Goodbye 2013 .... Hello 2014

 

Those green coats are getting well used .... took them off the 2 ram lambs Saturday morning, kicked them and mom out of the stock trailer into the big world of the rest of the herd.  Got up Sunday morning only to find 2 new lambs, this time 2 ewe lambs, so they got the coats and are now living in the trailer since nights are still down in the low 30's.

 

Temps have been in the 60's during the day .... good for growing winter veggies, I have planted 36 Broccoli and 12 Cauliflower in the raised beds.

 



I planted 18 Lettuce plants in 2 old rusty wheelbarrows, I can move them under cover when needed.

 

 



Dollar is wondering where all the green grass is we should have by now.  Farmers and Ranchers are really going to be hurting if we don't get some rain soon.  All the hills and pastures are still brown and dry.  Weatherman said this morning this is the dryest in the 100 years of record keeping.

 



 

Little bull calf is growing on alfalfa but would be much cheaper to feed if there was any grass in his pasture.

 



 

Wish there was some way to take some of the rain and snow that everyone is already tired of and send some of it to California.  Ski resorts here would love some of your snow and the Farmers and Ranchers would love to have some of your rain.

 

Wishing you all a

 

***** Happy New Year *****



Outgrowing their shirts

Here are the 2 lambs born little over 2 weeks ago, their shirts are more like muscle shirts now, no I have not cut any off, they are just outgrowing them.  Think I will take them off tomorrow and get ready to turn them out with the rest of the ewes and lambs.  Temps are now in the mid 30's at night and still in the 60's during the day.

 

 

Today there was a big package in my mailbox ....Sweatshirt sleeves ........... I hope no one in Idaho is running around with cold arms.   I had sent a picture of the lambs the day they were born to my cousin's daughter ........ today she sent me a whole wardrobe for future lambs, LOL.  Now I am thinking how handy these will be when the Shetlands start to lamb, first off, it will be easier to keep track of twins born to ewes if they have matching coats, and if I start off getting them used to wearing something they should be easier to get them to wear coatx.

.

 

Still no significant rain here, it has only rained twice about 1/2 inch each time, grass is trying to sprout but until we get a really good rain and the ground gets some much needed moisture there is nothing for the sheep or goats to eat.  My latest stack of 72 bales of alfalfa is dwindling fast.

 

Hope everyone had a great Christmas

and

looking forward to a

Great New Year!

Merry Christmas to All

I should have taken the date off my camera tonight, since I did not put up a tree this year I pulled out a picture of my first Teddy Bear Tree from `99, this was the first year I did this kind of tree, the one in 2000 was much better but I don't know where I put the pictures.

 

I now have a trunk full of stuff animals for decorating one of my Christmas Trees, not only are there oodles of Teddy Bears there is a collection of sheep, some goats, border collies and dalmatians and a Christmas Mouse.

 

Best wishes for a Happy Holiday Season and looking forward to a really

great New Year, hope I remember to date my checks 2014.

It's been awhile .......................

Hmmm, been a month + since I posted, lots going on, cousin and his wife were here for 5 days, one daughter came to visit for 4 days, sick for a week, and then cousin was back for 2 days.  Add this to cold weather, new lambs, and issues with my truck, replacing one piece at a time, new battery, new starter, new alternator, getting a new truck one piece at a time.

 

Single little ram lamb born Nov.  22.

 

Snow last Saturday morning, was supposed to snow at 500 ft. but it is at about 1500, I like to look at it but glad it is up higher, I am at 463 ft.

 



 

Didn't see one ewe when I was feeding, found her with her lambs down in the ditch out of the wind, hmm, 2 more ram lambs.  Out of the last 5 lambs, 4 are rams.  Hope those stats change when it is time for the Shetlands to lamb.

 

And now wearing sleeves from an old sweatshirt and bedded down in the stock trailer.

 

Still debating about pulling out Christmas decorations, as much as I like them, it will be time to put them away so soon, but I will dig out some.

 

 

Hope everyone is staying safe, warm and dry,

 

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Winners

My cousin and his wife are here for a visit so she drew the winning names for me. 

And the winners of the Tombstone Livestock and Tombstone Tidings giveaway are ............

Betty from Thru my Back Door won the Erma Bombeck Book.
Sara from Punkin's Patch won the roving.

Congratulations you two, I have more roving and a Erma Bombeck book so those that did not win will have a chance again in the future.

Draft Horse Auction Sale Items and Birthday Presents

Last Saturday I went with my daughters to the big Draft Horse and Equipment Sale in Tulare, CA.  This is a huge and very fun event, there are well trained horses, wagons, carts, stage coaches, chuck wagons, and surreys for sale.  This year there were hundreds of saddles for sale along with a lot of antique and craft items too.  This used to be held in Spring and Fall, not sure if I missed the spring sale or if they are now just holding it once a year.

 

 Neat Barn wood hutch for someone's patio

 

 

 and a sink with a hand pump to go with it

 

 

a nice garden bench from old wheels

 

 

 

I would have brought this life size sheep home to put in my pasture but they were not aucitoning it off til much later or maybe even the next day

 

 

 an outhouse for children or a short person

 

 

I have 6 more photos but I have tried to post them all afternoon and keep getting an error, so that's all for now.  There were a couple of barn wood playhouses, and outhouse with a short door, showing a pair of ladies boots and lace trimmed skirt under the door.  Also took a picture of a tractor disk on a stand to hold briquets under cast iron dutch over for cooking outdoors. 

 



I bought myself a couple of birthday presents lately. 

