Monday ramblings...

I just realized I have not blogged in a week. I have just not felt like it really. It's been kind of boring and dreary here. And basically doing a lot of the same ole things.

Some things are more involved than others on a farm. Like with sheep. One day, I think all is well. The next, not so much. I was pretty sure the 2 boys I castrated were doing so much better and made it through the worst part. So I had left them alone a few days. I moved them all over to the big pasture a few days ago. Then yesterday, I noticed the boys were moving slow. Laying down off by their selves. Got closer and noticed lots of gnats around their back ends. Also saw Cameron, one of their sisters, was limping a bit.

So grabbed some feed, antibiotic shots, wormer, wound and fly sprays and hoof trimmers. Got them all in the little feed area. Got both boys and checked them. One felt a bit warm. Gave them both shots, wormed them, doused them in wound and fly spray. Then got my 3 little bottle lambs and trimmed hooves and wormed all 3 of them. Today, they all look good.

Then a little later, I had gone outside to check the mail and heard one of the young lambs. She was standing beside the electric net fence, which was not on, but I haven't taken it down yet. I walked down to the mail box and on the way back, she's still standing by the fence. On the other side from the rest of the flock. I then realized, she'd gotten her head stuck in the netting. Stupid lamb! So ran over and got her head out. Then took the fence down and rolled it up and took it away. That's 4 times a lamb had gotten stuck in that fence. While it wasn't on, thankfully.

I had a pair of wrens build a nest in the back porch laundry room. All the babies hatched and then all decided to leave. I was so glad they left when they did. Because that night, a snake got in there and was probably looking for the babies. I only saw it because it knocked down a jar off my canning shelf. So I turned the light on and looked out the window. Saw the tail going up and up on my shelves of canned goods. I screamed for my husband and scared him to death! It took an hour to get that darn snake. I'll spare you all the details.

I finally got motivated to make soap today. I made 3 soaps. All the same recipe. 1 is cucumber-melon. Another is cucumber-basil. Another is cucumber-mint. All with fresh cucumber, basil and mint. I love how different they all turned out. The basil is green from the fresh basil. I love that one. Can't wait to take them out of the molds. It says to leave in molds only 3 hours. But they are still a little soft and still setting up. So I just left the tops off. I'll take them out tomorrow and cut them to cure. Only 4-6 weeks for these. I'll make more maybe Thursday. I want to make a ginger soap.

And the honey bees are doing so good. They seem to be growing and growing! I had added a box of frames on each hive a few weeks ago. When my mentor came a week ago last Thurs. They hadn't done anything in the new boxes yet. I've been feeding them sugar water the past few weeks now. I went up yesterday to check on them both and just took the top off. There were so many bees I could see through the hole in the top. It was late, so didn't take that top off.. I'll wait for a nicer day to check on progress. It's supposed to be gloomy and rainy all week here. But am happy they're all doing so well.

I've been making more needle felted things. And carding some wool. Going to markets. My cucumbers are taking off right now. And okra. And tomatoes. I'm getting a few ears of corn every few days just for us to eat. It's so good. I want to get the garden tilled and start on the fall crops soon. But not this week. Which is fine. At least by the 1st week in Aug. Can you believe it's almost August already???

I'll try to be more consistent here. I just feel so boring right now. Hope y'all are having a better week.

Just a few more...

                                                  Another ewe-lamb pair. In pink.

                                                 A lime green owl. This is some alpaca.

                                                            And 2 more little bunnies.

                                                Off to market with the rest of the critters.  

Tonight...

I went to check the boys. I have to give them all feed to get them in to the little area so I can catch certain ones I need to check. So they all come in. Except the alpacas. They are the slowest creatures around. I mean, they are in no hurry at all. So they got shut out the first round.

I put the feed in the big trough. They all gathered round. I grabbed one of the boys. I can usually tell them apart when they're out and about. But I grabbed one, slung him on his back and checked his back end. This one didn't need hosed off at all! No sign of maggots and the sack was drying up! So I just sprayed him down real good with the wound and fly sprays. Off he went to eat.

Then I grabbed the other one. Slung him down on his back and checked him. His just came right off! And no signs of maggots either! So he got doused real good too.

I am so thankful I caught this when I did. Or I do believe they would have died. There is still a chance. I'll go ahead and give them another shot of antibiotic, just in case, in the morning. Then they should be good.

It's been so dry here lately. This afternoon, I put the sprinkler on my flower garden. It was looking pretty sad. I watered the cucumber plants and the other little garden in front of the garden shed yesterday. Now I hear thunder to the South. I hope we get some rain here.

