Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Welcome to OK Acres

OK Acres is a small farm just west of Monroe, WI on State Highway 11. It is our goal to provide a clean, healthy environment for our animals to graze, play and live. We have a small flock of registered Shetland sheep, a small flock of Texel sheep, 4 horses (Tenn. Walkers) , chickens that we raise for eggs and some for meat birds, 2 llamas and 2 geese.
I am also a knitter, so the wool from our Shetland flock is processed into roving and yarn. I use some of the yarn for myself and the rest is sold.
My husband and I believe that all animals should be treated with respect and caring.

25 comments:

  1. I'm 75% done with lambing, only 5 ewes left to deliver and 2 of those are new moms. Mike and I are hoping for nicer weather so the parade of people that come to see the new lambs can start soon. Half the joy from new lambs is watching a child enjoy the little ones.
    I will have a lot of rams to sell this fall, which will be sad for me, but it's goes with the territory. I also have a surplus of Texel crossbred ewe lambs, which is a good problem to have if you need new ewes.
    I am working on a knitting project for my best friend, a lace scarf out of Shetland/Alpaca blended yarn. The small shop that cards and spins my fiber insists I have wonderful raw material and they have no problem getting nice roving and yarn. I was very happy to hear that my wool makes nice yarn, or convincing my husband to keep breeding the shetland would have taken a bit more effort. :)

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  2. Another day of sunshine in Southern WI!!! Soon it will be time to start planting a garden, getting out the horse trailer again and getting shoes on the horses.
    I have offered an extra set of hands to a friend that needs to shear her llamas yet and I'm silently wondering if that was a good idea. My llamas are good about being handled and are halter trained, so not sure how hers will like strangers and the clippers. Everyday is another day of learning!!!

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  3. Hey, Sounds like you got to much time on your hands? LOL I also need get horses trimmed. Not putting shoes on until next trim. Yes your animals have it good while there with you guys. Keep up the good work! Lori

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  4. Another busy week....got my colt to the trailer, but he had a little incident in the trailer and scared the daylights out of me. Everything turned out fine and he's doing well with his training so far. No bucking, bolting, etc., which is good news for someone that doesn't want to end up hitting the hard, hard ground. lol
    Got some work done in my flower beds last night, scrubbed the bathroom floor after finishing the painting, washed dishes, sat down about 8:45pm. I'm dragging today. I spend about 30 minutes each night sitting in the lot with my lambs, letting them nibble on me and compete for my attention. This is the friendliest bunch of lambs I've ever had, I'm enjoying it.
    We had a big fund raiser for Am. Cancer Society this past weekend and our team raised approx. $2200 for the cause. Not too shabby.

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  5. What a beautiful, sunshine filled day! Started turning the sheep out on pasture for a few hours every night, so they mob us when we get home now. Trying to evaluate lambs to figure out who's staying and who I have to cull. Have a few older (3-4 yr old) ewes that I am considering selling also. Time will tell.
    I think I will be selling one of my yearling rams also, I'm getting too much dilute and want to try to curb that a bit. Love the white, as it can be dyed, but the natural colors are my first love, so I think I will stick to that plan of attack. I really want to get to the Sheep and Wool festival this fall, see some of the judging. And....I really have to decide if I want to concentrate on wool or meet animals, I'm leaning towards wool. Less heart breaking in the fall for me. My heart softens more with every passing year.
    Sounds like my colt, Dallas, is coming along fine with the trainer. After the trailer incident on Sunday, I had my doubts, but he is settling in and starting to progress. Crossing my fingers.
    Knitting group has, once again, been my mid-week stress reliever. Laughing is therapeutic. Happy Thursday to all.

