Our Pair-adox

These two...
these cuties...


are two of the most unusual animals I have ever encountered.
Bobby is more dog than cat...
comes when he's called...
goes for walks with us...


Sam is more cat than dog...
doesn't come when he's called...
always on his own agenda...


Soulmates.
They understand each other.
Thank goodness, because they are both a mystery to me!


I am happy to say that Spring has arrived... again!



I moved the sheep back to their yard this morning after the rains had finished.


They are settled back in...
contented and much happier without their winter attire.


And the pigs were quite happy to see their next door neighbors return...
although at first they didn't recognize them!


I received a lot of questions about the sheep after yesterday's shearing post.
I'll answer them as best I can.


Shearing takes place once a year...in the spring as soon as the weather warms.
It takes the entire year for the sheep to grow their fleece.
The fleece is shorn off in one piece...preserving the length of the fibers.
The best fiber is found on what is called the "saddle"...
and so the belly, legs and face fibers are discarded, as these are too short and too dirty to use.


The entire length of the fiber is used....and needed to make the yarn strong and even.
The outer portion of the fleece is quite dirty and sometimes a little sun-bleached,
but it is cleaned, washed, and used just like the rest of the fiber.

Lanolin is the waxy substance that the sheep secretes to make the wool impervious to rain and snow.
It is removed from the wool during a very hot washing and extracted by the use of a high speed centrifuge.
Lanolin is used as a dry skin treatment.
Oh, how I wish I could have the lanolin from my wool!
Right now, though, all I have to do is to pet the sheep and my hands are covered in it.

Comments

This N That said…
Sam and Bobby sound just like mollie and max. The dog is the cat and the cat is the dog. Mollie learned a lot from Max but she needs to go back for more lessons.... Happy Wednesday.
Deb said…
Bobby & Sam are adorable.
Lynne said…
I like your Sam and Bobby . . .
Great pictures of them sharing space . . .
Perhaps Bobby and Sam are trans-specied.
jaz@octoberfarm said…
does sam have any chow chow in him? that would explain a lot! this whole shearing process is very interesting.
JudiB said…
I enjoy so much watching the way our animals get along with each other. So much like humans. Some like each other and some do not..lol.
Love hearing your stores about the farm.
Isn't it great finally it looks like spring has arrived. Not much snow and a very unusual winter but I am glad it is over.
Have a great day Bev with your friends.
Anonymous said…
its heart warming to see the dog and cat are such good pals,,we had a cat that thought he was dog, of this we were certain but our dog was dog through and through and proud of it I'm sure,,

I bet the sheep felt good to shed that heavy coat,, thats probably spring for them!!
We still have a blanket made from our families wool,,its lovely and old and worn,,
Country Gal said…
Lovely photos . Yip some cats and dogs are just the best of buds . Great explanation on the wool and as for the Lanolin we just called it sheep grease lol ! Spring has finally sprung here to warm temps from now on and lots of sunshine . Thanks for sharing , have a good day !
Hi Beverly,
Well, you answered my question. I had wondered how long it took for the fleece to grow back.. Now I know.. I do have another question.. Do you remember years ago you could purchase soaps that had lanolin in them.. Then I was told a few years later they could not use lanolin in products any longer, but was never sure on the why of it.. Do you know?

Sam and Bobby are so darn sweet... This is true love.
Wishing you a beautiful weekend.