Here are a few of the mares out on pasture. We’ve run out of grass in the back, so they’re getting hay for now. Continue reading
The first batch of dinner chickens is ready to butcher. These guys are a bit smaller than last year, but they’re also two weeks younger. The difference in food costs may offset the smaller size. Anyway, we’ve been out of chicken for a while, so it will be good to get them done. We do… Continue reading
We had a spare bull show up at the house yesterday. The neighbor had borrowed a bull to breed his two cows to, and the bull decided to go on a walkabout around the entire mesa. He visited several places, including ours. After strolling past the house, he went back to harass the guard dogs.… Continue reading
With the loom assembled, the next step was to tie it up and get it ready for warping. Margaret, Monica, and Elena all helped me learn how to tie everything up and set it for weaving. We set it up for a balanced twill and tabby just to play with initially. Continue reading
Thursday was the sheep show at the Delta County Fair. We took nine sheep. Three were ewe lambs, three were ram lambs, and three were aged ewes. Stephanie and Jacob trained the sheep with me, and all three of us showed in the open classes. The poor judge had never seen little black sheep before,… Continue reading
Tuesday was the Delta County Fair Open and 4H Poultry Show. The Hellecksons and I show chickens in the open class. Here we are in the judging lineup with our old Gold Pencilled Hamburg hens, who were molting and looked pretty scruffy. Stephanie took first, Jacob second, and I had a barely-not-disqualified third. My birds’… Continue reading
We’ve been cleaning the garage in preparation for some modifications to our heating system. Here is proof that Ken is actually throwing away a computer. Of course, it doesn’t work, but still. Continue reading
The big Glimakra loom was assembled in the shop on August 4th. My friend Elena Dent came to visit and got roped into not just the assembly process, but to start skirting our 2008 fleeces as well. Normally we’re done by now, but with the construction, I didn’t get started until now. Continue reading
On the 31st of July, we gave all the lambs their first vaccinations, plus dewormer. Nose bots are a real problem this year, so we have had to watch carefully and deworm more frequently. Here, the sheep are going back up to their grazing segment. We use Electronet as a guide rather than a herding… Continue reading
Ken found an additional use for the Woolevator: crane assembly assistance! Continue reading