Happy New Year!

Cold Boone

Tempe says I'll help warm ya up Boone!

See! It worked....!

As usual I am flabbergasted that another year has passed. "They" weren't just a woofing when they said time flies--especially the older you get!

It's been plenty hectic around here the last few months, but I hope that there will be some down time this winter. I've sadly neglected the blog and hope to get re-inspired to post oftener. It's not that there is any lack of things happening, but that there is a glitch (me) and they just don't get translated to blog land.

Ashley rushes in to claim the bed nearest the fire....ah this is the life!

The weather remains gloomy, with a rare sunny day here and there. We've not had any winter precipitation to speak of, just a couple inches here and there of the white stuff. However it has seemed colder than normal and that gets a little hard to deal with long term---trying to keep old critters alive and well, toting water and wood and ashes and well you know how it goes.

The kittens totally hijacked the late summer, fall and first part of winter, through no fault of their own furry little selves. They've been an enormous amount of work and worry, but they have also been a joy to watch grow into their own little personalities. All have been 'fixed' now and Noah and Gabe went to their new home the day before Christmas eve, and I was very very sad. I'm doing better now and by all accounts they are making themselves right to home. Noah never even looked back when I set him down in his new home and Mary says he continues to act like he has lived there forever. Gabe has reacted in a more normal kitty fashion and had his doubts about things (mostly the collies!). However, he has now claimed his new human and is making up for lost time. I'll try and do a kitten update soon about them all.

Meshach, Chaco & Tempe--not quite on snuggling all together terms

I think I may have to fashion Boone a doggie coat, as he seems to be taking this deep freezer weather pretty hard. He has lost quite a bit of weight over the fall as he is much more active with Ashley in the picture. Ashley has finally regrown coat and seems to do fine in the cold weather--not that she minds snuggling down in front of the fire in the evenings though.

Although Chaco decided to risk it and Meshach was okay for awhile--those portable heaters are nice once in awhile. ;-)

The little trailer sits abandoned since the week before Christmas. I had to stop to try and catch up on baking and present-ing and all that good holiday stuff. I did get everything cleaned within an inch of it's life, except the floor, where I still need to soak off the glue from the carpet and give the floor a good scrub. Not something that can be done when the temps are in the teens and twenties, since it calls for boiling hot water. I got a few of the places boarded in that I didn't want the kittens to go into, but now it looks like the kittens won't be going into it at all, unless something changes.

I believe that although I now qualify as a "Cat Lady" I have still not achieved "Crazy Cat Lady" status. I'm thinking that is something like 15 PLUS cats in the house...or so. So with 'just' six I'm sure I barely make Cat Lady. Right?? And so it goes.

So, little trailer will probably start getting it's makeover soon to convert it into a sweet little wool room. Hopefully I will get a blog post on the trailer up soon too--the before-during and after--but not after-after. I want to fix it with a couple comfy chairs too..well, maybe just one, we will see. My Dad is going to help me move the kitty play pen out of my garage and over to the trailer 'just in case' the kittens need to get some outdoor time, plus it'll make a nice chick starter pen when the time comes for that again. Meanwhile it's frozen to the ground as is the yard gate, but it sure would be nice to have my garage back again!

Tonight I plan to be off to a small party with some of my Church family, it's suppose to be bitter cold, but it should be fun. Lots of games (I hope) and snacks. I won't be out too late, and I doubt I'll stay up til midnight! Not much planned for the New Year's day or weekend, just catching up on some things around the house, keeping the critters comfortable and keeping the fire nice and hot, as it's suppose to be very cold.

Pictures today are themed--staying warm....

Chaco & Verity

Hope you all have a great and blessed New Years!

Merry Christmas!

Everyone here at Fairlight Farm wishes a very Merry Christmas to you and that peace and blessings be with you all!

Gracie & all the Sheep

Meshach

Sage Grass Cat

Boone with Tempe and Chaco (in and of itself a Christmas Miracle)

Ashley and Tempe

Tempe

Chaco

Verity

Trinity

A Visit to the Local Humane Society...

....wait a minute..thats my house!

How many cats do you see? There are seven in this picture (Meshach was on the bed). Sage up on top the boy's cage. The boys --Gabe and Noah-- sitting in their box and Chaco hunched by the gate. In the kitty condo next door, Trinity in her box and Tempe and Verity up on the shelf having a stare off with Sage.

