It's THAT Time of Year Again...

I have four babies leaving at the end of this month and it's time to get them halter trained for their new owners. I've taken lots of pictures of lambs during halter lessons but I've got to tell you: little BLUFF COUNTRY FLOWER wins the prize for "Most photogenic"! What a HOOT!

When I first put the halter on the lambs, I like to let them just wander around for awhile with it on. This gives them a chance to get used to the feel and to experience an occasional 'tug' on the lead rope. Flower had other ideas.

After a while, she did settle down so I decided that it was time for a little 'hands on' training.

Suffice it to say: Flower was not exactly a motivated student!

There were legs flying every which way!!

Finally, Mom "Rosie" moved in to offer her frustrated daughter some reassurance...

And I decided to quite while we were "ahead"!

Actually, I did halter lessons with Sandman, Sleeping Beauty, Sunshine and Debutante & Bling as well. I hadn't planned on doing Debutante and Bling but they were right in there wanting their fair share of attention so I figured: what the heck???

Back out to do more halter lessons while it's NOT raining in the Bluff Country...

More Seldom Seen Lambs.... ;-)

So, here are some more of the lambs that I have been neglecting in pictures...

We'll start with one of the Most neglected: One of Flash Flood's awesome twins:
"BLUFF COUNTRY ANGEL"

She's exquisite! Her fleece is a bit 'droopy' here because it just stopped raining (again!) but her conformation is excellent. And she has a face like an
ANGEL!

She's feminine

She's elegant

She's as wild as they come! Won't let me anywhere near her! I was hoping to keep Angel and sell her lovely dam, "Bluff Country Flash Flood". However, I really do need to cut down on my breeding flock, this year, so will sell whichever one is spoken for first! It's not like I'd be real sad about keeping Flash if somebody wants Angel.
;-)

It's just that I KNOW Angel carries HST, as her sire is Sheltering Pines Crescent Moon. Flash is sired by Skittles (black/krunet), so I don't know for sure if she even carries HST. So, I guess it will depend on weather a potential buyer really wants HST lambs or not ~ If they do, they'd be better off with Angel ~ If it's not a priority, Flash will give them lots of beautiful babies...

Angel's equally elusive (and exquisite!) brother is:
"BLUFF COUNTRY WHITE NIGHT"

What a superb flock sire this guy will make! He carries HST, under that gorgeous, soft, crimpy, white fleece and you couldn't ask for nicer conformation on a ram lamb...

Unfortuantely, Night has still not forgiven me for taking him to school and letting all those kids touch him! Actually, a reserved ram is a good thing, anyway!!
;-)

Another beauty who has managed to escape my camera, for the most part, is Zaria's beautiful, SHAELA daughter:
"BLUFF COUNTRY DEBUTANTE"

It's only been in the past week, or so, that I realized that this beauty is actually shaela! Her fleece is unbelievably soft! I think she's going to be very much like her dam (my favorite fleeced ewe!).

Deb is also just about as SWEET as they come. She always comes up for petting and scratching and loves to be snuggled, but is never pushy or obnoxious like some lambs...

CHANCE & CASSY say....


..."Who could Mom possibly be talking about???"

Lambs You Don't See Very Often...

It seems I tend to take pictures of certain lambs more than others. It's not necessarily that I like those lambs more than others ~ although I won't deny that I DO Have my favorites.

Zodiak's girls are so timid that I hardly ever get close enough to them to TAKE a picture! One of Zodiak's beautiful triplets:
"BLUFF COUNTRY MASQUERADE"


Zodiak's black/bleset girl:
"BLUFF COUNTRY LUNA". She's gorgeous but won't come near me.

Then there's our beautiful Dream look-a-like "BLUFF COUNTRY DEJA VU". Another one that I haven't even been able to pet!


Dilema's handsome ram lamb "BLUFF COUNTRY BOUNTY HUNTER" is growing up to be a very handsome lad, indeed! He's a couple of weeks younger than all the other lambs but holds his own quite well.


One of my favorites that I haven't photographed much, lately is Seredipity's daughter:
"Bluff Country Casino Royale" (Cassy)

Cassy's one of the friendliest lambs and I want to find her a very special home.

This is Cassy's twin sister: "BLUFF COUNTRY CHANCE"

I'm keeping Chance and TRY not to take as many pictures of her (it's HARD! She's always on my lap).

Another lamb that's I've been kind of 'keeping under wraps' (because I'm keeping her!) is Savannah's lovely:
"BLUFF COUNTRY PRIMA DONA"

Prima Dona is just that! She knows she's one of my favorites and steaks her claim on my time every time I go out to sit with the lambs. Once some of the other lambs have moved on to their new homes, I'll feature more stories with Chance & Prima Dona.

This little cutie is Rosie's son:
"BLUFF COUNTRY THORN" (twin to "Flower")



OK. My guilt is almost assuaged. I'll put the rest of the "hardly-ever seen" lambs on here tomorrow or Sunday (I'm working tomorrow). I've got a couple of real nice pictures of a little gal you guys haven't seen in a LONG time.....

Poor Meredith...

