Sorry it took me so long...

I was NOT expecting twins from Rosie! I was sitting in the paddock with the ewes and lambs, taking pictures, yesterday when I noticed that Rosie was in labor. I kept myself busy and checked on her every now and then. I've learned that my sheep do just fine and I'm less likely to 'interfere' if I don't hover. So I prepared lambing jugs and sat with Sera and her twins for a while. On one of my check-ups I found Rosie cleaning off a handsome, moorit, ram lamb. I gave her lots of cookies and just sat and watched her cleaning up her beautiful boy when I noticed a gush of water from behind her. I was puzzled ~ water breaking after the ewe has lambed??? It wasn't until Rosie turned around and I saw the view in the post from last night, that I realized she was going to have another lamb! Needless to say, I was thrilled to see the white toes and nose. ;=) That's my sign that everything is OK and I knew we were going to have some more chrome so I anxiously watched (and photographed ~ if anyone would like to see a lamb being delivered, I can email you the photos) the birth of Rosie's HSt DAUGHTER.

By the time I got all the sheep put back into the pasture by the new barn and Rosie & her twins into the jug with Sera and hers, I was exhausted! Hence the short post last night.

I got up at 5:30 this morning and made it to my three Grandson's "Goodies With Grandparents" breakfast, at their school at 7:30 this morning. I checked on the girls, before leaving this morning, and noticed that Flash Flood was in early labor. She's an experienced mom, in good health, so I left. Here's what I came home to...

Are they not BEAUTIFUL??? A boy and a girl!! OMG! I've got so many ewes and so many lambs! And it's supposed to rain and turn cold. REALLY cold again.

OK. Seven down and four to go. Here they are:

"Bluff Country Zodiak" (Dream's mom)

"Sheltering Pines Diva" (dam of Dilemma)

Diva looked like she might be in labor, earlier this evening, but was eating fine when I put the girls back in the pasture by the barn. I'll check her again before I go to bed. Diva did have a difficult delivery last year and I'll watch her closely.


"Bluff Country Dilemma". A yearling, first time mom, bred to Kimberwood Hunter.

And of course:

"Bluff Country Dream"
....."I'm tired too, Mom. It's getting mighty crowded in that new barn!"

That it is Dreamer.

The fact is: I've got too many sheep. I will be selling most of the lambs this year as well as a number of the adult ewes and rams. I want to get back down to 10 ewes. I have 14 now. Contact me if you are interested in adding Bluff Country breeding stock to your flock...

Rosie's Surprise.....

Details tomorrow. I have to go to bed! I'm getting up at 5:30 am to take my Grandsons to "Goodies With Grandparents" at school!

;-)

Silly me....

I went out to take some fall pictures of my flock, after work, this afternoon. Of COURSE I should have realized that my camera batteries would need recharging! I did manage to sneak off three quick photos before they died.....


This one shows the girls as soon as they notice me heading into their pasture. Notice that Rosie and Dream lead the charge. ;-) I love that they've become friends...


Of course, Dream gets the closest and snuggles right in so nobody gets more attention than her. I don't know how she got to be so spoiled!!

I treated Paco's cut above his eye, with Antibiotic spray and screw worm spray. It's healing nicely now that I'm keeping the two big guys apart. I can't wait 'till January! ;-)

Dream says...

...."Mom gave Rosie and I a little treat called lamb creep feed' today. We weren't too crazy about it but nibbled a little, just to be polite. Wouldn't want to hurt Mom's feelings!"

BATH TIME!

Dream and Rosie stand tied to the handles on the Jeep, awaiting their baths...Next weekend, we'll be showing several of our sheep at the Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival, Midwest Shetland Sheep Breeders' Association (MSSBA) show. For the first time, I've decided to bathe some of the sheep before the show. I'm doing it a week in advance so that the coat has time to regain it's normal lock structure ~ but, hopefully, not so far in advance that they just end up dirty again...



I soaked each of the girls down with the wand, attachment I use to water my hanging baskets. It worked slick! You can see how much they LOVED getting rinsed off.


Notice how dirty the water running off of Rosie is. After soaking them thoroughly, I used my watering can to sprinkle water with "wool wash" added to it, over the wet ewe lambs. I let that soak in for about 10 minutes while I washed their faces and legs with a wash cloth, with baby shampoo on it.


A final rinse and they're done! You can see that Dream was thrilled. ;-)


The girls 'jump started' the drying process by shaking enthusiastically. Then we went for a walk down the road...




It's amazing how much water those fleeces hold onto! The girls are still damp 4 hours later...

I'm not sure if I did it "right". Nobody admits to bathing their Shetlands before a show. Yet, I know for a fact that MANY breeders do. And I think they look nice. So, I decided to try it this year too. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Dream says......."It's been a rough weekend "!!

I Promised...

"Hi!
Mom promised me that since I've been SUCH a good girl and hardly EVER complained about not getting enough attention, I can have a whole post about ME today! Isn't that nice of her"???




Yeah, well...I brought Dream and Rosie out for a halter lesson this afternoon. The first time I actually took them out of the paddock they share with the adult ewes. They were both VERY good girls!

It is slightly difficult to hold two halter leads for two ewe lambs and a camera and try to take pictures at the same time. At one point, I let the girls go so that I could try to get some pictures (I did promise Dream this post!).

