New Job & a painting class & my dwindling Shetland flock

Well, things are looking a little brighter these days. I finally got a job and I'll start next week. I'll be working part time in the deli department of the grocery where my husband and son already work. I'll be working three 6-hour shifts per week. To be only 4 miles from home and working short shifts will be great during lambing next spring. And I think I'll actually get more artwork done when I have a part time job. I'm really more productive when I have limits set on my time. We'll see!

Last week I started a new painting class taught by Karen Kiefer. She lives in Ogilvie, close to our 40 acres. I finished a wool painting and took out my watercolors last weekend and start to paint some sheep. On the right is Lanora, a BFL and on the left is Delia, a Shetland Mule. I have a long way to go on these and I will probably switch to pastels.
In the class I'm using pastels. Yesterday I started a pastel of Boggart's impressive skull/horns in class with special lighting set up. Having been bumped and bruised by those very horns (much to sweet old Boggart's embarrassment), I wanted to portray their strength and magnificence. They are so impressive, but it's kind of ironic that I'm now breeding for polled Shetlands.

And this morning I said goodbye to Bramble Jemma and River Oaks Abby. They are going to be spoiled rotten at their new home in Princeton. They will join a small flock of just pair of Shetlands right now. I hope to get updates on them and the lambs they produce next spring. They are both such sweet girls. So I am now down to only 6 Shetland ewes and 4 Shetland rams (two of which are going to slaughter due to tight horns). I have 6 Bluefaced Leicesters (soon to be 5 when Dougal leaves), 7 Shetland Mules, and the Ile de France/Dorset ram lamb. Oh yes and 3 crossbred polled rams that will go to slaughter too. So I'm down to 27 sheep right now and should be down to 21 for the winter. I think 15 sheep would be ideal for our limited pasture here. I still would like to sell the two nicely horned ram lambs and a one or two Shetland Mule ewe lambs.

My purebred BFL breeding group is together as are the Shetland mules and Granite. I was disappointed that my Ile de France/Dorset ram lamb just wasn't mature enough to use for breeding this fall. I'll have to keep him for next year, but I know it will be tempting to put him in the freezer next spring, they grow so fast!