The first of this season's lambs were born on February. They are Merlin and Malachi, twin ram lambs born to one of my favorite sheep, Loni, and Legolas, my gorgeous purebred Bluefaced Leicester ram.
Loni was bagging up a week or two before the birth, a sure way to tell that lambs are coming. At this time the sheep are in full magnificent fleece and it's hard to tell if they are pregnant or not. When the bag fills up, and the sheep start walking like they are pulling a cart, I have to be ready.
Loni has a face only a mother could love. She is a crossbred sheep, and her face looks like another generation was needed to make everything gell into place. Her lambs are absolutely gorgeous, big and long, with wonderful soft fleece. I love big sheep, but God help me when they need shots and worming. That is where my husband comes in...he is quite the sheep wrangler, and knows how to get them around the neck with the crook and bring them around to where he can "hug" them around the neck while I do my dirty work.
I called the shearer the other day. He was pissed off because I used another shearer last year. He has more than he can handle, but it was a betrayal of loyalty I did not understand. He made me understand in a big way, and finally relented and said he would come.
I almost hate to shear them...they are so beautiful, with the waves of wool that rebound when they run. The shearing process is not pretty, but must be done, to let their skin breathe and grow another crop of the stuff that makes them so valuable.
Then Maggie will pick, and pick, and pick. Next year coats are going on them, to keep the sun from burning the ends. I often have six inches of soft black fleece, with an inch of red, brittle tips on the end. This has to be snipped off, lock by lock, before it can be processed into roving or yarn.....a very tedious process.
Then Maggie will spin, spin, spin...until the sheep come home.