Catching Up on the Farm News

It's a cloudy but incredibly warm Monday morning - we awoke to 60*F at 5 am! But just last week we awoke to snow, the first real snow in the 3 years we've been in this area. So today my first thought were about the poor sheep in their full winter wear out there sweltering! This up and down weather can be tough on everyone's health so after the main feeding/watering I made up some loose minerals with tonic herbs added in. Not only will the herbs help boost their immunity but the salt in the mineral will keep them sucking down the water - good for them and hard for me since the water has to be carried out in containers. Oh, well if I'm smart I'll not fill them all the way and just make more trips ... we use recycled laundry detergent jugs that are sold now with the delivery spiggot and they hold about 4 gal. or 32lbs when full. That's a bit much for my aging shoulders. Farm work really reminds me that I'm not 30 any more but rather quickly approaching 50, a humbling realization.



Weaving is coming along on the rugs project. The fleece lock piece is done, I then did a piece with carded fleece - that's the blue & white up there on the left and this morning I just finished the last one which is done with handspun singles. These are all short rugs of about 22" long for the last one - ran out of yarn due to poor planning- to about 27" for the others. Now what to do for the last? Right this minute I haven't any ideas so will let it sit and perk. Certainly the housework needs doing far more desperately than weaving! And I have Ranger, the French Angora bunny in the bathroom awaiting his comb out. The hens are in his house cleaning up all the bunny food he spreads around - they'll have it picked clean by the time I get him back out there. Glad to see some cleaning going on without any effort on my part!

Bob spent the weekend digging post holes - about 15 or so and getting the area right in front of the house ready to move the sheep. He'll be taking a day off from work so we can stretch the field fencing; a gate will need to be built but I can do that on my own. But with luck we'll have them off the west field before they damage the clover seedlings emerging in this warm weather. These fencing projects are never finished and this can get a little discouraging until I remind myself that we've only been here 2 years. I'm sure everyone has projects like this so I won't whine but rather encourage you to look at what you have accomplished, not what is still waiting to be done. And I'll try to practice what I preach as Mum always said.

Upcoming news to look forward to: I ordered 50 chicks (I've lost my mind!) that come in 2 weeks and will be ensconced in the bathroom for the first week of their lives, we start shearing in March and in May - if I survive the chicks and shearing- we are putting together a Farm Fiber Day. So please come back to see what's happening here at Little Meadows!