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  6. Another beautiful, sunny day. Can't say as I get sick of those.
    Got another update from Steve, my trainer, in Princeton and it sounds like things are going well with Dallas, my 4 yr old gelding. This will be the 4th horse that Steve has started for me and he has always exceeded my expectations for a solid trail riding horse.
    I still have one ewe that refuses to give birth to her lambs, and she is huge. I can't beleive she isn't exploding. I hope there's only twins in there.
    It sounds like we will be constructing our raised beds for some veggies tomorrow, so have to move the existing raspberry patch.
    My family will be up to my house for Mother's day, so nothing planned for that day but relaxing. I don't cook on Mother's Day, that's one of my rules. lol
    Mike and I got all the hostas planted around the deck last night, didn't get in the house till 9:30, so my rear is dragging again today. But, it looks good, so it was worth it.
    I have a chance to aquire 2 alpacas from a friend, the fiber from them is premium quality and I'm very tempted, but I'm afraid Mike would have a cow if I got any new animals. He's been 100% wonderful with what I have presently, but I don't want to push my luck. We don't need all that extra work either, we still have to have time to ride this summer.
    Have a safe and happy weekend everyone.

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  7. Rain, and more rain. Seems like we get 2 days of sunshine and 4 days of rain this spring. I'm anxious to get the trailer all cleaned and ready for trail riding, it's been too long between trips.
    We had a new addition to our family on Friday, this time it's a human baby, Lucas Bartels was born and joins his big sister, Lily. Can't wait to see the little guy.
    Tyler, our son, has finally started his classes for college and continues to work part time at a local feed store, and repairing computers in his off time.
    Had a wonderful Mom's day with my whole family up to see the menagerie of critters, followed by eating out for all the moms in our group. Altogether, a very relaxing and enjoyable day.
    I now have to start thinking about which of my sheep will be culled and which ones will be freezer animals, I really dread this part of raising sheep. I know I have to let the ones go that aren't good enough to register and breed, so why do they always have to be the friendly one? I have several exceptionally friendly ram lambs that would make great pets. Spotted too. Maybe I can find homes for them.

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  8. Finally......my last ewe had her lamb this morning. All the Shetland's have been done for awhile now, but this final Texel ewe just kept us wondering.
    Raining here again today, I'm beginning to think it's never going to stop.
    I've joined a Shetland Sheep blog and am looking to find a few fellow breeders in the area, so far I've located a few within a few hours driving distance.
    I'm anxious to hear how my colt is doing now, he was being a bit of a butt head the last I spoke with our trainer, Steve. I hope he's not having too much trouble, as I've gotten a pretty good reputation for bringing him decent horses to train. I'm crossing my fingers.
    Our turkeys and geese continue to grow like weeds, the geese are now grazing with the sheep and are quite content, just have to make sure the sheep stay out of the goose food.
    Not much new to report today, just more rain in the forecast. Hope everyone has a nice weekend.

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  9. What a beautiful day in WI, sunshine, slight breeze, doesn't get much nicer than this.
    Turns out I shouldn't have so quick to brag about having good horses that I send to my trainer. It seems that Dallas is giving Steve a bit of an attitude and he's had to back up a few steps and figure out why he's having so much trouble getting him to pay attention. Steve DID figure it out and he is confident that they are past that hurdle. They are going to be riding in Wildcat Mtn. Park and Kickapoo Reserve this weekend, and that will definitely be a workout for him, he might be a bit more accommodating after that little trip.
    Lambs are growing like weeds and I think I'm going to wean a few of the bigger ones very soon.
    I still have to skirt all my fleeces and get them over to the fiber mill for processing, not sure when I'll find time to get that done.
    My dear aunt Carol passed away last Friday, she will be sorely missed. Cancer doesn't know, race, age, or gender, it just kills indiscriminately.
    Looking forward to the first camping trip of the year, I'm ready for some relaxation and fun, so cross your fingers that the weather holds.

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  10. Lots going on lately so I haven't had a chance to catch up on my posts. Got my colt back from the trainer and rode him at Franklin Creek Equestrian Park last weekend, he is smooth and behaved well for me. I've been told by Steve to watch for his spooking events, so I'm on my guard in that area.
    We have 3 trouble-making lambs that insist on sneaking under the fence and helping themselves to my garden plants and my hostas! They are going to be caught this weekend and penned up! I can't have them coming and going as they please, so they're roaming days are over.
    We continue to get our home projects completed now that the weather has cooperated a bit. The raised beds are planted and the plants are doing well, at least the ones that survived the lambs. New grass is growing on all the areas of the property that Mike repaired. We had Lovelace Pump install a new hydrant outside the large chicken coop, that saves a lot of bucket carrying. I started a new knitting project, a camisole in heather green, so far I'm pleased with the color.
    Have a graduation to attend tomorrow, and hope to be able to ride a bit on Sunday, but it looks like they are forecasting rain.
    My blue and black cochin chicks should be hatching on Monday, so have to get the brooder set up for their arrival. Always something that needs our attention this time of year.

