Everyone should celebrate their Birthday with the septic system being clean and the tree chopped into firewood. Those two items happened Friday as I woke to my 70th birthday. The day was completed with a lobster for dinner so who am I to complain.
Obama has given us all hope for a stronger country and future. What a wonderful day election day was. We were all feeling the oppression of the last 8 years.
It is hunting season in the country. I checked in a two pointer yesterday. He will be made into jerky.
I have been working hard on woven projects from the studio. They are on my flicker page. Also the past few months have been filled with good books. The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is delightful.
The farm will be filled with people, food , and dogs for Thanksgiving. Good friends from New York. and Vermont are coming south. Hope we can provide some snow for them.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Monday, May 5, 2008
Five months old and that old bull was after me. I must have matured early because 9 months later I am about to have a calf and WHAT DO YOU THINK THEY ARE GOING TO DO TO ME?
Send me to the stockyard.
This is the practical farmer talking. To keep this calf, it would cost about $200 dollars in vet bills, and or $ 60 for Valley Protein to take her away when she died. If she were to produce a healthy calf, she would remain small all her life.
This is what I had to deal with this week. We wormed all the cows and calves. Two old "Hussies" as my farm manager calls them, broke out of the fence and into another pasture away from their babies. Much swearing and chasing,both on foot and on the four wheeler finely got them back to their proper pasture.
My friend Anna Maria showed up to help in the studio. She is good at motivating me. All the mohair/wool that I had dyed is ready to spin and the shawl on the loom is finished.
Before the rains came( 2 1/4 inches so far), we got the tomatoes, peonys,beans and roses in the ground. The rain should make them all smile.
Send me to the stockyard.
This is the practical farmer talking. To keep this calf, it would cost about $200 dollars in vet bills, and or $ 60 for Valley Protein to take her away when she died. If she were to produce a healthy calf, she would remain small all her life.
This is what I had to deal with this week. We wormed all the cows and calves. Two old "Hussies" as my farm manager calls them, broke out of the fence and into another pasture away from their babies. Much swearing and chasing,both on foot and on the four wheeler finely got them back to their proper pasture.
My friend Anna Maria showed up to help in the studio. She is good at motivating me. All the mohair/wool that I had dyed is ready to spin and the shawl on the loom is finished.
Before the rains came( 2 1/4 inches so far), we got the tomatoes, peonys,beans and roses in the ground. The rain should make them all smile.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Sunday was our day to do hooves on the mommy goats. As I was doing chores I looked over the fence and saw two new baby goats. Since it was a cool, damp day , I gathered them up and put them in a stall. As Mother came alonge reluctantly,I notice that I am holding two more boys. That makes 15 boys and 5 girls.
Umbilical cords are cut and iodine applied. The babies each get a shot of bo-se and covexin 8. Mommy gets fresh hay and water and wormed. When I am sure the babies are drinking they are left alone to get acquainted
Now I started the day with doing hooves. Goats need to have their hooves done about once a month but realistically they get done every two to three months. My girls were done in January. So their hooves were pretty bad.
We get them in a pen . Buddy, my farm helper and I each grab a horn and flip the girl to the barn floor. He does the front feet and I do the back. 19 goats later, we are tired and dirty but my girls are walking on flat feet again.
Later that day we took the corgi's to the park to get them acquainted with the real world of people and children. Mr Weasly does great but Hermione is still fearful of the noises.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Pizza at the Farm?
We had pizza delivered to our front door and egg plant parmigiana. Fifteen years of living in the isolated country, with my city friends visiting and having no place to call in food or to eat out, we finally got a pizza delivery place and the food is good.
So how come two people who love to cook ordered in pizza on a Thursday night? I volunteered to help a friend with shearing. She has arrhythmia and can't shear her own sheep. My job was to help with the skirting of the fleeces--a job that I love.
The temperature was 80 degrees and we did not get started until high noon. 50 sheep later it is hot and I am dirty. A shower, glass of wine and dinner is looking wonderful. BUT the shearer decides he wants to do my two goats- Lemoney and son. Lemoney is not the easiest buck to deal with. Buddy and I manage to get him to the shearing room before the shearer arrives.
