MSSBA Show results

2011 MSSBA Annual Show ~ Results

Youth Showmanship

1st Clayton Mahlkuch ~ AlabamaYoung Handler Award

2ndElexis Eisenhower ~ Leon

3rd Clara Snow ~ Sommarang Ivy

4th Gavin Snow ~ Sommarang Isaac

5th Tori Gygi ~ S'more Samba

Senior Ram

1st  Lori Stephenson ~ FirthofFifth Avyt

2ndJuliann Budde ~ Windy Acres Hickory

3rd Andy Fulks ~ Boston Lake Jchen

4th Corinne Rasso ~ Sommarang Gilroy

5th Garrett Ramsay ~ WhitePine Levi

Yearling Ram

1st Meghan Namaste ~ Wintertime Grasshopper

2ndLori Stephenson ~ Sommarang Hackett

3rd Garrett Ramsay ~ WhitePine Flo Rida

4th Tori Gygi ~ UnderTheSon Gunpowder

5th Andrew Tobey ~ Tobeys Sampson

Ram Lamb

1st Theresa Gygi ~ UnderTheSon Velour

2ndTori Gygi ~ UnderTheSon Tarlatan

3rd Theresa Gygi ~ Dungaree Dungaree

4th Garrett Ramsay ~ WhitePine Miro

5th Lori Stephenson ~ Sommarang Innis

6th Lori Stephenson ~ Sommarang Ian

Pair of Ram Lambs

1st Tori Gygi ~ UnderTheSon Tarlatan, UnderTheSon Cendal

2ndLori Stephenson ~ Sommarang Ian, Sommarang Innis

3rd Garrett Ramsay ~ Nesse's Monster Mash & Nastro Azuro

4th Kelly K Bartels ~  OK Acres Cadillac and OK Acres Sawyer

5th Maegan Snow and family ~ Sommarang Isaac, Sommarang Ivar

Champion Ram:   Firth of Fifth Avyt, Owner- Lori Stephenson

Reserve Champion Ram:  Under the Son Velour, Owner- Theresa Gygi

Senior Ewe

1st Kelly K Bartels ~ SheltrgPines Salicional

2ndKaren Valley ~ Winter Sky Marrakech

3rd Theresa Gygi & Tori Gygi ~ UnderTheSon Tralee

4th Maegan Snow and family ~ Sommarang Elise

5th Lori Stephenson ~ Sommarang Farrah

Yearling Ewe

1st Theresa Gygi ~ UndertheSon White Lilac

2ndTori Gygi  ~ S'More Samba

3rd Theresa Gygi ~ UnderTheSon Assam

4th Garrett Ramsay ~ WhitePine Nivea

5th Andy Fulks ~ WhitePine Regina Spektor

Ewe Lamb

1st Andy Fulks ~ Fulks Family Sophia

2ndMeghan Namaste ~ Wintertime Vanity Fair 

3rd Corinne Rasso ~ Crosswinds Athena

4th Kelly K Bartels ~ OK Acres Vienna

5th Theresa Gygi & Tori Gygi ~ UnderTheSon Sateen

6th Kim Nikolai ~ Kimberwood Magic

Pair of Ewe Lambs

1st Lori Stephenson ~ Idelle,Irene

2ndMaegan Snow and family ~ Isla, Ingrid

3rd Kelly K Bartels ~ OK Acres Vienna and OK Acres Seneca

4th Garrett Ramsay~White Pines Saigons Special and WP Saku

5th Penny Becker~Tia and Kahlua

Champion Ewe:  SheltrgPines Salicional, Owner Kelly K Bartels

Reserve Champion Ewe:  Winter Sky Marrakech , Owner Karen Valley

Dam & Daughter

1stKaren Valley ~ Mandalay,Marrakech

Best Small Flock

1stKelly K Bartels ~ OK Acres Cadillac, ewe-OK Acres Vienna, ewe-Sheltering Pines Salicional

Best Fleece on Hoof

1st Karen Valley ~ Winter Sky Mandalay 

2ndMeghan Namaste ~ Wintertime Vanity Fair 

3rd Theresa Gygi & Tori Gygi ~ Velour

4th Lori Stephenson ~ Sommarang Irene

Supreme Champion SheltrgPines Salicional   Owner Kelly Bartels 

Supreme Res Champion Firth of Fifth Avyt  Owner Lori Stephenson

I know there are a few missing sheep names, so if you read this and can fill in the blanks, please let me know so I can get the correct names for each sheep that placed.  

That which angers us, controls us.

