We called this Rambouillet ewe "wide load" last year and as you can see she's keeping up to her nick-name. She isn't actually due for another ten days. Several of the ewes look like they are going to lamb right on the first due date.

Shearing Day

Woke up to fog and poor visability but soon the sun was out and turned into a beautiful day. Good day for shearing.

Maria and Cliff

Val was in a stall at the back skirting and bagging the fleeces we want to keep for sale or our own use. Val knows so much more about wool than either Worker Boy or I and she was able to tell which ones were the best quality. So helpful too.

http://www,lifewithsheep.blogspot.com/

In a few hours we were all done and in the house eating supper. The sheep were all fed and bedded down in nice thick straw and seemed happy with their new wool-do's.

Now the next thing to get ready for is lambing that should start on or around April 9th.

Christmas on the Farm

It is time for me to get back to writing. I always a wonder if people even read about our farm happenings.

We had a warmer day, -17, so Garry hitched up the mares, Pip and Nan, and took everyone for Christmas for sleigh rides. Even Santa and his favourite elf showed up and took a turn with the reins.

The weather has been quite cold and it became a chore to keep the ducks warm enough until I hung a heat lamp in their building. Now when I go in to check their feed and water they are all huddled under the lamp quite happy with the heat radiating down on them. Wish I had thought of that sooner.

The sheep are all happy and cozy wearing their homemade wool coats. They also have lots of nice straw bedding to snuggle down in. I missed a photo of them still resting because when they heard me coming along they assumed I was going to give them some grain.

Time is going by quickly and before we know it there will be lambs. Around April 9th is when the first lambs are due to arrive. Well actually they won't start for over three months but we have lots to do and the time will go by quickly especially since we will all be watching the Olympics.

All of us at Wind'n'Woolly Acres (including the two goats) wish each and every one a very blessed 2010.

Don't throw that away....

We bought a load of used tin about 8 years ago. Almost everything in our barn-yard has been covered with it. A year or so ago our neighbour gave us two garage doors he didn't want. They have been put to good use. The building on the left is a garage from an old farm site the new owner didn't want so we moved it here and my worker boy has made use of the door, the tin, and a lot of energy to re-roof and side. The picture on the right is of the west side of the barn lean-to that now is completely closed in. This will be great when those little lambs come and we want them outside but still protected. Amazing what you can do with old building materials.

Salty Dog

Good grief, how time flies. Seems like it was July yesterday and now the calendar says October tenth.
Emma and I took a road trip in September. We went to the ocean for a few days and left the poor Worker Boy at home to take care of the animals. Emma wasn't sure she was all that keen on the salt water and even less sure of the waves that came pounding in. After being coaxed in the water (by throwing her ball in) she found that it wasn't so frightening after all and she would feel safe going in and out. I would walk along the beach hunting for agates and Emma would stare at her ball waiting for me to pay attention and throw it for her.
Now we’re back home and glad to be back to a routine again, although the sudden cold temperature, snow, and the ever present Saskatchewan wind, has made going outside more like a chore.

Val's Beauty Shop

My friend, Val, was here yesterday giving Olive, the llama, a new hair-do. Olive put up with the beauty treatment very well but finally had had enough and plunked herself down. "Well, I guess that's it. Olive apparently has had enough." the barber said as Olive slid to the floor. Well, no wonder. Poor Olive had been so patient with us and it took almost three hours. I'm sure she felt really good when she went out of the barn.

Twig and Sheep

We have had "Sheep" here all winter. He is friend's rescued sheep and he's quite a delightful fellow. The couple have started building a new home and have 80 acres of pature they want kept mowed. Garry and I drove around to see if the Highland cattle could do the job but felt the fencing wouldn't keep them in. There is, however and nice little fenced in area with lovely lush grass that was secure enough to put a few sheep in. I took Twig over too as their guardian llama even though I don't think there's much fight in the boy. On the other side Java and her little lamb are eating away at the caragana bushes. This morning when I checked on them they were all happily eating Fruit Loop cereal that Tasha was feeding them. Even Twig found he enjoyed the sugar treat. Will have to make sure they don't give him too many or I'll have to take him to the llama dentist.