Boulderneigh Shetland Sheep, unveiled

Yesterday I took Rechel, Bella, Brava and Braveheart, plus three fleeces, to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival. Fleeces I have shown one other time, but this is the first time Boulderneigh sheep have ventured into the public eye for scrutiny. I found my stalls, got my sheep unloaded, checked my fleeces in, and then finished setting up my area in the sheep barn.
I am really pleased with how my banner turned out, handsomely displayed in a frame made by my dear husband. I'm sticking with the blue/green color scheme that started with my blog, hence the plaid tablecloth. I even used a photo of that fabric as the background of my notebook cover sheet/flyer.
It was interesting to observe the sheep's reactions. Brava and Braveheart, my little "world travelers," acted like veterans, calmly taking everything in, eating right away, and chewing their cuds. Rechel and Bella, on the other hand, acted quite stressed. Rechel (in the coat) constantly looked to me for reassuring pets and scratches, and Bella even seemed to appreciate them. By the time I finally had to leave for the evening, though, they were acting more settled.
I am only able to participate in this event because of the generous and helpful Shetland community. I knew ahead of time that I would not make it to Canby at all today, and had to rely on others' willingness to watch over my sheep and keep them supplied with feed and fresh water. Tomorrow morning I will arrive bright and early to tend to their physical and emotional needs, and pick over their fleeces before the Shetland classes start with ram lambs at 9 a.m. Braveheart is the smallest ram lamb I saw there, so it will be interesting to see how the judge responds to him. He generated some curiousity among some of the Shetland breeders (all assumed he was a ewe at first glance because of his lack of horns), and I had a very positive discussion about polled genetics with a woman passerby who has kids in 4H.

That's it for now at . . .