Looking For Spring Where We Can

Even the chickens seem to be searching for signs ~

I often like to start a new month's blogging by looking back at the archives to see what I wrote about a year ago (or more). It looks like I managed to post at least twice in May the past few years, but didn't start until the middle of the month ;) So maybe I am ahead of myself this year? LOL...

One thing that is not ahead of itself for sure is our "spring" weather. Earlier this week I was outside trying to get some decent photos of our new wool rovings when I started to see some "peeks" of the change of weather. Daffodils, of course - they have been here for a few weeks and are all over the blog world right now:

And we enjoyed Easter, especially coloring eggs and dyeing yarns with grandchildren:

But around the yard things are changing, too!

Above, Mrs Moon Bethlehem Sage

Lilacs and lace (won't be long till the blooms appear!)


And isn't the rich glow of color from the Arborvitae "Goldy" inspiring?

I know it won't be long...or maybe it is already here, but hiding? What's going on in your yard?

With a serious and heavy heart, I can't help but think of those affected by the destruction of last weeks tornados. Several blog friends...it is almost unimaginable! Please keep folks in your prayers...

Dirt For The Chickens

And more weather...Are you tired of hearing about weather here on the farm? LOL, it sure seems to be on my mind lately! On Saturday I snapped this shot of some dust-bathing chickens to share with you that we had lost some of our snow:

(This might look like an odd pile of feathers, but really it was just that they had all piled together in the few feet of open ground we had. This also happens to be right where I walk, push the wheelbarrow, carry hay - and twist my ankle in the "chicken waller". There are four hens and one rooster in this picture!)


Sunday, we had fog and then snow. And more snow. And more snow, all falling quickly. Sleet was pelted the window. Early this morning we had thunder, lightning and heavy rain.

I'm always grateful for rain (well, nearly always - not so much at haying time). But this is what I am dreaming of today ~

How about you?

April Foolishness

I know it's lambing time and I will admit to being anxious to see more of the lambs from our new ram, but all I can think about is fiber!

We sheared a few weeks ago and while I was able to get through skirting most of the white Corriedale fleeces, the turn in the weather and other commitements have kept my hands out of the natural colors (greys, blacks, browns) I like to skirt outside in the natural light and it just hasn't been possible. But maybe today. I have reserved fleeces that need to make their way to their new homes and some fleeces that I am planning to keep for myself that I want to get my hands in and on.

Some of our raw fleeces (like Amanda's pictured above) go on to be billowing clouds of vanilla cream frosting like the combed top below, processed at Zeilingers Mill here in Michigan

Don't you just want to fall right in and roll around in all of that fibery goodness?

That is my April Foolishness ;) And if you are interested in some of your own (Serenity Farms wool, that is) please feel free to contact us at serenityfarmswool at yahoo dot com. We still have some raw fleeces available, as well as some of the combed top you see pictured above.

Real Spring Fever and Food

I've really got it now ~ a longing for spring!

Yesterday, Alex and I went to visit my Dad and brothers. Just an hour and a half south of us. About twenty minutes into our journey we started to notice that we weren't seeing much snow on the ground. About half way through, there was none! The ground was clear and dry. At Dad's we drove into the neighbors field to watch them spreading manure with teams of horses. At the farm we walked out to the pasture without slipping and sliding or sinking into mud! Sigh....not so here at home

Although wait! You can begin to see some temptations of green near the fence posts above and the ice has started to melt and shatter ;) At least the sun has been shining and the ewes changed their minds about lambing these past few cold nights. I think they need to get outdoors for some real exercise, but the big barn door is still frozen in with a bank of solid-as-ice snow packed up against it.

I think I will comfort myself with some comfort food ;) One of our farm favorites any time of year (even during hot weather because it is made in the crock pot) Featuring Serenity Farms lamb ;) Or your favorite lamb, pork or beef

~ CHALUPAS ~

3 lb. lamb roast (can be pork or beef)
1 lb. dry pinto beans, rinsed and sorted
2 or 3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 can chopped green chilies
Salt

Combine all the ingredients in a large crock pot (I put the beans in first then layer the others on top) Cover with water and cook on high for 5 hours. (If you are around the house and notice that this has started to boil pretty hard, you can lower the heat sooner) Remove the meat from the bone, tear into small pieces. You can mash the bean mixture up a bit if you like at this point. Return the meat to the crock and cook about 2 more hours on low.

