Finally, a full nights sleep. all our girls are done lambing and have happy families to raise. We ended up with 10 babies all alive and doing super. I have pics of the last ones, but still getting them ready. Will get them up later today. In this group, “black sheep” of the family is the norm. Out of the 10, we have 3 white ones. 4 little girls, and 6 boys. We have a tentitive agreement for sale of the boys when they are weaned, and we will keep the girls to add to our flock.
I also have some pics of our sand storm yesterday and today. Just waiting for the wind to die down so I can get some pics of what it should look like without the sand blowing. It has been brutal here in the last 2 days. Warm, but brutal.
Cindy
April 15th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Here are a couple pics of the 3rd ewe and her newborns, not even cleaned up yet.
The 4th picture is of the first 4 babies. Still have 2 ewes to lamb yet.
Enjoy
Cindy
April 8th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
one comment
Finally, after 2 years of looking at someone else’s baby lambs, we now have our own we can look at and enjoy. It didn’t exactly go off without a hitch, but we have at this moment 3 babies to enjoy.
The very first one was born blind. It couldn’t get up and after a couple hours we intervened. I went in the pen and picked it up and took in the house to warm it up and get some warmed colostrum in it’s little tummy. It was really puny looking but just thought it may have been weak. We also noticed it’s eyes were white, like there was a film over them. We are pretty sure it was blind. Well, we prepared to make it a bottle baby at least till it could stand up on its own. It was about 6 hours old when it died. Evidently it just wasn’t meant to be.
Below are a couple pictures of the rest of the wee ones. She had 4 total.
The first picture is the gal that lost all her lambs. She was just exhausted. The little one is the bummer we got from neighbor to replace her lost ones. The second picture is after she recovered and has accepted the bummer as her own. Momma and bummer both doing well.
The third picture is our second ewe that had 4 and lost the first one. These guys are so new she hasn’t even got them all cleaned up yet. Cleaning them up is part of the bonding process. The smell of them is how they keep track of them in the herd. Also during this bonding time she is growling low and softly to them so they learn her “voice” from the herd. And the last picture I am checking out the little white one. It kept trying to get up and always fell down. In checking him out, I found the umbilical cord around a hind leg that was keeping him from getting up. After removing it from around the leg, he popped right up and started nursing.
We weighed all the lambs, and they ranged from 5-8 1/2 lbs.
We still have 3 that have to lamb yet. Will get some more pics when the bundles arrive
Cindy
April 5th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Been too long between posts, and I’m sorry. Things have been pretty quiet here.
Spring things are starting to spring up, tulips, strawberry plants, raspberries, rhubarb, and all that is starting to pop up and get green.
We have 4 Ewes that are due to lamb this week.
One of our yearlings had 3 that were stillborn yesterday (Monday the 31st) We felt very badly about that, especially since we pulled lamb watch all night in the truck. We noticed something wasn’t right about 4am, but by then it was too late.
Pedro, from the lamb farm around the corner came down and gave us a hand and brought a little 2 hr old lamb that was one of a set of quads. We penned up baby and momma for the bonding process since it wasn’t hers and she knew it. She totally ignored it, that’s why they got penned up, like a forced bonding. She and the baby are doing fine as of this morning and will stay there today and tomorrow just to make sure she has accepted it.
Next posting hopefully will have better news about newborn lambs.
Cindy
April 1st, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Some of the skies that we get out here are fantastic. More than once I have told mom that if this was in Ohio with that kind of sky, we would have been heading for the basement. They really get nasty looking out here. These pictures are in the East and we very seldom get whatever it is that is causing the dark skies. Our weather comes from the Southwest most of the time.
Cindy
February 20th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
As beautiful as the snow scenes are, this is what it looks like after all the beauty is gone. The only good thing about this messy scene is that with the composition of the mud? is it dries up rapidly. It can’t really be called mud though because of the sand content. When the dogs come in with “muddy” feet and hit the white ceramic tile on the kitchen floor, all we do is wait for it to dry and use broom and dustpan and it is as good as new. True mud doesn’t clean up that easily. Mud would not be cleaned up from carpet with a sweeper either, this sand is cleaned up just running the sweeper.
Cindy
February 5th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Koda here.
Here are some pictures of my life so far. It’s been pretty good. I am a good dog, with a very gentle disposition, and very cute, Mom still tells me that all the time. Not a lot of manners, but enough to get by. I am a very happy girl, and very bouncy. When I get up in the morning, everyone in house needs to be up. I bounce from bedroom to bedroom, making sure everyone is awake. I stick around long enough at each place to get my morning “Lovies” and off to the next room. Except Grandma’s bed. I’m not allowed up there. I get in big trouble when my exuberance gets the best of me. Enjoy the Pictures.
