Archives for sheep farm

Wool Away!

April 7, 2013 | 3 Comments

"Wool Away!" is the command given by the shearer to the "fleece-o" to pick up the freshly shorn fleece after a shorn ewe exits the shearing board. In the lingo of a "down under" shearing shed, the "sheep-o" pulls sheep from the holding pen and walks her onto the shearing board; the shearer shears; the "broomie" sweeps away the fribs, dags and bellywool; and after the sheep is shorn, the fleece-o tosses the fleece pizza-dough style minus the spin – onto the skirting table. The skirters then get to work. Since we are a small operation, our "sheep-o" often doubles
Read More

Happy Spring!

March 20, 2013 | No Comments

Okay, so spring 2013 is off to a less-than-ideal start. This was the view from our front door this morning. Mike's been busy clearing 12 inches of heavy wet snow from the driveway so we can get to the barn. Here's to brighter, warmer days ahead.Wishing you all a happy spring.
Read More

Snowed In

February 27, 2013 | 17 Comments

Snow's so deep, the sheep won't leave the barn unless we make them. We break paths for them and lure them outdoors with hay on fair days. Today is not one of those days. It's been snowing sideways since I opened my eyes at 6 a.m. Fat, wet snow that shovels like concrete. Mike is scrambling to clear the driveway before this switches over to rain later – then we'll have a hot mess on our hands. A cold mess, I should say. It's been a wind-roaring, snow falling, frost heaving, ice damming, nose freezing winter – wearing us down
Read More

Top of the Hay Stack

January 26, 2013 | 6 Comments

When it comes to barn chores on winter mornings, Mike is a trooper. Since the start of the new year, I've been under the weather off and on. He's been a super good sport about tackling morning barn chores solo for the better part of last four weeks. In mid winter, morning chores on a New England sheep farm are like an endurance test. You work quickly and efficiently. Inside the carriage barn where the rams spend the winter, square bales of hay are neatly stacked from the floor to the rafters. The stack is beside the row of feeders
Read More

Milestones & Quiet Farm on New Years Day

January 1, 2013 | 10 Comments

Mike and I celebrated the holidays quietly at home this year, enjoying the company of our flock, dogs, llamas, goat, donkeys – and each other. We celebrated arrivals and marked several milestones this season. Milestone #1 – Hooray for Zoe and Welcome Home, Farley! The week before Christmas, we had some encouraging news for our Zoe, our 1 year old Golden Retriever. As some of you may know, she's been convalescing from radical surgery back in October to address severe degenerative joint disease in her right elbow. Her xrays on December 19th hold promise – good healing from the surgery.
Read More

Donkey Day One

December 6, 2012 | 6 Comments

Anytime we have new arrivals at the farm, it's hard for us to resist shining the spotlight on them. I've been spreading the word and sharing pics of our new "donks" (or "donkles" as we've been calling them) to whomever I speak to, wherever I go. At the feed store. At the coffee shop. At the salon. At the restaurant where we had dinner last night. Here are some notes and observations from the mini donkey's first full day at Springdelle Farm: Donkey Day One: 1. Donkeys greet face first. 2. Donkeys don't miss a trick. 3. Donkeys like Mike.
Read More

Mini Donkeys are Here!

December 4, 2012 | 8 Comments

Made it back to the farm just before dark with our three little jennets: Cupcake, Dulce and Prissy. Here they are scoping out their new barn. It was a long day for them. First visitors at their home at Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue in New Hampshire. Then walking into a horse trailer with strangers. Then a long, bumpy ride (although we were very slow on the back roads, there were lots of back roads on this trip. We were extra careful on corners). Then off loading – down the ramp of the trailer – in a new place.
Read More

Coming to the Farm!

December 3, 2012 | 10 Comments

Meet Cupcake, Dulce and Prissy – three miniature donkeys who will soon be calling Springdelle Farm their home. Mike and I are adopting these adorable long ears tomorrow from Save Your Ass Long Ear Rescue in New Hampshire. The rescue is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing of donkeys and mules. I discovered their website last year when I first started thinking about adding donkeys to our woolly menagerie. Impressed by their track record, I bookmarked the website and have checked back from time to time. I was smitten with the pics and the decription of these three jennys
Read More

Flock Talk – Shetlands and a Goat and losing daylight

November 26, 2012 | 3 Comments

Gypsy and Sassafras posed nicely for me in the midst of flock maintenance tasks. I don't know about you but I still haven't recalibrated my daily routine to daylight saving time and I really hate doing evening chores as darkens settles on the farm. Since the flock still has plenty to graze, they're not particularly fussy about what time we show up. But watch, that will soon change, once we get some snow cover – and that could be later this week. There are fluffy flakes swirling outside my window right now as I type. Mike has set up the
Read More

Sheep Farm on Thanksgiving Day

November 22, 2012 | 7 Comments

Just a quick glimpse of the farm as I went about morning chores. Wishing you and your familiy a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.
Read More