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Ram Cram Winter 09

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Time for the semi-annual ‘Ram Cram’ – a great management tool we learned from The Lavender Fleece web-site. Hercules, Saul, Goliath and Poseidon are pictured above in the small pen getting ready to move to their post-breeding pasture. We keep them together in this small pen for 24 hours. Much of the post-breeding ‘wrestling’ is done in this time window. When they are moved to the pasture, they are more concerned about food and water than the other rams. This system has worked out very well for us (knock on wood).

Our lead ram, Liam, is not with the others as we will move him into a pen with some older ewes until shearing. He tends to run himself ragged during breeding, and needs a little ‘down-time’ to get back up to prime condition.

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One of the lavender guineas had been MIA for a day and a half. Yesterday was very cold and very windy, and New Year’s day dawned sunny and a frigid 10-degrees. We hadn’t really looked for the young guinea hoping that she was hunkered down somewhere safe. About half way through feeding this morning, we started hearing a ‘buck–wheat’ but could not figure out where it was coming from. Finally, we looked UP…

There she was pacing back and forth, back and forth across the very top of the barn roof…
“Buck-wheat! Buck-wheat! Buck-wheat!”
We decided to open the little door on the coop, hoping that the other young guineas would answer her and she would somehow fly down.
Well she finally did.

She flew all the way down to the trees at the bottom of the hill. There she is smack dab in the middle of that picture, that light grey blob in the top of the tree. We didn’t go down there fearing that she might fly farther down the hill and into the woods on the other side of the fence. Our patience was finally rewarded when she flew back up the hill and we got her safely inside the coop.

This is the second incident this week involving a roof. Earlier our schizo, non-barn, dog-friend cat decided that her best view into the house was from the gazebo roof.

She finally came down, to go to the barn to eat.

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Whose woods these are I think I know,
His house is in the village though.
He will not see me stopping here,
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer,
To stop without a farmhouse near,
Between the woods and frozen lake,
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake,
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep,
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

— Robert Frost

Winter treat

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Who wouldn’t take advantage of this extremely rare 60-degree December day and enjoy an afternoon walk? Raven and I started down the hill and were soon joined by an unexpected companion.

Davita… who has now decided that she is (a.) not a barn cat, (b.) resident house cat, (c.) Raven’s friend and companion. Please note that there is not one person or animal on the farm that has agreed with her on any of these decisions.
On this quiet, cloudy day this maple tree ‘skeleton’ looks serene.
Raven stopped on the knoll at the last patch of snow for some refreshment.

We all enjoyed exploring this rock ledge on the side of the knoll. All the colors in the woods have a lovely misty, muted and somewhat grey hue on this cloudy day.

Davita took some time out from our walk to climb this pretty little tree.

Heading back toward the house, we stopped to contemplate the beauty of this oak tree. Don’t you think that the base of the tree looks like the perfect location for a fairy door? Hmmm…

Toward the end of our long walk, Davita began to complain often and loudly. When we finally made it back to the house she had a long rest near the little grove of arborvitae. I am not sure if she will decide to join us for a walk again, anytime soon.
This warm, winter walk was a wonderful afternoon treat during what has already been very cold and very snowy weather.

Welcome to our World

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Time to tackle morning chores, put on a couple layers, pull on your boots and don’t forget your hat and gloves.

It seems that everything takes a little longer in the winter, but finally all the animals are enjoying their food. It’s time for us to take a break and enjoy some lunch.

We will spend the afternoon in the fiber room today. Periodic peeks outside show a typical winter storm day with snow and a little sunshine trying to peek through every now and then.

To the south, looking towards Belington, it looks like the storm will never end.

But just to the southeast, it looks like Thomas , Davis and Backbone Mountain are basking in the sun.

It’s about 4:15 now. Samson is loving the snow! At the moment he is guarding his well camouflaged dog house.

It is a very good thing that evening chores do not take very long because daylight disappears quickly this time of year. This evening appears even darker with the heavy snow which has begun to fall again.

Evening chores are done. Come join us for the beautiful sunset! It probably won’t last for long. The winter storm advisory doesn’t end until midnight.

Bringing in the rams

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For the past couple days we have been getting all the girls ready: trimming, manicuring, etc. We have worked in the barn and out in the corral; in the pouring rain and through the snow flurries. Now that we finally have every one ‘gussied up’ and in the proper pen, we are faced with this.

It should be quite a lot of fun walking the four big rams over from the far paddock through this. It certainly should provide a lot of laughs. (pretty dark for 1:15 p.m.)

Making like Houdini

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We were moving the ewes and wethers nearer the barn today so that the ‘breeding beautification’ process can begin, when to our surprise a familar face appeared among them with some unexpected ‘equipment’.

Here he came up over the hill with Queen Elizabeth and Hebe – Hercules, same culprit as last year. We turned the fence off to move everyone around, and we think that is when he ‘made like Houdini’ and escaped from the ram pasture.
Hopefully he wasn’t too busy before we got the ewes moved!