Promise sporting her hand knit sweater, thanks Mom!

Miss Sophie has arrived!

The farm has grown again. I’ve added a new 3 year old doe, Sophie to the goat crew.  I decided that if I was breeding Tallulah this year, and she singled again, that kid would be pretty lonely without another kid it’s age to romp and play with. So, I went looking for a nice doe to add to the flock.   I was lucky to find Sophie, she is a sweet girl, who has twinned in the past, and who needed to be rehomed (former owner has mostly dairy goats and sheep, and had no place to keep her safe from their huge dairy buck).  She has settled in to the flock here nicely, though Tallulah is still the queen.  She and Tallulah and Four are enjoying the honeymoon suite this month, and hopefully we’ll have a few kids in April.

I also added a new ewe to the flock.  She’s an icelandic/romney cross, from my neighbor John’s farm.  He wasn’t going to breed her, since she’s a cross, so was going to send her to the butcher.   I thought she was a pretty ewe, with an interesting fleece, so I brought her home.  She’s been hanging out with Skippyjon for the last month.  I think they will make beautiful lambs together.

Persy is stylin' in plaid!

 

Tallulah was having none of the zebra coat, she was out of it in less than a minute.

Let’s see…what’s been happening?  Susie and Anna’s fleeces from the spring shearing got 2nd and 3rd place in the fleece competition at the Tunbridge World’s Fair.  I spent a couple of glorious days spinning away in the sheep barn, telling anyone who would listen of the joys of handspinning.  Beats working any day.

That's Anna on the left, and Susie on the right.

Then I was blessed with Bethel’s most awesome work crew…the Munyon/Reisterer/Smith clan all came over on Saturday.   The boys replaced the posts on my pole barn, where the wood and the tractor and snowblower live, so it won’t collapse under the weight of all the snow.  I’m hopeful that since that actually got done, we’ll have a low snow winter

We all took turns at the wood splitter, and split up all the rest of that butternut tree, along with some logs that Alex had generously brought over from clearing their house site.  Most of that got stacked even.  The great news…I think there’s more than enough to get thru this winter, so I won’t have to buy any more wood!

 This belated post brought to you by the ghost in the machine.  I started to write a new catch up post today, and this one, which was lost a few weeks ago when I was writing it, suddenly appeared.  So, here you go

I, for one, am happy to see this summer go.  I haven’t been blogging much, there has been so much happening, and not all of it good, I just haven’t had the words or the heart to write about it here.  I continue to be amazed by the support of so many wonderful people, both here in my immediate community, and out there in the virtual community.  Without all of you I don’t know how I would have gotten through it all.  I’m going to give an abridged version of it here….there is more detail in the threads in my ravelry group http://www.ravelry.com/groups/gilead-fiber-farm.

First, my farm had a barberpole worm infestation.  I lost Nola to it first, on July 31st, and then one of her kids, Hope, succumbed on Aug. 15th.  RIP my beautiful girls.     This is a new problem to us in VT, though folks down south have been dealing with it for years.  The answer was to move the flock to new pasture, so that I could clean up where the parasites are, and disinfect the barn etc.  No problem, I have lots of land, and plenty of net fence, but I had no more shelters, since the buck and ram were in the new shed.  Angel number one showed up in the form of a ravelry friend, Gail, who very, very generously bought the farm 3 calf hutches!  Actually, now there are 4, as another very generoug ravelry friend, Judy (angel #2), got us another one after Hope passed.  I will never be able to thank these 2 women enough, their gifts have enabled me to keep the animals off the nasty infested pasture for most of the summer. 

New shelters for the flock!

Nola and her twins

 Angel #3 showed up in the form of my dear friend Krysta, who volunteered to come farm sit so I could take a few days off and go to RI to see family and friends, and get a swim in the ocean.  She was here, holding Hope when she passed, and saved Lorelei from bloat while I was away.  She’s a true hero, not many lambs recover from bloat, but due to her vigilance, sharp eye and willingness to give up her sleep even, Lorelei was nursed back to health, and is doing great.  Definitely not the idyllic farm stay that she had envisioned, bottle feeding the orphaned Persy, and massaging sheep bellies, while thrusting nasty goop down her throat was certainly not in her plan.  But, she persevered, and is the big hero of the farm, for sure. 

My road on Tuesday, post Irene, the brook is running down it.

There has been so much destruction, and devastation all over VT that it is shocking, my mind reels, and I weep as I travel around (as much as you can travel, many roads and bridges are gone).  But the indomitable Yankee spirit, and sense of community all around VT has been something to behold.  People really pull together and help each other out.   Our road is passable, and we have electricity thanks to local guys who have heavy equipment, who got out there right away, and have been working non stop since Monday rebuilding the road, and bridges, to enable the utility and phone crews to get up here.  The volunteer effort has been phenomenal, though there is still much rebuilding to be done before snow flies. 

If you are able to donate even a little the following organizations coud really use your help:

 the VT Food Bank  http://www.vtfoodbank.org/

the VT/NH Red Cross http://www.redcrossvtnhuv.org/general.asp?SN=8084&OP=8085&SUOP=16069&IDCapitulo=44W8UXGL8L

NOFA VT Farmer Emergency Fund:  http://nofavt.org/

Skippyjon, yearling registered Finn ram.Lorelei, registered ewe lamb, @ 12 weeks old

These are the friendliest sheep ever, they come when you call their names, like dogs.  Skippyjon walks on a lead beautifully, Lorelei, not so much   They have been introduced to the rest of the flock, and everyone is getting along very well.   I’ve been trying to separate Skippyjon and Four from the girls, but they keep breaking out of the boy pasture.  So, for now, they are happily cohabitating, and I’m nervous about lambing in January.  This afternoon I hope to fix the short in the electric fence and try again.  But, either way, these new sheep are the beginning of my flock of registered Finns, and I can’t wait to see all the colored lambs next year.

Promise at rest

 On the kid front, all the kids are doing great!  This shot of Promise captures a rare moment of inactivity.  They are tough to photograph as they are so so fast, all my pics come out blurry.  But, I can report that they have all had their first hoof trimmings, FAMACHA checks (all 5s still, yay!) and Persy’s boy bits have fallen off (he was banded a few weeks ago) so he’s officially a wether now.  Hope and Persy have been being fed well and they are just about as big as Promise now, go Nola!  They are all growing strong, swift and unbelievably cute.  It’s a wonder I can get anything done around here at all.

my kitchen got a new look!

 Other very exciting news is that my house got a redo!  My dear friends Kirah, Kathleen and Eileen came up for a girls weekend at the end of June, for what I thought was a weekend of thrift store shopping, cooking and wine drinking, and they totally surprised me by making over my house.  I met them in Boston on a Wednesday for a Red Sox game, then we went up to Rockport for a lobster dinner.  We came back up to VT on Thursday, and I had to work on Friday.  While I was at work, they got to work.  They took every single thing out of my kitchen, cleaned the floor, walls, shelves, cabinets, appliances, everything.  Then they painted all my cupboards, and washed the windows.  When I got home from work, it was like a new kitchen!  They reorganized my pantry and cupboards, it was amazing to come home to that.  Then they continued all weekend, for 3 full days, they steam cleaned, they rearranged furniture, washed walls and windows, rehung my artwork, a total redo.  They inspired my neighbor Aaron to finally come fix my dishwasher too, I’ve been waiting for that for over a year.  They even manifested a new red couch!

The new red couch is awesome!

check out the chalkboard freezer door - genius!the new and improved dining area

 This was a huge, huge, huge gift!  My kitchen is tiny, and it was gross, filthy, greasy, mismatched cabinets, ugly, ugly wallpaper.  Now it’s clean and bright and cheery, and it helps me be motivated enough to cook decent meals for myself, which is big stuff for me.  I can’t thank you ladies enough!

Lastly, the Tour de Fleece started last weekend.  The TDF is a spin along that goes along with the Tour de France bike race….spinners from all over form teams and spin every day that the bikers race, that’s 21 days of spinning.  Over on ravelry, the Gilead Fiber Farm group has formed Team Tallulah, and we’re all spinning like mad.  I managed to spin up 16 ounces of fiber during the first week, in between working, and caring for animals

First week of TDF spinning

 I’ll continue to spin daily and hope to burn thru some of my ginormous fiber stash.  Daily updates are on ravelry for those of you who are interested.

Overall, things are moving along in a positive direction here at Gilead Fiber Farm.  I have amazing friends and support from all over, and that’s what keeps me going.  Well, that and the amazing flock of cuties that live out in my pastures, I love my critters like children.  Now, I’m off to find that short in my fenceline and enjoy some sunshine. 

I’ve finally settled on names as well.  Tallulah’s doeling is Promise, aka Missy, and Nola’s twins are Hope and Persistence or Persy.  I thought since they are first kids born on my farm, they ought to have names with some heart, and these just resonated with me, and the goats seem to like them better than the gangster names I had picked out.

Here’s the first video of the 3 romping around in the nursery stall, they are so dang cute I can hardly tear myself away from the barn.  It’s all I can do to get anything done at all.

In other farm news, my neighbor Ernie came over today with his big tractor and lugged my newly built shed down to the pasture where it can actually start getting used.  Yes, it’s a very exciting day around here, and long coming. 

Ernie hauling the new shed down the access road.TaDa!

Doeling...resting after the work of being born

 I have been anxiously awaiting the freshening, in fact, my friend Adrienne had been here visiting all week long, in the hopes of capturing the birth on film.  She even stayed an extra day, and as soon as she left, there they were.  Sorry Adrienne, but thanks so much for being here and holding my hand.  

In other news….this spring has been like monsoon season, it’s barely stopped raining.  Though I feel fortunate not to have experienced the floods and tornadoes that have plagued other parts of VT.  But, is hasn’t been too conducive to getting outdoor work done.  I’ve been busy gathering my sheep fleeces for blending with my mohair.  I picked up some coopworth lamb fleeces, some cormo fleeces, a BFL, and will be picking up a Finn or two still.  I’m prepping the fiber to go out to the mills, hopefully within the next week or so.  I’m actually heading to visit a new mill in VT today, Hampton Fiber Mill, in Richmond, VT.  I’m thrilled at the prospect of having some of my roving and yarn made entirely in VT!  But don’t worry, all you fans of Tallulah Toes…that will still get spun at Still River Mill, in the exact same blend as before

Nola and her kids, learning to nurse.

At last I can announce that the Introduction to Shamanism workshop is on at the farm. I’m so excited to be able to bring Evie and Allie to the farm for this, what a treat.  Special thanks to Dianna Branson for making the introductions and getting the conversation started. 

Here’s the skinny:

Shamanic Journey Process Weekend
This joyful workshop will introduce you to the visionary ways of the shaman! Shamanic journeying is a powerful skill used by our earliest ancestors to access wisdom beyond the range of ordinary senses. This most ancient of practices offers a way to solve today’s challenges and will have you feeling more fulfilled, self-assured and lively! You will also learn how to use this method to effectively gain guidance, insight and healing for yourself and others. This workshop is an excellent way to either begin or renew a conscious relationship with Spirit. As a part of this special weekend, we’ll be honoring the spirits of our ancestral, “fiber foremothers!”

No prerequisite is necessary. Shamanic Journey Process is an introductory workshop. The ability to journey is necessary for most of the Spirit Passages workshops.

Spirit Passages
Evelyn C. Rysdyk, author of the book, Modern Shamanic Living, and C. Allie Knowlton, MSW, DCSW are committed to help you increase your personal power, feel your intrinsic sacredness and expand your connections to All That Is. Their extensive experience insures you of safe shamanic healing encounters, as well as opportunities to train in shamanism with confidence. Their website is: www.spiritpassages.com

Here’s what to bring:
• Rattle and drum if you have them. (We’ll have some to share)
• A notebook and pen to record your journeys.
• A large bandanna or blindfold for your eyes.
• A bag lunch and water to drink for each day.
• A rock the size of a grapefruit! (or you can collect it here at the farm)
• Blanket and pillow
• A comfortable folding chair
• Personal sacred objects for our circle center
• Insect repellent (weather permitting we’ll be doing some work outdoors!)
* Other things to make yourself comfortable
• A few small personal items to be incorporated into an effigy to our fiber foremothers.

