Family Jewels

 I castrated these guys last night. They are a little over 2 months old. A few people had told me to give them a shot of Banamine before. So I did that. It took awhile to get those jewels to come down into the sack, but they all finally did. I felt horrible for having to do that. I sprayed them real good all around and made sure I didn't have their little nippley things under the band so I knew it wasn't up too high. They all did really good. After I did each one, they would just go lay down for a few minutes. But didn't act like they were going to die, like they do sometimes. So I hope the shot helped. This morning, they all look fine. A bit slower, but ok. Thank God, they are ok. I was so worried they'd all be dead this morning.

Here's Buck and Bo with their momma Darla.  And below is Tater Tot. They are all so sweet. Now they can all stay with their mothers and the rest of the flock without being pests. And, I will be in need of a hair ram soon. I'd like to have a red one like Tater Tot. I love red sheep.

Working in the garden

It's been dry the past week or so. So Monday, I went out and tilled these 3 beds. It takes a lot of tilling, let me tell you. The middle of this garden is HARD. So I am adding some really good composted humusy from out in the goat yard. Probably about 40 or so years ago, there used to be a pine forest back there. They all had to be cut down because of pine borers. And of course, they cut them down and apparently just left them where they fell. Well, most of them anyway. So there are a lot of old white limbs and branches. AND, the most amazing soil from all those decomposed trees. I went back with my wagon 4 times with buckets and totes and got loads of it to put on the garden. I also use it to plant blueberry bushes and to put around azaleas and crepe myrtles and whatever else needs it.

So, along with all this rich beautiful soil, I go out to the sheep and chicken shelters to get all their old hay they've been doing their thing in all winter. I'll put that on the beds too and till it all in good. Then it's all loose and good to plant seeds in.

I planted to the left Provider bush beans. 3 rows. I like to do 3 rows in these long beds so they'll crowd out the weeds. The middle row is 3 kinds of zucchini and some yellow squash. In the middle, I put a piece of fence and planted pickling cucumbers to grow up the fence and the squash and zucchini will keep the cucumbers cool. To the right in the first half of this bed is Swiss Chard and the bottom half is my favorite, Blue Lake bush beans. 3 rows of them too. Oh, forgot, at the end of the squash row I had some room to plant 3 rows of Cow Peas. They're a black eyed pea.

I also started 2 flats of jalapeno and red bell peppers and 2 kinds of eggplants today. I hope they make it. I love eggplant. And 4 different kinds of carrots a few days ago in my raised bed planter. I am trying Purple Haze from Johnny's Seeds this year. I ordered most of my seeds from Johnny's.

I told the people who came Sunday for a farm visit from Main St. market, that it's not a huge garden, but I can get a lot of veggies out of it. And I will stagger the planting too, so I get continuous harvests. This is not even half of this garden. I'll plant corn and okra and field peas in the other garden across the drive way later.

Right now it's lightly raining and watering all I planted. It's so nice. A little cool, but nice.



And here is my little strawberry bed. I just got about 10 more plants from a friend and got the bed weeded and mulched for them. I can barely see them in the mulch.

Busy days ahead for everyone. It's spring time finally!

Sculpture

What is your interpretation of this sculpture? It's in my friend's yard. She's had it for years and years. I see one thing, but it's something else entirely. You'll have to click on it to enlarge it to see more. Tell me what you think.

Beautiful photos of Outback Farm by a professional photographer

http://jaimiedavis.blogspot.com/2013/04/morning-views-at-outback-farm.html

This is from the girl who came out to take pictures of my farm last week. She is amazing and the animals all loved her. I couldn't believe how they all came up top her and let her pet them. Even the sheep didn't run from her. She did an amazing job photographing and capturing the beauty here at Outback Farm. Thank you so much, Jaimie! You are always welcome here any time.

I don't know why I can't get the link to show up where you can just click on it. Sorry. But please look at all her beautiful photos. She made everything look so pretty.

