May 26, 2012 Saturday
There was a foggy start to what became a fine day. DS Mark drove up from Portland to join me for lunch, which was especially lovely. He does not get many days off at the hospital. Annie had to work. We walked around the garden and picked asparagus for lunch. Before leaving he got out his stethoscope and cuff and checked my heart, lungs and BP. All perfectly clear, BP 105/58.
About sundown I discovered one of the 2 week old chicks entangled in some bird netting we put up to defend the dahlias. It must have taken me 20 minutes to free him, the first ten trying to unravel him without using scissors. That stuff is dreadful. After I freed him he settled right down in my hand. Icould not find his family. I suppose they had already settled for the night. I took him for a drink of water and left him alone in the feed pan eating cracked corn as fast as he could.
May 27, 2012 Sunday
I let the sheep out at 6am as usual. At this time I shut the cows into the beefer pen so I don’t have to call or chase them in later.
At 8am when I went out to milk, the entangled chick was back among his siblings looking fine. At this time I always let the sheep back into their own stall for a snack to keep them out of the cow traffic. They are wonderful about always bounding in or out as occasion demands.
After milking when it was time for the sheep to go back out Agnes was lying on her side and would not move so I figured she was lambing. The others would not leave her so I left all doors open for them to come or go. The cows don’t come in that way because there is a ramp. Cows hate ramps.
Forty minutes later after milk chores were done I discovered that Agnes and friends had left the stall and were out in the lean-to. It is not so clean there, the ground being covered with dry sheep dung, but it is dry and airy and inaccessible to Willie who has been known to squeezes into the barn. Maybe Agnes thought of that. She is now lying on her side with Susie facing her. Linda, the one that concentrated the Cotswold Finn/Dorset genes and is smaller is standing in front of her and made a point of stamping her feet when I approached.
4:30 pm. The ewes went all day alarming me with their panting. Twice I brought them water which of course they refused, being sheep. Finally when Mitra and the girls came over we all went into the lean-to with them and I made the hot steamy cows go out. I tried sprinkling water on the sheeps’ heads to cool them down. They got up and trotted away as though there was nothing more to be said. I opened the sheep paddock which has been closed for several weeks and now sports lush foot high grass. I figure there is no way anybody is going to graze close to the ground and get parasites. Now all the sheep and cows are in there gobbling. Ella is racing around being in heat.
Mitra brought my eggplant seedlings from Amy LeBlanc and some herb plants. I gave Shireen seed packets for her garden. She harvested pigweed from the paddock for their supper. I must go out and get some too. We all admired the oats and wheat patch.
May 28, 2012 Monday, Memorial Day
Once again Dot Mason and I were invited to ride with Steve Brown in the town flivver in the Weld parade. The old thing, I guess it is a Model T, bops right along. It has a windshield in front but has no windows on the sides, just the doors, and the top is canvas.
Dot is a great sport at 92. She was town treasurer for 52 years and had a hair dressing salon. She is always perfectly turned out.
The parade consisted of a flatbed bearing the Old Crow Band, a few Legionnaires on foot and kids on bikes, the Town pumper and the flivver. About 100 people watched the parade and listened to the speeches, not too bad for a town with a population of about 400. A State Rep, Tom Saviello, spoke. Light rain started as we were leaving.
The sheep appear to have lost interest in having babies, which was convenient today.
The weather improved and I spent an hour or so in the garden.
May 29, 2012 Tuesday
It was thunder, lightning and rain all day. I kept the sheep in all morning but then they wanted to go out and graze in the rain. No signs of lambing.
Nancy worked here all day doing indoor things. She vacuumed up a lot of spiders. They area early and huge this year. She defrosted and cleaned my milk frig. My repeated efforts to get rid of an unappealing odor had not been entirely successful. She utterly dismantled everything even taking out screws. She fashioned a tool from a wire coat hanger and opened up a clogged aperture. We have declared victory over the smell.
I mostly worked on my editing.
May 30, 2012 Wednesday
I overslept and was behind all day but managed to get some editing done. I visited Marcia’s camp and found her garden looking perfectly charming. Most of her perennials won’t open for another week or two but her many under plantings, hostas, bergania and more are shining green and filled in with clouds of forget-me-nots.
Nancy worked here today and focused on eliminating spiders. We dislike them a lot. She used the vacuum. In the evening she brought the three girls again to do evening chores. They are a jolly lot.
No lambs yet.
June 01, 2012 Friday
When I opened the door this morning for the sheep, Agnes hesitated. Then I noticed that a lamb was staggering after her, a still wet but sturdy and vigorous lamb. I believe it is a ewe. I expected Agnes to have twins, she was so big and in fact still looks big but this lamb already acts like she is a day old. I am assuming it is feeding because Agnes stands pretty well and the lamb seems to have the right inclinations but will just have to keep watch. Unassisted I can’t intervene.
I kept Agnes in. The other two ewes went out but hung about doing little grazing. Agnes is the leader. I set Agnes up with some good hay and fresh water. This evening I put out more good hay and they all had a bit of grain.
Nancy worked here all day but spent part of her time taking my weed trimmer to be repaired. She also filled the gas cans for which I am most grateful. She went in my truck. She is borrowing it tonight and tomorrow to get her archery equipment set up at the Farmington Fair.
I got my peppers set out and did a number of other things in the garden such as transplanting kale. The weeds are getting way ahead of me. None the less I don’t expect to have to buy any more vegetables for a long time.
DS John calls every Friday from Adelaide and this evening I was also able to talk with grandson Harper who was visiting from U of AK. Harper had just given a seminar to the oceanographic institute where John works. We were on Skype so all three of us were able to participate.
Here is a photo DS Martin took of me and my Savarin cake (French Ring Cake) last week.