Update on Ell

Well since Michelle was showing how Jackson was growing up, I thought I'd add a few photos of Ell :)

She's so adorable. Acting so innocent when really she loves the camera :)

Aquariums

I love aquariums. I started with just one fishbowl and two goldfish. One, a coment named Golden Gun, and a black moor, named BlackJack. I cleaned their bowl everyday and loved watching them swim. How relaxing of a thing to behold!

I quickly got a 10 gal tank and filled it with fish. I was hooked. All of my high school and college years I had aquariums. At least eight betta hexes (small hexagon shaped bowls for individual bettas), different size fish bowls for gold fish, guppies, tropical fish and cominations of such.

when I moved back from college in Fargo, I moved back in with my parents. I had only one tank at that time and it was a 10 gallon. When my parents built their new home, and I was full owner of this house I grew up in, I quickly added two more 20 gallon tanks and a 55 gallon tank. I got rid of all the bowls and hexes and just kept the larger tanks (also two 10 gallons yet).

Slowly they became something of a backburner during the summers due to my work and obligations outside, and I kept downsizing.

About a year ago I set up the 55 gal, both 20 gal and one 10 gal again. I let the tanks run with only water and plants for a week, then only added the little neon tetras and zebra danios. Followed by the algae eaters and corydoras (catfish) and finally the other more striking species. I was quite sentimental and purchased only those species that I had had when I live here growing up. They really are still my favorites.

A few weeks ago I transferred my tropical fish from my 20 gal in my bedroom ( i need it for the white noise) and put them in my 55 gal aquarium in the family room. I have literally spent hours each day watching these fish in their nearly tripled in size environment. Wow are they happy! I have added more of each species so they are now schooling and enjoying themselves immensely. With such tiny brains it amazes me they even seperate into different color variations i.e the albino tiger barbs will break away from the rest of the 'normal' tiger barbs and school about by themselves for a bit. The white skirt and black skirt tetras seperate also. It amazes me they can tell what THEY look like, and also know which of the other fish also look like them. Reminds me of High School cliques LOL.

They also fight amongst their own species but are very polite and courteous of the other species (except when feeding on tubifex worms, a tank favorite).

I can't even believe i'm blogging about this, but have wanted to for awhile. I think everyone needs a fish tank. You may think there is a lot of upkeep but I get to differ! Once its set up, the environment needs little attention besides a monthly filter change, water added and the fish fed. Everyone always comments on how clean my tanks are and I say i haven't cleaned them for 12-15 months and no one believes me! Its better to let them get a 'real' as can be environment as possible. I'll see if photos will work of them and will try and post them later.

In the mean time I'll relax to the waterfall sounds they all make in unison, and enjoy the stress free environment that these fish and aquariums provide for me.

More sheep photos

Underhill Peep. Thanks Gail! A musket that is just so dang adorable and friendly. Notice she is also starting to roo on the neck. She is bred to Forrest the black gulmoget.

Speaking of black gulmogets, here is my Tailka, who is bred back to her father. Her 'lightening' on her sides was very late in coming so we are hoping that her offspring bred back to Forrest will get us solid bodied gulmoget lambs. She'll be AI'ed this fall to Timothy.

Here is Jasmine Phoenix. She is Ag and katmoget. I guess her proper name is Moget Face. She sure has matured nicely. Such presence and her fleece is a creamy white. In front is Cori, a primitive super soft solid black ewe. She microned at 24.

Here is Rolo. He's saying "oh look at how sexy I am, please photograph my good side. He is fawn, who might even be a mioget like his dad, Bourbon. Quite the gentleman.

PayDay. He is indeed black, with just now finally getting some sun bleaching. His scurs wrap tightl around his head. Hey Michelle, here is your man.....he carries modified, spots and the poll gene :)

New photos of the sheep

This is White Pine Skor. She is going to be emsket I think. Or at least Shaela. She was born jet black and has continually gotten lighter. she's a stinker to catch but her fleece is indeed lighter than her mother, Meleng.

The next two girls are from Peeps. RedBud on the left, Dixie Cup on the right. RedBud was also born jet black and has lightened to a Shaela. Dixie Cup is spotted and she isn't modified, just sun bleached. She was shown at Jefferson this past year as a ewe lamb and was I believe 3rd in the class.

