I'd Almost Forgotten...

As hard as it may be to believe that I could have forgotten anything of significance, it is a fact.  I did almost forget about Dazzle's "moon spot"

Of course, as her fleece grew longer, the moon spot blended in with the surrounding fleece and was not noticeable, so I really didn't think about it.

Until shearing day last week...

Sure enough!  It's still there!

Dazzle's own, personal, little "Beauty Mark".

I'm not even sure  exactly what a 'moon spot' IS.  I know that a "true" spot is white.  Dazzle's moon spot is not white ~ it a lighter shade of her base fawn/mioget color.  Perhaps incomplete expression of a spot?  Or incomplete expression of the base color? 

Who knows? 

Not that it really matters anyway!  We love Dazzle just the way she is.  Although, a LITTLE less obnoxiousness  when there are cookies around wouldn't be a BAD thing...

DREAM says...

"Beauty Mark?  Pphttttt!  It looks more like a birth defect to me!  Probably from her Mom eating too many cookies!"

DREAMER! 

Obviously, it's hot and muggy in the Bluff Country again today...

Identity Crisis...

Finally!  The sun has returned to the Bluff Country.

I took advantage of the beautiful day and put Dilemma and her twins out in the big pasture with the other new moms.

Confusion reigned!

Eventually, they got things figured out...

Sort of!

"Hey!"

"I only have ONE!"

Receiving Visitors...

Alice's triploets (two girls and a boy!) and Dazzle's little, darling, ewe lamb received their first visitor yesterday.

My friend and chicken coop builder, Katie W. has totally and completely fallen in love with the Shetlands (Dazzle, in particular) and just had to come see "her baby" and "her baby's baby"!

Before I moved Alice and her triplets to the paddock with the calf hut (that's the Royal lambing jug!),  I witnessed Alice introducing her newborn lambs to their sire...

I must admit, I was touched by Zorro's interest and gentleness with the lambs.

Here he is nuzzling his newborn son.

We might have a problem...

This Little Princess has stolen my heart!

;-)

Obsessive Compulsive...

It looks pretty peacefull, doesn't it?

Well, let me tell you:  looks are decieving! 

I went out early, to spend some quiet time with my sheep and snap some photos before the sun got too glaring.  However, what I saw made me absolutely CRAZY...

It wasn't Godiva, lounging peacefully in the shade.

Nor was it Dream or Zorro or even the dogs.

No.  What made me absolutely, completely, uncontrollobly, out of my mind obsessed was

Dazzle!

OMG!

Just LOOK at that!

Could you possibly NOT be compelled to gentle remove large handsful of fleece???

It's literally FALLING off.

In CHUNKS!

I just ran into the house to get a bucket to put the wool in...

MUST roo!!!

YES ~ I still have SHEEP...

"Bluff Country Eureka"
I do realize that I have not posted much about my sheep since half of my flock left for it's new home in Maryland.

Eureka and Zorro
Zaria
It's been so hot and miserable that the neither the sheep nor I feel like taking pictures! I'm gonna rectify that ~ real soon!

But not tonight. Tonight I'm tired and it's past my bedtime. I'm working this weekend so have to get up early. As soon as I got home from work tonight, I changed clothes and hopped on the riding mower. I got the top of the ewes pasture mowed and my front yard. I love how nice things look when they're all neat and even and freshly mowed!

I did pick up the grass clippings from last night, to save for hay this winter. The "Frugal Shepherd" lives on!

Then, I spent 45 minutes sitting in Katie's swing, in my backyard. No wonder she loves sitting out there so much!!! It is SO peaceful and beautiful and restful! I seriously considered sleeping in my backyard! (there are NO mosquitos!)

Maybe another night...

Next week, I'm going to start halter lessons with my two "chosen girls": Flash Dance and Dazzle. THAT should be fun and maybe even worth reading about...

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend!

As Promised...The Three Musketeers....

These three lambs are practically inseperable. The Three Musketeers (in the Bluff Country, anyway!) consist of "Dazzle", her brother, "Razzle" and his buddy "Dusty". They are always together ~ often in trouble (as in slipping through the fences) ~ and infinitely adorable!

As I said yesterday, Razzle and Dusty will be leaving this coming Friday for their new home. Poor Dazzle will be LOST without "her boys"! It's a good thing she's such a friendly ewe lamb.

Because I know that their new shepherdess will have Razzle and Dusty wethered, I have let them be obnoxiously friendly (but well behaved!) boys. I will miss them. Fortunately, I get together with their new mom every Friday so I'll get to see them often!

And of course, Dazzle will be staying with me so she'll be plenty spoiled...

DAZZLE says...

"Sounds good to ME!!"

I'm Still Kickin'...

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been fighting some kind of bug and just not feeling well. I've used up all my paid sick time at work and have dipped into my unpaid time. NOT good...

What IS good is that my Beautiful Baby Girl came home for another, brief, visit!

She plied me with healthy foods (Ma-hi Ma-hi and Talapia) and bought me all sorts of immune system boosters like "AcaiBlast" and Echanasia. Before you know it, I'll be SO healthy...

I did manage to get out and take a few pictures of my beautiful flock.

This is Zaria and her handsome, scurred (half-polled) son, Eureka. He'll be shaela just like his dam.

This is Eureka's twin sister, Gold Rush. She has really lightened up and looks like she'll be Mioget!

My dazzling "DAZZLE" is finaly being a bit more cooperative about having her photo taken.

It's about time!

Here, she's shown with her twin brother"Razzle", who is going (with his best buddy, Dusty) to live with a new shepherdess as a wether and fiber pet. One the one hand, it's disappointing ~ because both Razzle and Dusty are flock sire quality. On the other hand ~ the odds of finding breeding homes for these boys are slim-to-non-existant. So, I'm grateful to have found a home where I know that they will be loved and cared for and have each other and a VERY good life! Plus, I'll get to go visit them!!

Tomrrow, I'll post photos of the "Three Musketeers"...

Katie left her "room and board payment" for LUCA.

Wow! I should just board more chickens ~ I wouldn't even HAVE to work...

DREAM says:

That would be nice. Then you'd have more time to pet ME!!"

;-)

Monday Morning Shepherding...

I just HAD to get rid of that awful picture of Zorro! Time for something more attractive! ;-)

How about handsome, "Sheltering Pines Crescent Moon"? He's a stunning 2 year old moorit/smirslet ram with two white stockings, nice, soft fleece and a perfect tail. And he's FOR SALE! Moon has sired some gorgeous lambs for me and I'm keeping several of his daughters. Since I plan on breeding VERY few years in the future, I just don't need to keep multiple breeding rams. So Moon is looking for a new home. The first person to send me $150.00 gets themselves a VERY nice, HST producing, Shetland ram!

Not in the market for a ram? OK ~ she's not for sale but here's a pretty picture of my little Dazzle!

And here she is with her dam ~ "Bluff Country Zest" who is in absolute heaven getting a good scratch off the cement bench in the lamb paddock.Click to see the pure ecstasy on Zest's face!)

"Enough, Mom! This is getting embarrassing!"


LUCA says:

"It sure beats the picture of the bloody stump. Much better!"