Well, Blow Me Down!

We’ve been under a “wind advisory” all day today. Gusts up to 50 miles an hour were to be expected. Along with the cold temperatures, the wind chill has been in the teens all day. Pleasant? Perhaps invigorating? Not by any stretch of the imagination!

I was awakened by the wind about 1am. The howling, screaming noise of the wind, punctuated by the groaning and banging of the attached greenhouse did nothing to lull me back to sleep. An errant snowstorm also blew in overnight. As the day dawned slowly, we struggled to “get in gear”. The wind blew out internet connection, so we spent the early hours trying to find a rhythm to our disrupted day.

Cold, windy days here on the hill make it impossible to get any outside work done. The biting wind, with a little snow mixed in for good measure, made morning chores rather unpleasant. The sheep and chickens don’t particularly appreciate this kind of weather, either.


The morning DJ on my favorite radio station posted a Facebook message that perhaps everyone should put rocks in their pockets so they wouldn’t BLOW away! Of course he was joking, but here on the hill…blowing away seems a distinct possibility.

Even the animals hunker down on windy winter days. The barn provides a shelter, so the sheep, cats and dogs all hang out, snoozing and eating. The dogs do the occasional patrol; strange scents on the wind call them out of the protection of the barn.

For our part, the Boss and I managed to get some stuff done. We’re picked and packed and ready for our winter sales delivery to town in the morning. However, it’s cold and windy and fighting the urge to hibernate has been a constant battle.

The wind should die down sometime tonight. Despite the frigidly cold forecast for the weekend and the upcoming precipitation, we hold on to the thought…

…it’s only 67 days ‘til Spring!
I hope!

EL Lambos!

Once upon a time, sheepshowing ruled our lives. Well, it ruled A’s life, and by default affected the rest of us to some degree. She lived and breathed for every aspect of the sheep show. She talked sheep, she worked sheep, she raised sheep; she probably dreamt about them at night. We took pictures of showing, we went to shows, we looked at sheep…it was THE thing for a short while.

During this time, she had some “cyber-friends” who were just about as intense as she was. They talked on line a LOT. These were young teens across the nation, growing up in the country, participating in fairs and livestock shows. They encouraged one another in their endeavors, shared their knowledge and provided some type of peer group that is often lacking in very rural locations.

As the only boy in this group, Cody, was both the comedian and authority figure. He handled this role in a way only a fourteen year old boy could. He would inform the gullible girls of all sorts of things…just to get that cyber giggle.

One morning I was greeted with…“Hey, Mama! You don’t know the Spanish word for lambs….do ya?” My Spanish is beyond rusty, high school was longer ago than I care to remember. "No, don’t know the Spanish for lambs."

“I DO!....It’s EL LAMBOS!” Okay, I admit it…I nearly fell over laughing. While Spanish and High School are dim and distant memories, I KNEW that one was wrong! When I recovered my speaking ability, I found that the source of the new information was none other than the infamous Cody. That knowledge made me laugh all over again.

He was informed that the truth had been found…that they knew he was indeed pulling the girls’ legs. Then he laughed and laughed.

After that, when a good laugh was needed, we simply said EL LAMBOS to one another and collapsed in laughter.

Time passed and we didn’t say it quite so much. I did send A texts to announce the arrival of the first lambs that simply said “EL LAMBOS!” on more than one occasion. Each time, it provided a laugh and a quick trip down memory lane.

I hadn’t thought of it in a long time until yesterday. The days of showing are long gone, the cyber-friends gone on their separate life paths, A is married and living in another part of the county. Still, EL LAMBOS makes me chuckle.

So, Cody…wherever you are…thanks!

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

When the mercury dips, the wind begins to howl and the snow begins to fall…we have to go into “winter mode” around here. Thankfully, the season has been oddly mild and somewhat enjoyable so far. But, it is only the beginning of January!

Winter on the farm isn’t all cocoa and cookies while we watch the snowflakes drift lazily past the windows. No, sometimes the weather is an all-out life and death struggle that taxes our bodies as well as our will and determination. Layers of clothing and a different approach to chores make for some interesting times during the winter.

Last week, the low, LOW temperatures got me thinking about farming in winter. When I was done prayin’ for warmer weather, I realized maybe the different work scenario might hold some interest for others. Here’s a run-down on the cold weather plan. It involves coats and coveralls, boots and buckets...and LOTS of trips outside!

The cold temperatures mean two things to the grazing animals of the farm. First, there is NOTHING to graze. The frozen ground yields no fresh growth, and with all those hooves walking over it, quickly becomes either a dusty wasteland or frozen pond. It’s time for HAY! The second thing is that it is COLD! The cold, combined with the physical demands of late pregnancy, means that the caloric intake of each animal increases exponentially. It’s time for more HAY!

All that hay we bought and hauled during the summer (and then some) needs to be delivered to the ewes (and ram) for their consumption. The bales are pulled from the stack, hauled into the feeders, baler twine cut and disposed of, twice a day. That's a lot of hay...

The constant consumption of dry hay means the sheep drink a LOT more water than they might when eating lush, green grass. A whole lot more!

Since the sum of cold plus water equals ICE…we generally use a stocktank heater to keep the water ice free. For years we kept a two-by-four next to the stocktank to beat a hole in the ice to allow the animals access to fresh water. A chance remark led us to one of the greatest inventions known to mankind…the small stocktank heater.
No more hacking away with a 2 x4, shovel or big stick! The water stays ice-free even in the coldest weather.

Unfortunately, this is electric and can cause other “issues”. Presently, the ewes are acting as if it is giving them a mild electric shock when they drink out of the tank. This means they will NOT drink out of the tank. Not a good plan when all they are eating is dry, dry hay and they are heavily pregnant. Back to the frozen stocktank and the two-by-four…

Recently, the temperature was so low that the entire tank turned into a 35-gallon ice cube! After three days of melting, the ice was still over 3 inches thick. The only solution was to drag another tank out of storage and use that one for a while. When the ewes are in the jug pens, all the buckets freeze…. It is not unusual to have gigantic icecubes scattered about the farm during a cold spell.

The water has to be hauled in buckets, because the hoses and pipes have been rendered inoperable by the cold. A 5-gallon bucket, filled with water, weighs in excess of 40 pounds. Sheep drink a LOT of water in the winter. So, I haul lots of buckets...and break a LOT of ice.

One year, all the water hauling, hay hauling and lamb pulling (story for another time) caused a terrible pain in my back. A visit to the chiropractor fixed me right up…and gave me a chuckle. When he asked what had happened, I told him about hauling water buckets and hay. He looked quizzical and said, “you mean you don’t use the tractor for that?” The mental picture of a tractor loaded with hay and water driving through the barn was truly amusing. Ah, well…

The lambs are born during the cold of winter as well. This is intentional on our part, although it causes some challenges. The lambs born in January and February are robust and ready to graze on their own when the grass comes back in April. This means a trip to the barn every four hours during the 3 to 4 weeks of lambing season. When it is very cold, I go every 2 hours. Thankfully, I have found that I can wear my coveralls OVER my pajamas.

The cold plays havoc in the henhouse as well. Temperatures below freezing cause FROZEN eggs. Frozen eggs crack. Cracked eggs should not be sold. So, the Boss sets his timer and gathers eggs every hour or so, depending on the temperatures. Every time he goes to gather eggs, he must bundle up against the cold. It seems that we are always putting on or taking off coats, gloves and boots.

The automatic water system for the chickens is useless during the winter. The irrigation systems for the hoophouses and greenhouses are also inoperable until the temperatures moderate and the warmth thaws the lines. On days that it never gets that warm, we go back to our low tech watering cans. Water buckets are placed strategically around the farm, close enough to a frost-free hydrant to be handy. There is an unspoken rule…”NEVER use a water bucket without replacing it!”

The hens need more attention in the cold weather, as well. Walking around on little, bare chicken feet gets mighty cold. Egg production can go down if they don't have plenty to eat and drink in a convenient spot. Many times over the years the Boss has had to shovel snow from their pen just so they can get outside.

The hoophouses and greenhouses must be constantly monitored. It is possible to go from frozen temperatures and chilly plants to well over 100* on a sunny day in a matter of hours. If we don’t keep up with the changes, we’re dealing with wilted and dying plants. This is NOT good…and I’ve inadvertently “cooked” seedlings more than once.

Snow only adds to the physical effort of chores. Hauling hay, feed and water through inches, or feet, of snow is not fun and down-right tiring. But, there is a deep satisfaction knowing that all our animal charges are well cared for.

While the whole coveralls, coat, boots and gloves routine gets more than a little old, all this wintertime activity is key to our summertime sales.

No time for cocoa,
...we're off to the barn!

Waitin' on a Woman

Ellie Mae joined the farm team back in December of ’09. She came as part of a trade deal…to be a companion for Jed…to work as our “back-up” guardian dog. Despite the fact that I thought it was a good plan…I wasn’t real impressed…

I’ve mentioned before that I’ve never seen myself as a dog person. I guess we all change over time. Today, I couldn’t imagine this place without the “bark-o-matics”, the “white wonders”, the “goober-dogs”, the “doofus twins”…whatever you want to call them. They definitely add to the “atmosphere” of the farm.

When Ellie first came, she was scared to death…of us…of the farm…of everything. We locked her in the barn to acclimate. Sometime in the night, she escaped. She had to “do her business” and dogs generally don’t do that where they are sleeping. I had anticipated this need and set out to the barn around midnight. No Ellie Mae! I panicked when I realized it was the middle of the night, I had no idea where this puppy was, and she certainly hadn’t “bonded” to the farm. I called her, knowing full well she didn’t know her name…she hadn’t even had a name before she came to the hill. But, amazingly, she came romping out of the darkness…looking like she was happy to see me.

It’s been over two years since that night. Now, I can hardly step out the door without hearing her tags jingling as she comes to greet me. She always looks happy…almost like she wants to laugh.

