Blustery Weather

This spring promises a later Easter than we have had in a long time (this coming Sunday), and yet the trees have not opened their little leaves and the weather here in Michigan is very very cold and very blustery. As I type, my fingers are numb from filling the wood box. Yes, we are still using our wood cook stove in the kitchen. I am wearing a wool sweater. And, speaking of wool. I tried to capture a wonderful picture of Charlotte and her first lamb, but the lighting has been so dim that it turned out quite poor. Here, below, is the picture, taken in the barn, of Charlotte and her little lamb. Oh, but look at that little head, so sweet! And, those big big ears.

Lambs, if you have ever held them, make the sweetest 'snuffling' sound when they are just but a few days old. Snuffle snuffle. Oh, I do love him....
And, here is a picture of a Ewe and babe that I found on the Internet (and can't remember where for the life of me). I love it though, and hope one day to provide my readers with such lovely ewe and lamb pictures.

Stay warm if you are anywhere near Michigan. Me,??? I'm so behind on my work I could drown in it, but I am going to burn the midnight oil and also give myself a reward of some reading time afterwards. I received two delicious new books in the mail today...by John O'Donohue, Anam Cara and To Bless The Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings. I can't wait to delve into these. Alas, I have many dear customers awaiting their soaps and candles and artwork that has a deadline and writings to complete, not to mention fun projects I want to accomplish with the children (sewing doll clothes with Amanda and moving around the seedlings under the grow lite with Albert), gardens that need much attention and jars of milk in the cooler awaiting their turn at cheese. sigh. Oh for more hours in the day!

Seperating the Boys...From the Girls

Today was a crazy day. Okay, okay...everyday around here is a crazy day. But, this one was just a little crazier.

Cleaning the sales room and the old attic above the sales room left me covered in dust, dirt and cobwebs. Add to that the dirt from cleaning an unused horse stall...unused for the last, oh 25 years or so...and then throw in a mix of about 30 various customers from all walks of life AND the moving of the boys from the girls. Sheep, that is. (:

Today I finally found the time to clean out another stall in the old horse barn and I moved the girl sheep away from the boy sheep. (Just for the record, I'm not giving any birds and bees lessons here.) I moved everyone to their respective stalls as I do not wish to have January lambs that run the risk of not surviving the harsh night temperatures, or January lambs that live out their early days in our kitchen next to the wood cookstove.

The boys were all excited when I moved the girls. They thought it was play time. The girls thought it was fun too. "Oh look", they all said, "We're getting attention and maybe there is corn over there." It wasn't until everyone sniffed around their freshly hay strewn stalls that their little sheep eyes dilated when they realized that they were not together in their 'herd'.

Sheep have a very strong herding instinct. They will stay together in the most ridiculous, and sometimes deathly, of situations. Silly as they may be, they are very lovable creatures (and warm I might add, as the temperature dipped quite low today).

I felt quite the Shepherdess when I had to hand tie a rope around a horned female Dorset and urge her towards her new home place.

(And don't think I've forgotten for one minute that I promised the Sheepherder's Bread Recipe on this blog. I haven't. In fact, the starter is sitting on the counter right this very moment, waiting to be made into a fresh loaf. I will then post the recipe and instructions so, you too, can try your hand at separating boy sheep, oh, I mean...so you too can try your hand at baking Sheepherder's Bread. (:

Goodnight. I'm off to count sheep....

What We Have Been Busy Doing....

Our new lambs, S'more and Charlotte...they were part of a set of quadruplet lambs!