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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

LIFE is Good!

I just have to resist the urge to burst into tears when I look at this picture ... grand baby number four ... to be born to my son and daughter-in-law come February.

What can be more beautiful! What a wonderful addition this baby will be to an already PERFECT family.

I love you Chris, Kerri, Will, and soon to be born baby Stearman ... :-)

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Peter O'Toole

Have a good look at this guy Michelle G. I think that he should be your second boy!
He is WillowGarden Peter O'Toole out of WillowGarden Guinea AI (Todhill Glayva X WillowGarden Butterfly McQueen) and WillowGarden Shake (F2, F3 Greyling, F3 Minder)
He has more britch than I'd like, but his fleece is amazing!
Although he looks a LOT like WillowGarden Gregory Peck who you already purchased ... the two of them are TOTALLY unrelated so lambs out of one could easily be bred to lambs out of the other, without concern.
He is the last ram that I have for sale at this time. Anyone interested?


Friday, September 25, 2009

Look What Found Its Way Into My Driveway ... :-)

My Ford Ranger and Saturn Ion were both standards, which limited who could drive them. Both had high mileage on them. Both were facing extensive work on brakes, tires, a bit of engine work.
Then ... I found this 2008 Dakota, with just 2,100 km on it. It has room for all of us (me, Pete, and the boys upstairs). I even found a used, approved car seat for Anna or Will to use when they visit with Grandpa at the farm.
The toneau cover, unfortunately, will be gone first thing in the morning. It looks good, but I need to toss in a few bags of grain. This IS a farm truck, after all.
Life is good.

Starter Flock For Sale

I have gone over my flock one last time in an attempt to get my numbers down and I have put together a PERFECT starter flock. It includes the chance for all colours, spots, gulmoget, katmoget, gray, musket and modified colours.
Hopefull Kaluha is a black gulmoget / katmoget (she has both patterns at once).
WillowGarden Mandella AI is white, but also carries Aa for solid colours.
WillowGarden Fuji is gray (Ag), spotted, and carries modified colour genetics.
HamnonyMarsh Ariel is moorit likely carries modified colour genetics as well.

If these sheep are sold as a group, and they are close enough, I'll likely let the buyer use WillowGarden David Niven for breeding this Fall / Winter. David is a beautiful emsket ram.
I can give a GREAT price for this package. Email me if you are interested.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Expensive Hamburger ... or ... Cattle Coming ... :-)

Well ... today I made my decision ... and picked the Dexter cattle that will be coming to Willow Garden.
First, there is the 2008 heifer. She was a bottle baby and is quite tame. She is just going to hang out for a while and be a pet since she won't be old enough to breed for about a year. She LOVES to have the underside of her neck scratched ... :-).
Then there is a five year old cow coming. She also likes to have her neck scratched and is fairly quiet. She has a two week old red bull calf at her side. He is VERY cute, which is why I'm not posting a picture right away. He'll have a name like ... Stroganoff ... or Pot Roast ... or Bar B. Cue. Because of this, I'll post pictures when he is less cute ... hehehe
I have some prep to do before they arrive, but they'll likely arrive next weekend.
Oh ... and there is HALF a Dexter coming as well ... in a few weeks ... for my freezer ... hehehe
Life ... is very very good for this blessed old guy ... :-)

Saturday, September 19, 2009

For Will ... Grandpa's New Turkey

Hey Dude! Here he is ... Grandpa's new turkey. His name is Scott and he sure likes to puff himself up, gobble gobble, and stamp his feet!
It was WONDERFUL to see you today. And what a cute new cousin you have!

Huge 'Grandpa hugs' to you!

Friday, September 18, 2009

New Hats


Soon ... I'm going to need a hat rack ... :-)
Life is good for us old guys ... :-)

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Splash Silkies

I'll be picking these guys up, along with my Bourban Red Turkeys on Tuesday.
They were hatched in January and should be ready to lay lots of eggs and hatch lots of eggs next Spring.

Apparently, they are laying eggs NOW!! I might have a clutch coming before the snow flies ... :-) Still nothing firm on a Cuckoo Maran rooster or pair.

