Like a walk through the country side living on a small farm is full of daily surprises, sometimes wonderful and amazing, and other times puzzling and sad. I hope you will walk with me as I live out my dream of living on this tiny farm. You will come to know the dogs, cats, Shetland sheep and chickens that make up this farm and what goes into keeping them happy and healthy. Come and join the journey with me.

Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Sunshiney Faces

The sun came out for mere moments this evening when I was doing chores. The change was immediate. Lifted spirits, golden glow instead of gloom, and the animals perked up and posed for a few pretty pictures. It's been kinda busy and likely to get much busier in the upcoming weeks, with both lambing and shearing looming on the horizon. I'll try to get some blogging in, but sometimes while the spirit is willing the flesh is weak (and wants to plop down in bed early on). In the meantime, I hope you enjoy a few pictures of familiar faces around the farm....

Luna, Duckie and Rosetta pose prettily for the camera (okay this was really their "like I'm so sweet so I"ll get a cookie pose")....


Ameracuana hen basking in the brief rays of sunshine

Pretty Ashley

Handsome Boone


Regal Jeffery

While I was finishing up chores and carrying in wood, the UPS truck tossed a box over the gate down by the road. I was a little excited as I knew it would be some Shetland roving I had had processed. I do try not to get too excited though, as I have had some disappointments over the years in how it was processed and turned out. In the house I went, and sat the box on the heater for a moment while I pulled off my mucky boots.

Oh boy, oh boy, such an interesting smelling box! A box! A box! Hurry everyone a lovely box has come in the mail just for us!

After wresting the box and contents away from the cats (or more accurately, distracting them with food), I held my breath and opened it. I was very pleased! It's lovely,---cloudy soft piles of light and dark fawn. Did I mention it was lovely soft? There is some VM in it, but not too bad, and it was processed very nicely, with no noticeable neps.

The first fleece is from Maythorn and is a lamb's fleece. It is a little darker fawn, with a bit of a silvery sheen to it. The other fleece is Rosemary's, Maythorn's twin sister, but this is her second fleece clip. The color on this is absolutely beautiful too and I've not had one this shade before. It's a light silvery fawn, somewhere between the oatmeal of a musket fleece and the darker fawns. Just beautiful and it's a lovely feeling, burying my fingers in the mounds of roving, and being appreciative of which sheep it came from, and the journey it took to get it to this stage. I'll have it listed on the website in a few days if anyone is interested!

Maythorn's darker fawn roving

Rosemary's silvery fawn roving.

Have a great week!

7 comments:

Vicki Lane said...

I love to see how much the animals appreciate the sun these days. Almost worshipful. And why not.

And I'm thrilled to know that you still have Rosemary and Maythorn -- and that their fleeces turned out nicely.

Brenda said...

Great pictures and beautiful roving! :)

tiptoethruphylsgarden.blogspot.com said...

Beautiful fleece! I think that the camera can never really capture the colors right,it is so much more beautiful running it thru your hands,they did a good job,have never had mine sent anywhere,phylliso

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox said...

while the spirit is willing the flesh is weak..I know all about it.

You got some great shots, love the color of those sheep. I'm ignorant about roving but glad the processing turned out well for ya.

The more I think about the Sedalia the more I'm thinking against it. 14hrs driving and we only have old vehicles, and I'm old too. :-)

AJ-OAKS said...

Great pics! The sheep are all so pretty. Love the coloring on them. Your cats were certain that the box was for them! Mine do the same thing. Bring something new into the house and they are all over it. Silly felines! :) Don't know what roving is, but the fleece sure is pretty.

Kathy said...

Oooo....Ahhhhhhh! Nice rovings. :) I have to get some together to send off to Morro Bay for processing. And I'll have to have the sheep shorn soon to be able to see how the boys are healig and if the girls are preggers. There's so much wool I can't feel any udders yet, but we may not have lambings until late April. :(
Nice colors on the rovings. Will you be spinning some, T.?

Tammy said...

Vicki,
Actually I no longer have beautiful Maythorn. She went to a new fiber farm a couple years ago. I reserved her lovely fleece and saved it back though. I have regrets about selling her as she was the sweetest thing, but I can't keep them all, unfortunately. Her sister Rosemary is incrediably sweet too, and will stay here as long as I'm in charge. Ha..
Thanks Brenda, any lambs yet?
Phyllis, These are Tabitha's ewe lambs (Rosemary and Maythorn).
Joanna-- Sorry to hear about Sedalia--but totally understand that.
AJ--yes anything new to the house has to be cat inspected and usually cat taken over til they get tired of it. roving is just the wool after it's been washed and carded. It's now ready to be used by someone to spin into yarn.
Kathy, things don't look good on the spinning front. I can't get the old wheel to work. Am thinking about selling it and just trying to buy something as inexpensive (and new) as possible.
Tammy