A Quiet Christmas

Weather was pretty good today so we took the sheep for a walk around the neighborhood. We met a wide-eyed lady carrying a small dog. She wasn't sure what to make of all the wooly faces surrounding her but the boys were on best behavior and I suppose she had a story to tell when she got home.  The boys finally met the two new horses, too. They were just as wide eyed as the lady  and pranced along the fence with us. We couldn't stop for any nose to nose meetings because of the electric wires but they seemed to have fun anyway. It was siesta time for the boys when we got home.

It's finally time to crank up the kiln for a bisque firing. I'll be glazing in a few days.

With the warmish weather the duckies are still finding lots of bugs and worms to eat. 

Days are so short. I'm off to do evening chores and it feels like I just finished the morning ones!

Foot Day

The farrier showed up this afternoon with his wife who works at the veterinary clinic where we take the dogs. She recognized Hattie right off the bat and told me how the techs love her and baby talk her. That dog knows how to manipulate people.They were very pleased with my pen setup and the boys were charming for the most part. Gimp and Mocha trotted right in. Stomper was a little hesitant but went in for a small bribe of sweet grains. Boots and Timmi were last, as always, and not particularly interested in taking part in this operation, but going in together sealed the deal. Dan and his wife squeezed in with them and managed to hold each steady and trim them up. Boots had a lesion in a rear foot that we treated with Betadine solution and Wonder Dust but it's hurting him and he's limping badly. Dan said it should be fine now so time will tell. The whole job took about forty minutes and Dan gave me a good discount because the sheep were calm and it was easier than expected. So it all went well and I was very proud of the boys being such gentlemen.

Hattie's Birthday

My girl is six years old today and I must do something special for dinner tonight. Bob is in Arizona fixing up the house for the sale so it's just us girls celebrating. 

It's been too cold to spend much time playing with the sheep. My eyes water and nose runs badly when I'm out. The tip of my nose is red and raw from wiping. I'm tired of winter already and it's only just beginning.

Dan, the man who shoes horses and trims goat feet is coming tomorrow to spruce up the boys' feet. Bob's bronchitis and bulging disc have made it impossible for him to help with tipping them into the chair for so long we are finally hiring the job out. In the meantime, to help with confining and moving them for the operation we put in another gate to create a holding pen with the squeeze pen in the corner. Hattie and I have been moving them in and out the last few days so they won't worry tomorrow when the work starts. Dan says he will halter them and trim their feet standing. I can't wait to see how it goes. They struggled like mad when we did it that way but I suppose Dan knows a thing or two after thirty years experience. I'll charge up my camera battery and try to get pictures.