Serve this over tortillas and topped with your favorites - we like lettuce, tomato, cheese, black olives and freshly chopped onion. Sour cream and salsa are good additions, too. You can roll this up taco style as well, or even serve it over tortilla chips. I usually have a side of rice of some kind. This freezes well, so I usually make a large batch and put some away.

At least I can add salsa put up from the garden last year! And we are able to get locally raised dry beans, even organic, at the feed elevator. Gratiot County is known for growing beans ;)

And look, under the cap of ice...spring really is on its way to mid-Michigan!

For other recipes featuring Serenity Farms lamb, you might like to look here or here. Or seek a local supply for your own lamb for the table and support a farm family in your area. It is appreaciated more than you can imagine! Check online through Local Harvest if you aren't sure where to find farm raised food close by.

March On, 2011!

In typical March fashion, the weather has given us some mighty big swings! We went from this ~

To this ~

And back to this ~

All in a matter of days. Along with that last storm came ice and lots of it, but worse than that the temperatures bottomed out again. Just in time for the ewes (who could have lambed in that week of warm weather) to decide to start lambing when the thermometer read 11 degrees.

But so far, things have gone fine. That photo above? Do you remember our bottle lamb Francie, daughter of Eve? This is her first lamb and he is a big boy. She has done a wonderful job. I had to pull him just a little - everything was in the right place, but his nose was hung up just a little bit. But even though she was tired, she went right to mothering him and doing her job. In the picture above he had just been born. Below, she is working hard at cleaning him up a bit

He is a beautiful silvered grey with black and tan points as well. Very handsome! More to share, but we will probably be busy with lambing for the next week or so. And skirting fleeces. And finishing a few projects. I hope I will get a chance to drop in with lamb (and fleece) photos once in a while!

SUNNY MARCH MORNING

The morning is slipping away - it's already after 9. I was up at 6 and chores are done, dishes are done...now I need a shower. And I really should wake the guys up, I don't know why they are both sleeping this late but do you know what? The house is quiet, I don't have to get anything for anybody and so I am being irresponsible! I'm sipping coffee, basking in the sunlight streaming through the window and reading through a few blogs.

Our dial up connection continues to get slower and slower and slower. But I am wasting time this morning and so I just have some boring knitting (pictured above) to occupy my time while I wait or while I read ;) I don't like knitting with cotton. It hurts my hands and feels lifeless, compared to the wonders of wool. But when I needed to make something for warmer weather wear, I decided to try Brown Sheeps Cotton Fleece (a blend of 80% cotton and 20% merino wool) I was pretty sure that Brown Sheep wouldn't disappoint and it hasn't. Plus, the color cheers me up. It is called "Banana" - LOL - but it reminds me of fluffy baby chicks or ducks.

I hope my dusty keyboard doesn't show up in this photo ((grin))

Henry's Argyle Sweater

Because I have been having fun playing around with the color option on my new camera, here is Henry with Nakia trying to hold the squirming boy still for a picture:

I love our old basement barn! And for something more colorful...Is he dapper (below) or what? That black shadow in the royal blue next to him? That's his twin sister, Holly:


These photos are for my Argyle-themed sister...she knows why ;D

Lambing is Early This Year

Corriedale mama Sarah with baby Helen, looking stylish is her lamb sweater!

We used to lamb in January and early February here at Serenity Farms. I'm not really sure why, except that's what my folks always did ;) And truth be told, I didn't mind early morning barn checks. I never woke the girls up in the middle of the night to check for lambing...I made my last check after supper sometime and unless someone appeared to be getting ready to lamb, left them alone until morning. My mom always said that if you wake them up, they'll probably lamb!

