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!

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.

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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.

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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!)

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.

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

 

 

" ENOUGH ALREADY!!!! 

 YOU GOT YOUR PICTURES, NOW GO! 

GO!!

IT'S LIKE LIVING WITH THE PAPARAZZI AROUND HERE!"

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 ..

C'mon Daphne..

I took this picture a week ago - and she has yet to have those babies.   We have had 6 little lambs born since yesterday afternoon... More lamb pics coming soon!  (hopefully Daphne's!)

A Few New Arrivals

 

 

"It's bedtime Mom"

I just came in the house a few minutes ago and I guess the sound of the door closing woke Wyatt up.   I heard "mom?"  "yes"  "I need to tell you something"  "ok"  silence.  .. silence... then I heard the sound of  little feet hitting the floor and then I heard those same tired feet cloppety clop across the room into where I was taking off my mud boots.   The "something" he needed to tell me was that he was thirsty.   We shared a few moments of sipping grape juice together at the kitchen table when he said "it's bedtime Mom, you should be in bed"   

oh how right he is about that.. 4 years old, telling me I should be in bed!   I love it, tell that to the sheep though.

In prior years, I thought that they lambed at night because they wanted to have their babies when I wasn't around, but that theory has been disproved, because they see me just as much - if not more often - during the night hours.  

We had 4 lambs born today  - 3 of them being just a few hours ago.   Myrtle had triplets again, but sadly we lost the 3rd lamb.  The lamb was being born with both of the front legs presented, but the head was turned back. I assisted and felt that it was going well, but the lamb was born unresponsive, and while I tried everything I could think of, the lamb remained unresponsive.    It is so sad to hear a ewe mourn.  She talked to her other lambs, but it was more of a cry when she came back to this lamb.  Just really sad.   She seemed to be doing better when I left the barn.   

While I don't like to report bad news, it is sometimes a reality in the life of shepherding.  

Hoping for a better day of lambing tomorrow and the days after!   Meanwhile.. I had better get in bed... I have been told it's past my bedtime!   It has been way TOO long since I had a "bedtime"  Maybe someday...

Just sheep..hanging out and relaxing on a nice day...

 

 

 

 

(pretty sure Blanche is bred)