Record Setting October Snowfall / Power Outage

Oct 25, 2011

We were having a lovely October. Then it happened... the record setting October snowfall and power outage. Because of the heavy snow and the trees still dressed in their autumn finery, branches felled power lines throughout the area. We were without electricity from Saturday at 2 P.M. through Monday at 2 P.M.

Oct 30, 2011

Hayley didn't like the wet snow falling on her back but later decided playing in the snow was great fun.

Brad and I carved a Hayley pumpkin. Brad carved a spider pumpkin, too.

Of Sun Dogs and Puppies

I often see sun dogs in the evening. We have a great view of the west sky from our place. This afternoon I noticed these sun dogs rather high in the sky. We've had a week of lovely clear fall weather. Now the rain is moving in for the next couple days.

Two weeks ago we got a new boxer puppy. A girl this time. Her name is Hayley. I love her a lot but she thinks my dining room is her potty. Something's got to give. She's 12 weeks old today.

BR finally got weather suitable for painting the barn. He worked at it all weekend long. Nice going, Mr. C!

Hey, Blogosphere, I didn't forget you.

Summer's dry, hot weather has passed. As we are nearing Autumn here on the Guitner Road, the rain has arrived. Remnants of Hurricane Lee brought nearly a foot of rain last week.
We had a new occurrence - water in our basement. I had bragged to a co-worker at the beginning of  our rainy week that in 25 years, we had never had water in our basement. Sept. ninth's deluge changed that. We spent last weekend drying out. We vacuumed 200 gallons out, then turned on the fans and dehumidifier.

The sheep got sheared Wednesday evening. There was a thunderstorm going on outside but all the sheep were dry in the barn. YAY! Dan (our shearer) will soon wrap up his fortieth shearing season.
I have wavered between breeding sheep and not breeding sheep for 2012 lambs. Here's the latest on that: I will breed 6 ewes to Blue this fall.

The cooler weather and shortening days have Blue thinking of the upcoming breeding season. As I watched Blue pacing the fence line admiring the ewes, I was reminded of a Johnny Cash song.

I apologize if the donkey may make you think of Hannibal Lecter. Fiona's wearing a grazing muzzle for her own good. She loves grazing, so to keep her from foundering on the lush grasses she is muzzled. This muzzle allows her to eat and drink at will. It just makes eating more difficult for her. 

This month will mark a year she's been with the sheep. They all continue to progress in cultural understanding. Fiona and I are on friendlier terms, too. I took the banner photo yesterday when I saw her laying beside the sheep in the pasture. I hadn't seen it before. When your belly is full and the temps are warm, take an outdoor nap. Mm-mm - good.

The banner photo reminds me of a Sesame Street spot: One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others.
I see three possible answers: 1) one donkey  2) one standing sheep  3) one white sheep

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I'm Downsizing but the Sheep Are Moving On UP

Two groups of sheep left here in the past week.
The first group, six yearling ewes and stunning Mick, a ram, moved east of Scranton, PA. The ewes are 6 of the 7 sheep in the banner photo. The dark ewe in the center back and the donkey are still here with me. The second group to leave here has also moved north and east of here. They are about an hour from NYC. That group is composed of 8 of this year's ewe lambs. I received this photo of them grazing upon arrival at their new home yesterday.Yes, there are 8 sheep in this photo. Shy Cinderella is well hidden behind spotted Minnie on the right.Thank you, Susan for allowing me to share the photo you took of the young ewes at their new home yesterday.
To the new owners: I hope you will enjoy these lovely animals as much as I have. May they bring you peace and delight.

Open Barn April 16 10 AM to 3 PM Final Notice

Leaping Lambs Video, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

It's too bad the weather will be rainy and windy for Saturday's Open Barn. We won't get to see anything as cute as this.

April 3 - 2011 Lambing Wrap Up - Mesa and Jetta

Mesa delivered twins just after noon Sunday. A big boy, Lightning McQueen, and a little girl, Sally Carrera from Disney Pixar's "Cars." In the photo below, Sally is standing by her mother and Lightning is resting in Mom's shade. Blue is the sire to these two lambs. In this photo they are about 27 hours old.Jetta was marked on my calendar to deliver this weekend. This was her first delivery. She had a big black boy - Flik and a brown/gray tiny mite girl - Princess Dot. These two are named from "A Bug's Life." Princess Dot is very small beside her big brother. I didn't weigh them but my guess is 5 pounds and 10 pounds. This is the largest size discrepancy I've seen in a few years. Jetta's babies are by Newman. In this photo they are about 16 hours old. I was in the house, bathed and in bed by midnight. So that's a wrap for lambing this year - YAY! Twenty-two lambs to eleven ewes. Nine sets of twins, 1 set of triplets and a single. Seven sets of twins were a boy and a girl, 2 sets of twins were 2 girls, the triplets were a girl and 2 boys and the single lamb was a boy. The final tally 12 girls and 10 boys.

