Sunday Walkabout 2-15

The temperature has finally rebounded to a whopping 4 degrees.  Yes, I did say 4, it was 3* when I woke up.  The winds have subsided somewhat, (they are currently gusting up to 50mph) although the windchill is predicted to be somewhere around -20* most of the day. Winter is here in full force.

While the warmth of the woodstove beckoned and a cup of coffee sounded most inviting, I headed out to feed the lambs in the shop at 5am.  A snow squall had blown through in the early evening hours and the icy crystals were flying through the air.  The lambs were expressing their displeasure…loudly.  Not that they were even remotely affected by the weather…they were just HUNGRY! They drained their bottles quickly and I blew back into the house.

Rather than head off to the barn directly, we did indulge in a cup of coffee and a quick scan of the news.  Then, we headed out.

It was still somewhat dark as I walked down the path to the barn, trying hard not to let the wind rip the box of lamb bottles out of my hands.  I gave a cursory glance around the backyard as the dogs came to greet me.

Wait a minute!  What is THAT?

THAT was a shingle.

well, at least Gus will help pick up the shingles!

 and another shingle…and then…a whole bunch of shingles.  Uh oh…the Boss’ worst nightmare when we have any type of wind storm. I didn’t stop and assess damage (I knew he would do that) but, I did heave a big sigh of relief when I saw they did NOT come off the house.

Chores went smoothly, despite the cold.  But, you KNOW it’s cold when the heated stock tank freezes over! …and there is snow INSIDE the barn despite the fact the doors were closed (it blew in through a crack in the roof)---we are talking serious wind, folks!

But, the animals were all fine, even if they were incredibly hungry (the cold weather means they burn far more calories in an attempt to stay warm) and somewhat grumpy. I reckon they thought I should have been there earlier, and they really didn’t like being locked in the barn for the night. Although, once they went outside, they weren’t real happy with that, either.

Chores done, we headed in for a warm breakfast.

The damage to the shop roof will just have to wait. It’s far too cold and windy to attempt any type of repair work. A fairly good-sized section of shingle did indeed blow off during the night.  Shingles are scattered all over the place.  I found a couple in the property-line fence!  We will just give thanks that it isn’t any worse.

In a little while, we will suit up and head back out again.  Today’s incredibly cold temperatures mean that we will be making many trips out to gather eggs and deliver water in our attempt to keep both from freezing.  All the while wishing we could just hibernate by the woodstove, somehow blocking out the howling of the wind.

Ah, yes…

Winter on the farm…

…gotta love it.

But, you didn’t stop by just to hear me gripe about the cold winds and the snow predicted for tomorrow. And, I really meant to tell you about the week on the hill.

So…here we go…

Last Sunday afternoon, we had a baby shower for Toughchick.  It went quite well and I was assured there were no “pinterest fails”.  And, for anyone who wondered…that green junk from last week’s post turned out very nicely as edible moss on little woodland cupcakes.  We also had everyone design a onesie for the new baby.  I was amazed at the creativity of the crowd.  I truly appreciated everyone who helped and everyone who was able to come make it a special day.  I guess that means that the “countdown” to baby day has begun.

cousin Stillman is not so sure about the guest of honor

FOOD

the onesie gallery

great-grandma, mama-to-be and paternal grandma

…and speaking of babies…

I can finally tell the other exciting news!

with my girls

I’ve known about this for some time and it was REALLY hard to keep a secret! (okay, I confess…I did tell a couple people)  But…

T-bone and Blondie are adding to the family this year, too! 

TWO babies in one year!  

This is majorly exciting to this grandma. Here’s hoping they will learn to love pulling weeds and helping the grandparents work in the gardens. (just kidding…well,sort of)

But, there is no time to lose my head over the prospect of human babies, because my lamb babies are still quite demanding of my time.  The shop babies (Dot and Dash) are growing quite well.  Although, Dot is still the tiniest lamb we have.  After two weeks, she finally weighs over 8 pounds!  (her brother is nearly 14#) The bottle babies at the barn, most often referred to as “the Piranhas”, are getting enormous.  Two of them are over 25 pounds! Feeding time is quite the adventure.

the piranhas

awww...
Dot and Dash are SO cute!

