What did you miss?

Honestly - a lot, since it has been so long since I wrote the last post. That long in fact, that I could not remember the web address of my own blog!

I actually had to go to my website and check it. How embarrassing is that??

The worst of it, lambing is over and I did not write one entry - I do feel guilty!

Lambing went great, all ewes lambed with ease. We have 9 ewe lambs and 5 ram lambs out of 8 ewes. A very colorful and lively bunch! Most of them are twins, one set of triplets.

I did loose one ram lamb, he was dead when I went out to feed in the morning, his twin brother was up and running. With a small herd like mine you really get to know your sheep. So when I went out and saw mom and baby standing there I knew something was wrong. All she did was stand there, very quietly. Usually a new mom is busy as a bee, talking, licking, making sure all is fine with baby. This one just stood there, little one by her side. She had lost a lamb before and she very much grieves the loss! I had to kick her out on pasture and away from the place were she had given birth!

All is well now.

I am getting the milking pen ready, since on Saturday I will officially start milking season!

Our pigs have arrived as well. A boy and a girl that have been busy rototillers in my orchard, getting it ready for me to seed a colorful flower meadow!

Today was their lucky day, since I had to milk out one of the sheep. Her udder was rather lopsided, since her single lamb prefers to drink on one side only. So I quickly eased her load by a quart. Since the pigs were in the next pen they got a still warm good night drink!

The goats arrived safely at their new home in Colorado after 13 hours on the road. Their new owners are really dedicated to their animals (how much more dedicated than driving 1500 miles within two days for your goats can you get???). They will be spoiled rotten in no time and that is just dandy with me.

It is quiet around here without them, but it is nice that they can not pick on the sheep anymore. They went to an all goat home which I think is perfect!

The tomatoes are taking over my sun room and will keep doing just that for at least another couple of weeks. The radishes are peaking through the still a bit cold dirt and the apple, pear and plum trees are about to blossom.

So much for today - more to come soon!

Tan your hide

When we butcher in late fall the local meatman sents the pelts of the lambs back home with us. Since I do not like to waste anything, they get tanned.
For some reason this year my oldest daughter aquired the job of loading the hides in the wheelbarrow and hauling them from the trailer to the barn (this makes for fond memories of growing up on a farm)
For me that meant out of sight, out of mind! Until a few days ago, when a friend of mine came over to get some fiber, which happens to be stored in the barn as well.
What a warm welcome we got, as several rams heads were peaking at us over the rim of the wheelbarrow, still attached to the hides along with legs and tails.
This left my wee ones to ponder over how we could put these sheep back together...
Luckily my friend and her son are farm people as well, so (animal) body parts do not alarm them to much.
Yesterday was spent seperating heads, legs, tails and specific male parts from the hides. All that was left to do is salt the pelts liberaly and leave them to dry. Then they will be sent off to finish the tanning process and returned as stunningly beautiful pelts - nothing attached!

Why oh why oh why

No running water today, all was frozen with a light sprinkle of snow which hid the underlaying ....perfectly.

When I fed this morning I looked at the ever deminishing hay pile and then my eye caught HER. And that is when I felt like rabbit reciting:" Why oh why oh why", does Hanni the angora goat always have to eat on top of the hay? Now you might think what is the big deal? Let me tell you. She does not just stand there and eat, no, she will happily drop some surprises while she munches along. Goats are like most grasing animals, where they poop they will not eat. So what this translates into is a rather big waste of hay and with skyrocketing prices of $190/ton this does give me a slight headache. Since the goats are so funny and heartwarming the headache does subside rather quickly.

I have four angora goats, actually they are not really my goats anymore, since a super nice lady from Colorado bought them and will pick them up in the spring.

She even does help to pay for the winter hay, so I really have no reason to complain! Funny enough Hanni is the only one that jumps into the feeder, the other three mind their manners and eat, like the book suggests, from the sides of the manger.

Once these girls arrive in Colorado they will assume they died and went to heaven, this is how much Becky cares for her critters. And let me tell you, it is the best feeling to now that the animals I have to part with go to a wonderful home!

Still I will miss Hanni, Nanni, Colleen and Socks. Until next fall when I have to buy hay again......