His Sheep, His Lambs

Lambing time for my sheep should start the end of next month. These are pictures of 2009 lambs that are now grown. One of the twins from the picture above is a ram lamb that is still here with us and his very large horns are formidable. His half brother, shown below, is Barbarian, and he too still resides with us.Like his half-brother, his horns are very large.Look at how cute and tiny they started out. I have framed this picture and hung it on the wall, I love it. The tender love of this ewe for her little lamb. This little lamb grew so quickly that he was as big as her before he was 5 months old, his 4 horns were at least 6 inches long. He would head- butt her udder to let down milk and then when he nursed he would literally lift her off the ground. She was still protecting him when he was big enough to take on the whole flock by himself. That's a Mom's love, but for her own protection I had to remove her beloved ram lamb from her presence. Most parents would readily give their lives to protect their children, yet our protection and love is so imperfect and flawed. There is One only we can receive true love and protection from, the Maker of us all, the Shepherd of us, His sheep.Are you one of the flock of the Shepherd? The Bible says "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of My hand." John 10:27,28 ~ "Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture." Psalm 100 : 3 ~"God is the shepherd who guides, the Lord who provides, the voice who brings peace in the storm, the physician who heals the sick, and the banner who guides the soldier." Max Lucado ~

Orpah & Obed

Naomi had the first lambs , twins- a boy and a girl. She is one of my older ewes. Nine years ago she was born to one of my favorite Jacob sheep, Ruth. I have kept the biblical names for this line of sheep, particularly names from the book of Ruth. I think I will name these twins Orpah ( the girl and not to be confused with the name Oprah) and Obed. "And the neighbor women gave him a name, saying "A son has been born to Naomi !" So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David." Ruth 4:17 This is a beautiful story in the Bible and if you read it you will see the son was born to Ruth, Naomi was Ruth's mother-in-law, the mother of Ruth's first husband who died leaving Ruth childless and Naomi without children, or grandchildren . The book of Ruth is the touching story of Ruth, a foreigner, and her love and respect for her Mother-in-law Naomi . This little book in the Old Testament also"shows an oasis of faithfulness in an age marked by idolatry and unfaithfulness." comment in my study Bible. Ruth was the great- grandmother of King David.

Torque on the Wall! ( Bad Ram)

Sing this to the tune of the COPS theme song 'BAD BOYZ": Bad ram, bad ram, whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when he comes for you?

This is whatcha do! You dispatch him and send his head off to the taxidermists' ! Above is a picture of me holding him without him trying to KILL me! We just got him back after 18 months with the taxidermist.Torque was pretty impressive looking, but by the age of 3 years he had taken out most of our fences and not satisfied with that he deliberately went after me. He tried to ram me through fences and gates. That is unacceptable you know. I have a lot of friends and family who visit and I may be stupid enough to risk myself, but not them! This ram had to go, but he is still here in many ways. After sending his head to the taxidermist we cooked the rest of him up for the dogs. They thought Torque was pretty tasty. What? This seems insensitive ?

I spun up all of his fleece into yarn.

See, this is what ALL of Torques' fleece produced. Reduced into 2 ply yarn it does not seem all that much , does it?

I warped the loom and have just begun weaving a tablerunner of his wool, and I will call the table runner -Torque on the Table. So we will have Torque on the table AND the wall!

Goth is Torques' son. His horns are more impressive. So far Goth has been a normal, typical ram. He does not seem to want to kill me just for passing by his pen. Yes, all rams are dangerous and worthy of being careful at all times when you are around them. Goth has shown no unusual interest in smashing me to smithereens though. He is welcome to all the alfalfa he can eat ( that's a LOT) and is a keeper.......I hope.....

But I think Goth needs to know, we have room on the wall for him too!

Little Lamb...

