spring has sprung!

I arrived home from a breakfast meeting and upon going to the barn to check on everyone, this is what I found! The first daughter of Rosebud and William, and the very first lamb ever born at Tulip Tree Hill! I must have come home literally minutes after she was born because she was still wet and figuring out how to use her feet. Very precious. 

I knew Rose was due any time, but other than her udder becoming large, you would never have known she was pregnant. And so I guessed - correctly - as it turned out, that she was going to have a single lamb rather than twins. But that's okay because this little girl appears to be quite healthy and robust. 

So now, a name has to be thought of. Since it's the second day of spring and since all my sheep's names will be botanically oriented, I'm thinking of something along the lines of spring flowers. I've always wanted to name an animal Daffodil. Anyone have any better ideas?

And by the way, this little girl will be for sale, as will Mayapple's lambs when they arrive later this spring. So if you're in the market for a registered Olde English Babydoll Miniature Southdown lamb, shoot me an email.

my new hat!

What you see here is a hat my good friend Bonnie made for me. No big deal, right? Except that The wool came from Jack, my shetland sheep. How wonderful is that? I had to try it on as soon as I got it, of course, and it is so warm and soft without a hint of scratchiness. That's probably because of two things - first, it's shetland wool which is known for it's softness, and second because it is lambswool from Jack's first shearing. God, it's almost enough to make me want to learn to knit. Because I'd really like to have a fisherman's sweater from my sheep's yarn.

meet the sheep: "Sweet William"

So by now you may have figured out that my sheep's names are all botanically oriented. It's a little tougher to name the boys after plants and flowers, but just like his namesake, William is sweet. I suppose his color would be considered a dilute. Under the golden brown sun bleached tips, his wool is a steely gray. Should make for some interesting yarn next year. He'll be shorn for the first time next spring right about when he turns 1 year old. 

A gentle soul, he's friendly, endearing, quiet and mild mannered and, well, sweet. 

So now you've met all of the sheep that live here - Jack, Mayapple, Rose, and William. Hopefully if all goes as planned and William does his job, they'll be joined by the lambs of Rose and Mayapple as well as a couple of additional Shetlands next spring.

meet the sheep: "Rosebud"

Rose is my other babydoll ewe. Although she looks brown due to sun bleaching, her wool is actually black underneath. It would be kind to say that Rose is an easy keeper, extremely easy. Actually, even though you can't see it in this photo, she has a weight problem. On grass alone she really packs on the pounds. Ideally she'll drop a bit of weight during the winter like she did last year because I'm hoping she and Mayapple will have lambs in the spring and lambing will be easier for her if she is not quite so chunky (hefty, robust, fat).

And just like Mayapple, she is 1.5 years old and was sheared for the first time in March. You can see their roving here.

meet the sheep: "Mayapple"

Mayapple is a 1.5 year old Olde English Babydoll Southdown sheep. She's a creamy white color and does indeed have eyes behind all that wool. Typical of babydolls, she is very sweet and even tempered. Calm and docile, she contributes greatly to the peacefulness here at Tulip Tree Hill. She likes hanging out with me if I'm in the pasture, hoping I'll give her a scratch and if I'm working out there, she and the others will often graze companionably near me. 

She was shorn for the first time this spring and I got her wool back from the processors as roving. You can see a photo of it here.

meet the sheep: "Jack-in-the-Pulpit"

Jack is a 1.5 year old shetland wether. I recently said his color was emsket, but I believe he's actually a musket. (Shetlands come in many colors and patterns - each has a gaelic name just to make it even more confusing, uh, I mean interesting.) While his head and legs are a dark brown, his fleece tips bleach to a light golden brown but underneath it is a very pale gray. When spun it produced a very pretty warm gray-brown. 

This little guy has quite an endearing personality. Very bold and outgoing with an affectionate streak, he also has a strong sense of self. He can get quite playful, "sproinking" around the pasture when he's feeling wild and crazy.