Firsts

We did break the record for the warmest November in history, and December's started out with incredible weather as well and virtually no precipitation, and this morning I heard songbirds that should probably have flown south weeks and weeks ago. The sea smoke will definitely be appearing soon if this weather continues, as the ocean's temperature is quickly dropping and is close to 50 degrees now.

The fog was thick and hung low in the field this morning as Henry and I walked down the lane, and the sunrise was idyllic; hot pink underbellies of clouds lined the horizon, and the sky slowly lightened as the sun crept close and closer to rising. My favorite kind of sky. The moon was still up and sat high in the sky when we headed out at 6, and by the time we got home about thirty minutes later, the sun was fully up and moon had disappeared from view. We're still losing daylight but only have another two weeks or so; the winter solstice will bring the turn we all so look forward to in New England.

Hercules and the lucky ewes

Hercules continues to amaze and impress me; he's a gentle little guy with a wonderful disposition, and the two ewes that are in with him for a few more weeks are content and in all reality pregnant, too. He is inquisitive and calm, and if his offspring have half of his positive traits along with some of those beautiful markings, I suspect it will not be a problem finding new homes for them. Ideally, it would be perfect to have half the sheep on the pasture as I have now, so hopefully the market for Babydoll Sheep will pick up in the spring of 2012.

When Love Comes to Town

You've got to jump that train.

It's all about timing in life...
The arrival of the new little ram has caused quite a flurry of activity here, just as much on the human end as on the ovine end. The pens never seem secure enough, fences always need tightening and water in three pens rather than one makes for more buckets. Soon the hose will stop running down the hill, and I will start to carry the water. Incentive to get down to two buckets.                                                                                                                                    
If I had only had a video camera on Saturday afternoon. After the trip down, he was placed in a small pen by himself while everyone sniffed and baa-ed from safe distances. The ewes were looking at me, then looking at Hercules. Then at me, and back at him. The looks on their faces were classic. Classic sheep. They looked totally dumbfounded but at the same time seemed to almost me thanking me. The shepherdess projects.
He is a very cute, small ram. And, it's easy to see why Kelly has loved him so much. It is definitely a difficult aspect of the sheep raising life...and, when I think about how I have been able to handle my rams in the past it is clear that I've been lucky. Only one - a randy jacob ram with deadly horns - went to an auction; it makes me feel better thinking that he was bought by someone who wanted him for stud purposes and no other reasons. Am hopeful that Bill will find a good home where he can keep making lambs for many more years to come.

So, it seems that the little Hercules has such a following that I am hoping it will be no problem at all finding homes for the lambs that will arrive in April if all goes well. 

Full Circles.

Hercules is coming this morning, and it feels like an auspicious day here at the farmette. Bill will hopefully find a suitable new home soon, allowing the new guy to take over his suite - hopefully as soon as possible; for now, he'll have his own quarters with the ability to see some of the girls from a safe distance. And will eventually have Maya and maybe one of the white ewes join him if all goes well...He seems to have quite a following - as does Romney Ridge Farm, where he's coming from. Kelly has been a great source of information and knowledge for me, and I'm thrilled and honored to be the recipient of one of her sheep!

In return, she's going to be meeting my sheep and making a trade...so, we'll be moving and shifting some sheep around here today. An exciting day and feeling full circle. The fact that this new ram is spotted/mottled reminds me of my old jacob sheep, whose coloring I loved and have missed. When I first saw pictures of Hercules when he was a new lamb, it brought back those jacob memories right away - and until then, I had not known that the piebald gene was present in the babydoll sheep. So, the addition of colors and patterns to my little flock feels like a perfect full circle. The Shuttleworths would be pleased, I think. I am.

jacob twins back in the day.