New Birds

I got a call from a woman last night who 'knows people in the poultry world.' We talked for a long time as it seems that folks who are passionate about birds are as friendly as those of us who are passionate about sheep.
She is pretty sure that she can get me a trio of bearded silkies. The one above is white, but she will look for blue. I don't care the colour, I just want them so they can hatch other eggs for me. And ... my son-in-law thinks they are about the cutest birds ever ... :-)
I have one Cukkoo Maran at the moment and I LOVE the very dark red brown eggs that she lays. My new friend thinks she can get me a pair of these so that I will have a trio. How cool is that?!!
And ... I am getting a trio of Red Bourban turkeys. I am trading one of my young Naragansett toms for a young tom, and then getting two 6 week old poults. I hope, of course, that at least one is female as I'd like a clutch of these to hatch out next Spring.
I'll know later today what she is able to get for me. Then Tuesday afternoon, I will go and pick them up.
Life is GOOD ... :-) ... and so is retirement ... hehehe


Saturday, September 05, 2009

Cows

This is a small, yearling black Dexter heifer. She was a bottle baby and is very cute. She is a 'for sure' addition to Willow Garden.
Above and below is a slightly larger cow that is part jersey. She is bred to a Dexter bull, but we're not sure when. She'll be vet checked to determine an approximate due date. The owner mentioned that she'd likely be butchered as 'no-one wants crossbred Dexters'. That did it for me ... she is likely a 'for sure' addition to Willow Garden.

Above is a stocky black three year old who has a red bull calf at her side. She would be re-bred to the red bull again ... and her son would become a resident of my freezer when he is older. I MAY get her as well ... or this one below ...
This heifer is two years old and will go in with a bull this week, so she'd be coming as a bred heifer. It would be nice to have both a red and a black Dexter.
And to think that this all started because I wanted my grand kids to see that cows can put their tongues up their noses ... :-)
Life ... is so very, very good!

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Rams For Sale - some new ones added ... :-)

There isn't a ram in this group that I wouldn't use with my own flock. Most of them I have used, or will use this Fall before they go. All of them have awesome genetics that are somewhat rare in Canada.
WillowGarden Juice, a 2008 ram, is one of the nicest greys I have ever produced. He is out of Lugthart Starry Champion (F1 Greyling) and WillowGarden Chick Pea (F2 Greyling). I like him a lot.
WillowGarden Crush is the largest of my yearling rams. He is very correct and has a nice, even fleece. He is out of Underhill Thelonius Monk (F2 Minder, F3 Bothwell) and WillowGarden Cameroon (F2 Dillon, and Jamie, Holly, Timothy genetics). He produced amazing lambs last year and needs a farm that will put him to work!
UndertheSon Two Bars is also a yearling ram. He also needs a breeding home. I'd keep him, except that he is almost a double for FirthofFifth Aman, and I have limited space. He is out of UnderTheSon Torvus (F1 Orion) and UnderTheSon Ellie (Minder, Jamie, Greyling). He produce some nice lambs this year.
Above and below is the only ram lamb that I am making available as a lamb, WillowGarden Peter O'Toole. Peter is out of WillowGarden Guinea (F1 Glayva) and WillowGarden Shake (F2 Greyling, F3 Minder, and genetics from most of the UK imports into the US). It is hard to fault this guy ... and the genetics will be a boost to any flock.
FirthofFifth Lassig is a new addition to my sale list, and he may not stay on it for long. This boy is a dark emsket when his fleece is parted. He is out of Wintertime Blues (F1Jericho, F2 Drum Ram) and FirthofFifth Limana (a Wintertime Black Forrest daughter). I am keeping a beautiful son of his out of my Glayva/Hornblower lines.
Finally, another recent addition who I'd be happy to keep ... WillowGarden Garnish. Garnish (pictured above and below) is out of WillowGarden Nelson (F1 Hornblower, F3 Timothy, F3 Greyling) and WillowGarden Equatoria (F1 Glayva). He carries the polled gene and can throw horned rams when bred to ewes carrying horned ram genetics, or polled or scurred when bred to polled genetic carrying ewes. I like this guy a lot. He has the smaller, compact, square size that I like ... and a beautiful fleece.