Monthly Archives: July 2018

2018
07/31

Category:
farming
Garden
Life
sheep

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Meet Bracken; Meet Butler

Meet Bracken:

Bracken is an 8-year-old border collie who was in the top 50 in sheep dog trials in the US.   She is being retired here because she needs a job and I need a dog that knows how to bring in the sheep when needed.   I got so much more than I expected.   She is incredibly loving and sweet.   She stepped into the stall tonight at feeding time, and I saw her do nothing, but the sheep filed out, I filled feeders and then let them back in.   That was so much more pleasant than trying to put hay in feeders over the top of the sheep.

 

Meet Butler:Butler is our new polled ram who will service the daughter of the rams we have been using.   He is not only beautiful, he has very soft wool and is halter trained.   He will make a great addition to the Shetland flock.

Look at gorgeous red peppers.   What a difference a hoop house and a very hot summer make!

2018
07/27

Category:
farming
sheep

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Hay day 2018

Hay day has arrived.  Because it is a hot day, we started unloading at 8 this morning.   It took about 3 hours to unload and stack 20 ton of hay and people were plenty sweaty and tired at the end of that time.   The sheep should now have enough food to last throughout the winter and next spring the pastures will be ready for them.

Meet Alice, an accidental breeding caused this little bottle baby who is partially blind.  So she was given to my neighbor to love.   The hope is she may grow out of it.

2018
07/26

Category:
farming
Garden
Knitting
Life

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Autumn socks are finished

 

Autumn socks are finished because I am dealing with spotty internet.   They are made from Lorna Laces sport weight wool on #4 needles.  I’m not crazy about how much orange is in the pattern, and can hardly believe I bought this yarn.  So I used plain stockinette stitch and they are done and wearable.   And when I’m wearing socks, I’m not looking at them, so who knows, the person looking at them may like these colors.  

The internet here has been extremely spotty because of modem problems.  I have been having horrible withdrawals, however, there is enough to do around here, that I have kept busy.   There are now 90# of blueberries in the freezer.  The socks are done. The garden is doing well, though, it has to be watered daily.   The dogs are digging holes in the dirt to stay cool.   It is an unusually hot summer.

20 ton of hay is being delivered in the morning.   I believe I have coordinated enough people to get it unloaded and stacked before noon.  I have water and Gatorade in the refrigerator for the workers and I really hope they will be done before noon, when the temperature is scheduled to reach 80 degrees.   This is too hot to have to be working this hard.

There has been so much to do this summer that it is going fast and before I blink a  few more times, I’ll be wondering where it went.

2018
07/25

Category:
farming
Life
sheep

COMMENTS:
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Max Lucado

This heat is really slowing me down.   I was up at 5.30 this morning so my neighbor and I could give each of the sheep a shot, which should eliminate parasites.  This is fly season and they seem particularly bad this year, perhaps because of the heat.

The neighbor took this photo of Lacey as she (the neighbor) was leaving this morning.   It is the best I have of this dog.

Max Lucado is one of my favorite authors.    Here is his post from today:

 

– Love God more than you fear hell.
– Once a week, let a child take you on a walk.
– Make major decisions in a cemetery.
– When no one is watching, live as if someone is.
– Succeed at home first.
– Don’t spend tomorrow’s money today.
– Pray twice as much as you fret.
– Listen twice as much as you speak.
– Only harbor a grudge when God does.
– Never outgrow your love of sunsets.
– Treat people like angels; you will meet some and help make some.
– ‘Tis wiser to err on the side of generosity than on the side of scrutiny.
– God has forgiven you; you’d be wise to do the same.
– When you can’t trace God’s hand, trust his heart.
– Toot your own horn and the notes will be flat.
– Don’t feel guilty for God’s goodness.
– The book of life is lived in chapters, so know your page number.
– Never let the important be the victim of the trivial.
– Live your liturgy.

 

2018
07/22

Category:
farming
Garden
Life

COMMENTS:
3 Comments »

Bathing Lacey

Most things are easier than bathing Lacey, an 85# dog that doesn’t wish to be bathed.  And of course there are no photos of all this, because how does one hold a camera while the dog is forced into a large tub, climbs out, slips out of her collar and goes and hides.   However, I cornered her and the second time, she and I were together in the master bath – this time with the door closed so she couldn’t get away.  And she is spending the night in the house to get nice and dry before she returns to her digging habits.

We are very much enjoying the fresh vegetables from the garden.  I made several Zucchini lasagna casseroles since we are busy enough that it is convenient to have something to quickly take from the freezer and have a good meal.  Today I picked 2 small zukes for sauteing.  There are many green peppers on the plants that I’m hoping will turn red and orange as they are sweeter, but I needed one today, so I did pick one.

In addition to the vegetables we are enjoying packing away blueberries for this winter.   I picked another 15 pounds this morning.   I’m very happy to not have to pick them everyday.  A new friend from Canada has commercial blueberry fields, and was telling me about the machines they use to pick the berries.   I will continue to hand pick these – yes more labor intensive, but I don’t have acres and acres of berries, so it’s okay.