I quickly rescued my DH's newly planted shrubs and we resumed walking on halter.

The girls occasionally got tangled up...but for the most part, did quite well for their first time in strange circumstances. We even practiced walking on the gravel driveway and concrete parking area by the garage.

I was very happy with how calm Dream and Rosie were. I did lots of petting and touching their legs and tails and they took it all in stride. The boys also had halter lessons & practiced standing tied ~ a VERY important lesson for ram lambs!

Plus, I got a bobbin of yarn spun (Shetland/mohair blend) and knit a few rows on my "Peacock Shawl". What a great day!

Dream says..."Mom says that even though our lives are going on as normal, we should keep Stephen & Bill in our hearts and in our prayers..."

For Lois....

This is "Bluff Country Bella Serenade".

Please pardon the smear on the photo, my lambs have a habit of sticking their noses on the camera lens! Sera will be making her home, in Oregon, with Brook and Lois Moore, later this year. I got an e-mail from Lois this morning telling me that she recently was hospitalized for pneumonia! Lois is home now, but still on oxygen and misses getting out with her sheep. Bella Sera sends her love! I send my prayers and good wishes and hope that everyone else will send positive thoughts to Lois too, so she can be fully recovered SOON!

Lambie kisses from Bella Serenade!

Dream is sticking pretty close to Rosie these days. It's like she has to always keep her eye on her.... ;-)
Although, Dream did enjoy a break from the hot, afternoon sun today when I let her borrow my visor while she was grazing. That sun's mighty bright you know!

Isn't she cute??? She actually didn't seem to mind the hat! She wore it for about a half-hour before it started sliding under her neck and I took it off. Such a fashion diva.


Dream says...









....."I might have to try sunglasses next! Did you notice, Rosie didn't get to wear Mom's hat? Just me! I'm special"....

Keep your friends close (and your Enemies closer!)...

Paco and Bravo seem to have worked out an amicable relationship. It's cute to see how Paco has to rush over to break up any little squabble that takes place between the ram lambs. He takes his position as 'senior flock sire' very seriously.


And of course, my beautiful Dream is not the least bit happy with all the attention that Rosie's been getting lately. I did halter lessons with both girls (at the same time!) tonight. It's a contest to see who can be the closest to me...


I was going to get some T-shirts made up, but am still not feeling the greatest, so have pretty much just hung out with my girls tonight. This is my weekend to work, but I'm off tomorrow, so I'll try to get them done then. I do have a lady coming over, in the afternoon, who wants me to teach her how to spin. That should be interesting.

Dream says....

..."Mom's hoping that Rosie and I will become good friends. I wouldn't hold my breath..."

Time Warp...

Remember back in early June, when I was posting pictures of the first halter lessons for the lambs? They were so cute and funny with their hysterical antics. Well, here are some pictures I took yesterday...

This little beauty is "Bluff Country Dusty Rose". She is the daughter of Zanex & Paco. She carries HST spotting genetics and has outstanding conformation. She is wild as the dickens! I've been trying to tame Rosie for some time now but she will NOT let me touch her. She comes close, but always keeps another sheep between herself and me. I've actually caught her a couple of times (to feel her incredibly soft fleece!) by reaching under whatever sheep Rosie was hiding behind and grabbing her leg. That's what I did yesterday. I'm pretty fast for an old, fat, lady with a droopy eye! ;-)


As you can see, Rosie was thrilled to practice her halter skills. She mastered the first and second positions VERY quickly...


Not a stubborn bone in this little beauty's body!

I've got to tell you, this little doll is one smart sheep! It didn't take my little Rosie long at all to figure out that if she came toward me, the halter didn't pull so tight and if she let me pet her, she actually got a COOKIE. I'd say within 10 minutes I had this precious ewe lamb following me for cookies and loving it when I scratched her neck!



I REALLY like this ewe lamb!


And it seems, she's rather fond of me too! Notice the halter has been removed and Rosie is choosing to stand and be petted. I think I need another moorit ewe...

...Dream says:

..."Ex-CUSE Me!!!! What's, a girl got to throw herself on the ground and have a hissy-fit to get some attention around here???"

Let the Sun Shine!!!

Finally! The sun is shining in the Bluff Country. A perfect day to "play hooky". I stayed home from work today (not feeling well). Spent most of the day sitting out with the ewes and lambs. I sure do love my sheep. There is nothing quite as relaxing and soothing as sitting on the ground and petting the sheep gathered around. I especially love it when they lie down next to me.


The lambs seemed to enjoy the sunny weather. They ran and jumped and played. Here's a shot of "Finale", soaking up some rays...Is that a picture of contentment, or WHAT??? Yeah, I noticed; he does have a bit of a belly on him :-)



We have a cement, bench in "Rocky's Pasture" that the lambs love to climb on. The adult sheep love to use it as a scratching post! Here Crescendo is giving his mom, "Zaria" a back rub!


And Zanex's daughter "Dusty Rose" poses like royalty on top of the bench.

I enjoyed my day with the lambs. Tomorrow, I have to work and am picking up my son, right after work and driving to St. Paul, MN., to see the TIM MC GRAW & FAITH HILL Concert! We'll be back on Saturday....Have a happy weekend!