I'm Sick....

The concert was wonderful. My Princess and I had a wonderful time. On the way home, Thursday afternoon, we stopped at "Applebey's" for lunch, and I haven't felt well since. Maybe it's coincidence ~ maybe it's not. All I know that I had a delicious grilled shrimp and spinach salad, that I thoroughly enjoyed, but started feelling ill on the ride home. By the time I got home, I spent a few minutes in the bathroom then went straight to bed. I went to work yesterday, but came home early, feeling nauseous. I got up for work this morning but felt so crappy, that I called in sick. Spent most of the day napping. Although, I DID manage to sneak out for a few pictures, during one of my brief, 'half-way human' moments.

OK. Apparently, "Blogger" is sick too. I got an error message when I tried to upload a photo. I think I'll go lay back down. I'll try again later....

So, I tried one more time and it worked. Maybe I'll post a couple of pictures and then I'll go to bed. This is Alice and Meredith getting acquainted through the gate. Is that not THE cutest thing you've seen today??? I do SO love my sheep and goats!!!!

My beautiful "Serendipity" enjoying the first sunny/dry day we've had in ages!

My beautiful, black/iset ewe "Zodiak" with her infamous daughter "DREAM".

My wonderful new kids are getting friendlier every day. What a delight they are!!!

G'night...

I am Tired.

OK. I have enough animals.
For now anyway. I am exhausted. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to work! But I do. And that means I get up at 5 am. And get home from work around 4:30 pm. Then I check on all the animals, feed the dogs. Feed the goats. Sit with the sheep. Sit with the goats. Play with the dogs. Pet the cats. Feed and pet the chickens. Sit with the goats. Play with the dogs. Wash up. Eat something and go to bed! Somewhere in there I also have to clean the house, cook meals (that's easy ~ all I eat is frozen pizza! "Jacks, Naturally Rising Crust, sausage & pepperoni combination". Not to mention doing the shopping, paying the bills, washing clothes, cleaning the barn, keeping up with e-mail (something I am notoriously BAD at!), and posting to my blogs. I need the long hours of daylight that we have in the summer to get it all done. When it's dark early, I want to go to BED early. It has rained for the past week.
Tomorrow, I'm going to Minneapolis/St.Paul (not sure which) to see my very favorite violinist/composer, "Endre Rieu", perform in a concert. My son gets me two tickets, every year, for my Christmas present! Gotta love my "Porkchop" ~ I obviously raised him right! Last year Katie and I went together and it was wonderful. Tomorrow, my oldest daughter, Pam (my Princess) and I are going. We'll stay in a hotel tomorrow night and have breakfast and do a little shopping before returning home on Thursday. I'm very much looking forward to spending time with my girl and look forward to the long car ride, almost as much as the concert! Of course, Pam's doing the driving so that means I'll get to KNIT!!!Please, don't get me wrong...I'm NOT complaining! I LOVE my life! I'm just saying....

Going to bed early tonight. It must almost be time...it's getting DARK already!!!

DREAM says.... ..."The GOATS definitely got more time than the sheep! I counted!!!"

sweet dreams.

no Kidding......

I had planned on posting, yesterday, but stayed off the computer, hoping to get a call from my Beautiful Baby Girl. I did receive a letter from her last week and in it she said that hoped to call on Sunday. No such luck. :-(

On the home front... I spent lots of time with the Angoras yesterday and they're becoming a little less timid. I even managed to pet Meredith for a few minutes while she was eating grain out of a pitcher I was holding! The two wethers (McDreamy & McSteamy) are kind of mean to Meredith. They push her away from the hay and/or grain and always stick together. Then again, they also push each other around, quite a bit, and knock heads frequently, so maybe Meredith is better off staying away from them! She calls for me when I go out into the yard and cries when I leave, after sitting with them for a while.
I'm thinking I may keep the goats separate from the sheep. Then I don't have to worry about different minerals (the sheep can't have the copper found in the goats' minerals) or different feeding schedules. Plus the goats need much more frequent worming and parasite control (de-lousing!). This will be a new experience for ME too!
McSTEAMY and McDREAMY say... ..."We don't PICK on her! All we have to do is look at the food and she gets out of the way!"