(above: Bide-A-Wee Chicory with her ewe lamb,a daughter of Goth) The Lamb Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee Gave thee life and bid thee feed, Gave thee clothing of delight, Softest clothing wooly bright; Gave thee such a tender voice, Making all the vales rejoice; Little Lamb who made thee Dost thou know who made thee Little Lamb I'll tell thee, Little Lamb I'll tell thee; He is called by thy name, For He calls himself a lamb; He is meek and mild, He became a little child; I a child and thou a lamb, We are called by his name. Little Lamb God bless thee. Little Lamb God bless thee. by William Blake 1757-1827

(Cedar Pond's Tiara with twin lambs; she is Goth's mother)

Sheep Midwifery, And Good Friends

~I am holding a lamb prior to Hubby tagging her ear and banding her tail. ~

~I checked out my sheep while I drank my morning coffee and saw Naomi acting strangely.She was pushing against the shelter panels.~

~Oh, she was going to have her lamb! I watched as she pushed out some birth matter, then eagerly awaited the gushing out of a new lamb. I waited, and waited, and watched Naomi have big contractions, pace around, baa, lay down and roll and baa some more. Hmmm, this went on for awhile. Oh no, I was home alone and I knew I needed help. Someone to help me catch Naomi and check her out. ~I am so blessed to have some of the best friends and neighbors. I called Lanny ( from It's the Dirt) and even though she is sick, she rushed over with her daughters Bet ( from Paddle In the Pond) and Anna ( Terriers and Tabbies ) ! Bet and Anna helped me corner and catch Naomi who could run pretty fast in spite of her distress. I held Naomi while Bet carefully checked out Naomi's interior nursery and she discovered the big lamb was breech. Bet manipulated the lamb's feet into a good position and carefully pulled her out. She was big for a Jacob lamb. Then Anna suctioned the excess mucous out of the nostrils and mouth with one of those little suction thingys , grabbed the lamb by the back legs and swung her around her ( Anna's ) head. This action helps force the mucous out of the lungs and mouth and nose, allowing the lamb to breathe. This works well as long as you don't let the slippery lamb fly out of your hands. I usually wrap a towel around the legs before I do this. This action also works for distressed newborn puppies and goats. ~Naomi was pretty tired and at first ignored her lamb. Oh no, I am going to be gone for the weekend and Hubby doesn't need to deal with a bottle baby. I left Naomi alone with her lamb for awhile and when I checked back, she was cleaning her lamb off.

~The little lamb is a noisy girl, but she was not up and around. I squirted some nutritional supplement into her mouth and stood her up. ~

~She wobbled and wavered, but remained standing! Tonight Mom and lamb are doing well!~ ~I am so grateful this happened while I was home, that I have such great friends , that THEY were home too and willing and able to rush over and help. In the 17 + years I have kept Jacob sheep, I have only had to assist 3 or 4 ewes with lambing. I would have been very sad to have lost Naomi due to lambing problems. She is one of my favorite ewes. "There are numerous breeds of multiple horned sheep throughout the world. Of the eighteen breeds mentioned by A.R.Werner in 'An Enquiry Into The Origins of the Piebald or Jacob Sheep', thirteen of them are known to have the polycerate ( multi horned) trait. Many of the spotted , horned breeds of Europe had become extinct by the turn of the 20th century."JACOB SHEEP IN AMERICA by Ingrid Painter Blessings: good friends, healthy lambs and ewes

More Spotted Lambs! ( Jacob Sheep )

~This little guy was born yesterday . Isn't he cute? He looks like a little bandit.~

~Here he is with his mother, Bide-A-Wee Buttercup.

~This is what was going on in the sheep shelter this morning, another lamb!" Jacob ewes will generally deliver lambs unassisted - and in secret if they have their way..." JACOB SHEEP IN AMERICA by Ingrid Painter

~Cedar Pond's Leah, with 4 horns, is her mother.~

~After lambing and cleaning, it is time for a bit of warm milk!~

~I get so excited about lambs. With Jacob Sheep you never know what the spot design will be, or how many horns the little lamb will have. Jacob sheep have from 2 to 6 horns, males AND females. ~" The Jacob is a dainty breed, having skinny legs, small frames, tiny ears and very small, rock hard hooves that are black or black and white striped. Possibly the largest and most outstanding feature on a Jacob ram are his horns. There can be any number but an even spread is by far the prettiest and most esthetically pleasing.The horns can be black, or black and white striped and are fairly smooth. " JACOB SHEEP IN AMERICA by Ingrid Painter Blessings : healthy lambs

Spotted Lambs! O.K., Spotted Lamb....

