Black Shetland, White Dorset, Grey Shetland, Moorit Shetland Roving

White Merino/Dorset Cross (2 bags), Moorit Shetland, White Merino x, Black Shetland Roving

Well, its been awhile since I posted anything. Many excuses---I've been sick, my Linux system at home now won't post photos on blogger (since changing to the 'new blogger')etc. etc. I've had a few ideas running around in my head, but not the wherewithal to get them pinned down and posted.

The weather has stabilized and been quite nice for several days. We seem to be plagued with high winds that have at times been brutally sharp and cold. Mostly on the weekends, no less. However the Daffodils are bravely up and blooming, as well as a few crocus. I've noticed a very slight tinge of green on the imaginary grass in the pastures.

Anyhoo, I've been sick with some kind of sinus/cold/ear/tooth thing and haven't felt much like doing anything. I ventured out to 'the big city' on Saturday which was a big mistake and seemed to set me back a day or two. Today, I've felt better than I have in a week and half. Still some residual teeth pain, but the Tylenol every 4 hours has kept it knocked back. I was planning my 'last hurrah' in 'the big city' before lambing season starts, but it wasn't much fun at all. I did get stocked up on critter food, but spent alot of time between stores trying to wait out my teeth aching. My big treat for these occasional trips is to end it up with a trip to Barnes and Nobles, buy a couple of books and always have a cafe' mocha---tall--which I sit and sip and feel mighty important about. Well, I did find a couple of new paperbacks, and then headed for the coffee shop--but all the tables were taken, and I just didn't really feel like a mocha anyway, so I headed to the checkout. Almost there, I suddenly had a terrible coughing fit, where I thought I was going to a. pass out or b. throw up everywhere. Luckily though I did neither, and while embarrassing myself to death, I was able to get the coughing eventually under control and go through the line with weeping eyes and no voice. This didn't stop the clerk from giving the usual spiel about joining their book club. I managed to glare at her the best I could through my runny eyes until she got the point, and hurried me on through. Sheesh.

Needless to say I still haven't gotten very much progress done on working the sheep. I hope that I will feel more like myself and get back to it by the end of the week. I plan to spend part Saturday working in the barns, putting up jugs and making sure the stalls are cleaned etc. Since my first two girls are due NEXT THURSDAY! Wow..... These girls are 3/4 merino's bred to a Shetland ram. This cross makes awesome wool, by the way! I'm pretty anxious to see what colors they produce. Normally the white sheep dominate and even bred to multi colored Shetland the babies will be a glossy white. However these two girls are twins and one of them, although out of all white parents, was born with a huge black spot on one shoulder. So we will see if any color pops out! Its fun. After Suzy and Melody there will be a break (I think) until the 23rd or so. I still have three that I'm not sure when they will lamb, so there might not be that big of a lull. The Shetlands have always consistently lambed later than the Merinos and Dorsets, even when put in at the same time with the same ram.

Somewhere amongst my days of feeling ill, I got out my bags of roving and looked them over, labeling them with whose wool they are and who did the processing etc. I'm beginning to feel like some of the people I read about who have 'stashes' . I love looking at this stuff and just keep accumulating it! My plan was to get the roving listed on my website this winter, but time has gotten away from me once again! I also need to get busy and start winding some balls of roving to display at the May fiber fest.......

Tabitha---"Just ONE more cracker, please? I'm looking as cute as I can!"