Apricot flowers Happy easter everyone! It's a glorious morning as I write this, sun shining, sheep running and jumping around the pasture, glad to be free of their heavy winter coats. Even the pregnant ewes, heavy with their lambs, have a spring in their step. We saw the first hummingbird of the year hovering around the deck, and Bill leaped up and dug out the feeder and filled it up, even before he put the bacon on. Now that's excitement for you!
Spring came very early this year- all the snow was gone by mid-March, and everything has started blooming already. Daffodils were up about a week ago, and the apricot tree is in full bloom. The hillsides that were so brown after the fire are sprouting with new green growth, which is so nice to see.
Spring came very early this year- all the snow was gone by mid-March, and everything has started blooming already. Daffodils were up about a week ago, and the apricot tree is in full bloom. The hillsides that were so brown after the fire are sprouting with new green growth, which is so nice to see.
New fence I have been working on getting the garden ready. The fence was damaged from the fire last year, and the chickens had got in and made a mess of things, but they are good at eating the bugs (they especially like the big juicy cutworms) so I let them forage around until I got the fence repaired. We had our fabulous helpless, Fernando and Tino, come and build new fence in the entire lower pasture, including the garden, which they just finished a few days ago. It is so nice to have a secure fence for the rams, and a garden that is chicken-proof. The day I locked the garden gate the hens were furious with me. I was inside, getting the beds shaped up, and they were clucking and squawking all around the perimeter, so angry with me!
Yesterday was shearing day, which is always something we look forward to, and are happy to be done with. This year we had 40 sheep, which is a record for us. Our shearer, Martin, was very happy with the new barn and shearing platform. The sun was streaming in and made everything bright and cheerful. It's always fun to see the young ones jump around when their coats are off, and now we can get a good look at the ewes to see how they are coming along. Some of them are really big- first lambs are due in about 2 weeks, and we're expecting lots of twins! I've put some pictures and a video below.
I sent off another 25 lbs of fiber to be made into yarn- 9 more colors. I'm also trying out something new this year- quilting batts, wool mattress pads and pillows. I'll have samples back before the Fiber Festival, and be able to take custom orders. We're eager to see what people think of them. Meanwhile, we are plugging away with Spring chores. We'll have help in a couple of weeks, thanks to our friends at Methownet. We went to a fundraiser and bid on the best auction item ever. Our local internet service provider donated the labor of their entire staff (9 people) for a half day of yard work help. That's 27 person-hours! They will be here on the 15th, and I have a big list of chores waiting for them. We'll take lots of photos and post them on the next blog report. Meanwhile, Happy Spring everyone!
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