On The Coldest Days I Wear Willard

Dressing for the cold is a strange balance of warmth and comfort.  For example, the green jacket I usually wear is not my warmest coat, but it's my most comfortable.  It's warm enough if I put a wool sweater underneath and it's lightweight and slick on the inside and I can move and work in it without it weighing me down and feeling stiff.

None of my sweaters are heavy and uncomfortable and most are quite warm, but for some reason my Willard sweater is the one I always grab on the coldest mornings.  It's also the one I picked on the morning after the chicken disaster.  The temperature wasn't that cold, but I was mentally freezing.  I always called B. Willard "The Sheep of Impeccable Character" and he truly was.  Willard took good care.

His sweater is cozy by design (a simple Elizabeth Zimmerman percentage sweater pattern) made with thick yarn and a tall neck, but also because the yarn was spun so that even though the yarn is thick, it is light and airy.  Both the yarn and the sweater trap and hold warm air like a warm Willard hug.

I actually started this post a couple of weeks ago, but knew it was going to be hard to look back through all the old blog posts to find the picture below of us "dressed alike", but as Bea and I sat in the truck the other day, trying to get our nerve up to get out, I snapped this picture and knew it was more important to say "On the coldest days I wear Willard" than to leave it forever in the drafts.

Wear your irreplaceable handspun hand knits.  There's magic in them...and good company.  I've been wearing this sweater every winter since...

...2011 (!).  The sweater is holding up better than I am.  :-o

Here's a new freezing cold puzzle for you.  Hope you have a Willard sweater or a wool blanket or maybe a warm cat on your lap :-).

Solstice Sheep Of The Day - Short Round

Short Round only came here because I wanted something good to come out of sweet little Early's short life.  

There had been a screw up in the lambing shed the day Early was born and Kathy thought Short Round was only going to have one lamb so she grafted a triplet from another ewe onto her. She was headed to the other farm when I pulled in later in the morning and she told me to keep an eye on the adoption, but that she thought it looked good.

I made my rounds of the lambing jugs and when I got around to the grafting pen there were three lambs in there.  Okay, I must have gotten confused, so I checked the other jug pens again.  Nope, I had been at the right pen.  At least four hours after she'd had her first lamb, Short Round had a second lamb...and now she had three lambs :-o.

Early wasn't in the best of shape, but we finally got him squared away as best we could and I brought him home with me that night.  I don't fault Short Round for not getting him up and going better on her own.  She would have under normal conditions.  She was a good mother and always raised good lambs.  She could count to two though and she knew she was already taking care of two lambs so I'm sure she just did not understand what had happened.  

Early was a delight in every way.  He was cute and smart and funny and just a corker.  Once I got to know Short Round I realized she was where he'd gotten his big personality.  She's a delight as well and has become one of my all time favorite sheep.

Since we're including treat information about each sheep I'll tell you first that the old flock ewes don't really know anything about cookies and crackers.  They are not pets and they don't really care to be pets.  Short Round and her daughter Ellie hopped off the trailer when they got here the next year and she took one look around and said "No problem, I can be a pet sheep.  Whatchu got in the way of treats, lady?"

Short Round will eat anything.  I mean anything.  I think if I handed her a Big Mac, she'd eat it.  I've never seen anything like it :-D.  One of her favorite treats is bananas.  I'd like to think B. Willard taught her to eat those, but I have a feeling she'd have figured it out on her own.  She also likes oranges and she loves pumpkins too, but seriously, she'll eat anything you hand her.

She's living in Easy Breezy because she's very arthritic, but on good days she still heads out to the yard for a graze.  She and Jared were special friends and I know she misses him almost as much as I do.  They always grazed the yard side by side and when Rocky died, she stayed out in the yard with Jared all afternoon.

Keep Those Cards And Letters Coming

I know it would be way more professional to have a website with a "buy it now" button and a way to easily calculate shipping costs and an immediate "thank you for your order" response, but those sites are expensive and fairly time consuming to maintain and just don't feel like the way our small farm operates.

I have LOVED getting your order emails with stories about who your favorite sheep is or which story is your favorite or how long you've been following along.  No one has followed the blog since a specific date.  They've followed "since Maisie was a baby".  Or Biscuit.  Or Baaxter.  Or Early.  Lots of Early love.

I also love that most people are saying they are excited about the yarn, but extra excited about the book of stories.  I'm also a little nervous about that as it's much more a booklet than a book and after spending so many hours trying to put that small collection together I was quite sure I would never attempt anything bigger.  

Now, a week or so away from "sending it to print" and being actually a little proud of what I got back, even though it's small, I think maybe I might try to write an actual book.  The stories are important.  Those animals are important...and not just to me.  When you share a story back, whether it's a story from here or a story from your life, it's a story that means something.  That's important.

I should have made it mandatory that you share your favorite sheep or a story with your order, because that's been the best part of the last couple of days. I think I've responded back to everyone who shared a memory, giving a little extra tidbit in return.  Let's keep that going.

Is you send me a story, I'll send you back one in return.  No purchase necessary.  No time limit.  If you are having a happy or a sad day and would like or need a story, send me an email with a story or at least just tell me who your favorite sheep is that day and I'll send one back.  It's fun :-D.

I'll do my best to answer as quickly as possible.  And, as always, if you ever don't get a response to an email, please check back because I get a stupid amount of 'not fun story' emails and sometimes things get lost.  

So here's an extra story for the Early folks...

I think everyone knows that Short Round is Ellie's mom.  I'm not sure everyone remembers that she was also Early's mom.  Before anyone thinks badly of her for not taking care of Early, that's a whole 'nother story and it was completely NOT her fault.  I'll share that story some other time.  She was a very good mother.

I never really had any real connection with Short Round like I did Cheeto or Krista.  Those two ewes, while being just part of a commercial flock, were friendly old ewes and became part of my family.  Short Round...well, Short Round was just Short Round, but I thought that sweet Early, who didn't get a chance to do much with his life, would have at least wanted to take care of his mom so she came over here to pension out.

Does that wrinkly nose look familiar?  There is no denying who his momma was :-).  So Short Round got on the trailer that day as a "just a sheep" (but they are never just sheep) and walked off the trailer here with Ellie a pet.  I sure didn't expect her to become friendly, but she settled right in and is now one of my favorite sheep.  Maybe Cheeto and Willard helped with that.  

I'm sure Willard taught her to eat banana peels, one of his very favorite treats.  That's what she's hoping I'm bringing her in the first picture.  She also eats baby carrots.  Petunia will eat a few, too, but that's about it for healthy snacks around here.  No one else would dream of eating anything that wasn't bread or crackers or cookies ;-).  

* * * * *

Just as stories should not go without saying, neither should thanks.  I am so incredibly grateful for all the yarn box orders the last two days.  I was so worried about where all my sheep would end up (again not the most professional), but even the emails from people I'd not met before were obviously long time friends.  Thank you!

I have another batch of yarn in the washer right now.   The sun is shining and there's a nice breeze across the porch, so I think it will dry quickly and I can keep packing.  I think there are only 20 or so skeins left after this group :-o.

The New Routine?

I always kind of assumed Maisie would be the sheep that broke me, but I miss Willard more than I can even say.  I miss all of my old friends...more than I can say, but I think Willard has maybe been the hardest because he was such a big part of my daily routine for so long.

I miss walking up to the barn in the dark with my flashlight or seeing the light on in Easy Breezy at night.  It's not that I don't have a reason to get up in the morning now, but it's just not the same.  I still take my coffee and go sit in the wash room and try to answer emails...with Archie's help...but answering emails isn't always a very inspiring way to start the day, especially with Archie's help.

It's getting lighter earlier now and the last few days I've taken the dogs for an early morning walk rather than waiting until after morning chores.  I carry my coffee out to the field and it's been pretty nice.  It beats sitting at a desk working on a computer for sure.  This morning I thought maybe this should just be my new routine.  

So if you're looking for an email from me... ;-).