Anyway, one day my husband asked me why we lambed that early? We aren't breeding for club lambs or early freezer lamb sales. LOL...he brought up a good point. So we began to breed for first of April. And I have to admit, its been nice. Last year, though, we finally had to sell our senior ram to a head up a new flock. It was time - we had to many ewes closely related to him. But my dad had the idea of putting him in with just a few females and get a few more lambs from the big guy. Another good idea and we did just that, putting Autry in with the five ewes he had always crossed the best with in the flock. Then he left and about 40 days later, we turned the new Corriedale ram in with all of the girls and figured that if Autry hadn't settled those five, the new ram would.

Well, along comes January and then it turns really cold in February. And I'm really glad we aren't lambing. Until last Monday, when I headed for the barn to do chores and heard a lamb baaa-ing!!! My first thought was a premature birth, but when I stepped in and found a beautiful full term lamb following her mama around - one of Autry's "girls" - I promptly remembered our grand plan. Oh my gosh...did I ever feel like a terrible shepherd!!! So, my daughter came to help me out and we moved those five ewes (plus new baby Helen) into the large, clean and dry area of the basement barn and, other than not having them shorn yet, everything is fine. Yesterday, a second set of lambs arrived - fabulous twins, a bright white ram and jet black ewe lamb!

They are all doing great, but I'm still glad that most of the flock isn't due till April...

FLEECE FOR SALE ~ SOLD ~
We will be shearing the entire flock mid-March, but I have one partial Corriedale lamb fleece from last years shearing that I guess I will sell. It is a beautiful, silver-blue, very fine crimp with an average 4.5 to 5-inch staple length from a lamb named Felicia. There are some dry tips that I think you can see in the photo below. A little over two pounds for $25 plus shipping (a discount, as our lamb fleeces are normally $15 per pound) Email me at serenityfarmswool@yahoo.com if you are interested


Did I mention that I'm still glad most of the flock isn't due till April? And I wonder what else I might have forgotten....

Windy, snowy and cold!

It's such a blustery day here in mid-Michigan today! Although the sun was out earlier this afternoon, it snowed hard from about 4 am till 9 am and brought us a few new inches of fresh clean powder. Now the wind has picked up and the temperatures have dropped....brrrr! Makes me awfully glad for wool socks and wool sweaters to throw on against the chill of an old farm house!

I didn't even venture out to take a picture, but if I did it would have looked something like this ~


Or this ~


Funny thing, though, the sheep sleep outside in this weather even though they have free choice of being inside the barn or out. This morning they were big blobs of snow covered woolies, chewing their cuds and waiting for me to start chores.

Supper tonight is Swiss Steak made with beef that comes from the farmer who puts up our hay. Along with tomato soup canned right here in this kitchen and onions, peppers, carrots and corn put up from our garden or the garden of extended family. The peas are from a can though. I prefer canned peas and don't take time to preserve this particular vegetable ;) Was going to have mashed potatoes with it, but we changed our mind and wanted dumplings instead. They are simmering away on top of the mix right now.

Now if we only had some of that homemade apple crisp leftover for dessert!

Question...how do you make Swiss Steak? Or what do you think of when you hear Swiss Steak? My mom always made it with a tomato base (in this case, I used home canned tomato soup) along with onions, peas and carrots and usually over mashed potatoes. But I know others who have a mushroom-onion type sauce (though to my mind, this is more of a Salisbury Steak. I'd love to hear how you do it, or how you think of it!

New Year ~ Old Projects

It has been kind of fun to look back over my January postings here at the Blog to see what projects, knitting and spinning, I have finished and which ones I have abandoned. It seems to be a theme with me to review those at the beginning of each year and I thought I might as well keep up the "tradition"

I am not a big project kind of person, for the most part. I don't make large elaborate sweaters, or shawls, or afghans - at least not often. I do like socks and mittens and cowls or neckwarmers. Hats sometimes, though I never seem to get hats just right and they are either to big or to small. I have come to realize, too, after my early knitting obsession with lace that I really don't care for small yarn and small needles ;) Need to really consider that one and if I come to peace with it, there may be some really lovely laceweight yarns for sale one of these days!

Anyway, back to some of the projects I have been working on recently.

Here is one of my very favorites, probably because it was a "sheep to mitt" project - a home raised sheep, handwashed fleece, combed into lovely top that I then spun and navajo-plyed and knit:



The pattern is Cuppa Joe Mitts by Anne Podlesak (Wooly Wonka Fibers) from the new online spinning knitting magazine Ennea Collective If you haven't checked out Ennea, do so right away! There have been two issues published so far and it is a very enjoyable and informative resource. They also have a Ravelry group here. Anne's blog is one of my favorites and I have followed it for a long time, so it was fun to knit one of her patterns. The yarn is 100% Corriedale lamb from one of Violet's lambs, Freddie.

Another project I worked on and finished were these mittens made from 100% CVM pencil roving from my friend Bonnie's Sheepy Thyme Farm. The pattern will be available in kit form from Bonnie soon, with the roving to knit them from. The pattern has directions for both the fingerless model shown and full mittens as well. I have been playing around with a matching neckwarmer pattern but haven't gotten that just right yet:


This pencil roving is so nice to work with, light and fluffy, and unlike others I have used it holds together nicely even if you have to frog or tink back. I would like to try overdyeing some to see how it comes out!

Something else I have really enjoyed this past year is the wool-a-long in the Knitters Book of Wool group over at Ravelry. Do you know about this book? Do you own it yet? If you don't, and you enjoy wool at any stage, then you need to get your hands on a copy. Written by Clara Parkes of Knitters Review fame, it is a treasure...and so is the Ravelry group with a fun and kind group of enablers - um, I mean knitters/spinners and others join together to try a different wool each month. I have not participated every month, but these are projects I have worked on:










The wool for January 2011 is Finnsheep wool and I am knitting these Honeycomb Finn Mittens with yarn I spun from rovings purchased at both Bella Vita Farms and Stillmeadow Finnsheep. Love the wool, love the yarn, love the pattern (I have made it before) I am nearly finished with the pair of mittens and I have enough white roving from Bella Vita to spin up some sock yarn and start the Windjammer Socks pattern on January 15th with some other Ravelers. Check out the group if you would like to join in, too!

Dorset wool was one of my surprise favorites from the wool-a-long, maybe because I am lucky enough to have a friend who raises old-fashioned Horned Dorset sheep. I bought some Dorset lambswool roving from Cindy at Ewe and I Farm in New Hampshire to make these Sweet Fern Mitts from the book. I spun and navajo plyed the yarn for a nice round yarn that shows the cables well.

I call them Sweet Gracie Mitts because Gracie is the name of the sheep that donated the wool ;)

One ongoing project from the book is my Comfy Corriedale Cardy. Although we have not (yet!) studied Corriedale, you all know it is my favorite wool so I chose it for this pattern. This is a great sweater so far and is quite mindless for the most part, so I pick it up and work on it occasionally. I had kind of hoped to have it finished by my birthday later this month but not sure that will happen. This photo is just a beginning shot. The wool is 100% chocolate brown Corriedale from Ainsley in her younger days (she is much more grey now)

These are not the only knitting and spinning projects I have started or completed but just a few I thought I would take time to share here. I will leave this post with some pictures of a delicious roving I treated myself to and have been spinning. It is called Cathedral and is a merino-yak blend from the earlier mentioned Wooly Wonka Fibers. It is a dream to spin and super soft, so I have to chose the project carefully, one that will show of the yarn and be next to my skin so I can savor it. Stay warm and hope you have enjoyed seeing just a few of my winter time projects! What are you working on?

The Gate, the Door, the Year

~ THE GATE OF THE YEAR ~
by Minnie Louise Harkins

I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year
'Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.'

And he replied,
'Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!'

So I went forth and finding the Hand of God
Trod gladly into the night
He led me towards the hills
And the breaking of day in the lone east.


So heart be still!
What need our human life to know
If God hath comprehension?

In all the dizzy strife of things
Both high and low,
God hideth his intention."


With reflections of the year past and faith for the year forward....welcome 2011!

Our Little Tree

It started with a trip up the hill, past the barn, towards the Round House and the Burnham Woods....



