Great Plains Sylvia was born in 1999 ... in South Dakota. She was a Greyling daughter . She was registered as 'Fawn', and even though she was Ag, she truly was 'fawn'. Many/most of her lambs were modified colours.
In her life-time, she moved from South Dakota to Alberta, Canada for a while. She eventually settled here in Ontario, in 2005. Lots of change for any sheep, but she always settled in well.
Today she left me. Likely it was old age. But more likely it was something more. In her last days she had 'pinkness' in her urine. She had been slow for a few days ... then had trouble getting up and was moved into the feed room ... then couldn't stand. Throughout it all, she ate well ... drank lots of fluids ... chewed her cud ... baaaad at me every time she saw me ... enjoyed Bob and Doug sitting with her under the heat lamp ... and made me smile with her Sylvia-ness.
On my third sheep check today, for night feeding, she had slipped away. Interestingly, both of her daughters that I have retained in my flock were within a few feet of the feed room waiting for me. I know that they knew what had happened and wanted to be there with me. Some of my other older girls were there as well.
Sylvia will be missed. But ... she was loved and she knew it. She was loved by this shepherd ... and by Carol, who was her first shepherd.
Thank you Sylvia. I'll miss you.
Above is WillowGarden Crush, out of Underhill Thelonius Monk and WillowGarden Cameroon (SheltrgPines Justinian X FirthofFifth Masala Chai). He went to spend the rest of the winter with my friends John and Lynn Lathagne, at Canterbury Farm. They had beautiful ewes ready and waiting for him!
While I was there, two ewes just sort of ended up in my truck! WillowGarden Sundae (above and below) was a tiny, newborn lamb when she left my farm with her dam in 2007. She is out of WillowGarden Lima and Woolly Susan.
Lima was a VERY dark grey katmoget who had an AWESOME fleece, but was scurred. Since I now understand about polled genetics, I am very sorry that I culled him because of those horns. They weren't 'bad horns' ... they were scurs. I'm hoping to use this ewe in a breeding program to reintroduced polled Shetlands into the Ontario flock. To me, this is an important aspect of breed conservation! Reintroducing polled genetics is as import as reintroducing modified colours was ... or katmoget pattern, or gulmoget pattern ... or spotted lines of Shetlands. It is part of conserving the breed.
The other ewe that ended up in my truck was Canterburye Bebe. Bebe is out of WillowGarden Basil and WillowGarden Sage. In her pedigree are several rams that carried polled genetics ... WillowGarden Jacob, WillowGarden Duke Ellington, SheltrgPines Kracken, Dailley Kismet, and Dailley Thalia.
Both ewes were put in with North Wind Holiday. He took a near immediate liking to Sundae!
Next year, both ewes will be in my 'polled' breeding group.
A few days ago, my friend Pete took some pictures while we were out with the sheep. Here are just a few of them. 
Bob and Doug spend a LOT of their day with the flock. They are my LGCs (Livestock Guardian Cats). Above is Doug, showing off for the camera.
And here he is, above and below, discussing US politics and the Canadian budget with a couple of his ewe friends.
And this LARGE mostly brown mass would be me ... made even bigger than usual by my winter clothing ... surrounded by my pet helpers.
And of course, the biggest helper would be Nora pictured below. She seems to see her main responsibility as finding ... and disposing of ... as many 'poopsicles' as she can come across! She is VERY good at this! During 'poopsicle' season she does NOT get to kiss me good night ... *YUCK*
You ARE still loved Nora ... :-)
