I got the results back from my micron tests yesterday.  I am posting them below.  It looks like I have a lot of room for improvement!

Name	MIC	SD	CV	CEM	<	CF %	SF	SL	MIN	MAX	FPFT	MFE	SD	CRV	SDC
	AVE	MIC	MIC		15%		MIC	mm	MIC	MIC	mm	MIC	Along	Dg/mm	Dg/mm
Andalucite	25	5.5	22	10.3	1.9	85.2	24.5	85	22.7	26.8	5	23.7	1.2	61.6	44.5
Appalachian Spring	24	4.4	18	8	1	92.5	22.9	75	21.8	25.8	5	22.3	1.28	66.6	49.3
Axle	20	5.6	28	10.4	16.8	96.1	20.7	50	17.9	20.7	0	19.3	0.99	88.9	64
Carmina Burana	22	4	19	7	3.5	98.3	20.5	95	19.3	23.2	0	19.8	1.21	71	53
China	22	3	14	5.6	0.3	99.1	20.1	105	20.5	22.4	5	21.3	0.5	73.2	49.6
Copper Sky	24	6.2	26	12.8	2.1	83.9	24.6	85	20.5	27.5	0	23.6	2.42	54.4	44.6
Debonaire	26	5.3	20	9.3	1	81.1	25.2	95	23.4	29.2	5	24.9	1.49	53.1	41.6
Fanfare	20	3.9	19	7.1	5.3	98.9	19.4	75	18.8	22.1	0	19.1	0.95	75.7	60
Fur Elise	21	3.9	19	6.9	4.2	98.8	19.9	95	18.6	22.7	90	19.4	1.17	79.6	57.6
J'adore	25	5	20	8.5	1.7	86.2	24.4	85	23.6	27.3	80	23.7	1.07	49.3	38.9
L'air du temps	24	3.9	16	6.6	0.4	95.2	22.8	85	21.3	26.4	80	22.9	1.51	68.7	50.8
Gold Leaf	22	3.8	18	7.1	1.4	97.5	20.4	100	20.8	22.7	0	21	0.57	69.7	47.7
SheltrgPines	25	4.5	18	8.2	0.8	88.1	24.1	85	23.5	26.8	5	24.6	1.05	62.1	51.4
Midsummer Dusk	25	3.8	15	6.8	0.1	92.1	23.5	95	23.4	25.9	0	24.1	0.58	85.8	57.9
Nocturne Shade	26	4.3	17	8.3	0.1	86.7	24.3	70	24.3	26.9	5	25.7	0.84	71.1	52.7
Persian Dance	25	4.2	17	7.6	0.5	91.3	23.4	105	22.8	26.7	0	23.7	0.92	55.3	41.9
Velvet Night	27	5.7	21	10.5	0.3	72.9	26.6	95	23.1	30.5	0	26	2.32	61.1	47.7

Shearing finally accomplished for 2013!

Due to the shearer having the flu and needing to go to the ER room our shearing on March 2 had to be postponed.   He was able to reschedule for March 8th.   The girls were already in the "rise" so I was very happy to get the job done.   

Thankfully the weather was great and I was even able to let the flock outside for 2 days after shearing.  We're getting snow today though and I have them locked inside the barn as the wind is pretty high and the wind chill lower than I want them subjected to.

On January 30, 2013 we celebrated my mother's 100th birthday! 

I am posting a few photos below of the celebration.

Mom and her 100th B'day cake.

Mom, my sister, Beth and 2 of her kids with their spouses.

Group photo of the family in attendance at the celebration.   (there were a great many unable to attend)

Lambs Growing

It seems spring 2012 is speeding by.   Lambing finished up here at Sheltering Pines on April 9, 2012 and the lambs are growing well on pasture that started at a record date here in southwestern Michigan!

SheltrgPines Carmina Burana:  probably 

mioget or fawn smirslet ewe lamb out 

of SheltrgPines J'adore x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Rodeo:  probably mioget or fawn ram lamb 

and probably scurred out of 

SheltrgPines J'adore x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Also Sprach Zarathustra:  Fawn/white Yuglet/Flecket/Sokket ram lamb (probably scurred or horned) out of SheltrgPines Andalucite x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Fanfare for the Common Man:  Fawn Katmoget Smirslet 

ram lamb (probably horned) out of 

SheltrgPines Andalucite x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Ode to Joy:  Fawn Katmoget Krunet ewe lamb 

out of SheltrgPines Champs Elysées x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Appalachian Spring:  Fawn Katmoget Smirslet/Flecket

ewe lamb out of  SheltrgPines 

Champs Elysées x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Litanies:  Black horned ram lamb

out of SheltrgPines Debonaire x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Fur Elise:  Gray Katmoget ewe lamb 

out of SheltrgPines Debonaire x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Blue Danube:  Grey Katmoget Smirslet 

ewe lamb out of 

SheltrgPines L'air du temps x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Le jardin suspendu:  Brown (moorit?  dark brown?) 

ram lamb out of 

SheltrgPines L'air du temps x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

SheltrgPines Lakmé:  moorit (modified brown?) ewe lamb 

out of SheltrgPines Anais Anais x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe. 

SheltrgPines Lux Aeterna:  Grey Katmoget ewe lamb

out of SheltrgPines Anais Anais x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe. 

