Alllllmost there!!!

This is a picture of my trumpet vine that I have been babying for a year and a half. It has finally reached the top of the post so it can start growing horizontally now. We built this deck last spring after 10 years of having to jump 3 feet to the ground from the kitchen door. The deck that was here when we moved in was rotten and unsafe so we tore it down. I'm still not sure which was more dangerous...the 3 foot drop or the rotten deck?

This vine grows wild and I probably could have dug one up somewhere but this one has variegated leaves and I really liked that. It is also a fast grower and that was the main reason I wanted it. The sun comes in my kitchen window and door in the afternoons and makes the kitchen so HOT. I know..why not just get blinds or curtains? I am somewhat anti-binds and curtains. I live in the middle of nowhere and I want to be able to see outside all the time. I just have a weird thing about blinds..maybe it is the cleaning of the blinds I don't like?
Unfortunately, this is how far we still have to go. I have been told, however, that the vine will grow much faster horizontally than vertically. We'll see I guess.

Lucy the Great Pyrenees

Meet Lucy, the newest addition to our farm family. She is the sweetest little thing...well not so little for a puppy but little compared to how big she will get. We got her from Brenda Lelli of Beechtree Farm in Michigan. I almost didn't get her because I could not get away to go pick her up. Fortunately for me, Brenda had sold one of the puppies to a couple from Indiana who only live 1 hour from me. They agreed to bring her with them and I met them only 10 minutes from my house today. It was so nice of them to do that for me and they were the nicest people. Below, Rex was curious but minded his manners..

Lucy was the name my children came up with...not bad...but not descriptive of a guardian/protector/watch dog/coyote deterrent. I hope the coyotes don't hear us call her LUCY!! Ellie Ann left the rest of the flock to follow us when we took our walk around the perimeter of the pasture this evening..I think she likes her.

Thank you God for puppies....Here is the verse for THIS week...hope you enjoy it.

Acts 20:28

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the Church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Verse of the (last) week

I neglected to post a verse last week..I guess my excuse is the fair kept me running back and forth so much I did not have time. So I guess I could post a verse twice this week to make up for it. I have the perfect one in mind for the picture I hope to have by tomorrow evening. No telling yet! This picture is just one of those random things that I enjoy looking at. For some reason, these things of the past make my house feel homey to me. I really think sometimes that I was born about a century too late. I like antiques but not just any antiques. The ones I like aren't really even worth anything. They are usually beat up and need repair. They are things that were useful like my grandma's butter churn, old quilts....I even have the cotton scales that my grandma and grandpa used not only to weigh the cotton but they used it to weigh my dad when he was born!! Here is the verse of the (last) week. Enjoy!

Verse of the week:
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young. Isaiah 40:11

Goat Tote

This is a picture of a GOAT TOTE a friend let me borrow to use during the fair. It is very handy for 4-5 sheep but that is about all that will fit. Then there is no room in the bed of your truck for hay, straw and other necessities. We have been trying to decide what kind of trailer to buy to transport the sheep and although the goat tote is handy I think I want something a little bigger. I was grateful to have the tote on Friday when my daughter and I headed up to Juliann's house to pick up my 2 new sheep. We spent the first half of the day dorm room shopping. We didn't get to Juliann's place until around 6:30. I enjoyed visiting with her and looking at all her beautiful sheep and I also picked up some of her roving while I was there. I wish I would have had more time but we had a 4 hour drive home so we made it quick and got home around 11:30.

The two new girls are settling in nicely. I have been trying to rig up more fans this morning...it is HOT!! I am up to 10 sheep now with a few more to get next weekend. I am already excitedly trying to figure out breeding groups! I just love these little sheep!

County Fair Week

It is 4-H fair week!! We had the sheep show early this morning and now I finally have a moment to post. It has been a very hectic week but we are having a great time getting to know other "sheep people" in the area.

Here is my son showing the GRAND CHAMPION RAM!!! Our 4-H show lumps all breeds together instead of separating them so I could not believe the judge placed our Shetland ram over all the other breeds. Our 4-H show is not very big and it seems to get smaller every year...but still...it was very exciting. I think I saw a few jaws drop when it was announced. Don't get me wrong, everyone there thought our sheep were "cute and sweet" , but I really don't think anyone expected us to win anything. The judge thought our sheep had wonderful conformation and fleece.

