A week in July

Hi all,

Wow, since the 4th of July, the week has flown. We met the elder parents at a park where marching bands lined up for the big parade, and had an old fashioned picnic and game of croquet. On the 5th, Kelly the vet tech was here to do her scrapies annual flock review and ear tag the new lambs. Later that day, DH (Dear Husband) and I took 3 little rams-- 2 black, 1 musket, not bersugget boy-- to the vet for "emasculating". We saved the farm visit fee and with 2 men & me, easily hoisted rammies upside down for the procedure. Little struggle, little visible discomfort. The youngest ram was 2 months or so and ran out to forage as soon as he returned home, the older two (3 months old) stayed still and distant from the flock for a while. The following day, all rammies acted normally.

Then in a whirlwind of planning, I had Peeps from Missouri and Garrett from Northern MN meet here at the farm -- Garrett brought me his last years' mioget/fawn? ram, FirthofFifth don Telmo Bourbon, who I agreed to buy. (Thanks, Garrett!)

Peeps had several adorable spotted ewe lambs for Garrett, and I had suggested they meet here to make the delivery! Both of them wanted to see what I had for a flock, and it was very enjoyable walking around, talking and looking at sheep.

This week I've been arranging the sale of several of the ewes 'n' lambs-- at Peeps' suggestion, I said "buy 3 lambs, get a ram lamb free!"

It seems to work, so remember that offer! I have whittled my "keep" list way down to 13 ewes and 4 rams, which is 8 fewer sheep than I wintered over last year.

Toward that end, I sent two mature rams off to the butcher yesterday. It's kind of hard to do-- they are great, handsome rams, but nature makes many more rams than we need. So, soon the freezer will be full.

Goodbye to Little Red Oak Dill and Frazier, the well-used rams of last season--

Now, back out to the field to photograph lambies.