Shhhh. Dan is sleeping.
This year's snow photos are already piling up!
1/12/11: Gus and Marta
1/14/11: Joe and All Four Dogs
1/22/11: Jumping for Joy
1/23/11: Winter Wonderland
1/25/11: Bert Learns to Boogie
1/27/11: Snow Play
2/2/11: Winter Wonderland 2
© FarmgirlFare.com, the slip sliding foodie farm blog where big boy Bert spent the entire day outside, except for a few quick trips into The Shack to sniff up some treats and remind me of just how darn adorable he is. The tips of his flappy ears were a little cold, but he doesn't need boots or a jacket out there on the frozen tundra; he keeps plenty warm by wiggling.
Hi! Love your farm! And all your animals. I plan on getting a breed of sheep. And I'm partial to how cute they look to me. I love your two sheep pics above. I know you've written about the breed(s) you have, but could you tell me about the ones in your post here? I love the black-faced sheep. Plus, I'm pure fiber, not meat, so that's another thing I'm looking for. Thanks! Jill
ReplyDeletejf45atymaildotcom
What a heavenly place for an animal to live. I wanna come back as one of your critters...
ReplyDeleteHere in the Northeast, we're bombed with snow - so it's especially lovely to see your photos without the six foot snowpiles. Waiting for Spring has never been harder.....
ReplyDeleteBert seems to be slimming down and losing some of his puppy fat -- maybe it's because he must take two steps to keep up with every one of Marta Beast's!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos! We have the same pretty but dangerous icy coating here on the CT coast - the trees are like sparkly diamonds in the sunlight, but it's seriously slippery. I outfitted my gang with stretchy snap-on cleats (yaktrax is one brand), making the icy packed snow navigable.
ReplyDeleteI only have to worry about picking my way through the ice to feed my neighborhood birds and some chubby squirrels (as well as a house full of hungry teens). I can't imagine feeding 230 head of sheep plus chickens plus the donkeys down in Donkeyland!
P.S. I followed your advice and started using parchment paper for all of my cookie and scone baking - the results are fantastic, and what a time saver. I'm able to use the same sheet for most batches so I don't feel too profligate!
Bert is so cute, the way he seems to tag along with the big dogs, learning the ropes of how to be a real farm dog, while the big dogs seem to be so patient with him! like everybody's little brother.
ReplyDelete*sigh* it's just lovely. i'm so glad to have the vicarious therapy of your photos to get me through my office-bound days! :)
ReplyDeleteIn my office in Seattle at a balmy 51 degrees with a light mist.
ReplyDeleteHope you and all your wonderful animals stay warm and cozy!
The pic of the chain and wire frozen with ice is absolutely spellbinding...
LOL...at the cat standing on somebodies feet.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely pictures! The animals seem so happy, and I've always loved your farm. I always wanted to live on some land like yours. Thanks for sharing the winter picture's with us. You take great pictures.
ReplyDeleteI am always agog at your photography skills, but your first photo is so amazing I am left speechless. That sky, those trees...so, so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteSue
Hi Everybody,
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the comments!
Jill,
When it comes to sheep, we definitely do cute well around here - at least I think so. ;)
The yearling lamb in the second photo is a Suffolk/Katahdin cross. Suffolk is a meat breed with black faces and black legs and very coarse wool, which is usually used for things like blankets. Katahdins are a meat breed hair sheep that don't need to be sheared. You can read more about how and why we added Katahdins to our flock a few years ago here.
The big brown guy in the top photo is *ahem* one of my several friendly pet wethers, kept because I have a soft spot for the black sheep, whose wool fades to brown in the sun.
When I bought my original mixed breed flock back in 1995, the plan was to raise colored wool sheep, and for the first few years I bred all the ewes to a black Border Leicester ram with nice long wool. All of my ewes except for the Katahdins are still related to the original flock, which is where the black ones like this guy come from.
Leslie,
Ha! Joe's sister said the exact same thing last week. That is the sweetest compliment. :)
Julia G,
Yikes - we don't have anywhere near 230 sheep. Thank goodness. Catering to the 55 we currently have is plenty. ;)
So glad to hear that baking with unbleached parchment paper is working out so well for you. I, too, love that you can usually reuse each sheet several times.
Sue,
Thanks for the kind words about my photography. I think Mother Nature was mostly responsible for that first photo, though. Sometimes she makes it so easy. :)