Our other sheep did pretty good also. We had a first place ram lamb and first place ewe lamb. The Junior Fair followed the 4-H show and we were the only wool breed there....so as you can imagine...we did REALLY well in the wool breed class!!!! My son learned a lot about showing and he had several friends help him out when he had more than one sheep in a class.
I was approached by a man from a neighboring county and he asked if I would consider bringing my Shetlands to his county fair next year. He told me they would have a separate Shetland class if I was willing. I thought that was awesome!!! We will try to make that happen next year. Well, I am off to check on my sheep....

Knight in Shining Armor

I love to read. I have just finished this book and I wanted to share it with you. Mostly for you gals but guys wanting to understand their gals might like it too. Have you ever read something and you think...I've never even thought of it that way...? That is what I thought throughout this whole book. Notice the castle in the background? Do you like stories about knights in shining armor and their beautiful ladies? This book starts with the story of Eve in the Garden of Eden and helps women understand how God wants to be the hero of our lives. Did you know that a knights motto was...LIVE PURE, SPEAK TRUE, RIGHT THE WRONG, FOLLOW THE KING...Sounds like a pretty good motto for all of us.

Here is the verse for the week...hope you enjoy it.

Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:32-34

Same Sheep?

This is a picture of the first lamb born on our farm. I have been amazed by how much his color continues to change. When he was born, he almost seemed like he would be black. When the black started changing to brown, I could tell it was going to fade but I couldn't tell what was going to be under it. I was convinced it would be grey and it may be, but now.....the color has a taupe color. There is just enough brown that I think he may be considered musket. It is a beautiful color and his fleece is sooooo soft and uniform. Of course, he has bad horns. I've known for awhile that he would have to be cut but I think I will keep this guy just for his beautiful wool!

Vacation Time..sort of

Our family is heading off tomorrow to visit my family in Arkansas. It is a nice way to get away without spending a lot of money (free room and board!) I have a friend who is coming over to take care of the animals and house sit while we are away so I have been trying to get things set up to be as easy as possible. My husband made this hay feeder for me yesterday and I think it turned out pretty good. This is a small area where the two ram lambs are for the time being. It will be nice this winter for feeding hay.
As I was mowing and trying to get everything done before leaving, I realized there were little reminders of my family all around me. These flowers came from my grandma's yard. I don't even know what they are but they remind me of her every time they bloom. She is 93 and I can't wait to see her. I don't get to see her often enough and every time I do, I am afraid it will be the last time. She is a flower nut just like me. I think I will take some pictures of my flowers to show her. I know it really bothers her that she can't get out and work in the yard. She use to have the biggest garden I had ever seen and she canned enough food to last all year long.

This plow belonged to my grandpa. He loved to grow watermelons. He is gone now but I keep this rusty thing because it makes me remember him when I look at it. I remember how he loved basketball and put up an old makeshift goal for me and my brothers when we came to visit.

It is so hard to get away for a week. I know when I come home the yard will be too tall and the pens will all be a mess and I will have laundry up to my eyeballs. It's worth it. This will be the last trip we take as a family before my daughter goes to college. There is a part of me that knows things will never be quite the same. But, everything changes...we just have to adapt and find happiness in the little things...like my grandma's flowers and an old rusty plow...treasures to me. Back in a week.

Cool T-Shirts

I mentioned on an earlier post that I went on a mission trip to North Carolina. The organization that we went through is called Youth Works. We had an opportunity to purchase t-shirts before we left and I wanted to share this one with you. It is not a great picture but you can get the idea. The back has a verse that says..." for you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls. Peter"

The ministry they get the shirts from is called Youth Enterprise and it is a non-profit ministry that provides jobs to youth living in innner-city communities. YE students are involved in every aspect of the t-shirts creation including concept, design, printing and order fulfillment. All funds generated support YE and the students they serve through the ministry.

Their web site http://www.yefonline.com/ You should check it out..they have many, many t-shirts to choose from..you might find something you like.

