Thursday Farm Photo: Misty Morning Light

Shining on a Brand New Day (& Silly & her Darling Daughter) — Stop and Breathe It In

It's beautiful outside! I'm finishing up a long farm story post that will hopefully be posted tonight, but in the meantime I thought I'd share a glimpse of our morning in case you could use some peaceful scenery.

I've been out checking on the critters, soaking up the sun, surveying the grass situation in the front field (not bad for this time of year, though nothing like it was in June of course), unloading the several hundred pounds of sheep and donkey treats I picked up yesterday in town, watching a high-flying gaggle of geese heading south for the winter (one of the neatest things about living here), and even doing little impromptu donkey manure spreading in the kitchen garden. (And you thought we just kept the donkeys around for their entertainment value.)

I don't know about you, but this kind of light always feels rejuvenating to me. It's so invigorating and full of hope—like anything you might possibly dream up can happen.

Want to see more misty mornings?
7/6/05: Misty Morning Sunrise
8/3/05: Breakfast Under The Mist
8/10/05: View Through The Dew
8/26/05: These Misty Summer Mornings Feel So Peaceful
9/25/05: I Can't Resist These Pink Sunrises
10/11/05: Sheep Into The Mist
11/22/05: From Out Of The Fog, A Little Beagle Dog
11/26/05: October & November Same Scene, New View

2/19/06: Five Seasonal Views of the Haybarn
3/12/06: Misty Morning Rose Lamb
5/13/06: Morning Mist Rising off the Wet Weather Creek
5/25/06: Donkey In The Mist
5/29/06: Sun Hits Morning Mist
8/16/06: Misty Morning Peace - Stop & Breathe It In
11/23/06: Thankful To Call This Place Home

1/1/07: Two Trees Dancing Under The Morning Mist
12/13/07: Slow Traffic Ahead
12/14/07: Good Next Door Neighbors

4/8/08: A Fresh New Day
8/17/08: Quiet for Breakfast
12/11/08: My Favorite View, No Matter What the Season

8/23/09: Morning Peace (I love this series)

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the rubber boot stylin' foodie farm blog where four days of non-stop rain and drizzle makes this dose of late autumn sunshine especially nice to see. Dry, mud! Dry!

Thursday Dose of Cute: Reading Lesson

See Spot.



See Spot Run.

Current Lamb Count: 19. Ewe lambs: 15. Ram lambs: 4. Total number of ewes who have given birth so far: 14. Sets of twins: 5. Number of first time mothers (who all did a fabulous job): 4. Number of previously 'proven' ewes who were bred but, much to our surprise, didn't seem to get pregnant this time around: 2 (though there's still a slim chance they might be). Number of pregnant ewes left: Except for the two just mentioned, we're done! (We cut way back this year, but don't worry, the lambing photos and reports aren't over yet.)

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the mostly literate foodie farm blog (not all of us read around here) where after cracking up over these captions for the last couple of days (I'm very easily amused), I'm now wondering how many people will actually get this dated reference. Did you have fun with Dick and Jane?

Thursday Dose of Cute: Smile for the Camera!

Silly Wendy's Baby Girl, One Day Old (and the side of Silly's still big belly)

Want to see more Silly photos?
3/4/06: Is She Next?
9/7/07: A Wooly Look Back at Lambing Season (and why the wool's gone)
3/20/08: Oh Baby Baby! A Sight for Stressed Eyes
3/25/08: Silly's Twin Girl, Five Days Old
3/27/08: Silly's Twins, aka Future Organic Hay Eaters of America
3/30/08: Just Hangin' with Mom

Current lamb count: 14. Baby chick count: 8. (Pictures and an update hopefully coming soon!)

© 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the pink and white foodie farm blog where, as I've mentioned before, all you have to do to jumpstart a lagging lambing season is leave the farm for 12 somewhat worrisome hours. Sure enough, after finally arriving back home near midnight, a mad dash down to the barn thankfully found everybody hungry (especially my bottle lamb!) but fine, and 7 year old Silly Wendy (who received the second half of her name back in 2005 during the now infamous Name That Sheep Contest) happily bonding with her healthy and darling baby girl—the first lamb born in a week.

3/30/08 Daily Dose Of Cute

Just Hangin' With Mom

Need A Bigger Cute Fix?
More Daily Dose Of Cute Photos
Lambing Season 2006 Photos
Lambing Season 2007 Photos
Lambing Season 2008 Photos
More Sheep Stories & Photos
Farm Stories & Farm Life Tidbits

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where everything is black and white and cute all over - and you never want to be too far from the milk bar.

3/27/08: Daily Dose Of Cute

Future Organic Hay Eaters Of America

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where lambing season isn't even in full swing and we're already on the verge of cute overload.

Farm Photo 3/25/08: Daily Dose Of Cute

Silly Wendy's Twin Girl, Five Days Old

One Little Lamb Not Enough?
Lambing Season 2006 Photos
Lambing Season 2007 Photos
Lambing Season 2008 Photos
More Sheep Stories & Photos
Farm Stories & Farm Life Tidbits

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where snuggling adorable baby lambs so they'll become friendly and used to being handled is just part of the day's work. It's rough stuff, but somebody around here's gotta do it.

