Miniel's Progress

Here's a photo I took yesterday of Miniel.........

She is grazing and up on her feet today for longer periods of time. We continue to give her 2cc's Penicillin S.Q. morning and evening. It's a great feeling to see her grazing with Tadiel in the south paddock!

Handspun Yarn From Our Back Porch

A couple of photos of my handspun yarn..........

Miniel Turns the Corner

 Last night my husband and I checked Miniel around 10 30 P.M. We were prepared to offer her water again from the shallow pan, but as soon as she saw us, she got up on her feet and went over to the bucket to drink. It was if she was saying to us, "Look, you guys, I know what you're here for and I'll get my own drink, thank you very much!"
This morning she was up on her feet and she ate hay with her sister, standing up on her own. She walked around without much difficulty. There is still a slight arch in her spine, but her posture is notably improved. We, again gave her 2cc's of Penicillin S.Q. and the Probiotic.  Our fingers are still crossed, but she is definitely improving!

Drought Conditions in Indiana

The storm that passed though this morning brought us a whopping total of one half inch according to our rain gauge. We really need more rain!

Link here to the ongoing drought in Indiana.

Miniel's Fight

Yesterday afternoon, Miniel was not doing well at all. I brought her onto the back porch and fed her Raisin Bran by hand followed by water from a shallow pan.  By the time my husband came home from work, she had spiked a fever and was having what appeared to be febrile convulsions. We thought she wouldn't last much longer and discussed whether we should put her out of her misery and suffering.

Fortunately, we decided to hit her with 2 cc's of penicillin S.Q. at 7:30 P.M. We made sure she ate some hay and drank water about 8:30 last night. This morning she was doing much better and even attempted to stand for a brief few seconds. We hit her with 2 cc's of penicillin again this morning after the major storm passed through. My husband fed her by hand again and ensured she drank her water. She is eating hay, continuing to chew her cud and passing normal formed stools.  Her kidneys are still working as she continues to pass urine. She is in the stall with her mother and sister and we shut the stall door to the outside to keep her out of the ferocious wind. The temp is supposed to drop to 30 degrees tonight as a cold front passes through Indiana. We will make her as warm as possible with straw bales in the center aisle of the barn. Everyone keep praying for her to make it..............Thanks!

My First Sheep, Lionel

Aside from the bottle lambs that my father brought home when I was a little girl of four, this is my first sheep.  I purchased him from my husband in 2007 when Lionel  at the time was heading for the slaughter house. My husband, who was my fiance at the time, had already sold him to slaughter, but after we blade sheared him, I couldn't bear to part with him. I paid my husband $175.00 for him. He is a wethered Horned Dorset with white eyelashes and a pretty pink nose. After his first shearing, we got most of his fleece except for his neck and head.  The result was a strange, mythical creature who, from a distance resembled a lion with a mane, so my hubby suggested we name him "Lionel".  He is a very, loving, affectionate sheep. I sold his 2010 fleece to a spinner from SWIFT.   The Horned Dorset breed hails from England and Lionel is quite the proper English gentleman in my book! 

The Hard Part of Being a Shepherd or Shepherdess....

Miniel is sick and has been for three weeks. We noticed her lying down alot about four weeks ago. We have been tending her closely for the last few weeks. The vet gave her a shot of selenium last Wednesday, and sent us home with Banamine  and Probiotic. There was no signs of worms according to the vet. She is still eating and drinking but she is very unsteady on her feet. Her twin sister, Tadiel is as healthy as ever. We are giving her Penicillin in case she has a spinal abcess or possible liver flukes.
We are doing everything we can for her.............I hope she makes it, but it is very depressing.

Glad Tidings of Roving

I talked to Jamie at Wooly Knob Fiber Mill yesterday and Pig's and Corry's fleece from this past spring are now roving!  I need  to send the payment to them and they will be shipped .  I'm excited to see how these particular fleeces processed into roving as Pig is a Texel and Corry is........well, we aren't quite sure what Corry is!  I know he is a very sweet sheep with a loving personality and a beautiful, silver-brown fleece with considerable color variation  as he ages. I will post a photo of him  as soon as I can.
Have a great day all you sheep fans!!

Clouds Without Rain

This photo was taken about ten days ago.
Today is bright and sunny with a perfect temp of 71
degrees without a cloud in sight.
It is so dry farmers cannot disk their fields.
Here's hoping that October will be more generous in rainfall for Indiana as vast portions of the state remain under a burn ban.........