It's been a blank

(busy, busy)

 My mind has been sort of like this _____________.  Nothing going on in there, but trying to keep us all as cool as possible.  (not much blogging material there)  It's been twice daily hosing off for the alpacas and I don't mind if I get wet while doing it!  It's been one of the few times I've wished for a swimming pool here at the farm, so I could jump in and duck under water to cool the heat waves rolling off my head!  (In my past life, we had a pool and it was wonderful while my boys were growing up.  It's the best, healthy summer entertainment for a houseful of boys and their friends.  The downside is that pools require maintenance and who needs more maintaining on the to-do list?)  We had a big thunderstorm last evening and it's a little more bearable so far today.  We got an inch or so of much needed rain during the storm.  Maybe it's just wishful thinking, but the pastures seem greener already.

 I'm still spinning for the Tour de Fleece and am still behind.  I'm trying to keep from getting so discouraged that I drop out.  It's always a plus to get to spin a little every day, right?  Often, I put rules on myself about getting this or that done before I'm allowed to sit down at my wheel.  I'm sure you know the mindset.  The problem is that on a farm, things are never "done".  The list stretches off to the horizon.  So, the Tour de Fleece is a good way to give myself permission to do something I really enjoy every day.....if only for a few days out of the year!

(at least some of the weeds are green)

 The busiest critters on the farm are the chicks that hatched six weeks ago.  Our laying flock had gotten down to three Buff Orphington's and that's why I bought those eight chicks from the farm supply store back in early spring.  Those girls are getting really big and should start laying in the fall.  Not long after that, I happened upon a website that for someone who raised "Olive-Eggers" and I was intrigued.  They don't sell chicks, but do sell fertilized eggs, so when Mean Girl went broody, I ordered eight eggs (and they sent me twelve!) to put under her.  I had my doubts about the process, but it worked great.  Mean Girl is a great mother.  She hatched out eight chicks and has been very attentive and fiercely protective of them.  She strikes fear in the hen house and none of the other chickens will come near her!   Two weeks ago, I let Mean Girl start bringing the chicks outside during the day and they are such fun to watch while she's teaching them to hunt and scratch around for bugs and seeds.  I'm just hoping there aren't too many roosters in the bunch that will have to be re-homed!  Anyone looking for an "Olive-Egger" rooster?

Chick days

Yes, chick days have arrived here at Tanglewood Farm.  I've been looking forward to getting some new chicks this spring, due to the advanced age of some of our hens and the fact that three of them met an untimely demise recently.  Metzger's is a small country store not too far from the farm (which means less than 50 miles, if you live where I live).  My friend, Lindy, told me she bought some chicks there last spring.  In the past, I've shared an order with a friend and ordered from Murray McMurray because their minimum order is 25 chicks, which is a lot more chickens than I need.  After calling to see what breeds they would have and then doing a little research, I settled on three breeds that I've never had before.  They are all brown egg layers and are purported to be calm, quiet and sturdy breeds.  I ended up with three Speckled Sussex, three Dark Brahmas, and two Silver-laced Wyandottes.  Baby chicks have to be one of the cutest babies on the farm (but, not cuter than lambs, of course).  Though we are having crazy warm weather right now, it would normally still be in the 50's, which is too cold for chicks this young to survive without a mama to shelter them.  So, at this moment they have taken over one side of the big stainless steel sink in the dye room.  It's a well known fact that chickens are not known for their compassion, so acclimating them into the flock will be a little tricky.  Looking at the photos I took this morning, I discovered that some of them are already sporting tiny wing feathers!  When they start flying out of the sink ... well, let's just say I might have to make other arrangements!

So, as I already mentioned, we are having crazy warm weather.  Crazy, like 80's.  In March!  Over the weekend, I mowed the house and studio yards.  The last time I mowed was in December.  Does anyone else see the unfairness in this situation?

No joke ....