Please watch and help if you can.

http://www.gofundme.com/FarmedAndDangerous

Sheep after shearing.

This is Abraham after he got all his red wool sheared off. he's black again, like when he was little. He acts different now though. Like a nekked boy.

This is Abraham, after shearing. He's all black again, like when he was born. He looks totally different.

This is Leelah. She looks so much better now. Now the viking ewe anymore!

Here is Annabelle. Totally different ewe now. She acts grown up. And I', pretty sure she is pregnant. When she was on her rump having her belly sheared, her udders were quite big. And it was so cute because each side had a little brown circle right around the teats. Never seen that before.

Here is Darla on the left and Adele on the right. Not too sure about Adele being pregnant. She could be though. I hope so. She really looks good. Darla, who had been sick a few weeks ago, is way better now. But quite bony. She needs some weight on her. But she feels so good after having all that heavy wool sheared off.

It was a really nice day today. Cool and sunny. I did a lot today in the garden. Got 3 beds ready to plant for tomorrow. I have a doctor appointment in the morning, but when I get home, it's back to the garden. It's supposed to rain Wed.

Still life

I sat outside for a little bit today, by the bees. Listening to them and seeing them so busy, flying here and there, is so cool. I am SO glad I got these bees. And I love this book, The Backyard Beekeeper. I had some nettle tea and the books and it was a beautiful day. And got 2 eggs to boot! I love this picture. Just had to share it. I hope y'all had a nice Sunday. I did.

LONG day

Look at this pile of sheep. waiting to be sheared this morning. It was a beautiful day. Kind of cool, but beautiful. My friend came with her DIL about 10:30 and we grabbed Abraham, the ram. Well, her blades were not sharp. So they had to all the way to TS about 25 miles from here to get new ones. Thank goodness, they had some. So got started again about 1:00. She got Abraham sheared. He looks like a different ram now. All black, like he looked when he was little.

Then we got Darla. She just laid there and fell asleep while she was sheared. She was a happy lady! So glad to have all that heavy thick wool off her at last.

Then Leelah. She has looked like a viking for the past 2 years now and I wanted that nasty doat off her. She's Katahdin-Dorper, so she's a little more wooly that hair. And the wool had felted. So it was tough to get off. But she looks great now.

Then her son came and he sheared Adele, the wild one. She's Leelah's ewe lamb from last year. And she's the biggest one of the bunch. I think she might be pregnant, but not really sure. Not much of an udder yet if she is.

Then she sheared Annabelle. She's mostly Finn. Lucinda's daughter from last year. Lucinda died last year from Barber Pole parasites. Annabelle had some really nice wool.

So I'll only be able to use Abraham and Annabelle's wool for spinning. Maybe Adele's.

It was about 5 by then, so she'll come back next week to get Adalaide and Amarillo. I am so tired and all I did was hold them mostly. But sheep are strong buggars.

Here's Abraham. He was so good. And I think he is feeling better now, without all that heavy hot wool.

                                   This is Leelah, the viking ewe. She really looks good now.

                               This is Julie's son, shearing Adele. He did a great job. No nicks at all.

We also trimmed hooves. They were pretty bad on some, but not so on others. We've had such a wet winter. So muddy here. I'll take after pictures tomorrow. My camera was acting up and all the pictures were fuzzy.

So tomorrow, a few board members from the Main St. Market are coming for a farm visit. I still have a lot of mulching to do. So I hope they come later in the day. Didn't get too much done this morning. I so hope I get in at this market.

And I was a bit worried about my bees. Yesterday was rainy and cool and dark. I didn't see a single bee in the morning before I left. I was gone all day. Checked on them when I got home and didn't see but one bee. This morning, I saw bees all over the place! I was so happy to see them. I have a lot to learn about bees. They don't like it cold.

I hope y'all are having a great weekend so far.

Can you see them?

