Zanesville Double Show

Randy Shumaker with Aeron and Oleander winning best white French.
Randy judging the English angoras. That is Fran's head. :^)
Eric Stewart looking over Marinette with a judge in training.

The show went LOOOOOONG today, ending at 6PM - well, at least our part. They were still judging, so best in show was still to come.
In the first show, Marinette (CSD) was BOB, Aeron (WJB) was BOS & BOSV, Vengeance was BOSV(CJB), and Oleander (WJD) was BOV.
In show B, Aeron was BOS again, and Vengeance was BOSV. So that makes 4 legs on Aeron as a junior, and Vengeance gets a leg to take to his new owner, Sara, in Indiana tomorrow. I bet she will be happy about that. :^) This is Marinette's first leg - I hope to finish her this winter and get her bred for March babies. Eric Stewart LOVED her. :^)
I took 2 Satin Angoras, but they did not win anything. Annette's rabbits did well!

Lamb Meatballs

1.5# ground lamb
1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/4 C milk
1 T soy sauce
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp sweet basil
1/4 tsp fresh ground pepper

Mix together thoroughly, cover & chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Then form into 1" - 1.5" balls, place on cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes until lightly browned.
I like to serve simmered in a sauce made of 1 can cream of mushroom soup, 1 c sour cream, adding onion flakes, salt and pepper to taste. These are great over wide egg noodles with a side of asparagus tips.

Thanks Giving

Oh, Heavenly Father,

We thank thee for food and remember the hungry.

We thank thee for health and remember the sick.

We thank thee for freedom and remember the enslaved.

May these remembrances stir us to service,

That thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.

...........................................Pauline Phillips

And I will make thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing." (Gen. 12:1,2 KJV).

More of our BFL lambswool yarn, its so incredibly soft, and the colors just glow in person. I used burnt orange, fuscia, yellow, and kelly green in this skein. The pink is a richer color (not so PINK!) in person - exactly the color that "burning bushes" turn in the fall. 250 yds, 2 ply sportweight, 3.5 oz skein. There are 4 available. $16 plus shipping. Scroll down and click on label "for sale" for a complete list of items.

This is a hand-dyed skein of our BFL lambswool yarn. Its oh so soft to the skin. There are 4 skeins available. 250 yds, 2 ply sportweight, 3.5 oz. $16 per skein plus shipping. Scroll down and click on label "for sale" for a complete list of items.

100% Angora Yarns

A customer took this photo and sent it to me of the angora yarns I just spun up and sent her. From left to right:
chocolate agouti, wild grey agouti, lilac, 3 creams, fawn, white, chocolate, and the right-most is a 55% angora blended with natural colored BFL lambswool.

These are some of my bunnies (and duckies), too. The pink porcelain one in the center is my newest, given to me as a "thank you" from a new bunny owner. Thanks, Deb!

BFL Yarn

250 yds, 2 ply sportweight, 3.5 oz skein natural white 100% Bluefaced Leicester (BFL) yarn from our flock.

$14.00 plus shipping. Scroll down and click on label "for sale" for a complete list of items.

Lancaster Double Show

This is Annette and I, and a new angora friend, Deb. Annette had a really good day with her Satin Angoras, winning 4 legs.
This is Judge Ron Petras looking over my Nightshade. He eventually won BOV in Show B. (Nightshade, not Ron) :^) In show A, Nightshade was BOS. That's 3 legs, and he is just 4.5 months old.
In Show B, my white juniors, Aeron and Oleander were BOB and BOS. So it was a good day!

Here are some of the English Angora folks during Show A. Roger Cota is the judge. That's Scott, Nancy, Joann, and Colleen behind the show boxes.

We sat outside in the sunshine (can you believe that in late November!) in our shirtsleeves and talked and groomed while we waited to show. When the show was over, Annette and I stopped at Red Lobster for a late lunch/early dinner before heading home.

Lamb Satay with Peanut Sauce

WOW - Friday came quickly. This is a modification and simplification of a recipe found in our local electric co-op magazine. It called for chicken - boring.....

Lamb Satay with Peanut Sauce

2# lamb cubes - cut from leg
Bottle of Asian salad dressing/marinade

Combine and toss lamb with enough dressing to coat, chill for 1/2 hour, but not longer than 2 hours.
In the mean time, prepare peanut sauce by whisking together the following ingredients:
1/2 c peanut butter
1/2 cup canned coconut milk (or regular milk)
1 T sesame oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1 T lemon juice
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 T brown sugar
2 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp pepper

Wooden Skewers, soaked in water to keep from burning
Place lamb cubes on skewers, grill outside or broil in oven for about 10 minutes or until lamb is light pink inside. Serve immediately with dipping sauce.
You can add some veggies to the skewers: yellow summer squash, mushrooms, pieces of green or red pepper, green onions, small tomatoes. If so, it will take longer to grill or broil.

Say hi to Aeron

This is Somerhill Aeron. He is a 4.5 month old buck. His sire is from Amy Spang - GrCh Spangs Vidal. Mom is GrCh Somerhill Voodoo.

8 cords of wood

No need to ask "What's Chuck doing today?" He's been cutting, splitting, and stacking wood! This is what 8 cords of wood look like. There is another cord of hedge stacked behind this because it was a live tree and needs to season. The rest of the wood is from fallen trees. I think we could heat our house for 100 years just on the trees that die and /or fall down. Talk about a renewable resource!

CUTE!

This is a Holland Lop wearing a sweater knit from some of my 100% angora yarn.
What could be cuter than a bunny in a bunny sweater?

Thank you to Amy for sharing the picture. I LOVE seeing what people do with the yarn they buy from me.

