iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Happy to say I’ve written a second academic paper on modding, this time for MAMG's publicly available (and ongoing) online conference! middleagesinmoderngames.net/mamg26/skyri...

middleagesinmoderngames.net

Skyrim Puzzles Mods: Finding Indie Freedom within Mainstream Gaming – The Middle Ages in Modern Games

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I don't usually do the thing, but. Extra kudos for Doom 2 (which got me into modding) and Morrowind (which got me into game communities) for leading me directly to my job today.

Doom 2
Introduction to modding

Crusader: No Remorse
Showed me action games can do more

Thief: The Dark Project
Stealth, no kill runs, and finding success down multiple paths

Planescape: Torment
Turned my favorite TTRPG into one of my favorite CRPGs; showed me that RPGs can succeed when focused on dialogue. But also, this still needs to be balanced with the combat side if that's a key part of the game. (RIP first play through)

NOLF
Importance of humor.

Morrowind
Gaming communities can be just as fun as games. Morrowind wasn't my first TES game, but the Morrowind forums put me on the path to working at BGS.

Trine
My favorite puzzler became a favorite multiplayer game - and I don't normally do multiplayer.

Quantum Conundrum
Maybe it should be Portal, for getting me hooked on action puzzlers. But as amazing as Portal is, I definitely think back to QC more. The puzzle have just really stuck with me.

Outer Wilds
It just is.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

More sheep photos. We've got a busy weekend ahead as we do final prep before the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Festival. We're just bringing fleeces, no sheep like we did for the Maryland Sheep & Wool last May.

Horace, a small ram lamb with wideset horns, ponders the meaning of existence.

Vega, a wether lamb, stands mid-munch, confident that fresh food is a major component of a well-lived life.

Burnside and his father, Parmesan hanging out together. Both both have light fleeces, Burnside leans more golden with moorit (brown) accents. His father is a cooler shade, with black and gray. These are our two adult rams, and both are thankfully quite chill.

Moments after this photo was taken, both got scritches. Burnside wags his tail when he gets pet.

Several sheep hanging out in the pasture, two in the foreground and several more behind them. Their fleeces are in an array of colors: white, brown, and black.

With all of the focus on Horace I haven't posted a picture of the ewes recently. Their fleeces are starting to fill in quite nicely.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Integrating the big boys and the little boys - at dinner to keep everyone distracted, and give them a chance to rub shoulders. No kerfuffles, everyone was nice and chill. Little lambs that got in the way of the rams got a gentle boof to the side, nothing more. Nice to know we're raising civil boys.

Gibson and Horace hanging out and eating together. The three little rams generally get alone well. Horace is still small, but catching up.

All of the rams eating dinner together, with big rams even sharing troughs with the little ones. At least, some of the time.

Sheep hanging out after dinner. Parmesan and Burnside, our adult intact rams, wandered over to check out little Horace. Just some sniffs, everyone was chill.

Horace wandered over to the barn for some quiet time after the meet and greet. Although Stewart, our adult wether, wandered in not long after, it was just to eat from the hay feeder. Little rams aren't nearly as interesting as hay.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Back to posting about sheep! We welcomed Horace today, a new ram lamb with wonderfully wide horns. The flock was very interested in him! He'll spend the next week or two sequestered (routine health precaution) with our wether lambs to keep him company. Then they'll move in with the big boys.

A small Shetland ram lamb is in the foreground. He has a light fleece with a dark face, and wide horns. An electric fence is behind him, with an interested collection of sheep looking at him.

A small Shetland ram lamb is in the foreground. An electric fence is behind him, and most of the ewe flock has come over to check him out. Vega, one of our weather lambs, is closest.

Three ram lambs in a barn, our two wethers and our new ram lamb. They'll be kept in the barn for a few days to make sure the acclimate together, then they'll get access to pasture of their own.

Our three adult rams, two intact and our elder wether. They're standing in a large pasture waiting next to a trough, looking forward to a little grain for a snack.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

🎶And it's hard to keep a good [dog] down But I won't be getting up today 🎶 (Passing through Allentown on the way home from visiting my folks in NH.)

Ginger, a tan and brown dog, lies against the side of her car hammock. One eye is closed, the other slightly cracked when she herd me turn around to photograph her.

Ginger lies at the bottom of her car hammock, snoozing quietly. Her short legs (she's half corgi) curled up as she sleeps.

