Changing Seasons

The first day of Fall has always been one of my favorite days. This year, I ventured to the Common Ground Fair on a Saturday and ushered in Autumn with familiar comfort. Being there with someone who had never experienced an agricultural fair before added to the day for sure and brought the reminder that the shift in seasons brings with it changes of all kinds for people, animals and plants alike. Sometimes embracing those changes is a struggle that seems insurmountable, but the natural flow of change and the rhythm of the seasons wins out in the end every time. Being still enough to find the truth is the trick.

The flock has grown to uncomfortable numbers, and letting go is hard but necessary; the winnowing process is never fun. More to come on new homes and autumnal occurrences as the salty shepherd finds the writing rhythm again.

Borrowed Images

He's such a charmer.

Hercules.

People often stop and take pictures of the sheep, and the other day a nice couple pulled up and admired them for quite a while; these images arrived yesterday - and, since my camera is still not working, it's great to be able to post a few images of the sheep after the shearing. Thanks to the photographer!

Callie is doing well - her cut seems healed and she's not showing any signs of fever or discomfort. And, the two ewes who were unsure on their newly pedicured hooves are just about back to their normal gaits.

Shearing and Wool

Shearing day can sometimes be stressful, and this year seemed especially so. With so many sheep and so few shearers in this area, the Links are in demand - no doubt because they are so good. The father and son team have close to 75 years' experience between them (or more) and they shear the majority of flocks, large and small, in southern Maine. With the wet weather and complications of scheduling so many people, it was a challenging spring for everyone in terms of shearing I think. The call came twelve hours before they were coming to my place, and I was out of town for eleven of those.

before shearing...

So, the power cord came out and tarps - everyone was in the barn from the night before - so gathering them was not a problem. All fourteen of them were done within two hours, and the barn felt twice as big last night when they were all in for the night. For the first time in ten or more years, we had a significant cut, though; Callie, my eldest ewe, apparently kicked and the angle was just right (or all wrong) and she lost a bit of blood. I was not as prepared as I should have been so we used corn starch to stop the bleeding; and, the lanolin acts as the best healing agent around. She was up and grazing within seconds and showed no signs of lethargy, but I'm going to need to keep a close eye on her for a while and may get some antibiotics to be sure she doesn't get an infection. Poor old girl. I did worse that she did, and the shearers were a little unnerved by my less-than-stoic-shepherdness, but oh well.  Her fleece will still be gorgeous after it's skirted and cleaned, and I will probably set it aside as an homage to her this year. I'm glad it's all over. And, so are they. Much more comfortable for them - and since we're finally having some warmer weather, it's great to have them sheared.

It's always good to see how they're looking underneath all that wool, and they are in excellent shape. The Poulin grains have made a difference in their fleeces, I think; in spite of a warm winter, the wool looks just fine - not much different length than other years. Hercules has a less springy, crimpy fleece - and it is gorgeous with those spots. His tail, all cut close, is absolutely beautiful. I will have to try to get some pictures to post. He's quite a specimen. And, a romeo, too. From the looks of those shaved bellies, we may have a few fall lambs here. Not at all what I'd planned...so, we'll see.

ultimately...this.  gorgeous naturally dyed,  hand spun yarn.

I'm looking at a new mill that may be able to spin this very fine, short fiber and am eager to see what they are able to do. The specialty yarn niche is something that intrigues me and looking into whether we could make a name for ourselves here at the Salty Ewe in that department. The gorgeous hanks of hand spun yarns that Lori (walkingwool.blogspot.com) has done up for me are incredible and a joy to knit my hats from - but with fourteen fleeces - something's got to give.
Stay tuned.

Aztec and Rue

Lambing season was quick and relatively uneventful, and we now have two new lambs here at the farmette! It took a while to settle on names, but they're going to be called Aztec and Rue.

The first born was Rue, and she was Rita's first lamb. She came early in the morning, quietly and just minutes before I got down to the barn to let everyone out for the day. I have never seen another lamb like this one; she is incredibly friendly and has a tremendous amount of strength and energy already. Hercules is probably a huge part of this lovely little disposition...and, while she does not have any spots, her fleece is already fluffing up and feeling soft.