SheltrgPines Simple Gifts:  Moorit (?) Krunet horned ram lamb

out of SheltrgPines Classique x SheltrgPines Grand Luxe.

Sheltering Pines Adult Ewe Flock Autumn 2011-Spring 2012

SheltrgPines Anais Anais - gray katmoget blesset ewe out of V Creek Guinevere x Wintertime Fudge.

(Bred to SheltrgPines Grand Luxe, pictured at bottom, for spring lambs).

Detail (above) of Anais Anais' flece

SheltrgPines Andalucite:  moorit smirslet ewe out of SheltrgPines Ceylon x Wintertime Fudge.

(Bred to SheltrgPines Grand Luxe for spring lambs).

detail of Andalucite's fleece

SheltrgPines Champs Elysées:  moorit smirslet ewe out of SheltrgPines Ceylon x Wintertime Fudge.

(Bred to SheltrgPines Grand Luxe for spring lambs).

detail of Chmps Elysées' fleece

SheltrgPines Classique:  moorit smirslet ewe out of V Creek Guinvere and Wintertime Fudge.

(Bred to SheltrgPines Grand Luxe for spring lambs).

detail of Classique's fleece.

SheltrgPines Bengal:  gray katmoget ewe out of Underhill Alix x SheltrgPines Starry Night.

detail of Bengal's fleece.

SheltrgPines Debonaire:  black ewe out of Justalit'l Black Lambo x Bramble Nick.

(Bred to SheltrgPines Grand Luxe for spring lambs).

detail of  Debonaire's fleece.

SheltrgPines J'adore:  fawn ewe out of WindyAcres Azalea x Wintertime Fudge.

(Bred to SheltrgPines Grand Luxe for spring lambs).

detail of Jadore's fleece.

SheltrgPines L'air du Temps:  gray katmoget ewe out of  SheltrgPines Maura x Wintertime Black Forrest.

(Bred to SheltrgPines Grand Luxe for spring lambs).

detail of Lair du Temps fleece.

SheltrgPines Grand Luxe:  Fawn katmoget smirslet out of SheltrgPines Bengal x Wintertime Fudge.

"Separation" - a short poem by WS Merwin (new Poet Laureate)

Separation
by W. S. Merwin


Your absence has gone through me

Like thread through a needle.

Everything I do is stitched with its color.

An Era Ends at Sheltering Pines

I came home from work this morning and my old friend and trusted livestock guardian dog, Alpha (thus named by her breeder because she was the alpha puppy in the litter) had died in her sleep. I knew she was getting old and had problems but as we always are.....I was not prepared for her to leave this world last night. She was curled up in a hole she had dug to keep cool in and apparently died in her sleep. I will miss her terribly. There is a lot of "history" and sentimentality wrapped up in that old dog. She was Bill's and my first experience wih LGD's. A Maremma by breed and a dog that had many people fooled for the most of her life...she seemed aggressive and most people were terrified of her. I knew her secret: she was a "love" deep inside. Alpha came to live with Bill and me in Nov., 1997. We had gotten our first sheep in 1996 and were afraid of predators and roaming dogs. Alpha came from Julia Farmer's farm in West Virginia. She raised Nubian goats and bred Maremmas. Julia was very particular about placing dogs...she is an incredible person who loved her dogs and wanted them to go to the right home. I will be forever thankful to her for allowing Bill and me to have Alpha. Alpha was 13 years old this year which I am told is pretty old for large breeds. I had a good cry and will miss my wonderful friend and think of her every time I go to the barn. There is a big "hole" in my life right now. I will post some photos of Alpha through the years below.

Alpha guarding over a very pregnant Laura in March 1998

Alpha lying in the barn Nov. 1998. Julia (Alpha's breeder) loved this photo and used it on her web site for many years.

Alpha, Nov. 26, 1998

Bill and Alpha May 31, 2002 soon after she suffered a stroke from the then new heart worm 6 month injection medicaion. That med was removed from the market as many pet owners had horrible problems with it hurting their dogs. We thought Alpha was going to die and were trying to prepare ourselves for her death by buying a new dog, Bella. But thankfully she made a miracualous recovery and lived many more years.

Alpha "vegging" near Bella's kennel soon after Bella's arrival. (june 2002) We were afraid alpha would no "take" well to anothe dog after having been alone for 5 years...but we were soon to learn that a 2nd dog was just what the "doctor ordrered"! They became inseparable friends...and you hardly ever saw one without the other after Bella became used to her
new home.

Bella and Alpha together Aug. 2, 2002 after becoming good friends.

Alpha and Bella doing their "daily rounds" June 2003

Alpha and Bella May 21, 2004

Alpha and Bella May 6, 2006


Alpha, May 19, 2009 (2 days ago): her last photo

Good-bye Alpha. You were an incredible dog and I shall never forget you.

Mother's 96th Birthday

My mother turned 96 years old on January 30, 2009.

Here are a few photos from here "open house".

Mom


My niece giving her "tough" pose. (her black eye was an accident acquired from
playing Wii with her friends. lol

3 of my great nieces


My cousins with my Aunt (father's sister). She's 87.

Lake Michigan in October

My niece took these shots back in October. I thought they were neat so I'm posting them. They were taken at Holland, Michigan...about 30 min. from my farm.