Mainely Ewes Farm at Last

Our big surprise is we can now truly be called Mainely Ewes Farm. It has taken a lot of time and work but we are here. We thought that we would be able to get sheep last fall, however, that was not a truly realistic expectation. We were not ready as far as housing and fencing goes. The Maine winters are very harsh and the animals have to have appropriate housing. We put off getting our girls until we were ready. Hallelujah, we have sheep! Drum roll please.......... Meet our girls. We have 2 black yearling ewes, 1 white yearling ewe, and 1 black 2-year old ewe. They are Icelandic sheep. The Icelandic sheep are among the most primitive (most closely resemble the earliest ancestors of sheep) breeds. They have naturally short tails (no docking), thick double coats of true wool (not hair sheep), can tolerate extreme cold (Maine) live in the fields, lamb very easily, and do not require sophisticated pasture. Icelandic sheep are small and easy to manage, are multipurpose being used for wool, milk and meat. They fit in here on our farm. We will be naming the girls later as we get a feel for the personalities.







We purchased our sheep from Rising River Farm in Pownal, Maine. Patty is the owner/operator and comes with a wealth of information. She was so helpful and made the loading of the girls easier on them and us.

It was a long drive home. They tolerated it very well. They were happy to finally get into their pasture. The girls are a bit skittish now. Hopefully they will become well adjusted and love their new home. We have to keep in mind that they have never had chickens in their pasture, nor had to share it with 3 goaties.

They took a nice leisurely stroll around checking out the hill.

Checked out the fence line to see if we had forgotten anything that would allow for a quick escape. We will be installing electric fence this week to keep them safe.

The goats were appropriately impressed. They took one look and decided that the grass was truly greener on the other side of the fence.

That is all for now. We are very excited and having such a wonderful time watching them graze. Much love and many prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm (at last).

Kelly

Too Busy To Blog!

How did that happen? Our bodies ache and there is still work to do. It seems to never end. While we actually take a break and rest, our minds are full of "This needs to be done, I can roll over there and pick that up." We have never been so tired, nor so fulfilled. Alex said yesterday that she hasn't smiled so much in years, as she has since the animals began arriving. They have that way about them. Let us start in order. We have always had drainage issues around the barn. The roof is at least 30x50 and sheets thousands of gallons of water with each rainfall. This water stands around the barn because so much of our soil is clay. Kevin was able to trench the remaining side of the barn for us. We laid 300ft of perforated drainpipe covered with porous cloth (french drain)then covered with small rock. We are no fools, we rented a small Bobcat and Ted went to work shoveling the rock in layers under and over the pipe. Then he covered it with our hard clay crappy soil again.

Alex is helping spread the rock. I do work too, someone had to take the picture! Oh, how I long for the Prima Dona days when I can lounge around eating bon-bons. Hah! Yea Right!

Here is the Bob Cat covering over all that lovely, expensive rock. How can rock cost so much? We have thousands and thousands of rocks in Maine. How about I send them a few for them to grind?

We still have to hire a large grader and operator to move this soil and make the ground level. This little guy just doesn't have the power nor weight to do the job.

Next job, off to the big box store! Some people don't like these stores. I love them. I know, they have run out the mom and pop stores but they have everything! Sorry to the truly granola eaters.

Alex paying for the supplies to build fence corners. Money in money out. Just that fast.

We have small children working on the farm as day labor. (no, this is Jasmine my 6yo granddaughter. She is cheap. Crayons and chocolate milk are her pay. Oh, and many hugs from this Nana.)

The last corner support and then the fencing begins.

Here is the pasture all fenced. You really can't see the fence but take my word for it. It's there!!!

Alex made this chicken escape hatch. They are now free range again! There is a small board across the upper end and at the bottom. Why, you may ask, or not. But, the goaties are still small enough to crawl in on their knees. It is cute to watch, however, the hens go crazy when the goats come into the coop to eat their grain. It ain't good for the goats either!

