Monday, August 16, 2010

700th post giveaway!

This photo was taken the day I brought home my first Shetland Sheep. After nearly a year of emails, phone calls and a visit, I secured this lovely group of animals. After many photos, micron tests, history on their pedigrees, etc, I chose these magnificent animals. I'm amazed that I have not one of these animals left on my property due to various reasons but will always be indebted to Cynthia for her education, thoughts, teaching, laughter, wisdom, friendship, trust and her commitment to the Shetland breed.

I wanted to share this photo as it showed the largest diversity I could possibly get in a group of animals. From left to right: Assam Meleng (shaela), Jasmine Phoenix (Ag Katmoget), Don Telmo Bourbon (mioget), Rooibos (fawn), Sikkem Temi (moorit) and Cleo (non fading black). It is very easy to tell the difference in the three shades of brown. Some may call the middle one still moorit, but when you part the fleece it was definitely NOT moorit.

So on to the giveaway!

I will be giving away one fleece per person who leaves a comment. I"ll try to match what you may like but in all reality the more who comment the more chances that people will touch my fleeces and LIKE what they see! (and maybe buy another one or three!) You are responsible for shipping and box, and processing fleece either commercially or by hand.

The grand prize is 150.00 off of an animal that is for sale here on my farm, or 75.00 off of transportation of an animal from my farm to a mutually agreed destination.

The catch for that however is you have to come up with the best 'charades' guess as to what an object is. Its a bright blue piece of Styrofoam that I found on one of the property's I maintain in Wadena from the Tornado devastation. It can be totally useful or totally ridiculous. I get to pick the best answer. I"ll post the photo of the object tomorrow when I come up for air after my long weekend in Ohio.

12 comments:

Joyce Scallorn said...

Hi Garrett,
Love your blog, I've been spoiled on Theresa's fleece in Indiana, but if you can match the softness that I've been getting from her then I may just buy some from you too. I'm a picky hand spinner, but she has sold me on shetlands. Unfortunately as much as I love them, my shepherding is confined to a herd of angora rabbits, no room for sheep. Shetland/Angora blend is to die for!
Joyce

Meagan said...

Hmm, if the styrofoam were big and blue enough I'd use it as a background for a sign for a chicken house. That or make up a little raft and give sailing it a shot! Congrats on your 700th post, as a newbie Shetland shepherd I find your insights and photos to be so valuable so please keep it up :)

Somerhill said...

You didn't come visit me???? :^(

Michelle said...

Another Shetland shepherd has no business entering for a free Shetland fleece, but if you have a "blue katmoget" (or an emsket or shaela) I would LOVE it! I am hoping to get some of my own from Barish next year, but who knows....

Anonymous said...

Congrats on 700 posts!

Blue styrofoam is cut up and used around here as padding for trailer straps on wooden sailboats - can't get enough of the stuff!

I agree with Joyce that Shetland/angora blends are fab! I, too, have angora buns, but if I had room I would have a small flock of Shetlands. And chickens ;-)

Potosi Sheep Farm said...

Thanks to your education, I can see the difference in the colors now.Great photo.
You should see he guy I got from you. Ruben's grown a lot. I would use the styrofoam to make safety tips for his horns. He's still sticking his head between my legs when I feed. I'm tired of the bruises. Bright blue would make him easy to see coming too.

Tifany said...

I don't comment much, but you've enticed me Garrett (I need a new ram) Blue Styrofoam...would attach it with duct tape to my 2 1/2 year old so that he was more visible outside and easier to keep an eye on. He inevitably ends up down by the pasture to visit the sheep, goats, and donkey.

Kara said...

Hi Garrett,
I'd love to try a BFL fleece if you have any left. Thinking of getting a ram to try on some of my ewes and want to try it out the fleece first. Do you know any breeders close to my neck of the woods? Does "zwool" go to Jefferson? Maybe they would let you drop it off to them and I could pay them to have it processed and shipped to me directly. Email me if that is a possibility.

Gail V said...

So nice to see a picture of don Telmo Bourbon as a youngster. After you sold him to me he left his nice golden color all over my flock, it seems. So many babies pop out as light as honey, to this day.
From one shepherd to another: I need no fleece and fewer sheep, but thanks for the post.

Franna said...

A bright blue piece of styrofoam.... used to live in Stevie's backyard. Stevie liked to play with the styrofoam. One day it was a boat upon the lake water, another day it was a flying carpet taking him to exotic places. Another time it was a big sombrero shading his eyes from the summer sun. Then, the sky turned black as night and a big wind came up. Stevie's bright blue piece of styrofoam was picked up by the wind and flew away like a fighter plane, never to be seen again. The same big wind brought a bright red plastic ball into Stevie's backyard. It becomes a spaceship that takes Stevie to the moon and beyond....

HAH!
Franna

Michelle said...

I guess I'm confused. Are we supposed to make a charades story BEFORE we see the object?

Spinners End Farm said...

Hmmm. It would be hard to pick a "favorite" color so you could choose between Mioget, dark Emsket, or Shetland black (dark bittersweet chocolate)for me!

Once my husband was paddling his kayak with friends in Maine and his large hatch cover broke and he was taking in water. The god/goddess of foamy foam was watching out for him and he found a large piece floating in a quiet cove adjacnet to an island. He was able to carve a hatch cover out of it and get him safely through the remainder of his trip. We once found a 4 x4 square of blue foamy foam while canoeing in southern Michigan and he felt obligated to take it home with us...it still resides at our home in the UP some fifteen years later and has been used as a cushion under a dog bed, it's been on the roof of the van to haul furniture, and it has had many kid adventures as well! That piece of foam has good karma.

A long time coming!

 It has been a long time. Too long in fact. We lost access to our farm website and ebonwald website when WEBS.COM was closed by VistaPrint. ...