Catching waves and eatin' Smores at the Lake!

Welcome home Beatrix and Aoife

 Mini-van turned into sheep transporter!

Am I really in a mini-van?  

 All out! Ewe's first! 

Within minutes, Bea and Ee were grazing in their new pasture!

 Aoife in the front; Beatrix in the background. The sheep are already much better 'lawnmowers' than the goats!

 I love this shot by Farmer J!

Pre-bath picture!

This picture is one of my all time favorites.  I love how the leaves frame the shot and how the sheep is in the bright sun! 

The sheep are coming!!!

Through the grapevine, we heard of a family that needs to quickly sell some sheep (or they will be "converted" to food) as they are moving off their farm this weekend.  We went to the family's farm (about a 30 minute drive from where we live) this morning and met their lovely flock... and the lovely family (I should have written that first).

We were looking to buy two sheep.  We decided on "Sarah"- a two year old ewe and "Paula"- a five year old ewe.  They are "tunis" sheep and originally come from North Africa.  They are a very old breed of sheep- around the time of Jesus.  Here is a lovely description of tunis sheep:

"those beautiful copper red-faced, red legged, creamy wool creatures with pendulous ears who give new meaning to good mothering and docile temperaments.  Their gorgeous, almost chocolate fleeced- lambs, born with a double coat of red fibre, look almost like teddy bears at birth, sometimes with a white spot on their forehead and on the tip of the tail."

Sarah and Paula are not related but have been living together for a long time!  (sheep are flock animals- buying just one isn't a humane option.) Both have successfully "lambed" and were good mamas! Having non-related ewes may help with expanding our flock and gene-pool, in the future.

We are hoping to have one of them (or maybe both) pregnant and lambing by the spring-- a dream come true!  And... we have already found a buyer for their wool!  God is good!

Farmer J will be transporting them (yes, once again transporting farm animals via mini-van) from their old home to their new home, here with us.

As the animals don't "know" their names, we will be giving them new names.

"Paula" will become Beatrix, which means "traveler" and "blessed"-- which seems to fit her and her situation well.  "Sarah" will become Aoife (pronounced "ee-fa"), which means "joyful", "beautiful" and "radiant".  In Irish history, there was a famous red-headed "Aoife" princess-- so the name really fits our red-faced ewe.  Also, you all know just how much I love Irish names.  We will call them "Bea" and "Ee" for short.

Here they are!  Beatrix has the tag in her ear.  Aoife has a longer tail!

 Tunis ewes! 

 Meet Beatrix!

Meet Aoife!

P.S.-

Padraig and Ciaran are doing great.  Butting heads (playfully) and loving their goat treats.  We are trying to teach them some manners (i.e., not to jump up on our legs and to use their "plate") which isn't working too well!

Cheeks (the hurt chicken) is still doing well!  Sadly, we are missing one of our new Americaunas and one of our bantams; the downside of trying to go on a little vacation!  But... we still have 16 hens so that is good.  We won't be running short on eggs anytime soon!

Beauty abounds!

Here are some pictures J took around the farm and on various nature walks in the area...Enjoy! 

Come on down to the county fair!!!

 Two words: cream puff

 Guess who we ran into at the fair... Magnolia (or is this Primrose?)

 If this bunny would have been for sale, I would have bought it!  Oh my goodness, so cute!

 We went through the horse barn and saw some HUGE horses... like this one.

 Farmer J and Mr. Horse- nose to nose.  I love how soft horses' noses are...and how they smell.  Pick Pick gave some love as well.

 Some day... I want a little calf!  We especially love the little brown ones!

 Pick Pick and I went on the Ferris Wheel.  

 Here is a view of the fair from the top of the Ferris Wheel. 

 The carnival lights turned on as we were on this ride!

 The boys are now old enough to go on most rides by themselves... so less tickets overall!

 Nothing is better than an old fashion slide!  They sat on potato sacks to increase their speed.  Pickle got a little air after one little bump!

Animal update...

 Farmer J found this 'tiger salamander' in his garden!  

 Our front porch turned into a small animal vet clinic a few weeks back.  This is me, the wary farmwife, assisting farmer J in caring for Cheeks- our hurt hen.  We wrapped her in a towel so her little feet and fingernails wouldn't scrap me while J tended to her wounds.  Seconds after this picture was taken, Cheeks had diarrhea.  Luckily, she was no longer on my lap!  Cheeks is doing great!  She is roosting again, she can walk (or hop) all over the farm, she is getting harder to catch and is eating and drinking well.  The other hens pick on her a bit, but she does a great job of hiding in the woods during the day.  At night time, we separate her from the other hens, in a different part of the coop.  

 J planted flowers that would attract Monarch butterflies.  This picture is so beautiful and was taken just steps from the house.  

And yes!  A few bats have graced us with their presence once again.  J caught this one, with his perfected 'tupperware catching bat' technique.  So far, crossing our fingers (and toes), this has been the only bat in the house.  We have heard a few more up in the attic but nothing like last year.