Meanwhile back on the Farm ~ Wool, Fur & Feathers

I had to go visit the kids' at their farm.  So many new faces to see!  Unfortunately, the most important new face is not going to be present in this post.  Hopefully, Annie will forgive me.  :(   She is the new German Shepherd gran puppy.  I will catch her a little later along with Elliot, the gran cat. ;)  Even with these over sites, there were a lot of new friends to make acquaintances with.

 

Farmerboy is still waiting for the paperwork on his newest Shetlands.  Their names have been forgotten by my son...  He better get those papers soon... I have a habit of coming up with some doozies on my own! ;)  Here is his new Ewe.  I call her Freckles. (Yep, that is how fast I play the name game! LOL)  She is absolutely darling.  Freckles keeps the flock guessing what she is doing in the pasture.  She will eat any green vegetation she finds.  The rest of the group is spoilt and picky about their eats.  So when they see her nibbling away happily, they all come running thinking she has a special treat! LOL

 

 

Why did Farmerboy buy another ewe your asking?  First, Freckles has a tendency to produce spotted lambs.  Second, she has super fine fleece.  See these majorly crimped curls?  They are so springy and tight like a fine carpet.  The original flock has some great crimp, but this is ridiculous! :)

Our Max and his beautiful colored fleece went on to a new farm with a new group of  ewes.  It was bitter sweet.  I know he will be happy, but I will miss scratching his forehead.  He was a gorgeous ram. *sigh*  To bring in a fresh blood line, a new ram came to the fold.  Kind of looks like Count Chocula to me.... Maybe??? ;)   Any who, next Easter should bring us some very interesting lambs.

Not to be out done by the new sheep, little Moon Pie decided to bless the kids with the first babies born to their farm... Let's just call the new arrivals "The Lucky Seven".    This photo was taken after number five.  Momma took a rest and then surprised the kids with two more!

 

The local businesses are sent to bid on 4H animals at the county fair.  One of the purchases made for my son's facility was a duck.  None of the crew bidding wanted to have the honor of butchering and eating their winnings from the highest bid... So yeah you guessed it, the boy who raised the duck was told to deliver the feathered friend to kids' farm.  They found out before they left the auction that in fact two ducks were going to be delivered.  By the time they arrived, there were three!   Apparently, the boy who raised them was having problems with a raccoon that attacked one of the male ducks.  He said its best chance for survival was to stay with the other two.  After a little TLC to the wounded member, all the feathered friends are settling in nicely.  :)

 

 

 

Can you believe it?  Even the new fruit trees planted this year are getting into the action!    I can't believe one is actually going to produce pears!!  LOL

 



It has been such a fun summer.  I just wrapped up the Tour de Fleece last weekend.  (Photos coming soon!)   This month is going to be spent washing fleece, ordering some shelving and painting my new studio area.  I cannot wait to get my sewing machines and art supplies back in order.  My goal is to have the space up and running by my vacation in early September!  :)

It's Shearing Time for Everyone

No animal could avoid the shears around here lately.  The first two to fall prey  were Izzie and Gabby.  They went to see Dr. Julie.  Yep, it was spaying time.  A time dreaded by myself (and them to I'm sure, if they could understand).  They seemed to take it well with the exception of some cold tummies.  

 

 

March came in like a lion for the sheep, since the gentleman arrived at Farmerboy's to do some shearing.  Farmerboy was all smiles with that chore finished.  Luke the llama posed happily for a photo op, since he didn't get sheared... this time!

The rest of the crew seemed to enjoy the loss of 4 or more pounds each!  They were scratching themselves on anything they could find.    Last year's lambs were bouncing around the barnyard happy to be free of the excess hair. 

