Silent Sunday...

Capturing Dazzle...

I saw her standing out on the little stone wall where the old barn foundation once stood.

My beautiful Dazzle (Bluff Country Zest X Kimberwood Hunter). She looked so pretty and I SO love her color that I decided that I'd focus on Dazzle and get some really good photographs of her.

You know ~ something that I'd want to frame...

I tried.

And tried.

And tried some more.

I tried from all angles.

Suffice it to say she was not particularly cooperative!

It almost seemed as if she was deliberately mocking me.

But she wouldn't do that.

Would you, Dazzle???

DREAM says:

"I don't know why Mom spent all evening chasing Dazzle around when I was standing here looking gorgeous and elegant, the whole time!"

Award Free Zone as told by Alice and Daisy...

"Mom has decided to make her blog an "Award Free Zone"
It's not that she doesn't like getting awards ~ it's just that she's so bad at passing them on!

And there are SO many bloggers that deserve awards that Mom feels like they should ALL get awarded. So, she's just not going to acknowledge ANY awards from now on...
*Right after she says Thank You! to Michelle for nominating her for the "Honest Crap" (or something like that! ) award...

So, what do ya think? Huh?"

Making Hay...or...The FRUGAL SHEPHERD strikes again!

In the past, every time I mowed the pastures or ditches, I felt guilty. Guilty for wasting all of that beautiful grass ~ and, yes, even the weeds! Hopefully, no more...

When I mowed this past weekend, I used the mower to blow the clippings into concentrated rows. I let them dry yesterday and this morning I raked them up!

One of these days, I'll learn to wear gloves when I'm raking or weed-whacking. My blisters have blisters!

Every hard job, worth doing, is made more pleasant by the company of a good FARM DOG!

I'm thinking I got about 6 to 8 bales of hay, all total. I truly hope that Pride is not a sin ~ because I really am proud of myself for my morning's work. Of course, I poked lots of holes in the giant plastic bags that I filled with hay. I will take some in and have it tested for nutritional value and store it (with the bags left open) in the basement of my house (where the dehumidifier runs all summer)...

Gotta get ready for work now!

Sunday...

I bet I mowed for 8 hours yesterday. I don't want to let the unused pastures go to seed as I read that that reduces the nutritional value of the grass.

I moved the boys to fresh pasture and was mowing their old one when I noticed what I thought was a large branch down, on the fence in the boys new pasture.

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that this was not a large branch ~ it was the whole tree!

Oh, my! That might be a bit more than I and my trusty hand saw can handle.

The boys didn't seem too traumatized by the uninvited guest in their pasture.

I cut off a bunch of the smaller branches and gave them to the girls.

Amazingly enough, the fence never shorted out! It remained hot until my 'gentleman friend' came over this morning and cut up the tree for me. I managed to re tighten the fence, all by myself and I spent today planting perennials!

DREAM says...

"...sigh...Life is Good, in the Bluff Country".

That it is, my Dreamer. That it is.

What A DAY...

Friday started off with visiting with 2 new friends (Jean and Lynn) at Lynn's House. Lynn and her husband have the most adorable little house guest living with them.

His name is "August" and he's a bottle baby, Cotswold (?) ~ please correct me if I'm wrong, Lynn! ~ lamb.

I've got to tell you: I've never met a "sheep in the house" before and I think I want one!!! OMG ~ he is just too cute!

I had to cut my visit with Lynn and Jean short because the SHEARER was coming to my place! As much as I hate shearing day (almost as much as lambing!), I have to admit, it went SO much more smoothly with the very much appreciated help of Jean, Virginia and Terry! I think that was the smoothest flowing and quickest shearing day we've ever had...

My beautiful "Highland Hollow ALICE"

Just look at the conformation on this nine year old ewe! Her fleece is almost white now (she's a registured musket) and still as soft as butter! I actually burried my face in her freshly shorn fleece and there is absoltely no "itch factor" what-so-ever! After taking a break in 2008, Alice will be bred again this fall...


I absolutely love the face (and just about everything else!) of "Bluff Country Zest". She is so refined and feminine.

Even when she's Chowing Down!

I think Cat Nap looks stunning freshly shorn! It really makes her horns more noticeable.

Talk about a Refined ewe!

And her fleece is like BLACK VELVET!!

DREAM says:

"That's MY Beautiful Baby Girl!!
Mom says us girls are looking quite well fed and I' don't want to lose my girlish figure so

I'm working out by running up and down the hill!"

Crying (again)...

I booked the shipper today.

The guy who's going to haul 15 of my sheep from here to Maryland.

I should be celebrating.

And I truly AM grateful...

but I'm gonna miss my sheep!

DREAM says:

"It's a good thing that 10 of us girls are staying! Poor Mom, she never did do very well with letting her girls go...."

SAFE at Last....

The fence is fixed!

I finished up around nine o'clock last night. It was such a relief going to bed last night knowing that my sheep were safe. And I'll feel much better, leaving for work today.

I put the ewes and lambs into the pasture and ditch that the rams used to have.

It needed more sheep to keep it grazed down.

The lambs were quite excited about the big move.

Here, Godiva's girls run to Mom for comfort & nourishment when the excitement gets to be a bit much...



DREAM says:

"I'm loving the PINE TREES!"

Time for me to go to work...

:-(