A diary of the projects, hurdles, rewards and family life at we recorded at Wise Acres, our former homestead in Horsefly, BC. (Careers and teenagers have forced us back into the city, at least for a little while.)

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Scraggly sheep and a new hay loft

It was another full week-end! On Saturday we headed into town to check out the 1st Annual Williams Lake Seedy Saturday. The turn-out seemed pretty good, with some interesting information about when to start seeds in our region, a new community/school garden project, a beekeeping demonstration (equipment etc. no live bees) and some activities for kids (planting pumpkin seeds, painting with potato stamps).

Sunday was a busy day working in the barn/sheep shed. We wanted to get a gate on the remaining outside doorway...

Erich put in a hay loft in the top of the barn for storing straw, shavings, feed, children etc...complete with ladder...

The three hooligans enjoying their new playspace...

Erich also built this handy feed trough while we were away...
Notice the scraggly sheep? It started with Snow White...we noticed an increasing number of clumps of white wool on the doorways, posts etc in the barn. When I took a closer look, it seems that there was a break in the wool and it is coming out in clumps with a nice soft layer of new wool about an inch to an inch and a half long, coming in underneath. I had heard of this breaking of wool, it is apparently usually due to a trauma, illness etc. Now I'm thinking it may have been the stress of transportation, extreme cold, getting our hay rations sorted out etc. I'm not sure but the bad news is that while I am saving the clumps that I'm able to remove....it probably won't be useful for spinning. Rats!

So far Brownie has only lost a few clumps...isn't she a nice looking sheep? So regal...or so she appears...she does love a good scratch under the chin and will let you know it if you're not paying enough attention to her.

1 comment:

  1. I e-mailed Gabrielle about the wool break. And she said it comes also if you don't have them shorn twice a year. I wonder if she had yours shorn last fall?

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