Comments on: Rams and Ewes, oh my!

By: Dick

Dick — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:21:09 +0000

Hej Kirsten og Jens!

Jeg er glad for at I har haft et godt kursus og en dejlig tur til Amazonfloden og til Rio de Janeiro. Det er også godt at høre at I kom hjem i god behold.

Det er svært for mig at tro at så mange dage har fløjet forbi siden jeg var hos jer i Danmark!

Tak for jeres blog besøg. Kærlige hilsener, Dick

By: Jens Grarup

Jens Grarup — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:22:45 +0000

Hej Dick ! Tak for sidst - det var hyggeligt at ha’ dit besøg - Siden da har vi været på vores livs længste rejse til Sao Paolo - Manaus - Amazonas-landet & sejlet på floden i lille flod-damper & kanoer 5 dage - og besøgt indianere og set krokodiller, slanger og insekter & blomster - og altsammen kombineret med kursus i rejse-og trope-medicin - Til sidst 3 dage i Rio de Janeiro hvor vi fortsatte undervisningen med hospitalsbesøg og bytur - og var i vandet på Ipanema Beach, vi boede 50 m. fra stranden - om aftenen til Bossa nova koncert - dejlig og spændende tur, men lang flyvetur, ialt ca 27.000 km.
Hyggeligt at læse bloggen om Jeres liv - smukke smukke billeder !
Kærlig hilsen til Gretchen og dig - og fårene : ) Kirsten & Jens

By: Dick

Dick — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:53:07 +0000

Hi Deb,
You asked about our cutting back on selling lambs in the future. We are definitely reducing the number of ewes we breed, which also means that we will have fewer lambs born next spring. We are doing this to make our lives a little easier (we are not getting any younger). Nonetheless there will continue to be lambs for sale in our future, just not as many. Our sale of breeding stock in recent years has been based primarily based upon word of mouth. It has been many years since we had a page on our web site concerning the sale of lambs for breeding stock, but we did at one time have such a page. Selling breeding stock over the internet is not nearly as cut and dried as, for example, selling fleeces. It usually involved lots of back and forth, lengthy correspondence. In addition to which we often know nothing about the prospective buyer until they arrived at the farm for their lambs. In most cases the people were very pleasant to deal with and will be or are excellent shepherds. But there have been a small, but significant number to whom I would never sell a lamb had I first met and known them. The problems have been exacerbated in the last couple of years by customers backing out on sales at the last minute. I do not like needlessly send very good lambs to slaughter but that is usually their fate after a last minute canceled sale.

In answer to your question, we will still have lambs for sale for breeding and pets/fiber animals, just not as many as in the past. So if you realize your dream of a few acres where you can raise sheep, we still be around for a few more years, assuming that our ages and infirmities do not put the two of us out to pasture first.

Thanks for keeping up with us on the blog. Take good care,

By: Deb Whited

Deb Whited — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 02:24:53 +0000

Go ahead….rub it in. Me not buying Nutbread’s fleece again last spring…..dumb move.

I live in town now, but like many, it is a dream of mine to end up with a few acres with some animals, including a couple of pet/fiber sheep. Now, I read you are cutting back on selling sheep and lambs, but in the past, I never saw lambs or sheep for sale on your website. Have you sold them all through the network of people you know?

By: Julie Berberich

Julie Berberich — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:11:47 +0000

Hello,
Your hard work will reap it’s reward. How does it feel to live in Wisconsin paradise?
jgb
Gretchen: made your orange juice bread yesterday. Also cranberry scones. Yum!