Since the lambs are all getting so big, it was time to allow everyone to head back out to the winter paddock (they stay closer to the barn prior to lambing). There is really nothing to eat in the winter paddock, but they all seemed happy with a little more space to roam. This gives me the chance to assess the lambs, too.  Watching them romp and play is really entertaining, but it is also how we determine health and vigor.

now, THAT is a nice lamb!

fun and games the first day out

"you look like you need some HELP..."

I got the creep feeder set up and operational for the first time this season.  The creep feeder allows the lambs constant access to grain, without having to contend with the hungry ewes.  This is one way we make sure they are getting proper nutrition and all the vitamins and minerals they need to grow strong and healthy.  Since lambs are not the brightest of creatures, it took a couple of days before they figured out the new system.

won't be too long and they'll get this figured out

The lambs also caused the Boss a little extra work this week.

Sometime ago, we replaced the gate behind the barn because it was broken.  All the weight and pressure of the hungry ewes pushing against it at feeding time caused the welds to break. Repairing it was pointless, so we just replaced it.  The sturdy gate we put in its place should withstand anything. However, the spacing of the bars mean that lambs could squirt through and get in the feed corral.  While this really doesn’t seem like it would be a problem…they couldn’t figure out how to get OUT again. (again…lambs=not so bright) The Boss zip-tied some fence on the bottom of the gate and we’re good to go. 

lamb-proof gate

Of course, he did have some help with this project…

yes, it IS the same "helper" sheep!

Since the season is marching on, I did get around to starting some greens for Market.  I think, I hope, I saw some germination out there.  The dreadful cold is predicted to stick around this week, so any further seed starting will have to wait.  While the greenhouses can be heated, there’s just no competing with temperatures of -1 or less.

that teeny, tiny little green thing is a kale plant

And, the cold means the sheep eat more…which means the hay supply is running low.  But, before we can head over to the hay guy’s and pick up the load that is just waiting for us in his shed, some serious work had to be done in the barn.

We have a real problem with rats. Ewwww, RATS.  Sometime, I’ll tell you all about the rats, but for now, suffice it to say that the rats are a problem. 

It is quite damp on one side of the barn, and the rats tunneled through the soft earth, into the hay and made all sorts of tunnels and nests.  Nearly every string on nearly every bale was eaten through.  We lost a fair amount of hay, and I was not very happy about the waste…and the mess. (particularly when I picked up a bale and a rat jumped out!)

So the Boss had a plan…and a project.

All the hay was removed.  The Boss cleaned and scraped and put down plastic.  Then we got some pallets, (Thanks, Susan and Valley Feed!) and put down some plywood.  We hope that this will keep the bottom bales from getting damp and inviting to rats (and mold and other nasties). We know we will never truly eradicate the rats, but I do hope we can keep them out of the hay!

On the next warm-ish, non-windy day we will head out to the hay guys. Here’s hoping that won’t be too long! Because, the cold weather means the sheep are eating a LOT of hay.

In advance of the bitterly cold weather that is predicted to stick around for the next week (with snow forecasted for tomorrow) we put a wind-break up around the henhouse. By limiting the wind, and having a heatlamp inside the house, the hens will be afforded some level of comfort. This kind of weather makes you understand why many farmers insist that climate-controlled, indoor housing is the only way to raise poultry!

Since we have ascertained that the hoophouses are still indeed standing, despite last night’s awful winds, I’m not even going to bother looking inside them today. No reason to expose the poor plants to any more cold than necessary…and it’s more than a little depressing down there anyway. 

chickweed

But, we were able to pick and sell some lovely spinach and chickweed this past week. (among other things)

All in all it was a great sales week!  

