ALMOST perfect...

Things don't always go as we planned. Josh wasn't supposed to get sick when he and Matt spent the night at Grandma's. My wonderful niece, Brandi, was not supposed to labor for 22 HOURS in order to deliver her beautiful, baby girl. But she did. And Josh did get sick. He's better now. So's Brandi! ;-) Sometimes I just can't make everything perfect for everyone no matter HOW hard I try.

Meet "HERSHEY" (sold) and "NESTLE" ~ KitKat's twin ram-lambs, sired by Paco. They are gorgeous! Beautiful, fine, moorit fleece, very refined heads & legs, straight and square as you could hope for, perfect, fluke-shaped tails ~ except for one thing...

The wool on Nestle's tail is too long. This is a fault. It makes me sad because, in every other way, he is absolutely gorgeous. Because the shape and size of his tail are correct and some breeders say that the wooly covering might be outgrown, I've decided to still offer Nestle for sale as a breeding ram. In many other ways he has much to offer as a sire...refined bone structure, straight & square legs, beautiful, wide-sweeping horns, soft, silky fleece, a correct-size, fluke-shaped
tail with hair at the tip and HST spotting genetics! Not a bad package.


Because Nestle IS such a nice quality ram lamb, but DOES have a noticeable fault, I am offering him for a reduced price. Nestle is available for $200.00 He offers a great opportunity to get some outstanding quality, HST spotting genetics into your flock for a minimal investment.

OK...here it is: the $100.00 tail:
E-MAIL me if you'd like more information or pictures of Nestle, or any of our other sheep for sale.

Dream says......."I told Mom that I bet if Nestle's girlfriends all have nice tails, like mine, he'll make LOTS of beautiful babies ~ maybe even some that look like ME, since Nestle & I have the same Daddy!!"

Not what we'd planned...

This handsome young man is my favorite oldest Grandson, "Josh". Josh is standing by the apple tree I planted for him when he was just a little boy. The first thing he wanted to do, last night, was go check the apples on his tree...


There were LOTS of apples, but most of them had bug damage, so we decided that they'd be a nice treat for the sheep.


This is my favorite MIDDLE Grandson, "Matt". Matt's got the bucket of apples ready to go feed the girls...

Needless to say, the girls were quite happy to see Josh and Matt! The boys always bring them treats. ;-)



After giving the ewes and lambs their treats, Josh and Matt decided to give a couple of the girls halter lessons. Diva and Zest did VERY well for having not been on halter for over a year! We were going to 'camp out' in my back yard but decided that it was too hot (and nobody knew how to put up the tent!) so opted for the air-conditioned living room instead. We made a cozy bed in the middle of the living room and watched a great movie (I can't remember the name of it ~ something like "The Rookie" ~ about a young boy who pitches for the Chicago cubs). About the time the movie ended, Josh commented that he wasn't feeling very well. He was hot and wanted a fan. He also said his tummy hurt. Within minutes, Josh was laying on the floor in the bathroom and I had called his Mom & Dad who were on their way to come get him. My poor boy got SO sick on his way back home....

I feel bad that our night ended with Josh being sick. I've got the greatest Grandkids! I talked to Pam (the boys' mom ~ my favorite oldest daughter) and she said that Josh was still not feeling well this morning.

The next time the boys come, I'll introduce you to my favorite YOUNGEST Grandson, Nick. He's a real cutie....

Dream says..... ...."Poor Josh! I hope he feels better and comes back REAL SOON. Matt & Nick too!"

TOO DAMN HOT!!!

This is ridiculous!


I was going to try to take some pictures of ram lambs to post for my "for sale" boys, but they won't move! It's in the mid 90's with humidity at close to 90% here in the Bluff Country. You can actually FEEL the water vapor evaporating from the grass!

Needless to say, I didn't try TOO long for ram lamb pictures. The girls weren't in much better moods...


Zodiak was at least happy that I turned them out into a fresh paddock where the long grass makes it easier to avoid bugs in the face!


But I think Alice wins the prize for the best "oh my God, it's HOT! face".

My Grandsons are coming out to spend the night with me tonight. The original plan was to camp out in the back yard. I think we'll "camp out" in the living room (by the air-conditioner! ) instead. The weather forecast is for more of the same ~ maybe even HOTTER this weekend...

Dream says...

..."I'm thinking now might be the time for Mom to start bringing me into the HOUSE!"

Blatant Advertising...