When I went out to sit with the sheep and take pictures this morning, I took a dish of goat minerals to feed Meredith because I don't leave any goat minerals out for her since she's in with the ewes. While Meredith was nibbling her minerals, I noticed her left ear was all swollen and hard!

Upon closer inspection, Meredith had some how managed to get a piece of wire twisted around her ear ~ so tightly that it had cut off the circulation! I quickly grabbed a wire cutter, halter & sheep first aide kit... After cutting off the wire and spraying the ear with Fural anti-septic (a very YELLOW spray) and then treating it with Screw Worm Spray (bright blue!) to keep flies and maggots from bothering her , I decided that I may as well trim her feet while I had her on a halter. After a badly needed pedicure (Gee Whiz, goats hooves grow fast!) and an application of insecticide down her back and deworming (who ever invented plastic bolus guns was an IDIOT!), my poor, beautiful little Meredith was happy to return to the pasture with the ewes and lambs! I think I discovered the ear in time and doubt there will be any permanent damage.

So much for having time to post pictures today!
OK ~ A few quick shots of Alice's handsome twin ram lambs: Bluff Country Outlaw(left) and Bluff Country Renegade (right)...


Both of these boys are show quality and I hope to find them good homes where they will sire beautiful lambs for another lucky shepherd.

I love all the wool on their polls and cheeks. Their fleece is incredibly SOFT and luxurious and their conformation is superb.



Off to work I go!

DREAM says.....

..."Mom spent so much time sitting outside and taking pictures of us today that she doesn't have time to post them to the blog! She said she'll get them up here tomorrow..."

Thanks, Dreamer ~ I've got to get ready for work!

I THOUGHT that I was Losing It....

Oh Good Grief!
I couldn't find my glasses, yesterday, and had to go to work without them! NOT good, Martha. Fortunately, I had a pair of reading glasses there (for just such occasions) and managed to muddle through ~ with the help of a magnifying glass!

"BLUFF COUNTRY FLOWER"

The night before last, I couldn't find my new camera! I was terrified because I knew that I'd taken it outside with me, in the morning, and had no idea what I did with it during the course of the day. It's been raining every night and I just couldn't bear the idea of losing another camera to the rain! I was panic-stricken for awhile, but finally found it on the swing in the back yard. I have NO clue.....

"BLUFF COUNTRY SPRING" and "BLUFF COUNTRY SUNSHINE"
What am I doing with these pictures? You might ask... I'm posting pictures of some of the lambs you may not have seen for a while so that YOU (seriously!) don't forget their names...

"BLUFF COUNTRY CAT NAP"
I know that I've got lots more to post but I have to run into the feed mill and get some more sheep minerals (before I forget), so this will have to do for today. If I have time before I have to go to work, I'll try to get some new pictures of the lambs that have NOT been seen much on this blog recently....

In the mean time...This is Dreamer trying to get her little (?) family ready for a family portrait. "Come on kiddos. Line up nice ~ stand up straight":

DREAM says...

..."CHEESE" Actually, it was more like "Animal Crackers" but you know the drill!

P.S. I found my glasses! I decided to clean house this morning, since I couldn't SEE to do anything on the computer. When I shook out a shirt that I had taken out of the washer ~ to put in the dryer ~ the glasses went flying. I must have hooked them to the front of my shirt when I didn't need them (they aren't really my prescription glasses ~ I broke those ~ these are just reading glasses so I take them off when I'm not doing up-close work.

;-)

Lambs at School....

On Friday afternoon I loaded up three of my precious babies and made the one hour drive to visit the Elementary school attended by my three Grandsons.

I took 3 lambs: "White Night", because I figured the kids probably thought that lambs are supposed to be white and that they'd be interested to know that the baby rams have horns when they are very little ~ "Kat Nap", because she's so friendly and most kids have heard the term "black sheep" ~ and "Chance", because she is so obnoxiously incredibly friendly and I thought the children would be surprised to see a lamb with her markings.

Needless to say, the lambs were a big hit!

The children were incredibly well behaved (which could also be said for two of the three lambs that I took). Mr. White Night let it be quite clear that he was not thrilled to be away from his mom/on a halter/ and touched by humans!

Sweet Kat Nap and Chance even posed for pictures with the children!

Don't let his expression fool you ~ this little boy kept coming back for more!

I don't know who she is, but I think this little girl really NEEDS to raise Shetland sheep!

All in all, I'd say it was a very positive experience for children and lambs (OK ~ maybe not so much for White Night) alike.

Thank You Nick & Matt for inviting Grandma and her lambs to visit your school! I love you VERY much!!!

How Embarassing...

THIS is "Bluff Country Take a Chance"
I am keeping Chance. Chance is the lamb climbing all over me and giving me kisses in yesterday's post. Notice her high, white, front stockings???


THIS...

...is "Bluff Country Sleeping Beuaty". Beauty is one of Dream's triplets. She is sold. She does NOT have high white, front stockings.

Beauty is the little doll snuggling with me in the "Shepherdess snuggling with Chance" pictures in yesterday's post...

How embarrassing!

;-)