Somerhill Bess

This is Somerhill Bess at 2.5 months of age. Bess is the result of AI, and is the twin daughter of Carryhouse R1 and Somerhill Caliope (AI - Beeston Loyalty). Her twin brother is my main herdsire, Somerhill Lanark.

Here is a current picture of Bess, who is a yearling now. She has really grown up to be a beautiful ewe with correct conformation, as well as a lovely fleece. She is bred to Somerhill Lockerbie (AI - Barlaes Titus) and I look forward to her lambs next spring.

Katahdin Ram

This is one of the Kat rams. Don't know which one - they are named #17 and #24. Chuck is not as creative as I. :^) They are both pure white, and are 3 now, so in their prime. They are both sleek and fat off the summer of lazing in the shade, grazing. I don't think either have needed to be wormed since they arrived here as 6 month olds.
Yes, he has a mane, and the area over his shoulders has his longer wooly winter coat coming in, so it looks odd in the picture. The rams are brothers, and have been together since birth. We turn both out into the ewe flock at once, and they seem to get along and get the job done.

Bunicula!

This is Somerhill Nightshade, aka Bunicula. LOL.
He got the nickname at the Springfield show. When I was loading the rabbits into the carriers for the show that morning, I noticed he had a mark on his ear. Upon closer inspection, I found that he had two fresh round holes in his ear about 1.25" apart, spaced as though they were fang marks. Since he was in a cage by himself, with the closest rabbit 10-12" away, I could not figure out what could have bitten him. At the show, everyone examined the marks, and since it had been Halloween the night before, concluded the only thing they could be were the marks of a vampire's bite.
Bunic...er...Nightshade went on to win best colored JR buck out of six in one of the shows, so he won his first leg. I was grooming him last night and checking his ear again. Its healing well, and will likely not have any marks left. But just in case, I'm staying out of the rabbitry at midnight!

The Highlands

We just have the three cows left - a white, Lillian; a dun, LoraLeigh; and the black Angus cross. That is her 4 month old bull calf, the product of an unplanned visit to the neighbor's Hereford bull. Guess we'll owe Carl and Cathy some steaks..... To top it off, she is probably re-bred to the same bull, since she went visiting again a month ago. Her sire, an Angus, was the same way. You could not keep him in a fence - any fence!

Oh well, we LOVE beef.

This week's recipe

I'm gonna try to post a recipe here each week. I think I'll start with some lamb recipes that we like, since most people who have not tried lamb say they don't know how to fix it. So here goes:

Sheep Dip (sorry, this is Chuck's name for it - so don't complain to me about it!) :^)

1.5 # ground lamb
1 pkg taco seasoning
2 T onion flakes
Salt & pepper to taste
1 small bag of chili flavored corn chips, coarsely crushed.
1 can each of soups:
....Nacho cheese
....Tomato
....Cream of Chicken
1 can refried beans

Brown lamb, drain fat if necessary, and stir in taco seasoning packet, s&p, and onion flakes. Then in a large casserole dish, stir all the ingredients together. I find it easiest to mix the cans together, and then add in the meat and chips. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, until bubbly and browning.
Serve with a side of taco sauce and sour cream if desired.

Thanks to all our Veterans

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.


We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

What deer damage???

Who needs insurance when there is duct tape???
(seriously, I got an estimate and have an appointment to get this and all the dents and scratches repaired next Monday. But in the mean time...............................duct tape!)

Pumpkin recipes?

Anyone have any good pumpkin recipes to share? I'm looking for main dishes, side dishes, soups, etc. NO DESSERTS!!! Chuck and I are trying to eat healthier, and pumpkin is something I'm not familiar with other than pie. (my favorite!)
This pumpkin looks surprised to be here, don't you think?
Chuck says it reminds him of "Wilson".

BFL pictures

Here are someof the smaller ewe lambs that are not being bred but are left to grow over the winter. Left to right: Shivaree, Lourdes, Ilse, Wren, and Calais. Wren and Calais are for sale.
This is Lockerbie (tall sheep in back) with 4 of his 6 ewes.

This is Calais, who is for sale for $300.

2 show prospects

These guys were born 7-8-09, and are from GrCh Spangs Vidal and GrCh Somerhill Voodoo. There is a REW buck I kinda like too, so he will stay around for a while until I decide between him (Aeron) and the fawn buck. This fawn guy is Somerhill Vengeance.And this is his sister, Somerhill Oleander. I just sent a fawn sister, Foxglove, to Indiana to start a show herd there. A rew brother, Bowen, lives with a friend here in Ohio.

New camera

Just got a new camera - a Kodak Easyshare Z950. I've had a Kodak for several years that has taken 2,887 pictures, and we definitely needed something new. Tomorrow, I'll start taking pictures and post some - hopefully I'll like this new one.

About 2 miles from home tonight, a buck jumped out of the ditch and directly into the driver's side door. We got out and checked, but he was gone. He broke off the side mirror, and until the morning, I won't know what else. He surely hit with a THUD! That's the first deer I've ever hit - which in this part of Ohio is quite a record. I know people who've hit 3-4 of them.

(Saturday) Here is a picture of the broken mirror from the new camera - my first picture. HEHE. There are small scratches and dents all along the driver's side. Most can be buffed out, we think. I'm to take the car to have an estimate done Monday.

Your vote counts! Don't forget to Vote!

Show results from Springfield double show

This picture was sent to me by Annette, who made the angora pin I am wearing. That is Scott in the foreground, with Kathy standing beside him. I think we are showing Satin Angoras here. There were 10 SA entered by 4 exhibitors today. The show was in Springfield. Annette and I rode together which made for an enjoyable drive. One of my black FA JR bucks won his class of 6 and got a leg, & my white JR buck was BOSV in both shows. In show A, my Satin JR doe, Jamaica, got BOB and my new rew buck, Larz (from Jailbird Angoras) was BOS. He was also BOS in show B.