Thank you Donna at
http://schoonoverfarm.wordpress.com/2010/06/01/the-versatile-blogger-award/
for sending on an award to me!
Hmmm, what to say that my intro doesn't cover! I came to Alaska in 1980 from Michigan with my first husband who was my college sweetheart at Michigan State. We permanently moved up here from mid-Michigan, packing whatever we could into an old but newly-painted 4 horse stock trailer and my pickup truck, and hauled it over 4000 miles over the Alaska Highway in 1981. I had studied Forestry and Animal Husbandry; and he had studied Forestry and something else (funny how those things now fade into the past!). We split a few years later as he went into the big world on the fast track and my interests were still the same - the land and the animals. Alaska has always been a place of magic to me, and the chance to move up was too enticing to refuse. Fast forward 30 years, I now have a registered herd of Nigerian Dwarves, Nubians, and Saanens and milk most days twice a day and have done so for more than 7 years non-stop. As a friend once said, I have 'great guns' - the arms of a farmer, ha! In the summer I'm busy also teaching herding to stockdogs and their owners. My favorite work is that which is training for farm and ranch work rather than arena trial work. There are a good 40 plus dogs that come here spring summer and fall to train on sheep and ducks, and a good number continue to practice through the winter months too. So I like Donna am middle aged, in my 50's, and enjoying the farming life on a 120 acre farm carved out of virgin forest near Wasilla, Alaska. Summers are crazy with long hours and tons of hard work, and by the first snowfall, we are ready to enjoy the quieter months of winter. It's a quarter to 11 at night and it's completely light out, the sun hasn't even set yet and it won't for a while. Room-darkening shades are a must if you ever want to sleep in the summer in Alaska!
I will have to figure out who to send this award on to, but I know Jenny in Scotland will be one of them! :-)
About Me
- Alaska Shetland Shepherd
- Wasilla, Alaska
- I have been owned by Shetlands and Shetland crosses since 1997. The first 4 arrived to assist my AKC Australian Cattle Dogs with learning herding maneuvers. I bred to registered Shetland rams to improve them and kept good ewe lambs back each year. I slowly built up my flock and now keep 40 or so year 'round. Recently we had the flock tested for OPP and Johne's diseases also and I'm happy to say all tested negative! WOOHOO!! My interest in registered Shetlands was always there. I bought a few each year. As my registered numbers grow, my unregistered sheep numbers will dwindle except for a few old favorites who will stay. I grew up around sheep in Michigan and have been around the big wool breeds for years, but the Shetland is a far superior breed with fantastic wool and small size as well as big personalities. They do very well in Alaska! In 2007 I flew up 8 spotted Shetland lambs for my breeding plans and new genetics in Alaska, and 2 more lambs in 2008. I really look forward to the future lambs to arrive here at Silveraurora! I'm also busy with a wonderful dairy goat herd as well, so occasionally you'll see some of my beauties on this blog too!
2 comments:
Thanks!
Couldn't sleep tonight, because I'm shipping a goat much later this morning and keep thinking I'm going to forget something -- or send the wrong goat! LOL! Anyway, decided to check in on blogs and loved reading about how you got to Alaska.
I don't know how you handle the long days in summer. I have a hard enough time with the long days in Illinois. It's 4:46 a.m., the sky is lightening, birds singing, and roosters crowing. I'm still hoping to get a couple hours sleep this morning, but those room-darkening shades sound like a good idea!
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