
Today was the start of another sheep AI experiment. We started our 2009 trials with the USDA-NAGP people. We collected semen from 14 adult Black Welsh Mountain rams. Each ram had its picture taken in front of a size-marked tarp for future reference. While I managed to get pictures of the picture-taking process, I didn’t Continue reading

The sheep are in the winter pens now. Here you can see the ewes eating hay and, later, a nearly-empty feeder. We’re going through more hay than normal, but we also have more sheep than normal. A good selection of ewes, ewe lambs, and ram lambs is for sale if you’d like to start your Continue reading

Mt. Lamborn has a skiff of snow on it. This is our view down into the North Fork valley. The fall colors are beautiful this time of year. Continue reading

Today was a lovely fall day with snow on Mt. Gunnison. Winter is coming. Continue reading

We decided to see if the melon that I harvested was any good to eat. It was wonderful, so we ate the whole melon! It was so sweet and tasty. I saved the seeds to potentially replant next year since it’s an open-pollinated variety. Continue reading
With a frost coming, it was time to harvest the last of the garden. My only other crops left were melons. One was a watermelon and one was a cantaloupe. The only one that reached a respectable size was the cantaloupe. It’s not ripe yet, but I harvested it anyway. Better gardeners than I have Continue reading

Judd just got the last hay of the year baled and delivered today. We buy hay from our neighbors. This second cutting looks especially good. There was more hay than we expected. We won’t need any additional for the year, and we’ll be well set for winter. Our next job will be to send a Continue reading

On Sunday morning, we headed to the town park for the Mountain Harvest Festival Farmers’ Market. Ray came to help at the booth. He took care of it so I could take the occasional break. Monica from Small Potatoes Farm was also there selling potatoes and garlic braids. It was a good day. We had Continue reading
No pictures today. This morning, before our farm tours started, we sorted some of the sheep and put coats on them. They’re now in the winter corrals on hay. They look a bit silly in their coats, but it keeps their wool clean. The tours are part of the Paonia Harvest Festival. Promptly at 11, Continue reading