MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I want to wish all of my friends and followers a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season. It's a great time to reflect and count my blessings and you are all a part of that! I have enjoyed reading your blogs and sharing mine with you.....I do so look forward to perhaps meeting with many of you, too....and, if nothing else, just reading MORE about your life on the farm and maybe sharing a story or two about our mutual hobby/passion....our sheep and our crazy farm lives! Are we normal? Probably not normal for everyone, but definitely NOT boring, either! I'll be watching for your new posts and laughing and wishing we were neighbors.....hope your New Year is healthy, happy and has many bouncing lambs this Spring!!!
Peace to all......and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

For my Sheepy Friends....

I ask you....isn't this the cutest Christmas card????

It's Snowing!

Okay, don't panic....it IS December, after all. I just don't happen to be ready, yet. Are you? I am NEVER ready for the first storm...I gradually become more accepting as the winter progresses, but right now...IT'S SNOWING and I'm not ready! I'm really hoping that the weatherman is correct in his pronouncement of only about 2 inches. It just so happens that we live in this "Bermuda Triangle" of sorts....we are not the Lakes Region, but we're not the mountains, either.....we are in our own little bubble where you never know what will happen. By tomorrow this snowman could be 6 feet tall! Tune in for future weather announcements.... :0)

Wooly Washys....

An all natural scrubby to use in the shower and help exfoliate that "winter skin". It's been fun making my Wooly Washys....everyone is different! One thing is for sure, in the process of making these, my hands have never been cleaner!!!

Guess who's coming to Kindred Spirit Farm?

I need your help....your creative help!

Okay....I have been making felted soap bars....and having a blast! I have to get on the stick and do some more felted sheep for a Christmas Open House, too. BUT...in the meantime....what the heck do I call my soaps?? I need to come up with something very soon!!!
Here are a few suggestions:

Soap in a Coat
Ewenique Soap
Ewenique Sudz
Soap 4 Ewe

For some reason, either it doesn't knock my socks off or whatever, I can't seem to find the "right one". Now, my friend Sally came up with Flockin' Soap and I laughed my head off, but thought better of marketing it that way. ;0) She did have a very funny scenario for a commercial, though! So seriously...what are your ideas? Anyone out there with a good twist to scrubbable fleece for people? Or wooly soap?

I really haven't been just lazing around...honestly. It's been very busy here! Fall seems to bring alot of work, doesn't it? Mending fences....oh how I love that job! Ya, right! Then it's time to put the breeding groups together. How many times can YOU change your mind? I have changed my mind soooo many times this year! I don't know why, but I have! There are reasons for this one and reasons for that one....just too many options!
I promise to be better.....really! More pictures to follow!

Gulmogets.....

This is a breeding group that is going to be hard to wait on....Rosie on the left, Kiah on the right and Pippin peaking in the rear. The girls will be bred to RF Xander, a black ram who is as sweet as he is gorgeous. Xander sired some nice lambs this year and now we are hoping for some beauties out of this group, too. Kiah is the only one of these ewes who has lambed before so it is going to be REALLY exciting to see what both Rosie and Pippin produce. Kiah has produced consistently beautiful lambs. She is our Bonnie's mom and I'm still trying to figure out who Bonnie is going to be bred to this year! I think I have done the "Shetland Shuffle", with her, for a couple of weeks now!! Tucker? Thistle? Xander? The wait is on.....

This one's for Kathleen....

He's one of our "stragglers"....born in July. Looking good!

Fat Wooly ewes

Yup, that's Golden Rod in the background....hopefully it will be a new pasture area next year. In terms of NOW, that means more fencing. Is the fencing ever done? By the looks of the girls....no one is suffering from malnutrition!!

You looking at me?

Cappy with her ewe lamb, yet to be named....this is a photo by my friend Deirdre. I have a feeling the "little miss" will be joining Deirdre's flock, along with her new ram and the other girls, very soon. Or will it be the flecket ewe? Decisions....decisions.

Toots........

She's one of our favorite girls....our "plain brown wrapper" who has given us katmogets, gulmogets and now fleckets this year! She also is a sweet and friendly girl who is always there for a scritch.....but, especially if you have animal crackers in your pocket! Tootie is the ambassador for our Shetland sheep. She wags ger tail when petted and pretty much "sells herself"...that's how I got her. I went to see her lamb, that was for sale, and bought Tootie instead! Thanks for this picture Deirdre....I love it!

Coming soon to a pasture near you.....

Okay....so Percy is coming to MY pasture.....and I'm getting excited. Everytime a new sheep comes here, I feel like it's my birthday....without adding more numbers. Know what I mean?

