{this moment}
A Friday ritual.
A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.
A simple, special, extraordinary moment.
A moment to pause, savor and remember.
(participating with the SouleMama blog)
Category: Uncategorized
Caution – Turkey Crossing
Often when making a trip down the old barn lane to get hay we encounter wildlife – a bunny, a deer – we pause in the springtime to observe the first Robins in the hayfield, the blooms on the Mountain Laurel. But a few days ago we had a real treat.
We had to suddenly stop the Ranger because of these baby turkeys (poults) in the lane.
We could hear clucking and shortly found Mama Turkey peeking out of the hayfield on the left side of the lane.
After much more clucking and peeping, Mama Hen ventured out and proceeded to encourage her poults to cross the lane.
She and three poults crossed to the right side, but she continued to cluck. Then we heard more peeping, and out popped some more poults!
… and more…
… and more…
Finally after several minutes of clucking encouragement, everyone made it safely across the lane, into the tall grass on the right side and then further into the woods.
And we were given a lesson in slowing down… pausing… enjoying Mother Nature’s gifts.
Sunday Muse
Roses
You love the roses – so do I. I wish
The sky would rain down roses, as they rain
From off the shaken bush. Why will it not?
Then all the valley would be pink and white
And soft to tread on. They would fall as light
As feathers, smelling sweet; and it would be
Like sleeping and like waking, all at once!
George Eliot (1819 – 1880)
Peeps
Mother Nature has proven her resilience once again. After a somewhat mis-managed incubation period, (mixed up dates and unplugged incubator for starters … ‘somewhat’ may be a generous choice of words) several chicks still survived and hatched just when we were about to give up on them. We moved them to the brooder box and they got lots of attention. To avoid a lot of heat loss: 
Lena cut out observation holes which work really well: 
It was one of those “Why didn’t we think of that before?” moments.
4-H Market Lambs
Great excitement over the weekend as Lena picked out her lambs for her 4-H Market Lamb project. These lovely ladies are making themselves at home in a pen in the barn… getting used to Lena and their surroundings. They sure were noisy for a couple days. So far, their names are Princess and Cinderella, but that is subject to change at any time.
The resident, handspinning shepherdess/s are having a hard time adjusting to the fact that these lambs are 3+ months old and their wool is only about an inch long… very different from our long-wool beauties.
We are trying to convince Lena to be a guest blogger this summer, chronicling her first 4-H lamb experiences. So keep your fingers crossed and stay tuned for her adventures.
{this moment}
{this moment}
a Friday ritual…
a single photo…
no words…
capturing a moment from the week
(participating with the Soule Mama blog)
Happy Memorial Day
HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC
excerpted from
General Orders No.11, WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 1868
The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land.
We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders.
Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let pleasant paths invite the coming and going of reverent visitors and fond mourners. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.
If other eyes grow dull, other hands slack, and other hearts cold in the solemn trust, ours shall keep it well as long as the light and warmth of life remain to us.
Let us, then, at the time appointed gather around their sacred remains and garland the passionless mounds above them with the choicest flowers of spring-time; let us raise above them the dear old flag they saved from hishonor; let us in this solemn presence renew our pledges to aid and assist those whom they have left among us a sacred charge upon a nation’s gratitude, the soldier’s and sailor’s widow and orphan.
Grave of Daniel Wiles, veteran of the Civil WarPlease thank the veterans in your life, today, for the sacrifices they have made.(Re-posting from Memorial Day 2009)
The New System
With some gentle nudging from Jonathan and Megan, we adopted the new system they developed to organize our fleece processing – must say – it is colorful, cheerful and effective.
We had some much appreciated help with the ‘triple-picking’ and some fiber room antics for entertainment.
Our skirting table was moved under a new LED light bulb, and in a short period of time on Saturday we had three skirted fleeces and about half a triple-picked lamb’s fleece.
New system, improved lighting… now, if there were only more than 24 hours in a day…
Releasing of the Biomowers
This weekend it was time for the 3rd Annual ‘Releasing of the Biomowers’ into the barnyard. Not much fanfare on Saturday as it was a day full of torrential downpours. The lambs and ewes really enjoyed the new forage. We will probably move fencing this weekend into the remaining section of the barnyard that has not been mowed. Next weekend will most likely be scheduled for the lambs’ CD+T booster shots, and then everyone will be moved into a new paddock a little further from the barn.
New Abode
The barn swallows have abandoned last year’s nest. Perhaps because of the barncats’ intense birdwatching activities last year, they have moved about 12 feet away. For about a week, the pair have been carefully engineering what will become their nestlings new abode.
They finished their work this weekend, and the new nest is complete with this fancy little guinea feather flag! We will be watching closely as the egg laying and then brooding will now begin in earnest.