Black Gulmoget Ram Lamb

I have decided that this black gulmoget ram lamb needs to be shown at the Michigan Fiber Festival. He is coming on now like 'mad' and is looking fabulous! His dam is Underhill Ethel (fawn) and His sire is ShdltrgPines Justinian. I'm thinking I should also repeat the breeding next year! :-)

Three Ewe Lambs

Here are photos of 3 ewe lambs that I find interesting. I really like the photo of the one standing by the tree. I'm collecting photos to eventually have a calendar made. I've had trouble getting poses that I think are "calendar worthy"! One of these days I want Nancy K. to come out and photograph my flock for me! :-) She does such good work with her camera!

Aeoline is a moorit smirslet. She is the one standing by the tree.

Quarte is the dark moorit smirslet. I'm hoping she keeps her dark coloration. I don't think I've had a spotted lamb that dark before in the brown tones.

Quinzième is the one that I think may be mioget or fawn. I believe she has mioget on both sides of her pedigree.

Viole Conique Arrives!

I got home Thursday morning to find that SheltrgPines Xene had lambed. She had a single black gulmoget ewe lamb I'm naming Viole Conique. Her photo (shortly after birth) is posted here.

I will also post a photo of Voix Angelique. I'd be curious to know what color you think she is. She was born black....shortly after I decided she was "Shetland Black". Her picture always makes her look "brownish". Surely she is an oddly colored girl.

Some of My Favorite Lambs

There are always those lambs each year that "stick out" in your mind....seeing them every day when you do chores. Cor de Nuit is just such one of those! :-) She is a spotted katmoget ewe lamb out of Justalit'l Lana and Underhill Thelonius Monk. Lana carries spots (or is possibly spotted) and is Ag/Aa BB/Bb S?/Ss. Thelonius Monk is owned by Bill Stearman in Canada and I had use of him last Autumn while he was awaiting the border to open between Canada and the USA. Thelonius is a spotted katmoget. Anwyay, Cor de Nuit has just a "perfect look". She's very square and has a very uniform fleece....very crimpy...and a very light gray...almost mother of pearl sheen to it. I'm posting her picture on today's blog.

Another great favorite this year is a horned ewe lamb named Plein Jeu. She is also a spotted katmoget...but has a bit more 'flash' colorwise. Her dam is SheltrgPines The Holy Grail (carries spots) and her sire is also Underhill Thelonius Monk. (spotted katmoget). I will paste her photo here to...taken out in the new pasture. Plein Jeu is pictured first....then Cor de Nuit.

Sheep with "Presence"

I was out with my camera last night in the pasture and snapped a few photos of sheep with "presence". One such is a moorit/white yuglet/flecket ram lamb born May 8th (making him 8 weeks old). I have had my eye on him from his birth "pegging him" as a possible breeding ram. I've named him Trompette en Chamade after the horizontally mounted HUGE trumpet pipes on the pipe organ. (believe me, these things will "blow you out" of the church). :-) This guy has incredibly lusterous wool in unique lock formations. It will be interesting to see how he turns out. His dam, SheltrgPines Hagia Sophia, is 25% UK (Timothy/Jamie) and his sire, SheltrgPines Dionysios, is 50% UK (Lightning/Timothy/Jamie).

Also, pictured is a gray Blettet ram lamb I plan to show at MFF. He is the son of Winter Sky Moonstruck and SheltrgPines Demetrios. He has lots of "presence".

Lazy Summer Days

Hot, dry weather has arrived here and the sheep are seeking spots of shade to relax in. Yesterday we had a large group of spinners here at the farm and had grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. Everyone brought food and what a time it was. Matt and Jamie (from Wooly Knob) were here and brought rovings back to several spinners who had sent fleeces back with them last spin and everyone was enthralled with looking at each other's rovings! :-) Of course several fleeces were sent home with Matt and Jamie to have more roving processed. We're all very appreciative of their being willing to deliver the product at these spins. We have so much fun with them here.

Mandy (one of the spinners attending) took some photos and I'll post a couple. One is of my favorite ram, SheltrgPines Darius. The other photo is of a frog on lily pads in the goldfish pond!

CHRISTMAS II ARRIVES AT SHELTERING PINES

Christmas II has arrived at Sheltering Pines. I refer to Lambing Time As Christmas! :-)Yesterday (Thursday) Justalit'l Black Lambo gave birth to a black gulmoget ewe lamb! I was delighted. I haven't kept a daughter yet out of Lambo, so just maybe this is the one to keep. And since I haven't "pegged" any of the gulmogets born yet this year for keeping....I'd say this is the one! I've named her Grand Cornet. Our naming scheme this year is based on "Stops on Classical Pipe Organs". Being a classical pipe organ music fan myself, I thought the names on the stops were really cool for lamb names. Here is a photo of Grand Cornet, with her Dam, Justalit'l Black Lambo. (her sire is SheltrgPines Justinian).

Munching new pasture!

Tuesday we let the flock out on new pasture. Back in April we fenced in another 8 acres of our hay field. 1 1/2 weeks ago we had 1st cutting hay taken off it....I was waiting for the 1st cutting to be taken before letting the flock out onto the new pasture.

Since we routed the sheep through a different "gated area" I knew it may take a bit before they were used to going out there. Well, they learned very quickly. IN fact, it only took them one time to know the way back. I was amazed. Who ever said sheep were dumb? Probably someone who never owned any!