I should have known...

(There really is knitting wool content in this post... just keep reading)

I should have known that no matter what my intentions were as of Friday that there really is no such thing as a typical weekend around here.

I should have known that with spring coming and the sun shining and the birds singing things would get a little weirder.

I should have known that when Mac Daddy started talking about yard work what he really meant was New Man Toy.

So when he somehow justified the purchase of a new chainsaw and actually got me to agree I should have known that he'd spend most of Saturday afternoon taking out half of the tree-line out front. Not that it didn't need done... most of the trees out by the road are diseased and interfering with the poles and lines but still he made quick work of the whole thing and now I have a massive amount of fallen trees laying out by the driveway.

I've lived in the country all my life and am comfortable around tractors, livestock, machinery, and firearms but chainsaws still give me the willies. I try not to look when I hear him fire it up but I do peek out the window when it gets too quiet... just to make sure the limbs coming off actually belong to a tree.

So... I guess that if I should've known he meant "chainsaw" when he said "yard work" he should've known what I meant when I said I wanted to go "see" the lambs at the farm up the road.

"See" my new lamb...

He really does look like he's smiling... Baby Doll sheep normally do. He's a fat, wooly little armload and a fabulous addition to our little hobby farm. Kept us all awake all night his first night here. I figured he was lonely and since he's too small to hang with the little herd outside... I got him a little brother...

Now, his "little brother" isn't a sheep... he's a goat. Fly Boy picked him out of the whole group of babies because he likes his ears... says they look like airplane wings... he named the poor guy Mr. Pickles.

The 2 of them became best buds right away. No more nighttime crying. Both are eating very well and as you can see the only way to get a week old baby goat to stand still is to let it practice eating. My thumbs are a favorite at the moment.

Having little critters in the dining room this time of year has sort of become a habit. Last year at this time the beginnings of our little herd were here in the same little gate doing the same thing. There were also peeps hatching in the incubator and geese hatching as well so I suppose we kept it to a minimum this year. I can't believe its been a whole year and that last years little ones are now the big ones out in the barn and the fence and they are still sweet as ever.

Since we don't eat, sell, or move our critters out I figured we'd better draw a line somewhere before we were overrun. I really had my heart set on one little sheep of some sort and these little Baby Doll sheep are perfect... small and gentle and still make a nice wool from what I hear. I have a friend who can help me shear him next spring and other than that his upkeep isn't too much different than the little goats we already have.

So now we're just waiting for the nice weather to make up its mind to stick around. The weekend was nice but today is cloudy and windy and cold. There's nothing more fun than a romp around the yard to work up an appetite, a warm bottle of milk, and a snooze in the lap of a human... at least that's what I hear.

And before you ask... yes, they're in the house for now but no, they aren't house-trainer per se but they do have this innate desire to wee in grass. They pretty much keep it to themselves but once their little hooves hit the ground outside its all sigh and relief (for both of us).

Comments

[Dani]

They are so adorable! What did you name the lamb?

[Debbie]

Just adorable! I wish I could visit and see them! I'd love to pat their cute little heads!

[Steph]

They are adorable. So what is the sheep's name? Mr. Pickles is an interesting name for a goat.

[Karen C]

Oh my gosh, you are living my life! I always wanted to live in the country and be surrounded by all kinds of animals. That would truly be my heaven. Guess I'll just live vicariously through you! Thanks for such a super site...

[bezzie]

Hee hee! Love the babydoll and Mr. Pickles. (Great name!)

[stefaneener]

So so so cute. Do you think I could pass off a Babydoll as a little dog for my city? It would be so great. . . .

And yes, chainsaws make me jittery. Ugh. Useful, but ugh.

[Karen]

Adorable!! I wish I could keep a sheep in my backyard.

[elizabeth m]

Cute Overload right in your own house!

[Kara]

Soo... what did you name the sheep??

Mr. Pickles is a cute addition to the "herd".