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2005 PHOTOS (Click to view 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 photos) |
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Photo
of the |
In
early August of this year, a reporter and
photographer from my local newspaper came out to
tour the farm and see what's going on here. The
subsequent story and photos of SkyLines Farm ran in
the paper's annual Fall Agricultural supplement,
which highlights some of the diverse farming
activities in our area. Here
are a few of the photos that Moscow-Pullman Daily
News Photo Editor Geoff Crimmins took that day as
we wandered among the sheep. The
shepherdess Two of the
2005 lambs, about 4-1/2 months old White
Romney-Montadale ewe Dorothy and her
twins Moving the
sheep to a fresh pasture is always fun, since
everybody knows the routine so well. I simply stand
by a gate and holler, "Gather up!" a few times.
Soon 4 Great Pyrenees guard dogs, 145 sheep, 9
goats, and Peaches the guard donkey come running
from every direction. Then the entire crew mills
around waiting for me to open the gate to the next
pasture. At this point I
always like to take a few minutes to get up-close
and hands-on with the animals, just to get a feel
for how everybody's doing. Here, Angus the male
Pyrenees gets first hug while two of the other Pyrs
and Dixie the Farmcollie wait their turn. The sheep
and donkey are next. After 10 or 15
minutes of schmoozing, it's time to open the
gate and stand back! Happy
sheep!
June 9, 2005
May 30,
2005
March 30, 2005 Two weeks into lambing season
Well,
it looks like we're in for six more weeks of winter as
the SkyLines sheep all saw their shadows today. The dire
news was just fine with me, since the temps in this
unusually mild winter have been in the 50's for the past few
weeks! Here, some of the ewes have been happily nibbling on
a little spot of green grass remaining from last year. The
dark girls are Romneys (left to right) Gillian, Ariel,
Georgia, & Julie. The two white girls are
Romney-Montadale crosses Mary & Dorothy. Below, some other members of the SkyLines family are also enjoying the warm afternoon sun . . . Three-fourths
of the current SkyLines Great Pyrenees guard team.
Here, youngsters Vera (left) & Daisy (top) hang
out with their mentor, the more experienced guard
dog Emily. Ångus is off on a mission at the
moment and too busy to be photographed.
The
new year is starting out with a cold, grey,
hazy day and only a few inches of snow on the
ground so far. With their warm winter coats on, the
sheep don't seem to care about the amount of snow
either way, but the shepherdess certainly enjoys a
break from winter plowing chores! My
friend Kate brought her beautiful Great
Pyrenees girl Sasha over for a conjugal visit with
Angus last fall, and together they produced a
litter of gorgeous pups. Here, little 9-week-old
Vera tries to lure her dad into a game of chase
while he visits her pasture, but he's busy and
utterly ignores her teasing. Vera's
living in this pasture for her first few weeks so
she can begin to bond with sheep, but she'll soon
join the SkyLines Pyrenees Emily and Daisy and
their sheep in another pasture. There she'll be
able to romp and play with the two older females
while also beginning her serious guard dog
training. The
cashmere goats don't seem to mind snowy weather
either, but of course they're wearing cashmere, one
of the world's warmest fibers! Just as in this
photo, the goats always stick very close to each
other, particularly when they're traveling across a
pasture. It's just fascinating to watch this small
herd of 11 goats move through their environment as
one, so smoothly and quietly. They always remind me
of school of fish moving through the water as one,
with barely a ripple. Though I dearly love the
sheep also, it's become a real joy to share my life
with these other interesting, intelligent
creatures.
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