Snow Angels

B. Willard was a gift that kept on giving.  He came over as a lamb from Tring Farm years ago.  I think he'd been weaned.  I don't remember bottling him...but maybe I finished him here...  Okay, blog to the rescue.  He was 5 weeks old and anyone looking at this youngster would know this was Baby Willard.  That classic Willard look.  

It's fun...and a bit sad...to go back and read the old stories and look at pictures.  Willard was a never ending source of entertainment.  We called him the Sheep of Impeccable Character.  He truly was.  I said B. Willard B. Mine to him all the time.  He was the star of the very first Hug a Sheep Day.  

Willard's biggest gift to me was his sweet and cheerful personality.  He ended up with terrible arthritis in his legs, but he kept "making the donuts" as long as he could, hobbling out to graze in the yard each morning, giving me a nod as he walked past the porch where I was usually sitting.  He and Cheeto took the best care of Early and he never seemed to mind when Ellie used him as a springboard.  I think he loved those lambs.

A gift we gave each other was the late night and early morning barn checks.  Willard had always been a good napper and loved to sleep flat out on his side.  I can't count how many times I saw him like that over the years and raced over to make sure he was still breathing.  As he got old and stiff, he frequently could no longer get himself back up and he'd get himself in trouble trying.  

After one too many times finding himself "upside down" for too long (sheep are not designed to lay like that) and worrying that one day I'd find him dead, I started making a late night trek to the barn and setting my alarm to get back up there early in the morning so he wasn't unsupervised so long.  

I am not a night owl.  I like being up in the morning, but I'd used the rising sun as my alarm.  Trudging up to the barn in the pitch dark was something new.  I didn't hate it.  In fact, walking up there with a big cup of coffee and the dogs and cats, especially when Salt was here, became the highlight of my day.  

I'd click on my flashlight, and say "Hey guys, just me." before I walked into the barn in an effort not to startle everyone else.  If there was a problem, I'd fix it and if not I'd say "'Morning, Willard.  'Morning, Cheeto." and go sit on the Wool House porch, drink my coffee and watch the sun come up.  

I did this for at least two years and I think they loved that morning routine as much as I did.  And seeing the two of them cuddled up together at night sharing a pile of hay was the sweetest way to end each day.  They took the best care of each other...and that took care of me.

I miss that so much.

It's getting better.  My day is not ruined now by not seeing their smiling faces, but I did have the conversation with myself the other day that there was really no reason anymore for making that early morning trek.  They were gone.  My driveway buddy Salt was gone.  The rest of the barn would really prefer I not bother them until daybreak.

That morning I found Ellie stuck somewhere needing help.  This morning I found a "snow angel".  In the near dark it just looked like a dark spot on the ground, but when I got closer I saw it was a sheep print (camera brightened).  Seeing the two legs stretched out in front told me this had been where a comfortably warm and happy sheep had slept...and that made me happy.  

I'd have missed it if I'd not been out there early.  A gift.

No Words

My head knows it was the right thing to do...but my heart is broken.

Cheeto and B. Willard

2011 and 2010 - January 20, 2022

December

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December was a blur...but it was a pretty darn decent blur.

Wovember Day 24. Stash

I've decided I need a new sweater.  While I really don't mind wearing any of my handknit sweaters out to the barn, the sweaters I reach for the most are Baaxter and B. Willard - the simple, dark colored pullovers.  I'd wear Ford too, but that's 20's favorite sweater ;-).  

I was also looking for a simple, almost mindless evening knitting project and a simple sweater definitely meets that criteria...until I mess up something ;-).  I have Jared's yarn set aside for the Iknitarod in March, but who wants to wait that long!

Remember the Jacob yarn I spun for the Tour de Fleece a couple of years ago?  It would be perfect for a cozy warm barn sweater.  I then searched Ravelry for a new pattern and picked the Sophiasburgh sweater by Sam Lamb.  Just enough color to keep things interesting and it has an interesting design feature I want to try.

