I REFUSE...

...to speak one more word or post one more photograph about winter .

From this day forward, there will be no snow in the Bluff Country.

There is plenty going on, inside my house, that does not require me to set foot outside until the grass is growing and the flowers are blooming!

There are more socks to knit

(this is my second pair!)

And crazy, wild animals to attend to:

Baby chicks who are growing fast,

(in the comfort of my living room!)

They must be carefully monitored and protected during play time...

"Aww, shucks Mom, I wouldn't hurt 'em!"

I've started spinning my multi-tonal red roving:

Best of all,

my Beautiful Baby Girl

(and her wonderful Fiance!) will be home (as in MY home) tonight!!!
I'll be getting SOOOOO many hugs!

(notice the weather?)
Katie is stationed in Georgia and Carter's in San Diego.
They're bringing their weather with them!

DREAM says...

"I do believe that Mom's been dipping her toes in a river called "de-Nile"! 
Just don't forget to feed us when the worst of the heat of the day is over, Mom..."

I won't forget, Dreamer. 

I better stock up on insect repellent too!

 

That's Enough of That...

Poor Dreamer!

My wonderful Shetland sheep have been SO neglected!

It's my friend Katie W.'s fault.  She's been coming down to my place to help me build pens and condos and perches and roosts and all sorts of stuff for my chickens. 

Which seem to have taken over my HOUSE!!!

Talk about fresh eggs:

We aim to please our mail-order customers!

Enough about the chickens, let's talk Shetland Sheep!

Sable continues to mingle with the flock, daily, and shows neither fear nor aggression toward our woolly friends.  It's too bad the same thing can't be said for the sheep!

In this photo, Destiny is planning Sable's demise...

Someone left a comment on an earlier post about Zorro being in with ALL of the ewes...

They were right! 

Zorro (shown here whispering sweet nothings into Dream's ear!)  decided that he was going to tear down my fences if I didn't let him in with the rest of the ewes and since I'm not big on repairing fences and he's really NOT mine to sell, Zorro got his wish.  There will be LOTS of lambs in the Bluff Country in 2010 after all!  This will be a strange lambing season since I didn't even put my first (unplanned) breeding group together until late December.  We'll be having lambs from late May to early July!!!

ALL of the lambs born this summer will have to be sold as I simply can not care for any more sheep than I have right now, so start thinking of what you might like to add to YOUR flock ithis summer...

I also have fleeces and rovings for sale now and will have many more to come.

Contact me  for availability of colors!

DREAM says:

..." (get out of my spot, Flash Dance!) "

 "A $50.00, non-refundable deposit will reserve your choice of the beautiful 2010 lambs!  Make your deposit today so that you can have the lamb of your dreams (maybe even one of MINE!)  from the Bluff Country"...

Good idea, Dreamer!!!

;-)

When Times Get Tough...

Set Eggs!

I had kind of a hard time this weekend. 

Not sure why but everything just seemed to catch up to me.

So, I set 7 more MFC eggs in my incubator!

I get so much pleasure just watching my chicks and it gives me something to look forward to. 

I almost couldn't  even do this because I couldn't get the 'bator up to 99.5 degrees.  It wouldn't go past 98.7 and that's not warm enough to hatch the eggs!  I was about to give up and just accept that my house is too cold (50 degrees) for my incubator to maintain the correct temperature, when 'Doc' suggested that I put a light next to the bator.  The lightbulb, next to the bator didn't give off enough heat but it  gave me the idea to do this:

I put the incubator IN a box (with the top left open) with a lamp with a 75 watt bulb above the box.

I even taped aluminum foil over the top opening of the lamp shade and raised the flaps on the box to trap as much warm air as possible. 

It worked!  The temp IN the box is 66 degrees and the incubator is holding steady at a perfect 99.5 degrees farenheit!  We'll have chicks in 20 days...

DREAM says...

"Be Still my Heart!!!"

Knock it off, Dreamer...

Have Pity On Mom's Chickens...

"I'm only agreeing to do this post today because Mom says we're going to get a Blizzard and that there will be lots of 'Sheep In The Snow' pictures tomorrow!

Not that I'm a big fan of those feathery fur balls but if the chickens have got to take over MY barn the very least that Mom could do is provide them with a REAL Chicken Nest Box like the classy ones they make at "Life on a Southern Farm".   Mom's had her eye on one of these "Three hole Bantam Nest Boxes"  for a while but the whole 'job thing' kind of put a damper on that idea...Maybe she'll WIN one! You could even win one! Just follow the link to the Southern Farm and leave a comment and you might be the winner. (they're giving away TWO so Mom could still win one as well).                  :-)

If you don't need a nest box, leave a comment anyway and tell them that you'd like MOM (Nancy K.) to have the next box if your name is drawn. Now wouldn't than make you feel good?

Can you imagine the humiliation that Mom's poor chickens must feel, having to lay their eggs in a Cat Litter Box?!  How degrading!

These are supposed to be some kind of Super-Duper, World-Class chickens (at least to Mom!) and they have to use CAT  LITTER  BOXES ???

That is just so sad...

Then again, that's the LUCKY chickens!

The other ones get this:

or even THIS:

How Pathetic!  Those poor girls are on the FLOOR!!

How would you like to have your babies on the floor?

In a BARN???

Wait a minute!  I had MY babies on the floor ~ in the Barn! 

Next time, I'm campaigning for a  Luxury Motel!!!

In the meantime, please visit The Southern Farm and vote for Mom to get a nest box.  Or register to win one for YOUR chickens!"

OK, Mom,  you OWE me..."

I'm coming, Dreamer.  Just let me fill my pockets up with COOKIES...

Saying Goodbye To "Hope"...

I posted to my "Backyard Chicken"blog this morning about my concern for my 10 day old Mille Fleur Cochin chick, "Hope".  She seemed to stop thriving yesterday and went rapidly downhill today.  I was pleading for help.  Unfortuantely, there was nothing to be done.    My precious Hope, the first MFC chick born in the Bluff Country, was gone when I went down to clean her pen after posting to my blog.  I had taken photos of her just minutes before ~ you can see them on the Chicken blog.  In less than an hour she was gone.  When I found Hope's still warm body it occurred to me that Star may just have 'helped'  Hope move on.    If she did, I'm sure it was done out of love.  Hope  looked peaceful.

I am so grateful for the short time that I had Hope in my life .  During her brief time on this Earth she gave me strength and hope.  I am very sad that I wasn't able to help her as she had helped me.  She will be missed.

These photos were taken while I was cleaning out Hope's pen and making it fresh for Star and the three newest chicks.  I put the three chicks in a large whicker basket, under a heat lamp while I cleaned out the pen.  I let Star loose so she could keep an eye on 'her little ones'.   The effects of the light, in the dimly lit basement, created some photos that I think are incredible.  I share them with you as my way of saying good bye to my sweet little Hope...

*click on any photo to enlarge*

Now Candy is watching over Hope.

Star is showing me that we must go on.

We have three new chicks that need our care and our love.

God's speed, little one...

"Hope"

11/24 - 12/4/09

A VERY Brief Synopsis...

Yesterday was horrible.

Today was Bittersweet...

Tomorrow is gonna be AWESOME...

DREAM says...

"...You better fasten your seatbelt  and hold on tight

if you're gonna ride read this blog!"

Where can I find a seatbelt, Dreamer???