Brits and Horses

Lori Stephenson was kind enough to drive Kate and Alan to my house for one last visit before their departure on Tuesday.  The day dawned with chilly temps and a non-stop drizzle of rain.  We went to town for a nice little lunch and once we returned, we headed to the sheep.  I got the thumbs up on both the rams I plan on using for breeding, Crosswinds Thor (out of Avyt) and Sheltering Pines Bug.
They confirmed my choices for cull rams and the adult ewes I felt weren't going to move my herd forward.  (phew, someone actually agreed with me) and then I held my breath to see what they said about the keeper ewe lambs I had chosen.  I got an affirmative on the ones I'd chosen to keep, but one ewe lamb they didn't really say much about and I'm going to assume they weren't terribly thrilled about my choice there, but I have a plan.  (grin)  Let's call it an experiment, no other details on that one until I see how it works out.
Despite the rain, we wandered from pen to pen and eventually the time came for us to catch the horses and saddle them up for a real American "cowboy" experience.  Kate wasn't going to leave until we got Alan sitting on a horse.  She got her wish and here are a few photos.  In hindsight, we should have shorten the stirrups for Alan, the poor fella looked like he was getting ready to run the Kentucky Derby.

Most trails are mowed quite this nice........can you tell Kate has ridden in the past?

Alan and Dually

You have no idea how funny it was to see Kate getting off that horse.  And there's poor Lori stuck with holding the horse while we all have a good laugh.  Here's a horse, now take this camera, now take this horse....poor gal.  

Kate and Misty

Please notice the cowboy hats that both of them are sporting.  Alan's is hanging , he has a larger head ...lol

That's all I have for today.  I'm hoping Corinne has some more photos from the show to post soon, she and her sister, Marie, do such a great job of taking pictures for the show each year.  Come on Marie, where are you pictures??

Toodles for now.



That which angers us, controls us.

Huge Thank you

Can I just say.....I had so much fun at the MSSBA show this year.  We had so many friendly, helpful volunteers and exhibitors this year.  Several familiar faces and a few new faces, but all were supportive and there to have a good time.  I got to meet some great youth exhibitors this year, and what a fine bunch they were.  The young people at this year's event exhibited professionalism, good sportsmanship, maturity and friendliness that makes me smile each time I think about watching them.  Good job kids, I'm sure all your parents are very proud.
Every workshop that took place ran over it's allotted time due to all the questions, no matter how many times Kate and Alan got side tracked or hit with new questions, they patiently and thoroughly answered us.  I don't think our UK friends could have been any nicer, they simply wanted to help in any way they could.

If you happen to see Lori Stephenson.......hug her, if you can't hug her, visit her blog and thank her, she was instrumental in making the entire show happen this year.  Without her, I'm not sure how it would have been done.  I'd like to thank all the folks that helped me with things too.......Corinne Rasso, Marie, Maureen Koch, Garrett Ramsay, Krisi from Argyle Fiber Mill, Kim Nikolai, Cyndee Wolff, Terri Mahlkuch, Clayton Mahlkuch, Donna Wolff, Theresa Gygi, Juliann Budde.......and the biggest thank you of all goes to my hubby that tirelessly waited on me all weekend while I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off.   Without Mike, the Shetland herd at our place would not exist.

We had one last session with Kate and Alan at the WSWF on Sunday morning.....sadly, I and a number of other volunteers had to leave the talk before it's conclusion due to having classes that started at noon and we needed to get set up.  How I wish I could have seen the last 10 minutes or so of that workshop.  I know there was a lot of great questions and discussion concerning wool and it's properties.  One participant mentioned that the crimpy wool was problematic for her and asked Kate and Alan what she was doing wrong in her spinning process to cause the issue that was a concern.  In their usual friendly manner they simply indicated that might be a question better answered by a fellow spinner.  At that point a few spinners in the audience chimed in and suggested someone more experienced with spinning Shetland fiber might be an avenue to pursue.  This sort of exchange of ideas is what makes the Shetland and fiber community such a great place to reside.
The entire weekend glowed with this sense of wonder and awe for me.  The atmosphere in the barn was friendly, relaxed and visitors commented to me on how great everyone was about answering questions for them.  I think more than one person that strolled through for the first time fell in love with all our Shetland sheep.  Comments about how cute and sweet the sheep seemed were overheard, and a couple folks stopped me and asked me questions about my sheep.  There is even this great "front page" article in the Country Today newspaper this week showing Alexandria and Andrew Tobey with one of their sheep.  Cross your fingers that I can get it scanned and post it.  :)
So again, thank you, I'm proud to be a part of such a great group of people.

That which angers us, controls us.

More WSWF

Best Small Flock
Ram: OK Acres Cadillac......(now living at Garrett) moorit, smirslet, sokket, flecket
Ewe: Sheltering Pines Salicional (gray kat)
Ewe lamb: OK Acres Vienna (moorit)
Also pictured is my little showing buddy, Clayton.  He had Cadillac and Alabama as his 4-H sheep project this year and did well there too.

