HappyAlmostJune (girls on the farm)

SHF-River

Grass in the Orchard, almost ready to be re-grazed.

Nibbles.

Belle's got her post-puppy bod back.

SparkyDanger

I was going to write about the broiler chicks, and how this morning Danny and I moved them from the brooder out to their mobile shelters on pasture, but instead...the cow I wrote about the other day (the Beltie who just had her calf) decided to pummel me.

We needed to sort out two girls from the herd, so we brought everyone into the barnyard, where we then sort out the ones we want.  They were all sparky and wild, galloping around and kicking up their heels.  Not ideal.  So I was pushing from behind and that #20 looked at me all bright-eyed again; I was probably 6' away when she stutter-stepped all football-like, but then charged, all 1300lbs of her.  I tried to run away while keeping an eye on her, and then next thing I knew her head was in my chest, I was grabbing her ears and neck, with a sick certainty that I was going to be stepped on, wondering which bones would break.  All I could see was black and white fur, and think "This is happening."  I'm not really sure what happened, but I was on the ground and then I was standing up yelling "I'm okay."

She later came after Danny and our dad as well, but they had sorting sticks and were able to rap her on the nose and stop her charge.  Then another feisty girl panicked in the sweep and leapt out.  She got her front two legs over top, but my dad somehow got her back down before she went over.  More strength borne of fury, fear, and determination than physical strength.

Sparky sparky girls.  Not fun.  They eventually reached their new paddock though, and are enjoying fresh grass.  Good for them. 

People ask us what a typical work day looks like...there's this curiosity about what actually HAPPENS on a farm, since it's so different from a 9-5 job.  This anecdote wasn't typical of events on the farm, but it was in that the unexpected should always be expected.  So that covers about two hours of my work day...bruises are already swelling up purple, but it could've been worse.

[NotSo]Rumpledstiltskin

The Angora goat was exceptionally patiently while I gave him an unfortunate haircut.  After soaking the fleece in my bathtub and rinsing it MULTIPLE times in hot water (these fibers are much less likely to felt than sheep's wool), I hand-carded it and spun it!  After carding this guy's coat and the alpaca fibers, I think I'll save up for a machine carder.  (I don't have 300 extra hours to spend carding--exaggeration probably, but it felt that long.)  But...

...After trial and error and quite a few Instant Play shows on Netflix, I finally got my balance with the spinning wheel and the mohair.  (Only Angora rabbits and cats(??) make Angora wool, fibers from goats are either classified as Cashmere or Mohair, and Angora goats produce Mohair.  At least according to what I've read.)

SUPER soft, and lustrous.  What should I make?

NoseyNoses

How could you not like these guys?

Athena's Prize2: Caught in the Act

I've found half a dozen or more rocks every time I've mucked out an area previously occupied by Athena and her goats.  Strangely, I hadn't actually SEEN her carrying these giant treasures back to her bedding.  Until today.
I went to feed the old girl, and there she was, walking across the field with a big rock in her mouth, just dripping saliva. She set it down long enough to eat her kibbles.

Finished with breakfast, she licked her chops...

...picked it back up, and took off.

Over the fields...

...and through the woods...

Back to her lair (dry and warm under a tree with her goats.)

She set it down (I also noticed an old ratty tennis ball, which is interesting because we've never given the dogs tennis balls)...

...and took a bath.  Good work 'Thena.

Calf Tagging

My brother and I tagged a calf yesterday morning, and once again I was amazed at how strong they are.  The "little" guy was probably 85-90lbs, born less than 24 hours before, and there he was, running around zig-zagging alongside his mother.  With calves we tag their ears (right for male, left for female) and give them a shot of BO-SE (the soil here is Selenium deficient), trim and put iodine on their navels.  This means the calf has to be still, for at least a FEW moments, and the mother has to be calm enough (or have a physical barrier) to not charge and ram the person treating the calf.  (Has anyone seen the video of the herd of cows attacking a bear?  Gnarly.)  So anyway, we separate mother and babe, I sneak up behind the calf, and wrap my arms around him, interlocking my fingers over his chest.  I'm probably 140lbs.  I ended up fully on top of this calf, exerting all the pressure and weight that I could onto him to hold him, not even down, but at least still, and could barely do it.  The side of my face hurts now because I think his head slammed into my cheek.  We got him tagged and treated, but it was a reminder of how incredibly strong they are.  And how so much of our management is about psychological power!

Big girl with a big bag. 

