Good day Bad day

Saturday was a good day, all the stock was doing well and got fed before going to Peachtree handspinner's meeting. What a crowd and a great group of people, all kinds, all ages, handspinning is no longer a dyeing art. It does your heart good to see new people, especially young people taking on the art. Keeping you hands busy will keep your mind happy. Sunday was the bad day, awoke with a terrible pain in my head, got up, made breakfast, and before I could eat my buttered buscuit, I was sick. I am never sick. Fed the goats at the home pastures and went to the house. Was between the bed and bathroom all day. Just before dark I felt better and was able to feed the rest of the flock. Tryed to make Tanner wait until morning to milk her, but she was tight and screaming. If you have a milking animal forget about being sick or going anywhere, it has to be done.

Sheep sleep

Favorite bedding ground

Friday morning I found the sheep bedded down under the old oak that got killed by lightening a couple of months ago. It is their favorite place to be on the whole place, glad they had gone to the barn when the storm came in. The tree will provide for us again this winter when we cut it down and burn it in the wood stove.  Spent the rest of the afternoon carding roving for the handspinner's meeting tomorrow. Ran the white first then natural color and onto green and brown mixes. I never know what will be popular with the handspinners but I need a change from red,blue and purple.

Great Finds

Today was  a beautiful fall feeling day. Friends Meredith and Lynda came up to visit and shop. The back of their jeep is loaded with great finds. They made a stop at an estate sale along the way and found some neat treasures, going through the stash was almost as fun as being there. Then on to my farm for fiber shopping and a bundle of fresh picked cotton and some artemisia. The rest of the day flew by as I picked most of the fibers I have been dyeing the last two weeks, tomorrow the carding will begin.

Cormo-BFL ewes

These Cormo-BFL ewes are better, last week they would graze while laying down, a sure sign of being hot. It was just too hot to try to shear them, as that would stress them more, I'm sure as soon as I shear them we will have a cold rain blow in. But sheep in good condition can handle that better than the heat.

Cocoa

Cocoa coming in for a drink and a scratch under the chin. The darker animals definitely get hotter than the white and lighter colored ones, you can feel the heat on their wool, and they are always panting.

Sheep Siteing

The sheep are up and can be seen grazing around different pastures, sometimes even in the daytime. I'm sure they are enjoying the cooler weather as much as me. The pasture grass is not the best tasting, after all the heat and drought, but they are getting free choice hay if they want it. They still prefer to pick at any grass they can find. The goats are eating a lot of hay, they need more roughage than the sheep, and are not as fond of grazing as the sheep, they are deer-like and prefer browse. Have several dye lots dry and ready to pick and card, hope the weather is cool tomorrow.

Cotton popping

It's been extremely hot and dry here this summer, rain is falling all around us, but not here, making the temperature even higher. I lay in the bed last night reading when I heard the thunder roaring in the distance, got up to go down and check on the goaties in my night gown, by the time I got the barns open it was pouring, hard, I got soaked, I'm okay with that,it felt good. Had to drag Petunia, bottle brat, to her portable shelter, she was getting soaked also. Checked the rain gage this morning, we had almost 3", and it is raining today. The rain won't help the cotton or corn, but will help make the late soybeans and my pasture turned green over night, but it is late in the year, plants are beginning to slow down and store energy for the winter.

A week's worth of washing and dyeing

Spent this week's afternoons skirting, washing, and dyeing. I presoak the small fleeces in buckets of water for a few hours,while waiting for their turn to get spun out in the washer. Still finding some nice fleeces and a silkie soft black kid mohair. Next week I will start picking, blending and carding. Still have a mountain of fiber to tackle, and need to start shearing soon.

Over-dye job

I love the over-dye job of the hidden treasures I found under the pile of wool, much softer and subtle, can't wait to blend and card it.

Cormo-BFL

There are 2 small pots of Cormo-BFL, that I like to use for wet felting.

A SAFF best seller

I always sell out of these long green locks at SAFF. I am told they are perfect for needle felting mermaids, dragons, and other creations of that nature.

Fallish locks

I like this soft fallish colorway. These are short locks from Pandora, because she got hot in June and got an extra shearing, but could be blended with other fiber or great for felting.

And my favorite is

Pink eye purple hull peas with mashed potatoes, fried okra and tomatoes all from the garden for tonight's supper.

Spreading fertilizer

Alex shoveled out the old lambing barn this morning while I fed the goats. We loaded up the bags on the trailer hitched to the gator and made it up to the back goat pasture. I am trying to get grass or any vegetation to grow on the hillside. Even if I could afford to buy fertilizer there is no way a truck could get in there, very narrow and steep. I prefer manure over man made fertilizer, and it is made right here every minute of everyday. Plus, it will make your poor ground very rich. Then there is the health benefit of shoveling and spreading, by the time we get all the barns clean  we should live to be 120. The Pennelope poo is my favorite, easier to handle, I need a nice mannered mini horse for every pasture. Horses do not share the same parasites as sheep and goats so she helps clean pastures by grazing behind them. The chickens help to, scattering and picking through all the nuggets. So it is a circle, sheep and goats drop manure, grass grows, sheep and goats eat grass turning it into milk,meat and fiber. I can't take credit for it but what a good idea.

Pennelope poo

Goat mountain

Another treasure

Found another hidden treasure, Gwynneth Paltro's wether, full Cotswold, but looks like kid mohair. A fleece from 2005,  very clean and washed up real nice. The good thing about a farm product like wool and mohair is it will last forever if you keep the bugs out of it. There was also a BFL fleece from Blue, my ram, from the same year, that is so crimpy, not as clean, but beautiful. My goal is to go through all the fleeces in the garage and get them processed, in some stage, before the next shearing, which will not be long. Last Friday was so miserable some of the sheep are heat stressed, not moving around much. I am keeping a close eye on them and hope we can make it until it cools down.

Sunday morning walk in the woods

I've been so busy the last few days I decided to take a short walk in the woods of the sheep pasture, Tanner the milk goat tagged along. If I don't stop and take a break or do something just on purpose time will pass me by and all I have done is work, but most of my work is a labor of love, especially when the weather is right. Some of the trees are loosing their leaves and were floating in the slight breeze. Some trees already had a carpet of yellow leaves. My happiest time is spent in the woods.

Sunday morning walk in the woods

Sunday morning walk in the woods

Sunday morning walk in the woods

I give up

I give up, not waiting for the weather to cool down, worked in the heat all day , can't wait any longer. I have so much to do outside, skirting, washing, dyeing, picking, carding, shows coming up soon and I'm not ready. It's excellent drying weather. Picked tons of grapes before starting on fiber, got fiber ready to wash, fiber washing, fiber drying and fiber to spin at night. Get out of my way.

Found treasure

I never find any money that I have hidden, you have to have some to hide first, but the last two times I have done any cleaning, actually I was searching for a certain fleece, I found some hidden treasure. To a fiberholic treasure means fiber, this time it was roving and bits of washed fleece, wool and mohair I had put back for me, and forgot about it. Some very nice fibers. They are all in the washing tub and will go to a dye pot, then be blended in to a wool-mohair roving. I have just the right color way in mind to pull it all together, most of the time it works, if not I will go to plan B.

Happy trails Jetta

Jetta was a small,sweet and kind angora doe. About 5 years ago I found her in the woods by herself, she was lost. I took her to the barn and fed her, she seemed perfectly fine. The next day she was lost again. No other symptoms. I assumed she had white tail deer parasite, the deer drop a parasite, when the goats graze they pick it up, it goes directly to the brain or spinal cord, it damages them quickly, most of the time paralyzing the goat, or brain damage. If treated quickly the damage will be minor and the goat will live many years, if not treated they will slowly be totally paralized, but will live as long as they are taken care of by the shepherd. Jetta was fine after her first initial treatment and I returned her to her flock 2 weeks later. She was able to be a normal goat, except, every now and again she had a small seizure. This morning she had the grand mall seizure and it was her time to go, her body was so healthy but her neurological system was shot, she couldn't stop seizing and was grinding her teeth so hard I thought they would break. I had to put her down. Never an easy task, but the responsibility of every breeder. I am with them when they are bred, I am with them when they are born, I care for them everday and I am with them at the end. Happy trails Jetta.

Coming home

Brought the 31 does home from the mother-in-law farm last week. There is just not enough trees for shade and everyone tries to crowd in the shelter. I  backed the trailer up to the gate and all but 8 jumped on, Dollie the Pyrenees jumped in also, they were ready to go home. Tiny Dancer and Delilah, former bottle brats were smiling. Their new pasture has plenty of shade trees but not as much grazing, but with the rise in temperature the last few days I'm glad they are here. The m-i-l pasture is on a busy road, the sheep and goats are always nervous and excited, when they return to the home pastures they quiet down and relax, not only is it home, it is serene. Dollie had some adjusting to do, she prefers to work by herself instead of with the other dogs, but so far things are working out for her.