How is it looking in your part of the country?

My boys

July 4th, husband and I banded the 2 ram lambs. They were 4 months old exactly. Gave them CDT and Banamine shots too.

Then didn't think about it til a few days ago. I had been really busy all week, shopping for Mrs. T's birthday weekend. She has been saying for the past year she's going to be 100 on her birthday. She's really 97 now. But we all let it go and let her keep saying it. So this was going to be "the big one" for her and they all wanted it to be special. So I was going nearly every day, shopping and other things for this.

A few days ago, I noticed the boys lifting their legs a lot and laying down. But it didn't register in my brain why.

So yesterday morning, I got all the sheep in the little pen and grabbed some feed. I grabbed a lamb and turned him over and was met with maggots. All over the poor guys rear area. I freaked out. It was awful.

I had to go get stuff to clean them with and sprays. I got 2 LA200 shots and some Vetericyn spray get and home made fly spray. That's all I had on hand. So I grabbed one of them and got them on their back. Sprayed the area really good with the hose. Then poured the Vet gel in and sprayed them all over with fly spray.

Then later that afternoon, before going to Mrs. T's, we went to Tractor Supply. I got a can of wound spray and sheep fly spray. I had 2 shots of Banamine left. So got them again. Sprayed them off really good, doused them with the wound spray and fly spray and a shot of Banamine.

This morning, I only had to hose one of them off. Doused them both really good with wound and fly spray. Tomorrow, another shot of LA200 antibiotic.

They both are eating and have been. They look so much better today though. I felt horrible for them. Poor guys. I should have known, this time of year, with the heat and so many flies, that I should have been keeping them both sprayed down good. But lesson learned. I will NOT do this again! I think they'll both be ok now. I'll continue doing this til the testicle sacks fall off. They are just about ready to. I know, I should have taken them to the vet. But it was Sunday. He would have done the same things I did. But could have cut them off and maybe stitched them up good. I can do that myself as well. And might end up doing it. But I figure I can keep them sprayed really good with the wound and fly spray.

SO, another reason to not have more lambs.

Cute little laundry room babies

 All 4 of those tine little eggs hatched. And they are all out of the nest today. All lined up, one after the other. The parents are busy all day, feeding these hungry babes. I was thinking the little guy in front got most of the food.

So just a few minutes ago, while I was getting clothes out of the washer to hang outside, that 1st little bird flew off the shelf! I was so afraid it would get through the door to the outside world of horrible evil cats. So I got it to fly back away from the door. Now I'm afraid it is behind that big cabinet, all alone. Maybe it will make it's way back up to the shelf and it's siblings.  hear it back there. I had no idea they were already so big they could fly. I feel like a protective bird guardian and can't let anything happen to them while they are in my care.

I hope they all make it in that big ole world out there.

PS: Now 3 of them have flown off the shelf. The last little one is still there.

PPS: Now they are all gone. Just gone. Not even a goodbye or anything. Gone. I hope they make it out there in the big world. Maybe they'll come back tonight. I think it's going to rain.

From my studio...

I've been working in my studio, making needle felted critters and woodland faeries and owls. I still have so much more to create for market this week. Gotta get busy! But this past week was really busy, with shopping for several days from Mrs. T's birthday weekend. So that's all behind me now, I can really get to work.

Some of the cute little Outback Owlies. SO cute! When I first started making them, they looked like Furrbies. Do they look like that to anyone else? I hope it's just me. Although the husband did say they looked like Furrbies to him too.

My silly bunny. Need to work on the moth I think. But these are not perfect critters. More whimsical I think.

My Suffolk ewe and lamb pair.

And this cow. I made this cow a long time ago. Last fall I believe. I kept wanting to take it all apart and make something else. But the other day, I just sat down with her and she became a Holstein milk cow. A total transformation!

And these are my Cotswold ewe and lamb pair, with purple collars.

You can't really see it, but the sheep standing up has curly wool and is so cute. The other is laying down, looking up.

And my first 2 little woodland faeries. I want to make some with wings, but need to figure out how to make wings. Maybe need to wet felt them to make them kind of transparent.

And today, I made a lime green owl with shimmery white wings. And a cute different set of ewe and lamb. I'll take more pictures when I make more.

I hope you all had a great weekend and are ready for a whole new week.

Sharing a good blog post from a fellow blogger I like...

and it's about bees and flowers, 2 of my most favorite things any more. But lately, whenever I try to post a comment on their blog, it just disappears. There are a few more blogs where this happens too. Very frustrating. But go check out their blog. Too cute.