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.

Maryland Sheep and Wool...con't

My friend Geri of Digging Dog Farm has graciously volunteered to dress up as Big Bird and lead folks to my booth. That is only if we can get the costume in a flame retardant version... size short.(Now there's an oxymoron.) What a sport!
Seriously, our new location will be in the catalog so if you can't find my booth look us up. Yes, Lisa, other vendors have been moved from what I understand so we will all be scrambling to reestablish ourselves. The MDSW committee really has a job sorting this mess out with all these new fire regulations in effect. They deseve a lot of credit since they are all volunteers.

Wind and rain were scary last night. I drove to the barn so I could use headlights to see if the barn door was still on its hinges. Of course power was out. Still no BFL babies but maybe that's a good thing. I couldn't have found them in the dark anyway.

Maryland Sheep and Wool

We just learned that due to fire regulations and new tent rules our booth, which has been in the same place for 15 years, has been moved. #%^*!$%&** is all I have to say. How do I tell my customers that I am now in the drylands near the yurt? I've toyed with the idea of placing a kid in a sandwich board with directions to my booth at the old location. Molly says she'll put it on my web site and I'll put it on my blog for what that's worth. Any suggestions????

Scarlett O'Hara

We ran out of kindling. Everything here is soaking wet so sticks just weren't doing it. While throwing hay down the chute,my eye caught the pile of old chairs Bill had purchased at an auction years ago. Representing many centuries and styles, the chairs were in all forms of disrepair. AH HA kindling. Openning the loft door, I began pitching chairs out into the barnyard. That's when I felt akin to Scarlett O'Hara and began reciting lines from Gone With The Wind. (Scarlett tells Prissy to burn the fine family heirlooms in order to keep warm.) These weren't exactly fine family heirlooms but I'm sure there is a lot of history in those chairs. Oh well, no more searching for dry sticks! The best part is I now can get thru the loft up to the hay without climing over piles of chairs. I'm inspired to read Gone With the Wind again too.

January Thaw!!!!

Warm...sunny...and great. Working in the barn is a joy on a day like this. I had hoped to get the Bobcat out and clean the barnyard but the mud is so bad that I'll be mired down on my first trip out to the dump site. (My brothers think it amusing that I love to drive my skid steer loader.)Instead I just worked in the barn and prepared for lambing. Two BFL ewes look really close. Guess the nights of walking to the barn several times will be upon me soon. My friend Emma who is 77 and has raised sheep for 50+ years tells stories of lambing 500 ewes and weeks sleeping in her quarters in the barn complete with cot,heater and coffee pot. Makes lambing about 60 ewes seem like a piece of cake. Emma lambs about 20 now because can't give up the joy and excitement of lambing season. It's like Christmas going out to the barn each time to see what you'll find. I use monitors so the sounds give me a clue as to what to expect but seeing newborn lambs up and about is so rewarding. I tell people I work for 5 cents and hour raising sheep but it is such a joy...most of the time. Like Emma, I couldn't imagine a year without lambs and all the joy, frustration,anxiety and exhaustion that goes with it.