Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Uninvited Guest

Last night when I went out to gather the hens' eggs, I found an uninvited guest taking a nap in the nesting box. I'm sure he'd not only eaten the eggs from the day before, but also from yesterday. Normally, I would leave a snake like this alone. But because it has become an egg eater, I couldn't do that. The snake would find it's way back to the hen's nest.


This is a rat snake. They are a helpful snake, as long as they aren't eating your eggs!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Flying the Coop

We settled our dear son into university life yesterday. This is a big step for him, as well as us. I know he is excited and nervous at the same time. After homeschooling him from 5th grade on, it's a little strange not having him in the house. I'm glad to see him move on to the next step in his life, but a bit sad too. My little boy is all grown up.

Anyways, I'd been borrowing his digital camera to take photos, and he took his camera with him. Until I can get my own camera, I'll have to do without.

Been working on some socks, in between moving son into his new living quarters. Hmm, maybe I have a new craft room now !?! grin...

Here's a photo of Raven's ewe lamb after her first haircut in late June. I put the sheep up on my old goat milking stand to handshear them. Less stress on my back and less stress on them. I haven't given her an official name yet. I'm thinking of calling her Felicity. It would be more logical to me to give her a name starting with "R" so that I remember that her mom is Raven, but we'll see...

Monday, August 16, 2010

Sheep in the Shade

Finally got a few good pictures of a couple more ewes. They were lounging under the trees for some shade. Today hasn't been quite as hot, and the sheep are enjoying the break in the heat.

This is Moonstruck. I've been spinning her spring fleece for a Gwendolyn Lace Shawl











This is Raven. Her fleece won 1st place in the colored fleece category in 2005 with her previous owner in MO.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Everybody is Looking for Water

Last night when I went to check on the sheep and feed the pigs, I saw this little frog seeking water where he could. He found water in the pigs stock tank. It's been so hot and dry, I'm sure he was thankful to be able to take a dip in the tank.



I haven't had a chance to get more pictures of the sheep. It's either been too dark or too hot, so hopefully tomorrow, I'll get the timing right and be able to snap some good pictures.

Meanwhile, I've been a spinning away at the combed top from Moonstruck.


Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Singing In the Rain

Yesterday afternoon it rained enough to take away some of the heat. I think the sheep were secretly singing in the rain. They seemed so much more comfortable. Some of the local fiber farmers have lost animals due to the heat index recently. I have so few sheep, I can't afford to lose a single one.

This is Jacinda. She's my favorite ewe. Very friendly, easy going, and a great mom.

One of our hens hatched out a clutch of chicks this summer. A predator
took a few of the chicks, but one is left. Here's mom and chick.


My last fleece that needed washing, is on the drying rack now. It should be dry by tomorrow. Now that the washing
is done, my goal is to try and spin 1 oz a day. I love spinning the top I combed off of Moonstruck. I'm thinking I need more sheep!


Saturday, August 7, 2010

Life in the Fleece Lane

My little experiment with using the "magic" fleece basket worked! I soaked the fleece about 24 hours in water, did 1 hot water wash, and 2 hot water rinses. Not only did the lock structure stay intact, it was easy to clean. The next fleece I did, I soaked directly in my rainwater barrel that my hubby made for me while experimenting with trying to heat the rainwater with solar power. That worked even better because I could then drain the dirty water directly into the garden without much work.




Only one more fleece to wash and then I'm done. Yea! Just the lamb fleece to go. It's a beautiful chocolate color. I hope it stays that color once it has been spun, but ya never know.


Then it'll be on to spinning the wonderful top that I combed from the first fleece. A beautiful grey.


For a quick knit in between washing fleeces, I knit up a reusable produce bag. It's a very nifty little bag. All those yarn overs nearly drove me to not finish it. I think if I make another one, I'll just do a simple knit stitch all the way up so I don't get frustrated with all the yarn overs. I did use lace instead of the fingering weight yarn and that might have been part of my problem!