It’s amazing just what we can earn in the middle of the winter thanks to our awesome customers. (and a little advance planning on our part)

…well, it’s up to 6 degrees…

…and it’s time to head out once more.

Thanks for stopping and by and listening to me ramble on about the weather and the farm and…all that stuff.

Hope you’re warm and well and having a  Happy Sunday!

Please do come back again real soon!

Squeekie's commentary on the weather
(actually, this is Squeekie's commentary on everything
...except cat cookies!)

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Walkabout 2-8

This week has been filled with some real highs (LAMBS!), some real lows (see the last post) and countless lamb bottles.  Since I know you’re tired of hearing about lamb bottles (and quite honestly, I am tired of making them) suffice it to say, many were made…and many were consumed…and the pattern will continue for quite a while.

Lambing is done for the 2015 season. Done and done.  Just 22 days and 4 hours (or something like that) and we are finished. The jug pens have been dismantled and the creep feeder will be set up today. (well...that may be a little optimistic...tomorrow at the latest)


There are 31 lambs cavorting around the barnyard. 

No, let me correct that.  There are 29 lambs in the barnyard…2 are in the “hospital pen” in the shop. (I know…MORE bottle babies!  NOT what I needed) The final ewe of the year had triplets and needed a little help rearing them.  One was born with the birth sac intact and was slightly oxygen deprived, making him a little “doolally” and in need of special attention.  The first lamb was very tiny (less than 6 pounds) and she was chilled by the time the others arrived.  I fully intended to warm her in the house and return her to her mother.  However, the drama with the other ewe took far longer than I anticipated and I was too tired to deal with the whole re-introduction process.  So, I’ve got TWO more babies.  Oh, and just in case you wondered…the “doolally” lamb made a great recovery and the two of them (although while quite small) are thriving.

the last two lambs of 2015
"Dot" and "Dash"

Wondering about the word doolally? – it means rather feeble-minded.  Years ago, a British shepherd-friend introduced us to the term.  I like the way it sounds like what it means and it is the perfect descriptive term for some lambs…even though I’m pretty sure it’s not politically correct. 

Despite the two disastrous lambings that I described in earlier posts, the season was actually quite successful.

All the ewes bred in a relatively short period of time. There was just ONE single lamb. Human intervention was not required in most births. (I just assisted in two…besides the disasters) While it bumped up our total, we had FOUR sets of triplets (one set died) and that’s not always a good thing. But, even though it made a lot of extra work, those lambs are all doing well. Ram lambs outnumber ewe lambs 19-12.  When raising meat animals, it’s best to have males…they grow larger quicker.  However, it’s nice to have some ewe lambs to consider for future breeders. There are some beautiful animals down at the barn, and they’re growing like weeds.  A check of lamb weights revealed that the first twins born weigh 26 and 27 pounds respectively.  They will be four weeks old tomorrow.  Not bad…not bad at all.  We have the most live lambs ever in our fifteen (?) years of shepherding.

Definitely put this season in the WIN column!

there's always one...
in this case, it's the entire family!

after a slight modification,
the lamb bar is back in action

the young ewes did very well with their first lambs

I must say, it's just a little intimidating to face "the hungry horde"!

With that project behind us, it’s time to focus on other things.

Opening Day of the Market season is fast approaching, so we will begin our preparations in earnest. The Boss placed the seed potato order this week and we will go pick those up sometime next month.  And, we got an email that the first batch of broiler chicks was set to hatch and will arrive in a little less than 3 weeks.  Eek!  Checking the calendar revealed that seeds need to be started ASAP…so, you know where I’ll be spending some quality time in the upcoming week.

But, this week, my focus has been far from the farm. I've been immersed in a much different subject.

I’ve been thinking about BABIES. Human babies. And all stuff baby related.

...this doesn't look to promising...

#1Grandbaby is making his/her appearance in relatively short order and this afternoon  Blondie and I (and some other awesome family members and friends) are
throwing what we hope is a great baby shower for Toughchick.  To say I am excited is a gross understatement about the baby (and the shower)…but, I will try to contain myself somewhat.

