Day 26: Labor Strike

They enjoy sunning themselves on the warm gravel.

Gravel pile ewe.

They are multiplying???

Well hello there.

Today was another lovely, sunny day. The ovine labor strike has continued, however. We have now gone three days with absolutely no births! In the meantime, Carly and I continue to chip away at the pens (sometimes literally, as particularly stubborn clumps require the use of a chisel or shovel to remove). We'll probably have some kind of celebration when we are finished with all the pressure washing.

I usually have to wash this off at least once or twice a session because I can no longer see through it.

Ram lamb that was born backwards and needed mouth to mouth resuscitation. Doing much better now! 

In my time off, I converted my family's recipe for whoopie pies (thanks, mom!) to metric units, which sounded intimidating but turned out to be really easy due to some handy online guides. I hope making the whoopie pies will go well, but there is one slight snag: shortening is not a thing in Iceland! Snaedis had never even heard of it (and when I explained what it was, she said it sounded gross, and honestly I can't even argue with that). I will have to use butter instead, and hope for the best. Carly and I took a quick trip to Borgarnes for confectioner's sugar for the frosting and a couple of chowder ingredients. We're planning on cooking some Maine food for everyone since we have been treated to so much nice Icelandic food. While getting the groceries I picked up two sweater's worth of yarn (yes, in the same store!).

We didn't get any pictures of this magical store (Netto), but Carly took some on the drive there.

Back at the barn, Gull has finally stopped associating me with food and subsequently screaming whenever she sees me. I almost miss it (almost). Now that I am not assisting with the delivery of lambs I've been spending more time cleaning and sweeping in the pens. By far the hardest part of sweeping an occupied pen is the lambs! They all seem to want to "help." And by "help" I mean stand directly in front of the broom, nibble it, try to climb me, etc. It's hard to get mad at them for being curious, but they sure do hold up the process. The sister of the little ram lamb that was euthanized yesterday is extremely mellow and friendly. Many of the lambs bounce around even when they want attention but she just stands there as long as she is being patted.

The sweet little ewe lamb.

Kruna's ram lamb looking offended that I hadn't been taking the picture of him.

I thought this ewe's smile was sweet and funny until Helgi explained it's actually a dental disease. Oops.

A polled ewe takes advantage of the salt block. Pink blocks have additional minerals added.

Not siblings, just enjoying the cuddle warmth.

Hi!

The triple cuddle puddle.

When Carly arrived, I had a task ready that required the two of us: Lil' Bean's mom had one udder that was SUPER full for some reason, perhaps due to being a bit lower to the ground and less desirable to nurse from. I stripped the teat and found plenty of milk and no clots, and there were no other signs of mastitis. However, with plenty of running away space in the double-wide lambing jug and three lambs underfoot, milking her was a two-person process. We filled an entire soda bottle plus a little extra with the milk from just that one udder! The ewe may not have enjoyed the process, but I think she looked relieved afterwards.

Watching me to see if I'm a threat.

Myla being a good dog and NOT herding for a little while. She really is a good dog, she's just a little too excited by sheep sometimes.

Loaf and mini-loaf.

A ewe and her two lambs that look a lot like her! The raggedy stuff on her underbelly is just normal springtime shedding.

Another picture of a ewe with her mini-me. I see these two a lot.

Ewe shall not pass!

The rare 8-legged ewe.

This one may or may not have been investigating some freshly dug ditches and the reddish soil within.

Midday siesta.

View from the front steps in the evening.