Clayton and Alabama got 1st place in Youth Showmanship

OK Acres Alabama and Clayton

You should have seen his face when I told him that the red ribbon is  the 1st place ribbon in the UK!!!
Priceless.

Speechless, Stunned, Overwhelmed.........

Giddy, jaw dropping..........those are just a few of the words you could use to describe my experience from this past weekend at the Midwest Shetland Sheep Breeders Show in Jefferson, WI.   This was the 10th Anniversary of the Wi Sheep and Wool Festival and we are grateful that the organizers of this event work so hard to include us in this wonderful event.
Kate Sharp and Alan Hill could not have possibly been friendlier, and the wealth of information that we got from them was nothing short of inspiring.  We badgered them with questions every waking second that they were near and they were such good sports and just kept answering question after question for us without ever making it seem as if we were imposing in any way at all.
Friday's judging seminar was so interesting that nobody even wanted to take a break and it ran over the time we had allotted for it, which seemed to be the theme for the entire weekend.   Friday afternoon we each got a chance to get 2 sheep in for the ram/ewe inspections and both of our guests took their time explaining all the things that they look for when doing inspections.  The "hands on" seminar was so informational, I will use it to better evaluate my herd in the future.
All the events were videotaped and we are going to try to condense the content and have some dvd's available for others to share this wonderful educational opportunity.  Contact me via email with your name, address, phone and email address if you would like to be notified when the dvd is complete.   My email address is: okacres@hotmail.com

We had a good weekend with our sheep at this show.  I took 7 sheep to the show, Salcional, a  grey kat ewe, Cadillac a moorit, smirslet, sokket ram lamb, Sawyer, a black gully ram lamb, Vienna, a moorit ewe lamb, Alabama, a moorit ewe lamb, Seneca, a black, sokket, krunet ewe lamb and Sierra, a black ewe lamb.  We did ok in the lamb classes, but it was the Senior ewe class that had me reeling with surprise.  Salicional got 1st in Senior ewe, then she got got Champion ewe, then she helped me get Best Small Flock, which I never dreamed we'd win, and finally we got Supreme Champion. I would like to thank Stephen Rouse for selling this exceptional ewe to me, I loved her before this show, but now I really love her.  (grin)  So, congrats to Sheltering Pines and to Stephen for making that day such a fun day for me.

This year's MSSBA show was a huge success, due in large to the great exhibitors that made this show so much fun.  I met some new faces and now can attach a face to the names.   The potluck was  smashing success thanks to Briony and her wonderful culinary skills.  Thank you Briony.  Thank you to Lori for working so hard to get this all done on time.  Thank you to the judges for flying across the big pond and working like dogs to help us.  None of what was accomplished this last weekend could have been done without all of you helping.
We are surrounded by great people in this world.  Kudos to all of you.

As soon as I get the official show results, I will post them along with more pictures.

Toodles for now,


That which angers us, controls us.

The World's Nicest Potato Bin

My father does a lot of incredibly handy things, and most of what he does is done with wood.  He has a scroll saw and makes some of the most beautiful and intricate items I've ever seen.  Since my husband and I decided to start squirreling away food from our garden, we've found we don't have a good storage container for our potatoes, onions and garlic.  I asked my dad if he could make a simple bin with 3 compartments for storing all our taters and such and he said, "Sure, what do you want".  I found a design on the internet that was a relatively simple box with a lid..........well, that certainly wasn't going to be what I got, what I ended up with when my dad was done, was a work of art!!!
So without further ado, let me present...........the World's nicest potato bin.......TAAAADDAAAAA!!!

Notice the doors towards the bottom, so we can access our "stuff" after the supply has gotten
towards the bottom of the bin.  Keep in mind, this bin stands almost as high as my chest.

Rear view showing the pegboard for ventilation

Top view with the lid open, center section for tators, two outer sections for
onions and garlic.  Does anyone have any idea how much garlic that would be?

Countdown.........7, 6, 5..........

Sept, 9th, 10th and 11th.

WI Sheep and Wool Festival

Stolen one liner

Ok, I have stolen a one line quote from a fellow blogger.   But, it's from a blogger that I thoroughly enjoy, so I think that makes it ok, and I'm sure he won't mind in the least.

So, thank you to John and his blog Going Gently.  I simply love this.

Quality is never an accident.  It is always the result of intelligent effort~John Ruskin


Toodles for now.

Quiet reflection

I found this quote while looking for "something" that I can place close to my heart today.  I won't go into the reasons for my somber mood and post, but I thought the quote I found was a gentle reminder to myself.  It seems as if I find the gentle nudges I need, when I need them.  
So, when my heart aches over the loss of something that gave me great joy, I am reminded of the kind souls and good hearts that surround me every day of my life.  I am blessed and grateful for every single one of you. May I always remember that I need to be tolerant of others and their views.  My views are just that, mine and I shouldn't be so arrogant to think that they should be everyone's.  


