Inside and Outside

Finally, we have snow. After all, it's Maine. I know the snowmobilers (is that a word) are happy. The trails are smooth and in use. We have trails on our farm. Animal trails. Outside the sheep and Fuzzy the llama are completely content to remain outside in falling snow.
Our hens prefer to remain inside. "Nope Stella, I'm not going out till spring".
Inside the guineas are everywhere. On their roost....

singing in the doorway.....

Contemplation? What is on this girls mind? Anything? Sometimes I wonder if they think.

Our remaining rooster keeps close to his girls. Samson died this past fall leaving all his hens to this unnamed roo.

Some hens will even pose for a closeup.

They enjoy snacks in the afternoon. Peeled over ripe bananas, tops from strawberries and stems from last night's asparagus.

Oh, I've been spotted by the sheep. Here they come being led out by Truffles.

Looking for treats. We've moved the hay feeder back temporarily into the shed through the snow storm.

Our new sheep have settled into farm life. Cierra has such beautiful eyes.
Emily is right at home.

They fit in nicely with the flock.

Oh, Echo has been under the hay evidently. Doesn't he know that hay isn't good for his fleece?

What a bunch of moochers? Nope, just attention seekers. We love them and they love us. Especially when we come with a new bale of hay. We know our place here on the farm.

No one in out on the playground today.

Here come the goats. Shirley and Curly first. They remind me so much of the sheep. They don't mind the snow at all. The other goats?

Here they come.

Snow goats. They love me.

So much for that adoration I felt. Isabella says, "no treats? We're out of here."

Back inside, warm and toasty.

Are you sure there are no treats?

Even the pups like to be outside in the snow.

Emma has a difficult time focusing....

too much energy.

Oops...getting something under here, be right back.

I know I left it here before it snowed.

Hmmm....

Just a little animal winter update. Not a whole lot going on. Quiet, we love quiet. Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

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There aren't many movies that I would recommend. Rarely do I ever go the theater. I wait till they come out on DVD. I am in love with Blue-Ray. I like being able to pause a movie and go to the bathroom, relax in the recliner, and get a soda that doesn't cost a paycheck. This movie is the exception. I am not a big Sci-fi aficionado. This movie exceeded all of my expectations. We have even viewed it twice. The 3D effects are spectacular. I haven't seen 3D since "Swamp Thing" in black and white. I was blown away. I have heard the complaints that it puts our military in a bad light. I did not get that at all. I think it put humans in a bad light. A light that we have shown in so many ways over hundreds of years. If you get a chance please go see it. I don't think you would be disappointed. Let me know what you thought. It is even appropriate for children.

Kelly

Obediance Class

Emma, her nerves get the best of her.

Lucy a bit calmer
Well, I guess you can say that obedience class went as expected. There were Labradoodles, Borzoi, mixed breeds and even a little mop like dog. Then there was Emma. Emma the "oh my, don't let my sister get more than 3 feet away from me", Emma the"your choking me with the collar I must lay in the floor gaging", Emma the "I don't want a treat for doing anything", Emma the "spastic" pooch. Yes, our girl didn't win any awards for best behavior. She threw a jerking, barking fit in the floor like a very tired child in Wal-Mart. The trainer was very patient and thank goodness had a sense of humor. Lucy was calm and put up with the theatrics of her sister very well. She even looked back at her while shaking her little pooch head. "Yep, that's my sister, the one who takes two people to get her to go up the ramp." We are going to take this training with a very positive attitude and a firm hand. We will have to separate them to train. They need to get comfortable without being in each others company. I think that may be one of the most difficult things to accomplish. These girls have been together since the womb. It reminds me of having twins and taking them to separate classes on the first day of Kindergarten. Someone has to throw a fit. Class just isn't the same without someone throwing themselves in the floor kicking and screaming. Yep, that's Emma. The kicker and screamer, every class has to have one. As you can tell, there aren't many pictures. We had planned on Ted working with Emma, Alex working with Lucy and I would be the proud photographer. Well, you know what they say about the best well laid plans.

At least Emma wasn't alone in her antics. This labradoodle was right there with her. Honestly, we have been working with the girls since the class and we are definitely seeing an improvement. They are staying out of the crate until bedtime and they seem to be improving. They went to be spayed Monday and they are recuperating. This should settle them down a bit. After they feel better we will take them for walks on a leash. I still see roaming free in the pasture off leash in their future. Everyone needs play time.

Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.
Kelly

Winter in Slow Gear

Winter on the farm is in slow gear. We feed and water the animals, check on any problems, watch the ladies grow bigger around the middle. Spring looks to be busy. We could have anywhere from 6-14 lambs and 2-4 kids. Most of the time is spent feeding the wood stoves and staying warm. Temps have been seasonal for us. Lows 5-10 and highs 20-25 degrees. This cold has been harder on the southern states. Maine is prepared for snow and we have the proper equipment to move it, sand and salt the roads. In 1989 Jacksonville, Florida had freezing temps and snow. Cars were sliding into each other and backwards on the I-95 overpasses. Hopefully, temps will return to their norms, and the orange and strawberry crops survive the freeze. We have had a big birthday. Teddy turned 20. He is no longer a teen. He is the last of the kids and now he is a man. Sometimes. He requested a Red Velvet cake and Alex made a great one. Sorry, but the candles just keep growing each year Teddy.

We always pick on him when he gets shoes. Do you know how difficult it is to find size 16 sneakers? Only one word, Internet.

It is a big joke and he doesn't mind. We even laugh about fitting a family of 4 into the shoe box.

The sheep don't mind the cold temps. They have a nice layer of wool to keep them warm. They enjoy hanging out under the trees. Several of the saplings are missing their bark. Not much in the way of grass.

We pulled the hay feeder out of the shelter to give them more room inside. They spend most of their day eating. The ram wars have ended and everyone seems to be getting along well now.

Even the cats spend most of their time indoors. Timba is the Orange Tabby and Beau is the Maine Coon.

No these aren't sweet little kitty cats. They are killers. They can hear the cat food can open from upstairs and hit the counter in the kitchen in less than 2 seconds. Don't get in their way, you could loose some digits.

The pups spend alot of their time outdoors. They don't mind the cold temps. We watch them closely to prevent any hypothermia. They love to wrestle in the snow. However......

Once inside they go crazy. We have issues. Behavior issues. Yes, they are puppies and no they do not mind very well. We don't like to crate them when inside. At this time, they have destroyed every toy they have. It is time to visit the store again for another supply of chewies and toys. We have enrolled the girls in obedience class starting tomorrow morning. Soon they will be model pups, well behaved, no more nipping and pulling on clothes. Childhood has come to an end Emma and Lucy. After all, we don't want incorrigible children.

I have images of two pups wiping out the class, knocking over the teacher, turning the whole class into barking chaos. I hope they don't get kicked out of school. That would be so embarrassing. Do they have boarding school for dogs? Can we send them out for a couple of weeks and have them come back model pups? No.... Okay we get to go to school too. Keep the cold at bay. Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

New Arrivals

We arrived home at 11p last night. It felt so good to be home. We gave the sheep water in the muck bucket and let them sleep in the truck one more night. I don't think they minded too much. They were warm, had a cushy bed of hay, hay to eat and water. Not a bad set up. We are totally amazed that one of the sheep can accurately aim and hit the water bucket with their sheep berries. Now, no one wants to drink that water. We were concerned that the sheep would be unduly stressed with trying to unload them in the dark and put them into an unfamiliar pasture with strangers. This seemed to be a good decision. This morning Emily and Cierra came close to have their halters put on. Echo stood in the back a little unwilling but was easily coerced into agreement.

We didn't get pictures of the move because it took all four of us to lead them through the barn and into their new pasture. Emily and Cierra looked a little lost but soon fit right in with the others.

Truffles and Echo began a head butting episode immediately. There can only be one dominant male. Truffles was unchallenged prior to Echo's arrival. Baby is a wether and is a buddy only.

And again......You can actually feel the vibration as the rams hit.

I can't believe that I stood there with the camera in my hand and completely forgot that I could take video of this. Echo is now the dominant male at our farm. The whole dynamic of the flock changes with any addition.

Cierra....

Everyone seems to be getting along. Echo is interested in the our girls and Truffles keeps checking out the new ladies. Truffles has a gash over his right eye and that will heal in time. His ego might take a bit longer. We will keep close watch that Truffles wound heals well. Echo Rules.

Fuzzy kept close watch on all the sheep. After all, they all belong to her.

I think that everyone will find their place within the flock. At least there isn't a problem with lack of interest.

When you return from any amount of time away from home you always return to mail. Yep, that stack that grows daily and awaits you when you arrive home. We were excited about the magazines, not so much with the bills. One of our favorite magazine is "Sheep". I find that is gives great advice and I love the sections from readers. One letter really shook me up. It reminds me of the stories of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. The story is straight from a nightmare. At first I didn't think the pictures were real. They look like something that has been Photoshopped. After a bit more reading and a few stops to some web sites it seems to be horribly true. It was sent in by Aileen Scott of Butte, Montana, http://www.aspensheep.com/. It deals with the introduction of a non-native wolf and the devastation these giants wreak on wildlife and local sheep. The editor refers readers to this web site: http://www.saveelk.com/ . Honestly, I couldn't look at all of the pictures because it is disturbing. Sometimes, no often, mankind should leave things alone. There were several pictures of this giant non-native wolf in Wyoming. I'm so glad there aren't any in Maine. Ewwww....

Back home and happy. Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly