Update 1/22/11

First off, I hope all is well with all our friends in Blogland. The weather has been rough and so has life. Much love to you all.
I want to take a moment to announce that MY MOM IS FINALLY ON THE INTERNET! Yes, I just yelled that. Mom came to visit the farm this past spring and she is a farm girl from way back. I got up and went to school every morning. Mom was home and milked the cow, twice every day, fed the horses, chickens, guineas, goats and occasionally a pig. I was fortunate because I then got to come home and ride my mare, Little Bit, every afternoon. The way kids should be raised. It taught me so much for life. I grew up with two very loving parents and I had a happy childhood. Thank you Mom. This is Esther, in the kitchen, cooking. Welcome Mom. The weather here has been crazy. We had temps in the mid 30's Thursday. This makes for a slushy mix of snow with freezing rain. Terrible driving conditions. Friday was cold and snowy. The kind of weather that is best spent inside. I was off and that is just what I did. It was nice resting up after working 6- 12 hour shifts in 7 days. I hope that doesn't happen anytime soon. I'm too old for that. The wind was blowing the snow into little drifts at the bottom of the windows. This picture is looking out of our second story window in the craft room.

I had a technical glitch with my "Braiding Rugs" dvd. I was watching and working and then the dvd stopped. Wouldn't play anything but skips. I called and Marge was kind enough to send another set out. They came on Friday. I went to work and this is where I stopped last night. It is a very thick rug. The width of the fabric is 4". That is wider than any directions that I have ever read anywhere. It does make a thick rug. The colors here just didn't come out right. It looks orange but is actually a beautiful crimson. Red is my favorite color. It is a bit bumpy. I have to work on my braiding technique to keep it uniform. After all, this is my practice rug. I will love it anyway.

While I was braiding Ted was busy fighting the snow. He can't win. It is just a no win situation when you fight nature. He did give it a good try though. He and John Deere Girl were a team yesterday. They worked to keep our drive clear and the neighbors too. Did I mention that I am the one who loves snow, not Ted. This picture was taken after he had already cleared it once.

On my way home from work Tuesday night Ted told me he had a surprise for me. I kept trying to get him to tell me what it was. Nope,"it won't be a surprise that way". After I got home and we de wormed Isabella and got her comfortable I came in and took a shower. He had bought me steamed lobster. I love lobster and don't get it as often as I would like. Ted really isn't a lobster lover. I on the other hand adore lobster. Oh, I think I covered that part.

So I sat at the dining table and ate my wonderful surprise in my nightgown. What a wonderful treat. Maine lobster is the very best there is. Thank you!

Isabella is doing well. We de wormed her again yesterday with the same dosage and added Safe Guard for goats. All of the goats were de wormed. We use a 1-3-10 day schedule to kill any worms, kill anything that hatches and then any remaining worms. If left the worms will become resistant to the de wormer and there isn't a whole lot out there to choose from. We don't inject ivermectin, and that way if we ever really need it the worms will still be susceptible. We really have to stay on top of worms here. They can kill goats very quickly through anemia and loss of nutrition. Janice from Stony Knolls Farm sent me an email and verified the dosage as correct. Ted and I plan on taking their Goat School again this spring. Janice and Ken just came back from teaching Goat School in Florida. Different state with different problems. However, worms are always a major issue with goats and sheep. We are planning on starting early with the sheep to prevent losses from Barber pole worms this spring. Isabella still has my shirt. I think she is making a statement. That goat scares me sometimes with her intelligence. She is such a love.

We are digging out today, cleaning house, laundry and all that boring but necessary stuff. Tomorrow we go and visit Sue in New Hampshire. Day Trip! Take care and stay warm. Our prayers go out to our friends for a healthy return. Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.