Marcel The Happy has been allowed to go and live in the barn. Sweet as it is to have him pooping all over the furniture I have been waiting for a row of warmish days to get him acclimatised to living out with the other animals. He is a sheep after all. He is esconsed with great delight in the sunroom with his sunlamp and today he will probably be watching the snow through this window. Yes, it is forecast to snow today. And the shearer called last night and will be here at lunchtime so all the sheep are undercover. The barn is noisy again.
Sheila lived here, in the sunroom, for the deep winter and Daisy’s calf will live here next. Marcel the Happy has offered to warm up a spot for the calf. The straw is deep and warm and nibbleable. Yesterday got up to 50F (10C). the wind dropped and it was glorious yesterday evening. One of those evenings when I really, really did not want to come inside. I wished my kitchen was in the barn. So I could stay with my animals.
Here is a shot of Sheila on her bed. On not In. There is a car in the stall behind her. Don’t even begin to ask me why it is still there but it is useful for you to do the comparison, you can see how long Sheila is and how HIGH her bed is now. She likes the top bunk.
She is sleeping well tonight as the pub scraps bucket had a whole tray of over cooked buns. She almost died of excitement, then was a little shocked when I only let her have half.
Daisy. Pregnant with hope. I felt her calf move again yesterday, the Loch Ness monster of the bovine depths.
Good morning: Nine days to go before calf number one and the commencement of the milking season. Don’t PANIC!!
The skunks were out the night before last. They crept in and visited the chickens then I followed their smelly tracks in the snow through the field and then up to the bee hive. They walked round and round it, looking for a way in. So no dogs out after dark from now on. Especially not TonTon the skunk magnet. The skunks have decided it is spring!
Our featured image today (the one right the way at the top) is Ton on (not in) the hay field. I know it looks like ice, well that is because it is covered in .. um.. ice, but there is a little melt happening (she says hopefully). Not like melted cheese in a pan or anything but a little softening around the edges. I have taken the header off. It made the page look too busy but don’t forget. No outrunning the angels!
Dawn is here I must away and get ready for the shearer.
Your friend on the farmy,
celi.
The Kitchen's Garden 
76 responses to “Marcel the Happy”
Fifty degrees. Oh, I can only dream. More snow here overnight.
But seeing Marcel the Happy makes me smile and forget winter for a few minutes. Your landscape looks so much like my native prairie.
Not sure why surprise poop on your sofa wouldn’t warm your heart? Glad he is out learning to be a “sheeple.”
He has all the other sheep in the the barn for the next few days too, so he is extra happy listening to the sounds of his fellows. His baaing inside was more of a ‘mew’. Now he can copy some really noisy sheep. c
it seems so strange to be typing white on black . I am most impressed with your new look.and even more impressed with your beautiful animals. Its difficult to decide who I love the most so I must love all of them the same.
I found two weeny puppies whilst driving this morning maybe 4/6 weeks old so I brought them home much to hubs disgust…so now we have 6 dogs..hopefully we shall be able to find a home for them, but do not hold your breath ……..
where did you find them, were they abandoned? lucky pups that you found them – SIX is a lot of dogs.. c
The layout of your blog looks so clean and nice today, Celi. It really does feature your images. I’m guessing Marcel is as happy as he looks, being with his fellow sheep in the barn and having Boo there, too. My goodness, I don’t think I realized how big Daisy was until I saw her on the ground and, um, spread out!
Don’t squash your baby I was calling to her! She is a big girl.. c
Wonderful happy hopeful photos. Your Theme is looking well and settled. I really like it!
maybe this is a dumb question but would the skunks eat the honey?
everything is hungry with this late spring so I think they would if they could get in there, but they can’t actually get in other than reaching a paw in.. the bees hate to be scrabbled around though. they like to be left on peace.. so i need to fix that today.. c
Oh, poor Daisy looks so uncomfortable! And 9 days to go??
Daisy looks …well….quite pregnant and a wee bit uncomfortable. Be careful
Of the calf boss….. I am excited to see her calf….Marcel is growing like a weed
And I bet he’ll have opinions about the shearing operation ! Love the new look
Of the blog…..March was in like a lamb here in Colorado so out like a lion for us!
Hugs all around for all the farmy critters great and small !
the lion sounds a worry.. morning nanster.. c
Ocean header just so beautiful and each creature so adorable. I hope you’ll take some shots of the ladies being sheared. YES SIR YES SIR, THREE BAGSFUL! Couldn’t resist.
morning equus darling.. get your map and marker out as tomorrow I might ask our fellowship to tell us what state/country they are from as a wee treat! I know you will want to make a list.. Stand by. c
Marcel looks so happy! Love it.
And is Sheila sleeping face down? Girl after my own heart.
The blog worked ever so much better for me today. Whatever you did, Thank you! I hope you have warmth for the birth…although, I know it doesn’t really matter as you have lights and hay and straw…but warmth and melt and birth are so nice to be part of spring!
Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://handcraftedbyus.wordpress.com
♬♬♬ Happy Saint Patrick’s Day ♬♬♬
I took off the header, I think that cleans it up.. and oh yes to the warmth.. i have been working in the barn all morning and she came in just before and after mucking about with her bed for a while laid down with such a groan. Yes the calf will have warm bed but I hate to think of all the calves being born into the freezing cold who do not have barns and deep straw. There will be losses for some farmers this year.. c
When we were raising sheep for hand spinning fleeces, the special shearer could only come in February. It was so cold! All the sheep wore coats and had to stay in the barn for a week. Now our NZ shearer uses a blade that leaves the wool slightly longer (about 1/4 inch). Works well. Luckily he does not come until April. Little Marcel is so precious. Sheila never ceases to amaze me, either. A glimpse of Spring…..how nice.
morning emily, my guy does not skin them .. some of the shearing at home (in NZ) is so rough.. but they will stay on the barn for a wee while anyway, we will see how the weather goes.. fingers crossed as they do NOT like to be locked up and that Tilly is a jumper! c
We had a jumper one year that actually leapt out of the holding pen and lit out for parts unknown. Such hysteria! We always made sure the shearers were gentle and worked slowly, much to their disgust. But sheep can be really weird and stubborn as you well know.
The feature images are beginning to making a lovely collage when I click back to the home page. It will be interesting to see them change into Spring, and roll on through the seasons. And it will… surely 🙂
C. I love your new layout for the blog…the photos are so lifelike! That little Marcel…be still my heart…he is too precious! Will he become a wether later on? Shelia and Daisy…oh my! BTW…do they like each other at all or any of the other Farmy Friends? I remember Daisy and Hairy being pals, that ws really something!
Think Spring my dear…I know you are…I am thinking it so hard it’s making my brain hurt! 🙂
Have you told Marcel that he’s a sheep? I just noticed today that the skunks are out here – the first sighting of a skunk pancake on the road must mean spring is around the corner.