This morning upon waking it was 32.2 degrees with a heavy frost. Yep, fall is in the air.
A busy summer has come to an end. The Black Sheep Gathering was a very successful show for me with a Champion Ram and Champion Ewe this year. My ram was even selected to enter the final line-up of seven other rams for the Supreme Champion, but gave way to a gorgeous Merino ram from California. The weather was fabulous, the friends great fun, my daughter was here to help and share the memories, and BFLs moved around the country.
This year the pasture has definitely improved over last year. The flood irrigation is working better and the water is moving where it is supposed to now, thanks to a 10-yard dump truck load of dirt that I moved with my wheelbarrow to the places it needed to be. Next year's plan is to rototill some of the humps down to make the alleys wider so I don't have to move the water more than twice a day. And there is always overseeding and fertilizer to spread.
Then came the cousins from England for two weeks and that was a great vacation. We traveled around Oregon playing tourists to some places we had never been, saw the local fires from a distance after they had done most of their damage, lounged at home on the warm days and learned a new card game that they took home to teach their friends. Good times, and now the planning for our some-day trip starts.
Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival was at the end of September in Canby, OR. It is a very nice show to end the season with at a beautiful, but older, fairgrounds--just the type you would see in a movie. The setting between the livestock barns and the vendor buildings is a large lawn studded with trees. This show has grown over the years in both vendors and visitors, and the sheep and goat shows are well worth watching. I always show lambs there and came home with a Reserve Grand Champion for my ewe lamb. I also have a vendor booth next to my sheep so folks can see the sheep and their fabulous products.
Last Friday was my scheduled appointment with my sheep and their LAI (laparoscopic artificial insemination) session. Next Friday the ram will go visit with those ewes and inform me if it was successful. I am looking forward to lambs already. Now to select names...
Good to get back on track with my blog again after missing summer. Hope everyone enjoyed theirs and I'll be talking to you again soon.
