UNCLE

Another 20 inches and drifts chest high. The wind blew snow into every part of the barn creating drifts in the sheep bedding.I have never seen it like this. Tim and I spent hours trying to block openings, put down dry straw, and move ready to lamb ewes to more protected pens. While working frantically, I heard grunting. A ewe was in labor with no place to lie down and push. Finding her a dry spot and getting the other sheep out of her spot was challenging but the worst was yet to come. I pulled the first lamb, long overdue and orange. Mom took over cleaning him while I waited for the second lamb. One foot appeared but that was it. When I went in, there were 2 legs but the lamb's head was no where to be found. Head back deliveries are a challenge. My arm was in the ewe up to my armpit when I found the head. Good thing too because I couldn't reach any further. What a relief to pull out another live baby. By this time I was soaking wet and frozen whith bottle babies sucking on my ears. Thankfully Mom bounced right up,taking care of both boys. The delivery didn't seem to phase her a bit. I seemed to be in worse shape. Wine time!

Amish Basketball

Another snowstorm looming. Great. We haven't even gotten dug out from the last one. While the sun was shining, Tim offered to help me get hay down to the lower level of the barn and stacked on the lowest level where the sheep are. The bales come from the 4th level of the barn, up 2 ladders and a flight of steps. I usually throw them down, where they free fall about 20 feet and if I'm on, can get them to hit the hole in the second level floor down to the lower level...a 2'x3' opening. Missing the hole means a bounce in any direction on the second level of the barn, where it can wind up almost anywhere amidst the antiques and junk accumulated there. The cats scatter and stuff crashes. It's a feeble way of amusing myself while doing a mundain task. Tim tried the job today and also found it entertaining. He called it "Weird Amish Basketball". He got bonus points for bouncing one bale into a trashcan full of salt w/o knocking the can over. Being of like humor we both cheered. Who needs to buy tickets to entertainment venues? Can this be construed as Cabin Fever?

27 Inches and It's Still Snowing

We went from sunny and wonderful on Thursday to snow so deep it's hard to walk to the barns. Thursday, Pearl had her lambs in the pasture. The sun had them dry in no time. Today,no one can find the pasture! The best thing though is the quiet. Our farm is very close to I83 and we get a lot of traffic noise. Snow shuts the road down and everything is wonderful and peaceful. About midnight I sat and enjoyed the quiet while watching the lambs frolic. Although lambing is hectic and exhausting, watching the lambs play is such a reward. Watching them never gets old.

Pictures For Molly

Molly lives in Utah and misses the lambs being born. I wish I had her help right now too! She is demanding pictures (brat) so here they are. Wish cameras had a setting that allows for lamb leaps because these new BFL ewe lambs were blurring all their pictures.

Looks like it will be a lambing in the middle of the night year, even though nothing has changed with the feeding routine. Our lambs, in the past, mostly came in the morning. That is much easier for the shepherd but that's lambing!

Monday night....twin ewe lambs born to a moorit ewe sired by Finnegan CHV2.
Tuesday night....twin ewe lambs BFL Finnegan sired.
Looks like Finn was a busy guy in September.

Too Cold

Winter in PA is not usually this cold. Sunday morning I found 2 newborn lambs frozen stiff. They were average size and beautiful. They had evidently wandered into a hole behind the gate right after birth in search of Mom's milk or a warm dark spot. I had noticed this hole a week ago and thought I had plugged it up, but I guess not. Altho, I check the barn every 2-3 hours, 12 degrees without milk did them in quickly. Mom was frantic and led me right to them when I fed that morning. Funny thing happened too. I left the lambs with Mom to grieve and after several hours, took both stiff lambs to the gate to get a bag to put them in.( Of course, I got distracted and did not return ASAP.) When I finally did return to get the lambs they were gone. Mom had somehow moved them back to their birthplace and was sleeping with her head on them like they were alive. How did she move them such a distance in such a short period of time? Sheep don't carry their babies like cats do. I left the babies with her til Mom moved away on her own. She is so depressed and I feel so badly that I didn't get them in time. I am mad at myself about the hole too. You can bet it is boarded up now. These freaky things in lambing always make me so mad at myself. Careless shepherding has no excuse.

BFL Babies Begin Arriving

Even though it 14 degrees and windy last night Icy lambed. Appropriate name since Icy is always my lead lambing BFL in late January. The lambs were not affected by the cold at all since mom picked a really cozy spot to have them. She is the prefect mother. The lambs are sired by one of Robina's rams of Blackmoor/Titus lines. Icy is CH V2/Loyalty. Both lambs are long and sturdy. The ram lamb has beautiful color and a fine fleece. Full moon tonight so I expect more action in the barn. That makes our total 5 natural colored high % BFL lambs and 2 white BFL. We've just begun and my hands already ache from the cold!

Robert Burns Celebration

Bobby Burns is the National Poet of Scotland. I thought his birthday was a good reason to celebrate and get through January winds. Friends came wearing argyle, plaid, kilts and Shetland sweaters. We even had a bagpipe player accompanied by tenor drum. That blew a few shingles off this old house. Prior to the music, we should have warned Bill to turn off his new hearing aid. AAHHH He arose quickly from his chair when the pipes started. One dog barked along. I did not serve the traditional haggis but of course home grown lamb was served...shepherd's pie. Cockaleeky soup, and an assortment of Scottish desserts were also served. My scones were awful so I crumbled them up and turned them into a dessert called Edinburgh fog. Strangely enough, I found an unopened bottle of Drambouie that was a gift over 25 years ago. The cork disintegrated when opened but the cork bits were easily strained and it didn't affect taste when added to nice strong coffee. Did we invent "Scottish Coffee"?
There were tales of Scottish travels and Shetland sheep. Lots of fun on a cold January night. Google Robert Burns for some fun poetry in Scottish dialect. It will make you smile.