Musical Pastures

Sheeps & Peeps12 Comments

We have been playing a bit of musical pastures with the guardians.  Samson has moved over to the graveyard field with the yearlings.  He is used to being moved from one paddock to another, and only asks that his beloved dog house moves with him.  He is kind of partial to his turquoise feed bucket and red water bucket, also; getting slightly bent out of shape if either of those is switched out.  But for now, he is happily installed with the yearlings, and they are getting used to the idea that this large fellow is their friend.  We hope to accomplish two things – cement relations between Samson and the yearlings and discourage the red fox family from continuing to use this field as a shortcut, well before the new peeps arrive in May.
Meanwhile, Belladonna has moved into a paddock adjoining the expectant ewes.  She now has her own big-girl dog house (sadly, not pictured) and her own small area to patrol.  She is still not allowed in with the sheep unattended, but this should help her learn a little more self-control.  She is such a big girl that it is hard to remember that she is only 8 1/2 months old.  Bella has taken to her new role whole-heartedly… exploring her new surroundings and becoming much more watchful at night.  She is taking her job very seriously and as you can see in the bottom picture, has quickly adopted the typical daylight position of the exhausted guardian.

Verde Farm and Dandelion House have joined forces this week to host a combined party of Farm Friends and Farmgirls – please hop over and visit them here.

Maebh’s Lamb

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This morning when going to feed, I was greeted in the barn by Maebh and her brand new baby ram: a sturdy, robust 11 lb. 13 oz.-er. Things must have gone smoothly, he was almost dry and was eating away. They are settled snugly in their jug for the next few days

And so it begins….
Hope this is a harbinger of how lambing season will progress this year….
Guess we will discover that when the real fun begins in a couple of weeks….

Spring Shearing

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Saturday dawned crisp and cold but sunny… the perfect day for spring shearing.  Shearers Joe and Melvin arrived and quickly set up shop.  We brought the yearlings over from the graveyard field while the bred ewes and wethers spent the night before in the barn, ensuring that their longer, thicker wool would be dry and easy to shear.  Our family and friends that pitched in to help are becoming quite experienced, almost a well-oiled machine once we get rolling.  There are stories told, memories shared, tears, hugs as well as laughter.  Sheep are caught, thrown for the shearer, belly and britch gathered when thrown to the side, sheep collected as they jump up from the mat, fleeces bundled, mats swept… then on to the next.  The shepherdess/s give CD+T vaccinations and a dose of garlick to each sheep on their way back to the pasture.  The bred ewes go out the side door, back into the barn paddock; the yearlings back in the pen awaiting their return to the graveyard field.  Granddaughter/great-niece, Harley, arrives to provide even more entertainment, moments of comic relief, games of tag, rock collecting, worry over the sheeps getting their shots and of course, more hugs and more kisses.  As the work continues…there are snacks, water, juice and Mom contributes cupcakes and cookies.  Wool fumes are heavy in the barn, and as we make our way through the 54 sheep each fleece is ogled and exclaimed over.  The excitement over a new crop of lovely fleece builds as the morning goes on. 

Finally, we are finished and the sheep head quickly to the feeders.  It is much more comfortable to be sheared with an empty belly so they have not eaten in nearly 12 hours.  They are now rewarded with feeders full of hay.  The yearling ewe, Maebh, has been moved in with the grown-ups so that we can keep an eye on her; she could lamb at any time.  Everyone heads home, except for one who remains to help the Shepherdess/s a little longer… there are yearlings to move, temporary fences to take down, and so on, and so on…

The scene in the pasture is quite different on Sunday morning with temperatures in the low 20’s and snow on the ground.  The pasture and the feeders are completely empty… not a sheep to be seen anywhere.  No sheep… that is until we open the barn door and there they are… all those nekkid sheep huddled in the barn.  Not to worry… in a few days their wool will have grown and they will, once again, be oblivious to the snow, wind, rain and pretty much whatever Mother Nature throws at them.  That is the way with sheep.