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  11. Extreme Yard Makeover...my title for the last weekend at my in-laws. Three of their 4 sons and their wives (Mike and I too) met at their house to do some landscaping, tree trimming, etc. Lots of work, but lots of good times too. We worked two 12-14 hour days!!! Tired, but left there with a good feeling after doing something that makes someone else so happy. So, you have to wonder....are we really doing it for them or because we get such a high from making them happy? HHHMMMMM?
    The garden is starting to come along very nicely and the new chicks are thriving in their brooder. We had a mysterious death of 2 of our turkeys last week and we still don't know what killed them. I think the one tom killed the other two to eliminate his competition. No signs of predators and no further attempts on any of the chickens or turkeys.
    I am starting to have lambs ready for market now and some of the Shetlands are weaned and ready to be sold. I have 3-4 ram prospects, will have to continue to evaluate them as they mature. I am also going to thin some of my ewes this fall, I hate the thought, but I really need to get a more manageable sized herd. I just have too many right now, so I have to make some tough decisions. So anyone looking for a few good starter ewes, I'm willing to let them go very reasonably to a good home.
    Hoping to get to Byron to see my dad this coming weekend, it's been a few weeks since I've seen everyone and I really would like to free up more time to spend with them. Our lives are so busy these days.
    Another graduation party this Saturday, plus getting lambs to the sale barn on Saturday morning, expanding the pen for the turkeys, it's always something this year.
    Took off 3 hours last Sunday to sit and knit at Argyle Fiber Mill...we are knitting scarves that will be distributed to the troops. Not sure they will need them in the desert, but I'm sure not all troops are stationed in the middle east.
    Ta ta for now.

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  12. Well, we did wean some lambs last night, so the lot was very noisy last night and this morning with all the lambs crying for their moms. I have 2 really nice ram prospects, nice, wide-set horns, fluke tails and crimpy fleece. One white and one morrit. I also have 2 ewe lambs that appears to be breeding quality, one that is white and a black one that will fade to gray. I would love to sell them to a private individual, versus sending them to a sale barn, as I really avoid the market sales and only use them as a last resort. We really prefer to sell directly to the customer, as this helps to keep the sheep from trauma. Our Texel/Charolois crossbred sheep are awesome...big loins and briskets, long, wide backs. I'm very pleased with the results of this cross.
    Does anyone know of a place the buys directly from the producer? All my lambs are grass fed and exceptional quality. We would be willing to deliver within a reasonable distance.

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  13. Well, I sold one of my favorite lambs on Sat. My little Panda boy is off to his new home. Thank you to Paul for giving him good home. He will be attending petting zoos and can have some gals of his own this fall (maybe).
    I'm having a little problem with staying awake here today. Must be the heat that's making me tired. I'm getting pretty exited about our upcoming trip to UT and having a hard time trying to stay focused. I'm so happy to have my son, Tyler, coming along with us this time, I think he will have a good time. I know he's never been on a commercial airplane, so I'm sure he will enjoy that. His finals are this week and he's a bit stressed, so I'm betting he will be more than ready for some fun and relaxation, it's been a tough year for him.
    Stay cool everyone and make sure all your critters have lots of water and shade.

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  14. Hi Kelly,
    You asked a while back about my spotted katmoget ram lamb. Are you still interested in possibly purchasing him?
    He is definitely carrying polled, and going to have large scurs unless they break off. Just thought I'd touch base with you.
    You can get ahold of me at:
    littlecountryacres@yahoo.com

    Thanks!

