Sheep
We started raising sheep so that we wouldn't have to mow the
grass. True story. We've since come to realize that
mowing the grass would be a whole lot simpler, but we've fallen in
love.
Baby Pictures
Here are some of the pictures of our babies:
This is Eclipse. She and her twin brother were born on the night of the lunar eclipse. She has a tiara shaped marking that wraps completely around her head except for her eyes. In this picture, our daughter holds 'Princess' Eclipse.
Here is Moonlight, Eclipse's twin brother. Moonlight has a quarter moon on the back of his head as opposed to his sister's tiara. This is our way of telling them apart.
From top left to bottom right: Mistletoe, Angel (Lily's lamb), Miracle, Evening Star (Mistletoe's lambs), Snowflake, Charcoal (Holly's lambs), Moonlight, Eclipse (Belle's lambs), and Belle.
Moonlight and Charcoal sniff each other as Snowflake bounces about...
...Then they all decide it's time to play 'king of the Holly'. (Get off!)
One of the lambs (probably Mistletoe's) looks our way as the sun rises in the sky.
Charcoal (up front): Umm...Guys? Our Moms are gonna turn around soon, and I don't think they'd like it if we all took a nap on their food.
Charcoal curiously looks at the camera with his mother, Holly, as his anxious older sister, Lily, lingers in the background.
That's it! Reach! Reach!
Time for the babies to settle down for bed.
Good-baa!
What do you do with the sheep?
The sheep actually belong to our daughter. It is her first entrepreneurial venture. She is raising Romney sheep. She tends them every day, providing food, water, fresh pasture and whatever assistance is needed in their care. She is involved in 4-H and will be showing her sheep at the Northwest Washington Fair this year.
She will be auctioning off one of the grass-fed
lambs at the junior livestock auction at the fair. I had
always assumed this was only for other farmers. In fact,
it is for the general public and a great way to fill your
freezer with locally grown, often well-tended, meat raised by
young people in our community.
If you are one of our customers, we would love to see you at the
auction to bid on our or one of the other animals for sale.
In addition, sponsors are always welcome to support the youth's
efforts in 4-H. Sponsors' names are displayed at the
auction and contributions are tax deductible. If you are
interested in sponsoring our child's market lamb, click here:
market lamb
From Sheep to Shawl
As part of her involvement in 4-H, our child has learned how to judge her fleeces, wash, card, spin, weave, felt and knit with her sheep's wool. She currently has several fleeces available for sale. Her sheep are raised naturally, no hormones, antibiotics or drenches. For more information on fleece and yarn availability and prices, go to our products page.