I am so happy! I went out just awhile ago and heard that all too familiar sound. I walked over to the tree and there they were. A pair of Ruby Throated hummingbirds! I had just put the feeder out yesterday too. Just in time. They are so beautiful. And it's going to be in the 30's the next few nights. I hope they have a nest built already. They are SO fun to watch.

               This is pretty with the horses across the road and the sunset and of course the sheep.

                                                                   I love this shot.

                                                            See her in the upper window?

She's over in the left right at the mountain line. It's a male and female pair. I only saw those 2 so far. But there will be more.

Do y'all have hummers yet? Are you ready for them? I found this little hanger at the dollar store and it's just perfect for their feeder. And they can perch on it too.

Bees

Can you see the little tiny bee drinking water at their pretty little water bowl? I've already had to fill it up so I know they're drinking from it a lot. I think it's so pretty. I put some sticks in it so they could land on them to drink, but they just land on the side like this one so far.

The bees have really been busy with all the trees blooming and flowers all over. I planted some sunflower seeds last week and they are all coming up! And I got 3 more blueberry bushes and just planted them to day. I have 10 now! All full of blooms full of bumble bees.

Laughter

This morning in my devotional book, I was reading in Proverbs and got to chapter 17 v 22. A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones. Yes, it does.

Living on a farm can be hard, a lot of work, sweat and tears. But there is also so much to laugh about. Sometimes, if I didn't just sit down and laugh at some of the things that happen around here, I would go crazy.

So I was trying to think of some things that make me laugh around here. I have pigs now. They are not often fun. They are a lot of work. And worry. And trouble when they want to be. And believe me, I have been through some troublesome porkers here. I was always SO relieved when they were loaded in a trailer headed for the butcher. Like I could breath again! But, they can be so funny. Like the last few weeks. It's been really warm. So when I go to fill up their water, I'll turn the hose on them. The first time, it freaked them out. It was so funny. Now they love it. Especially Bob, the black pig. He will stand still under the water and I can see him smiling. Then he'll take off running around the yard. Then Joe will join in. He likes it ok, but not as much as Bob does. I can see the joy in Bob as he's getting splashed with the water. Such happiness. That makes me laugh.

The lambs. Yes, they have been getting out of the fences. Yes, they get stuck in strange places. But, when they just leap up in the air and run with their friends all over the pasture in pure joy, that makes me laugh. They are so funny, these lambs. And sometimes, for no apparent reason, one of the ewes will do that. Just leap up in the air and run around.

And the chickens. When they were free ranging, during the winter, they would find something good to eat. And when another chicken saw that one, she'd take off after it. That's funny too.

Then the goats. Good grief, sometimes I could just ring their aggravating little necks. But the next minute, they do something that just makes me burst out laughing! They really are hilarious!

Never a dull moment on a farm, for sure. And I don't want to become a broken spirit with dry bones.

So what makes you laugh? Do you see funny little things and just start laughing out loud and people think you're crazy? We ALL need to laugh more. Especially now, when so many horrible things are happening all around us or to us. Lets all just LAUGH! Out loud!

Pollen art

I had to go to town today and I could see the pollen in the air. Every time I got back in the car, I'd have to turn the wipers on to get the pollen off so I could see through the window. It was SO thick.


But look at this. It so pretty. All swirly and  curly. And there's a star in there too. How cool is that? Are ya'll seeing pretty pollen water puddles?

Farm tour, farmer's cheese and lamb quiche

The farm tour is over. It was hot! There were about 20 people who came here. And it was fun. I'm glad it's over and I won't have to do that again for a long time. But I did have fun. I made farmer's cheese. And a lamb-goat cheese quiche for the dinner later.


To make the cheese, just get a gallon of milk (I use raw goat milk) to a slow boil, about 160-170 degrees. Take off heat and add half a cup of apple cider vinegar slowly while stirring. It clabbers really fast. Have a cheese cloth lined colander ready and pour cheese into colander to drain. Hang it up til all drained, about half an hour. Then refrigerate. Add whatever you like to it.