The next girl is FirthofFifth Pi Lo Chun. She is a grey katmoget with very dark markings. She was bred to Forrest and she'll either throw a gulmoget, katmoget or a gul/kat.


The next girl is Justalit'l Shasta. She was at Stephen Rouse's house last year and purchased by Gail Former. I contacted Gail wanting an Ag girl and this is one I picked out. She is horned, and hopefully bred to Jazz. This next fall I am planning on AI'ing her to Timothy or perhaps a ground breeding to Forrest, the black gulmoget.

Feeling Better

Maybe its the longer days and bright blue skies.....

Maybe its the fact that I've been running, eating heathier, tanning, and visiting friends. Heck I even went out DANCING last weekend and wow was THAT a good time. It had been far too long!

Maybe its all the support from my critter friends (both publicly and privately) from my blog....

Its been getting better.

I have met someone new, I have found out what is making the goats sick, I am excited about my upcoming litter of pups. I'm excited for spring, for lambs, for calves, for pigeons.

I finally mated some of my pigeons up last night. I normally put them together Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day...but always before new Years. This year Its going to be Valentine's Day before they are all paired up.

I leave next wednesday for Denver to job hunt and house hunt. Something keeps telling me I need to get away for awhile, have a budgeted income instead of this feast or famine I've been dealing with for the past 10 years. At any rate, I need a change of a job and if that allows me to stay here great. If I need to move, maybe that is just what the doctor ordered.

My dog website, www.ebonwald.com, has had 300 hits in the past 4 weeks. That's an all time high and the interest in my dogs, my upcoming litter and such is quite flattering. Even if its just nosy dog people checking out what I'm up to, that's great for me :)

I spent awhile out with the girls today. Man I can't believe that some of the girls are already rooing in their necks. Last year Buttons did this and she is the first one to start. A few of the older girls are also rooing, and I can't believe it, considering the freakishly cold weather we've been having.

Its true what everyone has said in my previous post. Family, Friends and pets sure make me feel better. I just wish I lived closer to all of you! The animals have a simple way of showing affection and humor. Its so appreciated. Its so calm to be with them, their daily routines so carefree and stress free. I wish I were animal.

the year 2008 in review

OK so its only been three weeks but I had to recap what's been going on! So much, in fact, that i haven't been a very good blogger.

Considering I've had the water pipes freeze up in my house, electricity go out 5 times in 2 days (for several hours at a time), the fan quitting on the woodstove and not having any heat, sick goats, water lines in the barn having to be thawed out daily, lack of snow removal work in January, etc....a lot has been building up.

In all of that high stress, I met someone :)

The day before NYE I met this person online, and we chatted and then talked on the phone for hours. I asked them out on a date and they accepted and we went out on NYD for movie and supper following. We hit it off! We had a lot in common, a connection, with mutual feelings. FINALLY I found someone that can stimulate educated conversations, while making me laugh and smile. Its been an amazing few weeks.

Then I get a phone call tonight saying we need to step back, its going to fast, we need to slow down and think about it all as it has indeed been a whirlwind of a new relationship. I'm all about taking it slow, but I must admit it came as a shock to me. for who knows how long we are not going to communicate so we can figure everything out. While I appreciate the honesty and the straigh forwardness, i still feel like I've been dumped, even though it hasn't been that long.

this blog will be deleted soon as I don't like putting my feelings out on the line, or on the web so to speak. But i needed to vent. It was because of this new relationship that i've been so busy, and so happy, even though the farm itself has been high stress. Now I don't have much to be excited about *SIGH*

Merrymoon Ebonwald I'm a Q.T.

Well after driving all the way to Port Huron, MI to pick her up, it was worth the wait and worth the drive! I left thursday AM around 10 and when I got about 2 hours from home I drove right into a snow storm! All the way to the WI border I drove in that wet heavy snow with white out conditions. It again found me from Madison WI to Rockford, IL. Ice until I got around Chicago and then rain all the way to Port Huron. When I got to PH around 3;30am local time, they informed me no hotel rooms were available in a 50 mile radius due to some Hockey Tournament! So I drove to the nearest rest stop and slept in the back seat of my sisters car. (she let me borrow her Pontiac Grand Am). WOW was that an experience. So with about 4 hours of on and off napping, I went to meet Ell's breeder and we had breakfast. Such a nice lady with TONS of knowledge of the breed! Ell immediately jumped into my arms with happy tail wagging, lots of licks on the face and whimpering. She was happy!