Women of the Farm – Grandma Lena

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Lena Gertrude Dixon was born August 26,1895. the third of Hannah Huston Dixon and David Ambrose Dixon’s six children.  According to her four sisters, she was the prettiest of them all.  She attended the little one-room school house down the road, and later went to the Terra Alta Normal School where she gained certification to teach. 
Ida (l.), Lena (m.), Nellie (r.)
She married Cecil Ray Wiles on May 7 1918. “Mr. Cecil Ray Wiles and Miss Lena Gertrude Dixon both of whom live near Rowlesburg were united in marriage Tuesday afternoon at the parsonage of the Lutheran church. Rev. W. H. Berry performed the ceremony about 3:30 o’clock. The young people who made the trip to this city (Morgantown) in an automobile were attended by the groom’s sister, Miss Merle Wiles and the bride’s brother John Dixon (who would later also marry). The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Dixon her father being a member of the county court of Preston county. Mr. Wiles who is connected with the Glade Lumber company is a promising young business man. The young people motored to Little Falls Tuesday evening where they will visit with relatives for a few days before returning to Rowlesburg where they will make their home.”

Lena and Ray lived down on Cheat river where Ray had work cutting timber until March of 1921 when they moved back to the farm into the Lantz house by the road.  In the fall of 1922, Great-Grandmother Hannah became very ill so they moved down to the homeplace where Lena took care of her parents along with her three year old daughter and three month old son.  Grandma Lena would have four children in seven years.  Her fifth child was born ten years later when she was 41 years old.

Just as her parents and grandparents before her, Lena and her husband would continue farming.  Along with the animals and crops they tended for their family, they also had a large flock of chickens and a truck patch.  They sold eggs and vegetables down in Rowlesburg, often trading a dozen eggs for a gallon of gas.
Two sons and a son-in-law would fight in World War II.  The worry and anxiety must have been overwhelming.  We often wonder if Grandma Lena hung blue or white stars in the living room window awaitng her sons’ return. “They also serve who watch and wait.” would have certainly described the family during that time.

 

Grandma Lena loved to read and do handwork.  She wrote many poems often on the back of envelopes or greeting cards.   In 1951 she sent her poem “Fairy Lace” to Five Star Music Masters in Boston where Mr. Lew Tobin composed a piano arrangement for it; returning it ‘with pleasure… confident that she would be as pleased wtih it as he was.”.  We often wonder if it was ever performed.  

Lena, Ray and 12 of their 13 grandchildren
Grandma Lena was a loving but somewhat stern taskmaster to the three little granddaughters sometimes left to her charge.  There would be no crying and absolutely no whining as we would work at her side.  She, along with our parents, would ensure that we would grow into strong women… women made of the same sturdy stuff as those that came before us.
This is one of our favorite pictures of Grammy.  She is so beautiful in that bright pink dress.  She was never without her apron or her handkerchief.  Grandma Lena passed away October 3, 1972, living eight years longer than her beloved, Ray.  Here is one of her poems – 
As I sit here alone
I think of that home
God has prepared for us above
I think of my friends
and where peace never ends
and we dwell with the ones we love
There will be no more war
but will be peace evermore
in that land far over the lea
There will be nothing but love
in that land up above
in the home he prepareth for me
We are joining the blog party over at Verde Farm, once again.  Please take a moment to pop over and visit all the other guests at Farm Friend Friday #8.

This Week in the Fiber Room

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Dyeing Prudence’s locks



Washing fleeces – this one is Blackberry’s ram lamb

Carding and pulling Blackberry’s lovely wool

Carding… sampling… note taking

More sampling… more note taking

Spinning some of Boy George’s Heather Lavender batts

For those of you commenting on all the bright colors in one of the previous ‘In the Fiber Room’ posts, we thought you might be interested in this series by Jared Flood of Brooklyn Tweed fame.  He is giving us a peek behind the scenes in the creation of his fabulous new yarn Shelter.  He begins with some wonderful pictures and explanations of color blending at a mill scale.  It is a great story, and we love, love, love what he is doing for the wool industry.