Lambing Season

     I wrote this almost week ago, but forgot to post it until now.

     New lambs are born almost every day at this time of year. They are some of the most photogenic creatures out there with their curly coats and their tiny faces, bouncing around the barn and snuggling up together to nap. This morning, a ewe gave birth to triplets, two back ewe lambs and one white ram lamb. It is not unusual in the case of triplets for the smallest to be rejected by the mother, and in this case, one of the little black ewe lambs was rejected. She was weak and cold this morning, and after being born, was not making the usual attempts to stand and to find milk. I was working in the barn this morning, taking care of cows, so I did my best to dry her off and warm her up with a towel until Susie, one of the sheep's owners, arrived.

Some Lamb Pictures

Wooden Spoon

     I made this wooden spoon from a beautiful piece of bird's eye maple. Spoon carving is a very satisfying and relaxing process. I am not sure of exactly how long it took me to make this spoon, but I would estimate about 12-15 hours.
     I learned to carve spoons about ten years ago from my friend Hannah. Of course, these first spoons were not very practical, since they were so bulky, due to my inexperience - they never would have fit in one's mouth. My first spoons were made of pine, which is a soft wood and is therefore much easier to carve. Since then, I have made many more spoons and worked my way up to harder wood. Bird's eye maple is especially difficult because each of the bird's eyes (the dots on the wood) is a knot. Knots are harder to cut through, causing the carving to take a longer time, but I think the beautiful patterns are worth the effort.