You thought I must be joking when I said I had more finished projects, right?  It's for real.  I'm on a roll and hope I can summon the focus to keep going.   I would be completely mortified if anyone knew how many projects I have abandoned so I could cast on for something new.  I'm going to conquer my secret project stash this year ..... or else I'm going to frog a bunch of stuff and quit feeling guilty !

This little hat is knit with Malabrigo Twist and the pattern is one that came free with the yarn at ReBelle in Lexington.  The yarn is so soft and squishy to knit with and I love how the subtle movement of color appears.  It was pure pleasure to knit this.  I think this is another one that will go into the Christmas box.

This one is strictly for me, though I may not get to wear it in this year of no winter.  It's the  'Annabel' sweater designed by Carrie Bostick Hoge.   Lots of people have knit this sweater and you can look at many versions on Ravelry.  I am so loving this sweater.  I want to cast on for another right now,  but I promised myself I would finish up some already on the needles projects before starting another.  This is an easy-peasy pattern.  I spun the yarn from some of my own wool/alpaca blend roving that was prepared by Ohio Valley Natural Fibers,  from last years shearing.  It happens that this sweater is more like a jacket.  It might be a little too heavy to wear indoors for any length of time.  That's a good reason to cast on for another one, in a lighter weight yarn ... right?  I added length to the sleeves,  rather than the 3/4 sleeves the pattern calls for and worked a single crochet edging all around to firm up the edges.  The fact that I am anxious to cast on for another shows how much I like this design.  I highly recommend it.

Wednesday was an unbelievably stormy day here.  Starting around 2:30 am,   we had thunder,  lightning and heavy rain rolling through,  almost hourly.  Luckily,  we were not hit by any tornadoes.  Thursday was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky,  but we've already been warned that today will likely be a repeat of Wednesday.

Happenings in the barn have taken a turn for the better.  Luna seems to be on the mend and we've had no more chicken casualties.  The chicken killer is still out there and ignoring my trap,  so I don't feel confident in saying it's completely over.  

If you're in the Lexington area and looking for something interesting to do this weekend,  Kentucky Crafted:  The Market 2012 is being held downtown in the Civic Center on Saturday and Sunday.  There will be a group of us doing demonstrations and promoting the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival to be held in May.  Take a minute to come by,  introduce yourself and say hi.

In the air

No matter that the calendar still says February.  Spring is most definitely in the air here in central Kentucky.  It's not just a renegade daffodil here and there that's blooming.  There are a host of them up and glowing in the sunshine.  I just keep picking them and bringing them inside to enjoy because the worrier in me is afraid that one morning we'll wake up to all the accumulated winter weather we've missed this year.  Today the sun is shining,  the birds are singing and,  I swear,  the grass is starting to grow.  The best sign of all ?  I heard the peepers last night for the first time !

The bees are getting a treat today... leftover honey frames from last fall.

This stuff is the bane of my existence.  It's all over the garden beds.

It was a rough weekend around here.  Some varmint got into the chicken house and killed two big chickens and partially ate them.  Saturday night,  I set a Hava-heart trap inside the chicken house and left the chickens loose in the barn,  thinking they might have a better chance of escaping the murderer.  One of the banty hens made the mistake of settling into a hay feeder used for the lambing pens and got picked off.  I'm really mad now,  but am at a loss as to how to catch the thing.  I'm thinking it might be a mink or weasel because it seems to be much smarter than the average stray possum we've had to trap.   As if that wasn't enough,  my little Luna has been feeling poorly.  She's had an elevated temperature for several days now.  This morning,  I'm finally seeing some improvement from the antibiotics and Banamine.   In the meantime,   I've allowed her to do something I'm certain I'll regret later.  For a few days the only thing she was really enthusiastic about eating was Aslan's dry dog food and I let her clean up what he left in his bowl.   Aslan and Luna seem to have a special friendship.  If I don't fasten the gate to keep her out of the pen where he is fed,  he will step aside and let her have the whole bowl.  He doesn't let any of the other sheep get away with that.

