Last Call

The flock is on the last pasture rotation for the year.  The south pasture is the first one they go to in the spring and the last one they finish in the fall.  Other years, when we were breeding the majority of the flock, they would already be penned into groups and off pasture for the year.  Not breeding does extend the grazing season through mid November and now the signal to really end it will be the first day of shotgun deer season.  The days are getting shorter, leaves are mostly off the trees, starlings are travelling in a big flock and the weather is gray and wet.

The sheep queue up at the gate around evening chore time, ready to come in, find their spots and settle down for the night.

Both Stewart and then Daisy fixed me with a look - I think they were hoping for the cookie signal:  my hand going into my front pants' pocket.

The sheep don't mind the deteriorating conditions a bit and are eating as though they know some morning soon they won't be going out.

Over the weekend we had a long rain event and so they received a good rinsing which I was happy about.  We'll be putting their coats on fairly soon and I was hoping the barn grime would be shed in a rain before that happens.

I read a good axiom last week that rings true - "Well summered is half wintered."  One certainly doesn't want to rely on stored fat to get your stock through the winter but it does help going into harsh weather to have some extra upholstery working for you.

I think Snickers has the concept nailed down.  Lordy.

Knock wood, everyone looks pretty good with just a few old girls looking like candidates for the geriatric pen and special feed this year.

 

I like this ewe's Cotswold 'presence'.

The wind was blowing hard all day and the fleece on the Cotswold ewe in the foreground is long enough now to ruffle in the gale.

The rain really freshened up their locks.

Angelica says,

"Curls?  Meh.  I haz attitude!"

And a pretty, dark fleece.  Way to go!

Some Spring Cleaning

In a week the flock has pretty much eaten the Baby Pasture down to the nubbins.

Wish our lawn was this short

After a week of becoming acclimated to fresh grass it was safe to let the sheep out on the main pasture for the bulk of the day.  This gave us time to clean the concrete barn yarn and bunk space.  Andy scrapes the concrete clean about every other day with the skidsteer, and pushes the manure into the corner of the bunk until there's enough to make a spreader load.  Today there was enough accumulation to warrant bringing in the spreader.  We swung the big gate to let the spreader in and keep the sheep out in the pasture. 

Hot stuff

We lo-o-o-o-ove hydraulics

The manure is not on fire.  Being in a pile, it is heating as any good compost pile would.  The kicker is that it's 42 degrees out.  Forty. Two.  As in, 10 degrees away from having water turn to ice.  At 2 PM.  May 16th.  So when you stir it, the manure steams like a pot of soup.   I am not a happy camper.  The sheep, however, are thrilled with this weather.  No bugs, no hot sun, just cool grass.  Still, sheep and cats always think they are on the wrong side of a closed door - or gate.  So, when we swung the gate shut behind the skidder the sheep took it as an invitation to come back inside even though they were perfectly happy out there two minutes ago.

Can we come in now?

The sheep were out in a nice light rain yesterday and the Cotswolds are starting to clean up and show their curls.

Yes, don't hate me because I'm beautiful

I can haz curls?

I love the way the lamb wool starts to looks so silky, and it feels that way, too.  Click the picture to biggify.

O, hai!

We had enough sun the other day to wake up my flowers in the bed along the front of the house.  Creeping phlox, basket of gold, candy tuft, aubretia.........

Showers of flowers

And here's a surprise.....I didn't plant this.

The brightest thing in the yard

And if you look closely.......I'm not the only one who might get surprised by this tulip. Click to biggify.

Come into my parlor................

OK, the picture's blurry, but there's a yellow crab spider in there.  You find the neatest stuff when you take  second to look closer at things.