeps curled beside my neck, purring his little heart out. He's a lap kitty extraordinaire.
He and Gus get along together very well.Both are named for the leading characters in Lonesome Dove.
Each evening after dark, they chase each other through the house. Both are leash trained, since we are so close to a heavily traveled road. They like to be outside to chase birds and bugs. We often take short strolls outside around the house or through the pasture.
Woodrow just came home from neutering. He's doing well. I thought he'd not like me afterward but at this moment he's curled, purring on my lap.
Just like me, he likes playing in wool and yarn, too. Dear Woodrow.

Socks for BR

BR said no one ever knitted him a pair of socks before. Now I need to get him to model them for the blog. HA!

LOOK! They Fit! YAY!!!

Big Girl Play Day

The South Cumberland Fiber Guild had a "Dye Day" today. It was just as much fun as it was when I went two years ago. Pam's color selection set the tone for the day.

Here's the fence when we were nearly done.

Freezing Sweet Corn Family Style

Mom and Dad have a grand set up for preparing sweet corn for freezing. Mom has it all stored in memory from previous years, along with suggestions on how to improve it this year.Dad usually follows instruction pretty well but on occasion disagrees. (Now you know where I learned the fine art of finger pointing. I got it from both of them.)Saturday we had a multi-generational gathering to process 25 dozen ears of corn. (Dad didn't know it but we had a birthday lunch prepared for him, too.) They cranked out the awning and set up the fan. Husks went right onto the truck bed for easy unloading later.

Dad divided the corn into boxes so we knew whose corn was being processed. I thought the corn was very nice. We purchased it from the Ebys on Feaster Road. After husking comes the final silk removal. This is Dad's drill strapped to a bench with a brush in place of a drill bit. It's noisy. I wore my ear plugs. Dave lent us his turkey cooker. It has a basket for easy ear removal. We cooked 2 dozen ears at a time. Then onto the two coolers set up with ice water.

Then the cutting, bagging and freezing happen.

At noon we had a lunch of hot dogs, barbeque, sweet corn (of course), watermelon, lemonade, birthday cake and ice cream. Afterward was time for story telling and cat naps.Kaden rescued the few worms we found and loaded them onto his truck for a ride around the patio. Madison loved playing with the garden hose.

Born 4.4.10 Brooke's Winnebago

Born 4.4.10 Brooke's Winnebago, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

The only single lamb of 2010, Brooke gave birth to black ram lamb, Winnebago on Easter morning.

Born 4.2.2010 Butterfly with Erie

Born 4.2.2010 Butterfly with Erie, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

First time mom, Butterfly, gave birth to twins Erie and Fox. Much to my dismay, Fox has become a bottle baby. Though he was sturdy and strong, she wanted nothing to do with him.

Born 4.2.10 Mesa's Mandan and Marameg

Born 4.2.10 Mesa's Mandan and Marameg, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

The first of three sets of twins born April 2. Ram Mandan (L) and dear ewe Marameg (L).

Born 4.2.2010 Bella's Seminole and Sugaree

Born 4.2.2010 Bella's Seminole and Sugaree, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

I was so worried first time mom, Bella, would give me problems, but no, it was her sister Butterfly instead. Bella gave birth to ram lamb,Seminole (L) and ewe, Sugaree (center). They are doing great. She keeps them as far from me as she can.

Pima and Fox, Precious Bottle Babies

Pima and Fox, Precious Bottle Babies, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

Fox (L) isButterfly's twin and Pima (R) is Leah's triplet. It's maddening when ewes reject a lamb. These babies have been a delight and good company to each other. My sister-in-law, Jane, provides their mid-day feedings while I'm at work.

Born 4.1.2010 Leah's Pequot and Paiute

Born 4.1.2010 Leah's Pequot and Paiute, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

Triplets Paiute (L) and Pequot (R). Brother Pima is my bottle baby. Smaller and weaker at birth, he didn't stand a chance with his stronger brothers. Leah and Cassie were delivering their triplets simutaneously.

Born 4.1.2010 Cassie's Comanche, Catawba and Cree

Born 4.1.2010 Cassie's Comanche, Catawba and Cree, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

Three sets of triplets on April Fool's Day. Outstanding!
Cassie and Blue made a beautiful set of babies.

Born 4.1.2010 Lyra's Kiowa, Klickitat and Kickapoo

Born 4.1.2010 Lyra's Kiowa, Klickitat and Kickapoo, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

Lyra started the day early with the birth of her first set of triplets. She's twinned before. Ram (R), Kickapoo, is a badgerface.

Cud Chewing 101

Cud Chewing 101, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

At 23 days old, Ottawa and sister, Oneida, begin chewing their cuds. This is a fine way to rest after a morning in lush pasture.

Moms,Lambs and Pregnant Ewes 15 second video

Moms,Lambs and Pregnant Ewes, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

Out to pasture in the morning, lambs love to romp and play. You can easily see the difference between the pregnant ewes and the moms.

Born 3.28.2010 CoCo's Nacisi

Born 3.28.2010 CoCo's Nacisi, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

First time Mom, Coco Chanel, gave birth to twins girls Sunday. Unfortunately one was stillborn. CoCo and Nacisi are doing fine. CoCo is a very nervous mom. I think 2 babies may have been a bit overwhelming for her. She was glad to get out for a bite of grass this morning.

3.25 and 3.26 Amazing Aurora's Beautiful Triplets

The amazing Aurora finally delivered her triplets Thursday night, Friday morning. She delivered without a hitch. Tri-color ewe, Hopi, was first to arrive sometime after 11PM. Brown and white brother, Ute, made his appearance more than an hour later, sometime after midnight. Black and white ewe, Zuni, arrived about 20 minutes behind her brother. After and anxious day that included me milking a quart of milk from an engorged half udder, all lambs got settled into a feeding routine.