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  15. Seems like I've been remiss in updating my blog lately. Lots happening....left for Utah to visit family on June 30th and returned on July 7th. Utah is beautiful, but I like Wisconsin much better, people are friendlier, and the weather may be more humid, but at least it's not 99 degrees here. I don't care if it's a dry heat, that's still hot!!!
    All our critters were in great shape thanks to the excellent care they received from Joann. The blue and black cochin chicks got so big in only 8 days, takes you by surprise. The lambs grew a lot too, all that lush pasture has made them grow quickly. I have a couple white ewes lambs that I am not going to keep, so would really like to sell them to another shetland lover. Nice fleeces, very crimpy.
    Better get some more of my work caught up...have a great weekend everyone. Rainy here, so I'm sure the trails will be closed in the parks again.

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  16. Another week has just about passed me by and I still have so much to do. The sheep must be rounded up again and wormed. All the Shetland lambs have been weaned and only have 4 of the Texel/Charolais lambs still with their moms. I've decided which of the older ewes I'm going to sell, so now to get pictures and post them on the NASSA site.
    The horses can't seem to keep their fly masks on this year, very frustrating to have to walk the pasture for them on a daily basis. Our leaf lettuce in the garden has really gotten big, and can't eat it as fast as it grows, so now to figure out what to do with that so it doesn't go to waste. I think I'll cut up a bunch for our dinner at Denyse's tomorrow night.
    We've had something going on every night this week and I'm pooped. I will be glad when I can actually sit down after work for a change. Still haven't skirted the wool from this spring, but it won't spoil, so might be better to save it until cooler weather.

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  17. Had a couple nasty storms that just missed us the past couple weeks, and I'm glad they lost their punch before they got to us.
    We moved the shetland lambs to a new area to graze and they are gaining weight and growing fast now. The cooler summer has been good to them so far. I got back a couple batches of my black wool from the mill and am knitting a prairie shawl out of some of it. This is by far the softest and some of the prettiest fiber I've gotten from last year's fleeces.
    Thank you to Mary for coming to look at my lambs that I have for sale, she's going to take my polled, spotted ram. I still have my 2 overly friendly white rams for sale, I've got to sell them for breeding, my heart won't let me send them for freezer rams.
    My sister in law and I hosted a bridal shower for our future sister in law on Sunday and we sure had a good time. Lots of laughs and meeting new people.
    Hoping to ride my horse this Sunday, but we will see how much more rain we get before then. My sister's 25th wedding anniversary is this Saturday, so I wouldn't miss that. But then a "free" weekend to go camping just might be on the the horizon the following weekend. Crossing my fingers.

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  18. I seemed to have neglected my blog here lately....lots happening, so hard to have a few extra minutes to post.
    The garden is producing mounds of produce and I spend a couple hours each night after work picking, cleaning and freezer our bounty. I'm sure my efforts will be rewarded this winter. The tomatoe plants are loaded, but slow to ripen, I'm guessing this is due to the lack of heat this summer. The roma's are just now starting to ripen, but it's slow, only a couple a day, so not enough to make sauce yet.
    We are going to pack the trailer, load the horses and spend a much anticipated weekend trail riding with our friends. I can't believe it's been so hard to get away to ride this summer. The multitude of family obligations has really filled our summer this year.
    The lambs are really growing, as the pastures are doing so well due to the plentiful rain this year. I did sell a very nice wether to a gal from Mineral Point. I'm hoping to have a ram for her to lease in the fall, but if they all sell to good homes, that's ok too.
    I would rather take a little less for the animal and know they are going to a good home, than get a couple extra dollars and feel guilty about it. I'm getting too soft in my old age.
    I still have 2 white ewes, 2 nice white rams, 1 black ewe and 1 moorit ram lamb. I have one spotted wether, but casturated him for a pet or freezer lamb. I am really trying to find a polled ewe to purchase, preferably a spotted ewe. I have found a couple ewes that I am very interested in seeing, but want to wait until after the Fiber Festival in Jefferson, WI before I make a decision.
    Not much new here, just grazing sheep, and the lazy days of August.