Here's the quote:


"The key to peace in your life is to be tolerant of all others.
We can learn from each other, but when you have no tolerance,
you lose the ability to learn and advance as a human being.
If we are open to others beliefs, we make our own beliefs stronger.
If we are closed to what other knowledge is available,
then we are no better than hypocrits with closed minds."
~ Rion ~










That which angers us, controls us.

I hope you are sitting down

I have a group of ladies that I knit with on Wednesday nights at Argyle Fiber Mill.  Our group is lovingly referred to as the Argylian Society of Knitters, or ASK.  In an attempt to increase knitted entries at the Lafayette County Fair this year, we all contributed knitted, felted or crocheted items.  I entered in 4 categories and got a few ribbons, one was an award of merit for my collection of 3, which was a hat, scarf and mittens.  I was happy, but not being of a competitive nature, I was equally happy for the what the others in our group got for awards.
Now to the part that you are going to need to sit down for...........my awards check!!!!

And here it is!!!  Clicking to biggefy does NOT increase it's monetary value.  (ps-I tried it already)

Now I know what you are thinking......I should be grateful for any amount at all, and I am, but this made me  just bust out laughing.  And please notice that it took 3, that's right, 3 people to ok this check with their signature.  

I better get to the bank, I need to cash my check for a big shopping spree this weekend.  Look for me in the clearance aisles.  

Toodles for now. 

That which angers us, controls us.

Another "to do" item off my list

By now, you are all probably sick of hearing about the upcoming Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival in Jefferson WI on Sept. 9th, 10th and 11th.  The show is featuring some very special guests, Kate Sharp and Alan Hill, and they have agreed to judge for us this year as well as do a judges seminar and some ram/ewe inspections.  It's going to be like visiting the Shetland Islands without the long, pesky flight over there.  I may be exaggerating just a bit, but I sure am excited to be given this opportunity to have my sheep evaluated by the very folks that decide who is a Flock book Shetland and who is not.  This will assist me in evaluation of my own flock, as well as allowing me to meet such learned and experienced Shetland judges.
I'm ready to have my sheep graded, and not so ready for what they might tell me, but since it's so easy to be looking at my sheep with jaded eyes, I think the unbiased opinions will benefit my flock and give me more tools to use in achieving my goals.  

I just completed my entry form, paid the fees online and now all I have to do is get more halter training done.

I encourage anyone that has Shetland sheep to bring sheep to this event and if you can't bring sheep, simply bring yourself, we would love to have you.









That which angers us, controls us.

Madison goes to his new home...........

I got 2 really nice fawn katmoget rams from Lil County Meadow X Sheltering Pines Bug this spring.  A lovely couple from the Madison area, (interesting eh?) came yesterday and purchased this guy for their 6 ewes and I was pretty pleased that such a nice ram didn't have to go to the "other place".  They had picked out Sawyer, a black gulmoget, but their ewes were too closely related to him for them to take the chance.  I wasn't too upset that they had to pass on Sawyer, I think he's going to Jefferson this year for WSWF.

I also sold 3 of my mature ewes this week...Alanna, Maggie and Aster will be calling Iowa their new home this fall!!!  I really love Aster, but since I got 2 keeper ewes from her this year, I feel I can let her move to a new home.  I have to make room for the ones I'm keeping and the new girls that will be coming to WI to help bring new bloodlines to my flock.

I anyone needs me, I will be sitting in the pasture tonight trying to make the final decision on who is going to WSWF.  I've promised myself that I won't come back into the house until I've made up my mind.  Deadline for entries is this weekend, and I can't put it off any longer.  I have a ewe for ram/ewe inspections, but what ram???  I have some lambs for the show on Saturday, but how many do I really want to juggle?  But.......how often will I get a chance to have my sheep evaluated by such experienced judges?   These are the thought bouncing around in my head.

Even though a lot of this makes me a bit nervous, my first priority to is going to be to have fun with whatever happens.   Last year was so much fun, and there is so much to see and do there, I have no doubt it will be another year that will have me telling  stories over and over. ie: Remember when Garrett's sheep laid down in the ring?  Remember when we had all that food on Saturday night and we got to watch that spectacular sunset?  Remember the goofy pictures we took of the "campfire"?  Remember when I totally missed the turn off for the fairgrounds?  Oh, that's right, I was the only one that knew about that one.

Come join us, we would love to have you....there's a potluck on Saturday night that all Shetland lovers can attend.  Eat, drink, laugh and enjoy!  Now doesn't that sound fun?

Toodles for now.

Fleece questions

I know that most of you that see this already follow Corinne's Blog.  You probably remember that she had a wonderful ram, Crosswinds Thor, and that he was coming to my farm to have a little romance.  Thor has now officially been with me for 3 (ish) weeks and he's a great little ram with wonderful fleece.   Corinne had posted  on her blog that she was having issues with how to categorize the fleece from several of her lambs this year, and with that in mind, I am posting fleece sample pictures for all of you to inspect and give me some feedback.
Here is Thor's fleece, taken last night...please excuse the lack of professional equipment to give you a truly focused shot of the fleece, I need Corinne's camera very badly.  The black on the left is very crimpy even though it is a bit difficult to see it in this shot.  the white fleece on the right is from one of Thor's spots, the tip is white, the center is gray and the stuff next to the skin is white again..........what gives?  Has any one seen this before?  As you can see, this guy has crimp up the wazoo, and I love the luster, but what is the deal with the on again, off again color chang-a-roo?

click on any picture to biggify

Thor's fleece, the stuff on the right is from one of his spots.

As soon as I can get a decent shot of Thor, I'll get it on here and formally introduce him to you. Nice, respectful little ram and just the kind of great quality I've come to expect from Corinne.

This is a fleece sample from Sparta a mioget ram that will be going to live with  Kim Nikoli @ Kimberwood Shetlands

 

New floor

We live in a berm home, which means most of our house in built below ground and is incredibly energy efficient. One of the only things I've ever disliked (bordered on hate) about our home was the carpeting in the livingroom and dining area.  We had planned on replacing it in 2000 when we purchased the house, then again every year after that. One year, the well taking it's last gasping breath on Christmas Eve, in a blizzard, ate up the flooring money.  Another year we got enough money to replace the roof and a bit extra was set aside for the flooring, but the project went over budget (gasp) and no floor again that year.  You get the idea here......

Well, this year, I told my husband that if we didn't replace the carpeting, I was going to tear it out and walk on concrete, which would be a couple notches up in appearance from the current floor covering!!!  We set aside a portion of our tax refund and quickly made a trip to Menards to purchase the flooring before something catastrophic happened that would eat up our flooring project fund once again.  It only too us 10 years, but allow me to introduce you to my new floor!  

Tess and  camera shy Nikki under the table

Floor enhancements (ie: spinning wheels)  

My hubby's legs and the new kitchen/dining room flooring

Tess loves the new floor  & the moorit pelt in front of the tv.  The silly girl barely fits on it.  

Oops, misc. veggie picture.

The garden is kicking my rear the last week or so and I am praying the oppressive heat subsides so I can be outside in relative comfort once again.  We have some evil little chipmunks that find it necessary to nibble on all the low hanging tomatoes.  I wouldn't even mind if they ate one whole tomato, but is it really necessary to take one bit out of ALL of them?  I mean, come on you little striped monsters, give me a cotton pickin' break already.   War will be declared soon, so anyone that can help battle plans, let me know, I'm desperate!  

Countdown to WSWF, 39 days!!!  Trying to figure out who to take........gotta try to finish projects that are going........but, I did get my camping paid for today, lined up a dog sitter, and I'm pretty sure I have a critter sitter, so I'm getting closer to getting stuff done.  

Who am I kidding?

I have been struggling,  Struggling with what you ask?  Yes, I've got a moral dilemma.....Should I shamelessly brag about how much fun it was to watch a great young man show my sheep?  Should I go ahead and share with my blogging pals?  HMMMM...  Ok, ok I'm weak, I have to tell you. Our county fair was one of the most positive show ring experiences that I've seen in a while.  They had a great judge for the kids, I didn't always agree with his placings, but he put a supreme effort into making sure the kids went away with a positive experience and I thought that took a fair amount of skill for anyone.  Great exhibitors, great spectators and a great show committee, it just doesn't get a lot better than that.
At one point, when Clayton (the young man taking my sheep as his 4-H project) got 2nd place in showmanship, he and I were both crying.  This was Clayton's first year with sheep, so the 2nd place had a lot of meaning.  I told him that the 3 blues and the red that he received had so much meaning to me because I had just lost Abby, her mom, 7 days prior to that show.  His response was to smile, give me a big hug and then he looked down at his plaque and ribbon and said, "I want you to have these".  I'm a pretty tough  gal, but that was my undoing, I was crying like a baby in front of the whole sheep barn. (I'll give you a second to stop snickering at me).........
I explained to Clayton that the plaque belonged to him, that he had earned it and all I really wanted was a picture of him, his plaque and his million dollar smile for my wall.  He spent a lot of hours working with those sheep and he even came out to help vaccinate & worm sheep, and helped with baling hay on another occasion   Are we going to do it again next year???  HECK YA!  (big grin)

Clayton and Alabama in Beginner Showmanship

Clayton and Cadillac in the ram class

Clayton and Alabama after Showmanship class

Cadillac, Alabama and Clayton with his plague

Did I mention how much fun I had?  I did?  Sorry, but it was a lot of fun and reminded me of why I loved 4-H so much when I was a kid.  