These pictures got mixed up. This is showing the ingredients I like to use. I roasted 2 heads of garlic, chopped up, and some fresh chopped rosemary, parsley flakes and salt. Mix it all up and there ya go. This is the easiest cheese ever.

So the quiche is my lamb burger, eggs, milk, cheese and peppers. Plus onions, mushrooms and some cheese from another farm in Tn. It was SO good. Now I have to wait til fall for more lamb.

All the food that was brought was really good. All fresh and home made from their own farms. Can't wait til the next tour now!

Twisty ties

Oh how I hate them. Honestly, every time I take one off of something, I cannot find that twisty tie to save my life. It just disappears. Not to be seen again. Until I go to clean out the sink. Or get the pig bucket ready to feed the pigs. Or sweep up under things. Then there it is. Oh my goodness, they make me mad!

Look what I have

Aren't these the cutest little things? I got them this afternoon from Sand Mt. They're New Zealand White does. 5 weeks old. I had been thinking about getting some for the garden. And I have this little chicken tractor that's just perfect for them to move around the garden and fertilize to their heart's content. They're already eating the grass. I found my old rabbit stuff, so I didn't have to buy anything but rabbit feed.

Springtime in Georgia!

 Some purple wisteria and iris and some Redbud trees blooming.

 This picture on top is my favorite. It's my screen saver right now.

 I love this picture of the wisteria against the barn siding.

This is my friends yard. She has about 3 acres of azaleas and all kinds of flowers and bushes and trees. Right now, everything is about to explode in blooms.

 Beautiful azaleas all over her yard. There are so many. She has paths and there are azaleas at every turn.

This is a shot of one of my apple tree blossoms last night. So pretty.

My bees are here!!!

 Friday was a very long day. And it ended getting bees.

I went to my friends house at 6:30. He hooked up his enclosed trailer to his truck and we headed out. We had to go to Sale Creek, Tn, not too far away. We got there before dusk. Then more people came. Thank goodness we were first. We had to back the truck into this narrow space to those hives. Then Lynn, who is an engineer, had this elaborate system to get the 3 hives into the trailer. There was a dolly, lots of straps and metal bars across the tops. I had brought my full bee suit, but it was dark by the time we loaded them, so I just put on a long sleeve white shirt and Lynn's wife's hat.

There were a lot of people standing around. Lots of red lights all over. I helped get the straps on the hives. Held lights. I felt something going up the back of my right leg. Then felt a little sting. I tried all I could to get that bee out of my pants! It really didn't hurt bad. But the I heard one in my hair. And I have really thick curly hair. Finally got that one out and headed to Lynn's house. (That's my hive in the middle with the white box in the middle of the hive.)

When we got to Lynn's and to where he had his bee stands, it was about 9:30. And when I got out of the truck, I put my ear to the trailer. And I heard bees. Loud angry bees. And lots of them. So we went to the house, ate some cornbread soup, (it was SO good. I'll have to tell y'all how to make it later.) suited up, lit the smoker up. Headed back to the trailer. By then, they had settled down again. He smoked through the cracks and lifted the door up. My hive was in between his two. And the hive on the right was crazy mad. There were dead bees all over inside. I felt so bad for them.

We got up in the trailer and brought the bad hive out first. Got it up on the stand. Now Lynn, who I mentioned is an engineer and has a shop on his farm, had made the nicest bee stands for his hives. Out of stainless steel. On metal posts about a foot off the ground. In a nice little stand of trees. So those hive stands ain't going anywhere.

Got back in the truck and headed to my house. It was about 11:00 by then. Got my hive out onto my trusty yellow wagon and pulled it down the driveway to the sheep yard, where I was putting my hive, in the corner by the big maple tree. On a wooden pallet. With a little field fence yard for them to keep the sheep away. It was 12:00 when we were all finished. I was perty tired by then. A very long day. But I was very happy to have my bee hive in place at Outback Farm.