After a very had week of work we had a wonderful bonfire with the neighbors. We had hot dogs and smores. This is what Maine life is all about. We love and appreciate each and every day/night of our summers. There is something about 4ft of snow that really makes you appreciate them. More to tell in just a few. Our surprise is next. Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

Bees Arrivals

Spring is the time for BEEKEEPING. I love bees. They are very industrious, bring pleasure to their watchers, pollination to gardens near our home and if we are lucky honey next spring. I had bees last year but they did not survive this past winter. They made it all the way through to early spring but succumbed to a dampness issue. Since then I have taken a Beekeeping class at the extension and feel more prepared to provide my bees with a safe and comfortable hive to over winter in. Just before the bees were to arrive we made a trip to Swan's Honey in Albion, Maine to pick up the deep supers, frames, wax foundation tops, bottom boards, bucket feeders, etc....... When we got home I had this.

I had put together frames and hives last year so this was not a daunting task. It is actually pleasurable to assemble the equipment.

The frames fit perfectly and they looked square. The books always say this is a task for January. Ok, I do have a tendency to procrastinate a bit. It was the end of May.

Then we took the equipment out in the sun to give a good coat of paint for protection.

The bee yard is about an acre away and I didn't want to drag all the equipment in several trips. This wagon is perfect. All loaded and ready to go.

I took everything out the night before and assembled it in place. We went to pick up the bees early Saturday morning. It was cool and they were quiet. I set the nucs on top of the hives and opened the entrance so the bees could fly during the day. I made a mixture of 1 1/2 part sugar to 1 part water and poured it into the bucket feeders after it cooled. Late that afternoon I suited up and lit my smoker and took off to visit the bees. They are Carnolian bees, mild and non aggressive girls.

I transferred the 5 frames from the nucleus colony into the center of the super (bottom box) in the same orientation that they were in when I brought them home. I then placed 3 frames on one side and 2 frames on the other in effect sandwiching the nuc frames. They were very active, checking out the new digs. I had to make some corrections to the hive with shims to help level the front of the hive slightly down to allow moisture to travel out the front rather than seep to the back to become a problem.

The next day was bright and sunny. The girls were out and about busy with their building and collecting.

Welcome to the new arrivals. They made themselves right at home. Now the flowers are complete.

This is Izzy our no tailed cat. The Vet said that she was born that way and has a sort of spina bifida syndrome. She has a problem with renal crystals necessitating a switch to urinary tract formula for all of our cats. Now she is healthy and happy. She is a foundling that was dropped off at a neighbors house. She has become part of our family. She loves to wander the fields with me taking pictures. Here she is in her jungle cat pose. This Sunday is the last class in beekeeping. We will meet in Bucksport Maine in a bee yard to take a hands on view of bees. Hopefully I will be able to locate a queen. I have yet been able to find her on my frames. Wish me luck. Have a wonderful day, much love and best wishes from Mainely Ewes Farm. Oh, we have a big, huge surprise coming Monday.

Kelly

Spring Happenings on the Farm

Spring is happening everywhere on the farm. I am forever in awe of the colors. Even the animals seem to realize there has been a big change. The cats hide in tall grass awaiting anything that will skitter, hop, fly or walk by taking pictures.

Even the dandelions tell a tale. The goats love to graze on their gorgeous yellow flowers. They provide nectar for the honey bee and a bouquet for small children who love to bring their blossoms into the house for moms and Nana's everywhere.

They pop up at every turn.

Our drive is edged by lovely crab apple and sand cherry trees. They fill the drive with their colorful beauty.

Up close the colors are an array of pinks and reds.

Apple blossoms fill every branch with their light fragrant scent drawing bees from everywhere.

What a perfectly pure white flower.

Even the Lilac celebrates the season. Our lilacs bloom for about 2 weeks perfuming the air with the most heady aroma and then they are gone.

