Brick
Brick was the first ram of the flock, and rams can get a little, well, rammy when left to their own pasture without the ewes. You can see in the photo a board on a stick. The board is there to preoccupy him with the hopes he will leave the walls alone.... sort of a game of accuracy. Brick's genetics added a cinnamon brown color to our flock with a blocky 3.5 to 5 inch staple. Although not many of our flock took to his color or fleece staple, his daughter Cocoa and his grandson Lil' Brick are carrying it on proudly.
My favorite story about Brick involves my son, Jacob. Jacob is Brick's shepherd, and Brick truly is fond of him. But, Brick is a ram determined to get his way, and he was NOT happy to be separated from the ewes. So when Jacob was working in the yard and unloading a wagon next to Brick's pasture fence, Brick was feeling lucky and gave the wire fence a full on head butt. He connected with Jacob as he was leaned over getting hay. Thankfully, the fence softened the blow. As Jacob reenacted the scene with his Dad and I, Brick started to trot backwards in his pasture with his focus on Jacob.... Not so lucky the second time! Can't blame a ram for tryin'! ;)
Miss Lego
Lego is one of the original sheep to our flock. She is the matriarch, and believe me when I say, "She knows it!" Her locks carry through to many of her children and grandchildren. Lego is gray (now turning to white) and sports tight curls, loose curls, and extra long wavy curls... All on the same fleece. She is one of our favorites for spinners. Her locks can range from 4 to 7 inches in length, depending on the area a person pulls from.
My favorite Lego story takes place during lambing season about 3 years ago. Jacob had introduced a new ewe, Marlena, to the flock. She had her twin lambs after Lego. Lego's twins and some other lambs were already older and running free. Jacob decided to put Marlena and her new twins in their own lambing pen. Lego was having no part of that. She would ram that door with her head until the latch would release, letting the occupants out. At first, Jacob worked on securing the door better. This reinforced door just resulted in the two adult ewes head butting themselves through the walls. Next move, releasing Marlena and the twins with the rest of the flock. They were fine, and Lego left them alone. She was happy at having succeeded in keeping them from getting special treatment. Such a diva!
James
The second ram of our flock was James. He was a handsome ram. We were blessed to have had him for a couple of years. Although he no longer roams earthly pastures, he gets a space here as father and grandfather to many in our flock. James had a gorgeous silver gray fleece with a few touches of black. He was instrumental in giving Liam and Lilly their long 7 to 10.5 inch staple length. When James was out in the pasture, he was a sight to behold.
My favorite James story involves him and Luke the llama. James had gotten twine wrapped around his legs. Jacob was at work, so I asked his Dad to help me get James untangled. Dan told me to pin James against the barn wall leading out to the pasture, while he cut the twine. As I was barely keeping James fixed against the wall, Luke the llama strolled up beside me and started leaning his weight into me. I told Dan to hurry up, since Luke was and is not light, and I was not sure how much more of his weight I could handle. Finally the twine was cut, and I was able to give James a little room to run out to the pasture. Lucky for me, Luke followed. They both turned around quickly looking back at me, and Luke pinned his ears flat to the back of his head. Yeah I know, he was doing his job. I looked at Luke and simply said in my most authoritative, don't want to be spit on voice, "Don't you EVEN think about IT!" Thankfully, no spitting took place. Let's face it. No good deed goes unpunished!
Marlena
Marlena arrived to us alongside James from the same shepherdess of the original trifecta. She is adoringly referred to as my big bunny due to the soft hand of her fleece. Over the years, her fleece has given spinners gorgeous ranges of steel grays to jet black. Her locks primarily stay in the 4 to 5 inch range with a lovely corkscrew curl. As she has aged, her locks are starting to lighten and maintain a fantastic range of hues to make lovely soft yarn.
My favorite Marlena story happened during a hectic "shearing of the flock". The sheep were in the barnyard, and the curious were picked off first. Although the sheep are always frisky and light on their feet once they are freed from their locks, Marlena was having no part of it and decided to keep out of the barn. Hay finally had to be deposited into the feeder to lure her into the barn. Here is a photo of the rare allusive sighting of a woolly Marlena letting her belly get the best of her!
Ritza
Ritza is one of the last adoptions to our flock. She arrived via Ramsay Farms renowned for their champion fine fleeced Shetlands at 25 microns. Her fleece at sheering time appears to be short. Once a lock is given a stretch, it goes from an 1.5 inches to 3.5 inches. The curl is so tight, fine, and dense. Once washed, it is a subdued natural white... Quite lovely and soft. Those spinners seeking an exceptional fine fleece to spin love Ritza.
Ritza is the gentle soul of the group. She roams quietly around and loves to be scratched above her nose. When she was adopted, she was older, used to a set diet, and somewhat gaunt compared to our pre existing chubby group. ;) We worried that she was on the failing side of life. In truth, she was probably fit as a fiddle! Once she settled into the group, we found our darling Ritza would eat just about anything. In her quiet way, she would munch in the field, work her way into the hay bins, and delight in not only eating grain but cleaning up after everyone else was finished with dinner for the night. lol Her charming nature also tends to gain her extra graham crackers at treat time. Ritza's freckled face and passive nature draws everyone to her.
Sadi
More photos and stories of the flock to come!
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