Honey - get out the saw!

Our rams horn has caused me a bit of a headache lately. When we got him as a lamb early last summer he had broken off one horn.

Since then it had grown back, unfortunately now pushing into his head above his eye.

So when my ever so helpful husband came home from work today I asked him to get out the saw.

Off course he was delighted upon the chance of cutting a sheep's horn instead of relaxing on the coach with glass of pineapple juice (well yes, he does prefer the juice over a cold beer)!

So while he looked for a saw I put a halter on the ram, tied him to the fence and pinned him in the corner. My only question was: would this turn into a bleeding mess?

There are no nerves in the horns, so no pain for the little guy translated into no struggles. At least not for him, it was a bit different for my better half. He did not feel all that comfortable performing the procedure. But, eventually off came an inch or so of horn and not a drop of blood.

Happy ram, happy me, happy husband - Happy End!

On the way to the house I found 7 eggs in the hen house. The chickens are in their yearly molt, were they are changing their entire feather costume. This takes a lot of energy, and translates into no eggs. 7 eggs means we are going uphill again and eggs for breakfast tomorrow!

What's happening?

No new lambs to report. What is going on??? Well, my theory is blaming the ram, I am a shepherdess, so naturally I will blame the male! He is a young guy and not only is he young and inexperienced, but a bit on the short side, at least he was at breeding time. So this past fall he had a few obstacles to overcome. Amazingly he managed to get all the the girls pregnant, which we could confirm last weekend when we trimmed feet and noticed swelling udders on each and every ewe... all that is left to do now is wait and drink tea.

We did not only take care of feet, but gave the pregnant group their yearly booster shot of "covexin 8" which gives the unborn lambs protection as well, mostly against overeating.

This is the only vaccination the sheep get. While on a roll, I mixed up a garlic molasses concoction to drench everybody as part of my "organic" worming program. The girls truly appreciated all the special attention and one on one time they got.... :o) ....while my husband was greatful for the opportunity to jet again prove his strength to the shepherdess!

I spent some time on Sunday in the veggie garden as well, ridding it from pine needles, which we have in sheer abundance... They are great for the berry patches, everything else will wrinkle their leaves in disapproval. Wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow was hauled out of the garden and onto the burn pile.

Inside the tomatoes are showing their first true leaves and are ready to move into their own big pots. Instead of repotting I have been spinning Mimis (my only babydoll ) fleece. I spun it in the raw, which means it did not get washed before spinning. In the pic you see an unwashed skein of yarn next to a washed skein. This is the same fleece! Just imagine the wash water...

Then I dyed one batch with moss that the kids gathered at a camping trip a couple of years back.

You know what they say:

a good thing takes time, or something along that line!

Another batch got to soak in a cooked down solution of green walnut shells which my dad had brought me...... a couple of years back. This sounds like a pattern doesn't it?

The moss dye resulted in a nice,

well mossy green, all the walnuts did is turn bright white into a light beige (instead of a deep brown)

I conclude moss keeps better than walnut shells...

Now I am trying to decide what to make of mossy and not so walnutty Mimi......