CUTE OVERLOAD.....

OMG! They are SO adorable!!! My new babies arrived after dark, last night, and I had to work today so I didn't even get a chance to get to know them until this afternoon. This little doll is "Meredith" She is quite timid ~ as are all three of the kids. They come from a large flock and have not been handled. Here Meredith gets brave enough to go up and introduce herself (through two fences!) to one of the Shetland ewe lambs. Yes, Terry, that IS Godiva. ;-) Meredith is a 'faded red' and I think that her fleece will blend nicely with my fawn Shetlands.

Next up, we have "Mc Dreamy". I know. I already used those names on my ram lambs! But, I sold, or am selling, those boys, and my handsome wethers are here to stay. McDreamy is the shyest of the three, but give me time.... ;-)

The boldest kid of the bunch is "Mc Steamy". He's already eating out of my hand! I'm off work tomorrow so I figure I'll have them all tamed by Monday!

DREAM says.... ..."That's the strangest looking sheep I've EVER seen!"

LOTS more pictures to follow...

Waiting for my KIDS......

Not THOSE kids. (although, I did finally get a letter from Katie & she's hanging in there!) I'm waiting for my ANGORA GOAT KIDS. They're being delivered here tonight. Supposedly at 6:30. Which was about a half-hour ago. Not that I'm noticing...

In the meantime: I went out to take pictures of my sheep and chickens this afternoon ~ figuring they'll probably be a bit neglected for a couple of days. I'll respond to some of the comments left on yesterday's post on Sunday ~ that's my next day off. But, speaking of Shaela...I've been noticing a spot on Gemini's back that keeps getting lighter and lighter. I think it's what some breeders refer to as a "moon spot". I decided that I wanted to get a good, close look at it today. Gemini had other ideas! When I held her and parted the fleece, I was stunned to see what looks like a SHAELA (or EMSKET) spot. I'm going to post to the main Shetland List and see if anyone else has seen this in their moon-spotted Shetlands. It'll be interesting to watach it as Gemini matures. Oh, that's right: I'm not keeping Gemini. I've got her mother (Zodiak) and her sister (Dream), so Gemini will be for sale. That's what I was going to take pictures of! My "FOR SALE" sheep! Gemini & Bella (the black ewe lamb ~ NOT the puppy!!) are both for sale. Both are Paco daughters and would make an excellent cross with McSteamy or Dynasty (both of whom are also for sale!) I REALLY need to update my "Breeding Stock For Sale" blog....

THEY'RE HERE!!! Kid pictures tomorrow!

;-)

Shaela VS Black...

* As always, click on any image to enlarge *

The ewes are gathered around a little exercise pen that I set up for the chickens. I'm afraid to let my chickens loose yet because I'm afraid that my cats will get them. So, for the past three days, the cats have been shut in the house! I digress...

The purpose of the above picture is to point out the HST ewe in the center. That's Zaria. She's a Shaela & white, HST Shetland. Shaela is a modified version of black. You can see a distinct difference between Zaria and the black, ewe lamb that is standing next to her.
These two handsome ram lambs are examples of Shaela (Dynasty, on the left) and black (Idol, on the right) in lambs. Shaela lambs are born looking black but very quickly appear to 'sun bleach'. Much more so than true black lambs. Note, in the photo, that Idol is also sun bleached at the tips of his fleece but he still looks 'black' compared to Dynasty. As the lambs get bigger, you may notice a distinct, "metallic" tint to their fleece when you part it. The picture, below, is a black, lamb's fleece compared to the Shaela fleece (Dynasty), above.

Just for good measure, here's a picture of Zaria's fleece, that also shows the sun bleached tips so typical of an adult Shaela. Shaela is NOT Ag ~ "grey". It is a modified version of black, where the black fibers actually change to a metallic, steely, bluish - greyish - black. It is also NOT "iset". Iset is where white fibers grow in with the black ~ giving a frosted look to the fleece. Zaria is actually developing some iset fibers as she matures, but one can clearly see that her main fleece color is Shaela. VERY pretty fleece!