But, count on a picture or two next week…hopefully everything will look as wonderful in real life as it did on Pinterest.  Because I do hate “Pinterest fails”!


While grandbabies are not at all farm-related...they are a pretty big deal and worthy of some special attention.


Part of the reason I can focus so completely elsewhere is because it’s February. Ah, February… This is my most “un-favorite” month.

it is pretty in a stark kind of way

the view is pretty drab this time of year

...and this is a "nice" day

 While February is the shortest month…it always feels like the longest month to me. Even if the groundhog did see his shadow and is predicting an early Spring. It’s too early to go crazy starting stuff, too cold to spend much time outdoors, the excitement of lambing is done and the whole monochromatic world gets more than a little dull and boring. But, it’s just a matter of time…



I'm pretty sure I said something like this last week, but...

Spring is only 40 days away!

I know that’s just a date on the calendar, but it gives me hope for warmer weather and the rhythm and routine of the growing season. I really enjoy the growing/selling season and struggle to find a routine during the “off-season”.

It always seems like the “off-season” would be a great time to hibernate, store up sleep for summer time or at the very least get caught up on all my housework and craft projects, it never happens.  Somehow, the time flies by and we’re back in the thick of things and I’m left hoping that next off season will be the one where I get organized.  (you can start laughing now, because let’s face it…we all know that’s NEVER gonna happen!)

As I’m off to finish the shower prep, I hope that you are having a

Happy Sunday!

Thanks SO much for stopping by!  Come back and see us again real soon.

the barn in the early morning light is rather pretty

  

This Awful, Beautiful Life

I live in a beautiful place, making a living by doing meaningful work that I truly enjoy with the man I love and we get positive feedback on a regular basis.

Is it any wonder that countless folks have told us that we have the perfect life?

Honestly, I’ve lost track of the people who have said that over the years.  Along with those who have pointed out that our lifestyle must be exciting, fun, or awesome…or some equally positive superlative.  There are those who say we’re living their dream.  Then, there are those who say that anyone can farm…that well, if all else fails…that’s what they’ll do. Most of these folks seem to think farm life is always sunshine and blue skies, healthy animals and abundant crops…without any real effort on our part…things just fall into place in our perfect life.

Uh…yeah…right.

The other night, sometime after midnight, I was lying face down in the middle of the barn floor, my face inches from the sheep’s behind and even closer to the ground, with blood, birth goo and sheep poo clinging to my clothes (and quite possibly in my hair), the beam from my headlamp dimming with each passing moment, my arm deep inside the ewe, enduring the strong contractions of labor, while trying to envision just what was going on inside her, in a vain attempt to salvage something of a lambing that had gone so very wrong…I distinctly remember saying to the Boss…”don’t you wonder what all those folks would think now?  You think they’d want to do THIS?”

Honestly, I think about “those folks” frequently, but particularly during lambing season.

Lambing season is the single most intense event here on the hill. And, when I say this is my favorite time…or that I love it…most folks smile knowingly, imagining the sight of fluffy little lambs frolicking in the sunshine while they nibble sweetly at the lush green grass. It must be so fun! The reality is that our lambing season occurs when green grass is but a distant memory, it’s cold (and often dark as lambs tend to be born at night or early morning) and that on occasion it can be an all-out battle between life and death and it takes a lot of hard work, tough decisions and adrenaline (and copious amounts of caffeine) to come out victorious. And, while it is rewarding and satisfying to be successful, I don’t think I’d ever use the word FUN.

I thought of “those folks” again when the Boss and I exchanged knowing glances when it became obvious that the lamb was huge and dead and impossible to remove and there was no way the ewe could survive.  After a short discussion, the Boss put her down.

