Blue Bird Baffle

I love to watch birds.

 

I am quite the novice when it comes to bird watching because I am poor, at best ,when it comes to making identifications based  on songs, calls and even the birds themselves…unless they are the easily identified like the cardinals, bluebirds, blue jays, gold finches, to name a few, by the obvious color of their feathers. I love color!  But, the farm is home to quite a population of those that give me pause and rushing to my bird identification book.  Fortunately, watching, even those unidentifiable to me, is fun and interesting.

 

Today, I was lucky enough to observe a large (12 +/- male, female and immature)  group of Eastern Bluebirds around our closest bluebird nesting box which is nailed to a fence post only feet from the house.  I was inside the house, but quickly decided to slip outside and to creep as close as I could.  If I scared them all away, then I would try again another day.  They did not scare, and I was able to watch them for several minutes.

 



Look into the hole...see the eye peeking out?

First, one bluebird would fly to the hole of the nesting box, look in, and then fly off.  As soon as this bird left, another bluebird arrived and repeated the action of looking in and flying off.  Only one of the bluebirds dared to enter the box. This sequence was repeated many times over by, what seemed, like the entire group.

 

 

I am totally ignorant as to what these birds were doing, but their activity was fascinating to watch.  In fact, I think the birds would have continued, but I took one step too close.  The birds flew off and I was left watching an empty nesting box. 

 

The birds, as I, will return another day for another amusing moment.  They always do.

Happy Anniversary To Me and Glenn

Today is my Wedding Anniversary…number 38 to be exact.

 

Nothing celebratory was planned, so Glenn and I decided to jump on the motorcycle and take a short ride through the beautiful Shenandoah countryside.

 

The air temperature was very warm and the sun shone brightly, but the swirling open air of the bike ride provided a cooling breeze and made the hot situation not only bearable, but perfectly comfortable.

 

We set out for Middlebrook specifically to have a small lunch at the General Store.  Middlebrook is a very small town.  The main street is flanked with very old and close residences, the library, and the General Store.  We had planned to make this stop for years but we were always on the wrong schedule.  Most of our bike rides are on Sunday afternoons or evenings and the decision to drive through Middlebrook was occasional. Besides, the General Store is closed on Sundays.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, today, the OPEN sign was lit.  Upon entering the store, we were somewhat transported to a past era. Worn, wood floors drew us further inside. Antiques peppered the establishment.  Two of the four tables were occupied by local farmers enjoying a lunch off tractor.  The store was quiet and mellow.  Overhearing how bad the hay crop is, I could completely relate.  We, too, have been under drought conditions most of the summer.  Our pastures dry and grass not growing.  I felt welcomed and at home and hungry.

 

Glenn and I both decided on the roast beef sandwich with chips - the special for the day.  This was our Anniversary fête.  I was satisfied both in spirit and in stomach. Not only am I a cheap date, but small things make me happy.  Lunch in this little General Store made me happy.

Check out the table cloth...repurposed plastic feed sacks...ain't they cute? I reuse our old feedsacks for garbage bags.  I guess I should rethink my recycling efforts. 

 

Anniversary festivity was over. The day was gorgeous. We headed back home.

 

Once we were home, it was back to work. First, we drove over to Becky’s to load our oldest bull and bring him back to the main farm.

 

Our newest bull, recently purchased in Missouri and trailered back by Glenn, tore a ligament in his rear leg.  The vet called it ‘blowing his knee out’ and ending his usefulness.  The bull, too recent a farm addition to even name,  had only been with the cows, for breeding purposes, for three weeks time and probably not long enough to have bred them all.  We quickly delivered the bull to the stockyard while he was still able to walk; thus, we were still able to sell him.  We recouped a bit of the purchase price, but not all and certainly not the cost of the trip to drive out and back to Missouri.  I have said it before and I will say it again…ain’t farming grand! 

 

We had a young and inexperienced bull as back-up.  Now, this youngster became top bull for a bit.

 

But, feeling that the youngster might be a bit inadequate for the job at hand, we brought ‘son of Little Red’ back to finish the breeding of the main herd.

