Brrrr it's cold out there.  14 degrees last I checked.  I am staying home this morning.  And, to that end, I started cleaning. In the dark.  Yep, I have to just do it when it strikes me.  So, I started in the living room and did the dusting, vacuuming and cob web removal.  There has been an increase in cobwebs here.  I have no idea why.. But all gone now.. Then I went into the kitchen, vacuumed that floor and mopped it, and half way through my sponge mop promptly fell apart.  I think I would like to get one of those steam mops.. I think with dogs, it makes sense... I also washed walls... So, it's a bit better now.   I have some furniture to get rid of, as I don't need or like some of it.  I am a minimalist, sort of by necessity.  I can't afford a couch, and I am afraid to get a used one for fear of bugs or other grossness.  So, my tiny house looks big ;)


I had some pie last night, with my mint chip ice cream, which was great.  I was beat yesterday, not sure why.

Now I have today and tomorrow off, and will continue the cleaning, and I may hit Tractor Supply to get some work jeans.  The only jeans I can find in malls or department stores are stretch jeans, and they do NOT go well with being outside in freezing weather.  So, have to get some some where... Maybe I need  trip to LL Bean in Albany..

I worked the dogs yesterday, and not sure I will today.  I have run out of ways to keep it interesting... I surely wish I had more land and more sheep... Oh well.  It's also a bit chilly.. so I guess we will all survive.

I hope you are all having a great weekend!

Happy happy happy

I hope you all had a nice, calm, Thanksgiving.  Mine was good.  I have always worked on Thanksgiving, well, since I was able to have a job, but we normally eat around 6:00 pm, so my work did not interfere with that.  This year was no different.  I worked, and then headed up to the farm to feed the sheep and walk the dogs, and then home for a bit, and then back up to enjoy the feast.  The food was great as always.  It is amazing how I do the same things as my mother.  I think we were both sort of taken aback by me knowing what she wanted, what was next and just handling things.   She still does not trust me to carve the Turkey, but I suspect she will soon enough.

We had a full house.  Ten of us in the dining room and several more in the kitchen.  The food was great, and this year, the apple pie was a real stand out.  The apples were just great- sweet, but crisp- hard combination to come by.  I did not over eat, which was good.  But, I will go back today for more pie!  I do love apple and pumpkin pie!

I got home and hit the hay, as it was a long day.  I am working again today.  But, dogs need to be worked, so am going to handle that.  I also want to get started on figuring out what I need to make new gates in the barn since the sheep desire to wreck the metal ones that are up there with staples.. They are very un-grateful...

We are getting into winter now, so I hope that we can all find ways every day to enjoy it.. and when the solstice comes... the days get longer!!!!

Oh, my friend Charlie had a calf born yesterday, so you know where I am going today!  I love calves!!

Oh, I have a pig story to share, if you want to hear it let me know.. :)

The cold and wind are here.  I got the de-icer out and into the tank yesterday, so I have to get it plugged in today.  I may, depending on the storm that is coming on Weds, allow sheep into the barn, but honestly, I doubt they will hang out in it; they prefer being outside pretty much no matter what- except for freezing rain..

I have decided this morning is a French Toast morning.. Hungry, as I ate dinner early.  Started a new book last night, an easy "Murder She Wrote" mystery.  I love mysteries.  There are some new ones coming out by my favorite authors, so in the next month I hope to get them.  I sleep a lot better when I read before going to sleep.

I better start thinking about breakfast- think I will make a slice for the dogs to share, without the syrup :)

Today I put up a wall.. In the barn where the sheep shelter from bad weather, There is a section where a ramp comes down from the carriage house above.  This is how they did a lot of delivering of goods/animals etc.  Well, since the floor is installed up there, all this is is a big cavern.  Previously I just had some sheets of plywood up, but it looked horrible, and if the cement blocks holding it in place got moved, the lambs like to try to go back there.  This job I was not sure I could do myself, but after thinking about it, It was just not hard at all.  I won't go into the details, except for one- that I got the wood- rough cut pine- from a saw mill up the road.  The best find ever!  9 boards 10 ft by 6 ft, $42.00 for all!  Anyway, got this up and now no more lamb wandering, and this is high, like five feet, as these ARE Border Cheviots!  I am so pleased to have gotten this done.

The WALL

 After I did the wall, I worked Dan and Joe, and then walked them.  Joe likes to pick up wood on our walk.  He's a happy guy!

Joe bringing in Fire wood (lol)

This piglet was dumped in a cat carrier earlier in the week.  Animal control called my friend who picked her up and has found her a home (she will go tomorrow) at a farmer and she will be a future momma :)

Rescue Piglet

Got home and made left over steak, then fed the dogs some with their meals.  They *love* their Sirloin steak..  Now I am just going to relax.. I am beat.  A good beat.

The dirty butt ewe lamb is better now.  Don't know if it was worms or it was the hay being a bit rich- these lambs have not had alfalfa hay, for the most part.  At first they just did not want the hay, but now they all dig in.  Some bales are quite stemmy, but some are also just what I wanted, which is grass/alfalfa and soft.

Worked the dogs just a little bit yesterday, as it was quite warm out.  And I have decided I work them too much on training things, so want to pull back on that. 