By now it is 5:30, and that glass of wine on the kitchen counter is calling. This is a new shearer and it is obvious that he does not know how to shear goats especially a large angora Buck with an attitude. But at 6:30 we are all through with the shearing. Buddy and I are going to finish by doing hooves and moving the boys to the lower pasture. We fiqure it would be easier when he is tired.
By 7, the boys are all sheared, hooved and moved. The pizza has arrived and as soon as the girls are put back in their pasture , I can have my wine and food. But what is that moaning in the upper pasture.? #17 is having a baby and is having trouble. I have to pull her baby which is the 14th boy born this year. We move her to the barn and watch as a goat gets it's head caught in the fence. By now I am so tired that all I can do is laugh.
By 8 0'clock, I have showered and am sitting at the table with my wine and pizza. What a relief not to have to cook dinner.
So how come two people who love to cook ordered in pizza on a Thursday night? I volunteered to help a friend with shearing. She has arrhythmia and can't shear her own sheep. My job was to help with the skirting of the fleeces--a job that I love.
The temperature was 80 degrees and we did not get started until high noon. 50 sheep later it is hot and I am dirty. A shower, glass of wine and dinner is looking wonderful. BUT the shearer decides he wants to do my two goats- Lemoney and son. Lemoney is not the easiest buck to deal with. Buddy and I manage to get him to the shearing room before the shearer arrives.
By now it is 5:30, and that glass of wine on the kitchen counter is calling. This is a new shearer and it is obvious that he does not know how to shear goats especially a large angora Buck with an attitude. But at 6:30 we are all through with the shearing. Buddy and I are going to finish by doing hooves and moving the boys to the lower pasture. We fiqure it would be easier when he is tired.
By 7, the boys are all sheared, hooved and moved. The pizza has arrived and as soon as the girls are put back in their pasture , I can have my wine and food. But what is that moaning in the upper pasture.? #17 is having a baby and is having trouble. I have to pull her baby which is the 14th boy born this year. We move her to the barn and watch as a goat gets it's head caught in the fence. By now I am so tired that all I can do is laugh.
By 8 0'clock, I have showered and am sitting at the table with my wine and pizza. What a relief not to have to cook dinner.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Our neighbor bought us some delicious moral mushrooms for breakfast. They came up in his fathers yard. Spring brings many surprises.
My studio has taken on a new name--The Wren House. I am allowed to share it with the wren family. Bert and I spent one morning rescuing baby wrens that had left their nest in the attic but did not have sense enough to stay off the floor. My book on tape was interrupted by mother and daddy wren's lecture to their kids. I think they all survived except the one Charlie, the cat, brought into the mud room.
The greenhouse is bursting with plants waiting to move into the ground-- tomatoes, parsley, cukes and lots of flowers. The scented geraniums are the fist scent one smells as the greenhouse door opens.
Hermione has graduated from puppy school and well start agility on May 8th. Mr. Wesly is not doing well with the home schooling. It is his owners fault.
Have 18 baby goats on the ground--13 boys and 5 girls. They are really late this year and I will have to work hard to keep the worm population down. Think I will try to improve my sheep herd. They only had two babies this year.
My studio has taken on a new name--The Wren House. I am allowed to share it with the wren family. Bert and I spent one morning rescuing baby wrens that had left their nest in the attic but did not have sense enough to stay off the floor. My book on tape was interrupted by mother and daddy wren's lecture to their kids. I think they all survived except the one Charlie, the cat, brought into the mud room.
The greenhouse is bursting with plants waiting to move into the ground-- tomatoes, parsley, cukes and lots of flowers. The scented geraniums are the fist scent one smells as the greenhouse door opens.
Hermione has graduated from puppy school and well start agility on May 8th. Mr. Wesly is not doing well with the home schooling. It is his owners fault.
Have 18 baby goats on the ground--13 boys and 5 girls. They are really late this year and I will have to work hard to keep the worm population down. Think I will try to improve my sheep herd. They only had two babies this year.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Things that Happen
Things that have happened since I last visited this blog. I have 17 baby angora goats on the ground and running all over the barn. Only one bottle baby so far.
The weather has been warm and the tree swallows and barn swallows are back. The birds are carrying feathers and fiber in their beck in order to build their nest. Charlie.the cat, is making notes on the location of each nest.
Our pond is full of bass and blue gill and I have been fishing. Bert's daughter Diann was here and we fried the fish but the best was the stock we made from the heads, bones and tails. I made a fabulous soup from it- Mushrooms, couscous, garlic, rice vinegar and two kinds of cheese that with the home made bread from my friend Abby --What a meal!!
One of the most fun things I did was join Raverly, a knitting and crocheting community with lots of fun groups. Oh, Yes, I am working on a new hooked piece, socks [always] and a sweater. More about that later.
And in my spare time I have read several wonderful books-- the book thief , and Mudbound to mention two of my favorites.
Sunday, my friend Marijke and I went to the Kennedy Center opera. Rigoletto was wonderful.
The weather has been warm and the tree swallows and barn swallows are back. The birds are carrying feathers and fiber in their beck in order to build their nest. Charlie.the cat, is making notes on the location of each nest.
Our pond is full of bass and blue gill and I have been fishing. Bert's daughter Diann was here and we fried the fish but the best was the stock we made from the heads, bones and tails. I made a fabulous soup from it- Mushrooms, couscous, garlic, rice vinegar and two kinds of cheese that with the home made bread from my friend Abby --What a meal!!
One of the most fun things I did was join Raverly, a knitting and crocheting community with lots of fun groups. Oh, Yes, I am working on a new hooked piece, socks [always] and a sweater. More about that later.
And in my spare time I have read several wonderful books-- the book thief , and Mudbound to mention two of my favorites.
Sunday, my friend Marijke and I went to the Kennedy Center opera. Rigoletto was wonderful.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Spring
I love this time of year. The babies are frolicking in the pasture and the birds are looking for places to nest.
This morning there were two geese and two ducks on the pond. They were conversing with their buddies as they flew over: " This is our private nest so go somewhere else".
The bird feeder is full of new birds. The tulips and daffodils are blooming and the pups are trying to did holes in my gardens. The greenhouse has lots of tomatoes, and flowers started. The basil and scented geraniums are a delight to the senses.
The studio is full of knitting projects and rug hooking. Haven't had much spinning time but hope to get to some of that dyed wool and mohair this week.
I just read a wonderful children's book that came across my desk at the Library. It was nominated for the National book award. "The invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick. It is a gem-- book in words and pictures about dreams. Everyone should read it. I am sending a copy to my Grand-kids.
This morning there were two geese and two ducks on the pond. They were conversing with their buddies as they flew over: " This is our private nest so go somewhere else".
The bird feeder is full of new birds. The tulips and daffodils are blooming and the pups are trying to did holes in my gardens. The greenhouse has lots of tomatoes, and flowers started. The basil and scented geraniums are a delight to the senses.
The studio is full of knitting projects and rug hooking. Haven't had much spinning time but hope to get to some of that dyed wool and mohair this week.
I just read a wonderful children's book that came across my desk at the Library. It was nominated for the National book award. "The invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick. It is a gem-- book in words and pictures about dreams. Everyone should read it. I am sending a copy to my Grand-kids.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
The Christmas guest are gone and so are six of the Corgi pups. It was hard to get rid of those pups that we have put so much time into. Eight weeks of training, cleaning up poop etc. left us exhausted but happy that they have gone to good homes. We gave them all Harry Potter names and everyone changed them except us. We still have Hermione and Mr. Wesley.
That is my son Ron holding the two pups.
Now it is time to get back to spinning, rug hooking and knitting. As I write this it is a grey day with rain in the forecast. NO SNOW. If I can't have snow to get the creative juices going maybe I can watch a lot of the election process on TV. Keeping my hands busy helps me from getting to frustrated with the world problems.
Buddy,my farm manager, and I cleaned the barns to get ready for kidding and Lambing. That should start the end of January and of course shearing comes around that time also.
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