Misconceptions

I'd like to clear up some misunderstandings........I do NOT have a vendetta against double coated Shetland breeders, never have, and I've ignored the fact that there has been one or two people that seem to think it necessary to constantly stir up things by insinuating that is the case with those of us that choose to breed single coat Shetlands.  I have a couple double coats in my flock and they certainly have traits that I value and want to preserve, much the same as my single coat Shetlands. I think if anyone spent any time discussing Shetland sheep with me, they find that I'm far more inclusive than they imagined or where led to believe.  If they fit the Standard, then they are Shetland sheep.

I have no intention of using my blog to bash NASSA board members, or attack individual breeders or their sheep, that is not what we should be doing to each other.  I have met some of the most wonderful people since I started raising Shetland sheep and if I don't agree with every view someone has, then big deal......I certainly don't agree with everything my husband, son, or parents say, and I certainly don't stop caring about them just because we don't agree.  The same is true here.  Disagreements are fine, and most of the time, they are healthy, especially if the individuals treat one another with respect.

My real reason for being so vocal the last several months has nothing to do with fleece length, it has to do with what is fair and what is following the rules of our organization.   I don't like conflict, but I also think that we all need to speak up when we feel something is unjust or if we strongly disagree, we need to be able to have our voices heard.  The only other issue I've ever had is the secrecy and silence that surrounds board proceedings.  I'm not saying it's the fault of any one person, I'm only saying that I think that more transparency would inspire more trust.

I had an idea to have historical information available to the membership in a central location, that's why I joined the Education Committee.  I'd like to see that project move forward with verified input from both sides of the debate.  Facts are facts, and I think we are intelligent enough to sort out fact from here-say and fiction.  I didn't have any trouble making a decision once I had the information in front of me, and I continue to dig and read everything that is brought to my attention, I am going to assume that everyone would like to have the right to decide that for themselves.

If you have verified information, get it out there.  Put links and references on the assorted Shetland chat groups, I'd love to read it.  There is no nastiness intended in this statement, I truly would like to see what is out there.  I have a hard time believing that either group is so rigid that they wouldn't work to find something that they could agree upon, there has got to be some common ground someplace.   And that....is at least a starting point.

Sometimes it's easy to be less cordial when you are behind a computer screen, but read what you write, and it seems offensive or "in your face", maybe it needs a rewrite.

Just a few things that are weighing on my mind today.......

Posts that are worth reading

There is some great information in Theres's latest post.......and you can find it here: Theresa's blog post

Research, read, dig and read some more.  Have fun with it, I sure do.

Stay cool everyone, it's a scorcher out there.

Life is a circle

Abby was the first lamb ever born on our property, so she is special.  She was born on the top of the hill to my first Shetland ewe.  The past two years I had made the decision to NOT breed her any longer, but last year Bug had ideas of his own, she had a lamb this spring, which is the sweetest ewe lamb we've ever had on our place.  So much so that she's become the official greeter to everyone that visits.  Abby was never an overly friendly sheep, and she certainly wasn't my ideal Shetland, but you could never fault her mothering ability, she was 100% dedicated to her lambs, and she had a special place in my heart because of it.  

Now I get to the not so nice part of this story...........

We came home last Sunday afternoon, and Abby appeared to be staggering, we quickly caught her and put her in a pen under a shade tree and I got electrolytes into her.  She had a good appetite, no fever, no signs of distress except for the inability to keep her balance, so we left her with some good hay, a few supplements and checked on her in about an hour, no improvement, so more electrolytes.   Over the next few days, she showed no improvement, one person suggested that she might have had a stroke, which made sense, another person suggested that meningeal worms may be the problem, so I dosed her with Ivemec.  No improvement.   

Time to call the vet....she was examined and it was determined that the issue was quite possibly a stroke.  Everything thing about her was normal, no temp, no sign of worms, good appetite, just instability on one side. I made the tough decision along with my vet's recommendation and had her put down.... with her head in my lap, she slipped away peacefully.  As much as I hated the thought of it, I had the vet do a necropsy and will have the results in about a week.  It's important to me that I know why I lose a sheep, it's important to my flock and all the people that ever buy any sheep from me.  Time and again I see Shetland breeders making decisions that are not fun, because they feel a sense of responsibility to other breeders and their own sheep.  It warms my heart to see how much care and integrity I see in the Shetland sheep community.  

Being a pet and livestock owner comes with a responsibility, and it's a responsibility that I take very seriously.    I believe you should treat all living things with respect and kindness and do the right thing when the time comes to end their suffering.  

