Writing has always been one of my interests. When I was an art educator, I had numerous articles published in national journals, as well as having contributed a chapter to a book published by the National Art Education Association about Lifelong Learning in the Arts. In my life as a shepherdess I have a new passion - sheep - and I've enjoyed putting my thoughts and experiences down on paper to share with others. If you are interested in reading any articles that have been published, please contact me.

Presentations: Michigan Fiber Festival, August 22, 2004. "The Icelandic Sheepdog" - a presentation to shepherds and others. Federated Garden Clubs of Michigan, May 29th, 2003. "Lavender" - one hour lecture. Herb Society of America, Frankenmuth chapter, May 3, 2003. "Lavender" - one hour presentation. Michigan Shepherd's Weekend, January 5-6, 2002. "Fulfilling the Dream with Icelandics and Ingenuity" - one hour lecture/slide show/discussion about the feasibility of small farm flocks & Icelandic sheep. Sponsored by the Michigan Sheep Breeders Association.

Articles I've written about sheep and our farm include:

"Learning About Umbilical Hernias" sheep! Sept/Oct. 2009, pages 34-36. "Making Buttons from Sheep Horns" sheep! July/August 2009. pages 34-35, 42-43. "Seeding our Dreams" Hobby Farms, May/June 2009. pages 12-13. "Icelandic Chickens" Backyard Poultry Magazine, April/May 2009. pages 48-51. "Horned Assets: Ancient & Enchanting Horns Add Beauty & Profit To a Flock" sheep! Nov./Dec. 2008. pages 50-53. "DNA Parentage Verification Testing Proves Pattern Mutation in North American Icelandic Ewe" ISBONA Winter 2008 Newsletter, Volume 12, Issue 1. "Thistles: The Shepherd's Thorn" sheep! Sept./Oct. 2007. pages 26-28 "Pre-Pubic Tendon Rupture" sheep! July/August 2007. pages 34-37 "Safe Shepherding: Who is going to tend the sheep if the shepherd or shepherdess can't?" Countryside & Small Stock Journal, March/April 2007. pages 83-86 "When Sheep Limp And It's Not Footrot." sheep! September/October 2006. pages 34-35. "Heat Stress & Sheep" sheep! July/August 2006. pages 34-37. "The Killing Fields: Managing Sheep to Prevent Bloat"sheep! March/April 2006. pages 37-41. "Viking Herders: The Rare Icelandic Sheepdog finds a familiar home in America's Midwest" Wild Fibers Magazine. Fall 2005. pages 16-23. "Icelandic Sheep at The Lavender Fleece"  Fiberline Magazine. Volume 9, Issue 2, Fall 2005. pages13-15. "The Reluctant Shepherd" sheep! September/October 2005. pages 25-27. "Icelandic Sheep bring the generations together - and keep an old farmer young" Small Farmers Journal, Summer 2005, 115th Issue, pages 65-66. The Icelandic Sheepdog, compiled by Jaime Hansen. Chapter 2: "Laurie Ball-Gisch and Daryl Gisch, Michigan" - (about our Icelandic sheepdogs). Outskirts Press. 2004, pg 20-21. "Diversify Your Sheep Farm: Grow Pumpkins in Barn Waste" sheep! November/December 2004, pages 23-24. "Continuing the Shepherd's Education: CRUELS" sheep! July/August 2004. pages 54-56. "Rams: Respect them but don't fear them" sheep! May/June 2004. pages 12-15. "Life (and Death) on the Farm" sheep! January/February 2004. pages 59-60. "115 Pound Lamb in 15 Weeks on No Grain" sheep! November/December 2003, pages 38-39. "Icelandic Sheep" Sheep Dairy News, British Sheep Dairying Association, Vol. 20, No. 1, Spring 2003. "The Icelandic Sheepdog" sheep! May/June 2003. "Icelandic Leadersheep" sheep! March/April 2003. "Blades and the Art of Gentle Shearing" The Shepherd. February 2003. pages 34-35. "The Lavender Fleece: A Lavender and Sheep Farm in Mid-Michigan" Small Farm Today. December 2002. Also, two photos featured on the cover from our farm. "A Cider Vinegar Miracle Cure: Implications for Flock Health" sheep! January/February 2003. "What Sheep Teach" The Shepherd. December 2002. "Living the Dream: A Lavender and Sheep Farm in Mid-Michigan" American Small Farm. November 2002. A photograph taken by me of some rams was used on the cover. "Icelandic Leadersheep" The Shepherd. March 2002. "California Variegated Mutant Sheep" The Shepherd. January 2002. "California Variegated Mutant Sheep" The Banner. February 2002. "Icelandic Sheep: An Ancient Breed for the 21st Century" The Banner. October/November 2001.

The following articles were published in the magazine Animals Exotic and Small. I have put this list in chronological order, since they reflect the growth of my experiences in shepherding. Icelandic Sheep: An Introduction to the Breed. April/May 2000 Shepherding at a Glance: A primer for those who have always wanted to raise sheep. June/July 2000 Why Icelandic Sheep: Well, why not? August/September 2000 Warning: Sheep are Addictive. October/November 2000 Reaping the Harvest: Shearing Day on the Farm. December/January 2001 All Grown Up: From Lambs to Sheep. February/March 2001 The California Variegated Mutant Sheep: An Introduction to the Breed February/March 2001 Leadersheep. April/May 2001 Life and Death on the Farm. June/July 2001 Marco...Polo!! August/September 2001 Icelandic Sheep: Understanding the Color & Pattern Genetics. October/November 2001. What Sheep Teach. December/January 2002.