Hearing the wind and snow
We got our usual February snowstorm today with heavy snow and a lot of wind from Lake Superior. When it’s over there will be about eight inches on the ground and that will give much needed water for...
View ArticleMy Sheep
Last April I bought a flock of six sheep consisting of one ram (Aries) and five ewes (Dixie and her lamb Buttercup, Britt, Faith, and Brennah). Except for Dixie and Buttercup who are, I was told, part...
View ArticleA Flock of Sheep Chapter One: Why Sheep?
When I began my farm I did not want animals as a part of it. In my younger days my parents raised a few animals here: a milk cow, milk goats, a beef cow, some pigs, rabbits, and a big flock of...
View ArticleA Flock of Sheep Chapter 2: The Flood
The flood of June 20, 2012 hit northeastern Minnesota at the height of the growing season. Trees were fully leafed out, grasses were tall and some were even in bloom. Birds had built nests. Gardens...
View ArticleA Warm Winter and an Early Spring Thaw
Its March 9th, misting rain with a little slushy snow. The weather prediction was for six inches of snow with freezing rain but as of noon only a quarter-inch of slush has fallen. The air temperatures...
View ArticleDixie and her lambs
Dixie and her two lambs seem to be doing fine as of 7:30 tonight (it is still March 20 here so don’t pay attention to the little red circle in the upper left). I’ve packed a lot of hay where they sleep...
View ArticleThe Twin Lambs’ Second Day
The lambs and Dixie seem to be doing very well. This is my first lambing and its been decades since I had anything to do with birthing animals (I don’t think brine shrimp count) so I am both excited...
View ArticleNaming the Twins
The lambs are four days old and getting more and more active each day. Today they were in the main pen where the sheep normally eat hay running and jumping and exploring their new world. Dixie stays...
View ArticleHandsome Aries
But he’s got a bad disposition (it came back). Today, out of the blue, he ran into me headfirst and hit me in the leg so hard that it knocked me over. I read that a bucket of water in the face might...
View ArticleTwo More New Lambs Today
Its been a long day. Faith gave birth this morning at about 9 AM to two lambs. Both are rams with white wool overall and a few faint brown markings. Faith is solid brown and so I expected her lambs to...
View ArticleFaith and Her New Lambs
Faith had twin rams yesterday. I was worried they might not make it. One was shivering for some time and the other had trouble standing. Also, Faith seems a little confused about what to do. She did...
View ArticleBritt Has Two Lambs at Sunset
By now I thought Brennah would have had her lambs. I am pretty sure she is pregnant. She looks large and round about the belly and I don’t think it’s from all that holiday food. Britt also looked large...
View ArticleA Flock of Sheep Chapter Ten: The New Lambs Are Growing Fast
This is Britt with her lambs Eostre and Cernunnos on March 30th the day after they were born. They are seven days old now and are very active and growing. This was much more than I expected on the...
View ArticleSuch a Difference from Last Year
Right now we are in a heavy snowstorm with strong winds gusting to 35 mph off of Lake Superior which is 40 miles to the north-northeast. The storm was expected to arrive late last night but didn’t get...
View ArticleA Flock of Sheep Chapter Eleven: A birth and a death
Sunday evening between 8:00 and 8:30 Brennah gave birth to twins, both ewes. It was a terrible night with rain, snow, and sleet being blown fiercely by easterly winds gusting to 30 mph. For two days...
View ArticleA Flock of Sheep Chapter Twelve: Buttercup has two lambs
Buttercup, my youngest ewe who just turned one year old this month, gave birth to two lambs Saturday afternoon. She had a ram with black wool and a ewe with white wool and maybe a few yellowish...
View ArticleStill Looks Like Winter But Not For Long
Yesterday, April 27, the skies were blue and sunny with a few wispy clouds. A warm breeze spread out over us from the south and the temperature reached 71 degrees! But with almost a foot of snow left...
View ArticleProgress in the Garlic Patch and Elsewhere
This year the garlic got off to a late start. Most years it is up by the first week of April and nearly a foot tall by May. Not so this year. The spring thaw came later than usual and April was a cold,...
View ArticleSince I Last Posted
It’s been almost a year since I last posted to my blog back in January when I decided to take a break from blogging. Back then it had become apparent that the winter would be very harsh. The cold...
View ArticleAesun
Filed under: animals, ram, sheep, shetland sheep Tagged: aesun, ram, sheep, shetland sheep, winter
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