Home again...no rain...Drought pictures

When we pulled in from Michigan, the first thing I did was go let the sheep out of the barn lot  so the sheep could  go out to pasture...a dry brown crunchy sad looking mess.   I guess, I was hoping we had gotten rain while I was gone...no such luck!  The sheep are pulling at the sparse blades of green grass.    Look at the beautiful sky...the clouds are beautiful.  I stood on my hill, surrounded by sheep and prayed again for rain...I reminded God that He promises me that he will never leave me or forsake me and He tells me...I will send rain in My time.  He reminds me that he is my Lord and He knows what I need when I need it.  He smiled on me and sent a few cool sprinkles that fell on my bare skin...and I praised Him and thanked Him for the safe trip home, for the land I stand on, for the sheep and cows and for being my Lord and Saviour.
 I will appreciate the rain, the green grass, the plentiful crops from now on.   

This ewe lamb is out of Ewe 42, a Bl/shetland cross and Liam, BFL ram.  Isn't she pretty.  After  just coming from the Michigan Fiber Festival, I have a greater appreciate of the wool on the sheep on the Spinning C.  

The grass is getting browner by the day...less of the green blades.  Cracks in the ground are getting larger.  The temps are in the low 80s and very nice...so glad the 100 degree stuff is behind us.

Nowhere but in these hills do the low hanging clouds seem to be so close...at least  to my heart.   I love Michigan, so many things to see and do.  Green everywhere and cool temps but a Missouri girl loves her skies and fields (even when they are brown.)

Blue Birdie is brown and she almost blends in with the brown grass...isn't she pretty?  Her  mother is Birdie, a Oxford/BL cross ewe and her sire is Liam, BFL.  She is a keeper too.  She is going to be a big girl.

This is the cloud that let the sprinkles fall on me as I prayed.  I felt so close to God,  it was like He was telling me to be strong and be patience.....I will send you rain in My time.  Don't loose faith....

Another of Liam's off spring.

This yearling ewe is out of Birdie, Oxford/BL and sired by Liam.  She is square and  is such a great little ewe.

Liam was glad that I made it home.  He got a good petting and his back scratched.  I met some BFl breeders at the Michigan Fiber Festival and watched them show some of Liam's relatives.  Liam needs a good bath, he has been in a dirt lot while I was gone.  Don't worry, Liam, I am just talking...no bath today, I am too tired and need to get rested up for work tomorrow.

Sammy, a Cheviot Ram that I would like to sell.  I won't be able to buy him any ewes this  dry year.  His offspring  has been fast growers, hardy, and easy birthers....I will take $250 for him.  I paid more than that for him.  He is an easykeeper. He is just a year old.

The pond is even lower...We will need several inches of rain to fill it back up.  We would like to have it cleaned out and new fences put around it but I have been investing money in hay and feed so we can make it through the winter.  

Gerty, Oxford/BL Ewe and her lamb, Blue Bubbles.  Liam, BFL, is the sire...I love her wool.
I went from booth to booth looking and touching the fiber at the Michigan Fiber Festival and  I realized that I have  some beautiful wool right here on the Spinning C.
I did not purchase much fiber..I purchased.4oz of CMV/Alpaca, a couple of bars of homemade soap that smell so clean and good, a wooden hair pin/scarf pin, leather purse handles for a wool felted purse that I have made,  a baby sweater pattern, and two small purse frames for a coin purse.  I talked to fiber processors and plan to take Sharon in Iowa a few boxes of washed fleeces to card and get some pencil rovings made for weaving.  I also hope to get back to Michigan and pick up Simon, a new BFL lamb ram.  He has a heavier fleece than Liam's fleece.

Being Thankful and Blessed on Wednesday

Dear God,

Thank you that you renew my strength when I grow weary.

Thank you for refreshing my heart when I come to you in praise.

Thank you for refreshing my soul when I come to you in Prayer.  

Thank you for refreshing my mind when I come to you in meditation.

Thank you for refreshing my body when i come to you in solitude.  And thank you for refreshing my perspective on life when I come to you with thankfulness.  Thank you that I can draw strength from you, the source of all strength. 

In Jesus Name

Amen

Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest."  Matthew 11:28

At 5:30 AM I am up and letting the sheep out to graze while the temps are cool.  I feed the dogs and give Sadie and Lady bones...they just wait for the treat.  They have barked at coyotes all night and I think they deserve the best for being such good guard dogs.

The lambs bounced and played and did a little head butting in the cool breezes this morning.  I grabbed my camera before walking down to the south pastures to check on the grass situation.  We still have some short green grass beneath the taller brown dried grasses.  It won't last long if the weather goes back to the triple digits and we have hot dry winds.

I have now opened both south pastures...rotate to prevent worms.  We could use a couple of days of slow soaking rains.

Pricillia is a beautiful BFL cross ewe lamb...she isn't a big pet and  plays bashful.

China's twin ram lamb, the lambs are growing so fast.

the grass still has a little bit of green in the sheep's pasture.

I saw a little bluebird come out of the bird house but he refused to let me take his picture....a few of the cows are standing around the edge of the pond, going in for a morning soak.  Next year there will be a good strong fence around this pond so the cows can not do anymore damage than they have already done.  

Lady is running and playing in the cool morning air.

The barn,  I am standing down hill...lol...about any place on this farm is on a hill or down hill...they call this area  rolling green hills area.  We are about 20 miles from the Thousand Hills State Park.

Macy Sue is just waiting on me to get done messing around so we can get back to the house for breakfast.

Big Bales of hay, ready for winter or feed if things stay dry and hot.  We also have  about 250  small bales of hay in the barns and sheds and I am suppose to be getting another 100 bales.  It may be a long hard winter if we don't get some rain and see the grass green up.

We have a new grain bin and they delivered feed this week.   It saves money to buy by the tons instead  of by the sack.    It will also save me town trips.  

What a pretty BFL cross lamb.

Last year's ewe lamb, BFL/BL/Oxford cross...She is so big and will be bred this fall.

I love to stand out in the pastures in the calm and peace with the birds singing, the sheep baaing and the cattle mooing every now and then.  I feel so close to God and I stand in admiration of all the things He has made, great and small.

Cheviot ewe lamb flirting with the larger BFL cross ram lamb.  She appears to be acting like a little hussy. 

Blue Bubbles, BFL cross ewe lamb...she is a keeper for sure!

Isabel's baby is growing and bouncing all over the place.  Danny calls him  Hot Shot!

Old White Knight our Border Leicester Ram, still loves to chow down on his pellets and  Cathy, the previous owner of Knight was shocked that he was still up and going.  In fact, I am sure he is the sire of Hot Shot. He is such a sweet old boy.  

Danny's melons are getting larger and looking good...they get watered, hoed, and babied everyday.   I am so glad that Danny enjoys growing his melons cause I love to eat them.

Danny's melons are spreading out.

Poor little peach tree is loaded but the dry weather is taking its tole.

I found a couple of these plants so tomorrow morning I will bring out the hoe while it is cool and get rid of them.  The sheep get the sharp stickers in their wool and I then get the stickers in my fingers...so I get rid of every one I see and then replant brome or clover in the bare spot.  After I chop them down, I sprinkle salt on what is left of the base of the plant.  Salt won't hurt the sheep.

We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.  This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.  2 Corinthians 4:7

Enjoying the Day after Christmas with the Spinning C flock

 Written December 26, 2011.  I felt the need to walk off a few of the calories consumed yesterday.  The temp is in the low 40s and it is a bit cloudy with chances of rain...perfect walking weather.  I turned the rams out so the whole flock could run together today.  Did I tell you all that I now have 19 sheep?  I miss my girls but I know they have a very good home and will be very happy.  Just 3 months ago I had over a hundred sheep running these pastures and today just 19.  The flock appears calm and happy and I have less to do now.  I can concentrate on the fiber they produce.  In fact, I plan to spin and watch football this evening and start a new pair of socks tomorrow and I also plan to play upstairs in my studio.

The Spinning C flock came to meet me and of course Mini is in the lead.  I love to visit with them and put my fingers in their wool and dream about future fiber projects.  Lady and Sadie are happy to see me too.

