Week 77 - Jasmine

Another round of snow this week and wouldn't you know that's exactly when our ewe decided to lamb. It seems like every time that the weather changes drastically for the worse, the sheep decide to give birth. Of course, it's not that simple but there is definitely a weather component to the process. My folks' lambs started coming last week with the brutally cold shift in weather and ours came this week. This lamb is special because she is the first lamb born on our new place. Yes, we had sheep here the last year but these sheep were born at my parents' place, even if they were ours. This little lamb is an exciting new start for my wife and I who have our roots in sheep. One of my favorite memories I have of her in high school and into college is our interactions at the state fair and within the sheep barn.

Our lamb is also special because she captures two very different gene pools in a 1/2 Shropshire ewe "Daisy" - daughter of Peach, who I bought when we went to an auction together when we first started dating - and "Phil", a Polypay ram from my wife's home. This combination gives our little lamb princess, "Jasmine", a brockle face. Basically, a brockle face is spotted both dark and light and has a bit of a gray mixture. She is very cute but I failed to get a decent picture of her yet. I will share one as soon as the weather perks up with some daylight.

Down on campus, we have our own animal addition to the decor. Really, the horse isn't new, but it is new to the outdoors. A few years ago, a local ironworks meshed together all kinds of scrap metal and fashioned an iron horse. The thing is insanely heavy and came with a base and two hooks just to lift it around and balance it, but the parts chosen by the sculpters really captures the physiology of the horse. I think it is really cool, but it has been a topic of mixed emotion in our department. A long time resident of the garage due to debate on a permanent location, it spent last year puzzling students and parents alike in our department lobby. Now it has been moved outside and the size is much less overwhelming. The trick will be just to see how long it stays before some fraternity drives in at night and steals it away. I know at my undergraduate school that horse wouldn't have lasted 2 days alone outside without being cemented to the ground.

I am now complete with my final three written exams and can breathe a slight sigh of relief. Of course, the oral exam still looms over me, scheduled for Feb. 12th at 3.00 pm. Because one of my committee members is in New Zealand, we had to do the exam in the afternoon. And because one of my committee members teaches a class until 2.45 pm, we couldn't do it until 3.00 pm. Luckily, the exam will last about 2 hours and so we can still be done at a reasonable hour. I have to commend my committee for being so easy to work with and great about communication and scheduling for this exam. When I talked with a previous mentee with similar committee members and advisor, he noted great struggle in settling on a date, to the extent that he said trying to get it all scheduled and completed in 2 months was insane. He expected it to take me over 6 months to get everything done. But in just 2 short weeks after 6 weeks of scheduling, it will all be over. I can't wait, and now that the exams are done I'm starting to get just a little bit nervous. The exams this week stretched my understanding more than last week's questions, particularly exam #3. I am fairly certain that I didn't answer them all correctly and that makes me more uncomfortable than anything. But at least I have a week to look for the correct answers and make sure I am better prepared for next week.

In my absence over the weekend, my wife took our daughter out to have her pictures taken. I wasn't super crazy about more pictures, but my wife was very excited and with all she's had to deal with as I prepare for candidacy and write this grant proposal she deserved to have something to look forward to and enjoy. The pictures were totally worth it, too. Hannah was absolutely adorable - the photographer did a great job and is always so good at getting kids to smile and look natural.

The other big news is that Hannah stood up on her own this week! I just barely missed it the first time because I was a bit late getting back from work, but she was fortunately willing to show off for me again. And then once she got up she didn't want to stop. She just kept trying to climb higher and higher up her little walker play thing (<-- I obviously have no idea what it's really called, but she loves the darn thing). Such a great big moment in her life, and I am so proud of how much of a champion she is. When she falls, she barely whimpers and she goes right back at it again. When she really wants something and gets a taste of victory, she doesn't let off. Here's to hoping she can keep that self-motivation throughout life - it will serve her well.