~I was outside in my jammies around 2:00a.m. setting up my new mama and baby in their temporary pen. Fresh alfalfa, fresh water, clean bedding. Then I dipped the umbilical area of the new baby girl lamb ( ewe) with iodine and left her with her mom, Bide-a-Wee's Chicory.~

~Below is her brother, born late last spring, Cedar Pond's Vandal. He is a big boy, and he is only 9 months old. He is Goth's little brother, they have the same dad.~

~Here ( below ) is Goth, he is the father of this new little lamb.~

~"Keep the ewe and her lamb in a pen together until you have ear marked and docked the tail of the lamb. Three days is a good rule." Ingrid Painter JACOB SHEEP IN AMERICA Blessings: lambs, health enough to care for my sheep

Christmas, I Love It!

~This Santa was made by me a few years ago, and he hangs on the wall. I usually hang him on the front porch post, but this year he has joined all the other Santas on an upstairs windowsill.~There is no particular rhyme or reason for my photo selection today except these are pictures that make me happy, and they are seasonally appropriate, and I like being seasonally appropriate......no Easter bunnies here yet!~

~Leah, my 9 year old Jacob sheep ewe peering through another ewe's horns. Leah has a funny face, her teeth make her look like she is sneering, or smiling inward at a funny sheep joke...hmmm, what would be funny to a sheep ?Actually the word that comes to mind when looking at my Leah is 'sardonic', what do you think ?

~This is another Santa I made years ago. Some of the toys originally piled around him have disappeared, maybe he delivered them to children on the other side of the globe....

~Thorin, one of my 2 Pygmy / Nigerian dwarf goats begging for crackers. He too has a funny smile, don't you think ?He always appears to be wearing fake teeth or badly fitting dentures and wearing an odd grin.~

~The birdhouse outside our big living room picture window.Every year we have swallows raising at least 2 broods of young in this. I have been watching the chickadees and juncos perch on the steeple but could never get a picture of them perched there. Look at the snow on top, kind of looks like frosting.~

~The little village veterinary clinic. Don't you wish your veterinary clinic was this picturesque ? This little clinic draws the grandchildren to it. I have watched all of them just sit by it and gaze. Although you can't see from this picture, there is a scene inside the little clinic as you view it from outside the window. I have a barn and farm animals around the clinic, and the whole shebang is sitting on our breakfast bar, little animals, and people in the snow. Trees behind them. And room on the bar to eat and drink hot cocoa while looking at the village scenes and talking to Grandma. ~I wore the grandchildren out. They asked to go to bed, after playing with playdough, my Rudolph toys and baking cookies. #1 Grandson went outside with Poppa to track coyote footprints through the snow and ALL around our property and house, on the ice in the pond...down our road. He and Poppa are on 'coyote watch', because lambs are due anytime and we have discovered there are a LOT of coyotes regularly prowling around here. I have been awakened every night lately hearing coyotes on our front lawn, under the bedroom window. ~Tomorrow, we decorate cookies, do some crafting, playing in the snow and reading more stories. And of course, playing with puppies and cuddle time!Enjoy your winter and the Christmas season, it only comes around once a year!

