Autumn calls

I was going to try and fight it.  August seemed ever so quickly to go from single digits to double digits, but the rate at which we hit the 20's was outlandish.  Soon enough the weather was in on it too.  Cooler breezes, bigger brighter clouds, even a few leaves changing.  Just enough to gang up on me and outnumber my "I dont want summer to end" fit. 

They say the first step to any, shall we say "fault", is to acknowledge the problem. Well I acknowledge that I am an ADD, OCD, workaholic who can't sit till for two seconds to save my life, madman. I admit it. But it's not solving any problems for me, I just realize that I’m nuts. Who are they anyway.. and what do they know?

I set a goal of finishing a house project or two and then capped it for the summer.  But soon I found myself into antique table restoration, and furniture salvaging / making.  Funny thing is, this chair that I had found in the dumpster of all places (and later restored) has become Noah's new spot long before I could even tell you what its like to sit in it.  And now the fall duties have crept up on me.  The calendar tried to tell me this a few weeks ago; the weather had started yelling it.  But it wasn't until I realized all the ram lambs were running around mounting eachother that it dawned on me...  Oh yeah.  Its breeding season.

Windy Knob is still in the midst of selling its few remaining breeding lambs, and of course our humanely raised grass fed lamb will be available at the end of September.  But what I find ironic is that this "year" isn't quite finished, and yet as a shepherd I have to plan out the next month, in order to plan out the five months thereafter which lead to birthing.  One wrong move (or shorted out fenceline) and my 2 am barn checks could be in the roughest parts of January instead of mid March.

The lambs are looking better than ever after an incredible pasture season.  I was basically able to save and revitalize one of our largest pastures, and sustain all the sheep on just the two pastures with more than enough to spare.  Above is Ulysses and Chester on the left, and Ike and Woodrow on the right.  One of our Moorit Ewe lamb twins, Alaina, is on the right.  Contact us at windyknobfarms@yahoo.com for more information.     

Finishing up main floor remodels, restoring furniture, moving-shearing-prepping and ... almost added breeding sheep, but that wouldn't exactly come out like I meant it.  Anyway its been a great summer.  And to think that Fall is often my favorite time of year.  The colors in the area are amazing enough to draw visitors from around the world, taking their vacations in the same area I get to live in; a blessing I will never tire of.  The beautiful colors, the cool weather, and the honeycrisp apples.   'Nuff said.  Let my OCD ADD or what ever you want to call it, run away with me. I'll have the rest of my life to rest right? Does anyone around Windy Knob just relax and take it easy?  There's got to be someone who gets to relax and take in the views isn't there?  Why Yes.

Funny you should ask.  

Have you met my disproportioned, all leg, Great Dane named Milos?

Summer rolls along

Things are moving along here in the summer of 2010.  As we approach the halfway point of summer, I realize Im letting another summer slip by.  All the "fun" activities, and excurgeons somehow get replaced with duties and farm projects.  Dont get me wrong, its been a great summer, wonderful weather, the pastures are in great shape so far, but somehow the fall always comes too soon.  Above you see our new delaware chicks, growing up ever so quickly, yet still under the watchful eye of their surrogate mother.

New and exciting news brings our Windy Knob road sign!  Its great to have as a marker for family and friends to find out driveway, great when someone is coming out to look at a fleece or purchase a lamb and its nice for all the random visits we get now from strangers and vacationers.

Look for our next sign... by apt only. 

What happens at the farm this time of year?  Separation.  The ram lambs become fertile and acting all rammy by about 5 months old.  At the beginning of August, all the lambs are brought up to the barn, and we seperate the ewe lambs from the ram lambs.  The girls are quickly seperated and then run back out onto pasture to join the Ewes.

The boys remain in the barn, where in tight quarters, the adult rams are less likely to get enough running steam to inflict injury on the newbies.  After being eyed in the stall overnight, they are then giving the paddock area outside the barn, and within a week they too were out on pasture.  Here you see the ram lambs of 2010, werent exactly being social, when they huddled in the corner away from the big guys.

With fall shearing a few weeks away, fall butchering also coming up, its time to start selecting the keepers from the not so keepers.  We butcher and sell grass fed lamb in the fall, please contact us for more information and to be on our mailing list.  With just a few ram lambs (colored and a registered Corriedale) and one Moorit Ewe Lamb left, its been a great first year with the lambs.    

Heres to the last few weeks of summer...