I was so exhausted I drove only to Grand Rapids, MI where I stayed with some Pygmy goat breeder friends. I could not get a hold of Stephen and was hoping I'd be able to see him but it didn't work out this time. BUMMER! I ended up staying the night and getting up early and went to breakfast with my friends. I drove all the way around the bottom part of Lake Michigan and met some friends in Milwaukee for lunch. A few hours later and I was on the road again and made it home for Ell to meet the other dogs and my family.

I must admit Ell's personality and temperament is to die for! She warmed up really quickly to the dogs at my friends house and all three very well fed house cats. She even barked when she heard someone come in the door.....as if she was saying "Who goes there!? This is my house now!" It was very cute.

My favorite photo is the last photo where she is laying in the coffee table. It is every dogs favorite place to be when they are so little. I thought Zoe's blue eyes were hard to say no to....Just look at those dark brown eyes!!

Zoe-miester

Here we see Zoe winning Best Puppy and yet another Reserve Winner's Bitch award at the North Star Herding Group Club in St Paul, MN on January 5th under breeder judge Teddy McDowell. That is indeed my hand but an awful photo of the owner/handler (aren't they always?!!) Zoe sure is maturing nicely!!!

Sheep in winter

Supper time!

My innocent BFL ewe lambs :)

A view of some of the flock

Ma boy Jazz (F1 Jericho)


There really isn't anything like sheep in fleece, in snow, AFTER all the breeding groups LOL. A sight to be seen indeed!

Winter Glory

Snow can be so pretty, calm and relaxing can't it?

As Fall Out Boys would say..........

THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES~!

Well its that time again. Time to move out some of the girls due to lack of any of the following reasons: space, feed, money, new genetics, or some of each or all of the above.

I never make a point of selling girls that are in their prime years (for cows that 5-8 years old) They always produce their nicest replacements during these years, area most efficient with the feed they consume and have the daily routine as well as know how to work themselves into the head gate, livestock trailer, field roads to get back to the 'home' pasture in the fall, etc.

Its always hard for me to part with girls knowing that they have so much yet to offer me. I feel like I've cheated them. I feel like I let them down. They trust me and I move them out. I normally only sell cows that are not being productive, are terrible mothers (or too agressive towards me) , don't settle, abort, bad udder, too old, etc. These girls are some of my best. I've tried for about a year trying to sell some of the girls to another breeding farm that raises registered Simmental. I've had inquires from all over the nation, but no one wants to drive that far for only a handful of cows. they want 25+. I don't have that many to sell!

It appears I'm rambling. Just bear with me. Indulge in my sorrow of letting perfectly beautiful, prime girls go, as unregistered stock to the "SALE BARN". I know the owner as he married my best friend of 9 years. He gets a fair 'market' price. Its about 1/2 to 1/3 the value of my registered stock. I'd rather eat them all if that was the case, but there comes a time when I have to say "UNCLE" and give in. Its still money. And until I can break into the tight group of registered simmental folk, I'm doomed to sell my high quality registered girls as commercial stock. If only those guys knew what they were getting.

Thanks for listening.

A group shot of the girls headed to new homes.
I decided to sell two cow/calf pairs this winter. The two little red heifers on the left are the lucky girls. I had planned on keeping them but due to lack of hay and lack of space, they got to go with their moms. Dacia (the large red in front is mother to one of them) Ina behind her is a gorgeous cow and I kept her first calf, a daughter, Inez to carry on her line. Maddy (the other blaze face) is the last girl from my Millie line. I kept Maddy's son this year so she had to go, but she always raised the largest calf, even being the smallest cow of the herd. Trixie (the mother of the other calf) is hiding back there too.
Rudie, Nysa and Brandy hiding in the back. Rudie has been my foundation cow and I kept EVERY single heifer calf from her. I have about 50% 'R' names out there thanks to her. She is a mild mannered, medium framed, great mother. At the age of 8 she still has a great udder and calves easily. Nysa goes back to my Jersey cow from about 15 years ago. She's 1/2 red angus and 1/2 simmental now, that jersey blood has been bred out, but if you look closely enough, you can still see bits of that breed in her. I kept her daughter this year, New York :)
Another group shot
Maddy, Ina, Trixie, Nysa, Dacia and calf