In 2003 my daughter brought home two market lambs for the summer and showed them in our local fair as a FFA project. This was my introduction to keeping sheep. The next summer, my daughter brought home another market lamb. Since a single lamb needs competition to grow well, we bought a ewe lamb to keep for the summer too. This lamb is now a member of our flock. Sheep are social animals and with sale of the market lamb, we went looking for more sheep. I was looking at Columbias because of their wool. My daughter was interested in other sheep. These included Romney and Finnsheep. When we bring home new sheep, we place them in quarantine for two or three weeks. This is to ensure the health of our flock.
Late in the summer of 2004, I purchased my first two Columbia ewe lambs. These two are the oldest of the Columbia flock. Shortly after bringing them home, my daughter purchased two unregistered Romney ewes, a four year old and her current ewe lamb. The elder ewe was bred and delivered a ewe lamb in Febuary 2005. During early spring of 2005, I looked for and purchase two more Columbia ewe lambs. My daughter purchased another market lamb for the 2005 fair. I purchased a Columbia ram in late spring/early summer 2005. My daughter decided she wanted some Finnsheep for a breeding project. Two ewe lambs and a ram lamb were located and purchased. We brought them home in late June 2005. For most of the summer they resided in our front yard.
In June 2006, I completed the purchases of three Finn lambs. One came from Montana, and the others were in Washington. The lamb from Montana was a ram and now carries the name of the state. The other lambs were ewes. As per my policy, they were placed in a three week quarentine upon arrival at the farm.
Early in the summer of 2007, two more Finn ewes joined our flock. They came from Washington as have most of the rest of our flock. One is the dam of one of our first ewes.
No sheep were purchased for the flock in 2008. We had 24 live lambs born to 16 ewes this year. Most of these lambs are for sale. All of the males were castrated.
Our ranch is also home to other animals. We currently own two registered Arabian horses. They are sometimes run with the sheep in the pastures.
Several cats enjoy our home and ranch. I have two cats, my In-laws have two cats, and my parents, who live nearby, have one cat.
Pugs joined our family in the past year. I own a male, whom I brought home from China. He has been neutered. My in-laws have a female puppy whom they got at a breeder in Oregon. Both of them like the sheep.
Many members of our family enjoy Photography. I have taken several classes at our local community college on photography and did my own darkroom work for the classes. My husband and daughter enjoy taking pictures, as does my father and one of my sisters. I use several cameras, including 35mm, medium format and digital, to take my photos.Frequently I take photos of my animals and the scenery. Sometimes I also take pictures of my family members.
My In-laws and father really enjoy rocks and rock hunting. Rock field trips are frequently attended or planned by my husband's parents. They also make some jewelry from the collected rocks.
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