Good grief. Yes, this week was the week of the old snip-snip, hoo-ha-ectomies, or if you prefer, spay and neuters. And the weather is very cold, and the poor dears needed to be where it was warm to 'recover'.

First the three girls went on Monday, and did very well. Mom transported them to and fro, and when I got home, Tempe was very alert, Trinity was subdued and Verity was flat out woozy and wobbly. After a bit a little snack and soon all three were on the mend. They never looked back, and it's been a struggle to keep them from acting like wild heathens. Both Verity and Trinity removed their stitch on the second day, but seem to be okay.

They have taken to the house with open paws, Tempe acting like she was lady born to the manor, Trinity embracing the couch with obvious delight and Verity frisking from one room to the other, toy firmly in mouth.

The old boys didn't know what to think, but seem pretty okay with it. When the kittens are in the cages they both walk by and hurl hisses and ugly threats, but when they are out, no troubles, yet.

Friday the three little boys went in for their little procedures, and have been hooting and hollering and having a great old time since the minute they got home. Noah weighed in at a whopping six pounds (blush) which I regret to point out is one pound less than his mother weighed when she had these kittens. The other two boys came in at a respectable and more reasonable weight of five (Gabe) and four something (Chaco).

This morning I just closed my eyes and let the full mob loose in the house. Other than systematically destroying my house it's going quite well. How soon I forget the energy of kitten. And nosey. Ex-cuse me, that is not your business little furbie. They are learning what 'no' means, but only on the big battles for now.

Wow, I must have boughten allot of cat toys for the boys over the years, and evidently the kittens have dug out every one of them....

They get out off and on during the day for a few hours at a time, then scream like banshees when they have to go back into their respective cages--after all this house business is fun. For the sake of the other occupants though, we all need some down time. Some of us more than others.

I have no room in my house, because of the kitty shanty town, but who needs space, right? I'm not sure what I'll do from here. I can't keep all of them in the house, and I know I'll have to make a decision quick, to be fair to the little grubs, but its so stinking hard.

Plans are for Noah to go to his new home on Wednesday. Isn't there anyone that would love to give a for-ever inside home to Trinity (calico who loves couches!) and Gabe (who might have a little attitude, but still has gobs of sweetness too). Everyone is fixed, and have all their vaccinations! Of course homes have to be approved, but I'd love to see these little ones find special homes of their own.

In the meantime, I'm trying to get all the baking done, plus assemble baskets, but it's not going very fast, and I'm losing steam. It's grey, dreary and very cold here today with a light spitting of snow. Good day to be inside baking, I reckon. Have a great weekend.

Sage hurls insults and taunts to the confined kitty population.

Theres A New Sheriff In Town....

....Punks....

The Boys Reunited....

All across the country there is a silent (mostly) struggle going on between many a shepherd and their sheep. Especially those shepherds who keep multiple rams in hopes of having some choice in which bloodlines co-mingle to produce that perfect lamb in the spring.

It's another season on the sheep farm. Smallholders like myself have the added disadvantage of not having enough distance between the rams or various breeding groups, and sometimes that causes big problems. One of the joys I have found in blog-land is following a group of people that are in the same sometimes sinking boat as myself. Right now, breeding groups are either being put together or taken apart, or some rotten ram has gotten in where he isn't suppose to on most of the Shetland blogs I read.

Putting rams back into the ram flock is always fraught with drama and angst--mostly on the part of the shepherd. There is the potential for injury or death to the rams, and the shepherd tries to cover all the bases to prevent such from happening. The rams will be okay in a few days, once they get their flock order once again settled. A larger ram flock seems to have fewer problems with hierarchy and in fighting. It's always amusing when a ram has 'finished his job' with the ewes and starts pining to rejoin his rowdy ram buddies.

There are many tricks that shepherd's use to ease the re-introduction of the rams. Crowding them all into a very small area without food or water for a day is one. This way the rams can't ram each other or do any serious side-swiping, and they get used to their buddies smell again. When they are released they have eating more than fighting on their testosterone shriveled brains. Putting several rams in a smaller area with hay bales or tires to slow down any ramming is also used. Really smelly, cheap perfume can be used in an attempt to confuse the rams and eliminate 'ewe' smell --both ends are sprayed. Vick's Vapo rub is another alternative. I'm pretty sure there are few things more awful smelling than a rancid rammy smelling ram wearing cheap perfume.