Walked them and then back to the house.  Have more cleaning to do today, but all in all not a bad week so far ;)

Looking forward to the weekend already.  I had to work on Sunday, and that messes up my rest a whole lot.  A bit sore in the upper back now...

Well, hope your week is going well, and we need to keep enjoying the fact that it is not horribly cold!

Oh No she isn't!?????

Someone just wrote that someone is getting another Border Collie?  PPPPLLLEEEAASSEE tell me this is not true.. PLEASE TELL ME.

Have to keep an eye on things

The day before yesterday when I brought the sheep into the barn, I smelled an acrid, sour smell. Experience has taught me that I need to look around for loose droppings.  Saw none.  But made a mental note to be on alert.  Yesterday when I brought them all  back into the barn for sorting, I see one of my lambs has a dirty butt- that is scientific talk for diarrhea ;)  I had been thinking to worm the lambs, so I wormed all the lambs and a couple adults.  I still have one ewe who is bloaty and I just don't know why.  I am going to bring some sodium bi-carb and leave it out, and see if that makes things better.  She's healthy otherwise, but looks big all the time.

Sheep take looking after, they certainly do. Even with everything going swell, things can go kerfluey.  Every time I feed them I spend several minutes taking stock of everyone.  If someone seems not so hungry I take a closer look the next time.  Trick with livestock is, to catch whatever it may be early.  That's basically it.

Meow and the Robe

Here is a vid I shot yesterday.  Meow had pushed himself under my robe and commenced being himself.  He's just a great cat with so much purrrsonality ;)  You can probably just make out the purring over Judge Judy and the annoying plaintiff ;)  If you want to give a kitty something they will love, get them chenille... it is heaven on earth to kitties!

Got the fall pick up outside done yesterday.  I should have picked up those hoses sooner;  was 44 degrees F out and one hose was not happy to be wound up, so I had to lay it in the barn.. Got the e-net rolled up and stored, along with the charger, and electrical cords.  Did not get the lumber, but may not have to buy some; there may be some laying around.. It's all about saving the money- but will get it done.

Today I will go through the fleece I have and see what's what. 

The ewe who I thought was ill looked absolutely fine yesterday.  I will give her one more dose of LA200, but I think she's okay.  

Had some amazing apple crisp yesterday.. AMAZING it was!!  I ate way too much.  But so worth it.

Today is more work at the farm, work the dogs and not sure what else!  Going to be chilly.  Later this week I hear it will be very cold.  Better get more oil delivered.

Today the plan is to pick up all the electro-net and put away the charger, cords, etc. Also, to go get some lumber to build a permanent wall in the barn.   It was darn chilly last night.  Slept very well, owing to having had a scrumptious meal of sirloin steak, potato, and green beans, and all of turning out just great.

I may have a sick sheep.  I brought them all in to the barn for sorting, and heard one ewe breathing HARD.  Not fast, but labored.  I sat for a bit and looked at her. I found a bit of dried mucous on her nose.  Some of the hay is dusty as my brother swept out the barn AFTER I got my hay..I hope she did not inhale too much dust and get a mechanical pneumonia.  I called my vet friend and he suggested what to treat with, the dose (Pen) and I also wormed her.  She seems fine, was chewing cud when I let them out of barn later, and she was pushing others away from her hay after I fed them.  Thankfully my vet friend lives nearby and if need be, he will come by with meds if I need them.  I *really* don't like it when any of my animals is off, or sick.  Let's hope if was nothing and if it was, I caught it very early.

Dogs and cat are good.  I have been working the boys regularly and it shows.  Great dogs, both of them.  The Kelpies are good.  I put all the dogs on a new food, it's a brand called "Nutrisource"; grain free chicken.  The dogs LOVE It.  It is more fat and protein than the Taste of the Wild, and the fat is much better in terms out how my dogs look; their coats are amazing, and I do not have to add oil anymore. Very happy about that.

I am organizing a sheepdog trial next year in Sept.  This will be at John's farm in his back field, using his sheep.  The field is quite large.  The judge is coming in from Scotland.  All of this is very exciting..  There will be a lot to do, but since it is just open and nursery, the worries over dogs on tough sheep are a bit less.

Other than that life goes on.  Hope all is well with you all!  I am going to grab some fleece and put in small bags and set up to send out.  Will pick the best.  Have some nice colored fleece and some white.

Here it is November :)  Moving right along.  Sheep are all bred, I believe, one was not marked, but she may have been bred before I put the raddle marker on the ram.  He's been doing his job, and the two ewe lambs he did produce are very nice.  The older one is just well, I love her- built like a fire plug.  The second one is out of my home bred ewe lamb from my last ram who I really was not that fond of, so this lamb is built a bit lighter, but she's not bad.

I have a lot of things to get done at the barn.. one of these days... My motivation is not really in play lately.  

I bleached the whole bathroom yesterday, there is a cleaner I use which is amazing and makes everything shine, and you feel confident you have disinfected everything well.  Happy about that.

Made some amazing spare ribs yesterday. Never had luck with pork, but I turned the oven down and went low and slow and well, they were amazing... I used Masterpiece honey barbecue sauce- MMMMM.  It was a great meal.

Today I have to work the dogs, as they have had a couple days off.