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Reposted by Cartogriffi

Mariana J López @marianajlopez.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

As part of my work on sound heritage, I'm running a short survey on sounds (not music) that are important personally/culturally to people from different parts of the world. Please do help if you can 🙏 (versions in other languages will be added soon) tinyurl.com/5579y76e

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Last month I had a fantastic time participating in the @midagesmodgames.bsky.social panels at the Leeds IMC. It was an incredible experience listening to all of the papers, and presenting my own. Everyone was wonderful, and I can't wait for the next opportunity to challenge myself like this again.

I'm standing behind a small desk giving a presentation while wearing a felt Dragonborn helmet and a stylized Sheogorath t-shirt. I have a particularly goofy grin on my face.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Combat demonstration on the final day of the 2026 @imc-leeds.bsky.social conference. Fantastically done, and made all the more impressive that they accomplished this in the heat. It was a lot just to be in the audience, let alone sparing with upwards of 100 lbs of armor. A great finale!

One knight with a sword to the back of the neck of another. If I recall correctly, they were demonstrating weak points to target.

A knight with a pole axe swinging the hammer side toward the helmet of another knight, discussing the advantages of damaging armor - especially if their opponent needs to discard it during combat.

Knights discussing types of armor. The three part of this presentation are wearing different amounts, with several others in their group watching from the side lines.

Two knights sparing with pole axes. If I recall correctly, they were discussing leverage at this point.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Royal Armouries Museum, rather the opposite side of the spectrum from an abbey! Only saw some of the exhibits, but it was amazing to walk around. Also got to watch a great demonstration on yew long bows - although it was inside, so no arrows were shot.

Royal Armouries Museum, from the outside. Most prominent is the Hall of Steel, a multi-story stairwell decorated with thousands of weapons and pieces of armor. It's exterior walls are primarily windows, so you can see the spread from afar.

A row of mounted mounted warriors on armored horses in the Royal Armouries Museum. These were in the center of one of the halls dedicated to Asian and African displays.

A few helmets, two of which have large flourishes for their visors, providing little caps over the eyes.

A wonderful piece of art within the Royal Armouries Museum's cafe. It depicts two knights in full armor sitting at a table having tea and cake.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Photos taken at Kirkstall Abbey on the rare sunny afternoon in the UK. Beautiful site, and had a great pair of tour guides.

Kirkstall Abbey, church exterior. Partially ruined, and missing it's ceiling.

Kirkstall Abbey, church interior. Missing a ceiling, and with nothing but a path between the thick stone columns running along the sides. Apparently for a while, the road went straight through here. It was eventually diverted around, and the wall at the far end restored.

Kirkstall Abbey, looking at the ruined church tower while standing in the middle of the cloister. At the far side are the entrances to the old library and the chapter house. Interestingly, stone coffins were dug up and used to build the walls extending the chapter house. As far as historians are aware, this is unique to Kirkstall, and it's unclear why it was done.

Kirkstall Abbey ruins, by the kitchen and refectory if I recall correctly.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

My job is safe. So many of the people I work with were not so lucky. Apologies for not posting sooner. I have limited social media access at the moment as I'm in the UK.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

Lambs are getting big! At least for Shetlands.

Spica approaches for cuddles (or food, probably hoping for food)

Vega fluffing out, and getting in a handsome pair of horns.

I heard the sound of a tarp tearing, and suddenly a pile of sheep shot out of this shelter. Looks like Gibson figured out how to get on top, but our replacement tarps aren't as strong as the coverings these come with, and little lamb hooves are sharp.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

I don't talk about my work here often, but watching this come together (and helping in my own small ways) really has been incredible.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

We've brought our fleeces to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival for many years - but this will be the first time we bring some sheep! Very exciting. Attending is Quercus and her twins, Birch and Willow. Plus Mrs. Frisby, who is getting shorn as part of the Sheep to Shawl contest.

Shot is of a very large barn at the county fairgrounds. There are blue pens laid out, and our yearling sheep Birch can be seen peeking out of on of these. Next to this is a small display, including a tri-fold poster with information on Shetland sheep.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Lambs are doing well. Lyrid still hasn't really accepted Spica, so we've had to arrange some supplemental feedings. Although Spica does sneak a snip (awkwardly) when she can. She and her brother have also become very attached to Ginger, who is thrilled about this.

Two lambs nuzzling. Spica leans over her brother, Vega, who has laid down in the grass.

Two lambs wandering about Spica and Gibson have similar colors and markings, but Spica is darker. She is also a fair bit smaller.

In the background, the adults graze.