Koda
(The paragraph below is taken from the Humane Society’s web page http://www.hsocpets.com/index.html and is posted here for anyone else that may be reading this so they have an idea of what happened.)
“We were surprised when someone left 15 roly poly puppies in the middle of the road near Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge. Fortunately, the first vehicle to approach the pups was able to stop before hitting them. These people were animal lovers and called us immediately. Although they were in good physical condition, it was clear that the pups had been left to huddle together in the road until they were struck and killed by a car. We were able to find all of the pups good homes very quickly due to the media coverage they generated! The following photos are these pups at our shelter.”
If you look close, you can see me over by the blue food dish and trash can in the first picture. I was only about 3 1/2 weeks old. In the second picture I am about 7 weeks old.
The 2 other dogs in these pictures are part of my family. There are a total of 5 of us to romp and play till we get plumb tuckered out. Ah Yes, Life is Good!!
And these pictures are my abbreviated life’s story. There is so much more to tell and so many more pictures to share. I’ll tell mom to get them uploaded into the Gallery so you can see them. Check back in a few days to look at the gallery. Maybe some goodies in there you might enjoy seeing.
Signing off for now,
Koda
February 1st, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Dear Ottawa Co. Humane Society Care Takers:
This is Koda. Mom let me make this post for her. Mom said she found a picture of all my brothers and sisters. She showed them to me. It was nice to see the rest of my family. I don’t remember too many of them. I vaguely remember getting dumped on the road. It was sooo cold and I didn’t understand what was happening. I remember huddling together with my siblings in the middle of the road to keep warm because the pavement was hard and cold. I didn’t know what was going to happen or even why. I was only about 3 or 3 1/2 weeks old at the time. I wasn’t old enough to even be a problem child yet. I was just a baby.
This BIG “thing” came along making noise and stopped to look at us. No idea who it was. But this person or persons, either picked us up or called the Humane Society about us. I guess that created quite a stir with the media.
The “Caretakers” at the Humane Society were absolutely super. They held us, and cuddled us, and made over us. We got fed, watered and loved to death. We were warm and I felt safe again. I was a little scared yet, but soon got over that. Everyone was so nice that I soon felt comfortable again.
Then all these people started coming in to look at us. Now what is going to happen to us? We were to young to leave the Humane Society, but I heard people saying “I want this one, or that one.” All the activity got me a little upset again.
Well to make a long story short. These 2 people from Put-in-Bay picked me and one of my sisters up and played with us for a bit. Then I heard them say “I think we will take this one.” “This one” was Me! OK so what the heck did that mean? The following weeks were a blur. Someone they called a vet, shots, exams etc. Then that day came. The 2 ladies came to take me away from the rest of my siblings. I was 5 1/2 weeks old and 5 lbs. I didn’t know what it meant when they said I would have playmates at my “new home”. But being so young, I couldn’t do anything but go with them. They picked me up and wrapped me up in a towel to help keep me warm. It was November, just a couple days after Thanksgiving, 2004.
Then I heard them talking about going to a new home. Lord, now what’s happening. Everyone is packing familiar things, and hustling about here and there. Oh well, guess I’ll just go with the flow and see what happens.
Then I was in a “car” not sure I like this, only been in one once before and I was a real hand full. Well wait a minute. My mentor, Misty is here with me and she is laying down looking like she enjoys this. Guess nothing to worry about, guess I’ll lay down too.
Long story short. We were in the “car” for 4 days. Then all of a sudden, a new place. New smells, new yard, wow this is neat, lots of room to run and play, I think I like this. Its someplace they call Utah. I think that’s a long ways from Ohio. Oh well. I guess this is my new “home” but my family is all with me yet. Guess I will settle in.
This is getting longer than I wanted it to. so I am going to close this and start another and post some pictures there, with the help of Mom of course.
Koda, signing off to catch u in next post
February 1st, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
one comment
These pics are from our last “good” snow storm. In case you couldn’t tell, I love to take snow scene pictures. I used to take a lot on the Island also, but they seem more sureal in Utah. Maybe because it is so wide open out here.
Cindy
January 29th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
We did manage to get a few out. We had a time keeping them up with the wind. They were all held down with metal stakes, but that wasn’t enough. We put rather large rocks on them also and still they went down under the high winds.
This picture was taken during a snow squall in the morning. Picture taken facing the east.
Cindy
January 26th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Our dogs love to play around in the snow. They also love to wait for their breakfast. Now I need you to understand, our dogs AREN’T spoiled. (not to much anyway) They know that when mom starts cutting whatever is on her plate, that is their cue to come to the table. Other than that, they are scattered all over the house laying down like perfect angels.