Here's another sign that spring is in the air.  Poor Junior !  Remember that song from ' Urban Cowboy ' that goes ... " lookin' for love in all the wrong places " ?  ( Yes,  I do know how much I'm dating myself here,  but it is what it is. )  That's what I think of every time I see him showing off for the chickens.  Obviously,  they are not impressed.

Hey,  girls ..... look .. look ... look  at me !

Hey !  Where's everybody going ?

Outside my windows

Yesterday felt like the real beginning of the new year. Mike went back to being a veterinarian (instead of my own personal farm-hand) and I am back to (sort of) being a shepherd. I'm not actually doing much of the feeding chores yet, but hope I will by the end of this week. My stitches come out on Wednesday and I'm hoping for permission from the surgeon to start pulling my weight around here again. (And I wish I had not made that reference to my weight. Oh my! Holiday foods and little to no physical exercise=not good.)

I've spent some time in the studio today, trying to bring about some organization and order. I have way too much paper. There are copies of patterns, articles to read "when I have more time" (and who am I kidding with that?), to-do lists, magazines, inspirational pictures I've saved from magazines, sheep records, financial records. It overwhelms me and I'm having trouble finding a way to get control of it all. When I feel like giving up, I sit down in front of the Vermont Castings, knit for awhile and look out the window at the sheep. The little girls are the most fun because they tend to interact with each other more than the adults do. They are in the pasture right outside the studio and I love watching them, especially when they are unaware of me, though it's difficult to catching them not watching me! (just in case I were thinking of coming out to give them some treats) Even the chickens are out busily scratching around, acting like they are finding real treasures amongst the brownness of our current landscape. The big girls are pretty sedate at this point in the year....resting up for the challenges of lambing, I imagine.

My friend, Lindy, is having a wonderful giveaway on her blog. Be sure to go check it out and leave a comment before it ends tomorrow. I know from personal experience that those socks are just the best for keeping toes toasty and the yarn is gorgeous....just what you need to knit up something special. Think of it as a late Christmas present to yourself!!

One of these things.............

is most definitely not like the others! Remember that Sesame Street song? Having raised three boys in the early Sesame Street days, it is embedded in my brain. Every time I look at my newest Buff Orpington chicks, that song starts playing in my head! I can't take any credit for this mix up (unlike the Frenchie thing). I talked to the man on the phone, he set aside five Buff Orpington chicks and I picked them and brought them home. Honestly, for the first week or so, they did all look alike. Then slowly, but surely, this weird one started showing itself. I have no idea what it is (and I'm just praying it's not a rooster, but, you know, what are the odds?). Anyone else know?

In any case, they went into the pen with the big girls this morning. I think they are old enough to take up for themselves, but will keep a close eye on things to make sure they don't get picked on. Some good news about Frenchie...........she seems to be getting over her fear of the other chickens. I'm hoping she can go back into the flock and into the chicken house real soon. Then it'll be just one big happy chicken family! Right?

Misery loves company

It's still hot here and at this point, our pastures are crunchy. Where the heck is our beautiful autumn weather, is what I want to know? The thermometer outside the studio read 95 degrees at one point yesterday afternoon, though the weatherman said it was only 93 degrees! Same weatherman promises cooler weather on Saturday, but I'm not sure I believe him
.
The ewes have insisted on crowding up under this one little tree in the middle of the pasture for several hours each day. I don't know why they are doing this. There's a line of trees along the fence and they will go there finally, after bunching up out there in misery for a while. I would love to know what in the world they are thinking
.