Spica up by the fence, checking out our dog Ginger. The fence is off, which is good because prior to this shot, Spica reached all the way through to cuddle Ginger.

Spica nursing Lyrid from behind, while Lyrid is busy checking out Vega. Lambs normally nurse from the other side, but this seems to be working.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Lyrid had twins a few days later: Vega and Spica. Twins are a lot for a first time mom, and while grandma Robin hasn't been all that attentive, the flock's elder, Olivia, has been. Olivia sort of stole Spica away at first, but a few days sequestered with Mom has largely sorted things.

Spica and Vega are in the foreground. Lyrid is keeping a close eye on Vega, while Olivia is a bit further back watching Spica.

Lyrid has a clear preference for Vega, she'd bonded with him a bit more. But Spica appears well fed and generally clean, so I think the three of them will do fine. And Olivia hasn't tried to steal Spica again.

Spica is a katmoget, a pattern which is light on top with a dark underbelly and legs.

Vega is white, and a yuglet - a pattern which means he has dark circles around his eyes. These will likely grow and cover more of his face over time. He also has large spots on several of his legs.

Spica and Vega saying hello to Birch, one of our yearlings. Birch is a bit surprised to no longer be the baby of the flock.

Birch is also a yuglet, and you can see how big her eye spots have grown.

Spica giving a hearty baa!

Our dog, Ginger, is watching nearby. Ginger loves lambing season, and gets tremendously excited watching them.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Lambing season is upon us! First we have Gibson, a lovely little ram lamb. The first few photos are his first time out of the lambing jug. He's sticking close to his mother, Jett, and very quickly grandma Lennox came to check him out. The last photo is several days later, the trio still together.

A ram lamb is flanked by two adult ewes. His grandmother Lennox is on the left, his mother Jett on the right. Both are sniffing him, while he snuffles the grass.

Gibson the ram lamb checks out grandma while his mother grabs a bite to eat - while still keeping an eye on him.

Gibson is a white lamb with a lot of black and brown spotting on his face and legs.

After checking out Grandma, Gibson has gone back over to Mom.

Several days later, Gibson continues to stick close to Mom, and Grandma is usually close at hand.

In the background are the other two lambs with their mother.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

My first thought, seeing these ads, was that I might be checking out too many links shared by @sjml.bsky.social My second thought was, these ads are so much better than the usual slop I get, more links please!

A snapshot of an article surrounded by ads for chasubles.com

Given that I'm a married, secular Jew, I was rather surprised for the algorithm to recommend Catholic liturgical attire. I'm not exactly their target demo. But, upon reflection, I'm pretty OK with it!

Article in question is: https://www.themarysue.com/jackson-rathbone-repulsed-by-val-kilmers-ai-resurrection-in-new-movie/

It may be relevant to the algorithm that the article is about Val Kilmer's appearance being subsumed by a profane AI so he can be posthumously puppeted as member of the clergy in some new film.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 09/04/2026

A fun look at a dog and a sheep trying to be friends, despite very different body language. They're clearly both excited to see the other, even if they haven't figured out how to play. Video is from a few weeks ago, with the sheep still in full fleece.

youtube.com

A Frolic with Deegan and Ginger

YouTube video by Andrew @ Half Channer Croft

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 02/04/2026

Sheep in full fluff . . . for the moment.

A group of Shetland sheep of various colors: white, brown, and black. This was taken before shearing, so they are all large fluff balls. Or at least, they are as large as Shetland sheep can manage.

A group of Shetland sheep of various colors: white, brown, and black. Two sheep in the foreground are looking at each other, perhaps out of concern the farmers are planning something.

A group of Shetland sheep of various colors: white, brown, and black. This group are all ewes except for Deegan, the yearling in the foreground, who is a whether. He has a very fluffy brown fleece, but after shearing will reveal he's might lighter underneath.

Birch, a Shetland yearling, takes up most of this picture. She's an especially friendly and photogenic sheep, so she tends to stand out from the flock. While her fleece is primarily brown, her head, chest, belly, and legs are white. She also has large brown patches over each eye, and her muzzle. She looks a bit like a sheep dressed up like a brown panda bear.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

One of the easiest ways to get a photo of Ginger looking ecstatic is letting play in the haymow. When you have such short legs, being higher than everyone else is a luxury. Today, Degan, the little wether lamb, was mystified when he saw where his dog friend was.

