This, That and ta Other thing

Miscellaneous doings around the farm/life/etc....

The second to last day of school Lila was recognized for having the highest score on the MEAP test for Reading of all fifth graders in the Eastern Upper Peninsula Intermediate School District!  She had 100%.  Thats my girl!

This day also was field day.  I hung out with the 2nd and 3rd grade class.

This was a team work exercise passing the hula hoop down the line of kids holding hands.

The obligate sack race.

More team work on a three-legged race. 

Good thing Sam kept up cause big Nick would have just dragged him across the finish line!

This was taken just prior to Morgan and Duncan tripping over each other and then blaming the other one for falling over.  They didn't quite get the teamwork thing down.

Phew!

Alternate use for stock tank. 

This tank was given to us by a friend but it is too deep for the sheep to use so we use it to collect rainwater in to water the plants.  But first it was used as a mini pool.

We couldn't find Lila's suit so she is wearing one of mine (that I no longer fit into but kept for some reason). She now has a more appropriate suit (but will probably be wearing this one in five years time again)!

Well water.  Cold well water.

Duncan gets his cast of today...yay!  I don't think I took a single picture of him with that cast darn it.  He thought he was pretty cool wearing it too.  I'm glad he will be able to take a shower by himself again....no more assisted baths!

I'm half way through washing fleeces and then Lila and I will make the mad dash down to Zeilengers to have it magically converted to roving while we hang out in little bavaria with Grandma Marilyn, and then drive north again.  These mini road trips are exhausting but a fun bonding experience. 

One of the Speckled sussex X Buff Orpington chicks from last year hatched FIFTEEN eggs a couple weeks back.  She was sitting on a clutch of 19 eggs.  These chicks should be 75% Buff orpington and 25% speckled sussex, except I think her mother laid a couple of eggs in this nest so there will be a few of the 50:50 crosses again.

More good news...it is raining!  Grass is growing as we speak so sheep can convert it to wool.

  That is the real purpose of grass in case you were wondering.

Sheep Shearing Day

It has been a busy couple of weeks around the farm! 

The kids are out of school, we've had weather in the mid 80's and have hit freezing once or twice in the past two weeks.  Very difficult gardening weather.  Little rain also.

One of the most notable recent events was that the Sheep were Shorn!  David Keir once again came to us via Wisconsin to shear on May 31st. Here he is working his wizardry.

Chunk volunteered to go first.  She always does! 

 I think she is in love with David based on the look on her face.

She is hoping he has cookies in his pocket.

Liz in the "headlock" pose. I love the way the fleece just peels away from the sheep so smoothly.

I realize you can't see much of the sheep here...but look at his arms!!

This is Fancy getting her summer Fancy do.

Being delicate around Fancy's ears.

Cameo.  She has a large fleece; spotted fawn and white which makes a nice oatmeal color blended.

Zanzibar, our sheep with the identity crisis.  She hangs out with the llamas.  She is a musket colored Shetland with a very fine fleece (so we forgive her eccentricities).

Deja...the silvery black sheep goddess of the flock.

I think this must be Beltane, Deja's son.  He has a lovely dark taupe fleece that is wicked soft.

Snowball, one of the silly Olde English Southdown Babydoll sheep. 

I added this photo mainly because of the onlookers in the background.  Chunk just couldn't drag herself away and I had to keep shooing her out of the barn.

The other babydoll- Cocoa!  I wouldn't know where on earth to start on these hairy beasts.

The final product!

Now the hard work begins!  The fleece must be washed....

I'll have some more updates soon.  Some end of the school year kid photos and fun.