White Knight is getting older, I hope I get another year of lambs from him.  I would really like to find a couple of pruebred Border Leicester ewes to breed him to next year so that I can have his beautiful fiber around for years to come.

Look at Teddy's coat...he is such a beautiful fiber pet.  Sammy looks so small beside of Teddy.  I have never spun Cheviot wool but I hear it is good to mix in with other wool...I will be able to tell you after shearing time this coming Spring.  I enjoy Sammy, he circles me and has so many cute ways.  His face is so cute!  I am also looking for a couple of registered Cheviot ewes to mate with Sammy next year.  If you know of someone please have them contact me.

Look at this girl, she is a BL/Shetland mule.  She is a special pet and fiber supply.

Gerty is always in my pictures.  This ewe is very special, she is a sweet pet and she also has the most beautiful wool.  It has luster, a silky handle, and just elegant spun up.  She has a twin sister, Birdie that has a darker shade of wool.  They are out of Bonnie, a Oxford Ewe and White Knight.  I would not mind having a whole flock of these ewes.  

Don't let them fool you...they have hay at the barn but seem to be very content  nipping at the short stuff .

 Macy Sue thinks she has to go with me to take care of the sheep...she is so funny running around with the big white girls.

 The three moorit shetland ewes that I kept.  Isabel, Tizzy and Cinnamon.  Tizzy and Cinnamon  are up in years and Isabel is my very favorite ewe.

 Sadie and Lady taking care of their flock.  Since they don't have as many ewes, I see them being more protective of their flock.
If anyone with BL, BFL, or Cheviot ewes would contact me if you have any to sell, I am just wanting to buy a couple of really nice ewes in each of the breeds.

Sunshine, a new lamb, and counting our blessings

Monday night as I was getting the sheep in, I noticed Birdie, Gerty's twin, lying in the hay off by herself.  When I went out to investigate, it was easy to see that she was in labor.  I moved her into the barn in a large pen to have her lamb.  The air was chilly and predictions of snow and rain mix prompted this decision.  (I don't like to be out in the cold either.)

I ended up needing to help pull the large lamb. (Was I ever happy that I had been able to get her in a jug?)   Birdie was following in her mother's footsteps, having large babies and needing help.  Birdie is the daughter of Bonnie, a large Oxford ewe that I got from the Almond's flock.   Bonnie had a beautiful silky fleece and she has passed that good fleece trait on to all of her off-Spring.  She has been the foundation for our breeding program of spinning fiber sheep.

 This is Liam's first off-spring.  He was young last fall but I gave him a small group of ewes that were related to White Knight. 



3/4 BFLand  1/4 Oxford ewe lamb born Monday night about 11 PM.  Trying to stand up for the first time and Mom hasn't got her all cleaned up yet.  I don't jump in and do a bunch of cleaning on a lamb.  Mother licks them and they are bonding at the same time.  Since the wind had got up and the temp was down to 32, I hooked up the heat lamp.  The lamb was sucking by midnight and I walked out into a light snow.  Time to go to bed so I can do checks on the other ewes in 3 hrs.



Same ewe lamb today, less than 48 hrs later.  I let Mom and lamb out to enjoy the beautiful sunshine this afternoon. 





Was she a happy camper or what?




This lamb takes everything in and has fun doing it...I have the feeling she is going to be a fun sheep to have around.





Lady and lamb are just getting to know each other.





The little girl is walking with Uncle Teddy, a wether of Bonnie's and followed by her mother, Birdie

Danny and I just sit in the sun and enjoyed the moment and gave thanks for all our blessings and prayed for Angie & Wayne, and Evan.  Angie's doctor started induction of labor this morning at about 8 am so we know we will have baby Evan soon.
One day a baby is born wet and helpless and in a very short time they are jumping around everywhere and leading you along by the strong ties of the heart...
I almost forgot to tell you what I have named our new little girl...I named her after her grandmother Bonnie that died a couple of years ago after giving birth to Birdie and Gerdy.  The little ewe's name shall be Bonnie Blue.