Our first SIX-egg day!

Yesterday the hens gave us SIX eggs, but I must say I'm still waiting impatiently for our first "chocolate" egg. (The friend who did chores for us while we were in Texas didn't get any; I asked.) I have never seen Welsie in a nesting box, but I HAVE noticed that her comb has grown since she arrived a month ago:
When I compared the colors of five of the six eggs we got yesterday, I did notice that one of the brown eggs has a slightly darker, richer color than the others (clockwise from left: Tawny-the-Wyandotte's egg, the darker egg, a Rhodie egg, Ebony's egg, and Morgan's egg). Now I'm wondering if Welsie IS laying, but not "chocolate" eggs. I guess only time will tell!

Coming up a bit later - a closer look at the "man of the hour."

That's it for now at . . .

3-2 & 1+1=breeding season 2008!

I didn't pick up Franjean yesterday afternoon after all. Tuesday night was a short one after getting home from the airport well after midnight, so Rick thought it safest for me to wait until after a good night's sleep to make the drive to Shady Oaks Shetlands. I must admit, this morning did dawn a bit clearer to my eyes!

When it was time to load up the wethers that were leaving, I caught Browning first. When Brian found out I was planning to take both the brown boys and keep Blizz (the grey), he started pleading for Browning. Even though Rick and I both think Blizz is the friendliest and has the most marketable fleece, Brian was adamant that Browning is the friendliest to him. So off came the halter, and although it made the pit of my stomach feel like it was lined with lead, I loaded up Blizz instead. I was going to get one last photo of him and Bryden, but never did. Maybe it was just too hard.

We had an uneventful drive to Creswell. After admiring Marybeth's girls and feeding them cookies, we unloaded the wethers and caught Franjean. My halters were too small to fit on his head, but he led nicely with one strapped around his neck. He's a nice, long ram, although not as wide as Braveheart.
When we got home, the sheep had to be divided into three pens within the sheepfold: Butter and Browning in one (when Browning starting ramming Butter, I felt even worse about getting rid of Blizz), Braveheart in another, and the three adult ladies with Franjean in a third. When Franjean realized he was in with GIRLS, he could hardly believe his luck! It might take him awhile to learn some finesse, though, since this is his first breeding experience. I doubt any of them are going to get much rest tonight.

Braveheart and Franjean sniffed each other through a stout new pallet. During the day there will be much more distance between them; I hope the pallet - their only common wall - is enough to separate them at night!

That's it for now at . . .

In case you were wondering...

...I did finish the moebius shawl in time to wear at my sister's reception! I finished the knitting shortly after arriving in Texas last week. The rectangle measured 16"x47".Then I twisted it and seamed one short end to the end of one long side to get the moebius effect with a longer "V" back.

The wedding was held in my folks' little church in Hereford, which was much too small to accommodate the reception. For that we moved down the street to the Community Center, which was well air-conditioned or I would have been too warm to don mohair. I wore it for awhile, and my new brother-in-law's Aunt Bonnie, a fellow knitter I was delighted to meet, took these photos on her cell phone:
For more wedding photos, you'll have to wait until I get home and download my camera (we're in the airport waiting to board as I type). You may have to wait awhile, though. Tomorrow will be crazy, because after a busy morning playing catch-up and going to the homeschooling cooperative in the afternoon, I'm driving to Creswell to pick up a very special ram to meet my three adult ewes!

That's the long-distance report from . . .

Brian's favorite person

This is Brian's favorite person. Oh, he loves his other grandpas and grandmas, and us, his parents, but he does have a favorite. Us parents and grandparents aren't supposed to have "favorites," but young children rarely feign impartiality.

And what's with the beanie on Grandpa's head? Well, Grandpa had a very special surprise waiting here in Texas for Brian: a go-cart. Rick and I knew ahead of time and were instructed to pack Brian's helmet; Grandpa figured he'd better have one, too, to be a good example.

Of COURSE Brian was excited to try out "his" go-kart (also referred to sometimes a "motorized Hot Wheels"), so he and Grandpa took it for a spin on the driveway. Grandpa helped at first, as the steering was a little stiff.
After a bit of practice and the application of a grease gun, Brian was able to steer it himself. Look how intense he is about his first driving experience!
Soon he was driving solo.
He had to make a pit stop to put a racing number on the front; this should have worried me about what was to come!
As my son added goggles and confidence, he started enjoying the power available to him more and more.
At one point he didn't make the turn and accelerated right into a front post of the house, knocking it out of position and leaving a big scuff! (Later he also hit both the split-rail fence and a tree.)
He also ventured off the driveway surface, discovering how much fun it was to spin out in the wet grass and standing water from the recent heavy rain.
The result was not only a mud and grass covered go-kart (and boy),but a torn-up lawn to go with the cattywampus post. I was fretting about the mess and Grandpa just said, "The grass will grow back, and the post will be easily fixed with a sledgehammer and a bit of paint." See why he's the favorite?

That's the long-distance report for now from . . .