Desert Weyr Blog
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Making Cider!
Our orchard was primarily used to grow apples for cider. My mother had Kate’s Sweet Cider as a business when I was in high school. We still own the crusher and press, and I’d hoped to get it all running. This year, we had a huge crop of apples. We couldn’t get pickers, so most… Continue reading
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Shop Heater
Just in time for Halloween and a coming storm next week, the new shop heater is installed. The trench has also been filled in where the propane line runs. In a quick test, it heated up the shop after being on for just a few minutes. We’ll see how well it works once we get… Continue reading
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Sorting Sheep
We’ve been sorting sheep for fall. We evaluate all of the ewes, rams, and lambs every year to decide who will be dinner, who will stay, and who will be for sale. We’re trying something new this year. After the evaluations were done, those identified for butcher got red ear tags. That way, if people… Continue reading
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Sheep on Pasture
We sorted out the next batch of butcher sheep, and for the first time ever, they had the entire front pear orchard to graze in. There are cockleburrs, so we didn’t want to let the main flock out there, but these sheep are going to be slaughtered in a couple of weeks. The wool doesn’t… Continue reading
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Farm Blather
Today (why always on a weekend?), Becky came in with a huge gash on her side. We have no idea what she did, but after a trip to the emergency vet in Delta 30 miles away, she’s been stitched up. We were given some stuff to keep her from chewing the drain and stitches, but… Continue reading
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Fall Rainbow
A lovely morning rainbow appeared over the sheep pens and hay barn today. Continue reading
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Garvin Mesa Day
On Saturday, October 4th, we had our big Garvin Mesa Day Open House. All three wineries and our farm were open, with special events planned. We had a barbecue with mutton legs for tasting, plus some locally-produced cow’s milk cheese. The three wineries – Terror Creek Winery, Stone Cottage Cellars, and Azura – all had… Continue reading
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Solar Start-Up Issues
The solar system is finished, but on one of the first days, something went wrong. In spite of the various sensors and pumps, the circulator pump stopped working. Temperatures at the top of the collector reached nearly 350 degrees! Ken put tarps up to shade the panels until the plumber could come and fix it.… Continue reading
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Cool Tool!
Every year, we tear down our welded wire pens so the manure can be scraped out. Then, we have to rebuild them. This usually means several days or weeks of pounding in t-posts by hand. Blisters and sore muscles are just a few hazards of the job. It’s getting very old, very fast, so we… Continue reading
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Solar Controls
With the panels up, work now moves back inside. Sensors, controllers, expansion tanks, pumps, and valves all had to be hooked up. Continue reading