sheep shearing, fleece,

guinea hens & the bamalama

We finally got all five guinea fowl from Pete and Ritsuko and locked them in the henhouse. One promptly escaped and is sitting in the spruce tree making his/her "rusty pumphandle noises" as Henning calls them. We had a late spring snowstorm on April 7 which dumped almost half a foot of snow on the Ottawa Valley and the landscape looks like mid December again. That and a cold chilly wind inspired us to do nothing much except read and make summer plans. Have ordered our meat bird chicks which are to arrive on May 19. Henning will pick up 15 ducklings when he goes to Elmira at the end of the month and Pete and Ritsuko are hatching laying hens for us. Still no luck on piglets. Why are they so scarce?

Bamalama is doing better in the barn with only a couple of bloaty episodes when he gorges on grain. We've started making sure he has two full bottles before the grain gets put out for the lambs so he isn't as hungry. As you can see, he really is too big to sit in the rocking chair. If only he could stay little forever, instead of turning into a big smelly sheep.

Have been feeding Dottie's twins a half a bottle a day as she isn't letting them nurse as much as they need to and they are definitely hungry.

Earth Day

We celebrated Earth Day (and Hennings birthday one day late) with candlelight, beer and fajitas. Here's Dennis and Shane playing backgammon and Henning building a "play structure" for the lambs out of the unused stock box.

Here's a little overview of some of our farm activities and guests. Here's Tomasz, our resident computer expert with the bamalama. He's on the phone talking to his friend Roma in London, U.K and getting directions for a delicious chicken dish called Catalan Chicken. We're having that for dinner on Sunday (today).

Our friends and guests Shane and Dennis spent two days with us earlier in the week. They have property near Wilno and have often stayed at our suites when they are visiting the area. Because we weren't open in Wilno, they visited us here at the farm and cooked us a lovely pot roast on their second night here!

Martien says that Agnes may have been "cast". This is farmer terminology for an animal that rolls over onto its back or side and is unable to get up again. It happens to cows and to sheep and results in their death from pressure and bloating on their internal organs. There isn't anything that can be done about it and it is one of those inevitable things that happens on farms. I am thinking about putting a webcam in the barn...at least one could check on things more frequently and possibly avert some potential disasters.

My brothers came in for coffee break half way through the afternoon, and mother and dad had also driven up so we had a little family gathering just like in the olden days when everyone was up here haying. Very pleasant.

A beautiful Spring day

Saturday March 28 was warm and sunny and my brothers and two nephews arrived to do some fencing in the big field behind the house. They brought along a four wheeler to carry the supplies and roared off into the distance. Tom and Henning unloaded a big round bale of second cut hay and brought it into the barn for the new lambs. Meanwhile, Bama still loves to come inside for a little snooze and a bottle in the rocking chair. Pretty soon he will be too big for that and besides, I have to go back to Wilno next week so he'll be at Henning's mercy....and there won't be any rocking and bottles by the woodstove!!

Agnes R.I.P

On Friday morning when Henning went to do chores and let the sheep out for the day, he discovered Agnes lying on her back in the box stall unable to get up and clearly in pain. We checked her over thoroughly but couldn't find any obvious signs of injury. First thought was that Alfie had bunted her too roughly with his big horns and caused some sort of internal damage. Henning gave her a shot of penicillin and we left her water and grain and tried to coax her to eat or drink but she was not interested. She was breathing shallowly and grinding her teeth which is usually a sign of being in pain. Henning had to go to Barry's Bay but I kept checking on her every hour and at one point, rolled her over and did another examination of her stomache and ribs but nothing seems outwardly amiss. When I went back to give Bama his bottle at 4 o'clock, she had rolled over on her side and was dead. I got the scissors and clipped part of her fleece...mostly because I wanted a momento of her and I think I got enough fleece to be useful. Poor Agnes...she was one of our first two lambs who lived with us in Wilno all last summer. She and Carmelita inspired all my sheep endeavors that followed. Rest in good pasture, Agnes. You were a lovely little ewe.