Friday afternoon, I went with my mom to pick up our first sheep from Hobby Knob Farm.
Since we don't have a trailer, we used my mom's minivan to bring them home.
This is no easy task, as sheep don't understand the whole “hop in” concept.
(if these pictures are shaky, it's because I am laughing SO hard)
Once in the van, they calmed right down and gave one look back to their former farm.
I was intimately involved in getting them OUT of the van, so there aren't any pictures of that. (Imagine me holding onto the leash, trying to talk the sheep into jumping down).
Once they were out and into the yard, the youngest one (we haven't decided on a name yet – I call her Shera (Princess of Power) and the brothers call her Baby) started munching:
The older one, formerly named Itsy Bitsy, is decidedly UN-itsy. My 8 year old brother promptly renamed her Fatty Maddy.
At her age, she deserves more respect, her official name is Madeleine.
Shera/Baby is still a lamb (born this spring) and is 3/4 Cotswold, 1/4 Border Leceister with a super curly fleece. Maddy is 4 years old, always twins and is a Shetland/Romney cross. Her fleece is the first I ever worked with (last fall!) and it is just lovely and fine and squooshy.
The girls were sheared (shorn?) last week and I'm going to get started on their fleeces this week. If you want some of their fiber, let me know in the comments!
The ladies will be living at my mom's house, a short drive my place. I go over there a few times of week to babysit my little brothers, so I'll be taking care of them a few times a week. I just came in from wrangling them, right before writing this!
If you'd like to weigh in on the Shera/Baby debate, let me know in the comments! What do YOU think we should call her?
aija
September 28, 2009 at 7:25 pm (15 years ago)sheep!? SO COOL, congrats! 🙂
Ashley
September 28, 2009 at 9:38 pm (15 years ago)wow! those pictures are so funny! good luck with your sheep, that's so awesome1
Melissa
September 28, 2009 at 10:07 pm (15 years ago)I didn't know you were getting some sheep! Was this a joint venture with your mom? Good luck! I laughed at the thought of carrying sheep in a minivan.
Goddess Leonie
September 28, 2009 at 10:28 pm (15 years ago)oh my GOSHNESS…. they are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO cute babe!!!!
kate
September 29, 2009 at 4:05 pm (15 years ago)Woo! Your own sheep! How exciting! They look lovely and I think She-ra is a fantastic name for a sheep 🙂
Hope you have lots of fun with them!
blondechicken
September 29, 2009 at 4:24 pm (15 years ago)Yep, a joint venture! The sheep are technically hers (they live at her house), but since she doesn't spin, I'll be buying the fleeces from her (to help pay for hay!).
She's always wanted a farm with sheep, diary goats, laying hens and dogs. The chickens are next and then the goats.
I didn't make a big deal out of it beforehand, because we weren't 100% certain it would work out until the sheep were in the van!
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blondechicken
September 29, 2009 at 4:47 pm (15 years ago)Thanks! I appreciate your vote for my name 🙂
Tara
Blonde Chicken Boutique
Local, Sustainable, Colorful Yarn
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laila
September 30, 2009 at 4:32 pm (15 years ago)hi tara!
thanks for the kind words about my freeform purse over on my blog!
i was so excited when i heard you were getting sheep on twitter!
the pictures are tooooooo cute! and i love would some fleece!
i'll send you a message on etsy, i can never seem to get enough fiber 😉
xoxo, laila
Elizabeth
October 1, 2009 at 11:52 am (15 years ago)Glad to see you all made it back safely. Since I didn't get any calls from the State Patrol I figured you must have made it. Wish you hadn't put the picture of my backside out there for the whole world to see though. Your mom was smart enough to turn around!
blondechicken
October 1, 2009 at 12:12 pm (15 years ago)I can take it down! I didn't label it & my mom's never on my blog, so people can assume it's her!
Tara
Blonde Chicken Boutique
Local, Sustainable, Colorful Yarn
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Sarah (AhimsaFibers)
October 1, 2009 at 6:09 pm (15 years ago)The picture of the back end of a sheep hanging out of a mini van made me laugh harder than I have in a looooong time. Thanks for sharing, that made my day!
blondechicken
October 5, 2009 at 12:49 pm (15 years ago)I'm so glad it made you laugh! It was pretty hilarious in person!
Tara
Blonde Chicken Boutique
Local, Sustainable, Colorful Yarn
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RedRaven
November 10, 2009 at 10:53 pm (15 years ago)Shera, awesome!!!
RedRaven
November 11, 2009 at 3:53 am (15 years ago)Shera, awesome!!!