THE START OF OUR FLOCK

My sister Michelle has been spinning for years. She tried several times (unsuccessfully) to teach me to spin. However, one day, she took me to a "fiber fun day" and I decided to try one more time to learn to spin. Something was just right that day because it just came to me and I've been spinning since.

At the time, Michelle had sheep of her own and one of them was Bella, a Lincoln. I absolutely loved Bella's wool; it was a beautiful brown with silver in it and was so easy to spin. She was such a friendly sheep, too.

One day, Michelle told me she was going to get rid of all her sheep and she asked me if I wanted them. I was not prepared to own sheep, but I didn't want to give up Bella's wool if I could help it. So, I asked my husband, and he agreed. Soon after, we brought Bella and her lamb Corrina (a white Lincoln, Cheviot cross) home. Their pictures here are after we had them sheared last year, Summer 2007.

Late last summer, 2007, we got Jed, our Cheviot ram. We were hoping for "sheeplets" this spring. Bella and Corrina got bigger and bigger. But, it turned out Jed didn't do his job. Neither Bella nor Corrina got pregnant. They were only fat. The picture is of Jed at his old home the day before we brought him home.

Since Jed didn't do his job, we were going to have him butchered after we had all the sheep sheared this summer. However, we found that Jed had the best wool out of all the sheep (light, fluffy, and so soft) so he got a reprieve. He is like a puppy, too. He just follows us around when we're in the paddock.

Then, late this spring, someone gave us Sam, short for Sampson. I don't remember what kind of sheep he is, but he's a good looking ram. His wool is rather coarse, but he should make good meat lambs. We're hoping again for "sheeplets" in the spring.