Abby will forever rest on the top of the hill where she was born.  Her 2011 lamb, Alabama, will continue to put smiles on the faces of our visitors, and mine as well.  I guess she was accidentally given to me so that I could be reminded of why I fell in love with Shetland sheep.  

Abby had the longest fleece of any sheep I've ever owned.....she also had the most wool on her poll and cheeks of any sheep I've ever owned.  I love wooly cheeks.....
This is a picture of her as a 2 yr old.

Upcoming Wi Sheep & Wool Festival MSSBA schedule of events

WSWF- MSSBA ACTIVITIES

Thursday Afternoon

Sheep check-in

Friday

9-11am Judge's training seminar (Arena)  **bring a pen or pencil

1-3 pm ram/ewe inspections (Arena)  **bring a pen or pencil 

All Day-Sheep Check-in (Sheep Bldg)

Fleece check-in

Skein Check-in

5-6pm Pizza party (Arena)

6-7pm MSSBA AGM (Bleachers of sheep building)

Saturday -

Morning Sheep check-in

9am Shetland Fleece Show.....Judge Kate Sharp in the Exhibition Hall

12pm Shetland Sheep Show (Sheep Barn)

9-4 Silent Auction (Sheep Barn) Winners announced at 4pm

 6pm -South Of the Sheep barn POT LUCK - all NASSA/MSSBA Members& Shetland Sheep Lovers invited

Sunday –

10-12pm Kate Sharp presentation on Shetlands in the UK South end of East Exhibition hall across from the Sheep barn Free to the public.

12-2 pm Handy Shepherds presentations

1pm Skein competition

1pm Handmade  ( Note that this  will include all handmade items woven, felted etc,) competition Goat Barn

Farm Displays all day- Goat Barn

All weekend there are other activities that would interest Shetland sheep owners  There are classes for shepherds, Classes and competitions for youth, classes for knitters and spinners, There is also a Championship competition that the Champions of the Shetland show our invited to compete against other breed winners at WSWF.  Check out the website for all that is available. At

www.wisconsinsheepandwoolfestival.com/

I hope to see all of you there.......

Emily the sheep Wrangler

We took three days off of work to get caught up on things at home........technically, we need about 3 weeks worth, but we started with 3 days.  My sister in law, Emily, is a city gal, but I will never say conversions don't work, because Emily is quickly becoming two very capable extra hands at the OK Acres farm.  

Friday was the perfect day to gather the sheep and do lamb vaccinations and worming, we check eye lid color and only worm those that look as if they have a heavy worm load.  Every year, I worm less than I did the previous year, so something is working.  Emily agreed to help and showed up in her new "farm boots"......see below.

Emily in her new "farm boots"

After a few, pardon the pun, flowery compliments on her new footwear, we are off to the lot to gather sheep. The sheep went in the pen nicely, for ONCE, and so we started checking eye lids, feet, fleece, boy packages, horns, teeth, and conformation as we vaccinated lambs.  My friend, Terri and her son Clayton, were on hand to help out since Clayton will be showing 2 of my lambs at the local Green County Fair this year.  We went through a small hands-on teaching session with Clayton to point out what we were doing.  He's a farm boy, so he caught on quickly and I let him take over checking worm loads, teeth and "packages".  He did a great job!!!  It's so much fun to involve a young person in something that gives you joy.  

Ok, back to Emily..........I waited until today to post this, because today is her Birthday!!!! The next two pictures are ones that I took when she decided she was man enough catch and flip one of the Shetland/Charollais/Texel cross bred ewes on her fanny.  I love this picture, when have any of us had such joy on our faces when we are vaccinating sheep?  (grin)  

Faith doesn't look nearly as pleased-lol

Horses at dusk

Dually, my husband's Tennessee Walker (he has more of a swinging running walk) 

Dallas, my Tennessee Walker heading to the buildings (notice the natural gait of a running walk)

I just couldn't resist a couple shots of 2 of our horses heading to the buildings on Monday night.  They just are so wonderful in motion, I could watch it all. day.  

My Dad

My great niece, Lauren giving my dad a card.

My dad and I (he's much happier than he looks here-lol)

I am blessed with 2 great parents.  My dad was always the ultimate provider and I tried to shadow him no matter what he was doing as I was growing.  He worked 2 jobs for a lot of years to give all of us the things he felt we needed and from that I learned the value of a good work ethic.  He didn't put up with any back talk, thank goodness, because I got to pass that along to my son.  He and I would work in his motorcycle repair shop, I would wash tools and put them away and he did the actual work.  He taught me how to ride a mini bike at the rip old age of 5 and later, I got a motor cyle and spent many happy summers terrorizing the neighborhood with a couple other kids on their motor cycles. 