I was sure I had something in the yarn stash that would work for the patterning and I did.  I could tell it was Jacob, but I couldn't remember which sheep it was.  I had a couple guesses, but unfortunately I hadn't tagged it.  I scrolled back through the blog and found it under a Spinzilla post from 2015.  

To refresh your memory, the dark Jacob yarn was from our very first five Jacob sheep.  I think it was a 2005 shearing.  It had originally been processed by Ohio Valley Natural Fibers as quilt batting, but when it became obvious I was never going to get a quilt made, I had them re-run it as roving.

The light gray? It's a blend of Emily and Annabelly, our very next two Jacobs!  Nothing could be more perfect.  

The historical significance of these yarns is (inspiring/heartwarming/exciting....?).  I'm really looking forward to spending some time with seven of my most favorite Jacob sheep ever and wearing the finished sweater while working around our present day flock.

Stash for the win!

July

July was a hard month...but we are all still here.  As I finally worked on my month end compilation I kept coming across pictures I'd taken for blog posts.  Stories I wanted to share...and just didn't.  I'm going to try to return to them.  They are good memories.  There have been some bad memories too...but they deserve sharing as well.  

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The Month End

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I'm not really sure why I take all these pictures.  I mean, the sunrises are beautiful, but do I need to document all of them?  Or pictures of the Cheeto and Willard.  They all look mostly the same, honestly.  Possum has so many bed pictures I had to pick only a few favorites to keep the video from being even longer. 

The lambs at least grow and change and I like the series of pictures of me petting Christopher, Maggie coming over to see why I'd be talking to any other lamb but her and then turning to the camera as if in disbelief before curling up in the now empty spot after she told Christopher to get lost.  Christopher talking to Lancelot is cute as well.

I probably have taken a hundred pictures of Salt in the driveway.  I can't even begin to count Kate and Tilly pictures over the years.  If I need a good laugh, I love to go back and look at Maisie pictures or that crazy video of Liddy getting stuck in the shearing chute.  I love to get prompts that takes me to an old picture of Buddy or Comby or Hank or Keebler or Lila or...

This morning one of my favorite Instagram follows @springcoyoteranch posted

"Shepherds love to capture a “perfect” moment even if it’s for nobody else to see. There’s a certain feeling of peace you get looking at the sheep. Soaking in all the details of a scene…sheep grazing contentedly, the sun rising or setting over them, mothers and lambs, a favorite ewe gazing back at you in a knowing way. For a fleeting moment all of your hard work is manifest in pure joy and satisfaction. Looking back at old photos, I catch that feeling again for just a little bit."

I love looking back at these old photos. There is a lot I want to remember this every month.

Gate Runners

It goes without saying that all sheep will run out an open gate.  For a sheep, there is nothing better than racing out to a fresh field or busting into the barn hoping to find an open bale of hay or feed bag.  If they see an open gate...they're out it. 

Only a few sheep will think to check a closed gate.  An even fewer will try to figure out a way to unlatch a closed gate.  Most sheep can figure out how to push open a "closed", but unlatched gate.  Only a rare few can figure out how to pull an unlatched gate towards them to open it.  

Murphy is a serial gate opener.  He can spot an unlatched chain from probably 25' away and I think takes great pride in that.  He can manipulate a push through gate with ease and is also adept at wedging his pointy head into a tiny crack at a stall door and pushing those open as well.  

Woolliam was exceptionally good at using his foot to pull a gate towards him and B. Willard has reached master status with that as well.  Willard is also notorious for using his foot to bang a latched gate long enough that I finally give up and open it for him.

Cheeto and Short Round would never think to check for an unlatched gate, but Krista...is another gate runner :-/.  She figured out quickly that the yard was quite fun and never misses an opportunity to take everyone on a walk-about.  I don't know if she taught Christopher to do the same or if it's genetic.  He will walk away from the feed trough if he thinks he can go exploring.

Possum's not thrilled about it either.

 

May

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Virtual Tonight, But...

 ...weather permitting so we can all stay outside and socially distanced, I think we could try an in person Wool House Crafters night starting next Tuesday evening.  