Later in the day a CSA customer came to pick up her meat.  A few weeks ago we had a farm tour for our CSA members, during which we pulled a calf (quite a show!).  This customer hadn't made it to the tour, so I related the story to her.  Ironically, just after she left I noticed a sac hanging from the last remaining cow at the farm to calve.  Then I noticed a little black and white lump in the grass.  I headed down, to see if it was ok.  Mom had cleaned it all up, and it waggled its little ears as I approached, so I figured it was alright.  Mom's eyes were bright and very aware of me, so I was pretty cautious...she came over, licked my hand, and then did a stutter start lunge move towards me.  Total fake out, but I totally got the message.  Stepped backwards and slid in some placenta.

Luckily for me, I didn't fall, and I didn't get charged.
Luckily for you, I took pictures of the calf, and not the placenta.

Looking like a blob.

The rest of the herd keeps its distance.

Another cow comes over to greet the newborn.

Standing up with mom.  You can't see the wobble in the legs, but not bad for being an hour old!

FroggyFriend

This little guy has apparently taken up residence by one of the hoses near the handling area at the farm.  We had a little photo shoot because he was just that wonderful.

SummerSmock

I actually had the day off today, which was a treat, but I still woke up at 6 am!  I guess it's hard to break out of the go-go-go pace, because instead of napping all day as I'd kinda hoped, or finishing one of the dozens of projects I have ongoing, I started a new one.  (But at least I finished it today too!!)  (I did manage to get a sunburn on most of my body--I've got a serious farmer's tan going and it's only May, so I had to start evening it out somehow.)

So.  TheProject.  Since I love delicate florals, cottons, and old patterns, the dress I made today can be found where those three things intersect.  (This is probably true of many of the clothes I make actually.)

Pinning and cutting out the fabric.  I bought this pretty stuff at the Flea Market in Pasadena a year and a half ago, and have been waiting for the right pattern to come along.  It's a simple smock dress (or top) with short sleeves or ruffles, pockets, and a yoke, slightly gathered body.  No collar, buttons down the front.  I chose a sheer, pale olive and white fabric (reminiscent of seersucker) to use as a contrasting yoke.

 Here's the lined yoke and body of the dress, waiting for the sides to be sewn, and armholes to be finished.  I went with the ruffly faux-sleeves, in part because I like little ruffles, and in part to speed things up.

I prefer it with a belt.  I'll need to make one.

 I was pretty pleased with the end result, and it was straightforward as far as dresses go.  Buttons, ruffles, flowers, stripes...what more could I ask for?

PictureStory

Here's a Little Tail from today.

 (Sometimes the preschool teacher in me pops up.)

 So I was heading out to build a new paddock, and all the girls were staring at me, ready to move.

 I looked down and discovered a newborn calf!

It was adorable.  Seriously adorable.

And oh so sleepy!  It's mama was hanging out with the other girls, not paying ANY attention to it.   So I scooped it up (as easily as one can scoop up a 75lb baby) and we got it back to the squeeze chute at the barn.

We put mama in the chute, opened the sides, and gave the little guy a chance to eat!

He was SOO hungry!  Slurp slurp slurp.

Mama was very patient, baby nursed til he was full, and now they're in the barn together, bonding.  

The End.

Countrified

I've lived in Santa Cruz, Spain, Santa Monica, Portland...and now Sweet Home.

Today I:

• waded through a stream in pursuit of a bull
• banded said bull and cut off poopy tail-dreads
• built a paddock
• moved/fixed irrigation
• ran through the [irrigation] sprinklers
• had a corndog for lunch
• banded bull calves
• collected eggs
• transported a goat and kid
• herded some other cattle

And then, at the end of the day, for fun I skinned a snake (for the first time.  And did I really say that?  So weird.)  The skin is now hanging/curing in the shop.

My attempt at taking a pic of me and the snake skin.  Didn't quite work out.

I never in a million years could have imagined a day like this would be an average work day for me. 


Maybe I should've been on the Oregon Trail.

SnapSnapper

This one can apply rivets, regular, and large snaps.

I used to think these tools were silly, and stuck with my pliers, hammer, or whatever heavy object was nearby for putting snaps onto clothing, but...I finally broke down and bought one of these snap-applicators from JoAnn's, and it turns out they're AWESOME.  So much for being stubborn, pinching my fingers, scratching the decorative finish, misplacing the snaps, messing up fabric, and smashing them beyond use.  (The main benefit is that both sides of the snap are aligned while you apply pressure; I always struggled with trying to hold them in place with the teeth lined up.)

Sooo easy!

 Anticipate more cowboy shirts and shirt dresses to be adorned with these guys in the near future...