03/30/2016 Out Like a Lamb…

I go into lambing each year with a mix of anticipation and dread. Lambs, like puppies, are adorable. I can watch their antics for hours. Once they start to discover their legs and each other, they begin hopping about like popcorn and organizing lamb races while the adults eat. Such displays can pull a smile and laugh out of me even on my most frustrating day. It's tempered by the complications and unknowns that can arise. Some years are worse than others in that department, but a big part of the reason I chose Katahdins was their ability to pasture lamb with little to no interference from me, and without the need for lambing jugs. Yes, I've had to step in from time-to-time and, yes, the occasional ewe will find herself confined for a bit if I think she needs help or her lambs don't appear as thrifty as I like. Overall, however, they

03/24/2016 Daily Dose of Cute

I'd forgotten how much fun, and work, a puppy is. It's been 8 years since we had a young pup in the house. Jig came to us when she was about 6 months old, so the last itty-bitty pup we had was Shaine. It's tough being the only youngster in the house when you have a lot of energy and no playmates. Dillon tries to play with Row, but she's beyond putting up with puppy shenanigans and too polite to explain it to him. Jig is still thinking he'd make a tasty hors-d'oeuvre. Grady would probably play with him, but the size difference between them is too great right now (think, tank vs. smart car). Amazingly enough, Her Royal Highness Princess Fiona The Cat (yes, she does insist I use her full title), will initiate play. She'll even seek Dillon out. Then, of course, Dillon slaps her too hard in the head, she gets all hissy, the