 

Before unloading ‘son of Little Red’ off the trailer, we had to move the herd into a fresh pasture with the sheep.  Once that task was accomplished, the door to the trailer was opened and ‘son’ slowly stepped out of the trailer.  He ate some grass and strolled around before catching the scent of the herd.  He let out several long and loud bellows as he raced down the hill, trampling several small trees in his path, to meet up with the cattle.  Within seconds, he was checking out the cows and preparing himself for his job.  He was feeling happy, too!

 

Now, we are off to find Avalanche, our sheep guard dog, and feed her dinner.  She seems to have vanished when she saw the big guy arrive.  

If It's Wednesday

Today is Wednesday.  And, Wednesday is the day daughter Becky chose to be a vendor at the local Farmers Market in Staunton, Virginia.  Staunton’s Saturday Farmers Market is busier and better attended by both vendors and shoppers, but Becky wanted to start slow as this was her first experience as a vendor of self-produced, natural meats which include beef, pork and lamb. 

 

Becky use to sell pastured eggs too until recently when one night her entire flock of 50 laying hens was massacred by a predator who found a small opening into her mobile chicken enclosure (chicken tractor). The next morning Becky discovered all 50 carcasses lying still within their protective (?) confine. Unfortunately, no chickens…no eggs.

 

Ahhh…such is the life of a farmer… living the dream.

 

I, her Mother, go along to help (sometimes hinder) as much as possible.  After all, I regularly rise at 5:00 AM in the morning to begin my day. Why not put my early rise on Wednesday mornings to good use?

 

Becky quickly realized, on along Wednesday number two of the season,  that the Wednesday market is too slow.  But, she was already assigned to the Wednesday option.

 

The weekly revenue is not nearly as much as she expected to earn.  When preparation time, driving time, set-up time, selling time, clean-up time and unloading time is factored, the income received is close to pitiful; so much for trying to provide locally-raised, healthy, natural meats at a fair price.

 

But, there is an upside.

 

The people on the other side of the selling table, the purchasers, and the people next to our table, the other vendors, are fabulous.  Friendly, interested, informative, helpful, caring and supportive are just a few poignant adjectives.

 

Do these wonderful people make up for a meager bottom-line?  In a way…YES! 

 

But, surviving ‘in the black’ and more typically ‘in the red’ for many small farmers is a challenge not only to themselves, but as in my daughter’s case, to the animals she raises. 

 

Again, I repeat…she is living the dream as are the other vendors.

 

Wednesday regular vendors/farmers include:  Elizabeth and her fresh veggies;  Sarah and her mélange of plants,  vegetable oddities, flowers and more;  John and his herb bedding plants and aromatic dried herbs; Amanda and her vegetables and amazing baked goods; John and Gloria (with the cutest little kids in tow) preparing onsite an El Salvador favorite - meat/cheese/bean and/or veggie pupusas and my favorite, the Ensalada, a refreshing juice drink spiked with fresh fruit and mint (Wednesday would not be Wednesday without my purchase of this flavorful drink); Jose offering both flower and vegetable bedding plants along with seasonal  fruits and vegetables;  and of course, Becky with her meat offerings of pork, lamb and 100% grass-fed beef.   A few other vendors complete the line-up on a more sporadic time frame.

 

Check out each vendor. 

 

Elizabeth enticing Becky into buying some fresh vegetables.

 

 A picture is worth a thousand words...starting with colorful, flavorful and 'just picked' freshness. Yummy...take a bite!

 

 

 

Sarah and what I call 'her oddities'.  Go ahead...experiment!

 

 

 

John, the HERB man a.k.a. the Wednesday Market Manager

 

You don't have to be a good cook to enjoy these dried and oh, so very aromatic and so very flavorful herbs.  These niffy jars make great gifts, too! 

 

Amanda making some last minute display changes as market is getting ready to open.

 

 

Home baked goods - eat them now, or later, if they last longer than the trip home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The grill is heating and almost ready for the start of pupusa making - tasty pockets filled with meat, beans, cheese or vegetables - try all for a super flavorful mouthful.  Made-to-order...you are just going to have to come to the market to try these delicious favorites of the regular market patrons. You, too, will become a repeat customer.  And, John and Gloria provide seating for your convenience. They thought of everything including 'take-away' containers.