With some of our lambs already gone or leaving soon, it's nice to have one coming to stay....and bring in some "new" blood, too.

Heat wave!

Yup...it's been pretty toasty around these parts...they say it's hot enough to breed sheep. (I don't get that??) Don't we wait for the cool Fall air to get things moving along? Well, I'll tell you what! I'm ready! Yes, our winters are long (sometimes a bit too long) but COME ON.....this is ridiculous! It's September and "we're having a HEAT WAVE....a tropical heat wave". ENOUGH! It's time for "autumn leaves" or at the very least a nice "Cool breeze, Mon". I feel like I'm in Jamaica...might as well have a nice Jamaican rum punch on the patio (okay, the porch) and sit under an umbrella and watch the palm trees sway (how about the maples?) I know we're supposed to be watching for the approaching weather system, "Hurricane Earl", but I think I may send him a personal invitation.....if he promises to bring a change in the weather.....it's time for Fall....my favorite time of year.

Ah, Dad? The pool's a little small....I think we need to upgrade!

What? My feet were hot!

It's raining cats and dogs.....

and right now they are all inside...and very, very wet! Nope...I'm just too lazy to even get out my camera. Don't even have pictures of the furry beasts to post. I'm enjoying a day at home. So shoot me! I needed a day for me....lots going on. I guess the rain is a mirror of what I'm feeling today....kind of blah. When I get out of the doldrums...I'll post some nice perky pictures and I apologize for this rainy day posting. I guess I needed to vent.....and pout.

Beautiful Rosie...

I love this ewe....she is the sweetest ewe and has a wonderful fleece! She follows Ken around the pasture like a pup. It could be the constant supply of what Ken fondly calls "green stuff"...or what the rest of us call alfalfa cubes!! He always has animal crackers and/or alfalfa cubes in his pocket when he's out in the pasture....of course they love him!!!

Colby...

I almost sold this girl...many times. She just wasn't settling in and didn't seem to fit.....am I glad I listened to Ken and gave her a chance...and lots of treats! She has been a wonderful Mom and now lets us give scritches under the chin and doesn't even bolt! I guess all in good time....

Aberdeen and her little sisters....

Aster produced beautiful Aberdeen, in the foreground, last year and these two little beauties behind her this year....as you can see Aberdeen has stayed black. I wonder if these two will follow suit....
Hey!.....any ideas for names? We are doing a "celestial" theme this year.

Bonnie has Blossomed!

She seemed small (I was comparing her to lambs that were a month or more older) and there was NO ONE that would love her as much as I would! Right? So we kept her....and am I glad we did! She is as sweet as can be and has continued to blossom month after month. I LOVE her! She is a honey, caramel color through and through and just look at her.....
Ahhhhhh......I think it's here....the Shetland Shuffle is starting again and will be at a location near you soon. Ram #1? Ram #2? Or Ram #3? Here we go again....a one and a two...SHUFFLE!

Cappy and her little ones....

Geesh....all this time... if I had only thought to bring Luke into the pasture when I was trying to take pictures!!! The sheep actually pick up their heads and look when the dog is around! These little guys were a surprise for us....living proof of a rams determination. Did I mention that rams can be a pain in the butt?

Simply Simon

Okay...he's not a Shetland, but he's darn cute!!!

Growing like a weed....

Bella says "I Do go see the sheep, but they keep trying to beat me up! Mom's spoiling me and talking about going to obedience class. What's an obedience class? Is it something good?"

It's raining........

KATMOGETS!!! We finished off the lambing season.....finally! Thanks to Tuckers persistance (just wanted to make sure the job was done) we had our second crop of lambs last week. Tansey had twin rams and Cappy had a ram and a ewe. They have been bombing around the pasture today....just enjoying life!