Two little boys and me, the oldest one seven years old, shy and serious, carrying his small saw proudly and carefully. The youngest, just turned four a few days before, chatting away and loving life. Me the grandma with the creaky bones ((grin)) Our mission was to harvest a little soft needle pine tree growing near the Round House as our Christmas Tree 2010. I haven't had a real tree in a good many years, but this year it just seemed right and this sparse little tree, growing up beneath the large trees needed to be thinned out and would be perfect. So away we went.

The oldest worked quickly and carefully, making sure his brother was not to close to the sharp saw:


Their Dad came along, tall and strong, to see if we needed any help but the job was done:


And so we decorated, the two little boys with Papa and I watching on. While we decorated we talked about why we have Christmas and who was born on that day. After the ornaments were all on the tree, we opened the Nativity set. Each one tries to unwrap the tissue that will find Baby Jesus. When we had each figure placed carefully we took a moment to enjoy:


The little brother asked "Grandma, is Jesus real?" And of course I said, "Yes, He is. Do you know where Jesus lives?" (thinking he would say in Heaven) but the wise little child said "He lives in our hearts. And if He doesn't, we get very cross" Oh, my! Such simple true words, from an innocent heart.


Papa noticed that all of the ornaments are at the bottom of the tree. I had thought to rearrange them after the boys left. But as I looked at those rows of ornaments that the little boys, four and seven, had placed on the tree's lowest branches where they could reach them, I thought about how it won't be long before they are tall and strong like their Daddy and will be able to reach the top branches.


I decided to leave the ornaments right where they are and I thought about how fast time goes by.

I thought about Baby Jesus who also grew to be a strong man but who was our Saviour right from the start, and how His heart was filled with love for each of us all along. And I prayed that He will always be real to our boys and alive in their hearts. This morning, while it was still dark with only the lights from the tree shining, Papa said "I like our little Christmas tree"

Merry Christmas to our friends and family, 2010

Lamplight

Brrrr...it really is cold outside today! Almost like the "brain-freeze" you get when eating ice cream, the wind hits you in the face when you step out the door no matter how bundled in layers of wool and carhartt's and boots you might be.



I am thankful that we didn't lose power in this storm. I suppose we still could, the wind is gusting. I have water drawn in the house and hot coffee in the thermos and laundry and dishes are all done up. The other thing I have is plenty of oil in the oil lamps and extra candles on hand if we should need them. A few weeks ago we lost power unexpectedly right before dark fell. Luckily I had finished chores and supper, so Bill and I settled in for a time of him reading and me knitting. Reading only requires light from the oil lamp and spinning and knitting don't really require light at all. It was peaceful and refreshing and quiet.

Since then, I have been reminded of how much less we really need to exist than what we have (and those of you who know us, know we live pretty simply!) I have even been enjoying some evenings with oil lamp light just because of the mood it puts me in. I have spent several lovely evenings reading or spinning or knitting or even doing some housework by this light. I was dusting the mantel a few nights ago and the soft light on these old books (some of our favorites) seemed beautiful to me:


(Okay, my family and friends who know me can stop laughing now and pick yourselves up off the floor at the thought of me doing any kind of housework, let alone dusting!)

When the electric bill comes in the mail or the propane truck delivers fuel for the furnace and hot water heater and leaves a bill that takes nearly one-quarter of our current monthly income, I get even more serious about wondering how much more we can live without!!! Now of course, we need heat and water...but what do we need beyond the basics we already have?

I am grateful for all that we have...all of the needs that God supplies. But I have been spending considerable time in thought and prayer about how we could live more frugally and self-sufficiently. Even in our already simple life here at Serenity Farms, we are wasteful. And that could change. It will change, in both big and small ways, over the coming year. Maybe you would like to follow along here at our blog to watch our changes, struggles and joys?

I have been inspired by a new friend and her family for most of this past year. If you have never visited the Maple Valley Farm blog, you really should! You don't have to aspire to be a farmer, or to live more simply, or go off grid as this family has to enjoy their love of God, family and farm. In our time, Bill and I have come across lots of folks striving to change their lives in a similar way. Sadly, sometimes it is as much a marketing plan as it is a life plan. Matt and Angie are not that way at all. They are honest, hard-working, humble, gracious and real in what they are doing! Most likely their successes are due to their love and faith in God and belief in their family. I am so blessed to have been able to spend some time with them and if you are ever able to, please do so. You won't be disappointed I'm sure! Stop by their blog or facebook and say hello. Angie had a funny post about losing power that actually inspired me to write this post.