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  19. Happy Tuesday everyone! What spectacular weather we are having today. 70's and no humidity, it just doesn't get much nicer than this.
    We finally got away for 2 days and went trail riding in Rockwood Park, Morrison, IL. What a great time we had riding with our friends. I didn't realize how much I needed the time away or how much I missed camping with our friends.
    My friend, Terry, lost her horse to a freak accident and had to have him put down, so I am lending her my horse, Shiloh, for as long as she needs him. It's sort of a win-win situation, as I need someone to ride him and Terry needs a horse. I should have advertised him for sale, but he's such a sweet fella, I was dragging my feet. So, I'm down to 3 horses in my pasture right now and it's a bit weird. Shiloh treated Terry so well, it's like he knew she needed to have someone be nice to her.
    We are hustling this week to get ready for the upcoming family wedding. Lots to do and not enough time to get a lot of it done, so we pick and choose our jobs this week. Wed night is supper with the happy couple, then Thursday have to make deviled eggs for the rehearsal supper, Friday, help Emily with preparation as much as I can, rehearsal, dinner and then Sat is the wedding. Somwhere in there we have to go to Janesville to pick up the tuxedos. I keep thinking that things will slow down one of these days, but I'm not sure what I'd do if it did.
    Meanwhile, the garden is throwing cucumbers and beans at me like crazy, can't possibly eat that many cucumbers!!!! Beans are easier, I just freeze those, but what to do with all those cucumbers.

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  20. Whew, we all survived Nick and Emily's wedding. I don't think I got in bed a single night for 6 days before midnight, but finally got 8 hrs of sleep last night. Our cousins from Utah left yesterday morning and they are missed already, we had such a good time having them here. It rained 1 1/2" on Tuesday night, then started raining again about 2 am and hasn't quite yet. Too wet to hit the trails this weekend for my birthday, but would like to go see my mom and dad and spend the day with them.
    I've got my last 3 meat lambs ready and they should go to market in a couple weeks. Shetland lambs are coming along nicely and I am hoping to sell a couple of them soon for breeding rams. I have about 4 of the shetland's that aren't of breeding quality, so they will be freezer lambs. I sell out of the shetland meat very quickly, people love it. Time to round up everyone and do pre-fall worming, I also need to put premise tags in the ewe lambs ears now that they are older. Always something to do. Our boss has given us an old calf building that we are hoping to mover soon, I'm thinking that will be for housing the turkeys for the winter.
    The garden continues to thrive, the tomatoes are really starting to rippen quickly now, so I'll have to take a day and make sauce.
    Still looking for a way to use up my cucumbers......they just keep coming.

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  21. Rented a HD Street Glide for the weekend and went for a beautiful ride on Sunday, put on over 200 miles. Changed our plans on Friday from riding horses to riding horsepower. =)
    Returned to knitting last night after a 2 week hiatus due to the wedding and Utah family visiting us. I sure miss the gals and my girley time with them, it's a mid-week stress releiver.
    Trying to decide what to do about my meat sheep.......I'm really torn between selling them this fall or waiting until after spring lambing and seeing if they give us a return on our investment. Not sure I want to spend all our money on hay again this winter. I have a nice group of ewes, but it's gotten to be too many mouths to feed for the land we have and it makes a lot of work for my hubby too. I won't get rid of the Shetland, and would really like to concentrate on the polled Shetlands.
    Still getting a vast bounty from the garden, have to get some sauce made tonight. I got all set to get started on Sat. and realized I didn't have a blender or a food processor. Silly me.
    We are heading to Rockwood Park in Morrison to do some trail riding this weekend with our friends and I can't wait. The horse back riding has been scarce this year due to the rain being heavy enough to close most of the trails.
    I have 4 kittens in my office, AGAIN....cute, but into everything. They are using the litter box pretty well, so I don't mind them underfoot too much, they are so much fun to watch.
    Summer is just about over and it's hard to remember what we even did, we were so busy this year. Now that most everyone is married or had their babies, we might have a quieter year.
    Our son, Tyler, has moved to Whitewater and I miss having him in town, but he's trying to get ahead a little and I'm happy for him.
    Enjoy your week.