BAD BLOGGER! :-(

I DO have a really good excuse, though....we have had family visiting from California and Virginia. Does that work? I know, I know.....no excuse, but I thought maybe you would understand a house FULL of grandsons! Yup...they range from Sage, who is 17, down to Eliot who is 2, and we have Diego and Andrew in the middle (they are 11 and 7). Great ages all and wonderful to have here for a visit that is never long enough! Andrew got to see lambs being born "Wow that's gross.... but awesome, too". He's our future farmer...loves the animals...got out of the car when they got here with his barn boots on and ready to go! Gotta love it! Eliot loved his ride on Thomas the Train. Boy, is that munchkin a train fan...knows all of the Thomas the Train characters. We had to have a train set here for his birthday and a Thomas the Train birthday cake, too...didn't want him to have withdrawal while he was away from home, you know! That giggle of his is in my heart until next year. Diego got to stick his feet in the Atlantic ocean so he now lays claim to BOTH sides of the country!! He's the one, soon to be 12, that, when they finally move here, will have all the girls turning their head...."Who's the guy from California"? And Sage.....well, he FINALLY got to see Papa Ken ( his drummer idol) do a drum solo when the band played out at a local gig....I hear it was the highlight of his trip.....(seeing that Sage is ALSO a drummer)! I can't believe "my bud" is going to be 17 in a few weeks!! He and his Mom lived about a mile from us when he was growing up and I miss having him around....his visits always end way too quickly.
So now maybe you understand a little of what's been happening here....we DID have two sets of katmoget twins born, too!! One had twin rams and the other had a ram and a ewe. Yup...late... wasn't planned that way.... I thought they were already bred by Tucker in December and then dear sweet Tucker decided to jump the fence to make sure he got the job done. I think the new ram enclosure would like nice at my neighbors down the road, don't you?
Hopefully I will find my USB "thingy" so I can download a few pictures.....it's someplace safe....God knows where!!

What else? More Bella pics.....

Bella has two big brothers that live here....one is tolerating her and the other thinks she's really cool! Our other Pyr, Cody, thinks she's a bit of a twit with her antics, but the BC thinks she's fine the way she is....."can we keep her Mom?" I'm going to try really hard to get some more sheepy pics tomorrow......but there may be a few more baby Bellas thrown in there, too! She's too darn cute! Maybe baby sheep AND baby Bella.....we'll see how THAT works!

She's Here!!!

Baby Bella has arrived safely in New Hampshire and is even more beautiful than I had hoped!

Brenda....thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll get some more pictures tomorrow when she's a little more rested and knows she doesn't have to get back in a car!

It feels like Christmas!!!

Well, today is the day I pick up Baby Bella, our new Pyrenees pup from Beechtree Farm in Michigan. Thank you so much, Brenda! Through the efforts of friends (some I've met and some I haven't), she will arrive in Massachusetts this afternoon where I will pick her up at Ridgeway Farm. Many thanks to everyone who helped work this out! I think Bella made some friends along the way, too, by the sounds of it! Tiffany's son, Robert, took very good care of Bella for the first leg of the trip and is already missing her!
Tiffany...I'll be sure to post some pictures when we get home from Shula's so he can see that she arrived safe and sound!
Sally...thanks for the sleep-over for Bella.
Shula....see you this afternoon!!! I can't wait to see some more pictures of your new ram! What a beauty!
Again, thanks to all, and Michelle....Beechtrees Bella Pastore thanks you for her name... :0)

What a face!

We will be welcoming this beautiful new Pyr pup to Kindred Spirit Farm next week! After many e-mails and "with a little help from my friends"....she will arrive on Monday afternoon from Michigan. Now for the next "problem"....names!!!! She is coming from Brenda Lelli's Beech Tree Farm and will carry the Beechtree prefix, but then what? We have tried to find a sheep related name (Beechtrees Ewe'R the One?) , but I guess I haven't found just the right name....YET! For some reason, I think her call name might be Bella...it just keeps popping into my head....unless something better hits me. Any ideas out there??? I could be swayed.....Beechtrees Blew Bye Ewe? Beechtrees Ewe First? Come on....help me out here!

Life IS good....

Now this obviously isn't a sheep.....and I know this is a blog about sheep, but it's also about Kindred Spirit Farm and what we hope to accomplish here....a certain way of life...of being. At this time in my life, I had hoped to be able to gear down a bit. Okay, well that's not happening! So everyday I try to find a few minutes of peace...a little oasis of time...and remind myself of my direction. Ken brought a certain kind of Zen here to Kindred Spirit Farm....he has taught me (okay I'm still learning) to calm myself and let things follow their path. I am my happiest, and probably my calmest, when I'm sitting in the pasture just watching the sheep....or sitting on the porch in my rocker and looking out at the mountains. Nature and animals in particular have always been what calms me.....hence Kindred Spirit Farm. It just expressed what I want in my life. We are Kindred Spirits here....Ken and I, the cats and dogs, the sheep, the woodsy creatures all around us. Kindred Spirits all....

Where's Waldo???

The sheep were belly deep in new pasture yesterday and loving every minute of it! Of course there were alot of little lost lambs crying for Momma until they figured they better stay close...then things calmed down while they stuffed their faces. Funny but everyone was quiet in the barn last night, too....must have been full? This morning when Ken went down to open the gate, he had a regular conga line following him!