DREAM says.... ..."I'll show you pretty! That's ME and my sheep mom, "Zodiak", when I was just a baby!!"

That it is, Dreamer. And your mom is a beautiful, ISET ewe!

Eggs and a Wake Up Call....

I've had chickens (hens) before and I know how wonderful fresh laid eggs are compared to store bought eggs. Needless to say, I was thrilled when I found a fresh egg in the cage that I put my new chickens in yesterday ~ only hours after I brought them home to the Bluff Country! And there was another one today! I love chickens. ;-)

At 6:30 this morning. I heard a sound that I have never heard before, in my own yard..."Cock-A-Doodle-DO"! My very own rooster crowing! The dogs started barking ~ they've never heard it before either. Bruce crowed for about 10 minutes and I kept telling him what a good bird he is. I love chickens...

DREAM says.... ..."They look pretty scrawny to me and I could sure do without all the noise at the break of dawn!"

Blame Julie Chapman...

Julie is a dangerous person to have as a neighbor! Because of her, I will be getting three Angora Goats this week. Not that I'm complaining ~ they are exquisitely beautiful and the mohair will blend wonderfully with my Shetland fleeces. I'll be bringing my new friends home, next Friday.

In the meantime...Julie suggested I attend a "swap" with her today. I've never attended an animal swap and thought it would be interesting. It was!

Meet "Bruce" Bruce ~ short for BRUCE SPRINGSTEIN is my new (and very first!) ROOSTER. I've had chickens before but only hens. It's been a few years since I've had any AND I was missing them. Of course, doesn't mean that I was intending to get any now...

But then I saw this pen of furry, fuzzy, adorable, colorful chickens. They're "Silkie crosses. According to the man that I bought them from, they are actually pure bred Silkie's but he crosses the different colors instead of only breeding white to white and red to red, etc. I know nothing about chickens but I think they're lovely! Julie's son said that they look like Rock Stars ~ hence their names...The rooster is "Bruce Springstein. The fuzzy little girl closest to Bruce is "Madonna". She's a little on the shy side but very sweet. In the middle is "Ann Margaret" ~ named while I was still thinking of naming Bruce "Elvis"! (no comments about my idea of Rock Stars!) Annie's a beautiful red head. She's already eating apple out of my hand. Farthest to the right is "Janice Joplin". She's a feisty one! Pecks at me when I try to pet her. It's amazing how they each, already, have distinct personalities. I really like chickens! Now, if I can just keep them safe from my three CATS.....

DREAM says.... ..."WAY TO GO JULIE!"

New Beginnings...

My Beautiful Baby Girl has gone. I drove her to Albert Lee, MN., on Tuesday morning, to meet her Naval Recruiter, who escorted her to Des Moines, IA., where she would spend the night and then catch a plane for "Boot Camp" in Illinois, on Wednesday. She was brave. I took the above photo as I was driving down the Interstate, taking my baby girl to Albert Lee. Doesn't she look pretty? She had to get her long hair cut, for boot camp and I was happy for her that it turned out so cute. I figure she's going to have a rough enough time in the next few weeks that she doesn't have to be hating her hair too!

Katie was "ready" to go. She's excited about starting a new path and working towards her future. She had originally planned on going to Grad-school at Berkley after graduating from UW-Madison in 2005, but her dad (my previous husband) suffered a progressive medical condition that cost him his life, last year, and she moved back 'home' to take care of him ~ giving up her well laid plans for her future. Thank heaven that Katie's big sister, Pam, helped with much of the care required for seeing to it that their Dad was kept safe his final months. This was not easy for Pam either, as she's a busy wife and mother of 3 young boys and also works full time! Katie found it hard to get back 'on track' having been out of school and the full-time work force (being her dad's guardian made it difficult for her to work full-time, because she never knew when he would need her assistance. She was frustrated and her self confidence was waning. She chose going into the Navy, on track for being an Intelligence Officer, as her way of getting her life back on a positive track. Katie stayed with me, for the last two months. She's been here since my divorce became final and since I purchased my home. She truly helped me to begin again. I'm going to miss her but I am so happy that she has this opportunity! Katie with her recruiter

I'm very proud of my Beautiful Baby Girl (just as I am of her big sister and her big brother. I truly feel that the world will be a safer place with her working to make it so.