It seems that any house that I have ever fallen in love with is near a cemetery. They were either across the street or right next door.

I guess it was destiny that we call this farm home. Much love and prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

Spring Happenings

We hope that all mothers had a very special day regardless of being human or animals. The kids loved having extra hands for bottles. Tarah was home from Thomas College and had a great time feeding the goaties.

Ted spent Mothers Day installing all my new gifts. We will leave it at that. He and the kids coordinated the most spectacular Mothers Day of my life. I am still in awe. My mouth is still agape.

Thank you to Sue, Tiffany, Teddy, Tarah, Leah and Ted. We all feasted on 35 lobster. I did not mind steaming them at all. What a great feast. We have lobster meat in the freezer for a nice dinner of lobster rolls later on. Nothing tastes as good as Maine lobster. I hated to see them return home and I love each of them dearly.

We started working in the garden. Alex, Ted and Jasmine (my 6 yo granddaughter) made scare crows this weekend. Notice the scrubs.

They have pin wheel hands, pirate hats, googly eyes, cushion stuffing for hair. I don't know about the crows but they look kinda scary to me. Now every time I look out the window it takes me a second to realize that some strange people aren't in our garden.

We now have corn, peas, collards, cabbage and tomato plants in. The soaker hoses are doing a great job. This way we can water without having so much evaporate and not benefit the plants.

We plan on working on fence next weekend. The goats are able to come out after they get their morning bottle to forage on the new leaves. They eat and then get sleepy just like human babies. They had to take a nap. Soon they will have pasture and forage just for them. Fences will keep them out of trouble and our garden.

The true sign of spring in our yard aren't these beautiful lilacs just coming into bloom. It is the thousands of dandelions that are blooming everywhere.

I just got an email that my 2 nucs of bees will be in this weekend. Before I pick them up we have to go and pick up another hive body and all the foundation necessary to get them going. I'm still behind. It is wonderful to have spring here but we will be so happily busy working on the farm. We work for the next 3 nights at our real jobs and look forward to time to spend at home after. Best wishes and many blessings from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Kelly

One Step Closer

It's best to look at things in steps so we don't get so overwhelmed. We are one step closer to having a garden. Last year the weeds and bugs got the best of our garden. They completely took over and won. This year we are fighting back. We have added a Huskee 8hp walk behind tiller to our arsenal. It is a bright pretty red. A little dusty right now from the tilling that Alex did on Monday. Today we had a nice slow rain that will sink in and get the ground ready for plants. All we need now is for Mother Nature to crank up the heat.
Here is another step. We have fencing. The pastures beckon. The goats need room to roam. We are in the market for any strong backs to help put this stuff up. Any takers?

And today we got one more step in this process. The rolls of fence have been distributed into the pasture to await our next 4 day stretch off to put it up. It comes in handy having a truck to move the rolls. They weigh a ton. Well, not quite a ton, but they sure are heavy.

We are back to work for the next 3 nights. Things will have to be in limbo for that time. Alex went shopping today and bought plants for the garden. They sit on the outside table awaiting planting. We have plans. We have to work to support our habit. Our homesteading habit that is.

Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm.

Pole Cat Sighted in Bradford Maine

Never fear it is just Oreo purveying his holdings like the King of the homestead that he is. I have always thought they have springs in the legs. This picture just proves it. I think that he must be a guardian cat, keeping hens safe from low flying chicken hawks.

We bought 2 trees the other day, 1 Bing Cherry and 1 Black Cherry. They evidently need cross pollinators, otherwise knows as lovers. Who knew. However, there is a law on our homestead that says anytime you dig a hole you get treasure.

Well maybe not gold or jewels, but rusty stuff.

This turned our to be a rusty old kids bike. We know the last owner used anything as fill, this just really proves it. After much rock removal we were able to plant the trees. Here Alex and Brianna are at work.

And after every job well done comes the deserved rest.
Much Love and Prayers from Mainely Ewes Farm. Kelly