I wondered how many folks would understand (let alone attempt) what I was doing as I went to the house for a knife to perform a post-mortem cesarean. That was my last-ditch effort to salvage any lambs, although I was fairly certain it was a lost cause.  (we have done this in the past with success, I might add) If nothing else, it would give me peace of mind that I had indeed done everything humanly possible. And, know what was in there. (by sense of feel alone, some rather disturbing images came to mind)  There were three enormous lambs inside! I certainly didn’t expect that.  They were all mis-presented (one slightly malformed)…and all dead. At least one had been dead for some time. (that caused the entire environment to go toxic and the ewe  wouldn’t have survived much longer anyway)  What a disappointment after spending a week tirelessly attending the downed ewe! But, we did have a solution and some sort of closure.ī

When morning came, the Boss and I packed the dead ewe and her equally dead (and somewhat frozen) lambs into the tractor bucket so he could dispose of them properly.  As I watched him leave the barn yard, I thought about the harsh realities that we had just faced and wondered how many folks understand or remotely appreciate life on the farm. Or for that matter, even want to. There certainly weren’t any blue skies and sense of a perfect life at that moment, I can assure you.

Sometimes, all the effort in the world won’t get you a fairytale ending.  While it may come as a disillusion to some, farm life is not one of constant Hallmark moments and Hollywood special effects.  If you just look at one particular moment, farm life can appear more than a little awful. Farmers look hard and unfeeling in their actions.   …and this was most definitely one of “those” times.

These situations no longer reduce me to a heap of blubbering self-doubt and angst. I used to find myself questioning nearly everything I thought I knew and reviewing my actions endlessly.  But, I’ve seen enough of these things over the years to have learned to accept that sometimes we just don’t win. We try to learn from the situation and move on.  In this particular case, we had given it our all…physically, mentally and emotionally (no doubt about it---I have the bruises to prove it) and it just wasn’t meant to be. 

(Oddly, at the same time, another ewe gave birth to triplets as well…with absolutely NO human intervention. They are very small, but seem to be thriving. Proof positive that life goes on.)

Some folks would be repulsed by that harsh experience. Perhaps others are disturbed by my recitation of the story. A lot of folks only want to imagine the pristine beauty and happy times that they perceive the bucolic life to be.  But, to truly understand and appreciate what we do, you must see our life in its entirety. If you just focus on the good times…the beautiful scenery…the abundance and bounty…and never fully seeing the darker side of things, you actually miss a great deal.  Life becomes so much richer by seeing the good and the bad, the bitter and the sweet, the pleasure and the pain…

I found myself thinking of the Darryl Worley song:

…my life is like a rollercoaster ride…

The ups and downs and crazy turns along the way

It will throw you off if you don’t hold on tight!

You can’t really smile until you’ve shed some tears…

I might die today or I might go on for years.

I love this crazy, tragic

Sometimes almost magic…

Awful, beautiful life.

Quite honestly, the good times, successes and triumphs far outweigh the bad.  So, I can say with utter sincerity…

I love this life!

It is a beautiful life!

...even when it is awful.

Lyrics from Awful, Beautiful Life – Darryl Worley 2004 – Watch here.

http://youtu.be/ltWDMdadq98

Sunday Walkabout 2-1

icicles at the barn

Can you believe it’s February?

Already?

Time sure flies when you’re…

                           …making bottles for the lambs…

"lamb bar" in action

That’s pretty much how I spent my week. Making lamb bottles.

Honestly, I’ve never seen so many lamb bottles! The babies did graduate to a 4-10-4-10 schedule. That’s a feeding at 4am and 10am and then the repeat for the pm. This makes my life much less frantic and is a great milestone in their development.

Other than that, our week was far from exciting. We did the usual farm stuff…the feed store…the dump…cleaning out the barn…weekly sales run…

                                   …and waiting.