That’s Koda peeking over the edge of the table. Keekie thinks that if she runs around the table after each bite she will get another. Most of the time it works also. She has this figured out. She knows mom feeds them by position. If she keeps changing hers, it confuses mom.
More later
Cindy
January 26th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
I’m trying a new photo editing program and playing around with it, so bare with me.
Left to right are: Dusty, Neche, and far right is the baby, Dakota. She is enjoying a warm day by dozing.
Cindy
January 26th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
I am getting a bunch of pictures ready to post, but thought I would do a fast update.
We are all healthy and enjoying the changing weather. We really notice the positioning of the sunrise here in the last couple weeks.
Al, our Ram, and Freezer, the last of our 2007 bottle babies, went to “RamCamp” over to our neighbors. He has a single yearling ram and ask if we wanted to send our two boys over to keep is youngster company. So the boys went visiting again. That’s fine because they were going to have to be seperated for lambing this spring anyway.
Our 5 ewes all look very pregnant. They are getting soooooo fat. We figured they will start lambing around the first of April. We have already started to supplement their diet with sweetfeed at the morning feeding. Clyde said a couple of them really look like maybe triplets or maybe even quadruplets. (Clyde has Al and Freezer) Clyde’s ewes are due way before ours are by maybe a month. We will be able to see some of Al’s offsprings before we have our own.
The chickens are still laying 15-18 eggs a day. Mom is a Very happy camper. They are more than full filling her dreams of having her own chickens and Brown eggs. lol.
Back later with new posts with pictures.
Cindy
January 26th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Things have been a little quiet around here lately. Temps have been pretty decent later in the day. Been about a week since we have had to really chip ice out of the animals water. The morning trek to water and feed has been nice, the ground is still partially frozen and walking is decent.
The afternoon trek is a little different. Mud ( or rather sandy mud) up to our elbows. Shoes come off at the door outside. The poor horses are in mud up to top of hooves. It’s keeping their feet from drying out though so not all bad.
Had 80 bales of hay delivered the first of the year. Managed to get that covered before it rained or snowed on it.
Will get pictures of stack up tomorrow.
Till then, keep “them” home fires burning, stay warm and dry.
Cindy
January 14th, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
I would like to wish everyone a VERY, VERY
HAPPY NEW YEARS
January 1st, 2008
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
one comment
Santa (Bev) visited the Enterprise Senior Center last week. Kids and families had pictures taken with him and a good time was had by all. Bev didn’t do a bad job as Santa. It’s been a loooong time since Mom had her picture taken with Santa.
Cindy
December 29th, 2007
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Better Late than Never I guess.
It’s hard to believe that in just a few days, this blog will be 1 year old. A lot of things have happened in the last year. Most of them good. Everyones health is better than it was last year. (Mom didn’t spend the 13 days before Christmas in the hospital). We had some neighbors over from our “1 mile square” as it is referred to here in the valley for Christmas Eve supper. It was fun.
Christmas day we went to Bruno and Susan’s for Christmas Turkey. That was neat also. We have never been away from home on Christmas day and Mom could finally relax from all the baking and cooking.
Enjoy the country winter scene and will check in again in a day or so.
Cindy
December 27th, 2007
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Yup, Sure was. It started as sleet, blowing like a banche. We had to go outside and set up our decorations twice from the wind.
Nasty lightening, the kind that lite up the whole sky and the thunder immediately after. Close? Ah, I’d say so.
When it was all said and done, this morning we had maybe 4 inches, with drifts deeper. The chicken coop was opened up this morning and they didn’t even want to come out. Probably a little cold on their footsies.
All the other animals seemed to be enjoying it. The dogs sure did. The ran and romped and buried their noses and dug trenches in the snow. Then a couple of them rolled in it.
No pictures today though, the camera went to the Senior Center with Mom and Bev. Will post a couple of them tomorrow. They are sorta cute.
Cindy
December 21st, 2007
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
While I was working on the computer the other morning, I saw a shadow go by the window. I didn’t think anything about it because the birds always sit on my ledge. Probably a little warmer than anywhere else since I keep my window open all the time. Well I looked up and this is what I saw.
It is a little Screech Owl. I took some pictures thru my window screen and they didn’t turn out. I was afraid to move much and scare him away. Shari went outside and got a few close up pictures of him and he just sat there. About 45 minutes after this picture was take, he flew away.
Cindy
December 15th, 2007
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
Yesterday I thought we hit the jackpot with the weather. Our first trace of snow. Never thought I could get so tickled over snow.
Truth be known, one of the things I really miss out there is the weather. Nothing like a good, “stop everything in it’s tracks” snow or freezing rain event. You can see pics on the yesterdays post of our snow, now here are the new ones taken this morning.
Pretty neat huh?
Cindy
December 5th, 2007
Posted by
Cindy |
Musings |
no comments