Frenchie, on the other hand, prefers to spend her afternoons under the forsythia bushes in front of the barn or inside the blackberry vines on the garden fence. That is, unless she sees me out and about. Then she's all about keeping me company in whatever I'm doing, which as long as it is this hot, is mainly just moving from one air conditioned space to the next!! I'm just not sure what I should do about Frenchie. I've been putting her inside the big dog kennel at night for safety and letting her out each morning. As soon as I let the rest of the chickens out, she high-tails it out of the barn and hides in one of her safe places. It might be funny, if it weren't so sad. She lives her life in fear of the rest of the flock. I bought 5 Buff Orphington chicks last week and have vague plans to try bonding her with them, but it sure would be easier for me if I had one flock of chickens instead of two separate ones. Ah, the simple life on the farm!

The flock of choice

Often people refer to a group of sheep as a herd, but technically they are a flock. Frenchie has given up on her flock of birth and has joined the ewe lamb flock, because there are no mean girls there and they don't peck at her. Who said chickens are dumb?

Egg on my face

Well, not only did I make an assumption that was wrong, but I've stuck a poor chicken with an inappropriate name! Yesterday I was reading the Juniper Moon Farm blog and Susie wrote that she had purchased a some new hens, one of which was a Cuckoo Maran.......and there was the picture. Uh oh, doesn't look like Frenchie at all. I checked out a few hatchery websites (Cackle Hatchery and Murray McMurray are the best) and discovered that Frenchie is actually a Silver Laced Wyandotte. The reason I removed Frenchie from the chicken pen was because she was being picked on by a mean girl. Guess what? That mean girl is the Cuckoo Maran! All the catalogs talk about how docile the Cuckoo's are, but this one is so mean, she will draw blood if you try to get an egg out of the nest when she's sitting on it. We've had to develop a technique for saving ourselves from daily injury. I recycle our Greek yogurt containers and use those for feed measurement scoops. Whenever I collect eggs, I hold a yogurt container over her head while I search under her! (no chickens are harmed during this exercise, but if I don't do it right, humans are sure to be!)

(the mean girl!)

Say hello to Frenchie

Frenchie is my new outside working buddy. I've been quite stupidly spending time outside the studio building, planting bushes (stupidly because the heat index several days this week has been over 100 degrees). The bushes have been waiting for several weeks now and are getting root-bound in their pots, so I decided I may as well start sticking them in the ground. (I was hoping some young, strapping lad would show up to do the digging, but, alas, that doesn't seem to be happening.) Anyway..........while I've been digging the holes and soaking the plants in water, Frenchie has been hanging out with me and I like having her around. Last year when I ordered chicks, I got two Cuckoo Marans (they're French--get it?), but this girl is the only one left. (An unfortunate incident with a stray/neighbor's dog caused a four hen reduction in my flock a while back.) Cuckoo Marans lay lovely chocolate brown eggs and are calm, friendly hens. Honestly, I hadn't paid that much attention to Frenchie until a few days ago when I noticed the biggest, most aggressive hen in the flock seemed to be picking on her and that Frenchie was scurrying around and trying to keep a low profile. Now, anytime I'm out working around the barn or the new building, Frenchie is right there with me. Clucking softly and walking around looking for treasures (bugs). She even lets me pick her up and carry her. I think she's decided I'm good for some protection.

The politics of the hen house are a never ending mystery to me. It seems everyone is getting along just great (including the two resident banty roosters), then next thing I know, there's all sorts of squabbling and pecking going on. I was gone from the farm yesterday and left the hens confined to their fenced yard. When I fed this morning, it was clear that Frenchie had experienced a rough day. Today, Frenchie is out and about (after some doctoring to her battle wounds) and the rest are under house arrest.

Further poultry news: Wally has disappeared. I hadn't mentioned it earlier because I was hoping he might show up, but it's been several weeks now and I'm about to give up hope. He was the most personable peafowl we've ever had and I miss him greeting me at the feed bins every morning. Just as so often seems to happen here on the farm, a new addition came along just a few days ago. Mrs. Dandy hatched out one chick earlier this week. I've put the two of them in the big dog kennel and hope that she will be diligent in watching out for it. Every day brings the unexpected around here.