The time has come for me to start "marketing" my ram lambs. I hate selling my sheep. I wish I could keep them all! But I can't. So I try to find good homes for them where they will reach their full potential. Therefore, I've decided to start with my ram lambs. I'll post information about a different one, each day (or so), including photos, my assessment of his quality and his price. If you ~ or anyone you know of ~ are looking for a ram lamb to purchase, please contact me for more information, pictures, etc. Prices are firm.

Today's featured ram lamb is: "Bluff Country Black Diamond"

Diamond is the son of "Bluff Country Flash Flood" (white ewe with a black spot on the back of her neck ~ awesome fleece!) and "Windswept Bravo" (black & white, HST ram with super-wide horns and incredibly dense, soft fleece).
Diamond is a twin, black/krunet, ram lamb with outstanding conformation and could definitely be a 'show' ram as well as a flock sire. His price is $300.00

Diamond would make an excellent cross with several of the ewes that I have for sale. He and Zanex (black/iset ~ dam of HST) should definitely give you some gorgeous HST lambs as should he and Premonition (black/krunet ~ goes back to Phoebe, doubling up the White Diamond (incredible fleece!) lineage...

....Dream says:
..."I think Diamond is SO handsome!! I told Mom that I think she should KEEP him!"

Time Warp...

Remember back in early June, when I was posting pictures of the first halter lessons for the lambs? They were so cute and funny with their hysterical antics. Well, here are some pictures I took yesterday...

This little beauty is "Bluff Country Dusty Rose". She is the daughter of Zanex & Paco. She carries HST spotting genetics and has outstanding conformation. She is wild as the dickens! I've been trying to tame Rosie for some time now but she will NOT let me touch her. She comes close, but always keeps another sheep between herself and me. I've actually caught her a couple of times (to feel her incredibly soft fleece!) by reaching under whatever sheep Rosie was hiding behind and grabbing her leg. That's what I did yesterday. I'm pretty fast for an old, fat, lady with a droopy eye! ;-)


As you can see, Rosie was thrilled to practice her halter skills. She mastered the first and second positions VERY quickly...


Not a stubborn bone in this little beauty's body!

I've got to tell you, this little doll is one smart sheep! It didn't take my little Rosie long at all to figure out that if she came toward me, the halter didn't pull so tight and if she let me pet her, she actually got a COOKIE. I'd say within 10 minutes I had this precious ewe lamb following me for cookies and loving it when I scratched her neck!



I REALLY like this ewe lamb!


And it seems, she's rather fond of me too! Notice the halter has been removed and Rosie is choosing to stand and be petted. I think I need another moorit ewe...

...Dream says:

..."Ex-CUSE Me!!!! What's, a girl got to throw herself on the ground and have a hissy-fit to get some attention around here???"

Thank you!

The auction is over! The winning bid was $100.00 Thank you all for bidding and helping to raise money to help Becky buy hay for her flock this winter. Anyone who would still like to donate to the fundraiser, may do so on the MSSBO blog. I don't know if the person with the winning bid wishes "go public" or remain anonymous so, until I hear from him or her, I will withold that information. Thank you all again! What a great bunch of people, Shetland fans are..... ;-)

Dream says...

..."you guys are AWESOME! That was FUN ~ we should play AGAIN!"



note: sorry this was late. I got home late and then blogger wouldn't let me publish a post! The winning bid still held at 7:00 PM. Thank you!

MMMmmPpppFffffTttt!

...Dream says:

........."Mom's trying to keep me quiet, but I think you should know: the bidding is up to $100.00 for the framed photo!!! Hurry!

I promised I wouldn't say anymore, if she gave me the cookie!!"...

SSSHHHHhhhhhhhhhh.......

Dream says....


"Don't tell anyone I told you, but the bid is up to $50.00 on the "Ring Around the Rosie" picture for the fundraiser! Remember, all the money goes toward buying and storing hay for Becky, who's barn & hay was destroyed in a fire last weekend. Bidding is over at 6 o'clock tomorrow night, so hurry and send Mom your bid!"

SILENT AUCTION

CLICK TO SEE LARGER IMAGE
In an attempt to help raise money for my friend, BECKY who just lost her hay barn and year's supply of hay, to a devastating fire,I'm offering this photograph, titled "Ring Around The Rosie" for sale to the highest bidder. It is a framed, 8 X 10 color image. I will pay postage to send the photograph to the highest bidder. I chose this photograph because I have received many compliments on it and a number of people have asked if it was for sale. It pictures ewes in a winter storm....when they need hay the most. Please help us help Becky to keep her flock fed this coming winter.

