Farming in the shade

Apparently, things are tough for farmers all over. Check out this song recorded by British pork producers.

We do not do the shearing ourselves--we hire a 19-year-old with a good back. He's paying his way through college. He earns every bit of the money we pay him. Anyone who says kids today don't know how to work has not watched this guy in action. No, it does not hurt the sheep. It's like your son getting a buzz-cut in the summer. Closely cropped. Once in a great while, one will get a nick (like when you're shaving). But if anyone tells you that shearing sheep is cruel and inhumane, they are wrong. Here's one, freshly-shorn. The bluish green crayon mark on her head means she has been vaccinated for tetanus. This happens pre-lambing so that the ewe and the lamb(s) both get the benefit from the vaccine. This is my job--spreading out the fleece (which comes off all in one piece and stays together if I'm careful) on a wire table, dirty side up. I talked to the kids (when they turned up their noses at how dirty the wool was) about what would happen if they wore the same...

"He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth." --Zechariah 9:10b

Whew! Where has the week gone? I'll tell you where... We've been preparing for tomorrow's Shearing Day (Sat. Feb. 23, 9 am - noon). If you're close enough to us to visit, feel free to stop out tomorrow morning at the farm. We will have our favorite award-winning shearer wrestling 80 polypay ewes one at a time. I will be skirting the fleece (a nicer term than "picking the manure and hay bits out of the wool"). The Farmer and Co. will be sorting sheep and vaccinating them. We have our little shop set up with wool goods for sale and educational displays. A couple of spinners will be demonstrating, and maybe a weaver and a sock-knitter. We'll hold a couple of prize drawings to add to the fun. Dress warmly and in old clothes. We shear in a barn!

Please do not read any further if you do not understand fiber or hobby-type addictions. You don't want to know, and I don't want to hear your response. Come back tomorrow and I'll post about some cute lambs. Now, for the rest of you... Yesterday late morning I got an email from a friend who is a matchmaker extraordinaire. I had mentioned once in passing that we were interested in circular sock knitting machines. She knew of someone who wanted to get rid of one, this weekend, due to financial hardship. We contacted the person, plugged the address in mapquest, checked the ewes one last time, and were on our way. This is an Auto Knitter brand hand-cranked circular sock knitting machine. We know almost nothing about them, but a great how-to video was included with all the goodies. It works using the same concept as the small spool-knitters many of us played with as children (4 nails pounded into the top of a wooden spool). But with a crank. The Farmer (who is endlessly amused w...

Today I went sledding with the kids in my free time. I did NOT take these photos today. I took them on Snow Day # 2 (we're up to Snow Day # 5 or 6). I was out and about early that day, and it was such a gorgeous morning that I quickly got the camera. While I was appreciating the view through the camera lens, The Farmer was busy clearing the driveway. Ususally, he uses the large tractor for this cold job. But it was broken that day (PTO shaft troubles, for those of you who want the details). So he used one of the smaller tractors, and bundled up. Mornings like this are Reason #579 why I'm glad I live at Shady Side Farm.

We still have a few fluffies falling today, but the wind has died down considerably, and the temps are climbing from the low of 1 degree F yesterday. Life is good.

Sunday, 7:00 a.m. Sunday, 9:00 a.m. Sunday, 11:00 a.m. Sunday, 1:00 p.m. Sunday, 3:00 p.m., improving somewhat... Sunday, 5:00 p.m. This'll probably be the last photo, as it's beginning to get dark. Still blowing hard--fortunately it doesn't seem to be snowing quite as hard as it was earlier. Thank the Lord for heat and electricity...

I don't get out much. And my pedometer reflects that. This week, I decided that 10,000 steps in a day is a bit too lofty a goal for a winter-bound homemaker. So I'm aiming for 5,000 steps a day--and I've got a little chart that I check off when I actually do it. What can I say? Some people work for gold stars... Today it actually got to be above freezing here. Too warm for cross country skiing. So I took a walk. On top of the snow. I like my new snowshoes! Here's our fencerow, looking north. See the nice clouds? Cold front coming through tonight. They predict wind chills well below 0 degrees F tonight and tomorrow. Here's a shot looking northwest. We put up the grain "leg" when we moved here. As with almost all of our stuff, it was purchased used, refabbed, and given new life here. See the nice new green paint job on the pole barn? The Farmer's parents did that in the summer of 2006. And here's why, when you ask, I'll tell you I like snow. Seem...

Today we received a small shipment of baby chickens. Why they had to send the little peepers on a full-sized semi during yet another nasty winter storm, I will never know. Here is a photo of the truck trying to maneuver his way between two very close buildings on a curvy driveway. He was empty, and couldn't get going on the ice. He was desperate to get out of here, as the weather was worsening, and he had a long haul ahead of him. The Farmer hooked the large tractor to the front end of the semi and pulled enough to get him going. But everytime they stopped to unhook the strap, the semi would be unable to start up again. Rehook. Pull some more. Rehook. Pull some more. The Farmer ended up pulling him all the way out the driveway and down the road a piece. (I'm really not from the South--I just like how "down the road a piece" sounds.) Here they are unhooking for the final time, 30-45 minutes after the initial spinning of tires. Global warming, my foot.

We checked the sheep right after lunch and it looked like nothing was happening. Road trip! Time to go pick up our felt! Suzanne Pufpaff runs a small fiber mill and specializes in making felt. She helped to design this felting machine. More info and better photos are available at her website. Check it out! Anyway, we had asked her to make some felt yardage out of some of our Polypay wool. When we picked it up today, we got a mini-demonstration. Here she is loading the machine with combed batts, encased in a net bag and then wrapped in a sheet. The Farmer had to get involved. Anything with moving parts... Here is the finished product. Now the fun begins for us!

Last night about 9 o'clock, The Farmer went out to check on the sheep. He found 2 little ram lambs. Their mom is Diamond, beloved sheepy of our daughter. They are doing well. Diamond is a good mama. We like to see the ewes a bit crabby. A crabby mom is a good mom. It means they are interested, care about their lambs, and will protect them. So if the ewe stomps her feet at you, you know those babies have a fighting chance. You can probably draw some parallels between sheep moms and human moms here. I will let you ruminate on it yourself. :)