The sheep are writing a new column!

Hope you will take a spin to the sheep's new column- and thank you for including our article too!! This is a great website- be sure to sign up for their newsletter while you are there?

http://www.naughtyknitterz.com/a-sheep-unto-its-own-by-sandy-ryan/

Smooches from the sheeps!

Hope, my favorite poem....

Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune--without the words, And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity, It asked a crumb of me.

*Emily Dickinson

Encouraging filthiness amongst the flock??

Whahaaat? Think Dalai Llama is laughing? Snickering? He started it when the weather was rainy, and he heard he was next in line for a hair cut. I think the sheep ratted me out on that one? Or was it Bobbi the Great Pyr? One never knows!

Dalai never rolls in the mud- but he sure did a good job that day. NOW the humidity/heat feels like 108 degrees lately so I am actually encouraging filthy llamas and alpacas? Go figure!

The favorite part of my day is to go out, turn on the water hose and watch the alpacas play- llamas splash in the pool (or water tanks) and just enjoy cooling off.

The bad part being, they then speed off to their favorite dust bowl- and gleefully roll over and over and over- getting up, giving a shake, and looking at me as if to say, 'how do you like me NOW mom?' ha! Even Bobbi & Andrew (g.pyrs) and Noodle & Libby (border collies) like a good splash in the hose. Peanut & Pal (pot belly pigs) LOVE a nice shower- in the pool they dug. Noodle likes their pool too- what a muddy mess THAT ends up being-it's all good though!

Name of our game is happy critters, just wish I could convince the sheep that a shower is refreshing- they do not agree. Although they WILL sleep/stand out in a good rain shower? Again, go figure! Hope you are all staying comfy and cool- but cleaner than the clan here! mwaaahahahaha!

Fighting the 'good fight'....

with my camera, er, my inability to take a good yarn picture- much less a 'great' one! Can't really in all honesty blame my great little camera!

Worked on things in the light of late afternoon yesterday, still have work to do- next stop dyed and naturally colored yarns.

Wish me luck- the sheep are cracking the whip on me about this! (about time they say.)

Ode to a sheep.....

This is a picture of our sweet Steeler sheep. We never knew exactly how old he was when he arrived all the way from Pennsylvania to join our flock. He arrived with 11 of his friends and as you can see below, he was very 'surprised' to be here!
This is his 'baby' picture. He was always the leader of his little family, they were not victims of anything but 'benign neglect', having been left to roam 150 acres when the owners' 20 sheep flock quickly (in 3 years) blossomed into 150+. The owners meant well but were unable to keep up with neutering and proper care of the flock. A neighboring rescue worked out a deal to trade for a portion of the owners' pasture land in exchange for placing the sheep and getting their medical care caught back up. They had not been handled much so were a little rowdy when they arrived.
After plying them with fruit loops we were eventually able to hug them up, all but two older boys that are much more shy- but they DO like their treats. As long as they are all happy, life is good. Steeler LOVED hugs and smooches on his wrinkly silky nose. He was a strong personality and took good care of his family, the flock- and me.

I hope I can learn to take life in stride- Steller did and when I put him to sleep this morning, he went as peacefully as he arrived at our farm. Calmly, stoic and wrapped in our arms. He lived a good life, I will cry- but the tears are good- if I ever get used to this part of our business, I need to get out.

Sleep well my sheep, I will miss you forever....

Dye your own roving? Check us out!

The sheep have a bonanza of natural colored roving available that is perfect for any project, and they would love to get you dye your own peeps set up with the animal friendly fiber our sheep have to offer!!

The sheep listed plenty (I think they have over 40+ pounds available right now) on the website AND etsy- hope you can take a look. Their prices are reasonable and would allow for a nice markup for time spent/materials for dyeing too! Here are a few ideas to get you started!

Our Romney clan's natural ivory/white loose rovingNatural beige-y silver Coopworth roving from Jacob's sheep:

Natural fawn Mohair -loose roving from Mary & Joseph's goaties Hope you will browse on by, lots and lots of natural white/ivory roving AND hand/sheep dyed roving too! Chow for now peeps!

A belated Fathers Day post-with input from my favorite Father In Law!

My father in law- Frank (aka Grandpa sticks-long story) is a fun fellow who is a retired reporter of the United Press International Bureau Chief (UPI). His writing style is a hoot so with his permission, here is a reprint of an article he wrote when my hubby's family of six kids- five boys and one tough little girl- was quite young.... Here goes:

"There was a time when fater amounted to something in the United States" ---Adlai E. Stevenson

"Never trust a 9-year-old kid. I learned that recently.

A recent poll showed a surprisingly large number of Virginia children listed television better than daddy. So, obsessed with equal amounts of paternal curiosity and concern, I decided to prove to myself that the results of the poll were a quirk, atypical, a geographical idiosyncrasy.
I have six children who range in age from 12 to 3 -a slightly older control group than the 4, 5 and 6-year-olds polled in Virginia. But my kids spend many hours-toomany, my wife thinks- plopped in front of the television set.
My poll was simple, direct. It consisted of one question: 'Whom do you like better, daddy or television?'
I can report with some relief that the answers, in the end, favored daddy. But not without a scare.
The first mistake was conducting the poll at a crowded supper table, instead of in a private, one-to-one fatherly chat where I could influence the answer by conjuring up any charm I might possess.
The second mistake was asking Tommy, the 9-year-old first.
Tommy's a nice kid, a little mischievous and a bit of a tease. But he does pretty well in school, handles his chores after prodding and brushes his teeth occasionally.
He shot his answer back through a satanic grin with out a moment of thought:
'I like television beter.'
That started it, and on cue, the domino theory became reality. Sheila, 3, added, 'I like the television better, too.'
Terry, 6, then cast his vote for the tube.
Jimmy, 8, was concentrating on a hot dog and didn't want to be disturbed. He chalked one up for daddy, however.
Danny, 10, the gentle one of the brood, noticed my increasing discomfort, and with touching filial devotion confessed he liked me better.
Jackie can be business-like for a kid, and his 12th birthday was approaching. Daddy won, hands down.
As a soothing gesture, my wife noted that, unlike fathers, television sets don't tell children 'No, you can't have any candy; take a bath; brush your teeth; go to bed; hurry to school.'
That was some comfort.
Without prompting, except for my offhand reminder that Christmas was near, Tommy relented.
'I was just kidding. I like you better than television,' he said.
On cue once more, Sheila echoed the same sentiment through a mouthful of lettuce. Terry, still operating on the herd instinct, changed his vote and left the room to watch television.
"You know," I told my wife, 'someone ought to poll fathers and find out whom they like better, television or the kids."

Thank you Frank for a look back on a wonderful family- and by the way every one, Jim is now my own sweet husband- he has not changed much when it comes to food- mwaaaahahahahaha!