Goodbye, Dylan

Sweet little Dylan has left the farm and has begun her long trip to Texas. Dylan is not Ag, and should be retaining her unusual spots. She's one of the cutest lambs ever born here at Twin Brook Farms. Be a good girl, Dylan and make some friends at your new home! Special thanks to my good friend Mary Ellen who agreed to help transport Dylan part way to her destination.

The first time I met Mary Ellen (was it 2001?), I went to her farm in Hager City to see her lovely lambs. When I arrived, she was in the barn with her spinning group friends "toasting the lambs". I had never even heard of a spinning group, and only vaguely understood that people actually spun fiber. I was anxious to sell my meat breed ewes and move on to something smaller and a breed that required very little human intervention. *SHETLANDS* Mary Ellen greeted me warmly as she does everybody who comes to visit her. It was at M.E.'s farm in Wisconsin, at a gathering one hot July day that I met such well-known Shetland breeders as Jane Eager (some incredibly low flock number!), Canadian Bill S., and Stephen R. --it's okay guys, if you can't remember me---it was back in the days when I read the Yahoo! Shetlands groups religiously, (ooh, no more-can't stand it!!!) and I mostly just listened to you talk and hung in the background. Mary Ellen made barbequed ribs for everyone! What a fun day, and when are you hosting another, Mary Ellen?

Last Two Yellowstone Photos. Really. Or Not.

Lost Creek near Tower/Roosevelt

Pretty elk cow on the lawn at the post office

in Mammoth Hot Springs. I wasn't that close, that would be against the rules! I used my zoom.

Side note: We got rain last night! 7/10 of an inch fell around 10:00 p.m. That will do nicely for now!

Ultimately, Something To Smile About

She's really enjoying that hay...I'm surprised she doesn't just jump in, they usually do. I had 2 beautiful pastures a month ago with more than enough lush, green grass (over their heads) for 18 sheep. Now, I've resorted to feeding hay, as we are in drought-like conditions here in our county. The crops are stressed but have sent their roots way down into the subsoil moisture. The pastures (there is not much pasture ground in my area), hay ground and lawns are burning up. Deep cracks in the dirt, and nasty, nasty dry conditions. The sun just keeps shining warm everyday, and the dark clouds that roll by occasionally just seem to blow away. We had not quite an inch of rain while we were on vacation, and that's all we've had for way over a month, maybe 6 weeks.

Regardless, the lamb photo is a funny reminder that it's good laugh about silly things!

Yellowstone- One Building, Two Different Seasons

You may not think this is a very neat picture to post, but it's rather fascinating when compared to the photo below. The photo above is one of the tourist traps/souvenir stores at the village of Canyon in Yellowstone National Park. I scouted out this particular shot because I had stood in roughly this same spot for a photo I took a year and a half ago.
Some of you may remember that I've posted this shot before. Yes, it's the same building, one taken in July, one in February! In the winter, Canyon is only accessible by snowcoach or snowmobile. What a difference a couple of seasons make!