a bit about the barnyard~

(a bit of new painting from this messy March month - show & tell this week)

Oh, my goodness~ it is hard to get a quiet moment~
Or get boys out from underfoot~

I am in the throws of Spring Break here - even though it looks like early winter outside.  All the boys are home from school and are very busy & noisy.  I feel as though I am in a barnyard of goats.  Cute goats, but still goats, you know?

(The kitty is obviously thrilled they are home)

I actually do love having them home...I love goats (i promise). 

* * * * * * * * * * 

The chores at the farm have picked up.  I love it when you know something is coming soon.  It is the little butterflies in your stomach when you are excited to see someone you miss?  I have missed the farm~

The anticipation of lambing is huge for me. I love this time of year and I am so grateful to be here during this integral part farm life.  I have missed my little woolly family so much!  And the anticipation of the farm *alive* with ewes and lambs just makes my heart melt.  It is literally heaven on earth for me~

As you may have guessed I am a bit obsessed with Ovine.  Yes, yes I am.  

(the docking box in the lambing shed)

I have questions from emails & ESTY friends all the time about who I am, what I do, and what the farm is all about. So I figured at the end of this messy month, before the lambing starts, I should take just a minute to share~

I am Junelle~
I am girl in love with God's and His wild adventures.
I see my life as divinely driven on a daily basis.
I value my work on the farm & in photography as a place to learn to see life in new ways & grow from that experience.

When I was a young girl I was in love with caring for little creatures. Now that I am in my forties I am learning to trust my little girl heart again and see its original loves as treasured gifts.

(a gorgeous fluffy nest in the eves of the lambing stalls)

I have been married for 20 years+, with four handsome sons and a beautiful daughter (she left us too soon 1988-1998).  I try to honor their privacy, but they do make regular appearances here.

Photography is a natural extension of my head & heart.  I use a Canon camera and have many lenses I choose from ~ I mix it up.  I am a lover of images that are purely *in the moment*, unscripted and as I see them...holy gifts.

Taking photos of the lambs and of the blessed barnyard is what I feel called to do. It is the most nurturing and healing experience for me and it has blessed so many other's lives with memories, happy thoughts, and deep reflection.  I have so many personal letters of people sharing their hearts about these little lambs.  It is in my heart to share the stories of the sheepherders as well. This is a beautiful part of our American landscape that may soon be lost.

(just before shearing)

This farm has over 800 ewes, mostly Rambouillet.  They are beauties.  There are also 5 herding dogs and a half dozen Great Pyrenees dogs in the mix.  The farm is owned by a friend, I call him Farmer B. (he is a bit afraid that my blog & etsy will make him wildly famous and he isn't fond of all that attention).  He has had this farm for years and loves his outfit (his sheep, dogs, and crew).  He takes great care of the ewes and loves the lambs.  His main sheepherder is named Luis, he is one of the most soft-spoken and sweet spirited men I have ever met.  He comes up to my armpits and only speaks Spanish (and I have no idea how old he is) ~ we get along great.  They are my mentors, teachers, and teasers.

(one of the Great Pyrenees pups in the summer)

I live in a small pioneer town, a farm community in the high mountains in the mountain west, USA.

Sheep farmers have been here since this little community was started, over 150 years ago.  They were Scandinavian transplants~ industrious, amazing craftsmanship, and hardy.  The winters here were/are brutal.  They not only created a beautiful little town, but they built the most darling little homes, many are still standing today.

As much as I love the sheep, our little cluster of small towns in this valley are best known for their turkeys.  I should take pictures of turkeys for you to see, but they are the stinkiest creatures on the face of God's green earth.  I am not exaggerating on this one - trust me.  I will stick to sheep.

I know there are more questions about the farm, but they will best be answered as I tell you the stories this Spring~

Just wait, there is so much good to come!

love & lambs to you,
jj