Tuesday, March 19

Tuesday Dose of Brand New Baby Cute

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (1) - FarmgirlFare.com
Two-year-old Helga and her newborn ram lamb (photos taken February 9th).

So how do you distinguish yourself from the flock when you're not the first mother of the season, you don't have triplets, and by the time it is your turn to give birth, twins are already old news?

Why naturally, you accessorize!

17 more photos and an update below. . .

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (2) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (3) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (4) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (5) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (6) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (7) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (8) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (9) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (10) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (11) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (12) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (13) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (14) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (15) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (16) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (17) - FarmgirlFare.com

Helga cleaning up her newborn lambs (18) - FarmgirlFare.com

Remember this gigantic cutie pie? That's Helga, who grew up to be one of our best ewes (except for the fact that she hates us). This is her first time at motherhood, and she did a beautiful job. She and her twins and our other 17 lambs are all doing well, and the three cases of mastitis we've been treating finally (knock on wool) seem to be under control (apparently it's been a really bad year around here for mastitis).

This is good, because after two weeks of slogging along with some sort of cold/flu/whatever, a week ago I woke up to find it had gotten about ten times worse and I've been sick as a dog ever since.

During a quick trip into town yesterday to pick up the mail, our weekly 50-pound sack of dog food, and our weekly three gallon order of raw Jersey milk—which is mostly being sucked down by my two bottle lambs—Joe heard that a nasty bug running rampant through the area has been keeping people down for two to four weeks. When I called to renew my library books this morning (I love being able to do that), the librarian told me some people simply can't seem to get better. Not good news.

I'm doing all the right things, like gargling with warm salt water, rubbing garlic oil on the bottoms of my feet, chugging down plenty of water and Breathe Easy tea and hot toddies (toddys?), and devouring an entire jar of this amazingly good honey, plus taking all sorts of herbal supplements and meds. I'm hoping to be over the hump and on the mend soon (there's a kitchen garden that needs planting!).

In the meantime, my hunky farmguy, who is taking his Oscillococcinum and trying desperately not to get sick, has taken on all my farm chores, including the feeding of my two voracious bottle babies (not Helga's).

This morning I told him that we could probably go ahead and cut them back to just three feedings a day instead of four, and he said, "Oh sure. You say that from the safety of your bed."

Bottle lambs tend to get a little. . . excited when it's time to eat, which to them means any time they lay their starving eyes on you. And they don't exactly understand it when you say, "Sorry, we've decided to cancel lunch from now on." I was actually knocked to the ground one year by bottle babies, but that was a ravenous pack of three. Good thing they're all so darn cute.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where less than an hour after two-year old Helga had her lambs, Helga's mother, E-4, gave birth to her own set of twins. It was a serious case of mother/daughter Saturday afternoon cute overload.

14 comments:

  1. Dang, girl, you've been sick for a while now, huh ?~! I sure hope you get your feet back under you soonest and that HF doesn't catch whatever you are harboring.

    Cute overload is exactly accurate-the lambs are to squeal over and yearn for petting privileges. How cute can they get !~!

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  2. I sure hope it's an L year. Leaf (Leif?) and Litter! No wait, if mama Helga is 2, that means it's a J year? Anyway Helga sure knows how to match her jewellery to her golden brown complexion!

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  3. Hi Susan - she sure looks like a Shetland :-) Sorry to hear you've been so ill - it has been a hard year for a lot of people - hope your techniques have you getting better soon. Best wishes! T.

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  4. Sending fresh, warm Spring breezes to blow away the ick. Maybe it is time to break out the kimchi. ;). It sounds like you guys are doing everything else, maybe time for some lactofermented brassicas mixed with always healthy onions and radishes? Susan, I've just made my 2nd ever batch and I'm telling you, nothing can get me now :). Feel better soon! These shots of Helga and her babies are priceless. Since she isn't friendly, are you able to bring her and her babies into the barn or do they just stay outside now? Soo darling!

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  5. You have a sheep that hates you? You, the bearer of food? Ingrate.

    So sorry to hear about your illness and Joe's additional workload. It's been a bad flu season all over, I hear. Must have invaded your remote hiding place via those library books. :-) Fingers crossed for a complete recovery soon. And that Joe is spared entirely.

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  6. Helga's Mom's name is E-4? LOL... That last bit tickled me... I hope you get better soon and thanks for the sweet pictures, I love the mom & babies, so sweet.

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  7. Commiserating from NY with my own ongoing bronchial issues and what seems like a never-ending winter. Congrats to all moms and babies, and Susan, get well very soon!

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  8. All the best to you! The lambs are too cute!
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  9. My husband and I wake each morning and check out your blog. At first he would just look, smile and go back to whatever he was doing. Now, every morning, he is the first wanting to see what great pics are being posted by the farm girl. Hope you two and all your sweet animals are up, healthy and out in the lovely spring days soon (at least our's our lovely right now here in CO).
    Verna

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  10. Awwwwww there is nothing sweeter than a new baby lamb!!!!! Sweet little thing. I'm glad the others who are ill seem to be doing better (knock on wool ;) )

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  11. Hi Everybody,
    Thanks so much for all the helpful advice and well wishes!

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  12. Those little lambs are seriously cute! Silly Helga having them out there in the leaves!
    There have been some folks seriously sick with that nasty bug around here too. So far, I have avoided it.
    I hope you get to feeling better!

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  13. What type of sheep do you have.my sister just turned me on to your blog. I am doing what you do in Maryland. I have 7 bottle babies.

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December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

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