Meet the Sheep 2

Weather has been dreary but I'm seeing signs of spring. Daffodil and tulip bulbs are pushing their way up through the mulch and buds are forming on trees and shrubs. I've been working at reducing the manure pile, spreading it around plants in the yard to slowly release nutrients into our sandy soil. The pile is saturated with rainwater and my wrists ache from repeatedly loading the cart with a pitchfork to haul it around the yard. Only a ton of shit left to move!

Manure pile

Tulips

Hellebores are flowering. The bright white ones really catch the eye but they're even more striking as they age, turning yellow and pink.

Now meet Timmi, my most handsome of the white boys. He has held back longer than any of the others, just now being comfortable enough to touch my hand in hopes of finding a treat. He can be skittish and will leap into the air and over the other boys to avoid Hattie. He's a bit of a head butter, too, so I keep my eye on him when I'm working in case he charges. He's made some advances that I've avoided so far but once my knee is done they cannot butt me in the legs. I don't think he's being mean or aggressive, it seems to be a social thing the boys do and Timmi is just including me in the gang, but I redirect that energy now to getting a treat or a gentle touch instead. I've watched the boys at their head butting games. Two will square off, slowly walk up and touch heads, sizing up the competition, then back up a few yards and go at it, bang! Sometimes it gets rough and the others will side with one or the other to calm things down, but it has gotten bloody a few times. 

Timmi

Tux is now taking medication for incontinence that has stopped her obsessive licking but has given her diarrhea and restlessness. I'm waiting for delivery of doggie probiotics that might help with the intestinal issue otherwise we'll have to stop the meds. The Fluconazole really complicates treatment for other things, poor old girl. We don't know what has caused the increased blood calcium and have opted so far not to do a lot of diagnostics. She is getting old, has Valley Fever, hip dysplasia and pannus which will never go away, so there is little point of making extraordinary efforts to treat cancer or other serious disease. She's getting lots of love and attention and seems happy.

Tux

 I think I've got all the tests done for my surgery. I meet with my primary doctor next week, then have the knee class where I learn everything I need to know about the surgery and recovery the week after.

Hattie rolling for joy

Duck girls, Sapphire and Ruby

Meet the Sheep

I've been setting up the new computer, transferring files, trying out new software, dealing with a bazillion passwords that have to be entered in a new password manager. Not all Windows things play nice with Mac things so it's taking way too much of my time, but here I am.

So, on to the sheep.

Meet Boots. He was a problem boy right from the start, standoffish and skittish, the one who got very sick and required an antibiotic shot weeks after moving in. Turns out he is a clever boy, the one that opened the gate and let the others into the back yard. And now he has learned to open the duck house door. The duck house adjoins the sheep pen. When I'm cleaning, Boots manipulates the little latch on the door with his lips and works it open. Then I'm dealing with sheep popping their heads in looking for food. I hope they don't like eggs! This week was a breakthrough as he began coming in close while I give the other boys scritches, even allowing me to gently scratch his chin. He's quite bold with Hattie though, sniffing her ears, a real dare devil at times.

Stomper, Boots and Gimpy

I'm using new photo editing software so hope the pictures are not too awful.

Bob's New Boot

 Seems the nurse who fit Bob with a boot for his ankle made a mistake. He was in severe pain for almost two weeks before he was able to get hold of another nurse to get it checked. Turns out the boot was way too small for him and the air bladders weren't deflating, putting pressure in all the wrong places. This new black boot is much better fitting but also bigger and a hassle wearing in bed. We're hoping the other one didn't cause more damage to the ankle, prolonging his need to wear the boot. He has to be out of it before my surgery so he can do the driving.

Tux giving a rare look at the camera for a picture. She thinks it is some type of torture device.

My new computer should arrive tomorrow so it may be awhile before I figure out how to use Windows 10 and am logging back in to the blog. Wish me luck.

Changes

After moving my studio to the garage the shed was up for grabs and is now proving to be a good place to store animal foods, supplies and gardening equipment. There is quite a bit of stuff to move that is temporarily stored in the greenhouse, but that will have to wait for better weather.

The lawn tractor is now stored in the quonset that used to house the hay.

Timmi and Boots are thinking I must surely be carrying a treat. No luck today, guys.