I will leave this picture up for bids until this Friday, (July 21), at 6 p.m. at which time I will announce the winning bid. To bid on the photo, please e-mail me at: nkmajik@acegroup.cc Please put "silent auction" in the subject line.

The Minnesota Shetland Sheep Breeders Organization (MSSBO) is also offering fiber related items (and even sheep!) for sale, on the MSSBO BLOG to raise money for Becky's family and flock. Check it out, there are some great buys and new items are being added all the time!

Dream says......

...."I was so scared when I heard about Becky's fire, I had to suck Mom's thumb!!"

LUCKY...

This is Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen is the president of MSSBA (the Midwest Shetland Sheep Breeders Association). Mary Ellen is lucky because she stepped on a copperhead snake and lived to tell about it.We had the 2006, summer MSSBA meeting in the Bluff Country this past weekend.

In conjunction with the MSSBA meeting, we also had Letty Klien and Annie Brown, co-authors of the book "THE SHEPHERD'S RUG" present a hands-on workshop, where we all learned how to make a braided rug out of Shetland roving! It was awesome .
In spite of the suffocating heat & humidity, we had a grand time!

Letty & Ann are wonderful teachers...very patient and helpful. It amazed me how difficult it was for me to learn to braid "with my HANDS"...not my fingers.

It was hellishly hot a bit on the warm and humid side, so by 10:30 in the morning, we decided that it was time to bring out the Brandy Slush. It's a PERFECT "breakfast" drink!! It's got orange juice and lemon juice and tea ! Nobody even noticed the pint of Brandy... ; -)



During a break we, of course, walked out and met the sheep. Letty & Ann were impressed by the beauty of the Bluff Country.
Paco and Bravo hung around like a couple of family pets until Paco noticed I had the camera. What a ham!


What a wonderful weekend with wonderful people! Thank you to Nancy Larson and Mary Ellen for preparing lunch and doing the dishes! I apologize for the nightmare, trying to find anything in my kitchen cupboards is. I works for me ~ ;-)

Want to see my 'rug in progress'?.....Isn't it beautiful??? I can't believe I'm doing it myself! OR how much roving it uses up!! ;-)

We had so much fun visiting and chatting and sharing stories about our families, friends and of course, our Shetland sheep. I feel like the luckiest person alive. I live in SUCH a beautiful area, and have so many truly great friends.

My friend Becky missed the meeting this weekend because she had a booth in a fiber event in Mora, MN. While she was away, the land she and her husband had recently purchased and built a brand new pole barn on, went up in flames. Along with the new barn and all the hay that was stored in it. Becky was lucky. She didn't have any animals over there. They were able to save some valuable equipment and nobody was hurt.

Thank you to all my MSSBA friends and to Letty and Annie for a great weekend. I hope every one got home, safely and has a relaxing day today! I hope we can all count our blessings and be grateful for all the good things (and people!) we have in our lives. I am so grateful for all the wonderful people I have met through my Shetland sheep.

Dream says........"I feel pretty LUCKY too!"

2006 Favorite Spotted Lamb Contest Results...

It's over! It's official!! The Spotted Shetland Group's 2006 Favorite Spotted Lamb photo contest has been decided. There were 104 "official" votes cast. We have a tie for first place between #9....

I'm not sure who the owner of this little doll is ~ they haven't stepped up and claimed their lamb, yet. In my (NTBH) opinion, this lamb would be a "krunet" (white cap on the head), "bielset" (ring of color, different from the body, around the neck), "sokket" (legs a different color than the body). If the tail is also white, I would call this lamb an HsT (white on the Head, Socks & Tail ~ I would use the lower-case 's' because the front socks don't reach up to the knee). This is my personal opinion regarding the lamb's markings...other breeders may have other ideas and could be just as correct.
Tied for first place is my very own #6 (Bluff Country Rock Star!)

Rocky is registered as "yuglet" (color around eyes different from the body), "flecket" (white with large black or brown patches). I'm not sure that Rocky's brown patches are really large enough to qualify as flecket, but it's the closest description I can find... Some may also argue that his dark eye patches are too large for a yuglet and that he should be registered as "smirslet". But I looked up the definition of smirslet and it says: "dark colored with white around the mouth, head or neck". Yuglet seems to fit much better. (once again, in my never to be humble opinion.