Maya's little ram lamb, Aztec, arrived in the middle of the night on April 12 - a week after the first lamb (shepherd's nirvana again!). And, unlike Rita's easy lambing, the painful sounds coming up from the barn, from Maya, woke me and kept me up for a good part of the night. She had a difficult time and the ram lamb has been slow to gain strength and energy, so the past several days have been somewhat challenging as we deal with record breaking heat in Maine - new lambs can become dehydrated quickly, and while the worst seems to be over and little Aztec seems to be gaining weight, it's good to be home from the day job this week to keep a close eye on him.

Hercules and the wether have joined the girls in the big field, and things are starting to green up quickly. We are in desperate need of rain, and the forecast finally has some predicted for this weekend. Before we know it, the hay will start coming in and gardens will be planted. Even though it was a quick and easy winter here, the feeling of Spring is still intoxicating. Cheers to the season!

April!

Henry!

The first day of April always feels like Spring, even though last year we were having a blizzard and lost power for hours. It was my first full day with Henry, and I remember feeling thankful to have the day off from school to stay home with the new puppy. He's still so much a puppy a year later. Hopeful that the destructive side will wear off with age...

Maya and Rita, the two ewes who spent a couple of months with Hercules last fall, are looking round and getting closer to lambing. Both have good sized udders coming in and have started to lay around more than usual, often times in the barn alone while the rest of the sheep are outside (beginning to graze, which is crazy at this time of the year). It will be exciting to have spotted sheep here at the Salty Ewe again, after starting with the Jacobs over ten years ago now. And, if they're anywhere as adorable as the spotted babydoll lambs that I have seen from Kelly's Romney Ridge Farm, we're in for a treat here on the farmette. I can't wait. They are, after all, the real sign of spring.

A younger Hercules. He still relaxes in this position!

In Like a Lion

The Shepherdess from Salty Ewe apologizes for the lapse in entries since the New Year. Life on and off the farmette has been busy has fulfilling, beyond expectations in many ways. Hercules has brought all kinds of good energy to us - his quiet and calm disposition is a welcome addition to the barn - and, we are eagerly awaiting the arrival of lambs within the next six weeks or so.

The winter has been mild and with minimal snows. Our first real snow storm since winter, really, arrived this past week on March 1; we got over a foot here along the coast. The sheep stayed in all day, which is not ideal. Today, it's rainy and sleeting, with intermittent snow. A very grey day. Barn doors are open but they're choosing to stay in from what I can see so far.

Hercules as a lamb!

The anticipation of warmer days that will allow time in the garden, from early morning hours to late in the afternoon (until the mosquitos ascend) is building, and days like today add to that anxiousness. The garlic will pop first, and given the lack of cold temperatures and deep snow pack, I imagine that may happen sooner than later. Curious whether the mild winter will affect the harvest. Time will tell.

Such is the mantra of life. Time does tell. Stories unfold and life marches on, sometimes with unexpected twists that bring unspeakable joy - and sometimes deep pain. The delicate balance. Time telling truths. We wait for lambs and new life to grace our lives.

2012!

The Salty Ewe Shepherdess has been out of the writing mode of late and hopes that everyone has enjoyed the holiday season and that 2012 is off to a banner start. The sheep are all doing great and still able to 'graze' since we still have no snow in Maine. Unheard of.

Lori's great photography - Winter Sheep

Hercules has adjusted beautifully and brought all kinds of good energy to the farmette. He is gentle and inquisitive, and he's got a unique little personality that I get to see on occasion. The girls are all well and looking a little chubby, which I would rather have over bony. Their fleeces have started to thicken up, and tonight's forecast of zero degree temperatures will certainly aid in the production of more wool I think. It's been so nice not to have the heated water buckets plugged in for so long - and to be able to see the sheep moving freely aver their pasture instead of snow-locked into the areas that I clear for them in the deep snow. Having said that, we're ready for snow in New England.
Happy New Year to everyone. Wishing you the best in the coming year and thanks for reading the Salty Ewe's blog - even when weeks pass without a post.