Farm chores.

During the past few months, the weather has certainly been newsworthy, affecting so many lives. Mother Nature has a huge influence on how we go about our day. She not only provides a positive influence ~ hopefully, most of the time ~ but, She is also able to devastate and kill…there is no taming of Her! My heart goes out to all those who are experiencing a loss!

And so we try to work in cooperation with the weather…between the raindrops and swings in temperatures, hot & cold, in an attempt to catch-up with our daily tasks!

 

 I’ve been ‘pruning’ more lavender (see!!!) in an attempt to rejuvenate old, woody plants. I’m willing to sacrifice bloom this year, for healthier, more productive plants next year. We’ve applied more mulch between the rows to minimize weeds.

Oh, my poor ache hands!

The veggie garden is almost planted. The tomato plants and peppers were last to go in the ground for fear of a late frost. Hubby prefers his own stick trellis to tomato cages. 

I’ve been amending my herb garden raised beds with lots of ‘organic’ compost before planting annual herbs, such as basil, parsley and dill. It will provide nutrients and aerate the soil a bit too.

Next, hubby finally finished building ‘Orthanc’ ~~ our little sheep play platform ~~ which the lambs are particularly enjoying! It’s quite entertaining to watch them frolic in the evenings, or tower over ‘mom’ laying below!

I’d love to add a little ‘dog house’ up top some day, like a little covered bridge…when we’ve accumulated more lumber to salvage/re-purpose?

Hubby also hard-wired the electric fence for the sheep/goats. Yeah! “Look Ma-a-a-a-a-a! No more extension cord!”

…and re-inforced/re-built the rams’ breeding pen(s ) for this Fall…with a real working gate too! Last year we temporarily separated the ram pen ~~ into smaller breeding pens ~~ with a hog panel and T-posts and 2-strands of electric wire between adjoining pens. That’s how we managed our 2 rams. I normally only breed a few ewes. Otherwise you end up with a lot of cute sheep and an overflowing wool room in no time! I like this new pen!

Ram’s can be very destructive (see the corner of the pole barn?)…but, I think this new fencing will hold them? Why is it that the ‘grass’ or perhaps the ewe on the other side of the fence is always ‘more appealing’? Or, we want what we can’t have? Two is better than one? The more the merrier? Crazy rams!

The baby sheep and goats are growing by leaps and bounds! They’re getting fat on grass and ma ma’s milk! I’m sharing goat milk with the kids now and making cheese regularly. Two Alpine bucklings have left the farm, another OBE buckling is sold/reserved. I have another Oberhasli buckling I’d love to sell as a herd sire…somewhere? And, yesterday/Saturday we castrated the two Alpine bucklings (who are now called wethers) – I hope we find them a home where they’ll make a very nice pet or 4H project…rather than meat in someone’s freezer. My sweet little goaties! It’s the part of ‘raising milk goats’ that I do NOT like!

As for my sheepies, two of my ewe lambs are reserved/sold, but won’t leave the farm ’til they’re at least eight weeks old. I have another black ewe lamb for sale; I’m evaluating the two ram lambs and considering selling perhaps a black yearling ewe? I’d like to keep ’em all, but hubby gives me the eeeee-vil eye every time I’m hugging & playing with the little wooly fur balls…UGH!

I’ve been doing a few ‘projects’ too, but I’ll save that for another post!

Happy Day! ♥