Here is the verse for the week:

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I know the Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd."

Just some pics

Here are a few pictures I've snapped during the past week. Everyone likes pictures...at least I do. I love looking over the blogs and web pages and just looking at all the sheep. They are all so different!!

My email has been down for a couple of days and all you get when you call is a recording saying they are down..no kidding....they wont let you talk to a real person...grrrrrrr.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Finished

I finally got around to finishing my rug. It ended up being about 3' in diameter. I thought I would make an oval rug but once I figured out where I was going to put the rug, I decided the round would work best. I really enjoy making the rugs but WOW do they take a lot of roving! I think I will need quite a few more sheep if I want to make many rugs!

I separated the ram lambs today from the others and before I could get to the ewe lambs, the temporary fence broke and off they went to the pasture. It was too hot to chase anyone around so the girls will have to wait for another day.

This halter training has me soooo frustrated. The lambs will come up to me and practically beg to be petted and then you put a halter on them and they become possessed! I am seriously considering not taking them to the fair if it doesn't get better soon. I thought by now it would be going better than it is. Any tips?

Getting the itch..

Here is a picture of my daughter and our Great Pyr, Woody, about 9 years ago. Woody only lived for 9 months due to a congenital kidney defect. He was an awesome dog and now I have the itch for another one. We didn't have sheep when Woody was with us but that is why I want one now. I am nervous about this coming winter and the numerous coyotes we have in our area. We have nothing but farm land surrounding us and when the crops are gone and the cold makes it hard for them to find food, they really become a problem. I only had 6 sheep last winter and so they were in a pretty confined area but now they have access to the pasture and I would just feel better with a guardian out there full time.. I have a lead on a puppy so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can find one soon. Dogs are just the most amazing animals. Is there really another animal that gives such unconditional love? They could care less what you look like, how much money you have or any of that stuff. I've always thought they must come as close as possible to being the perfect example of how God wants us to love one another.

I snapped this picture as storms passed thru again this evening. We went from no rain to having rain everyday. I'm not complaining...the grass is green and the pasture is looking good again. The sheep are happy.....here is the verse for the week...hope you enjoy it.

Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3

Babydoll Sheep

I was able to visit a friend of mine who has acquired a small flock of Baby doll Southdown sheep. She has had alpacas for years and recently expanded into sheep. I think this little girl has the cutest face. She is being bottle fed so she is very friendly. I didn't realize that this is what the original Southdown sheep looked like.

I now know 2 other ladies from my area who raise sheep. One of them even offered to haul my sheep to the 4-H fair for me since I do not own a trailer. I was so relieved because I really wasn't looking forward to making 4 trips to the fairgrounds with dog crates full of sheep in the back of my Tahoe. She and her daughter also came out this morning while we were working on the halter training (which is going much better) and gave my son a few pointers on showing... So thank you to Jamie and Hannah for all your help!!

Sheep Torture!

Is this the definition of torture or what? We started halter training and needless to say, the lambs did not enjoy it one bit. In all honesty, it wasn't much fun for the humans either. This ram lamb was jumping as high as my head and he had no interest in cookies or any other treat. I'm hoping it gets better with time.

I realized that the 4-H fair is probably the only show we will be able to attend this summer because my oldest daughter will be moving to college in the middle of August and it is going to be too hectic (and emotional) for me to be going off for a week here and there to shows. I was hoping to get to a few shows this year and get to know a few more "Shetland" people but it doesn't look very promising. Maybe next year!

Darn Bugs!

This is one of my favorite flowers in my garden. It is an orange cone flower and it blooms all summer. I noticed yesterday that the Japanese Beetles were having a feast in my garden so I had to spray everything and I'm not sure it made much of a difference. I think when I get to heaven, I want to ask God why in the world did He make fleas, ticks, gnats, flies and JAPANESE BEETLES!! But seriously, I love summer. The absolute beauty of the flowers, trees , sky , corn fields and wheat is amazing. I wonder if it ticks God off when we pass by all that beauty without noticing. I know He put it here for us to enjoy so go notice something today...here is the verse for this week...hope you enjoy it.

Matthew 18: 12-14

What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost.