Tuesday

I worked the farm this am. I was supposed to be third and help move some second cut hay from a barn down the road, but P didn't work, so that left R and I. After the Hill, R was bringing in firewood and I headed across the pasture for some hemlock branches for the bucks. They have been logging the lot next door, and we are scavenging brush for the herd.

The bucks especially need it, since we bait them out of the fence with the brush so we can clean- without a bunch of bucks fighting under our feet.

The main herd is getting hayed down back under the pines, but there is a rail gate down that allows access to the upper pasture. Over the weekend, S and I hauled some hemlock through the gate for the main herd, but today I was only concerned about the bucks.

I walked across the packed snow, hopped the fence, crawled over the slash, and found a huge hemlock top. S broke the loppers so we have been trying to scavenge what we could drag, and I thought I could handle the top. Well, I tugged it through the slash, dragged it over the fence and two stone walls, and headed across the snowpack. About halfway I had to stop for a breather, and then I heard a sound and looked up.

Yep, I had stopped across from the gate, and the wethers had seen me. All of a sudden it was a race-me dragging a twenty foot hemlock top and 37 wethers and does chasing me across the snowpack. R saw me and helped me haul it over the fence just as the herd caught up to me. PHew! A few of them nibbled the needles that had been stripped, and the rest looked around and headed back across the pasture...en masse, leaving one greedy wether all by himself until he realized he had been abandoned and let out a cry and went off in hot pursuit=back to their hay.

I wish I had it for You Tube.

The next big event was something sad. Boss had asked R's Dad to cut off Lar's horns, and he couldn't do it, so she said, just give the saw to R, he can do it. Well, R was horrified. He had been taking care of that buck for four years and he confided it was like cutting up your pet dog and strewing him around the yard.

Before we left, Boss asked me if I was ready to help R with the task, and I said fine, but R is freaked out since he liked Lars. R was determined to get the job done, and told me to go out when he started-I am not sure if he was trying to spare me, or if he didn't want someone watching him commit the heinous deed. I heard the saw quit and stuck my head in and asked it he was through, and he said yes, but I am suprised he didn't throw up. He pulled the rack away and was horrified it still had an ear on it and plunked it down outside the gate, and Boss, just returned from the Post Office, whisked it away to the Subaru.

Then R feverishly started digging into the manure pile, and he had brought two forks, so I helped him dig it out while he sniffed=due to the cold or not, I didn't dare look at his face out of courtesy, and tried not to stab him in the foot or face as it was tight digging.

R had trouble getting Lars just so in the hole, since he had frozen with his legs extended and they were sort of sticking up, but I positioned the sheet over the legs and told R once the pile started to heat up again, the legs would soften and fold right down. Then I said goodbye to Lars and Boss said goodbye, and R said nothing, and R and I covered him back up with the pile and left him.

We finished up and I combed Hjalmar a bit on his neck, and then I asked R if he wanted to take the cap off the truck instead of waiting until morning, since it was warmer near noon. He agreed, so we went back to the farm and pulled the cap off the truck and R seemed in better spirits when he left, but I feel bad for him.

Now I have agreed to work tomorrow and try and get the hay then. I had other plans, but strike while the iron is hot, as they say...

Willow and the bucks

I worked the farm today, mostly taking care of the bucks with Willow's help.

Here she is with Virginia cashmere buck Champion Chris:




and with Hjalmar:



and a nice view of the munching bucks with my daughter and the fall foliage:

Tuesday

I think we are finished combing cashmere at the farm. We worked today and Boss said she wanted to have the combing finished today because it was supposed to rain the next three days.

We finished off the little grey wether at the main barn, the last one of the main herd still shedding. Then Willow and I hustled up to the hill and worked on Jacolby and Ursula's boy. R came up and said we were needed to hold pelts for photos down by the cottage. We went down and took turns holding up pelts for photos.

Someone wants to buy some for costumes, so Boss was taking the photos to show what was available.

Then we went to the bucks, R weedwhacked while Willow and I cleaned and set up. I took a horn tip in the lip from Monarch while I was collaring him. It hurt but I didn't even get a fat lip. Darn, and I thought it was cheaper than collagen implants.

We combed and finished Homer, Hjalmar and Duke. Duke has the nicest fiber and has produced bags and bags this year. If I was starting a herd I would pick him as one of the herd sires, for sure.

Poor Willow filled her rubber boot with water while trying to lug the old water to dump in the ditch, and had to change into her clogs. Then she was combing Homer and started shrieking. Yep, her buddy Homer urinated a huge shower all over her. Homer got Boss last year, too. Glad it wasn't me. I had to swap combing slickers with Willow because she thought hers had pee on it.

We left without any fanfare. There are still a few bucks with some fiber-I guess someone else will get to them, or not, or perhaps we might do one more day next week if needed. Willow still wants to go back and visit.

On the home front, we planted tomatoes, zuccini, summer squash, all our flowers we bought, and morning glories. I planted pole beans and gourds. Willow tried to help with the latter, but the mozzies were so bad she ran back to the house. That was Saturday.

Today the morning glories are up, and I had the job of tying the strings to the telephone pole. That is a picky job I don't really care for, but it looks so pretty when they are blooming.

The mixed greens are nearly ready for early harvesting, and the peas are coming along too. I still need to get some potatoes in and plant pumpkins. I have been putting off the pumpkins since last year something ate all the seedlings. I blamed slugs, but it may have been turkeys.

Last night we had frost warnings and all I did was swear when I heard it. The tomatoes and morning glories looked fine, so I guess it missed us. Knocked the mozzies back a bit, anyhow, although they were attacking me this afternoon while I was stringing the morning glories.

I dropped a few trees in the goat pen this afternoon. First the chainsaw kept stalling out, but I finally got it going. Then I hung up a good sized oak and had to rope it down. The Firebird was keeping me company (I like to have him there to call the ambulance if I do something stupid) and he told me to just drop small trees after that.

Of course I saw a big fir later I wanted to drop, and nearly had it on Nic's head. I had to stop and have the Firebird run and get some hay to get the goats away so I could finished cutting it down.

That was about enough for me. I had some more I wanted to take out, but I could see a breeze riffling the tops of the larger trees, and I am too chicken to attempt that. Besides, I felt like I was already tempting fate with the way things were going.

I am jonesing for some fresh tobacco. The kind I smoke, Bali Shag, is having a power struggle trying to get re-listed as pipe tobacco to avoid the huge new tax. So all the stores are out of stock. I have been smoking all the bottoms of cans I had been saving for a rainy day, and boy is it stale! I may just have to take up smoking a pipe at this rate. Maybe it will keep the mosquitoes at bay...

We combed at the farm today. Willow started off on Sandja-an older grey doe that came to the farm skittish and skin and bones last year. She was very quiet to comb, so I put Willow on her and went to work on Nasrim.

Nasrim is another grey doe, with fluffy light cashmere that acts like a chaff magnet. Her fiber was full of shavings and hay chaff, although I did my best to clean her up first.

Sanja started giving Willow a hard time, so I swapped as Nasrim was being very sweet.

Then we went down back and P caught Galli, a wether, for us. I had actually never combed Galli. I thought he was going to be trouble, but he was very sweet for both of us. Even on his long-fringed guard hair on his back legs-he stood stock still. Then I remembered that K always combed Galli and I knew why! LOL. He was a fast easy comb-a clean bag of fiber in short time.

Then we went with P over to the big bucks, since the boys were repairing the buckling fence.

I set Willow up with Chrissie and started in on Leif. They were both very good. The only time Leif got jumpy was when P tried to hold him. I want to get a picture of Willow combing Chrissie. They are adorable together.

Willow has developed quite a fan following with the bucks. Today we went in to clean, and Prince, Hjalmar,Duke, and Chrissie stood in front of her in admiration while she chatted to them. Then she called Homer over, and he came running over to rub his head on her.

I was beat at the end. I worked hard and combed and combed. I hope it rains tomorrow so I can sleep in!! :D