Merry Christmas....

pWith Christmas fast approaching, I wanted to send out my Christmas card from Kindred Spirit Farm.....
NOT....Happy Holidays! I'm a firm believer in Christmas and all that it stands for....let's tell it like it is!!! Merry Christmas to everyone! May the Spirit of Christmas be with you throughout the New Year.

She just wanted to go for a ride....

Darn it....I almost got away with it!

Talk about living at the Funny Farm! Never a dull moment....

Little and Big....

I love this shot of Willow and her "brother" Sam...just plain cute!

Willow.........

She's a sweet little gulmoget that has stolen my heart, but then again...don't they all ? Momma was one of our fawn gulmogets and Daddy was a black ram and this little beauty was the result. She is dripping in yummy fleece and as I said....she is as sweet as sweet can be!

Hope to be getting my act together to post more individual pictures of the flock...stay tuned.

Have you been counting sheep at night?

I HAVE! Thoughts of Shetland Sheep dance through my head...who to breed to whom? I am really going to hone down who gets bred this year. Doing some heavy evaluating! I know where I want to improve my flock...now to put things in motion!

Oh, oh....

Fall is in the air. The Bee Balm has faded (or been tromped on by the geese, ducks, and turkeys!). We filled the hummingbird feeder one more time, but noticed last night that they weren't around. Yup...Fall is definately here folks. It's supposed to be in the 50's -60's this weekend with a possible frost just North of here!!! If any of you guys regularly read our blog, you know that we live in a Bermuda triangle of sorts. We never know what "zone" we're in! I guess I'll be taking in all of the houseplants that are on the porch.....just in case. Good thing the hummers left town!

Dawn...

I got this shot a few mornings ago. Now that mornings are getting a bit crisp, the fog in the early dawn hours kind of creeps along the pasture. I lucked out with this shot....

Not treading water....

I'm hoping this post finds everyone safe and sound! One friend has been cut off from her surrounding area by the floods in Vermont, but her spirits are good and the sheep are safe, too. Good grief, in the midst of torrential downpours, my sheep were grazing like it was a sunny day! Yup...they are a hardy little breed. That's why I love em!

Diatomeceous Earth????

Anyone have any input? I have been researching this stuff and am very curious to hear from people who may have used this for worming their sheep and/or goats....or what-have-you. We have been using it in the barn to kill flies and such, but I don't know of anyone personally who has tried this for worming! HELP! Yes...we are using the "for human consumption" grade.....

It's raining!!!!!

Yippee! The sound of the rain is mesmerizing tonight....not a downpour, just an even, steady rain. You can almost hear the grass cheering! The pasture and lawn and gardens have been dry and in dire need of a good soaking rain. I hope it rains all night!!!! Of course it can stop anytime around 4 am and then the sun can shine....I have lots of wool to wash this weekend and it would be nice to have the sun shining and maybe a light breeze. I've put it my order.....now all I can do is see what's happening as the day dawns. Maybe I can get some pictures tomorrow, too. I'll keep you posted :0)

I'm on a roll!

Well....at least I posted! It's not sheep, but it's part of the beauty of Kindred Spirit Farm. As I have said in previous posts, my gardens tend to be a bit on the WILD side! They don't want to stay in the boundaries that I have created and have even "jumped" and started a new life on the other side of the stone walls bordering the driveway....in the gravel, no less! How can you confine such a free spirit? I can't bring myself to pull them up, so I offer them to neighbors and friends who come and admire their tenacity. "Help yourself"...is what I tell them. BYOP......

bring your own pot.

Has it really been that long?

I can't believe that I haven't posted since June! Time flies when you're working, farming, playing and just plain LIVING! Where do the days go...and let's hope they go by just as fast when the snow is flying and we're waiting for lambs! Right now, a bit of an October breeze would sure feel good. I guess I'll just pray to remember this warmth when I'm sitting by the woodstove this January. In the meantime....I think Saturday and/or Sunday should be a kayaking kind of day, don't you? Keep cool my friends!

Grumpy?

No...not at all! Peanut is actually our "self patting" cat and is wonderfully friendly. I think she was just having one of those early morning pouts. When we were kids my Mom would get us out of a funky mood by saying "Why don't you go out in the garden and eat some worms?" Which sounded so silly that it would make us laugh! Maybe that's what Peanut was doing...looking for worms.

Dot.....you'll see why.

Now, come on....what else would her name be? She is the sweetest little doeling.... :0) I'm enjoying these little Boer babies....very cute and mellow.

Hello

Were you trying to get a picture of my nostril? The llamas are ALWAYS pretty aloof....unless you have a camera in your hand! Sam had to step into this shot of the lambs playing on the stone walls....oh ya, and my hubby decided to set the time and date on the camera. After I dropped the camera in to a water bucket, well let's just say the time and date haven't changed since then....nuff said?

Silly goose....

Now, this is just plain silly! Poor Daisy was just minding her business when this foolish gander jumped her and decided to take a ride. Always something going on...you just never know what! Maybe tomorrow I can catch the llama doing a piroette across the field? Oh good grief...where's spell check when you need it? :0)

Happy Earth Day.....