Please say a prayer for Katie ~ or wave your knitting needles ~ or whatever it is you do when you want to wish good things for someone. She's paid her dues and continues to pay them and I really, Really, REALLY want her to be happy and safe.

There she goes! Katie climbing into the car with her recruiter.

I miss my Beautiful Baby Girl but I know that she made the right decision and I'll be fine. I actually LIKE living alone and I'm settling back into a routine. Well, I'm TRYING to get into a routine! Time management is NOT one of my stronger skills. Katie left little notes, all over the house for me. I find them when I least expect to. There was one on the pizza in the freezer, last night! It said: "I am not a vegetable". (KT is a vegetarian and I eat sausage & pepperonni pizza) There was one on the bookshelf in my office that complimented me on what a good job I'm doing of keeping my office clean...My baby girl is still with me....

BELLA says.... ...."I miss Katie too! She took Sadie and I for long walks and runs all the time..."

LONG Overdue Update...

I'm SORRY! Things have been a bit crazy in the Bluff Country. Even more-so than usual!

The Party was wonderful. My Princess (aka my oldest daughter, Pam) brought the customized cake in the photo. I like chocolate and Pam likes white cake, so she had it made half and half! As Bella promised, in her weather forecast, we had the most beautiful day and it was so fun to spend it with good friends. I missed those of you who could not make it but very much enjoyed spending the day (and evening!) with those who did. We even managed to get some knitting and spinning done. Becca was great about giving us tips on spinning from the locks as she demonstrated on her freshly plucked angora bunny fur. She is an incredibly talented woman. A few of us stayed up spinning and chatting until past my bedtime.

Julie Chapman (I NEED to get a link to your website and blog, Julie!!!) led a group of party-goers over to her place to show them her managerie of fiber producing friends. I stayed home with the spinners (we couldn't TEAR Terry away from her wheel!), so I missed the tour, but did manage to get over to Julie's later in the week and am now enamored of Angora Goats!

Speaking of Julie ~ I just got back from her place (yes, I stopped in the middle of my blog post) and I've decided that I'm going to get three ANGORA GOAT KIDS!!! They are SO beautiful and I'll have lots of mohair to blend with my wonderful Shetland fleeces.

OK ~ this is why I keep not blogging....I've got so much to say that I can't figure out how to get it all into one post! I finally wised up and decided that it doesn't all have to be said in one day. I'll post again, tomorrow, with some of the other things that have been happening (or NOT happening) in the Bluff Country....

DREAM says......"I've been entertaining visitors!"

Weather Forecast...

It's going to be a BEAUTIFUL weekend in the Bluff Country! The weatherman is calling for temps in the low to mid 70's with plenty of sunshine!

Raiding the Pumpkin Patch....

This is the scene that greeted me, in my back yard, when I got home from work this afternoon... If you look closely, you can see what's left of my tomato plant in the foreground. Dream, quickly trotted up to the fence to assure me that it was not HER idea! That does appear to be pumpkin juice on her lip & chin... She said something about it being Diva and Rosie.... OR Diva and Zaria (who didn't even bother to STOP eating! Hmmmmmmm, there does seem to be a common thread there...

I had picked all of the pumpkins that I could carry, but there were 4 or 5 left, in the pumpkin patch, that were too large for me to move. So, yesterday, I fenced in the little area that still had pumpkins and turned the girls into the part of the paddock that I had previously fenced them out of to protect my "garden". Apparently I did not do an adequate job of fencing.

I'm telling you the TRUTH, Mom....it was DIVA!

Or the DOG! That's it ~ it was BELLAMICA!!!
You gotta do something about that dog, Mom. She's out of control!

And the final word from DREAM.... ..."I'm INNOCENT! I SWEAR!"

That does look like a pretty innocent face. The investigation continues....