Only one vote short of a three way tie for first place was photo # 17

I believe these two adorable lambs are "spotted katmogets", belonging to Stephen Rouse. Could be wrong about that though.... ;-) Aren't they adorable ??? I voted for this photo.

Photo # 27 was also tied for second place. Unfortunately, I can't find where I stored that picture on my computer! You can see ALL the lambs entered in the contest by CLICKING HERE
The following is the list of results of the contest:
CHOICES AND RESULTS
- photo #2, 1 votes, 0.96%
- photo #3, 1 votes, 0.96%
- photo #4, 4 votes, 3.85%
- photo #5, 3 votes, 2.88%
- photo #6, 11 votes, 10.58%
- photo #1, 9 votes, 8.65%
- photo #7, 2 votes, 1.92%
- photo #8, 3 votes, 2.88%
- photo #9, 11 votes, 10.58%
- photo #10, 3 votes, 2.88%
- photo #11, 5 votes, 4.81%
- photo #12, 4 votes, 3.85%
- photo #13, 2 votes, 1.92%
- photo #14, 2 votes, 1.92%
- photo #15, 4 votes, 3.85%
- photo #16, 2 votes, 1.92%
- photo #17, 10 votes, 9.62%
- photo #18, 3 votes, 2.88%
- photo #19, 8 votes, 7.69%
- photo #20, 2 votes, 1.92%
- photo #21, 3 votes, 2.88%
- photo #22, 3 votes, 2.88%
- photo #23, 3 votes, 2.88%
- photo #24, 2 votes, 1.92%
- photo #25, 3 votes, 2.88%
- photo #26, 9 votes, 16.98%
- photo #27, 10 votes, 18.87%
- photo #28, 4 votes, 7.55%
- photo #29, 5 votes, 9.43%
- photo #30, 7 votes, 13.21%
- photo #31, 5 votes, 9.43%
- photo #32, 5 votes, 9.43%
- photo #33, 4 votes, 7.55%
- photo #34, 4 votes, 7.55%

Dream says.....
....."Ah-HEM! I do believe that SOMEBODY was forgotten?????"

LOTS of rams................!

Bravo & Paco have settled in comfortably as the two senior rams. They seem to be enjoying the calm and having the whole pasture to themselves...

BUT...
It's HOT here in the Bluff Country. And there's no shade in the paddock I have the ram lambs in. So I decided to let the ram lambs into the "big boys" pasture so they can get into the shade of the old, abandoned barn.



It really is quite cute when we put the lambs in with the mature rams. The babies are curious about everything and the big rams are curious about the babies...who tend to be quite timid around those huge horns. ;-) The adult rams will give an occasional "token butt" but never anything intended to hurt the ram lambs. In fact, it's kind of funny when the ram lambs try to butt them back!



In spite of the heat, the lambs had to explore their new pasture and the big rams had to share in the adventure. So much for 'peace & quite' and the pasture all to themselves for Paco and Bravo...

Alice's handsome son, "Paradox" (Doc) seems quite pleased with himself as he explores his new world...



Dream says.....
"Has anyone seen my sister? I can't find her ANY WHERE!"

Changing of the Guard..........

Skittles isn't the only ram to leave the Bluff Country this past weekend. Sheepy Hollow Zorro has moved on to his new home in Iowa at the farm of "The Shepherd Chick". We've had Zorro since he was an adorable, little, ram-lamb and he's given me some splendid lambs. But most of my ewes are his daughters or granddaughters, so it was time for him to find a new home.

Lest you worry that we won't have any rams in the Bluff Country, here's a couple shots of the 'next generation' of flock sires....


This is "Windswept Bravo". Bravo will be our new, black & white, HST, flock sire. I selected Bravo to replace Zorro because he has excellent conformation, fleece, markings and great BIG HORNS. I like the wideswept horns that Paco and Skittles had and that was the one area that Zorro was lacking in. Zorro's horns are nice and widely spaced and wide-sweeping, but they're smaller in diameter. I happen to like the bigger "D" type horns. So, we'll cross Zorro's daughters and granddaughters on Bravo and should (knock on wood!) get what we're looking for. In the meantime, I'm betting that Rebecca will be getting some gorgeous lambs from Zorro in the coming years...



And of course, we have Skittles handsome son "Bluff Country Apocalypse" to carry on his father's legacy. Paco has already proven he can produce excellent quality, HST lambs. As hard as it is to say good-bye to the "Old Guard", I feel like we're moving in the right direction with our breeding program...

Dream says......



...."ME TOO!"