Cost is $100 per person for the 2 day workshop. We’ll need at least 10 people to sign up to make it happen, but can accomodate more than that happily.

You are welcome to camp out at the Farm if you are inclined that way. Otherwise, there is a nice B&B a few miles from the farm with very reasonable rates Nestled Inn. There are other larger chain hotels in White River Junction or Barre/Montpelier, but they are about a 30-40 minute drive away.

To register, please email me at countryelvis4@hotmail.com.

The Dream Team - Pete, me, John, Krysta, Eric and Maggie

Ta Da!

How can you resist Susie's sweet smile?

I'm so ready for that new pasture....

she's been talking about this shed forever....

Getting the shed that I won along with the goats put together and out in the pasture has proven to be a bit of an issue for me. Every time I think I’ve got the bodies and the knowledge scheduled to be here at the same time, I’ve been disappointed. I know, life happens, plans change. People mean well, and then before you know it, your window of opportunity has shut (i.e. it started snowing) and the project was shelved last Fall.

But, Easter is all about resurrection, and so, I’m resurrecting the barn raising project, and have at least 2 couples on board to come for the weekend to make it happen. Add in the few folks in the neighborhood who don’t have out of town plans, and we have a barn raising in the making! If you’re in the central VT area, or within an easy drive and have an inkling to lend a hand, you’re welcome to join us.

We’ll start out on Saturday morning about 10 am. The shed is a kit. It’s all precut, labelled and predrilled, complete with hardware, so it shouldn’t be a terrible job. It’s like a big Ikea bookcase, and we just need hands to move things around and hold them while they get attached etc.

In addition to raising the shed, I’ll be cooking up a nice, home grown Easter ham, with all the fixins. So, if you’re around, and have any inclination to check out the farm, goats, sheep, fiber or shed building, come on down. Leave your email in the comments and I’ll send you directions and contact info.

My neverending thanks to Krysta and Eric, for getting the ball rolling and giving up their Easter weekend. Special thanks also to my cousin Pete and his squeeze Maggie, for offering to make the trip up from VA to help out. Pete’s on woodchuck duty too

Comparing the eye membrane to the FAMACHA chart

It includes lots of information about the life cycles of parasites, reproduction, ways to measure the amount of parasites in your animals, and best practices for preventing parasite resistance to dewormers.  Basically,  there are only 3 types of deworming chemicals that you can use, and the worms are getting resistant at an alarming rate.  While we do need to treat our animals who are suffering from an infestation, we don’t necessarily need to treat the entire flock all at once.  Something like 30% of the flock will be carrying 80-90% of the egg producing parasite, so if we only treat that 30%, then only those egg producers will get exposed to the deworming chemical, and perhaps pass on some immunity to their eggs.  Any egg producing parasites in the remaining 70% of the flock that did not get treated, (and which are not causing any disease to the animal) will not be exposed to the drug, therefore, not building up resistance in the next generation of eggs.  The idea being, that since we can never eliminate all the parasites, we can at least keep a portion of the parasite population from being exposed to the drugs, thereby reducing overall resistance in the parasite population. 

Then the class introduced a few different methods to determine which animals are in the 30% to treat category.  One being FAMACHA scoring, in which you compare the mucuos membranes of the eye to a card, to determine what level of anemia there is, if any, in that animal.  (you don’t really poke them in the eye, it doesn’t hurt them at all)  Anemia being a good indicator of barberpole worm infestation, as they are blood sucking worms.  Another method is body scoring for condition, and the last being actual fecal sample testing, under a microscope, and counting the eggs.  

I definitely feel like I have a much better understanding of what’s going on with the parasites, and will make some changes to the way that I approach the management of both my animals and my pastures.  I highly recommend this workshop/training to anyone who is raising sheep or goats.  Anyone who is interested can contact me for contact info for your state. 

Now, if someone can direct me to an inexpensive microscope, I’d like to do fecal counts on the rest of my flock.  The samples I brought were for Seymour and Nola, and they were both super low numbers, so looking good for now.  But, spring is coming, and that’s when things start getting interesting.  I’m hoping to keep right on top of it this year, and use less chemical and more herbal treatments, but I want to be able to continue to check for efficacy. 

Being a shepherd is so glamorous.