What better way to celebrate Earth Day than to sit outside with the sheep and soak up some sun and smell the Earth! Ahhhhhh...I'm at peace when I'm with my animals. They bring a certain calm to both Ken and me.

We thrive when we celebrate the Earth...whether we are gardening, being shepherds for our flock, enjoying the sunrise or the full moon as it perches on the mountain top before it slids into the clouds. We are lucky to live in an area where we can enjoy the water, too, and kayak on a lazy afternoon....and just enjoy being. Mother Nature at it's best....such is New England.

Thank you for these gifts.........

RAIN?

Nah....we haven't had rain. Oh, we've had a downpour or two, but no rain to speak of...ya right! Kiah has the right idea...keep em on high ground!

Maybe this will explain.........

So I've been a bad blogger....I've been a bit busy. :0)

We still have three Shetlands and one Romney left to lamb. And did I mention that we also have two Boer does that are kidding, also? I feel silly saying that I've been busy when I see some of you guys that have HUGE flocks and LOTS of lambs, but in my own way...I'VE BEEN BUSY!

We have 19 lambs so far and the lamb races that have started have been spectacular! Now, if we can just get a consistent weather pattern of warmth without rain so I can sit on the porch and observe....with a cool drink in hand....well, I can relax a bit and just enjoy!

SPRING HAS SPRUNG....

LAMBS...the first lambs of the season arrived late this afternoon when Nettle had a moorit ewe (she's the one laying down...brand new) and a black ram with a splash of white on his forehead. Everyone is fine and settled in for the night. I put Flopsy in the lambing jug next to Nettle so she might take the hint. LOL

How much longer???

P L E A S E ! This has gone on l o n g enough! I expect Flopsy lambs every time I walk out to the barn. I guess since she has had triplets the past two years, she's taking her sweet time knowing what's coming! Can't say as I blame her. Flopsy has raised her triplets on her own every year.....good mama.

The piggies are here...the piggies are here.....

and, oh my gosh, are they cute! We picked up four piggies in total, but the others are still a bit camera shy. More photos to follow in the next few days.

Got any wood?

I'm starting my Ark today.....

March madness....

No sleep.....no sleep......no sleep! I think I need to invest in some kind of webcam for the barn. Of course then I would stay up all night watching the sheep chew their cud. Might be better than the foolish movies that are on at 3:00 am, though!! It's very hard to shut off my head at times, and tonight was one of those nights. Work "stuff" rattled around in there and then that set off the "lamb worrying alarm" and at that point...why lie there with eyes wide open? May as well get up and check the sheep! Maybe I'll have some lamb photos soon.....

Warmer days today!

Filled up the BIG bucket so the ducks and geese could enjoy the sunshine today.....ahhhhhhhhhh.

Two Dog Night?

It was cold this past week....had to bundle up just to watch TV!

Snow Day!

Oh, the shear joy of it all!!! I think I remember what it was like playing in the snow....vaguely. At this time in my life it's more like....shovel, haul buckets, shovel, haul hay, shovel....but we should never forget to PLAY! Right? We can learn alot from our dogs!!!! :0)

What?

Shetlands may be the "norm" around here, but our two Romney girls are pretty darn cute, too. We hope to pick up a third Romney ewe to add to the flock next week.....weather is always the clincher this time of year when it comes to travel, though! Daisy Mae (pictured) and Blossom are both bred to our katmoget ram, Tucker. I'm pretty anxious to see what we have with that combination....should have lovely fleeces.

Did I happen to mention?

Oh ya, by the way, did I mention the Boer goat doeling that we "rescued"? She was one of triplets and the 80 year old man who owned her didn't want to bottle feed. Need I say more? We just HAD to get her this little winter parka...very stylish, huh?

Looking for a vegetarian home for her.. :0) Anyone interested?

Snow Day!!

Yes..it snowed again today and as you can see...no one is the worse for wear. Well....okay, maybe Ken and I are getting a little tired of it, but the sheep just take it in stride. Glad shearing time isn't happening for a while! Hey, did you notice the "no cows" sign on the barn? LOL. I think the llamas may have put it up there...... :0) They're the only ones that can reach THAT high!

Thanks Ken

I asked Ken to try to get some winter pictures for the blog since I just have not made the time to do it....sorry folks!
I LOVE this picture of Bellatrix. She's like a little pixie..I could just squeeze her every time I see her!


Luke keeping a safe distance from the Wooly's...they're mean, you know! For such small sheep...they're tough little things! They will charge Luke and stamp their feet...not afraid of that dog thing!

Tim was just not too sure about having his picture taken...must have been a bad hair day. Toots, on the other hand, was more than willing to show off her baby bump. :0)

I think Sam was in the process of making snow angels...or just thinking about it, anyway!

A few of the girls looking for cookies, of course! They know Ken ALWAYS has either alfalfa cubes or animal crackers and both are YUMMY! Thanks for the pictures, Honey...you have come to my rescue again!

BIG girl...

This post is for all of the people who helped with Bella's transport this summer. It's not the greatest picture, but it shows you just how much she's grown, how spoiled she is and how much we love our "little" girl....who is now a very BIG girl! Don't tell anyone, but I think Ken loves the big ball of fluff....who we fondly call "Fifi"! LOL