We raised pigeons together for years, at one time our coop exceeded the 200 mark!!  A lot of fun time was spent at pigeon shows and swaps with my dad.  We would get up before sun up, crate the birds, load them in the truck, and off we'd go............those were great years.  

Then I discovered boys........and dad made sure I understood there wasn't going to be any shanigans tolerated with his little girl.    Once I married and moved away, both my parents have been there every single time I needed anything.  Not judging, not complaining, just THERE.  A lesson that I had to learn when my own son moved away, just be there when they need you.  

Am I lucky, do I feel blessed, do I have great parents?  yes, yes and yes.  

My mom I

9th Anniversary

9 years ago today, I married my best friend..........I have never been happier in my life.  Mike allows me to be ME, and that's the best gift you can give anyone.  He puts up with me when I drag sheep, chickens, rabbits, alpacas, llamas, geese......etc. (you get the idea) home.  He feeds my hoards of animals, never complains and simply wants me to be happy.  Can life get any better than that?  I think not.
So, thank you to my dear husband for making all my dreams come true.  You truly are one in a million.

Dream concert experience, back stage passes, meet and greet, pictures with Jason., all free!!!
And, one of my favorite pictures of us.  (grin)

Farmer Mike

Since I posted the hay day pictures a couple days ago, I forgot to post one of my hubby baling.  And since he's so darned proud to be sitting on that tractor, I had to post one more photo..........

On my needles

Thought I'd share my latest project with you.  Got the pattern on Ravelry, it's called Lingonberry Shawlette.
So far, it's been a pretty fast knit, but I'm just now getting into one of three pattern charts for this project.  Simple YO's, ssk's and K2tog stitches.  Since I bring all my knitting to work to pass time during breaks and lunch, I have to have something that doesn't require a lot of concentration.  I also get interrupted a LOT during my work breaks, and I can hardly say to the ringing phone,,,,,,hang on while I finish this row!

I also just finished up knitting a small neck warmer that will be given to female heart patients as a gift.  My mom is a heart attack survivor, so I decided I could certainly do more than one scarf and found this super cute neck warmer to knit.  I'm thinking I'll make a few more, they are so simple and neat.  

Hay day

What did we do this weekend you ask?  Well, we made some hay.  Our first year of running our own crop ground and my hubby is as happy as a pig in mud.  You can take the boy out of the country, but not the country out of the boy..........and Mike is living proof.  (His brother, Nick, is just as bad)
We started tracking down and rounding up equipment last year and have yet to purchase everything we need, but with the help of a farmer/friend/neighbor, we got our 1st crop hay, cut and baled without rain.  The corn we planted is starting to look pretty good since we finally got warmer weather and the shot of rain we got this morning is another step in the right direction.
Below are a couple shots of the BIG event on Sunday....(yep, that was sarcasm) You'd think we were getting the place ready for the a social event the way those two guys went about things the last couple weeks.  (tiny snicker)

THIS........is the place I sat while watching the boys bale hay.  lol

A Pre-baling conference...............tires inflated? Check.  Hitch pin secured?  Check.
Baling twine in twine box?  Check..........you get the idea.  (once again with the sarcasm)

LET THE BALING BEGIN!!!  

My brother in law, Nick, driving a 520 JD he restored.

If it seems like I'm poking fun at the guys, well, you'd be correct.  But there were so excited by the prospect of doing anything farm related, it was too cute an opportunity to let get by me.  Anyone that knows me, knows I love to pick on people just a teensy bit.  Ok, A LOT!  Sorry, it's my dad's fault, he's a wise @$$ from way back, and his dad was one too.  So, you see, I really am not to blame at all.  (grin)

300 bales in the shed.........my sheep, horses, llamas, and alpacas are licking their chops.  

Good people

For all the snipping and disagreements that happen over little things in life, there's one thing that I can always count on from my cyber friends, blog buddies and everyone in between..........kindness.
Words cannot express how touched I have been by the comforting words I've received from people that I've never even met in person, but I feel like I know them just the same.   Everyone seemed to know that I didn't just lose "a sheep", but a part of my life that was important to me, and for that, I am grateful.
I hit my dashboard on my blog today looking for more "lambs for sale" posts, and I was reduced to tears by the simple act of kindness from Lorraine on her blog ( Lorraine's post )  Now that I've ruined my makeup one more day, I am warmed by the sweetness of so many.  
Do I think that all of us will agree on what is the perfect Shetland, heck no, but I know that every one of you are good people.  We all share the same thing, a love for Shetland sheep, the knowledge of pain over losing one that is special or the heart ache of having to sell a herd that brings us so much joy.  All of these things bind us.........and I, for one, am glad for it.
God bless every single one of you.......and thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Warm regards,