Meet Minwawe Serendippity

Minwawe Serendippity (Minwawe Pan X Minwawe Prancer)

2007 HST Black and White Twin Ewe

Serendippity is one of the Missouri 8 that joined my flock in the summer of 2008.  Bred to Minwawe Bahama she had twin lambs her first lambing in the spring of 2009.  Both flecket, Dessie black and white, and Rip Tide moorit and white.  Her lambs were big and grew well and ate often, I am afraid as a first time mom she couldn't keep up with their demand and ended up with mastitis in one side of her udder...I suspect from the beating it took from her overzealous twins.  They were weaned at 6 weeks and I was able to save Serendippity but not her udder, she lost an entire side.  I may end up bottle feeding her lamb or lambs this year but I decided to take the chance, as her lambs were outstanding.  I had planned to breed her to Zeus but she had other plans.  She and Bahama and ended breaking out and into to pens to be together, so I gave in to their plan and she was put in with Bahama for the remainder of the breeding season.  If her lambs are born in April, they are Bahama's, mid March they are Zeus', inbetween I might have to do some paternity testing.  Luckily for me Zeus is katmoget which will make sorting it all out a bit easier.

Meet Mapleton Peep

 Meet Mapleton Peep (front and center)

I am running out of good individual pictures...I think I need to go out and do a photo shoot but I have a few left to work with.  This is Peep (Mapleton Cooper X Minwawe Marshmello).  Now she is musket for sure!  I own her mom and half sister as well.  Her twin brother S'More was sold to an excellent home with Duet, Cha Cha's yearling daughter.  Peep is also and HST meaning she has white markings on her head, socks (legs), and tail.  Technically that makes her an smirslet (almost yuglet) sokket.  From the day she was born she makes you take notice.  Even my DH who as really little interest in the sheep is often found saying "wow WHO is THAT one!"  She is very friendly and has a bit of a take charge attitude and presence which I would expect nothing less from a Cotton Candy grand daughter.  She was exposed to Mapleton Rip Tide before he was sold.  I hope she took because that should make for an outstanding combination.  It will be moorit based, may or may not be Ag (50% chance) and will definitely be SPOTTED and loudly!

 

Here is a rear view of Peep.

Meet PikeHill Olympia

Edit here:  I was able to get a winter one today!

It is really hard to get a good picture of Olympia because she is a total love and  every time I kneel down to take a photo, she comes running for some attention.  Most recent photos I have if her are blurry so I had to recycle a summer photo.  Olympia will be two this spring.  She is a fawn gulmoget by PikeHill Stanley Pease and out of PikeHill Poa.  She has a mix of UK and domestic lines and is a possible poll carrier.  She came to us from NH in 2008.  She had a single ram lamb I retained in 2009 - Mapleton Zeus.  Olympia is bred to Minwawe Bahama a moorit HST.  I know I say it about all of them...BUT I am really excited about her lamb or lambs.  I really am only going to keep 3 or 4 lambs this year...how am I ever going to pick?!

Meet Minwawe Cha Cha

This is Minwawe Cha Cha.  She is a moorit ewe that will be four years old this spring.  She is by Minwawe Pan and out of Minwawe Dancer.  She had single ewe lambs the past two years, but I think she will twin this year, as she is almost as wide as she is tall right now.  She is the most shy of my flock but if one would survive in the wild...my money would be on her.  I love her fuzzy cheeks and her fleece spins like a dream with lots of luster.  She is bred to Minwawe Bahama and I am very excited about her lambs.  Cha Cha or her lambs, will be offered for sale after weaning, but not both.  She has so many great qualities, I can't let her genetics slip out of my flock but there is a limit on how many solid moorits I will retain in my small flock.  She carries spots so I expect some flashy lambs!

Meet more 2009 ewe lamb keepers

Pictured from Left to Right:  Mapleton Violet (High Bid Hester X Minwawe Bahama) twin  exposed to Mapleton Zeus, Dessie her half sister (you already met her) and Harvest Thyme Quechee a black gulmoget in front of her added  to my flock from OH, and Mapleton Peanut Brittle (Twin Springs Cotton Candy X High Bid Kermit) - triplet to Carmel and is a solid moorit.  The three on the right were not bred this fall as they were the smallest of the 2009 ewe lambs so I decided to give them a year to grow.  Even though the 3 Mapleton ewes were over 50 pounds, Violet weighed the most.  I am not sure if Violet took but time will tell.  Hoping for a black based katmoget from her or her mother.

