Tuesday, March 1, 2016

2016 Ky Sheep and Fiber Festival


I was excited to get notification that I was accepted to set up at the Ky fiber festival this year!  Woohoo!

I plan to get started on pottery as soon as the weather breaks,  but lately I have been busy painting glass.   I have painted with glass enamels in the past, but I just don't recall it being nearly as fun as it is when using it to paint sheep~ :)  maybe i'm just partial to sheep...    

Here's a sampling of some of the new items I will be bringing to the show in May.
  
  


 

Hope you will save the date and stop by the festival for a fun afternoon of sheep, wool, and all things fiber!

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

His Eye Is On the Sparrow



"Lil Bird" was it's name 

Yes, I know now that it is illegal to take in and raise any kind of wild bird. 
Even if it is starving and going to be eaten by a cat.
 Yet I didn't know it at the time ...
when Wyatt pointed out that there was a bird out of its nest, 
on the ground, 
behind the church building.


 Did I want to take it home?  
No, No, and then No. 
I didn't know the first thing about taking care of a baby bird. 
We walked away from the squawking bird that had been displaced from its nest.   
We even made it all the way to our truck in the parking lot.

I have read sometimes the mother will come back and take care of the bird 
while it's on the ground...  
yet i don't think this mother had
This little bird was unfeathered, 
pitiful, squawky, seemingly very hungry.
 He appeared to be open to anyone giving a little assistance... 
even us.  

We took him home.  
After a few weeks his feathers grew in. 

While he was not a fancy bird by any means, 
we thought he was quite beautiful.  

Then ... came the day he learned how to fly.    
I was excited that he had flown off.   
Wyatt, on the other hand... 
 cried.
I explained how the bird was meant to be free
 "it was a good thing."
But Wy's heart, 
 broken.
We walked out to the edge of the trees and called for little bird.
  We saw him.
Lil Bird flew back to us

"fly little bird"

I remember watching him up in the tree, 
 it's little eyes closed, 
just swaying on the branch with the wind.
Possibly thinking 
"it's a good day to be a bird"

If so
he was right.
It's always a good day to be 
exactly what we were created to be.





Thursday, April 23, 2015

Smiling Lamb Faces

Wyatt said the other day "they're so cute mom... can I keep one in my room?"    
"of course... not"    "but yes, they are cute"


(but still ... not in your room)



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,


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below is "speed limit" ... yes.. we're still letting Wyatt name the lambs... 
(we have a stray cat here that goes by the same name.   
Although.. is it still a stray if someone has  named it?  Hm.)
You can't tell in this picture, but i think  "speed limit" is smiling.    
 ( his shepherd boy is too!)

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

What Could Be Sweeter?

It has been many months, even seasons since I have posted here. .. so I almost feel like I need to start off by introducing myself!     But.. ah, what's to tell about that?   So let me tell you about my little boy's new dog.   (well.. ok, she's 7 months old now.   and little boy isn't so little... but I'm going to back up several months and pull out some puppy photos!)

This is Haley.  

 She was a gift to Wyatt from a really good friend.

 The two took up with each other right away...

and are best of friends.  

Every little boy should have a dog of his own.
And every little dog should have a boy.

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Not more lamb pictures... (just kidding, it is)

Daphne's twin ram lambs:  (they are moorit, mouflon co-expressed with the badgerface pattern)
 
 
 
Carlie's ewe lamb
 

#70's Gray/Black ewe lamb

 
and her twin brother

One of Penny's ewe lambs

 

 
Josie's ewe lamb 
 
 Tipsy's Ram lamb 



LeAnne's Ewe Lamb
 
 

Friday, April 25, 2014




" ENOUGH ALREADY!!!! 
 YOU GOT YOUR PICTURES, NOW GO! 
GO!!
IT'S LIKE LIVING WITH THE PAPARAZZI AROUND HERE!"

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Finally!

After much waiting and watching, Daphne finally had her lambs!

We have had several other lambs born in the past week or so (more pics to come)
 
This one here (below) is Tipsy's baby.  Much can be said about his arrival -"he was huge" "he was stuck" and ... "50 minutes of working and pulling and we have a baby lamb" 
 
I was pretty sure he wouldn't make it.  I had been watching the ewe all day, thinking she was going to start with contractions at any moment.   I left the house for little over an hour in the afternoon and came back to find her grazing with a lambs head hanging out the back side.   She did not seem to be in labor - (though obviously was) but no pushing, complaining, .... just eating. To shorten up the story a bit, the lambs legs were tucked under his body and he didn't seem to be going anywhere.   It was such a great feeling to hear him "baaah" upon freeing him up from the jam he was in. 
 
After several lambing seasons, I am finding that those things that I read about in the books when I was considering sheep -"eventually happen"    Fortunately, they don't all happen at once.
 
Once the lamb was finally out and up and drinking, I went to the house and Jack asked if she was going to have a second.   Hm. ? a second?  I hadn't given it a thought even.  This lamb was so big I didn't even consider there being room in there for another.   There was.   Unfortunately though, the other lamb was not alive.  It appeared to be premature.   ?  .. So tiny and the wool was just short and straight (where they have wool curls when born)  and a few other things that made it seem as though the ewe was possibly bred more than once.  We  had a similar birth before, but fortunately it hasn't been common.   Anyways, this is a picture taken of the lamb the day after he was born.   He is as big as our 2 to 3 week old lambs!
We have several little lambs out there with the spots this year - which is fun, since we have seldom had spotted lambs.  
 
 While quite a few of the ewes have lambed, but there are few that are still expecting. 

 Roxy is next on the list ..