Silly Sheeps

The sheep have been a wee bit ornery of late. I really can't blame them too much; they're only doing what sheep love to do. eat. But, in so doing, they've figured out that the fence doesn't work. We use an electric fence which usually works very well for us and what we want to do here on our farm. except during the winter time. The electric fence is movable, solar or battery operated, more intended to keep bad critters out, but generally does well at keeping critters in the fence. In the winter time, we ration the critters hay, which they 'HAY'te. They feel that their entitled to all the food they want. Lucky for us they recognize the sound of food in the metal cans that we jiggle over our heads to lead them to where they're supposed to go. Anyway, the fence works best when there is no snow shorting out the bottom part of the fence or 20 mph winds blowing the fence over. :)

Lucky for us the sheep are pretty good when there is food involved. 

Where one sheep goes, the others soon follow...

The fence is all askew, but the sheep go where the can goes...

Digory really wants the can.

A good shepherd leads his flock to safety.

"I think we've been had fellas."

 Sorry silly sheeps. Though the grass be greener on the other side; you're not entitled to eat it all. 

Dodge

Digory

Yarn Along - Morgy's Cowl

This lovely barn was on the way to Versailles, Kentucky. Papa and I spent most of the day Wednesday, driving down to UK's Oren Little Research Center for their annual Lambing School. I learned a lot, and gasped in horror a lot. But, it was extremely helpful and I enjoyed standing in the (literally) freezing cold barn surrounded by sheep for a few hours.

I also enjoyed the drive with Papa. It's nice to have him all to myself for a few hours to pick his brain about life and farming, and torture him with my tunes. 

He's such a great dad.

I've been reminded a couple times this week how fortunate I am to have such a loving dad. After watching Saving Mr. Banks and then Ragamuffin, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for my loving father who bears with my many weaknesses and treasures me still.

I was super busy on Wednesday, so you are getting the Yarn Along a day late. Sorry.

I finished the Lying in the Meadow Cowl designed by my friend Morgan Oesting. It's been so nice to have on the frigid cold days we've been having 'round here. Super warm and toasty. I really enjoyed making this cowl and it gave me an excuse to buy the mustard colored roving yarn that I've been drooling over...

Yarn Along - The Lonely Tree Shawl

So far, this Yarn Along thing is super great. I feel a little extra kick in my knitting everyday. My thinking being along the lines of "Hey, I don't want to be working on this same project next Yarn Along, I had better hurry this knitting up a wee bit." And then there's the fun of taking pretty pictures when you've finished something! Papa was kind enough to bear with my fiddling with manual settings before and after each picture he took of me with the beautiful Lonely Tree Shawl.

I also finished reading The Hobbit! and have the dwarves song stuck in my head most days...

I really like wearing this shawl around my neck. It's soft and light enough to not choke a person, but warm enough to keep me warm when the wind blows chilly.

Critter's Breakfast on a Sunny, but Cool, Winter Morn

Papa - "Why did the sheep get a traffic ticket?"
Barnaby - "I dunno."
Papa - "Because she did an illegal 'ewe' turn!"

I can't tell if Barnaby is laughing
or
trying to get away from the really bad joke.

Dodge is working on an interesting hair-do. Going through one of those 'teenager' phases where he's got to have enough fluff in his eyes to do the Bieber flip. 

 Papa and I load up in the gator with warm water to help break any ice in the water buckets. Then we drive to one of many haystacks Papa put up over the summer to grab armfuls of green and golden hay for the critter's breakfast.

BREAKFAST!

Clive - "Hay. Please sir, I want some more."

"He said no. How can anybody say 'no' to this face?"

Annabelle - "I'm queen of the breakfast hay!"

Clive - "Here, let me help you with that breakfast crown."

Clive

Melted snow and rain make excellent puddles for my fancy boots to splash around. 

And you thought gloves were for keeping hay out...

A New Year, A New Thing - Yarn Along

I LOVE reading farm blogs. It's my one weakness. And, every time that I read through these wonderful blogs, I give myself a pep talk about how I need to do a better job of keeping up with our blog. 

So, in reading one of my favs, I noticed that some people are doing this "Yarn Along" thing. Basically, you take a picture of your current knitting project, and a bonus is also sharing the book that you're reading at the time. I thought with a New Year, I could try a new thing to help me keep up with our blog better. So here goes a resolution that I HAVE to keep up with, because you all will nag me until I do, right?

                                                         

I'm nearly finished with The Lonely Tree Shawl. I bought this beautiful yarn from Kit at the Woolfest in Falmouth, Kentucky last year. It's an uber soft blend of merino and silk, and so beautifully dyed!

And I'm at the most exciting part of The Hobbit, where Bilbo and Smaug talk in riddles to each other, and though I know the end of the story, it still sends shivers down my spine!

I'd Rather Waltz Than Just Walk Through the Forest

New Year's Eve the sky was breathtaking. How awesome is our God!

For a few years now, our family has begun a tradition of vacationing the weekend after Christmas. Our favorite haunt being the lovely little cabins in Carter Caves, Kentucky. The drive's not too far, but far enough to feel like we're leaving town. We're so blessed to have sweet neighbors to check on the critters for a few days, and sweet church family to check on Uncle Jerry & Aunt Ruth. 

The drive down was rather uneventful, excepting the rain, sleet, ice, and snow on winding roads.

The cabin is always cozy and warm. It's fun taking a break from routine, sleeping in every morning, eating junk food whenever I feel like it, etc. 

The second day, Josh and I decided with the sun out, we'd brave the great outdoors and go hiking on one of the many beautiful trails nearby. I brought my hiking boots; Josh did not bring 'hiking' boots, rather his cool guy boots with zero tread. I did a lot of giggling on those trails. 

Folks would carve their initials in larger trees on the trails.

"What are these?"

"Where did they come from?"

"I love you sweet icicles!"

ok. Josh. let's move on now.

The Fern Bridge all iced over.