The Rest of the Story...

As told by Dazzle...

"You wouldn't believe what Mom did to me!"

"First, she put one of those rope things around my head and drug me out of the pasture..."

"Then, she ties me to the gate and the stupid CHICKENS  were laughing at me!"

"And then she starts ripping my long, soft, gorgeous fleece right off of my body!!!"

"OK.  So it didn't actually hurt, or anything.  But it was still embarrassing!"

"Of course, being the perfect little angel that I am, I stood there calmly and quietly and endured the humiliation of it all"

"Except when Mom tried to pull the wool that was up by my ribs or down by my tummy!  That wool didn't slide right off and I didn't like it when Mom tried to pull it so she left that alone."

"Mom, said we can always get the rest of the wool another day..."

"I'm thinking  NOT !!!"

"I don't see her pulling the wool off of any of the other sheep!  What about Dreamer???  How come Mom doesn't tie HER up and pull HER wool off?"

DREAM says:

"Cuz I'm SPECIAL!"

That you are, Dreamer.  That you are.   But the truth is, I didn't roo your fleece because it isn't ready to be rooed.   It's quite common for a Shetland's fleece to 'release' when the new fleece is starting to grow in.  At that time, the old fleece starts falling out and the shepherd will see chunks of wool hanging from the sheep.  Dazzle had huge chunks of wool just falling off her rear end.  For those who asked, it's not an indication of anything wrong.  In fact, it makes removing the fleece quite easy and it makes for a much cleaner fleece.  I love a fleece that roos easily!

Although Dream's fleece doesn't appear to be ready to roo, I did notice that Alice has quite a few chunks hanging.  I wonder if it has anything to do with the earlier lambing date for some of the girls...

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!!!

"Dear Blogger..."

"Please SEND HELP!

Mom is a crazed woman. She's been tying me up and ripping my wool out rooing me, every chance she gets!

I tell you, it's traumatizing!!

I feel like a plucked goose!!

And these photos...

How would you like to have your picture taken while you were fifty pounds over weight , at the beauty parlor ~ all wrapped in tin foil and with your eyebrows encased in wax????

I'm telling you, it's humiliating! You don't see DREAM standing around, half naked, do you???

I may never live it down.

Love,
Zaria


P.S.
I still love you, Mom! And I'm gonna give you BEAUTIFUL babies!!"

I don't doubt that for a moment, my beautiful Zaria. Not one moment!

;-)

Have a great weekend, Everyone!!

SHEEP Therapy...

Since I was too sick to do much yesterday (I feel even worse today), I decided to spend the morning sitting with my sheep.
Can you see how 'loose and inviting' Zaria's fleece is? It was just begging me to pull it out!
I was much too weak (from my illness) to resist...
The wool fairly flowed out of Zaria's neck into my bucket.
Rooing left a nice, fluffy layer to protect Zaria from the sun and keep her warm during these cold Spring nights.
She has a perfect fleece for rooing. It virtually slides out, lock by lock. I was like a woman obsessed!
I actually roo'ed almost a pound of fleece off of Zaria's neck and shoulder in maybe an hour (?). It was fun!
"Yeah, RIGHT!!"

And just look at this beautiful fiber! It is so soft and lustrous. A handspinner's delight!!
I'll be adding it to my DREAM FIBERS blog for sale for $1.00/ounce....

Take a bow, Lucca...


Thank you all for your well wishes! Since I'm still sick, (truly worse than before!) I think I'll go sit with the sheep some more. Zaria's still got a LOT of wool on her...

ROOING Hunter...

Here's the thing...
I had apparently bumped a button on my camera. Since I can't actually SEE what any of the buttons say, I didn't realize that it wasn't on the correct setting. Kind of a cool photo though, don't ya think???
My beautiful Hunter (Kimberwood Hunter) was SUCH a good boy for rooing! I tied him in the little barn in my backyard and plucked away. He was shedding noticeably on his back so I rooed the 'saddle area' on his back up to his neck.
I got about 4 1/2 ounces of VERY nice wool!
And there's lots more where that came from!!

;-)

DREAM says...

"No time for rooing today!"

To ROO or not to roo........?

Here's a prime example of a Shetland Ewe (Bluff Country Zest) desperately in need of rooing (plucking of her fleece). Zest was shorn in March but this is the wool that was left on her at shearing. She has gone through the "rise" and now this old, dead fleece is ready to come off. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to want to come off in one nice big piece, as seen HERE. I can pluck off small sections at a time. But Zest doesn't really LIKE me to do it. So I'll have to tie her up if I want to get it all. I may just give it a try. She looks like a SWAMP CREATURE the way she is now!

This is Zest's stunning 2006 son (sired by Windswept Bravo),"Bluff Country Trinity". Trinity is an awesome ram lamb with outstanding conformation, dense, soft, intermediate fleece and he looks like he's going to have very wide-swept horns like his sire. Trinity possesses the potential to be a dynamic, HsT, flock sire.

This is NOT Yesterday's photo...

If it looks a bit familiar, TELL me about it! ;-) Actually, this is what I woke up to, after the nap I snuck in, after leaving work early (again!)











I'm discovering that many of my girls (boys too, I'm sure) are starting to shed the fleece that was left on them at shearing in March. When I rub and scratch them, bits of fleece pull right off. It apparently feels good to have the old stuff removed because my girls will stand there, quite contentedly, while I pluck away. This is the way that Shetland sheep were originally "rooed" (the proper term for the process of removing the fleece by plucking). There are two excellent articles on rooing Here and Here The ability to have it's fleece rooed is just one of the many primitive qualities that attract many breeders to this delightful breed of sheep.





Here I continue rooing the fleece on Phoebe's neck while she contentedly chews her cud. The birds love the tufts of wool I leave in the grass ~ it makes wonderful, insulated nests for their babies!

...and you thought my SHEEP were spoiled! ;-)