Oh, um, I mean "musket love." Above are my lovely musket girls, Butter (front) and Brava. At least I think Brava is musket; I've gotten differing opinions on her color. Maybe I'll get a definitive answer at this spring's shearing. Since Brava lost all her wool when she got sick last May and has been covered ever since, I expect her clip this year to be fantastic, whatever its color. Sadly, Butter appears to have a break in her fleece from when she got sick this winter, so her buttery-soft lamb fleece may be trash. I will have to decide whether to shear her early and leave her uncovered so I can show her as a yearling at Black Sheep Gathering and/or Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival this year, or keep her at home and cover her fleece for maximum cleanliness and value. It will all depend on whether lambs arrive early enough and look good enough to have a "show string;" Butter is not for sale and would only be exhibited because it would be interesting to get a judge's opinion on her.
Switching gears completely, here are the first flowers of the year at Boulderneigh. I happened to spot them on Inauguration Day, looking like the inspiration for the ball gown Michelle Obama wore later that night. Can you imagine a ball gown inspired by this morning's sunrise?
Finally, lookee what Kristi gave me: the Wonderfully Wooly award at right. Thanks, Kristi!
That's it for now at . . .
10 comments:
Oh how I envy the green grass in your photograph of your girls. It will be a couple of months before I start to see that yet. And flowers even. Sigh...
Envy from this direction as well. It's still snowy here.
I'm just glad Butter is alright. Here lamb wool might not be great for spinners, but perhaps craft felters could make use of it?
Little flowers peeking up like that are only a pipe dream here. But......it is good to see them. It kind of jump starts my memory.
No new bullie pictures recently.
I still have that fawn vs. musket thing too. It was suggested to me the color of her lambs over time, bred to different sires, will be the true test. I think my ewe is Ag, but possibly genetically fawn as well, to really complicate things. I am glad Butter is feeling better, she looks like such a sweet ewe. And yes I DO love those muskets and greys! Is that bad?
Just by looking at Brava's face, I would say she's not AG, which would mean she's not a musket. Notice the difference between her and Butter's faces. Brava doesn't have the tell-tale sugar lips and eye patches that AG sheep develop seasonally.
It does look like she's got a white spot on her nose, I had some moorit (or maybe fawn) ewes who developed white spots on their noses just like that in the winter. The spot disappeared in the summer. The were definitely not AG sheep judging by their lambing histories. Just my two cents. I'm sure you'll love her fleece not matter what color it is. :-)
Those little white flowers with the light shining on them - oh how pretty!
Not all Ag sheep have those telltale facial markings seasonally or not, so I've been told I can't go by those. Brava DOES have white hairs in her ears, though....
You've got to be kidding!!!! GREEN GRASS AND FLOWERS! It is -2 here, windy, and I have forty layers of clothes on in the house! I AM SO JEALOUS!!!!
I so love your sheepy pictures and learn so much every time I read an entry on your blog! I had no idea about ailments affecting the fleece. How interesting, but annoying! :(
As for the snowdrops mine appear not to have shown this year. I'm baffled, as I have a primula practically in bloom, big buds on the daffodils - and no snowdrops!
I just love the snowdrops, not seen any here yet though; and that sunrise is just to die for - so many people stayn abed and don't know what they are missing... Has been typical Auld Reekie (grey) weather of late so we have not had any spectacular sunrises, or sunsets for that matter.
I'm sure there's something to be salvaged from Butter's fleece. I even use the britch wool from my fleeces - after scouring, I spin them up for rug wool and they work just fine. Where is the break? That may determine the end use.
Having healthy sheep is always more important than the fleece...I agree...it's best Butter and Brava are OK. :)
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