I am so sleepy but didn’t want to let the evening go by without telling you what a great, productive weekend we had around the farm. Great weather, good friends and we crossed a lot of important things off the farm to-do list.
On Friday, Dr. Hammond, our vet, made a farm call to take Salina’s cast off. (read about her accident here and see the picture of her in her cast here. When Dr. H. put the cast on her he told me very firmly to make sure we kept it dry, so we have kept Salina in one of the run-in sheds ever since.
In fact, we were so religious about keeping it dry that the vet had a really hard time getting it off! He joked with us that no one ever really keeps it dry.
Dr. Hammond was very happy with the way the leg had healed. That’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that, after palpating Salina’s belly, Dr. H is pretty sure that she isn’t pregnant. To be honest, this isn’t a huge surprise. Salina didn’t breed the first year we had her (which on most farms equals a one-way ticket to the slaughterhouse.) She did breed last year and gave us Truman, the ram lamb that 100,000 people got to watch being born. (at around 3:24 if you haven’t seen it.)
Then she was attacked by a dog in the fall and nearly died. Erin and I nursed her back to health over the winter. So it doesn’t really surprise me that she wasn’t in the mood for love when we put Lincoln in with her in November. But you know what? I really don’t care if she’s bred this year or if she ever breeds again. I really like Salina. She is a sweet ewe and she will have a home on my farm for as long as she lives.
On Saturday we had three friends come to the farm to help us get the nanny goats ready for kidding. Jean and Dan and Linda were such troopers! Erin taught Jean how to pull shots and I showed everyone how to check to see if the nannies milk was coming in (the first sign that labor isn’t far off.) Dan helped Patrick ferry the expectant mamas from the fields at the top of the hill to the small paddock right outside our backdoor. It was a lot of work, but the weather was just so warm and bright and lovely, and the company made even the most tedious tasks seem sort of fun. It was also the first time I enjoyed being outside in ages.
Today was another beautiful day- it got up to 70 degrees in the Hudson Valley! After we finished all our farm chores, Patrick and I staked out our Victory Garden. The layout has changed a bit so I’ll have to start my plan all over again over at growveg.com but I left the potatoes out of the old plan anyway.
One of Patrick’s garden-related tasks this weekend was putting together our new compost tumbler. This is the second one of these we bought and they make compost from poopy hay super quick. Logan gave it a test run before we started filling it.
Patrick and I took in a movie in the afternoon while Erin got the lambcam working! I haven’t been able to embed it on the website yet- I need the tech to walk me through it on the phone tomorrow- but we are very nearly there. Here’s a picture of what the camera itself looks like.
In other news, I signed up for a beekeeping workshop on April 4th! I am so excited about it. I have been wanting bees for a while and there is so much to learn. Maybe next year, every share in our Yarn CSA will come with a jar of honey!
Hope you had a lovely weekend too.
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Where did you get that compost tumbler? Or did you make it, cause it almost looks like two 5 gallon buckets bolted together. I need something like that for my own garden and the commercial ones are freaking expensive!
Hey Mich! They ARE expensive, aren’t they? These are the kind I have. I bought the first one two years ago, and love it because it make the compost quickly. Since we are starting a new garden this year and will need to add lots of soil amendments I ordered a second one. We will also be building this compost bin out of pallets as soon as the Fall 2008 yarn is shipped.
You’re supposition about the construction of the bin is right but it’s more like 2 40 gallon buckets bolted together, with a metal pile through the middle that fits onto a stand that make is (sort of) easy to turn everyday. It also has vents for circulation. We’ve been really happy with the one we have, and I do think it’s faster than a traditional pile.
Well that one is cheaper than some of the other ones I’ve seen. We don’t have much sun in our yard so we can’t really do the traditional compost pile (pallet bin right out sadly). Thanks for the info! good luck with the garden. (I’m totally jealous of your weekend, it’s done nothing but rain and snow here!)
Salina has had such an eventful life this past year I’m not surprised she gave lambing a pass this time, poor thing. I’m glad her leg is doing well.
Here’s another good compost bin:
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/building-compost-bin.aspx
It works great because you can use the pieces to make the pile as tall as you need or make 2-3 shorter ones.
a good productive weekend, and so glad salina healed well, even if she is not preggars! Oh a compost tumbler would be nice, but i did get a tool last month to finally help me with the turning task.
Your farm sounds wonderful. I’ve just found your web site recently and love to check it often. I wish I lived close enough to visit and lend a hand, untrained as I am but interested. I have been interested in all sorts of crafts over the years, and recently I’ve gotten into spinning and knitting. I met a woman at the spinning group who owns Hunter Hill Alpacas here in CT. They are sooo beautiful and I’ve added them to my list of sheep and goats. Do you ever think of adding alpacas to your fiber farm?
I actually started this message to say that I am learning about beekeeping, too! I have joined the BYBA in CT. I plan to set up a hive or two when we move in the near future to our new home in Tennessee. There does seem to be so much to know, but I think some hands-on experience will take care of that. Have fun! I’ll keep checking and compare notes with you!
Congratulations on the new venture! I am one of many backyard beekeepers. I actually took a weekend course at the University of Minnesota & time went by. I almost gave up hope. And then, as will happen, the bees found me. It is a wonderful hobby which I am turning into a honey of a business. Good luck to you! I recommend 3 books, each of which has its own things to teach: Beekeeping for Dummies, Natural Beekeeping (an organic approach), The Backyard Beekeeper.