Born 3.24.10 Tresor's Tano and Tewa

Born 3.24.10 Tresor's Tano and Tewa, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

On the ground when I went to the barn at 6:15 AM, Tresor's ram Tano (L) and ewe Tewa (R) at four hours old. Tresor's doing very well for a first time mom. No one wants or needs my help so far!

Born 3.22.10 Tamar's Ottawa and Oneida

Born 3.22.10 Tamar's Ottawa and Oneida, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

This is not the ewe I expected would deliver first. Second time Ma, Tamar, delivered her babies with out my assistance, just the way she likes it.

Ewes in Waiting

The ewes are heavily pregnant. My vacation to deliver lambies is just a few days away. I've been feeding the ewes grain based on: 1) whether they are bred and 2) how many lambs I think they are carrying.
We have 3 groups, the "No Breeders" are four of last year's ewe lambs and one dear old ewe I can't part with. They are a nosy young group. Jujubee is the old ewe that keeps them in line. Two of the young ewes are her daughters, Jetta and Jensen. The other two are Liberty and Tundra. Tundra is a pretty white ewe, just like her Ma. You'll see her Ma momentarily and there is no mistaking that they are mother and daughter.
Here's a shot of Lyra and daughter, Liberty. Liberty is a beautiful ewe. Her Ma is a great Ma.
Here's a photo of the regular ewes. They are getting a greater ration of grain than the "No Breeder" group. This group is made up of first time moms and ewes that twin. Tundra's Ma, Tamar, is the 2 horned white ewe. See, I told you they looked alike. Tiny Tresor, who has her butt facing you is a first time mom. She's getting a little round in the belly and her udder is beginning to bloom. I think these girls will be ready to drop very soon. Hopefully, they will wait a couple more days till I can be home to keep and eye on them.
The "Heavy Feeder" group is old moms and large ewes that have a history of triplets and one first time mom that is a big girl. I give them a bigger ration of grain than the regular ewes. Everyone wants to join that group.
Now take a look at this ewe and tell me how many lambs she's carrying. She has a history of twins but it looks like maybe 3 this year. Her grandmother was a mother to 18 lambs.I'll keep you posted.

The Blizzard

We haven't had much snow for about five years. The local ski resort had to add a golf course to keep operating.
This year has been a reminder of big snows from our past.
I went to town Tuesday night in fear that I couldn't get to work Wednesday AM. They had forecast the winds that will snow us in for days. Although we are on a state road, it is low priority compared to Interstate 81 and Route 30 and Warm Spring Road.
BR stayed home to care for the sheep and keep the home fires burning. Cell phones are handy for directing sheep care. We were fortunate to maintain power throughout.
I finally came home Thursday afternoon. Route 30 was clean in town. Further west was still closed due to drifting. The Warm Spring Road was good except for an occasional spot narrowed to one lane. The Guitner Road was a different story. It runs north/south, so the strong west winds packed snow onto the roadway. The west lane was closed and the east lane was a foot deep with tracks of those who had ventured through.My trusty Subaru knew the path home. BR had our driveway all blown out.
Plows came through repeatedly around 9 PM last night. (There have been storms bad enough here that plows can't do the job.) I cleaned out the end of the driveway for BR to go to work this AM.
My folks will be returning from their trip to Florida today. My brother cleaned their driveway. I need to go now to open the end of it so they are able to get in.
I told them I'm going to let Dad shovel his sidewalk. I'm not being mean. He'll need something to do when he arrives home. It's his way. I thought they should stay South longer but I'll be glad to know they're safely home.

Snowy Weekend Candy Making

My first venture into candy making was with my Aunt Joycee on a wintry Saturday morning about 45 years ago. We made mosies and when the sugar scorched, we dumped it in the snow and started a new batch. This time we were more careful and stirred continuously for a sweet treat. Joycee and I didn't have a candy thermometer but tested more than a couple spoonfuls of the hot syrup in ice water to see if it was to the hard crack stage. I remember her pouring the gooey goodness into Grammy's well greased muffin tins. I can still see those tins in my mind's eye. I wish I could remember if we set the tins on the snow to cool. My guess is that we did. I was always in a hurry to consume more sugar. Sadly, that's a weakness I expect will be with me until my dying day.

Knowing the big snow would keep us home, I planned to make some candy this weekend. Stopping for groceries on my way home Friday, I got ingredients to make either peanut brittle or my new favorite candy recipe - Toffee Brittle with Chocolate and Sea Salt. It's sinfully delicious. I found the recipe at Culinate.com. There aren't many ingredients.
I boiled butter, sugar and salt from a soft yellow color to 300 degrees.
Then I added the walnuts and poured it onto a well buttered cookie sheet.
Then I sprinkled chocolate bits over the hot toffee. It takes them only a few minutes to melt. Then they are ready to spread over the toffee.
Now is the hard part. Allow the chocolate to cool a bit so that when you sprinkle the coarsely ground sea salt over the chocolate the salt doesn't disappear. Sprinkle a wee bit to see if it melts. If it doesn't you can put the rest of the salt on it. If it melts, allow the chocolate to cool a bit longer. It's not adding the salt that's difficult, it's keeping your mitts off the candy that's tough.
Since the chocolate didn't firm up fast enough for my liking, the kid in me had to carry it out to set on the snow. Gus couldn't imagine what I was doing outside. This recipe makes about 2 pounds of candy. You have to share it. Your belly won't feel good if you don't share it. Enjoy. M-M-M-M Good!