Bring your own snack bag and beverage so we aren't sharing serving spoons.  Please bring a mask with you in case anyone feels anxious.  I think we have enough chairs to spread around, but if you wanted to toss one in your car, that's never a bad idea.

If everything goes well, the new schedule will be in person on the second Tuesday of each month (as in the olden times) and virtual meetings on all the other Tuesday evenings (as in the recent times).  I find the Zoom meetings almost as fun as the in person and I love being able to spin with fiber friends all over the country :-).

For the last two Tuesdays I've been spinning B. Willard.  Two weeks ago I didn't have time to do any fiber prep so just grabbed loose locks and spun an "art" single.  Last week I spun some smoothly carded roving and...miracles never cease...I plied them together on a 'not Tuesday' and really liked the finished yarn.  I'll be spinning more of that tonight!

What would you like to work on?

...And Then This Happened

No snow this time ;-)

I'd always planned to retire this sweet old ewe over here.  I can't remember where she originally came from, but she was part of a small starter flock for a new shepherd several quite a few years ago.  Due to an unexpected move she had to give up her small flock and they ended up at Final Frontier Farm.  

The shepherd's name was Krista and I don't know if it was because this ewe stood out as she was a different color or maybe just extra friendly or...I don't know...but we started calling her "the Krista ewe".  She was a good momma and over the years became just Krista.  You've seen her here a few times (put Krista in the "search this blog" box).  My favorite post was with her personal guard dog, Stella.

After the horrible outcomes from the last two bottle babies, I really had my doubts if I'd ever put myself through that again.  My thinking was "only if someone really needs me"...but then those were exactly the lambs most likely to have issues that could break your heart.  When Kathy gifted me Early's sister, that seemed like the best of all possible worlds.

While Ellie was having a big time being the star of the show here bouncing on and off and on and around between her mom and Uncle Willard and Aunt Cheeto, I knew she'd Willard would have more fun if she had some friends her own age to play with ;-).  I worked out a deal with Kathy to bring Krista on over when she lambed.

Krista, the old pro, had her two lambs up and nursing the other morning when Kathy found her.  Everything seemed okay, but as the morning progressed she could tell the smaller lamb wasn't nursing as well as she should.  She stomach tubed her to get some colostrum in her and increase her energy and  I worked with her that afternoon trying to help her get it figured out.  

She knew where to go and how to latch on, but couldn't figure out the sucking part.  We tubed her some more and again that evening and by morning we thought things were looking better.  She stayed bright and active and wasn't 'crying hungry', but she was still not getting enough to eat and starting to fall behind.  

Her lower jaw sticks out just a bit further than it should, but not so much that you'd think it would cause that much trouble.  She still constantly tries to latch on, but after a second or two her tongue shoots out the side of her mouth and she loses any suction she might have almost had.  Krista is being very patient with her.

I spent yesterday trying to get her latched onto a bottle in hopes of being able to supplement her and occasionally she figures it out and gets pretty excited about it...and then loses focus and forgets how to make it work.  At least with a bottle I can keep poking her tongue back in her mouth and it takes much less effort for her to get the milk flowing.  

Today is a new day.  Keep your fingers crossed.  In the meantime, we need some new names!  The little girl is a tough little scrappy fighter.  Her brother is bigger, but a relaxed sweet lump of a lamb.  He's growing like a weed and will soon be able to keep up with his crazy cousin Ellie...Willard hopes ;-).

Ellie's Favorite Game

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Well This, Then...

Well, this happened yesterday...

...and then this happened 12 hours later :-o.

Lamb or freak April snow...tough call ;-).  Lamb first; snow post tomorrow!  

You know who she is :-).  I named her Ellie :-).  Here is a bit more of her story:

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She and her mom, Short Round, are hanging out in Easy Breezy and after only a little bit of eye rolling from Cheeto and B. Willard, everyone is quite happy...especially me :-).

Sound asleep on her bunk bed last night.  Here's a bit more of the night check:

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Lamb Camp at Equinox Farm, Cynthiana, Kentucky :-)