I am very sad to announce that my nine year old iMac, which has never let me down, is going to be replaced by a Windows 10 desktop computer. The operating system can no longer be updated and it is so old Apple won't even give it a trade in value. It's still working well, but slow compared to current models, and the spinning ball shows up a little too frequently. The new iMac configurations don't match my technical needs and are also very expensive, so I have been steered over to the PC dark side. My new Dell will be delivered in a few weeks. I will really miss the integration between phone, tablet and computer with having all Apple products. 

I'm off to the hospital in Port Angeles for full length x-rays of my leg in advance of surgery. Another step closer... can I back out now??

New Studio

Well, there is a bit more to be done but my studio is pretty well organized now. It's on the small side for so much stuff but comfortable for one working person. Most important, I have a lot of table tops to spread out on. The wall color is Mango Tango, warm and cheerful, to brighten up the dreary garage gray. We still need to cut to size another stall mat for the floor under the rolling table in the middle of the room. The pieces will fit together like a puzzle. But the mats are very heavy so Bob is needed for this step and he is out of commission for a while with a torn tendon. See picture of Bob's boot below. He must wear the boot 24/7 for a month so I am handling all animal chores and doing all the driving.

A New Year Walk

I finished painting my new studio today. I'll take pictures for the blog when it dries and the gear is organized. It's a hideous mess now, but I do love the color. The garage tends to be gray and dreary, so I went with a bright, cheery color. 

With the painting done we decided to take the sheep for their first walk about.

We got permissions to cross properties from everyone at the New Year's Eve party last night, so we crossed this field (which the sheep will be able to stay in once we put up temporary fencing on one 300 foot section) to get to the trailhead for the beach trail where there is lots of good grass to eat.

There's a fenced parking area there where the boys were able to graze awhile. Bob stood by to protect the pine tree from the gluttons. We don't want the neighbors complaining the boys are destroying their garden.

Hattie stayed on the job making sure the boys didn't wander too much.

This is heaven for a border collie.

The walk home went well and the boys were happy to be back, taking off at a run to their open gate. They do like getting out and exploring so we'll be doing this again soon. Hattie will be having sheep dreams tonight.

Also tonight -- the super moon!

Ho ho ho

Santa's bringing snow!

The latest on Tux

The old girl was doing a lot of licking at the nether region so off to the vet we went. After getting an elevated blood calcium reading I was advised to be on the lookout for anything unusual. Turns out she has quite a urinary tract infection which we are now treating with antibiotics. She had an issue with an anal gland that got expressed, too. We're hoping that was the cause of the calcium being off. This girl certainly hides her discomfort well as there were no signs of a UTI other than the licking.

While paying for her visit I got a call confirming my knee surgery on February 22. Glad I got the earlier date so there is less time for worry.

A new place to pot

My new studio is just about done. The door needs a sweep, and when the taping mud dries I will paint and begin to move in.

Here is the new wall on the garage side. Just calling out for shelves to fill with useless junk.

And two shots of inside. It's a little narrow at about 10 feet wide, but quite long. I'll work with it to make space for all my essentials. The stall mats in the shed need washing before I bring them in for the floor, but it's a little too cold to do that now. These big windows will need shades or the summer sun will bake me out. I hope to be working with clay again within a week or two.

Day length begins to increase after today!

Missing Summer

Gray days and rain are back. It's a good time to do clay work but my shops are a mess. Construction on the garage wall begins this Tuesday and should be completed Wednesday. Hurray! I guess the wall will need some paint then I can move in and get to work. Here is the mess that will be my new studio space.

A few pieces I liked from the last firing...

The boys ask to go out to the temporary pen every morning. I have to keep shifting it around. The grasses and weeds they like to dine on are growing very slowly now. They work well with Hattie on walk-arounds so I'm hoping we can move into neighbors' fields soon.

Her highness patiently waiting for the action to begin...

Tux is out with Bob for the morning so no picture. Results from latest bloodwork came in Friday. Cocci titer is back to 1:8 which is where she was before the temporary stop in medication. Our local vet is taking over from the AZ vet and uses a different compounding pharmacy so we're getting Fluconazole in tablet form that is much cheaper than the capsules she's been getting. The rest of her bloodwork was excellent except for slightly elevated calcium - which is very concerning. It could mean the fungus is doing something to Tux's bones, it could be a cancer, or it might just be that Tux was slightly dehydrated when the blood was drawn. Of course, it means worry for us to keep a watchful eye for increased lameness or anything else unusual and another round of bloodwork in a few months. Hoping for the best.

This...

Gray sky. There is nothing to be said about it.