 

 

2018
07/18

Category:
farming
Garden
Life
quilts
sheep

COMMENTS:
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New arrival, blueberries

Here is our new arrival, still wet, and having her first meal.  We thought McKenzie and the other Shetlands were all bred earlier, so were not concerned and put all the ewes together with our Cormo herdsire.   Dumb idea which won’t happen again.   This was a bit of a surprise as we thought we were done.   And again, we think we are done.

These are the blueberry bushes that I am becoming very acquainted with.   See on the right how the berries will ripen 2-4 at a time/place.   So the same bushes are picked over and over again.  It seems slow as I only get about 5# or l gallon an hour.   However, I now have 50# in the freezer.  We love blueberries in various ways during the winter.

My design wall is not as big as needed for this flimsy.  I have finished and the border you see on the bottom is all the way around.   Next, I will pick out the backing and get it on the quilting machine where I will look at it for 2 weeks and then decide I need to get it done right away.   And the frenzy will begin, but it will get quilted and bound in time for gifting.

And in between the other fun stuff on this farm,  with this heat, we are fighting fly strike, which is no fun for humans or animals.

2018
07/16

Category:
Knitting
Life
sheep

COMMENTS:
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Hot weather

We are having unusually hot weather for July as are many of you.   Because this is unusual for us, we have not invested in air conditioning.  So we have a single fan – why buy another when we use it so seldom?  Does it slow you down as much as it does me?

In the morning before the heat, I pick blueberries for a couple of hours – 4 days a week.   If you haven’t picked blueberries before, you should try it.   Our berries are on a hillside, meaning the hill goes downhill both ways.  Therefore when picking, not only does one do the gymnastics of picking high berries, berries on the ground, berries inside the bush and berries hiding behind the leaves, but this is all done while trying to stay on your feet.  The benefits are fresh air, sunshine and exercise at no extra cost.

I just put my gorgeous Shetland rams on the market.   I need new blood and they have done a marvelous job here.

I’ll spare you the photos, but Saturday, we had the vet visit to pull a lamb that died before it arrived in this world.  The vet told us that when it gets this hot, many times (across species) mothers give a couple pushes and decide it’s too hot for that and quit.

 

The Autumn socks are now up to the heel flap.   So a bit of progress is being made.

I haven’t done much besides just trying to maintain in this hot weather – making sure everyone, everything has plenty of water and food.   So until things cool off and return to normal, posts will be more sporadic.

How are you doing?  Keeping up with life or slowing down in heat?

2018
07/13

Category:
Garden
sheep

COMMENTS:
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Sheep and produce photos

Please enjoy these sheep and produce photos

Beets, tomatoes, cauliflower

 

 

2018
07/12

Category:
Garden
Life

COMMENTS:
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Neglected garden

This neglected garden has been on its own this summer.   DH goes out faithfully and waters, and I go out and grab something for a meal, but it has not been weeded.   Volunteer tomatoes and weeds have been having a heyday.  The first beets planted are ready to pick and pickle and preserve.  Then I need to get more in the ground.

After two hours of work, it is starting to look like a garden once again.   I had not taken the time to tie up plants and they were acting like ground cover.  The little plants in the left foreground are winter broccoli.   We particularly like the greens in late winter.  But they are far to close together at this point.

I am half done.   Somewhere I need to find time to do the other half and space these plants.   Maybe, tomorrow, I’ll take the time – oh No, how did it get to the end of the week already.  That means a run to the grocery and perhaps a bit of floor sweeping and preparing meals for the next day.   Maybe the garden will get fit in, but it’s a huge maybe.   It is difficult to get everything into the week that wants to get done.

2018
07/11

Category:
Life
quilts

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

Interesting email

This is not yet pressed, but it is together and when I have time, I will put borders on it.   The finished size will be 70 x 80.  Getting all those stars to come together properly took good pinning.

Interesting email  with your laugh for today

Really? How am I supposed to text him since I am no longer on this earth.
From The Desk Of Dr. Jerome Powell,
USA Federal Reserve Bank Chairman,Alabama Branch
Office.524 Liberty Parkway Birmingham, Alabama USA
I received an email from Mr. William Michael, he called me yesterday with this telephone number: +1(202) 860-2105 informing me that you are dead and he said that i should send him your fund to his home address: usa 94102, because he is your next of kin beneficiary to you, and he also told me that you instructed him to claim your properties including your money in case because you are no more to be found on earth.
I am very sorry to hear that you are no more to be found on earth and i don’t know that this is the reason why you have not reply the message i sent to you regarding the delivery of your fund. this is my promise to you that i am going to do everything within my power to make sure that your fund will be delivered to him as your next of kin beneficiary to you, may your soul rest in perfect peace and may god grant you internal life on the last day to come i am very very sorry.
He did also said he knew he was going to spend some money to get the fund because you told him some thing like that and i should let him know the cost, i told him to hold on and let me verify if this is true or not because i am confused now about this claims,
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Jerome Powell.
Wait for your urgent text message.
Tell phone number ((619) 537-7115)
The Current Chairman Federal Reserved Bank