 



One of our Fiber Group Members was going to sell this wheel at the Weaver's Guild, but I bought it instead, It's a Clemes and Clemes, ruh roh, just noticed I left a toilet paper tube on the lazy kate, LOL, I was going to wind off the bottom bobbin to take the yarn back to the owner.  The white yarn on the kate is a full bobbin I spun on this wheel the day I bought it.

 

Since everyone seems to name their wheels I think I will call her Clementine.  The Ashford can be Ashley and the Louet will be Louise .....................

 

I got this really neat dress form at the Draft Horse Sale and Auction.

 

Guess she needs a name ..... Auction Annie, Tulare Tess, Dressform Dotty????  Hmmm any suggestions?

 

And a birthday present from one of my daughter's ...

a birdhouse made out of one of her old boots and a horse bit.

 

Some Beautiful Spinnings Wheels

Last week I went to the Handweaver's Guild craft show, some spinning wheels were for sale, lots of beautiful scarves, towels, blankets and rugs were displayed and for sale as well as some other hand crafts.  There were people demonstating washing, picking, carding, spinning, weaving and felting wool also.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween !!!!!

 

 

 

It's time for a Tombstone Giveaway, since I have 2 blogs, I am doing 2 giveaways.  One is Shetland Wool Roving for my fiber followers and for the non fiber followers an Erma Bomback Book both giveaways include a bar of homemade soap (not by me but by a friend).  Leave your name in the comments and let me know if you prefer fiber or the book and I will have 2 separate drawings next Wednesday.  Leave me your coments before 7:00 p.m. Wednesday and I will post winners Thursday.

 

 

 

 

 

P.S. If you are up to your ears in wool I would be happy to subtitute some Mohair in it's place.

Did you hug a sheep today?

 

Today was Hug a Sheep day but since there was a conflict with today also being the Handweaver's Guild Sale 50 miles away it left little time for hugging.  I did get lots of pictures of some really nice spinning wheels that I will put in another post.

 

But I did take out some Fruit Newton Peach and Apricot cookies to the sheep.  For some reason my camera is not co-operating.  Between holding the cookies, and the camera and trying to keep Ollie (black ewe on right) from stealing the whole package of cookies I missed a lot of shots.  This is Brandy, she loves cookies and hugs, on her left is Daisy, Daisy would grab her cookie and then run back away from the fence to eat it.  Hopefully camera issue will be resolved with just charging up the batteries.

 

Hmmm, looks like someone has found some eyeliner, getting ready for Halloween????

And his sister too?

 

 

Been a long day, hope everyone had a good day and hugged a sheep (or even a goat)

 

I know I will sleep good tonight.

The Big, Big, BIG FRESNO FAIR

I was really disappointed in the Livestock Barn this year, most of the barn was closed due to change of species and today they were bringing in cattle and the barn was closed until afternoon.  Every year in the past when I have gone to the fair they have had hundreds of ewes in large pens due to lamb throughout the 11 days of the fair.  This year the whole project was downsized with maybe 50 ewes max and only 1 had lambed so far with a set of twins.  Six days into the fair I expected to see lambs everywhere.  Some of these by the looks of their udders may not even lamb before the fair ends  Sunday.

 

 

 

 

Just a few of the fantastic quilts on display at the fair. There were hundreds of quilts on display hanging on balcony railing all around the building.

 

 

 

 

At one of the entrances to the fair is a great place for kids, an amusement park quality play area.

 

 







 

 Ol' prospecter shows you how to pan for gold, a fort to climb up in the towers and slide down.  A pirate ship and a place to fish

 



 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Since I have won a couple of giveaways lately time to have one myself, stay tuned coming soon.

 

Until then check out fellow bloggers giveaway over at Little Homestead's blog http://www.bitoflife.com/2013/10/bumblewood-giveaway

for some wonderful homemade soaps and lotions.

 

(Note:  Looks like my link fell short, click on Home tab at the top of her page) 

 

 

Change of Seasons, Change in the Weather

Last week was a very busy week, daughter and friend came to visit for 3 days, turned into 4, but we got the sheep and goats sheds all cleaned out with the tractor.  I still have some fences to put back up.  Lambs got their tags, learned after last years fiasco to tag first before sending in papers.  Last year a couple of tags got "tagged before they got to the lambs ears", clamped the pliers down accidentally while wrestling with the lamb.  

Saturday evening  it got extremely windy and big clouds came in.  There is highway construction about 5 miles west of me.  Orchards were torn out and now roadbeds are being graded and more dirt being hauled in.  I think half that dirt got blown my way with the winds.  When I went out to do chores the sky was so brown I could not even see the mountains.  I had changed my camera card and had done something so I didn't get any pictures of all the blowing dust, figured I better take care of critters first.  Clouds did not bring me any rain but a friend up in the hills above me got a cloudburst of rain and hail at her house.  Sunday morning brought clear blue skies.

Have to share this picture of Bella and Dollar, I was on the computer and they are leaving me no way out, they want to be sure if I move they will notice.

This is Sadie, half Border Collie, half Heinz, but OCD about hair sheep having any wool.  Here she is trying to get it and pull it out.  It is just a small patch but annoying her none the less.  I am glad she does not do this to the Shetlands.

"Well it's not pulling out so maybe if I can chew it off with my back teeth I can get it."  That is a very patient ram she is chewing on.

The weather has changed almost overnight, down to the 50's at night instead of 80's, time to get out all those layers of clothes and put away the short sleeve t-shirts.

Looking forward to Fair time next week.