Farm Photo 3/20/08: Oh Baby Baby!

A Sight For Stressed Eyes

The donkey peddling cowboy was held up doctoring some of his cows yesterday and couldn't come check on the sheep, but thankfully we were able to ford the creek river in our big farm ton truck late yesterday afternoon (what an adventure!). I'd put Silly Wendy (who received the second half of her name during our Name That Sheep Contest) in a bonding pen the day before because I knew she was extremely close to lambing - unlike two weeks ago when I kept her in one for four days and finally realized she wasn't nearly as close as I'd thought. I was thrilled to see that while I was stuck on the other side of the creek from the barn she had given birth two a big pair of healthy and adorable twins.

But that's old news. I still remember the first time I read a James Herriot book. I was in junior high school and picked one up because one of my best pals had become totally addicted to them. The first chapter began with Dr. Herriot tending to a prolapsed cow, and, squeamish as I was, I couldn't understand why in the world my friend was in love with these icky books. And while I later fell in love with them, I certainly never pictured myself doing something eerily similar nearly 30 years later.

I'll spare those of you who are here only for the food and cute animal pictures any more details. Just know that tonight was another one of those James Herriot moments - only the vet was nowhere in sight. I've definitely expanded my sheep tending skills, and the mother-to-be has been 'put back together,' but with a broken water bag and no baby in sight yet it's looking to be a very long night. Heading back down to the barn now.

© Copyright 2008 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where living with livestock means there's never a dull moment, and inbetween picking out and picking up five different colors of paint for the new building and dealing with lambing emergencies, Joe found a moment to present me with a beautiful first day of spring gift - a single blooming daffodil he plucked from the yard.

Farm Photo 9/7/07: A Wooly Look Back At Lambing Season

Silly Wendy & Her Baby Girl On April 12th, 2006

It's hard for me to believe that I've taken something like 15,000 photos since I started this blog back in June 2005, especially considering I'd only taken a few hundred during the previous 37 years. And I certainly never imagined I'd be constantly strapped to my camera. But it seems like the few times I decide to leave it in The Shack I come upon a fabulous photo opportunity, like the dragonfly that landed on the truck antenna six times the other day while I stood watching and framing photos I couldn't take with my fingers. The bright blue sky made a perfect background.

I keep several files of photos I plan to post, but for some reason or another many of them never actually make it up here. Mostly it's a timing thing. I always seem to be running behind, and it feels odd posting a photo of something that's out of date, like summer flowers in January or Silly Wendy with this tiny lamb who is now a grown up lady sheep.

I came across this photo the other day and immediately set it as the desktop background on my computer. When Joe saw it, he said, "Ohhh, that's so cute--even with the little pile of sheep pellets!" I figured any photo that can make a tough farmguy say the word 'cute' and passes muster even if it has manure in it deserves to be shared, no matter when it was taken.

Silly Wendy, who received the second half of her name during the infamous Farmgirl Fare Name That Sheep Contest, is Doll Face's daughter. While we're starting to see a real conformity within the flock (translation: I can't tell some of this year's lambs apart), she and Doll Face each have a very unique, but very different, look. Eleven-year-old Doll Face is small with delicate features. Five-year-old Silly Wendy has a much larger frame, a snow white snout, and the biggest pink nose I've ever seen on a sheep.

Last spring Silly Wendy gave birth to a cute and sturdy ram lamb, but he and all the other lambs never seemed this small compared to their mothers because for the first time we sheared the sheep before lambing season.

It was by far one of the best things we've ever done, both for the flock and for us, and if all goes with the winter weather and the sheep shearer's schedule, we'll shear the sheep before lambing season every year from now on. That means we won't be seeing these big wooly mothers again, which is another good reason to share such an outdated slice of life from the farm.

It's hard to believe that sheep breeding season starts next month!

Want to see more?
Scenes From Lambing Season 2006
Scenes From Lambing Season 2007
Scenes From Sheep Shearing 2007

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Farm Photo: 4/1/07

Making Mischief In The Morning Light

Lamb Report:
It's no joke! There are 31 lambs bouncing around the barnyard, including a big baby boy born less than two hours ago to Silly Wendy. Yep, I need to get back down to the barn. More details regarding all these baby lambs hopefully soon. I've written numerous posts and stories in my head, though so far they haven't made it any further than that. But you know I'm taking plenty of pictures.

A year of Farm Photos ago:
4/1/06: Spring Has Sprung! (And it sprang even earlier this year, as that flowering bush is already in full bloom. It's going to be a very strange spring.)
3/31/06: Doll Face & Her Baby Boy
3/30/06: More Old Stuff Just Hanging Around

Daily Farm Photo: 3/4/06

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Trivia Tidbit (carried around since grammar school):
This is the only day of the year that gives a command.