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Thursday, April 7, 2011

We're waiting for lambs

When Peeps writes, my heart sings. There is a connection there that shepherds, or shepherdesses, have.....sharing the excitement of birthing and what colors are we going to get this time. Boy or girl, 1 or two, doesn't matter, it's spring and it's lambing time for primitive breeds like the Shetland.  Mine are doing very well. They are fat and sassy. With the terrible loss of Topple this winter, he only got a short breeding time with the girls. For those who didn't know, his necropsy showed a blocked, enlarged, and very red bladder. He was too young, and too beautiful and kind, to loose, but he is gone and his lambs will be his last glory. I will keep 2 ram lambs, if the girls have any for me this year of course since they rarely have ram lambs for me, and grow them up. Maybe I'll keep three, just to be sure Murphy's Law is kept happy too. And maybe Peeps will finally have a brown spotted ram lamb for me, who knows. I have been waiting for one for two years now, from someone, and I hope I see one this year. I would like some pretty brown wool here again. And spotted of course. I know a nice spinner now, I think she would spin my wool for me and make me a few things from my girl's wool. So that will be fun. I don't have the time to spin and make glorious yarns, I did use to crochet at one point in my life and I'm sure I could learn again. The only time I work with my wool is when I grab a hank and twist it into a thin 'yarn' while I am teaching herding lessons. It has an irresistible feeling to it, I love it. I hope we start lambing soon, they are certainly late this year.