Anyone who knows me knows that I am a huge Shaun the Sheep fan. So naturally I named the ram lamb we decided to keep Shaun the Sheep as well. We were going to see how he developed, if he would become a breeding ram. Well, last January he escaped. We normally keep our rams 2 fences away from our ewes, but the Department of Ecology said we couldn’t use that field so had to move them to a field next to the ewes. I put up a net fence for added protection, but Shaun found out it was pretty flimsy. So he spent a happy day in with all of our ewes. Last week I discover Monette was developing an udder. Shortly after that I discovered this:
Now this is Shaun’s elderly mother, Sheila. This is NOT how his namesake would behave! Sheila and Monette are due June 1st +/- 5 days. So that shoots down my Memorial Day plans of going to my grandfather’s birthday in Cliffdell. Instead we will be back to the every 3 hour day and night barn checks. Thanks Shaun!
Now one of our lambs is being bought by Denise ,and she is naming him Chone the Sheep (pronounced the same way). I am hoping he will be better behaved than my Shaun. He has been wethered so that improves the odds.
On an entirely different note, we put packs on our llamas and walked them on the back of the property today. Here they are getting ready:
Here’s Tom and Oreo walking with an empty pack:
Here they are taking a little break:
And here they are loaded with 36 pounds of wool in the packs:
The llamas did great and are now tethered in the back yard resting and eating lush green grass. We are looking forward to more day trips in the area and then overnight backpack trips this summer!
I did have to miss my three day Shetland Lace class this weekend. I became ill with a stomach bug last week and didn’t recover completely until today. I have missed a lot because of illness recently: 2 Mariners games, this lace class, and work last Wednesday night. Now I have to miss Memorial Day weekend for an entirely different reason. I guess that’s life, but it kind of sucks sometimes.
That does suck, and I’m really sorry, Donna. I have a ewe due at the same time, but we wouldn’t have been able to go horse-camping over Memorial Day weekend anyway since Rick is on call.
Thanks Michelle. I feel like a whiner, but I keep missing out on fun stuff.
Dag. Sorry to hear about the unplanned pregnancies. That Shaun is a bit of a rascal, eh? And just when you thought that lambing was over-
He is a rascal and there’s mroe lambing to do. At least I knwo who the dad is.
If that’s one thing I have learned, don’t “plan” on anything, because if something can go wrong it will when you have plans. My calander is always full of the things I need to do, turn it over to June and it is empty. That’s hay season, no use to plan anything. We were “planning”‘ on getting an early start, but the weather isn’t cooperating. That’s what we get for planning ahead. LOL
I guess when you make plans you ahve to expect they will go awry. Particularly when you have critters.
Looks like the llamas did a nice job, and had an outing in the bargain.
They did great and were well rewarded. Now we just have to do longer training trips.
Oh, naughty Shaun. He sounds a lot like the billy goat I recently sold. He could lift a gate off the hinges or bend a cattle panel when the ladies were smelling sweet. The llamas look like they are doing great!
He IS naughty! The llamas are doing just great.
Donna, I do hope you’re feeling better…although Shaun’s Surprise would make anyone feel a knot in the pit of the stomach. lol!
Honestly, Donna…does Shaun know he’s not in ‘Bama? I know everyone jokes about cousins marrying in the deep South (hey, I’ve got family roots there so I can speak about it. heeheehee), but Shaun carried it a bit far, didn’t he? He IS a very nice looking fellow, but…
Naughty, naughty boy, Shaun.
Thanks, I am feeling better. And Shaun is a VERY naughty boy. There were 15 ewes in that field he escaped into so why did he have to impregnate his 11 year old mother?!? I hope she survives this as she was supposed to be retired.
Hope you’re feeling better. I too, have been suffering the dreaded tummy lurgy, but mine lasted one month… Eurk! It’s not nice. Hope to be back to it all again soon. You take care of yourself!
Thanks! I am still having symptoms but better than before. So maybe there’s a prolonged stomach virus out there we picked up. I am still not 100% but am able to work. Then my back is giving me fits, partly because of the extra time I am spending sleeping. Oh well. I guess I am middle aged.
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