Tag: late summer

Searching for Boaz

Sheeps & Peeps8 Comments
All summer long, we have been on a quest to find the perfect candidates for Crossed Arrows Homestead.  We have been searching for Boaz, Rebecca’s new ram.  We watched as the ram lambs grew and developed.  Finally, we feel we have identified a wonderful group of ram lambs for her to choose from… very healthy, fast growing, great loin length and beautiful wool.  Here they are…
1219 ~ out of Rosey Posey and Aragorn, Border Leicester cross (2nd in line)

1221 ~ out of Princess and Aragorn, Border Leicester cross (far left)
1222 ~ out of Poppy and Poseidon, long wool cross, color factored
1212 ~ out of Bertha and Aragorn, Border Leicester cross, color factored

We are really excited to see which ram lamb Rebecca chooses!  How about you?  Which one do you think she’ll pick?

Friday’s Fence

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We’re enjoying the beautiful almost-autumn tones of the roadside, as the greens are slowly giving way to shades of yellow, orange and brown.  Here and there little sections of leaves on some of the trees are turning.  Right now it’s difficult to embrace the changing season, but you can feel it coming, especially in the mornings.

Joining Life According to Jan and Jer for Friday’s Fences

Metamorphosis

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“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”
~ Rabindranath Tagore

Mesmerized by a monarch butterfly in the midst of morning chores
Time had to be taken to sit in the wet grass and watch
Watch as it slowly opened and closed its wings
Open… close… open… close… now and then a little flutter
Newly emerged from its chrysalis… metamorphosis
As if defying summer to end 

Musical Pastures

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In our never ending quest for better flock health, we’ve been busy playing musical pastures.  The ewes have finally made it to the hayfield by the old barn.  This involves putting up more than 1/2 mile of temporary net fencing, which will be moved several times in the coming weeks.  They are brought back in to the permanent pine grove pasture in the evening to protect them from predators.  This has worked out very well.  The ewes are on new pasture in preparation for breeding season, and the hayfield is being weeded and fertilized.

In an effort to avoid another scandal like the one last year involving the young Maebh, we decided to separate the ram lambs from the ewe lambs following FAMACHA scoring on Saturday.  The ram lambs are now in the granddaddy green pasture, and the ewe lambs were moved back to the graveyard pasture.  We were really excited to score 19 ‘ones’ and 0 ‘fours’ this time.  We did have to treat about a dozen ‘threes’, but that is less than 25%.  The cooler weather is probably helping.  All the lambs are out of the barn and out on pasture.  Time to start planning for fall shearing.

Late Summer Oranges

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While we have been pretty disappointed with how these particular zinnias have performed in the dyepot, (having to fiddle with pH almost to the point of invoking magic spells) they have been a beautiful addition to our dyer’s garden.  The butterflies, the bees and we have certainly enjoyed their beautiful bright orange colors as summer wanes and autumn waits just around the corner.

Settling In

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The lambs are doing well in their new pasture.  Only one breakout – the first night – when they went either through or over a portion of the fence.  A double fence has been put in that corner now.  They have quieted down and are falling into the morning and evening routine of coming for a little corn and oats and the counting of the lambs.  Only one moment of panic so far when 14 of them hid in the shelter at the bottom of the hill; which, of course, was the last place we looked for them.  We will bring them back to the barn on Saturday to do a FAMACHA check and check their condition.

The ewes have also settled down and are enjoying their (well deserved) rest and relaxation in the back pasture.

Barn Cats in Late Summer

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Kismet
Muffy
Bootsie
Spot
Davita and Pumpkin



Pumpkin



During these waning days of summer, the barn cats have been taking it easy. The hot days and cooler nights have encouraged them to spend most of the day cat napping, leaving the night for prowling. You will find them in the rafters, on top of the stacks of hay or straw, or in Muffy’s case wherever she finds a convenient nesting spot. Kismet, our very first barn kitten, now chooses to spend most of his time at the old barn, far away from the other crazies. We love them all, and they are great company when doing barn, and even field chores. Of course, most importantly, they are very good at their job of barn patrol.