Archives for sheep

Changing Pastures

October 23, 2011 | 9 Comments

Today's post is in celebration of the simple joy of moving sheep on a sunny afternoon. I can't remember the last time I rotated pastures with the sun shining. The only good thing about wet weather is the grass is still growing like mad. Fingers crossed for a solid week of dry so we can make hay. Check out the mid-afternoon long shadows, a true sign of the season. In the meantime, sheepies love tall grass. Nom, nom nom . . . . . Thanks to everyone for sharing my frustration over my Rhinebeck fiasco. More about that and
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PUPPIES !!!!!

October 14, 2011 | 15 Comments

Meet Farley and Zoe, our golden pups who arrived at the tail end of September. Life has been non-stop puppy mayhem for three weeks, but we are completely in love with the new members of our family. Farley and Zoe are half siblings (same father) but since they came from the same breeder and were raised together (only a week apart in age) they think and act like siblings. Farley is a beluga-sized, low-key male. He loves sleeping on his back, tummy rubs and sitting on the couch watching t.v. Zoe is a high-energy, peanut-sized female. She loves ripping
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Autumn Knit Along – Cast On!

September 4, 2011 | 5 Comments

Today is the official Cast-On day for Foxfire Fiber's "Crash Your Stash" Autumn KAL. The rules are easy, and the prizes are great! There's still time to join us. "What will you create from our wool?" Up for grabs are NINE prizes – comprised of both brand new Foxfire yarns (& spinning fiber) and vintage Foxfire Fiber & Designs skeins no longer available to the public. The best part of this KAL is you get to do whatever project you want. We're calling this a KAL but projects may be knit, crotchet, handspun, woven or felted. The only requirement is you use Foxfire Fiber &
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After the Storm

September 2, 2011 | 8 Comments

We all survived Hurricane Irene. Sheep, llamas, goat, people – all fine here. There are even pears left on the tree. We were very lucky. Here are a few shots of the farm yesterday afternoon: Before the storm we had taken measures to keep the sheep well away from risky, flood-prone closest to the brook. They weathered the storm just fine. Oddly enough, they preferred standing outside in the rain, heads pointed into the wind making me really wonder what goes on inside their wooly hears. I supposefFor them last Sunday was just another very windy, rainy day. That was
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Hurricane Preparation

August 27, 2011 | 17 Comments

What will Hurricane Irene mean for our farm? Like everyone along the eastern seaboard, we're being told to brace ourselves and be ready for the worst. High winds, torrential rain and extended power outage. Yesterday I rounded up the flock in the high pasture and brought everyone down to the barn to ride out the storm. Without power, electric fences are useless; I don't want to chasing sheep all over Patten Hill in a hurricane. I picked as many pears as I could from the tree beside the sheep pasture. Our pears are lumpy and imperfect to the eye, but
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Puppies Pending!

August 16, 2011 | 38 Comments

I have some exciting non-sheep related news. We are getting puppies in September! A pair of Golden Retrievers (male and female) will soon call our farm home. I have been in contact with breeder Louise Guy (of Stoneledge Golden Retrievers) since June after losing our dear Daphne. At the time I wasn't sure we wanted another dog so soon but was intrigued to learn that Louise's dogs share common U.K. bloodlines with all three of our girls who passed away over the last year. After meeting Louise and falling in love with her dogs Holly, Crystal (the moms) and Gucci
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Shetlands Meet the Flock

August 7, 2011 | 11 Comments

At last, our new Shetland lambs can play with the rest of the flock. After passing muster with our vet, they spent a day sharing adjacent pens in the barn with our Cormo ewe lambs (and Mistral, Georgia, Arial and Crackerjack). Everyone got to sniff each other. Then we opened up the gates and let them mingle. It felt a little like sending children out into the school yard on the first day of school. Sassy and Ginger were eager to mix it up with the big sheep. The Cormo ewe lambs seem to think, "Cool, more lambie friends! Check
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Summer Scenes

August 3, 2011 | 13 Comments

Fall Yarn Shares – Cormo Silk Alpaca yarn, Foxfire Fiber & Designs The photos tell the story of what's happening at the farm. Summer has hit its stride. The garden's growing full tilt, hay's happening . . . During the July heat wave the sheep grazed early morning and evening, returning to the barn to sit out the mid-day sun. The fans are running in the barn 24/7 to keep everyone comfortable.The lambs form a wooly puddle at my feet when I come to the barn in the morning. Our new Shetlands are loving life on the farm.
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New Little Sheep at the Big Farm

July 21, 2011 | 12 Comments

Today I'd like to introduce Ginger and Sassafras, our new Shetland lambs! We first met them three weeks ago at the National Sheep Show at the Eastern States Expo in West Springfield, MA. They were raised by the Ludlam family at Windswept Farms in Michigan who were showing sheep that weekend. We did not go to the show with a sheep shopping list. We went with a very specific mission: to pick up new sheep handling equipment (super light-weight aluminum panels for pens and a sorting gate). There was no plan to pick up more sheep. So why did we buy
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Departures and New Beginnings

July 14, 2011 | 38 Comments

The past month has been an unplanned hiatus and respite for us. We lost two beloved members of our family and farm, Daphne and Butch. Our 15.5 y.o. retriever, Daphne, was our first English Golden. While she maintained a strong spirit right up until the end, her health has been sliding for months. We think losing her pal and half sister Mishka at Christmas last year was really hard on her. Although we thought we were prepared for when this moment would come, we have been a mess, to be honest with you! Losing our three girls within a 1
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