A corgi mix stands on top of hay stacked near to the roof of the barn. Her tongue is out and she's smiling gleefully.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 28/11/2025

People call sheep "stupid," but the lambs found a novel way to push between the fence posts and fence to escape their pen yesterday. One of the lambs, Birch, watched unhappily as I fixed it up. As I went down all the posts, a series of sheep came to investigate my work (or request scritches).

A Shetland lamb is watching me mend a fence. I'm using bailing twine to tightly affix the wire fence to the fence post, and the lamb has her snoot right against the fence while I work.

Come spring, we'll replace the twine with some heavy-duty staples.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Rut is always a bit dicey. Here's Parmesan, our top ram. Under all the fluff is 120 pounds of muscle, as well as a testy attitude. ("Testy" being particularly accurate this time of year.) He's been good to Lyrid, the ewe, even though she isn't currently in estrus. He's been less good to the gate

Two sheep share a trough.

Parmesan (the ram) isn't always great about sharing his food. And since this was taken, we've swapped to two small troughs to ensure Lyrid (the ewe) gets her fill.

A large farm gate sits with both halves at awkward angles. It's heavily lashed with blue twine to the fence posts, and to each other. While hard to see, but the gate is no longer attached to either post at the top.

Our culprit, Parmesan, stands pensively on the other side.

Lyrid, a ewe, stands next to him. She's not currently in estrus, but some of the girls elsewhere are, hence Parmesan's frustrations.

Parmesan is a gentle giant. He hasn't taken his frustrations out on Lyrid, or the shepherds. He even request chin scritches from us when we're about.

But he does not like the gate.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

I really do think that machine learning has potential, but LLM slop isn’t it. I was more impressed with the tech in 2019 than I am now. The FOMO also doesn't help. In the future we may have flying cars, but I’m not going to drive off a cliff today based on that hype. Anyway, here're some sheep.

About a dozen Shetland sheep in a variety of colors hang out in their pasture. They're mostly ewes, but a larger whether (castrated ram) is in the foreground. Fall leaves are scattered around their feet.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

Neighbors' turkeys came over for a visit.

A rafter of five turkeys stand in an orchard, just on the other side of net fencing. The foreground is empty, just grazed down grass.

A rafter of turkeys stand in an orchard, just on the other side of net fencing.

On the other side of the fence is a large number of very curious sheep, who just arrived en masse, and are all looking directly at their visitors.

This spooked the turkeys a bit, who have turned around and are contemplating returning home.

A rafter of five turkeys stand in an orchard, just on the other side of net fencing.

On the other side area group of sheep, some of whom are watching the birds, others appear to be conferring about these strange guests. The sheep are familiar with chickens, and these look a lot like chickens, but they are much larger and make very peculiar noises.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 31/10/2025

Just got my UK passport, I'm officially a dual US/UK citizen. Here's a photo of my dog to celebrate.

Ginger, a brown corgi/husky mix stares expectedly up at the camera. She's unaware of the delightful little rainbow cast across her forehead. Why does my human friend keep taking photos of me, she wonders?

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 20/10/2025

Lambs do love their mobile shelter.

A large green arched shelter, about 5 feet wide and 8 wide.

It's a sunny day, and most of the sheep are packed in under to enjoy the shade, except for two. Robin is a pale adult sheep happily chewing cud just outside the shelter, and Willow, a little black happily standing on top of the shelter.

Foreground is a collection of hungry ewes happily munching on a bale of hay we've plopped in their pasture. We generally don't put hay on the ground, but were in a bit of a rush and didn't have time to move one of our portable hay feeders over.

In the background is one of our green arched sheep shelters, about 5 feet wide and 8 wide.

Deegan, a brown wether lamb, is playing on top. He's had his full of dinner and headed to his favorite spot.

A large green arched shelter, about 5 feet wide and 8 wide.

A large green arched shelter, about 5 feet wide and 8 wide.

Three lambs are up on top!

Splash, a black lamb with a large white spot on her forehead. Willow a dark brown lamb
Deegan, a brown wether - currently facing away from the camera.

Down below, two adult ewes look up at the antics.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Signs the rams are in rut: noses swell a bit and get horizontal wrinkles, general testy behavior (pun intended), and purple spots on their heads. That last one isn't natural, it's antiseptic Blu-Kote spray (basically, gentian violet). These dunderheads have hurt themselves repeatedly headbutting.

Parmesan, a large Shetland ram, faces the camera. He has widespread horn and a face with large irregular black and white patches. He has a dark purple spot under his right horn, and another in between his eyes. A trickle of purple has run down this latter one, onto his nose.

