Tag: storms

Rotating Pastures

Sheeps & Peeps2 Comments

The summer, thus far, has been a very stormy one.  Within a few hours we seem to go from blazing hot sun to severe thunder storms and back to the hot sunshine.  We moved the ewes and lambs into the knoll pasture last week, and they spend a lot of time under the shade trees.  They venture back out to eat after a storm rolls through, but head back to the shade as the sun quickly heats things back up.  We are very grateful for the rain, but we really need are really excited to get back to the hayfield.
Check back tomorrow when we will start another giveaway!
 

Keeping Watch

Sheeps & Peeps6 Comments

It was another quiet day on the lambing front.  Hebe had a wonderful set of twins, a ram weighing 9 lbs 14 ozs and a ewe weighing 10 lbs.  The old pro that she is, Hebe had the little ewe standing up while her first born was beginning to nurse.  She is a great mama.
A large storm front moved through late afternoon with fierce winds, thunder, lightning and a lot of rain.  By that time Hebe and the twins were settled quite nicely in the barn, snug in their lambing jug.

Just as we waited on the storm yesterday, we feel we’re waiting on another… a lamb storm.  As we keep watch over the bulging bellies and swelling udders, the number of ewes that could go anytime keeps mounting.  Here’s hoping all those lambs don’t decide to come at once.

Father Winter’s Visit

Sheeps & Peeps5 Comments

Father Winter hunkered down for a visit over the holidays bringing all his friends – freezing fog, ice, wind and snow.

While making it difficult to get through daily chores, they have created a winter wonderland that is beautiful to behold.

Every surface is covered with ice.  Every tree is covered with frost.  Many times the same twig has hard rime on one side and soft rime on the other.  Blue skies have been rarely seen, but occasionally the sun would force its way through creating a world full of sparkle.

The sheep, along with the dogs, have packed down snowy paths and feeding areas.  They all really prefer to spend most of the time out in the midst of it all, seeming to only sheek shelter during the windiest of the storms.  Well equipped, by Mother Nature, they are constantly showing off all that wonderful, wooly insulation.

After the Storm

Sheeps & Peeps6 Comments

Just checking in to let you all know that we are ok after the “horrible… just horrible” (according to the four-year-old) storm that came through West Virginia Friday evening.  A large tree was uprooted in the pasture where the ewes and lambs are, but everyone is ok.  Half of the farm has been without electric since Friday evening, so yesterday the chickens enjoyed a fabulous picnic from cleaning out the refrigerator.  The good news is that half the farm has electric, so we are able to haul water for the animals from Mom’s cistern.  We’ve had no damage to buildings, so everything is ok… just complicated. 
Some advice from the four-year-old – should you have a bad storm – “Just make sure that you call the FBI, and really make sure that you have your magic flashlight!”
Take care.