Of course one of the big things during breeding season, as I mentioned, is keeping the rams in their own pastures and not off visiting 'dry' ewes or another ram's breeding group. Especially towards the end of breeding season the rams get restless and want to visit around. Lest you think they are the only problem though, I have one word for you--ewes. They usually aren't quite as bad, but they are pretty shameless and will stand glued in a corner, eyeing a potential suitor across the way. They bellow and they wag their tails and I have no doubt if they could find a way out they'd be off in a heartbeat to join the ram.

Here at Fairlight, I have several rams. I have an old Merino ram named Blue who lives with his wethered son, Lanny. I haven't used Blue for several years, but that hasn't stopped him in the past from pacing a path along the fence line as he fervently wished to be with the ewes--even if they only came to his kneecaps. However this year, something surprising happened. Blue shares a fence line with the ewes and last year I had to put up a double fence, with a no-ram's land in-between. I did this because the year before he pushed over the fence and joined the ewes, which caused a trip to the vet for a 'morning after shot' for one ewe, and, well, that is another story. Blue has never been a fence destroyer though, unlike the Shetland rams. The fence pushing over incident was more my fault for not checking to make sure the panels were securely wired. Anyway, back to this year and the surprise. Blue has absolutely no interest in the ewes. Mind you he still shares a fence with them, but he is oblivious to their charms. Likewise the ewes don't even bother to try to entice him. In effect he has become a wether. I'm guessing that he is just not producing the hormones anymore. He will soon be nine years old, and for a merino ram that is probably a pretty ancient age.

In addition to Blue, I have Jackdaw the ram lamb from this year. Jackie will be headed off to his new home though after breeding season, so no re-introduction worries here at least. (Jackie and Selena left last weekend!)

Then there is Jeff. Jeff lives with his twin brother, Callum. Callum was a ram until he was about two years old. Then Cal made several mistakes all in a row. 1) He virtually tried to kill the ewe he was put with. 2) he took down an entire section of fence in a very short time. 3) he wouldn't stay in his pen, demolishing or damaging several more gates and fences and 4) he tried to take me down. Number four sealed the deal and he had a visit from the vet. Shortly after wethering Cal and Jeff tore through a fence to be reunited and then a few days later, Jeff beat the bejebbers out of Cal and nearly killed him. That is another story for another time, but the recovery was long. However except for that summer and breeding seasons the boys have always been together.

For awhile I had three rams and a wether in the Shetland pen, but the drama was tiring and I eventually sold two of the rams. Now re-introductions consists of just putting Jeff and his brother back together. Since rams are usually very wired and over the top aggressive during breeding season, I have to put the shield on Jeff before putting him with Cal in order to keep injury potential to a minimum.

The principle idea of the shield is that it keeps the rams from seeing forward, so in theory they can't ram each other. They can still tussle and side swipe, but not the terrible ramming with their heads. The shield itself is basically a halter, with a large piece of leather across the face and eyes. They can see out of the side of the shield so they can move around, graze and do normal sheep stuff--even run pretty fast.

They can also still pry fences up with their horns, although it slows them down , and they can still function as a breeding ram. Some shepherds put them on the rams to keep themselves safer during this season.

There is always a chance they might get caught up on something, so it is a worrying time. Jeff has a very small, but very broad head, so while the buckles and straps all fit, the shield was too short and both eyes peered around the edges. Pretty useless that way and it caused a big almost disaster once involving another ram, a cattle panel and myself, when I didn't realize he had outgrown it! My solution is to use duct tape and two leather patches to extend the shield out in front of the eyes. The shield does not touch his eyes at all.

I plan to take Jeff's off in just a few days as he has calmed down quite a bit already. My biggest worry now, is, will he stay where he is suppose to? Is breeding season over in his mind?

Update--ram shield came off this weekend, just in time for a nasty weather system to roll through. Click here to see a picture of the ram shield in it's original state. They are available for large and small rams, as well as horned and polled.

Making Progress..

Phew..I'm not sure who is gonna win this battle, me or the trailer! I am making progress though, and it's smelling lots better after today.

Last weekend, I worked on carrying out all the debris, pulling the carpet and pulling out some of the old wood from the 'bed'. I also removed about a ton of foam cushion that someone had used for insulation around the pipes and wheel wells. You can imagine how that smelled after the mice infestation. Tuesday I took a vacation day to go and do some Christmas shopping (something I do every year on the first Tuesday of December..) and I bought a shop vac. I could not think how in the world I was going to get all the bits and pieces of mice nests and poop out of the cracks and crevices of the trailer, without something like the shop vac. I'm so glad I did. Sometimes I just don't take the 'easy' route for various reasons, and regret it later. This time I did and I'm so thankful for that miraculous machine.