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  22. Another big stretch between updates. I guess not much new has happened so far in September. We have been doing a lot of running, again....volleyball games for our neice, Rachel, knitting group had another husband/wife evening at Lisa's house and it was as successful as the first get together, we had a great time. I have been looking for a couple more shetlands with polled genetics, and I think I might have found a couple that will fit the bill. Crossing my fingers that all goes well.
    The garden stuff has finally stopped....I still have an entire bin of pears to deal with, and I will try to get that done since the first batch of pear sauce turned out so yummy. I finished my bread and butter pickles, and canned some more spagetti sauce, so crossing my fingers that they are edible.
    Sept 18th we saw Rodney Carrington at the Coronado in Rockford, IL, and laughed so hard that Mike got a headache. Sept. 19th was the Green Cty Fall Nat'l tractor pulls, that's how we celebrated Mike's b-day this year. Sunday we had a small cookout and cake at our house for Mike's family, a full weekend, but very nice.
    It's starting to get busy here at work, snowplow season is creeping up on us and the calls for parts and plows has started. I suspect we are going to have another heavy snow year. I currently have 4 kittens in my office than climb my chair and try to sit on my shoulder and on my desk, I think it's time they explored more of the great outdoors. lol
    Starting to take a hard look at my shetland flock and I've decided that in order to get the type of sheep I want to breed, I'm going to have to cull heavily, which saddens me. I just can't be breeding sub-standard animals, it's not good for the breed and counter productive to what I hope to achieve with my sheep. If I say this enough, I might find the strength to actually get it done. Wish me luck.

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  23. Wow, has it been a almost a month since my last post? October turned out to be a very busy month for us. We had to worm sheep, ship some of the late lambs to market, sold a few shetland lambs for breeding and even bought a couple new shetland ewes.
    We took our tom turkey and his 3 ladies to the processor, as well as 6 excess roosters from my blue cochins on Monday and I had to gasp at the size of the carcasses when I picked them up. Half of the tom was 14#!!!!! Can't wait to taste the turkey we raised this summer, but they sure take up a big portion of our freezer. We drove to Marinette, WI (about an hour north of Green Bay) on Sunday to meet our two newest Shetland ewe lambs. We now have Velma, a black ewe, and Aster, a moorit ewe to add to our fleece flock. I will have to thank Karen for her very generous offer to meet us in Marinette, as she drove 4 hours from MI to meet us. We spent about 9 hours on the road on Sunday and then got up again at 5 am to get the poultry to the processor near Beloit before we had to be to work. Tuesday night Marcia Vincent from MI came to pick up the ewe, Sammy, she purchased from me and we really enjoyed visiting with her before she had to hit the road for home. You meet so many great people through our connection with the Shetland sheep, it's always fun to talk with so many folks from various walks of life.
    I'm sad to say that I think my trailriding days for the year are over. Most of the parks close on Nov 1st and the ones that stay open usually have deer hunters in them and that just doesn't seem like a great idea. lol
    I found a wonderful home for one of my white rams, Uno, and was so happy to see him go to a very nice gal from Monroe Center for her small flock. I have 2 tame rams that I'd like to see go into a good home and then I will breath a sigh of relief for the year. Remind me not to let the rams from my 2010 lamb crop befriend me.
    I have decided to retain my moorit ram out of Maggie for a second Shetland breeding ram and now I have to decide my breeding groups. Mike and I have didscussed the Texel crosses at length and we both feel that the larger sheep are just too much work for us. Our backs can't handle wrestling the large sheep and the pasture disappears quickly with those eating machines turned out. Once again, I have several ewes in that group that I just can't send to the sale barn, they are young, great mom's and are just too nice for slaughter. I will try to find a good home by advertising them as a small starter flock. I think we will keep them through lambing in the spring and then start thinking about selling them.
    We have really gotten a lot of new people coming to the mill on Wed nights to knit now and we still have a wonderful time. It's great to talk to so many ladies from all walks of life, it's an endless education. It's hard to remember what I did before I started going to the mill to knit with the gals. We now have a Facebook page with pictures and events listed too. If we keep growing, we'll need a bigger room to meet.
    Well, ta ta for now........everyone keep warm and dry.

