Garden Bits

These photos were taken last week. Things have grown up a bit since then.

Clancy picked the rhubarb last night. Our friend, Gail, gave us our first three plants. Our friends, Rick & Sue, gave us our other three. Thank you, thank you to them. We love rhubarb so much. All the plants are doing well except one of the originals...ants have decided to build a hill under and around it. Any suggestions about how to get rid of them without damaging the plant?

Clancy's potato patch is filling out. I tucked a few odd tomatoes and basil in the open end. The peonies were just starting to bloom then, and the chives were about finished. I need to deadhead everything today.

Clancy also has a little melon and radish patch going behind the garage. He served us the first little radishes last night. They were mild from all the rains we've had.

My gardening efforts include several transplanted peppers, herbs, and tomatoes that I put in pots full of our composted hay and sheep manure. I'll try to post a picture of them soon.

Another Porcupine for Grubby

I've lost track of how many she's already had this spring...I held her, Clancy pulled.

Plied with globs of ground beef...it only took a few minutes.

Pasture Rotation

June has been a wet month. The pastures have flourished. Photos of our pasture rotation look quite dramatic at this point in the year.

This photo shows an area in the foreground that was just grazed and mowed. To the right is grass that has about a week of growth. To the left is grass that has been un-grazed for a few weeks.

We mow a line to set the fence.

In the foreground the sheep are fenced in an area that hasn't been grazed since early May. The background is area they have recently visited.

Eight Week Scurs

Technically, Beck and Tecwyn were only 7+ weeks when these photos were taken. Clennam was a full 8 weeks, though.

Tecwyn (black katmoget) has the longest scurs of the bunch. They are quite thin and wiggly. If I had horned ram lambs around, I'm sure he would have broken a scur already. But it is amazing how little the polled/scurred boys fight. Fine by me.

Beck (moorit katmoget) has shorter scurs. They are also wiggly.

These two ram lambs have exceeded my expectations. Tecwyn is the silkiest, softest lamb I've ever had here. I'm even toying with the idea of working him into my breeding plans. It's just that I don't know what his scurs will be like...I don't know if I want to use a ram with scurs...I already have Courante...we'll just have to see. Except for the questionable scur growth, I am very taken with Tecwyn.

Clennam's (grey) scurs look pretty big in these photos, mostly because one can't see his whole body at the same time. He has the smallest scurs of the bunch, though. One broke off and is less pointy than the other. The pointy part is actually bendable like fingernail material.

I am also considering keeping and using Clennam. The dilemma is that I already have 4 of his full blood sisters in my small flock. I'm not sure I have a place for him. Another wait and see situation...

Reflection Forward

There are some hard things about farming: Rain on rows of cut hay. Weak lambs. Dry summers. Rams that kill each other. A ewe getting old...

Being philosophical about it, I suppose everyone handles these things differently: impatience, acceptance, additional effort, cut your losses, expand the pastures, research minerals, use a shot, buy hay, hire some labor, do it yourself, pay the vet, don't call the vet, hope and wait, reduce the flock, swear...pray.......

Rachel, my first ewe, is getting old. I even refer to her as Old Rachel now. And even though she has been in retirement for the past two years, she is looking rough. She is built like a Holstein as it is, but she was so scrawny this spring at shearing time it was hard to even look at her. And that was after a winter of good alfalfa hay and a concerted provision of grains. Even this summer, with excellent clover and grass up to her eyeballs, she just isn't bouncing back like she should. She has slowed down. She's getting old.Clancy and I were going to put her down after shearing this spring. Some how, neither of us had the heart to get around to it. For now, the flock is small and the grass is abundant. We've decided she isn't in the way, or coming to any harm by enjoying the summer. But we will probably put her down before it's time to feed hay. Lots of logical reasons to do so...but mainly because our methods here, even our extra efforts, are no longer pulling her through. Yes, more could be done for her. But no, we are not going to do it. That is our decision. It hasn't been fun to come to terms with this, but I'm strangely at peace with it now that it has been decided.I'm just trying to enjoy this time with her. She will always be the girl that taught me everything.

Lush

The sun peeked out the other day. For just a few minutes the lake reflected the blue sky. Then it clouded up again and poured. Nature is just lush with all the rain we've had.

The peonies have been waiting to bloom. Finally, with those few hours of sunlight, a few of them popped out. They smell beautiful. I brought a few into the house and every once in a while I put my whole face into one and inhale deeply. They are so soft, as well as fragrant. The Showy Lady Slippers decided to bloom as well. Another gorgeous June flower...

Welcome Home! (Belated)

God brought my sister's husband home from El Salvador on May 28. Life has a way of sweeping time away, I guess. I meant to post this so much sooner. For those who are not familiar with my family's tale concerning Elmer, Selena, and their young son, you can learn a few more details by visiting here.

It was a miracle how things worked out. And even though Elmer was in El Salvador for 18 months, much precious goodness came from it all...both down there and up here. Thank you to everyone who prayed for Elmer and Selena during this time. It was a huge test of faith for our whole family...but truly, God was with us through it all and taking care of everything.

Glory be to God!