Sunday, March 1, 2009

What is she thinking?

I'm not sure what she's trying to say to me. Some of the things I love about my sheep are the different expressions and body language they are able to convey. I spend enough time with them to be able to read them pretty well. Lots of people like to say that a sick sheep is a dead sheep---meaning if they get sick, you may as well give up because they are going to die. There was a time when I would get very defensive about that statement. I've come to realize that unless you spend time with your sheep, you won't be able to see the subtle differences in their behavior that will tell you when something is not right. So, unless you are observing them in a knowledgeable way, it can be too late when you figure out they are sick. They do have distinct personalities and, believe me, they are not nearly as stupid as a lot of people like to believe! I do not want to admit how many times I've been out-smarted. True, I don't think there's a lot of deep, philosophical thinking going on in there, but they are plenty smart enough to do what they need to do (and sometimes quite a bit more than they need to do!).

Today was the scheduled day for the shearer to come do the pregnant ewes, since we are only about two weeks away from the first lambing due dates. Thank goodness I had second thoughts about the weather and rescheduled for next weekend. Though the daffodils are pushing up through the dirt and will be blooming soon, we had snow on the ground again this morning. I'm hoping the forecasters are right and that we will have a warm up this week.

I'm still on the finishing track around here. This mitered square shawl has been languishing for many months, but was finally completed last week. It's a free pattern from here. (They have a fantastic selection of freebies.) In spite of the fact that I abandoned it for many months, it was an enjoyable experience. I love knitting miters. There was just enough going on to keep my interest. I used Noro Kuyreyon, color 214 and, for better or worse, I didn't even attempt to plan how the colors would work out. This will most likely become my "house shawl"----one I use for watching television and knitting or reading in bed after the furnace has cooled down for the night.

Hope you are having a great Sunday afternoon. I've got a cozy fire going and some knitting waiting for my attention.

4 comments:

  1. This is beautiful! I love it!

    Diana B.

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  2. Your shawl is lovely. I, too, like the mitered knitting or, as it's known around here, Domino knitting. Hope you don't get too much snow.

    Amy

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  3. Our minister asked Sunday if I would be willing to talk one day about sheep - to try to dispel the image that sheep are dumb, that being a sheep was bad... Of course my first response was "So you'd like me to spend a few hours listing all the times I've been outsmarted by sheep?" You completely understand ;-).

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  4. Wow, I love all of your little knits and the shawl is beautiful, I love Noro. Doesn't it feel so good to finish things?

    It is so great to see your animals. How interesting that must be to live with all of those creatures around. Thanks for sharing.

    I'm with you on looking forward to a little green sprouting up. It was so cold today, maybe 20 degrees or so.

    Take care,
    susan

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