Spotty Decisions

Last year at this time my lambs were just starting to be born. This year my lambs are reaching the 2 month old status and month & a half status. Decisions need to be made about who should be sold, who is staying, & who might possibly need to be wethered. All of the lambs this year are friendly and are developing such wonderful personalities. Horns are either smooth, button scurred, a few inchers out there, and the longest scurs are on 2 of the spotted boys.

The other day I let the lambs roam around in my neighbor's field. My neighbor planted a hay field and has yet to cut it. So he said he didn't mind if the lambs graze in there. They enjoy it :) They hang close to the fence line and edge of the field and actually don't wander into the field.

This butt and tail shot of the spotted boys gives a nice view of tail development.......any opinions?
Gee, it also shows that these little guys are eating quite well.......oh, the political correct terminology would be to say they are "husky".

This year I got all the spotted kind of rams I would have died to buy, I use to stalk breeders to see spots like this and now I am stalking myself because I can NOT keep all of them and its driving me crazy. But here is my rational. I love this ram lamb pictured above & below. And above all he has little button scurs at 2 months of age..............(doesn't he have the cutest set of lips:)

........he is filling out very nicely also. His markings are awesome, fleece is really turning out nice too. BUT........oh gosh, I hate to say this.........but I am going to sell him. There I said it. Sell him. Sell him. I will sell him. He will be registered. I just sent in Jammer's paper work and as soon as I get it back, I will send his paper work in. His dam Windswept Spirit is already registered.

He is priced at $350. I think that is a very fair price for what he was to offer. I have not really seen smooth or button scurred spotted rams out there so this ram lamb I think could really benefit a person wanting to work with polled, spotted sheep.

Now the reason I am selling him is because I would be a total idiot to sell this guy. I have rationalized this over and over again and talked myself in and out of this BUT I CAN NOT SELL HIM!! There I said it. He is out of my favorite kat ewe Abigail, his sire is Jammer, (who I love to death even though I had to wether him , another reason why I should keep him), and his dam's sire was Yankee, the mioget ram, who I lost this past year. Samuel, my only fully horned Shetland ram, is the only ram Yankee produced and since I am working towards polled line, I feel keeping this ram lamb will keep some of the size I want to work on with the polled Shetlands. I was only able to use Windswept Yankee in one breeding and his lines were very nice. This little guy is the largest ram lamb born this year, he has the most exquisite fleece, the straightest top line, he is just solid all-around, and he has the most unique markings of all my sheep and even though he has long scurs, I think it is worth it to keep him. Okay, that is my rational.......oh, and he told me he loves me:) LOL

This year my theme for lamb names will be following my favorite place to visit.......Vermont.

All the lambs that will be staying at Harvest Thyme will be named after my favorite places to visit in Vermont (or places I would like to visit one day:)

I have a few pending names I am deciding on.............

This is why selling lambs is so hard......when they curl up right by your feet as you are petting and loving on them.......the one on the right is a black gullie girl who is staying bty. The other is a ram lamb......notice those little bity scurs at a month & half.

Gee, since tomorrow is Father's Day, perhaps I should give Jammer & Jed a peppermint treat:)

Bad Daughter, I Forgot # 47!!!!

Tuesday, June 16th was my parents 47th Wedding Anniversary and once again I forgot it.

Why I can never seem to remember this date is beyond me.

My mom's birthday in June 11th and I never forget that one, but the anniversary is always the one I forget. And of course, they always reminded me that I forgot it either late at night or the next day. Now one would think that my sister would remind me of this date but she is as reliable as I am.

My Mom met my Dad when she was 14 years old and they started dating soon after. My Dad was 16 at the time. They were married in 1962. A few years later they bought their first home, actually the home that they still live in today and I came along in 1967 and then my sister in 1974. If I am not mistaken I believe they paid like $19,500 for their first home and the house payment was like $120 a month.......lets see how many times I would have to multiple that to get my house payment.....LOTS!! The picture above was taken 2 years ago when we went to Vermont.

On June 11th, my sister and her kids and I had lunch and cake at Mom and Dad's to celebrate her birthday. We even got a Dairy Queen cake......Gracie had to have a second piece because her slid off her plate and Dixie was there to save it:) I got my mom some stuff from B & Body and some gardening stuff that Dad said she does not need.

My Mom made this very cute sign for my chicken coop a couple of weeks ago.....I did not get that painting gene btw. Tomorrow we the 3 of us are heading Amish Country so I can get grain and other "stuff". I am thinking I should take them to lunch as a belated anniversary gift............

and I am setting my cell phone calendar so I do not forget the 48th Anniversary!!!!

Life on a Monday in June

I was going to call today my first official day of summer break, but I actually attended an all day seminar in downtown Cleveland for the district I teach in and since I got paid for it, I could not resist. So Tuesday will be my first official day and I plan on planting my potatoes.

Now I may be a little late for planting them, but last year I planted them even later and I did okay. HOWEVER, this year I ordered my potatoes from Wood Prairie Farms in Northern Maine. Now, I refuse to acknowledge that I paid $38 for 3- 1#bags of 3 different varieties of organic seedling potatoes BUT I did and I better have some really awesome potatoes!! I will be planting them in the raised bed pictured above. Now I had to explain to my cat Moo that this is the place where the expensive potatoes will be grown and it is NOT a giant litter box!! He seemed to careless about what I had to say as usual.

I had promised to get a better facial picture of Savannah's twins. Pictured on the left is her ewe lamb and on the right is her button scurred mioget ram lamb. Do you think the ewe lamb is mioget or moorit? The ewe lambs fleece is softer and wavier in texture but the ram lamb has a much tighter, crimped fleece.

I snapped this picture of the same ewe lamb the other day when she and her brother escaped on me........as you can tell she is well fed!! Just a little FYI......she is for sale:)

I promised myself I would not over spend on annual flowers this year but I could not resist this hanging basket when I was at Walmart on Saturday. It was only $6.00 and looks just perfect hanging on my deck..........summer break is looking good right about now:)