Even Max seemed to be a little more mellow.  :)

I have been spending the last week skirting fleeces and bagging them for proper storage until they can be scoured.  There are some extremely beautiful colorways.  The nice thing about Shetland fleeces is the variety of crimp and locks all on the same sheep.  It is just amazing!  I am going to be putting quite a few to the side for personal spinning and will share some photos later.  But I have to say, there is one lamb that is coal black from skin to tip with locks in excess of 7 inches.  Crazy gorgeous!!  I washed a couple of locks, and they are fantastic.  The whole fleece is like that... A spinner's dream. :)

Valentine's Day or Easter?

The weather makes me think that it should have been Easter not Valentine's Day.  Trust me... I am NOT complaining.  ;)  So, it honestly didn't seem odd when the kids stopped in last night with a Valentine's purchase from Theisens... Baby chicks! 

 

Farmerboy always loved having chickens.  Believe it or not, his wife does not eat eggs!  She does like to bake though, so they will come in handy for that.  He wanted to get 12, and they compromised on 10.  Great compromise for him since his lovely bride did not really want chickens.  I have to admit... I always loved raising chickens.  Here is a close up of one of the crazier looking ones!

 

 

 

 

Aren't they darling?  It always amazes me when I hold on to them.  For those that question a higher being, look at these tiny little critters.  Only a higher being could create such a wonder.  Absolutely amazing!

 

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentine's Day.  Ours was quiet and that is okay with me.  Tomorrow is our anniversary... twenty-seven years and counting.  :)

Down on the Farm Visit

There has been a lot going on lately keeping me close to home.  But on one of the warmer days, Mr. Hollow talked me into visiting the kids' farm.  Farmerboy has been laying flooring in the kitchen and working on his workshop.  I laugh at the fact that I did not take any photos of his hard work... just some animal shots. ;) 

 

In the shop, Farmerboy has three new furry mice catchers:  Here is mama kitty.  I call her Moon Pie.  If she looks directly at you, her eyes are as big as Moon Pies... I swear!!  She is the sweetest tempered cat with the tiniest feet for her size.

 

 

This is a photo of her kitten Patches.  I think her fur looks like someone dripped paint all over.  On her other side, she sports some big splotches.  Patches is very vocal and one heck of a climber!

I cannot remember the name of this one.  Isn't she a beauty?  This is Patches sister.  She is quiet and like her sister loves to climb.  Her favorite spot is looking out the new window Farmerboy just put in.  I imagine she is wondering about where all the mice went, since their arrival.  It didn't take long for the pests to stop going in their domain!

Here are the piglets Farmerboy purchased in the fall.  Oh my, they sure have grown.  It never ceases to amaze me how furry pigs are.   I was there for feeding time.  There is one particular one that makes so much noise when she eats, it is funny.  Maybe the noise has a calming effect on her.  I am not sure. 

The one to the left is not growing like the others, but she can mix it up with the best of them.  They have just got moved to their new digs with plenty of space to sprawl out and relax.  :)

My favorite part of the farm is the barn.  If you go into the upper loft, the ceiling is amazingly high.  I helped the kids stack hay inside over the summer... That seems like such a long time ago.  *sigh*

I have always had a love of barns.  They have that rustic cozy feeling inside, and the hay stacked makes it even better.  It saddens me how many wooden barns in the area have fallen to decay with new steal sheds taking their place.  I understand the reasons for the progression, but it is still sad none the less.

Oh yeah, the sheep have their own cozy shed.  It use to be a home to pigs back in the day but is a perfect spot for the sheep.  They love it!  As you can see, they have quiet the wool jackets going on.  I believe they are scheduled to be sheared next weekend.  Farmerboy's flock this year has a great variety of colors and textures of wool.  There will even be some solid black lamb fleeces coming off this year.  Very exciting to this spinner!  :)

Always a couple of interested sheep wondering if there is some feed in the bucket!  LOL

Farmerboy's wife always can be counted on to pitch in with taking care of the animals.  This girl's not afraid to shovel some pig manure.   And if you ever smelled pig manure, you would know she is a Saint for helping out!   Whew wee!!!

I think they are pretty happy on their farm.  That day was such a fun time and makes me think that spring is around the corner.  Hard to believe it is only the end of January!