The primary job for the dogs is to guard the sheep…in theory anyway. They bark at a lot of things, they lick the sheeps’ ears, noses and tails…but, I have no idea if they actually PROTECT anything. We know if crows, dogs, deer and vehicles cross the property line. Sometimes we are warned of completely unseen dangers. But, mostly Ellie waits…

She waits when I work in the garden.

Since the dogs are the size of small ponies, with feet the size of Sasquatch, and an amazing propensity for digging, they are denied access to the part of the farm dedicated to crops. The eradication of groundhogs, rabbits and coons would be wonderful, but the potential loss the dogs would cause with their undeniable presence would overshadow any positive outcome. So she waits…


She waits when I take a walk. She accompanies me to the lane, lies down by the gate and waits until I come back to accompany me back to the house. She then trundles off to the barn to make her rounds.

She waits while I feed the sheep. She waits while I work in the hoophouse.


She waits and waits and waits. The time of day or type of weather doesn't matter...she just waits.

Sometimes she waits alone, sometimes Jed or Booooyyy will grant her a little company.

She’s perfectly happy with a pat on the head, most of the time. If the pat on the head is slow in coming, she will hold out a paw, or nose my hand. Then, she’s content to wait …and wait…and wait.

A Shepherd's Job

It is nearly lambing time. I really don’t know how the time passed so quickly, but it did…and so we had to get some preparation work done immediately. The ewes must be worked at certain intervals during their gestation time in order to assure healthy lambs.

We needed to vaccinate all the ewes. This one shot grants the babies protection from three of the diseases that can swiftly kill newborn lambs. The mothers’ bodies make antibodies that pass through to the lambs giving them a natural immunity.

We packed all the ewes in one stall, and proceeded to send them through the scale shoot and then allow them to roam around the barn. This worked great until we got about halfway through and the Boss ended up going around in circles to get them into the little opening of the shoot. There was the potential for an all out rodeo that we really did NOT need.

Then, I introduced him to the ultimate handling tool. Rather than man-handle them, we began to entice them with food. Forget dogs, leg and neck crooks, rattle that feed scoop and “ya got em every time”!

That worked until the last one. The last sheep ALWAYS freaks out. This one tried going OVER the gate! Thankfully, she finally calmed down, ate her food and got her shot. Whew! Finished that one! The Boss has been nursing a bad back, so I was glad to see that he was still able to get around after the rodeo.

He then set about making jugs for the upcoming lambing. The jugs are tiny “mothering on” pens that will force bonding between the ewe and lambs. Outfitted with heatlamps, the pens also provide a warm, draft-free environment for the newborns.

It was good to get all this done prior to the cold weather that arrived this morning. Attempting to work in the bitter cold with swirling snow blowing in one’s face and ewes complaining loudly about the noise and lack of food can be more than anyone would want to experience…especially before breakfast or in a panic in the middle of the night.

Since all the prep work is done, we are in “wait and see” mode until the lambs begin to arrive. That should be sometime next week. Then, we begin the intense phase of shepherding.

A shepherd’s job is never done!

'Bout Time!

In the 5,249 days (as of 11/27/11) that we have inhabited our house on the hill, the kitchen had seen somewhere between 10,498 and 15,747 meals prepared. I cannot begin to calculate the number of dishes washed by hand at the kitchen sink.

In addition to preparing food for the family…there was that 10 year stint of breadmaking. In excess of 25,000 (yes, THOUSAND) loaves of bread and/or pans of rolls were mixed, rolled and baked in our kitchen.

“Big Mo”, the mixer, ruled the kitchen on Fridays as baking for the Market took over the entire house. I suppose this would explain why we have also had 3 or 4 stoves, 2 microwaves and 3 refrigerators. “Big Mo” has since moved on to mix elsewhere. Mercifully, all current baking done is on a family scale, not the huge amounts required for Market.


The kitchen has been a workspace defying precise description. Schoolwork and art projects were done on the kitchen table. Discussions concerning life’s deeper subjects have been had while trying new recipes or washing the dishes. Various baby animals made their way (albeit temporarily) into the house for various reasons. I know I've seen lambs and kittens and chicks in my kitchen. I seem to remember a pony coming through...perhaps that one was only a dream. Surely, no one would think to bring their pony in the HOUSE! There was once a wild bird flying about for a short time. Not to mention a parrot...and parakeets. Vet books, seed catalogs and animal medications have found homes on its various surfaces.

The kitchen had seen years of home canning with all its messiness and some serious deep cleaning for VDACs kitchen inspections. It is the heart of our home, and as a farmhouse kitchen has seen uses suburban or city kitchens never would.

We’ve laughed, cried, played games, shared meals and attempted to “solve the world’s problems” gathered around the table.
We’ve entertained friends and met prospective sons-in-law. The kitchen has served as a research station, experiment lab and entertainment center.

In short, it was ‘bout time we did a major overhaul.

It took four coats of paint, some wallpaper and new outlet covers.

Wowee! It doesn’t seem like the same place!

Wonder what the next 5,249 days will bring?