My Favorite - I purchase a serving of this refreshing drink every Wednesday - I'm addicted.

 

 

More ripe and ready to eat tomatoes...you can never have enough tomatoes and Jose has a great selection.



Becky's Barnyard - it is difficult to display frozen meat (stored in the freezer just behind Becky) so she hopes the signage helps inform the public as to what farm products she is actually selling.

Sandwich sign near the road side advertising some of her meat offerings

 

 

 

 

 

If you are looking for fresh and tasty food, don’t miss next Wednesday’s Staunton Farmers Market which is located in the downtown Wharf Public Parking area starting at around 7:00 AM and ending between 12:30/1:00 PM, depending on the current crowd numbers, through the end of October.  Plan to arrive early for the best picks. And,

 

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL FARMERS MARKET - YOUR LOCAL FARMERS NEED YOUR PATRONAGE.

 

Happy Eating!

Becky's Pet Pig Delivers

Becky decided to take a day off from ‘the farm’ and explore other parts of Virginia.  The break was well deserved as she works very long hours seven days per week.  Her three Tamworth pigs were getting close to farrowing and she wanted to be onsite for the arrival of the little piglets, but plans had been made.  Getting away for a day can be difficult to arrange, so Becky decided to stick to her plans.

Unfortunately for Becky, her pet pig, the one that rolls over for a belly rub, started to deliver within hours of her leaving.

Glenn planned to work at Becky’s farm while she was gone, so I told him to give me a call if the piglets started to be born. Within minutes of him leaving our farm, he called to tell me he saw pigs. Glenn quickly made Mama a temporary pen well supplied with piles of hay where she made her birthing nest.

I rushed right over to watch and document the event.  I arrived just after piglet #2 was born.  I watched as piglet after piglet was ejected from the mama.  Within seconds, each little piglet was up and looking for milk. As each was born, I called Becky with the update.  She questioned me as to the condition of each piglet and, of course, her favorite sow.  All were doing well…not one sign of any distress or discomfort. The screeching of the power saw, the pounding of the hammer and the jiving of the radio’s music coming from Glenn’s construction site just feet away did not seem to disturb any pig.  Mama was intent on birthing her babies and the babies were intent on finding milk as fast as possible. The first born, having the longest time to drink, fell peacefully asleep at his nipple…no distress here!

 

After seven little oinkers arrived, I thought the birthing was finished as some time had passed without any more new arrivals. I was wrong. 

I took a walk to look at the other pigs in the main barn.  When I returned, Glenn said another piglet had been born.  And, to my discovery, another two piglets had been born in the mere minutes of my absence.  Then, the final piglet slid out tangled in the afterbirth.  This little guy was covered.  Glenn cleared him from the gooey mess and placed this last piglet at a nipple.  I really think if we had not been present, this last piglet would not have survived.

In total, ten piglets arrived and all alive…three solid red (more like pink), like their Mama, and seven spotted black and pink - six males and four females. The Papa pig is a solid black Berkshire.  They are all so very cute and fun to watch as they jockey for position along their Mama’s belly and sometimes are a bit confused as they stumble at her butt or over her head.

After a few hours, Mama finally got to her feet, sauntered over for a drink of water and wallowed in a favorite mud hole.  The hard work was done and she took a break herself.  The ten babies cuddled into a mass and took a nap.



all 10 piglets eating - the unlucky ones are on the bottom tier

By the end of a long day (I do not think farmers have short days.), Glenn had finished building one complete pig pen. He filled the pen with hay and placed a heat lamp in one corner.  Then, he moved the piglets two at a time into their new quarters.  As Glenn held two piglets, he determined their sex and I sprayed their navels with iodine.   Mama pig was getting irritated as her little babies were leaving her side.  Once  eight were moved, she followed them into the new pen.  

 

Glenn fed the Mama some peanuts and the little piggies went to sleep under the heat lamp.

Then, Glenn released the other two pregnant Tamworths from their pasture and they wondered into the shed looking for treats and water.  They saw the babies, took one look, and went back to eating. 

