Summer Time and the Living is Easy.........

 ....well maybe if you are a sheep!  We here semi farm people don't necessarily feel summer is all that easy.  So much to do.  All one needs to do is step outside and realize there is a wealth of things to do around here.  For one, we still have lots and lots of wood to move and split.  Remember our winter post with all the trees we had come down?  News is.... we are still working on them!   From the pictures you can see we have made progress but still plenty more to go.  


We have made some significant progress on the big tree at the lower end of our pasture.  See for yourself.  To finish it though, we will need someone with a very big chain saw to do the finally cutting on the trunk of that baby.  We'll also need some ladders to get up to cut the side branches.  And again, more firewood to haul!

      If one is bored with doing wood there are weeds to pull, a house to paint, fences to fix, a garden shed to finish and then there are the gourmet meals to be made from all the fresh vegetables from the garden.  Never a dull moment.  One definitely longs for cold rainy winter days where you are stuck inside with only spinning and knitting to do.  Oh don't I wish!

Bored sheep escaping the summer sun

a dead llama embracing it!

Black Sheep Gathering 2012

 Another Black Sheep Gathering has come and gone.  This time it went by way too fast.  It was very busy for us showing sheep, talking about spinnning wheels, talking about sheep interspersed with a bit of spinning.  All the things I love!  This year was nice and cool; I think I wore a wool sweater the entire time.  This is odd as it has been 100 degrees a few years back.  Our small string of 9 sheep did well in their respective classes.  No big ribbons but lots of 3-6 place ribbons.   The yearling ram category was the only class we did not ribbon in.  That was probably due to the fact that  "Stetson", our ONE yearling ram, began shedding a about a month ago and I finally got around to rooing him the day before the show.  He looked like one big black fuzzball!  Hardly the fleece the judge was looking for.  His sister "Miso" (who now lives with Susie Sizemore of Newberg) got reserve champion so he has it in his blood!  Oh well.  Our biggest accomplishment was Rikki's sister, Tsunami, a Gotland, placing 3rd in the yearling ewe class against other big breeds beautiful sheep.

 Here I am saying goodbye to our beloved Rikki.  She left early on Sunday to begin the long journey to her new home in Indiana.  I admit, I was crying but it helps me to know she is now in a very good, loving home who appreciates her very quirky personality and lovely fleece.  Bye bye Rikki!






 Chicken Duck.....

 .....The latest on the Chicken duckling (or is that the Duck chickling?  Tom calls it the "chuckling").  Mama chicken and baby duckling are still quite bonded despite the disparity in size....and looks.

Baby still needs warming occasionally but it's very hard to cover all the parts!   We may have to consult an animal psychologist on this one to sort out this bad case of species confusion.