We’re still waiting for the last two ewes to lamb. (the lambs weren’t even “due” until yesterday…so, it’s not like they’re late or anything) I have to say I’m really over this project. I’m so tired of the nocturnal checks and the worries. On the positive side, all the lambs are doing well and the band of bottle babies is thriving. I am keeping track of their progress and will write a post about my experiences as a “mom of quintuplets” at some point. I meant to weigh them all Saturday afternoon, but crashed for a couple of hours on the couch instead. The Boss said I must have been desperate for the rest…and he wasn’t kidding. I’ve spent an awful lot of time at the barn in the past week.

morning at the barn

ewe in "hospital" pen

My many trips to the barn are due in part to the ewe in the hospital/observation pen. She’s requiring a lot of time and attention, and given the outcome with the last “patient”…hopes are not high.  She’s one of the last two due to lamb and in addition to her ailments, it’s kind of a bother when there are a couple who aren’t in sequence with the rest of the flock. (these babies should make their arrival within a day or two at the latest) But, we can be thankful that lambing season doesn’t stretch on for months like it did in the old days around here.  Before we developed our present flock, we had a ragtag bunch with no consistency and uniformity, which affected their breeding and the lambing schedule.  Believe me, checking for lambs (and lambing issues) nightly for months got really tiring, particularly during the bad weather that we seem to always have during February. (and the lamb chops were nowhere near as delicious!)

that's a lotta lambs!
(and that's not all)

a photo of the photographer

the lambs are really growing

I think this lamb may be a little like Gus
he's eating a stick!

lambs exploring the great, big world

yes, we have a lamb that wears a sweater...
and, yes, he IS known as "Mr. Rogers"
(story to follow)

…speaking of weather…

just a skiff of snow

icy view out the back door

snow on North Mountain

I am exceedingly grateful that the weather never got as bad as had been predicted. We’ve had some snow, some ice and LOTS of wind (that’s not unusual…I’ve said before that views, views, views equal wind, wind, wind) but, nothing major. From my perspective, this was a good thing.  

Taking photos of ice crystals ALWAYS includes a Gus photo-bomb!
(yes, that is his huge nose plastered against the backdoor)

Although, it’s just a matter of time before someone somewhere points out that we need some moisture. (the someone might even be me)   We’re down for the year…and someone somewhere will start worrying about the upcoming planting/growing season.  That’s always the way.

And the growing season is fast upon us!

As we were waiting for our customers to arrive for our weekly drop-off downtown, it occurred to us that there are only 8 more weekends before the Farmers’ Market opens for another season! Eight weeks. YIKES! While I know we are both looking forward to Market season and the delicious fresh foods of summer…we still have LOTS of things to accomplish before Opening Day. (better get crackin’!---like…right now!) I see myself spending a great deal of quality time spent in the greenhouses in the very near future. A whole lot of time. The Boss has a couple of repair/re-model jobs to complete. We also need to make a fieldtrip to the grower supply store and the Boss must order the rest of the seedstock for the season. Seeds to start…ground to prepare… The “off-season” sure does fly by!

Isn't this gorgeous?  I can't wait!
-TLWomack image

We did manage a trip to the Draft to check out B & J's goat kids.  One doe had TRIPLETS...they are the teeniest, tiniest goats I have ever seen. 

The kids' goat had kids...
this has got to be the tiniest goat I've ever seen!
-TLWomack image

Sorry to say, but, that’s it…that was the week on the hill. Really.  That’s all. (it certainly seemed like we did more!)

Waylon in Winter

Mid-winter is hard…motivation seems to go south when it’s cold and gloomy. The hoophouses are just plain sad looking (I’ll spare you a photo, it’s too depressing)  It’s too early to get crazy in the greenhouses…but, there are only 47 days ‘til SPRING.  The first day of Spring here in the Valley is really just a date on the calendar, it’s generally still very cold and wintry when March 20 makes its arrival. But, even “a date on the calendar” gives us some hope of warmer days and green and growing things! …and the assurance that we made it through another Winter.

If you thought you were having a rough day...it could be worse!
(don't worry, he got "un-stuck")

Hope that you’re having a Happy Sunday!

…wherever you are….and whatever you’re doing.

Thanks for stopping by!  Please come back for a visit real soon.

 

"...morning has broken..."