Archive for February, 2009
Feb
2009
Oregon day on the desert
February 23rd, 2009 at 03:15 pm by Shari Thomas in Around the Farm, Chickens, Family Cow, Horses, Sheep, WeatherWow, thought I’d been mysteriously transported back to Oregon. I woke up to a dark, dreary, soggy day on the desert. But I gotta tell you… the air smelled so-o-o-o-o fresh!
As Cindy and I donned our muck boots, hats and coats, went off to feed, it just looked and felt so much like Oregon, where I was raised and lived for over 50 years.
Our livestock aren’t too sure about this rain. The cows are soaking wet, but not minding it. They seem like they’re really getting tired of their mushy pen, though. I try real hard to feed them on the little mound we built.
The sheep have so much wool, they’re clueless. The big thing with them is their last month of pregnancy. I was telling Cindy “lamb watch” begins in about a week.
At first, we’ll be watching for “bagging up”. Some of the older gals should bag up pretty well. The young gals may or may not do the same. Our records indicate the first ewe is due mid-March. Of course, last year, no one was “on time” by my schedule.
I’m just praying we dry out. Right now, the sheep pen is a muddy mess. Even the area we use for lambing is pretty soft. The two things the negatively affect lambing are dampness and wind.
As for the horses, well the other day, they graciously showed me just how they got all that mud on their backs… by rolling in their very sloppy corral!
The new hens have edged their way into the flock. They’re still having discussions with some of the older gals at feeding time, but sharing the nest boxes is no longer an issue. Mom is getting over a dozen eggs a day… Boy is she happy!
I just peeked at the weather forecast and it looks like this weather hangs around for several days. Oh well, if we only have 20 days of the “dark and dreary’s” out of the year, I guess I’ll survive… and know I really live on the desert.
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Feb
2009
More snow… longing for spring
February 17th, 2009 at 09:22 pm by Shari Thomas in Around the Farm, Chickens, WeatherWe went to bed with intermittent power outages, probably from the heavy snow laying branches on wires, or wires just snapping somewhere.
Over night we got three or four inches more of wet, heavy snow, right on top of a two inch layer of mud.
Yeah, it was pretty when we looked out. Feeding this morning was pretty easy as the ground was still frozen, but this evening… it was pretty sloppy, and by tomorrow, we’ll be back in the mud again.
Our little flock of chickens grew as we bought five new pullets from some folks in town. They’re Red Star and have just begun laying. Our old gals weren’t real thrilled with the newcomers, but I’m sure they’ll get over it.
As soon as spring really gets here, we have the lumber ready to double the size of our coop and then order another batch of chicks. Mom’s loving this egg business…
Buy me a beer and I'll write more posts more often.
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Feb
2009
Some dogs just never learn
February 14th, 2009 at 09:24 pm by Shari Thomas in Dogs, Family Cow, Horses, Sheep, WeatherWe’ve had another round of snow, about 3 inches. Not enough to shovel, just enough to make it really white and sparkly.
Our old gal, Mindy has been bugging Cindy and me to take her out with us when we go feed. So, most mornings, about the time she thinks we should be going out, she begins to patrol the hallway, the kitchen, both bedrooms until finally we gather our coats, hats, and gloves.
Each morning, it’s game on!
... the rest of the story...
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Feb
2009
Spring is just around the corner…
February 9th, 2009 at 02:53 pm by Shari Thomas in About Beryl, Around the Farm, Chickens, Family Cow, Horses, Sheep, WeatherOr so we’ve been told.
I don’t know whether Phil saw his shadow or whether that even matters here on the high desert. But, I do know, the weather doesn’t lead me to believe spring is anywhere around the closest corner.
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