I like Nickel Creek and all but....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xnF7WglVHo&feature=related

Great band.  Great song.  I saw them perform once at Interlochen.  One of my favorite concerts ever.  I mean really, the power went out, they had sound problems, disaster.  Not for Nickel Creek.  They pulled up to the edge of the stage, played an acoustic set, like really acoustic, and despite being "powerless" for those moments they made the night with their improv.  Talk about lemonade.

I do like Nickel Creek.  But NOW everytime I think of this song, I think of that dog gone fox that wreaked havoc on the chickens. And by fox I mean foxes, they tagged team the coop. And by havoc I mean ambushing the chickens while they were out in pasture.  When the feathers stopped flying, and the coop dust had finally settled, despite having only one chicken carried off for the fox pups, three more chickens lay dead around the coop, and one more serioulsy injured.  So goes the circle of life right?  But its an interesting situation when the same fox that I would love to come across out hiking in the woods, where I would take pictures and enjoy its presence; that same fox is now my enemy costing me money and resouces and claiming my chickens (can't really say pets here).  So what do I do? Shoot him? Trap and move him; away from the nearby pups which will then die without food? Ugh. Ethics. 

What did I do?  Well...  the chickens have been restricted to their fences in pen, which has now been reinforced and dirt walled up the base in an effort to keep pesky foxes from digging under.  And they are locked in the coop until they can be "supervised."  Poor chickens.  At least till fox rearing season is over.  Or I shoot him.  One or the other.

There is a lot of good news on the farm too.  Lambs have been sold, fleeces are selling.  Its nice to have the reinforcement of a customer assuring you the product is good.  What can I say, Im a sucker for reinforcement.  But its nice to be rewarded with peoples pleasure in a product you put a lot of hard work and effort into.  Lets be honest, Ill always have to teach to support my farm habit.  Ill never be able to sustain the farm on a sheep income alone.  That would be a baahhh'duh idea. 

Pasture C is coming along.  Pasture C because thats how analytical my mind works sometimes.  Sorry I cant be more creative with the pasture names, but at the least you can find solace in predicitng that if the new pasture is C, then there must already exist an A and a B.  Its also just in time as the "little" lambs are now eating right through the pasture.   With weaning time now at hand, the lambs can be shuffled to new pasture, thus giving the ewes a break from any danglers still feeding off momma's milk.  With the last of the 60 day weights just coming in, our two heaviest lambs are rambs of course, Abe and Ulysses.  Would you beleive both are in the 75 pound range at just 60 days old!  Abe is big and strong, but you wouldnt be off in callying ulysses a chunk.  Thats the bond influence in the breeding, more squat solid shorter lambs.  Great for cuts of meat (remember these are dual purpose sheep) but also the bond brings in that longer staple length for wool.

Where ya been?

Wow, was it really early April that I last wrote a blog entry?   And here we are second week in May...  I can't seem to grasp time these days.  It just keeps flying by.  When I think about how much has gone on in the past few months, from lambing and early morning deliveries, to vaccinations, cleaning stalls, spring shearing and then moving everyone out to pasture; it baffles me to think of managing all that.  Then you throw in teaching and maintaining a schedule there, home remodel project that leaves your bed, your closet clothes and your dresser in the basement, living room and attic closet... I may have signed up for too much here.

But then you make it through, those with heartbeats take priority on the list of things to do.  The daylight sticks around later into the evening, and the temperatures start to reach 50s, 60s even a few 70s.  And voila.  You become summer minded.  Who cares if I had to call the drywall guy 7 times to complete the work right?  The sheep drive you nuts for a couple weeks, and the moment I'm on the porch, watching the new lambs play out in the pasture and the sun laying down on the horizon behind them; it all becomes worth it.  Every part of it. I have plenty of those moments, where I realize I am truly blessed.  I mean how lucky?  Its my dream.  I come home to it every day.  

I mentioned shearing earlier.  It was our spring shearing, and I had the professional come out and do it as to not sacrifice quality in the cut of these amazing fleeces.  A few are rams, as they are on the spring shearing, but we have one Ewe off schedule, and don't tell the other girls, but I think its my favorite.  She is my only gray fleece.  Its this soft, unreal light gray color, that will just be amazing to spin and create with.

Ahgosa's is the chocolate brown color, a real consistent tight crimp.  The kind of crimp so prominent that it can reflect the light and be noticed from a distance, its that good.  And the color is rich too.  It's a superior fleece.  Johnny gave us the big dependable creamy white Corriedale fleece, and Doherty finished off his lamb fleece with another 6 months of growth; leaving it a shorter staple, but brilliant white and fine crimp.  Please check our fleece page for pictures and pricing.  http://www.windyknobfarms.com/2010fleeces.htm

Ahgosa's Fleece

Here we go gang, summer is just around the corner.  Its time to finish up those spring projects, there is far too much greatness in Northern Michigan to be stuck in last season's "to do" list.  The sheep seem to get this better than I do.  To watch them, is to see peace and what its like to sit and relax enjoying nature.  That is until the Ewe gets bombarded by her now 60 pound, 2 month old lambs that are looking for a third playmate.  I can almost hear them begging... isn't it weaning time yet?  Almost girls, almost.   

George and Ulysses Enjoying Fresh Pasture