The two pregnant Tamworth gilts waiting their turn to become Mamas!

Any day now, these two should be having babies of their own.  And, I hope, Becky will be around to enjoy the entire birthing process.

The experience was wonderful and enlightening for me.

 

Update on Puppy - Glenn took Puppy down to the main flock this afternoon and left him with Avalanche and the entire flock of ewes and lambs.  When he returned back to the house without Puppy, I made him go back and retrieve the little tike.  Puppy is only 6 weeks old.  What was Glenn thinking? Besides, I observed a Bald Eagle (my first eagle sighting on our farm for me) soaring the pastures this morning.  Looking for a tasty morsel to eat?  Do eagles eat puppies?  I did not want to take any chances.   So, Glenn went back down to the lower pasture and returned with Puppy riding in the tool box.  Puppy looked content. 

The Last Option

Friday, we finally pursued our last option for trying to protect our sheep and lambs from predators.  We bought a guard dog.  In fact, we bought two.

 

The first is a seasoned guard dog, a Great Pyrenees, who lost her job when her owners moved from a large farm.  Avalanche had nothing to do and was getting quite bored.  I only hope that she can return to the task she had been trained to do without much input from us.  Dog trainers we are not.

 

 

 

 

Avalanche will live with the sheep.  We will feed Avalanche wherever she is with the sheep.  And, she is to have limited contact with us and our ‘pet’ dogs.  This might be a challenge. 

 

The second guard dog, purchased from a different home, is actually a 6-week old puppy. The puppy, unnamed at the moment, is also a Great Pyrenees, but he is not ready for the big league. This puppy will need the full course training and he will need about 18 months to mature.

 

 

Puppy is so cute. Unfortunately, the first step of training is not to bond with the puppy as a pet.  This puppy is going to be a working dog and he has to start bonding with his charges, the sheep, immediately.  So, the first step is to have the puppy live with the sheep.  We actually have the two lambs, which I had been bottle-feeding for months, to be his first companions. 

 

It is difficult to steer clear of a fluffy, cuddly puppy.  I already am not fond of this guard dog business.

 

Puppy is too young to live with the flock.  He could easily become prey himself.  The advice was that he join the flock at 6 months of age to begin his formal training.  Around 18 months, he should be a novice guard dog.  Until then, he needs to bond with his future responsibilities, stay away from our dogs, and not become a pet.  At six months, he can join Avalanche and she will become his ‘hands on’ trainer.

 

Are you my Mommy?

Well, that is the plan.

 

What I noticed, and having no prior knowledge of Great Pyrenees, is that they seem to be very docile.  And, I am wondering how this breed is known for protecting livestock against, let’s say, coyotes?  But, they do and they are great at doing such.  Who am I to question?

 

I can be scary.  I can deter coyotes!

My only hope is that this option, having guard dogs, actually works to protect our sheep and lambs.  We need all the help we can get to ward off the growing presence of coyotes.

 

This is our last alternative!

 

Since we returned home with the canines in tow late Friday night, both Avalanche and Puppy spent their first night in the barn.  Yesterday morning, even though we were having a slight drizzle, Glenn and I drove Avalanche down to the flerd. Our two dogs, of course, followed.

 

Glenn separated the cattle out so that Avalanche would not be too overwhelmed with all our livestock at once.  Avalanche slowly sauntered about the pasture.  The flock kept their distance.  There was no barking, no fanfare.  Well…there was barking…by Sammy who decided to annoy Jenny, our donkey.  But, he, too, settled down.

 

Soon, Becky joined us with Puppy lovingly embraced in her arms. Yikes…no bonding Becky!!!!

 

 

The little tike stayed close by us as Sammy and Buddy circled and played what seemed to be a game of Follow the Leader.

 

It was time to let Avalanche be on her own with the sheep and lambs for company.  She followed us to the gate and sat and watched as we drove away.

 

I am sure she will acclimate in short order.  If not…who is going to train Puppy????

 

Later, Glenn went down to feed Avalanche and brought Puppy along so that he could get another dose of the flock.

 

All is well.

 

Of course, only one full day has passed.