Three little kittens

Three of the six kittens born in May. These kittens have had quite the life. Mother Barnie still nurses them and brings treats when she is successful with the hunt. They have a big barn to play in and are very secure as long as they stay in the pasture and away from Half Pint. Half Pint is all Jack Russell Terror( not mispelled), and will kill a cat every chance she gets. It's her duty to patrol the yard and kill anything that enters her property. The least bump on the door or wall in the middle of the night will send her running down the hall, balistic. 16 pounds of Holy Terror.

Decisions

Decided to go ahead and skirt some of the nice adult fleeces for washing. One thing this hot weather is good for is drying wool and mohair. I have been looking at KeeKee's fleece for quite awhile, I love the color and softness.  She had this fleece on when we went to the National Colored Angora Goat Show in Rhinebeck, quite a haul for us, but all the goats made it fine, even though it rained on us all the way in . With her previous fleece I spun thick curly yarn and knitted a huge triangle shaw. I wanted to keep it for my own, but it was so beautiful it sold quickly. So her fleece is in the fourth stage of processing, first was growing,( it has to be a good sound fleece to go any further), then shearing, next skirting, now washing.

Fan hog

Can't see it but the big barn fan is behind that blue gate. Pennelope backs her big butt up to all the goats and sheep when she wants to be cool, they run. The heat doesn't even bother her, but she likes that air blowing in her hair. This mini horse is loaded with personality, it was good karma that brought her here, and me going all over GA and SC looking for her. She was a hidden treasure waiting to be found. She had another name, can't remember what it was, but she was not happy with her previous life, never handled, no grazing, bad hay, no barn, no spoiling, no catching me. Now she runs her own ranch and life is grand for Pennelope.

Hen and kitties

These kittens are getting so playful and try their best to catch the hens, of course they are just practicing for all the mice catching they will do this winter to earn their keep. How hot is it? It is so hot the hens are walking aound the pasture with their wings spread out. The pullets are in full laying mode, the older hens are slowing down for the molt, so I am getting plenty of eggs, just mostly small ones.

Stevia

I grew a few Stevia plants in the garden this year, one of the few plants that loves heat and full sun. They are drying on the screens then will be stored in jars. The leaves are very sweet and contain no calories and do not spike your blood sugar like corn syrup. Grown and used mostly in South America. What a good idea.

Wag in the shade

I think today may have been the hottest day we've had, everyone sure was panting, even Wag was hot in the shade. Refilled all the water tanks with cool water around 6PM, just before everyone started moving about. Visitors drop by here in the middle of the day and ask where are all your sheep, well, they are smart enough to graze at night and find the coolest spot on the farm during the heat of the day, then as the day starts to cool down, you will find them going to the water tanks then back out to graze. Sheep aren't really hanging around waiting for visitors, they have grazing to do.

Tanner

When I went out yesterday afternoon Tanner was in the back yard grazing, she had let herself out of her barn. She has come to the back door many times, looking for me, jumping up to look through the window and screaming for me. Dairy goats are nothing like angoras. Very vocal about what is going on and everytime they hear the back door open it gets started. They are climbers, can never leave a bucket of grain sitting on the barn ledge or fence post without it being knocked over. And they are bossy, it's all about me, me, me. Sort of like a Barbie doll, they eat huge amounts of feed and stay rail thin and big busted. If there were mirrors hanging in the barn, they would all be standing in front of them.

cloudy today

Cloudy most of the day and a little cooler. The sheep were at their barn early this morning waiting for the small bite of grain they get, just enough to get a head count and make sure everyone is okay. They really enjoyed the cool breeze blowing through the trees. I know they are looking forwad to fall as much as I am. They too spend a lot of grazing time under the wild cherry trees waiting for windfalls. The wool on the Cormo yearlings  seems  long and heavy, very fast growing since shearing in April. I wonder if they are preparing for a cold winter.

More fruit of the vine, er bush

Elderberries are ready to pick and lots of them. I'll blend the juice with other wild fruit , blackberry and muscadine to make jelly this fall when the muscies are ripe. This was the year of the berry, all the wild fruit vines have been overloaded. And the Japenese beetles have not been that bad, just lots of briers and chiggers. There maybe enough fruit this year to make wine, I haven't made it in years. Most of the time my recipe makes wine and sometimes it turns to the best vinegar you ever tasted, maybe I'll make wild berry vinegar and forget the wine. I have options.