Yearly Archives 2011

Llama Llove?

February 14, 2011 | 7 Comments

Could there be romance in the air at the farm? Sometimes I wonder if there's flirtation between Caitlyn and Sol. She loves gazing in his direction as he struts around the paddock. He seems to pose just for her. She bats her eyes. Ok, really, this llama rellationship is strictly pllatonic. Although they would make a handsome couple. Happy hearts day to all!! And I have loved reading your comments on my Winter's Waning GiveAway; it's encouraging to hear that spring is further along in other parts. Milder weather at the farm is warming everyone's hearts here today.
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Winter’s Waning GiveAway

February 11, 2011 | 170 Comments

We've hit the winter doldrums. Freeze, snow, thaw, freeze, snow, thaw, repeat. Ice dams on the barn roof, glacial ice sheets in the barn yard, ginormous mountains of grimy slush everywhere. Winter has worn out its welcome but it's too early to start hunting for signs of spring. Instead I'm looking for signs of winter easing up: the angle of the sun in the sky – a little higher than it was just a week ago; a few extra minutes of daylight for evening chores. Aside from the drama of our weekly storms, there's a sameness to winter farm routine.
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Whoa, Snow!

February 4, 2011 | 9 Comments

Winter is causing an UNREAL amount of trouble. I know we're not alone in this, as this week's back-to-back storms have affected so many. We are simply running out of places to put snow. The sheep are faring well, but they are yarded up and not venturing out into the paddocks. We were in the single frigits this morning, but temperatures here are expected to reach the low 30's today, hopefully enough to break up the crusty snow and give the flock more room to stretch their legs. I'm ordinarily a winter fan, but this year is trying our
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More Winter Fun!

January 28, 2011 | 5 Comments

We're having a Winter Tag Sale on select farm yarns! Today we're featuring bargains on Upland Wool & Alpaca Yarn, a melange of fine wool and border leicester from our flock blended with alpaca fiber sourced locally. Visit our new sale shop here to scoop up good deals for winter knitting. Bookmark our sale shop and check back through the month of February for more yarn specials.
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Sheep Eat Snow

January 27, 2011 | 11 Comments

After a snow storm everyone does their part! (My mother always told me not to eat snow. But I did it anyway. Same goes for sheep. They love it, even when they have hay and fresh water.)
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Another week, another storm . . .

January 27, 2011 | 4 Comments

Winter's found her groove. Last night she dumped another eight inches of snow on us, but it was a fast moving storm and this stuff is light and fluffy. Not so bad. And it was an awesomely beautiful morning – quintessential New England winter. Although I am feeling a bit under the weather this week, I couldn't resist playing in the snow with my sheep & camera during chores. Please come back early tomorrow morning for a special announcement! Happy Thursday to all.
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Sol Llama Update

January 23, 2011 | 13 Comments

Isn't he a beauty? Sol, our rescue llama, loves his sheep but people can't get within 15 feet of him – that's his comfort zone. I wonder if he'll always think of us as scary. We've caught him a few times, just for the exercise of catching him and letting him know we won't hurt him. It's less stressful if we do it in the barn by crowding him in a pen with the sheep. If there's no where to run, he knows it and somehow that's less frightening. Like the sheep, it's the chasing part that's scary. So we
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On Snow & Ice & Sheep

January 18, 2011 | 9 Comments

Another Snow Day . . . Driving in snow doesn't scare me. Eating outdoors in a snow storm doesn't bother sheep. Mike and I did morning chores today during the "snow" portion of today's storm. Even though the photo looks grey and dismal, it was lovely, really. Just four inches of flour-y powder. Wind, not so bad. The "ice" portion of today's storm is hitting now. Crystal pellets are pinging off the windows in my study as I write. I'm sure the sheep have retreated to the barn where we stashed extra servings of hay. It saves us another trip
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Breaking Trail

January 14, 2011 | 4 Comments

This was the scene yesterday morning after our first bonafide, rip-roarin' storm of the winter. The snow started Tuesday night and fell thick and heavy straight through the day on Wednesday. After driving mostly sideways down Patten Hill to get to the farm for chores Wednesday morning, I got stuck on an unplowed road and had to wait for a town plow truck to bail me out. The sheep stayed in by choice, happy for snow day. And after I finished chores, and Mike and Fred dealt with plowing and shoveling, we all stayed put for the day. Storms are
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Simple Gifts: Goat Nonsense!

January 11, 2011 | 10 Comments

My simple gift this week came from Butch, my Angora goat.He likes to play "steal the hat" while I do morning chores. The game: For two players: one shepherd, one impish goat, is a hybrid cross between Keep Away and Capture the Flag. The play: Shepherd moves as quickly as possible down the line of feeders, depositing hay flakes. Then attempts to clean and fill water buckets without getting gloves wet or losing hat. The object: Shepherd's objective is the feed the sheep, goats and llama as efficiently as possible and to keep warm on a cold winter morning. For
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