We didn't expect the Blu-Kote to run so much. It's not ideal to get it in their nose or mouth, so we'll be more careful dabbing in the future. Usually we use a spray, but couldn't here as it was so close to his eyes.

Parmesan looks a bit tired. He hasn't entered rut, just some of the younger rams, and he's clearly sick of their antics.

Fancy Pants is a Shetland Ram hanging out near a fence, which casts a shadow across his face. He has a "badger face" pattern, with a brown muzzle and darker lines running up past his eyes, but an otherwise tan coat. He has a dark purple spot under his left horn.

Burnsides, a similarly colored ram with larger horns, is just behind him.

It's hard to see, but if you zoom in you can see faint horizontal wrinkles on their snouts.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

Survived the latest round of ZeniMax layoffs, but lost so many friends.

A two panel snapshot from Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. It features an exchange between Bernard, a newspaper vendor, and Walter, a the doomsday picketer.

Some context first. The last time they saw each other, Walter was picking up his daily papers. Bernard jokingly asked how the end of the world was going, and Walter was convinced it would be that day. Then, he reminded Bernard to hold his papers tomorrow.

Later that day, the superhero who provided the foundation of the USA's military defense left Earth after being accused of giving people cancer.

Back to the screenshot, Walter is picking up his papers and Bernard asks "How about you? I see the world didn't end yesterday."

And Walter simply replies. "Are you sure?"

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

Yesterday the little rams were most most curious about the big rams, and vice versa.

Two groups of rams are separated by a gate. One one side are six adults, on the other two lambs. Cole, a moorit (brown) lamb is sniffing, and being sniffed by, Burnsides, a mioget (buttery tan) adult.

Deegan, Cole's brother, had been up against the gate as well, but has decided to wander off and check out the fresh grass instead.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 13/05/2025

I'll hand it to my son, "two ratsnakes interrupted me" is a pretty good excuse to stop cleaning the chicken coop. The black (or gray) ratsnake is one of the largest native snakes in North America. Thankfully, they're also pretty chill.

A black ratsnake, over four feet long and shiny black.

It's stretched across the roof of our chicken coop, coils alternating on either side of the peak. According to Wikipedia, Pantherophis alleghaniensis are good climbers - as this attests!

A black ratsnake, over four feet long and shiny black.

It's on the side of a chicken coop, the lid of the egg boxes is up and locked, and the snake is spread across it, looking down. It's neck is a tight squiggle, while the rest of it is stretched out long.

Making it's way down from the roof, this proved to be a useful shelf.

A black ratsnake, over four feet long and shiny black.

Previously it was facing the front of the coop, but it turned arouns and is now crawling down the side of the chicken coop into the furthest nesting box. It's empty, as my son had been cleaning out the coop. The snake would methodically check out all four boxes before venturing back inside.

A black ratsnake, over four feet long and shiny black.

It's inside our chicken coop, and much of the snack is straight up the back wall, with the remainder loosely zigzagged on the ground to provide stability. It's always impressive when snakes raise so much of their body off the ground, especially given how large this snake is. Sure, it's leaning against a wall, but it still takes strength to lift up like that.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 03/05/2025

All eight lambs enjoying the sun. Details on all of them in the Alt Text.

Cole and Deegan are moorit (brown) ram lambs. Cole is a gulmoget, which means he has a lighter underside, socks, and "tears" in front of his eyes. He already has horn nubs. His brother's head is covered in white speckles, and his horns aren't sticking out yet. They're following behind their mother, who is largely off frame.

They're part of a maternal line based on children's books. Their mother is Ms. Frizzle, and their older half-sister is Dorothy Ann, one of the children in the Magic Schoolbus. We considered naming these boys after other kids, but instead went with creators Bruce Degen and Joanna Cole. Bruce Degen passed away a few months ago, and my wife had met him when she was younger.

Cole and Deegan were the first two lambs born this year, nearly two weeks before the rest, so they're noticeably larger than the rest.

Alongside them is Splash, a smaller black ewe lamb with some fancy white splotches on her head. Seen here is a white blaze on her forehead. Not seen is a white patch encircling her black left ear. Splash is holding a small piece of straw in her mouth, and looks pretty silly.

More info about Splash is in the alt text of the photo of her sister Midnight.

Midnight is a black ewe lamb with interesting white spots on her forehead. She has one small spot between her eyes, and two large, curved stripes which sort of make a circle between her ears. It looks rather like a halo. It's hard to get a good shot of her forehead, as she is a bit flighty.