Maybe Not Epic, But FUN !

~~~This is Sugar, the cute little reindeer my ram Goth likes to do the ram version of flirting with. Goth can see Sugar from his pen....she pays no attention at all to him. Poor Goth. He gets no respect from some of us. However he does impress much of the public and encourage a lot of remarks about all things 'rammy'. Isn't Sugar cute ? If we had enough property I would keep a reindeer or two around !~~~Here is a long view of part of my exhibit. You can see the ewes here and the back of our area. We do enjoy our time here and every year we visit with people who keep coming back to see us. What fun. And do you know, there are an awful lot of very interesting people out there in the world and some of them come through our barn and stop in to entertain us with their wit, knowledge, wonder, and smiles ! ~~~Here is Goth's pen at the fair. Poor Goth . We loaded him into a trailer this morning while it was still dark, tied him to the interior, and then put him in a small pen. Believe me, it is for his and our good he is in a small pen. I will talk about that in another post...but don't feel too sorry for Goth. And hey, he still flirts with Sugar the reindeer. ~~~Next to Goth's pen are the very tiny and very cute miniature donkeys. I want one...and I almost made a deal for one a few years ago, but Hubby said "NO" the way he does when he absolutely, positively, 100 % means NO ! So I get my fill of tiny donkeys while at the fair. ~~~This is Deanne and her Watusi, Alero. Alero has a calf that is sooo cute. Deanne also owns Sugar and a few other very popular animals here in the 'Animals of the World' barn. You would love Deanne and her crew.The human and the animal crew ! ~~~Stanley ! What can I say about Stanley ? Well, he is a camel with real personality, who loves people and pays attention to the crowds and is entertaining. I love to just stand and watch Stanley. He also draws big crowds. Stanley is a wonderful addition to our barn. Stanley is a pretty blue gray and the owner said he would give me some of Stanley's wool to spin. I am going to take him up on his offer. I wonder if I am allergic to camel . 2 years ago Deanne gave me some Yak to spin and my throat swelled up and I couldn't breathe .I am allergic to Yak. How would the average person know they are allergic to Yak ? Try putting THAT down on a medical form! ~~~This is one of our dear friends Pam's miniature horses. Pam and her husband Gregg usually have a huge crowd around their cute horses. Pam has a lot of tiny horses, and Pam has a lot of fun ! ~~~I get to feed Jewell, a Grant's Zebra. Jewell was pretty excited about the apple. I am allowed to go inside and pet these animals, and tomorrow they just might let me walk the Yak ! I got to walk the Yak around the barns a few times in previous years. What a thrill.I think the Yak is an animal I would like to have around our place even though I am allergic to Yak. They are pretty, calm, and somehow it makes me just feel good to be around them.

~~~Isn't Jewell pretty ? ~~~

~~~Well, I am off to bed. I have to get up early to be in the barn before 7:30 a.m. to clean my pens out and be ready for the public. Maybe I will see you at the fair tomorrow ! ~~~

Are We Ready For EPIC Fun ?

~~~"Are we ready for EPIC FUN ? What, I am not going to the Puyallup Fair ? But...I wanted to visit some of my relatives....I spent my first few days of life at the Puyallup Fair. Can I go ? Please, please, please....? Just let me go to the petting farm and see my Momma and cousins..PLEASE !!!! "~~~ Thorin ( below ) my Nigerian / Pygmy goat~~~ Well, the milk jugs are cleaned and repainted for the fair.~~~

~~~ The sheep stand is cleaned and re-painted.~~~

~~~ Valkyrie says " I don't know, people might make fun of my 5 horns...~~~

~~~" NO, no, no.....I do NOT want to go to the fair. I do not care if there is Epic Fun to be had !" says Thora. She's kind of cranky after her bath and I don't think she wants to talk about the fair. ~~~ Sassafras says, " I do not want to go to the fair because you are not bringing Saffron my daughter with me. I have a problem with leaving my little lamb in day care and I do not care how good the facility is..BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA !"

~~~ Vandal says "Please take me ! I wanna go to the fair. I'll be good. I promise ! " ~~~

~~~ Goth ( the horny one below , in every sense of the word..and no comments please, this IS a family blog after all and we get enough comments regarding being horny from the thousands of people passing through the exhibit) says " I want to go to the fair ! Do you think that cute little reindeer will be there again this year ? I REALLY love that cute little reindeer. Do you think they will let me in with her this year ?"

~~~ " Epic : Grand, noble. " " Fun : that which excites merriment. " Funk and Wagnalls Dictionary

~~~The theme of this year's Puyallup Fair is EPIC FUN ! I think if you put the definitions of the two words together you will get " grand, noble fun, that which excites merriment." Yup, do the Puyallup ! That sums it up. Come have fun with us, EPIC FUN at the Puyallup !

~~~By the way, Puyallup is pronounced like this ...pew-al-up. ! Do the Puyallup ! ~~~