BREEDING SEASON

         Well its my favorite time of year again - great riding weather.  More important its breeding season.  Yup, time to pick the lucky bachelor.  This year the lucky guy is Gideon a 2008 ram that I saved for this occasion.  Gideon is the smallest black ram so far.  In my effort to keep breeding down in size - Gideon is perfect.  We'll see how he does with the ladies.

        When the weather turns cool - somehow the rams just seem to know its breeding season.  They start with the head butting tournaments which sometimes makes me wonder if they will all come out alive.  Sometimes 2 or 3 will gang up on another and the chase is on.  Sometimes Elka jumps in to break them up.  Sometimes I think she likes the entertainment.    

SHEEP AT THE FAIR

       4 of the 2009 babies along with the 4 goats got to participate in the 2009 Halifax County Fair.  Well - they didn't really do anything - just stood around looking cute.   And they did that very well indeed.  For 99.9% of the folks that came through the livestock barn had never seen miniature sheep much less black ones.  It was fun to watch their reactions.  Of course the kids went nuts.  One couple though is worth mentioning.  They walked up to the pen with the sheep and the wife said "look honey at the baby buffalo..."  I'm not kidding.  I almost fell off my chair.   I thought about trying to sell them one at a great premium - they'd be the first on their block to have a "baby buffalo."

        There was no judging this year - maybe next year - surely my babies would have walked away with any prize!   

BLACK SHEEP SCUPPERNONG WINE

      No, I'm not going into the commercial wine making business but since we inherited a Scuppernong grape trellis I thought I'd try my hand at it.  I thought it would be relatively easy - crush the grapes throw in some yeast and there you have it.  Not exactly.  I should be able to bottle my first batch in late November and I have another load of grapes I froze from last year to do it again.  With this particular wine you have to let it "age" - a couple of years is recommended.  Here's a copy of our official label which I just ordered.

BARN KITTIES

      All 15 of the barn kitties are doing well.  It's kitties, kitties everywhere.  The older ones treat the young ones with disdain - never missing an opportunity to coil up and hiss.

       The newest additions are getting ready for the big fix.  I'm not interested in starting my own barn cat breeding program.  Most of the kitties have resigned themselves to the fact that they will never be indoor cats.  No more sad faces pressed up against the living room door - no mad dashes to get inside.   Of course, when they come face to face with the 3 giants (dogs) who inhabit the house - I believe they thank their lucky stars that they have a confy existence far away from those big paws and teeth.

        I hope the new guys adapt to winter living as the older ones have.  The hay stall is very cozy.  I've noticed several prefer sleeping with the donkeys or horse.  To each his own.  It never fails to amaze me how the other animals treat the kitties as if they were a fixture - its as if they were supposed to be hanging out in the pasture or curled up in the corner of a stall.  I love watching them.

BABE AND KATE

       There is a bit of rivalry I think between these two.  Kate looks longingly when I take Babe out to ride.  Babe snorts and shakes her head when I take time to hug or groom Kate.  Babe is definitely alpha although Kate trumps her in sheer size.  I think that should they find themselves in the same pasture Babe would hold her own but stay out of the way of Kate's immense hooves.  

OPAL

        There is no question that Opal thinks Babe is her mom.  She trails her everywhere and gets very upset when Babe goes out for a ride.  I'm thinking of taking Opal along on a ride soon - just pony her.  It's cute to see how Opal dotes on Babe - sleeps with her - eats with her - and nuzzles her.  One day I took Babe out to tack her up and didn't get the door shut fast enough - Opal ran out.  At first I panicked - not sure what to do since Opal is fast.  Then it dawned on me.  I put Babe back in the stall and Opal went right in.  I have actually haltered Opal twice for the farrier and although she did not stand perfectly still as Babe does - she did not try to kick or buck either.  

RUBY, JADE AND DUDE

        I am fairly certain that Dude has had his way with both Ruby and Jade and that babies should follow next summer.  Of course once the babies hit the ground the problem then becomes where to put Dude.  I can't put him in with Babe and Opal and I can't leave him with Ruby and Jade.  I wonder if they make chastity belts for equines?  It's possible that the rams will get a new playmate - not sure how Elka will feel about that.  

EGGS, EGGS AND MORE EGGS

         Well, I guess if you live in a cage 8 feet in diameter cooped up with a bunch of feather brains - there is not much else to do but procreate.  And that's what the doves have been attempting to do.  Every week it seems they lay a few more eggs - I take them and donate them to the "Slinky food bank" (remember Slinky the snake?) and a couple weeks later there are more eggs.  Right now I have 3 doves sitting on one nest.  Paternity will definitely be hard to prove.  I suspect you could eat these eggs - I'd guess about 12 dove eggs might equal one chicken egg - but I can't bring myself to do it.  Better that slinky enjoys them from afar rather than helping himself.

          Hope everyone is having a wonderful fall and lets all pray for snow shall we!