Friday, November 7, 2008

Fiber, fiber, fiber!!

I am really just getting started on the blog and website, www.roundaboutacres.com. Needless to say, not everything is posted yet. Yes, we DO have fiber for sale!! I am still skirting, washing, and carding my last few Shetland fleeces and Llama fiber. I have been taking photos but do not have then posted yet. Please go to the website and send an email. I will get back to you. Our llama fiber is from our Argentine llamas, known for their fine, soft fiber. The llama fiber is a rich, warm brown from Karma; a prize winning grey brown from Nessarose; and white. At this time, I have a "cloud" of llama fiber ready.

In Shetland terminology, our available Shetland fiber is white, musket (oatmeal), several shades of black, several shades of moorit (brown), iset (black w/grey fibers). At this time, I have batts of musket, white and black.

Again, at this time, please email for pictures, samples, and/or prices.

Congratulations America






I am hopeful we can find a new direction for our country. Men and women have died fighting to defend our right to freedom. And I want that freedom to still be there for my grandchildren and theirs.

It's a good day to be a citizen of the USA. It's a great day to be a citizen of the world. I don't remember ever seeing Americans pouring into the street celebrating an election. I don't remember a time immediately after a Presidential election where the rest of the world was so excited about our choice. I have been surprised at the emotional outpouring of joy -- from the young and old, black, white, Protestant, Catholic, Hispanic, Muslim, African, Japanese, etc. The world is happy with our choice. No matter who you voted for, this historic election turns the page on a new chapter for our country. And our new President has a LOT to work on.















Monday, November 3, 2008

Barnyard Partisans

Meet some of the ewes

This is Shetland ewe Nugget and her ewe lamb Lulu. Nugget is one of my largest ewes; she has soft, crimpy musket (oatmeal grey) fleece. Lulu is a wonderfully soft, crimpy white lamb. And Lulu is a big girl!








These girls are taking a break in the barn. Shetlands Lily (moorit), Nugget (musket) and Lulu (white) are on the left. One of our two Cheviot ewe lambs is on the right.






This is a good picture to illustrate the size difference between the Shetlands and Cheviots. Nugget (Shetland ewe) is on the left. She is a little smaller than the Cheviot ewe lamb on the right. We bought the two Cheviot ewes from Kathy and Al Munkelwitz in Isle, Mn. The Cheviots will be put with a Blue Faced Leicester ram in December. In the spring, we will have our first Mule Sheep from a BFL-Cheviot cross!




Here is another picture of a Cheviot girl. I still can't think of names for the two girls. Ideas anyone??



Roundaboutacres also added two BFL-Shetland Mules to our flock this year. These two lovely ewe lambs - white and colored Mules - were purchased from Laura at Psalm 23 Farm. On the right is a Shetland ewe lamb.




This is a close up of the colored Mule's fiber. Purly and lustrous!!






















Thursday, October 30, 2008

It is GREAT to have green grass in October!

I moved the flock out to a portion of our "hayfield." We were able to get one cutting this year. It is such a joy to watch the animals when they move to fresh pasture. The llamas start humming in anticipation as they watch me set up fence. They get the sheep going and that's when the baa's start to get insistent. When I let them in, they all romp in the new grass. We feel fortunate to still have grass for them!









This is a picture of Nessarose, one of our
Argentine Llamas. She and several ewes are running out of the old pasture into the new. For all you fiber fans, Nessa's wool won the first place ribbon at Llama Magic in Lake Elmo last May! She and her half-sister are both bred for spring. So Roundabout Acres will have lambs and
crias next spring!













And finally, this picture is of Nessarose in the background and Karma in the foreground. Rudy, our gelding has his head in the grass in the back. I call these two girls my "fancy-pants" llamas. They do think they are something special.








Stay tuned for more pictures of our sheep, including our Shetland Mules and our Cheviots.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Where to begin?

Where to begin? How to sum up the last two years? So many changes have happened since we moved to this little farm. In May of 2006, we were on our house hunt. We wanted a farm but hadn't been able to find anything with more than a few acres. As we drove up the driveway, the rusty windmill was in our line of sight. I think my husband and I were hooked at that point. While walking the property, we saw a tired, overgrown farm. The well was bad, fields weed-choked, barnyard overgrown, fencing non-existent. The charming, leaning, 100-year old barn had a leaky roof and dry rot. But the house was newer, surrounded by the fields and the wide open sky above. We knew that with hard work we could transform this farm.



We came from a postage stamp sized lot in the city -- on a very busy street, near a noisy intersection, under a flight path for the Twin Cities airport. The City of Richfield wanted our house for a roadway project. They planned to put in a roundabout intersection. We had planned on moving to the country at some point...the City just changed our timetable. So, two years later, we don't miss the City at all! Every day, we truly feel blessed to be here.










I will just start with where we are at today. Details can be filled in over time. Today, we have a new well, the barn roof is patched, we have several acres of pasture fenced and some of the weeds cleared out. And we have a wonderful flock of sheep and llamas!

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Baaaaa'd Blogger



Well, I have to be the world's worst blogger. Thanks, Michelle, for pointing out my absence from my own site! And thanks to Becky Utecht at River Oaks Farm who keeps prodding me to update the blog and pictures of my sheepies online...

Yes, we DO have sheep...we had 10 Shetland lambs this spring. We have six boys and four girls. I have pictures to upload yet so stay tuned! So far I am very happy with three of the six boys as well as all the girls. Since we are building our own farm flock, we will keep the girls; I will have several of the boys for sale as breeding stock. Pictured above is Little Red Oak Lyra with her 2008 twin ewe lambs. In January, Lyra and her 2007 ram and ewe lamb arrived at our farm as a result of a divorce. Lyra was housed with her 2007 ram lamb before coming to our farm, so these girls are likely the result of line breeding. They have lovely black fiber and nice structure but will not be registered.
And this cute little ram lamb was born to Little Red Oak Lily. He has fine, crimpy white fleece with a moorit colored spot. Or moorit with a white spot? His horns are coming in nicely, too.
I promise I will post more sheep pictures soon!!