March 27 - Butterfly

Butterfly's Ariel and Eric, originally uploaded by lamb lady.

Butterfly delivered her twins Sunday morning. I would be lying to tell you I didn't have anxious moments during this birthing. She delivered Eric first. When Ariel was born she paid her no mind and went about cleaning Eric. I put Ariel on a towel in front of Butterfly and swooped up Eric in a second towel, taking him out of Mom's visual range for a short time until she realized she had another lamb that needed her care. (You see, last year I wasn't there when she gave birth in the pasture. When I found her she had bonded to one of the lambs and the other needed bottle fed. I didn't want that to repeat.)
I'll spare you the entire story but this year Mom likes both her babies. YES! By afternoon there was time for a bit of play in the lambing jug.

March 26 - Tundra, Tresor and Bella

Busy day from sun up to sun down. Three sets of twins were born today. Each set was a boy and a girl. I was to be at Mom's and Dad's for breakfast at 7:30. Instead, I was in the barn with Tundra's babies. White Prince Charming and pretty brown and white Cinderella.Tresor took advantage of some pasture time to deliver her babies. Brown and white Mickey and brown, black and white Minnie greeted the world Saturday afternoon. Bella chose the pasture to birth her babies, too. The sun was getting low in the sky and I hustled the 3 of them to the barn. The brown ram is Captain John Smith and the black ewe is Pocahontas.

March 25 - Tamar

Tamar is an experienced mom. She is noted for having 2 white lambs annually. She fooled me when I went to the barn at 4 AM to find she had just delivered one large 3 color ram lamb. He is Tarzan. I expect he'll be the largest lamb of all this year's babies.

March 24 Lambs - Liberty and CoCo

I went to the barn early Thursday morning when I heard a lamb fussing on the monitor. The fussing lamb was hungry Flora. What I was surprised to see was Liberty with 2 black and tan ewe lambs in the large stable. Liberty isn't fond of me so I've been hands off with her as much as possible. She's a first time mom and doing well. Her babies are named Laverne and Esmerelda from "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." About the time Liberty was getting her lambs cleaned and fed, CoCo Chanel went into hard labor. I'd been concerned about CoCo. She's a big girl and last year delivered twins but one was stillborn. She promptly delivered a girl and boy Thursday morning. I was calling my co-workers to keep them abreast of the birthings when CoCo got agitated, had contractions and delivered a third lamb, a ram.
She had black lambs last year. I bred her to Blue again and this year all three lambs are tan and white - go figure. These lambs names were suggested by my cousin, Lynette. She wanted a Copper and Tod from "The Fox and the Hounds." The ewe's name is Vixey, from the same movie. Copper is CoCo's golden boy. She's lukewarm toward Vixey and she's giving me fits about letting the Tod nurse. He's getting smarter and stronger - I'll be watching closely how things progress with them.

More March 22 Lambs - Leah

This year is Leah's third lambing. She was immense. I'm glad her babies are here. She delivered twins in the early evening hours. A badgerface girl weighed in at 8 pounds. Her brother weighed in at 9 pounds. They are Coral (top photo) and Crush (bottom photo) from "Finding Nemo." All are doing well.Oh, by the way, bide-a-wee Blue is their daddy.

2011 Lambing Begins with Jensen

First time Ma, Jensen delivered twin ewe lambs March 22 around 1-1:30 PM without assistance. Jersey West Mick is the first time Pa. All are doing well. This year's lambs will be named after Disney characters. Jensen's girls are Flora (front) and Fauna (behind). They weighed in at 7.5 and 6.5 pounds respectively. Tiny and sweet is what they are.

New Hay Arrived Today

One hundred nice sweet smelling bales of hay delivered and stacked in the barn today. It was well orchestrated by BR. Thank you, dear husband. What a way for you to say "I love you."
It pulled off without a hitch. Much thanks to all involved in the effort. Thank you to those who shared the use of their trailers - Dave and Wayne. Much thanks to Adam for his hauling and stacking. Thanks to Steve for his help. I thank you, one and all.
I call them "my" sheep, but believe me, having them is a group effort.

Hello 2011!

I'm emerging from a couple weeks out of commission. I hurt my back Dec 23. Recovery hasn't been so fast as when I hurt it in September. Both incidents involved sheep and lifting. You'd think a girl would learn to be more careful, wouldn't you?

We had a couple inches of snow overnight Jan 7/8. The sheep and Fiona were out and about in it Saturday morning. I grabbed the camera and headed to the pasture.

Young rams Newman and Mick:

Old ram Blue:

Sprightly Klickitat:

The ewes and Fiona:

The ewes are plumping up. Leah looks like triplets are in store.

Speaking of lambs: Open Barn is scheduled already - Saturday, April 16.

Contact me for directions if you need them.

I'm expecting about 20 lambies this spring.