Photos for Kara...

Here are a couple of shots of Aberdeen....Asters ewe from last year. The closeup is fuzzy, but you can see the curl! Soft, too! She was shorn the end of February.

Thanks Michelle!!

I am a Daisy What Flower Are You?

Funny....the Daisy IS my favortie flower! It's just so simple, yet, beautiful. Nothing fancy...just nice. You find them everywhere! I think I've been picking bouquets of daisies since I was a kid....and loving them.

Transport from Michigan?

Hello all...I'm trying to find transport for my new Pyr pup from Michigan. We live in New Hampshire, but wouldn't mind a rendezvous nearby....Vermont? Massachusetts? Eastern New York (near Vermont?) Maine? Any help would be greatly appreciated as we are having bad "CAR-ma" at the moment!! Vehicles are down for the count and needing some TLC. She is ready next week, but we are open for dates....not too far away, I hope. Thanks.

Hello....

Mom followed us around this afternoon and took lots of pictures...here are a few of them.

Colby and her ram...

Little Io....

Io is going to live with a 4-H'r and will be shown this summer....go Io!

Kiahs ram

Aster lamb

Mira's twin rams....

Plain brown wrapper....

Toots surprised us with this "flash".....from such a plain brown wrapper!

Asters Lamb

My computer is acting funky so I'm loading these one at a time....
I am keeping one of Asters lambs again this year. Last years ewe lamb is still BLACK with a gorgeous fleece. These guys look like they may go emsket.

UPDATE UPDATE!

Just came in from the barn....Aster had twins.....EWES!!!! Right now they look black...we'll see what happens. Pictures to follow tomorrow.
YIPPEE!! YIPPEE!!!!

Summertime and the living is easy.......

Mimosa's little beauty...she is gorgeous....and sold. Can't keep them all.......

Kiah and her "favorite son"....she had twin rams and rejected one of them. He has been placed as a bottle baby...soon to be wether...and will be living with two other shetland lambs that they have purchased. This little guy, the favorite, is still here for sale....he's on "Hold" at the moment. He's very cute!! UPDATE: Kindred Spirit Northern Star is SOLD to the Fair family!

Last but not least........

Aster is our hold out this year.....any day now I expect TWIN EWES!
Okay...please may I have twin ewes?

Colby came through with this RAM lamb....yup...another one! He will be for sale. We are tied at 6 and 6.

Late lambs....

Toots came through with these beautiful lambs on Monday afternoon...a ram (top photo) and a ewe in the bottom photo. No names have come to mind, yet. Any ideas? So far we have Nova, Io (one of Jupiters moons), Moon, Zubenelgenubi (sp?), Cassiopeia, and at this moment I can't even think of the others. I thought Orion might me nice for her ram, but nothing is hitting me for her ewe! NFS at this time....

More sad times.......

Okay.....I wasn't ready for this. We're never really ready to lose one of our furry friends, though.

Bridie and I have been through alot together....she was my bud and my best friend when a divorce came my way 10 years ago, and she was at my wedding last October when Ken and I got married. She loved him right away....

She cuddled with me and comforted me when thunderstorms were hitting all around us one summer night...(yup...I was the one that was scared)! She would sneak my coffee every chance she got....(never Kens...he drinks his black)...she likes hers with milk! If Ken made bread, you had to put it in the microwave to hide it! She was my counter-cruising, sock eating, best buddy ever....I loved her. She is the reason that my farm is named Kindred Spirit. She came to me almost 10 years ago...we will miss her terribly! Dragonmist Kindred Spirit....aka Bridie....

The Queen is dead...long live the Queen.

Simon says.....

Why does everyone fuss so over those little sheep?

Long time, no blog.......!

Kiah...one of our hold-outs!
Note the belly....

Pippin soaking up some rays......

Cassi is staying......we have fallen in love with this little girl! Soft, soft, soft....nuff said?

Hi everyone...funny how time just rushes by! Thought I would post a few pictures and tell you all how much I envy yours! Try as I may, I just can't catch those little buggers when they're "dancing"! The nightly races and ballet recitals are always a joy....that I have NOT been able to capture....time for a new camera, I think...or maybe I should ask Ken to try HIS luck! I sat in the pasture last night after work and tried to get a few pictures to share since I have been so lax with my blog. We are still waiting on a few stragglers to lamb...Lord knows I TRY to be patient, but this is getting ridiculous! Four girls were bred very late....and so we wait.