Yesterday I vacuumed for a couple of hours. Every inch of the trailer that I could reach got vacuumed. In case you missed it the trailer was infested with mice at some point, so that is what all the fuss is about. The smell was pretty rank, but it's getting much much better. Today, I worked on starting to do the 'real cleaning'. Lots of scrubbing and disinfecting. I got sidetracked a little when I discovered I could take out another part of a cabinet and get behind it. I'm sure glad I did, as it was probably the worst spot I've found for mouse debris. Now, I'm pretty sure there aren't any more places that I haven't exposed for vacuuming and cleaning.

I got several really bad spots that are hard to reach done today, and hope to spend a little more time on it tomorrow afternoon. Once I get the heavy duty scrubbing done, then it'll get easier with just washing down the walls and floor. I was hoping to make more progress today, but it just takes awhile when so much grime is built up. The kitchen area was a real mess. I'm listening to Steven Havill's Posadas County Mysteries books on tape while I work, which helps it not be such a drudge.

After it's cleaned, then I'm going to get some plywood to box up some areas I don't want the kitties to go into, and then it'll be ready to move them in. I'm hoping maybe next weekend. Right now it doesn't have to be pretty, just clean, safe and functional.

The weather has been bitter cold here, quite a shock after a mild start to winter. The highs have been 40s with low 20s at night. In between working on the trailer there are other chores that have to be done, like carrying in wood for the hungry stove and water to the thirsty sheep. It's just been a shock that winter arrived so cold and harsh!

I managed to get Jeff to let me get his shield off so I'm glad that is done. Now if he will just behave...we shall see. I had to put tarps along one section of the ewe's fence, as he had a direct line of sight to them and it seemed like a good idea to nip that in the bud.

I had quite a shock coming home from work yesterday. I usually come home the back roads on Friday since I get off at noon. As I came down off the ridge and around the corner to where the river is, I saw a truck parked on the bridge. Then I saw a man walking along the gravel bar next to the bridge...then I saw.. Boone.. walking with him.

I totally freaked and came to an almost complete stop as I looked at this dog, thinking someone had stolen Boone, while at the same time telling myself it couldn't be Boone. Honestly the more I looked the less sure I became it wasn't Boone--it even limped on the same foot Boone does when he gets stove up. The dog was wearing a choke chain and seemed pretty unsure about running around on a gravel bar. Then it came trotting back and went right in front of my truck and at that point I realized it wasn't Boone, because it had all it's boy parts still intact. I'm sure the two guys with the dog thought I'd probably never seen a dog like that, due to my gawking face. What they didn't know was I see that dog every day!

And while I knew it wasn't Boone, it was still with great relief that I saw him and Ashley at the yard fence as I pulled in the driveway.

Hope you have a great weekend!

The Weeds.....

...growing like them anyway......

Wee baby kittens (top cage) and their Mom, Butterfly (bottom cage) ready for the commute.

So back a few months ago, the kittens got too squirmy and big to carry to the breezeway at night in their box. For safety reasons I then rummaged around and found this old hamster cage. It has a top loading entrance so it was easier to stuff kittens in and keep them in. Although my sister doesn't remember it, she gave me this cage probably better than twenty years ago. I've used it temporarily for allot of things over the years---chicks, orphan birds, catching wild kittens---and now it's a PTU. (Prisoner Transport Unit as Tina calls 'em).

Wee baby kittens, not so wee anymore, but still with room to wiggle.

Now we have a problem. Six little kitties just keep growing, and growing, and it gets harder and harder to fit them all in there in the morning. They are stoic about it though, scrunching and slithering in as encourage them. Lest you feel too sorry for them, they are only in the cage about three minutes as I tote them to their playpen in the garage every morning. At night they charge to the yard on their own, so no need of a PTU.

Solution is on the horizon though--as soon as I get the trailer cleaned and ready, the playpen will be moved into the yard. Then I'll attach it to the trailer and no more kitty commute! The little hamster cage will once more retire, awaiting future assignments--that is if the bottom doesn't fall out of it in the meantime.

Nothing wee about this bunch anymore! Their long suffering expressions are priceless. Clockwise, starting with Trinity the calico, Tempe (Torti), Gabe (O/W), Noah (Orange), Verity (Black--and she WILL grow to her nose someday...) and lastly Chaco (Black)

(if it looks like Noah is a giant next to his siblings, well, he is...he eats all the time.)