Meet Twin Springs Cotton Candy

Cotton Candy was my first Shetland ewe.  She will always remain in my flock and is flock "queen" and all her subjects know it!  It works out well as she is very friendly.  Most of the time she follows me...everyone else follows her.  Who needs a herding dog when you have a Cotton Candy.  Her breeding is  Twin Springs Gideon X Twin Springs Gemma.  She was single born to a yearling mom in 2006...but has twined (2008) and carried triplets (2009) herself.  Her color is still up for debate.  A registered fawn but I sometimes question if she may also be Ag.  I retained a ram lamb and two ewe lambs from this ewe (Cooper, Carmel, and Peanut) and she is the grandmother to three other lambs I retained (Libby, Peep, and Zeus).  I lost Cooper to a horn incident involving his father and the fence, his son Zeus is filling his place in my flock for the time being.  Cotton Candy is smirslet so I am very excited to see what type of flash her and Minwawe Bahama will throw.  Most of her lambs from this year will be available for sale this year...although I might be tempted to keep just one! : )

Meet High Bid Hester

High Bid Hester (Maple Ridge Logan X High Bid Gladys Lucille)

2007 black triplet ewe
NFS

As a yearling she had a half polled black ram lamb and last year she had twins, a black smirslet horned ram lamb and a HST black and white ewe lamb (Violet).  Her and her daughter were in Mapleton Zeus' breeding group.    I hope to keep one or two of their lambs, but the others will be offered for sale.  I expect her to have twins or triplets this year and her daughter if she took I would expect to single.  She is an all around wonderful ewe.  I could sing her praises but I will let this photo of her speak for itself.

Meet Mapleton Opal

Mapleton Opal (NFS) is one of  my 2009 ewe lambs.  She is out of Pearl featured last post and by High Bid Kermit.  She and her half sister Carmel are very much alike.  Opal has a little more wool on her poll and has a lighter color to her fleece when parted.  She has Kermit's trademark fleece and tail.  She was "my" pick of 2009 lambs.  She is a big ewe lamb so I did put her in a breeding group, exposed to Harvest Thyme Champlain a half polled single coated mioget ram.

Meet Minwawe Pearl

This is my pretty Pearl!  I love this ewe...everything about her.  She is a little shy but not too bad, but otherwise I can't find anything that I don't like about her.  She is from Meadowwoods in Missouri and is by Minwawe Hopalong and out of Minwawe Buttons.  She will be three years old this spring and gave me the beautiful fawn katmoget ewe lamb Opal is past year.  She is bred to Minwawe Bahama.  She is looking big so I am thinking she will twin this year, her second lambing.  If so, at least one of her lambs will be available for sale.  If you like Pearl as much as I do, you might want to call dibs on a lamb, as I would expect hers to be among the first to be spoken for.

Meet Mapleton Carmel Apple

Meet the flock:  2009 ewe lamb
~ Mapleton Carmel Apple ~
 Out of Twin Springs Cotton Candy and by High Bid Kermit.  NFS
"Carmel" was exposed to Mapleton Rip Tide before he was sold, so she might be bred for March or April lambs.  She a triplet and full sibling to Cooper who was sire to Peep, Zeus, and Libby (you will meet them another day).  The rich color, handle, luster, and crimp to her fleece when you part it makes you say "wow that's lovely".  She is wonderfully built and has Kermit's most perfect tail that he stamps on all his offspring.

Meet the Flock Series: Mapleton Destiny

"Dessie"

I thought I'd do a meet the flock series here on my sales blog so you can see the rest of lambs I got last year and meet my foundation flock.  The 2009 lamb above is NOT for sale...but her parents were bred together again so I might get another one like her.  Dessie was not bred this year but will be as a yearling. She is a black and white flecket out of Minwawe Serendippity and by Minwawe Bahama.  She is the sweetest thing!  She is the twin to Mapleton Rip Tide.  Her mom lost her half her udder to a bout with mastitis so her siblings might be bottle lambs.  If you are willing or able to raise a bottle lamb this spring, please let me know and I can keep you posted.  It might be a great opportunity to get a fantastic lamb at a discounted price.

Mapleton Mill Spun Yarn!

It has arrived.  All are sport weight, 2 ply, 150 yards, 4 ounce Alpaca wool blend skeins.  The wools are brown and black Shetland, white Cheviot, and the Grey my Corriedale cross.  Pricing is to me determined...it was pricey to have done...so I am try to figure out a fair price that still covers my cost and makes it worth parting with.  Suggestions welcome.  I do have a vendor number but yet to put it to any use.  Someday I will have to get to a farmers market or fiber festival.  For know I will begin by having a family and friends sale, if you have any interest please let me know.