This is the front where you can see a few bees on the pallet. It had an entrance reducer for traveling purposes. I went out later last night and pried it off with my hive tool. I missed the little nail the first time and I heard the bees then. I got it the next time, dropped it on the ground and shut the fence and ran out! I need to pick it up and save it for winter.

They were really active yesterday. It was sunny and warm out. It took them awhile to get going though, since it was cold in the morning. But I watched them all during the day and they were busy little bees.

I had signed up for a bee workshop a few months ago and it was Saturday. So I went and learned SO much from Samantha, at Barefoot Farm. She and her husband have had bees for years and years. And I know now why it's called Barefoot Farm. They have a lot of kids and they were all barefoot. Even the husband. They were so knowledgeable. I learned that as long as I am BEHIND the hive, I will be ok. If I am in FRONT of the hive, in their flight path, I better watch out! I also got a great book called The Backyard beekeeper by Kim Flottum. Good book. Also got a pint of their honey. It is so good.) I so enjoyed that class and feel more confident. Although, I know that I will learn so much more as I go along on this journey. I also bought an extra box with frames that Samantha said I should put on the top later on this week. She said I should leave them alone for at least a week to settle in. Then put it on.

I have a hive tool, but not like this one with the hook on one end. She's had this one for years. And the tool on the left is a frame lifter tool. Very handy tool to have. We have a bee store in Lafayette that is all things bee. I'll go Wed. and get some more things I'll be needing. (Look at her. And 7 kids too.)

This is her observation hive. So interesting. We got to see drones, workers and finally found the queen. She isn't a very strong queen though. So she'll be watching her. If she doesn't do what she's supposed to do, lay eggs, she will have to be killed and a new queen brought in. Bees are so amazing.

And this is the back view of my hive. The entrance in facing East. I want to make a deck here under this maple tree. I was worried at first then when I found out we would be ok behind the hive, I'll go ahead with my plans now. I will love sitting here and watching my bees.

I am SO glad I went ahead and jumped into this adventure with bees. I have always wanted bees but kept waiting. When I heard that Eddie was selling all his bees to retire and move to Montana, I just jumped and told him I wanted a hive. I so wish I had gotten 2 now. But I hope to grow this one into a split and then add to it. I'd still like to have one out back.

But right now, I am just enjoying them and hoping they will be happy and healthy bees. And that they will pollinate everything and take all the pollen they want! And some honey would be a really nice reward.

More sheep shots

I put the sheep out on the front pasture. It's finally looking good and green and full of grasses and clovers and all kinds of other things sheep love.

Can you see part of Lookout Mt in the background? I love this view.

The lambs have really been keeping me on my toes lately. They are just the right size to get through the field fence where I've had to cut either ram heads out or goats with horns. So I need to go put wire across the holes. These lambs are sneaky little devils. And of course, what's on the other side of the fence is SO much better. If you can see here, all the lambs and Amarillo are at the front fence, climbing it to get to the honeysuckle vines. And this is a very old rickety fence.

This is the lowest spot and it always fills with water to make a pond after heavy rains, like last night. It looks like the lambs are wondering what that is.

And this is what makes up for all the headaches these little devil lambs cause me. They are so funny to watch. Here is Tater Tot leaping in the air.

Here ia another view of Lookout Mt across the pasture next door. That I wish was mine. But isn't. And this cattle panel is about to fall over. Another way for sheep to get out and over into this paradise.

There are a few sheep missing. Darla is sick. So her boys are staying with her. She might have pneumonia. Again. She so needs to be sheared and it's been SO hot this past week. And the other day, I gave them too much bread. So the wool sheep all had runny poop the next day. I am seriously thinking about selling all the wool sheep. I have more trouble out of them than the hair sheep. They are never sick or puny like the woolies are. So I think I'll sell the wool sheep and get a few more hair sheep. Such easy sheep to have.

I love the day after a heavy rain or storm. Every thing is so green and fresh. And all the pollen is washed away!!! It's been so heavy here with pollen. I can just feel it in the air. And it's so think on everything.

We're going tonight to get the bees!