She is the black lamb more minutes after midnight. We did not end up naming her [Mister Black], as previously joked here on Bluesky.

Her sister is Splash. Their mother is Nori, who is all black, but has greyed in a pattern called islet. They have two older half-sisters, Tobiko and Maki. Although Maki now lives on a farm in Pennsylvania.

This maternal line is named for food. Midnight is an exception, although I do like Midnight Milky Way chocolate bars. Her sister, Splash, was named for a splash of cream added to dark coffee.

Birch is a white and black sheep who represents two patterns. She is a gulmoget, which means she has a light underside and socks. She is also a yuglet, which is a light head and large spots around the eyes.

While it cannot be seen well here, gulmogets also have small white "tears" in front of their eyes, which Birch has within her dark spots. Birch also has a black muzzle.

She is standing next to her mother, Quercus. Also a black sheep and a gulmoget, although Quercus underbelly is grey, and her socks are brown.

In the background is Birch's sister, Willow, who is entirely black. She has proven difficult to take photos of. While Birch keeps running up to us for cuddles, Willow is comparatively shy, and is often maneuvers to be inconspicuously behind her mother when the farmers are about.

This maternal line is named for trees. Quercus is the genus of the oak trees. We also considered Betula (Birch) and Salix (Willow).

Alice and Cheshire are moorit (brown) lambs. Cheshire is a ram with large white splotches across his face. Alice is solid brown. Alice is seen from the side, largely in shadow. Cheshire is staring at the camera, with light across his back.

They are part of a maternal line named for children's books. Their mother is Matilda, also a solid moorit. They have an older half-sister, Mrs. Frisby, also a solid moorit.

Alice was born with a distended belly, likely a hernia. She was eating and walking just fine, so the vet told us this was low risk and she might grow out of it. Thankfully, it appears to already be reducing.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 01/05/2025

I keep trying to take photos of the lambs, and I keep getting distracted by this one running up to me an asking for cuddles. (Although for this video, I made the request.)

youtu.be

Lamb cuddles

YouTube video by Andrew @ Half Channer Croft

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 24/04/2025

Crazy lamb antics from a few days ago. They've now been let out into pasture, so I'll hopefully have some photos of these goobers soon. youtu.be/DowORHsIxFE

youtu.be

Lamb Jam '25

YouTube video by Andrew @ Half Channer Croft

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 21/04/2025

Late night lambing may not be fun, but at least it's super easy to name an all black lamb born around 12:05am.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 19/04/2025

2025 lambing season is upon us! Ms. Frizzle had twin ram lambs on the 10th, and they've been happily scampering around with her since. We have three more very expectant mothers due any day now. For the next three month, this account will primarily be posting photos of lambs.

Two moorit (brown) Shetland ram lambs hang out next to their mother, who is eating from a trough. The darker one, closer to the camera, has a white speckled head. The other is a gulmoget (light underbelly) and is licking his nose after nursing.

Two moorit (brown) Shetland ram lambs hang out next to their mother. In the foreground is a darker lamb with a white speckled head. The spots are mainly around his ears and forehead. He has been photographed mid-baa. His brother is behind him, a slightly lighter and richer brown.

Two moorit (brown) Shetland ram lambs hang out next to their mother. In the foreground is the lighter of the two rams. He is a gulmoget, which means he has a light underbelly. This extends up his neck, including white around his throat and mouth. He also has lighter socks up to his knees, and small chevrons near his ears. This little lamb is standing up, and inquisitive about being photographed - or perhaps the photographer.

His darker brother is behind him, and his mother is checking them both out.

Two moorit (brown) Shetland ram lambs hang out next to their mother, enjoying the fresh grass. One of the other adult ewes, Nyssa, is checking them out. She is also moorit, but a much lighter color, as she's older. These two little lambs will lighten in time as well.

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Cartogriffi @cartogriffi.bsky.social · 15/01/2025

Just a few photos of our silly sheep taken in the past few weeks. They certainly appreciate our recent snow.

Collection of Shetland ewes in a wide variety of colors out in an autumn field. Most are staring straight at the camera.

Three Shetland rams at a hay bale. To the left, one is mid munch. In the middle, the smallest has jumped on top of the bale. And on the right, one is distracted by off camera antics.

Two young Shetland rams in a light snow. A collection of larger rams is in the background.

Several Shetland ewes just inside the barn. There's been a heavy snowfall and the outside is entirely blanketed, with the ewes all partially covered as well.

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