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  24. A new month begins...and the change is weather is a nice surprise. We got over 22" of rain in October, wet, wet, wet. Farmers are frantic about getting harvested before they deteriorate any further. It's going to be another rough year for farm families.
    I put my 3 breeding groups of sheep together this last Sunday. I have 2 shetland groups and a group of my texels with a charolais ram. I got some very stout market lambs from the texel/charolais crosses last year. As for my fiber sheep, I'm getting closer to nailing down exactly what I want with every year that passes. I decided this summer to really focus my breeding on wool quality and so have started to cull ewes that have the longer, coarse fleece. Sadly, some of my favorite ewes have a longer staple length to their wool.
    I have a nice moorit ram from one of my first ewes that I retained for one group of ewes and will use Raven, my white Ilget ram for the other group. I did turn 2 of the meat sheep ewe lambs in with Raven, as I don't want to have them bred by their father and should get some nice market lambs from them too.
    Mike has been driving milk truck on the weekends again, so we don't get a tremendous amount or work done around the property on weekends and the decreasing daylight has really cramped our style for doing stuff during the week after work. I can't wait to see what we get for lambs next spring, it's always so much fun to go outside each morning to see what the girls have given us.
    We got rid of our extra blue cochin roosters at the sale barn last night and managed to pick up some very nice 3 mo. old pullets too. I could very easily brought home the yearling filly and mini jack that was there, but I think Mike would have been a bit upset. He never says no to me, but the bulk of the animal chores falls on his shoulders in the winter and I couldn't do that to him. Again.
    I'm leaning towards getting a rabbit,possibly an angora so I can mix it with my shetland fiber. !!!!!!
    I will have to see what Kristi has for little ones the next time she has a litter.
    I have some roving and one pelt left that I'd like to sell before the next bunch gets processed, I wish I knew of a good way to more them. I have a shop on Etsy and have sold a couple items, but I don't know that I get a lot of traffic on there. Ideas!!???

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  25. Here it is, Dec.9th and I have no idea where to start.....had pneumonia for 10 days and am just now starting to feel like my old self again. Mike has been driving milk truck on the weekends lately, so we don't have much time to get stuff done with only one day of weekend. Lots going on......my washing machine died and so we had to go buy new, and that will be our present to each other this year for Christmas.
    I've posted some sheep for sale, I have 4 bred ewes and 3 rams for sale. I've decided to limit my herd to only registered sheep, so any of the grade sheep will have to be sold. Mike and I have also decided that the texel crosses are just too much work for us and we have made the very difficult decision to sell them. I will advertise them now, but am ok with having them until after they lamb. I would like to keep my total sheep to 20 or less. I have decided that my priority will be on fleece quality and I'm concentrating on polled genetics. I've gotten some very lovely fleece from my girls the last 2 years, and now I would really like to improve the overall softness too. I'm already starting to search for my next ram, but would like something that's had a year or two of breeding so I can see what he passes along to his offspring.
    I opened my first jar of the Craven Cty sweet pickles I made this summer and almost ate the whole jar. This was my first pickle making attempt and I'm very happy with the results. It took 14 days to finish the pickles, they are kind of a crock type of pickle. Too bad Mike doesn't like pickles....he he.
    We got approx. 12" of snow yesterday and today and everyone is still trying to dig out, our driveway was drifted half full when we left at 11 am, so I'm sure we will be walking to the house from the top of the lane tonight to get the skidloader out. Poor Mike was out with the skidloader at 6:30 am and didn't get in until 10:30, so that means the driveway got that full very quickly.
    Better get some of my work finished up here. Stay warm and dry everyone.

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He who angers you, controls you.

And my favorite.......You can't control what others say or do, but you can control your reaction.

Mike and I

Mike and I
Mike and I at Nick and Emily's wedding

Raised beds & chickens coops

Raised beds & chickens coops
Can't wait for this stuff to actually be food....