Jesus said "I am the Light of the world"...John 8:12

Now we aren't planning to go as far off grid as the Maple Valley Farm family has, lol! But I really would like a working windmill (the old fashioned ones, not those airplane propeller looking modern ones!) to supply water. That part is probably a dream, but it does seem like this old farm could supply a lot of wood for a wood burning fireplace, and maybe even make use of the wood cook stove at the Round House? What about utilizing the gravity fed cistern and connected water lines at the barn? Hmmm...lots of ideas! Do you and your family have any ways you are changing or hoping to change to be more self-sufficient? I'd love to hear them!

It's Finally Here

The snow I wished for arrived over the weekend!


We didn't get walloped with the blizzards that hit all around us, but we got a few inches of the white stuff followed by howling winds and bitter wind chill temperatures. Still, the sun is shining this morning and the snow is fresh and bright. The house is warm and the coffee is hot ;)

Yesterday, in the midst of the storm hitting, I had help from the kids and grandkids putting the finishing touches on the winter barn preparations. LOL...Bill said we were about a week late getting it done, but we had to plan around work and school schedules. So with the teenager, the daughter and son-in-law and both little grandsons we got sheep moved (rams seperated from the breeding ewes and ewe lambs brought down to the big barn to join the ewe flock for winter); changed a few sheep coats that needed to be sized up; set up hay feeders for the winter months and put the windows in the barn to keep cold winds out. Oh, and Charlotte's foot is all healed up so she rejoined the flock after the ram was pulled out. The two rams are in tight quarters for a time so they can't injure or kill one another while they learn to deal with the fact that they are bachelors again for another year. Their winter living quarters are all ready for them, and I will run them outside in a few days.

The only thing left to do now is catch up some of the free ranging chickens and put them in their winter living quarters to keep them from pooping all over the sheep feeders and hiding their eggs where they will freeze before I can gather them.

After all the work outside, we came in and enjoyed a fine winter meal of roast pork and red skinned potatoes (thanks, Uncle Mike!) cooked up with onions and garlic, baked winter squash (oh my, this was as good as desert!), lima beans and then blueberry crisp for the actual dessert. What a joy and a priviledge to have family to share the work and the blessings! Bill and I truly are blessed.

I hope you all are tucked in snug and warm this December morning! I have water buckets to thaw out, but even in that I can be thankful. Thankful that I have water at hand...

Queen Charlotte the sheep

Charlotte, queen of our Corriedale flock, turned ten years old this week. She is our lead sheep in the flock, boss of the pack, and her bloodlines are in a good bit of our ewes. She has a finer than usual fleece, but thats okay with us! I took this picture in the barn, where she is having some R&R time. I noticed her limping the other day and when I checked her feet, found the outer pad on her left front was broken right off! Charlotte has shiny black hooves that are tough as nails and usually give her no problems but on the rough frozen ground she was having difficulty walking and is needing a little "coddling". She is not to happy about being away from the flock but she is in a pen where she can see them and some extra helpings of her favorite treats (think sheep cookies) help her accept the situation! In the photo below, she seems to be asking for more ;)



In an earlier post, I promised pictures of the Light Brahma chickens. I think they are even more beautiful than the Golden Lace Wyandottes. It doesn't really show here, but the black in their tail feathers shine green in the sunlight!




Isn't the rooster gorgeous? You might wonder why we would want to have so many roosters at Serenity Farms...we don't. We have a wonderful "senior" rooster, a Black Orpington that we are perfectly happy with. My laying hens were getting older and I wanted to replentish the flock with some younger girls so purchased the Golden Lace and Light Brahmas. Paid extra to get females...three of each breed. And got two hens and one rooster in each set! I understand that mistakes in sexing poultry can be made, but that seems like pretty high odds to me. So here we are with three distinct mini flocks. Anyway...

Oh and Amy asked about the ducks eggs, so I thought I would share this picture from a nest I found hidden last week. Along with being smart, the ducks seem really good at hiding their nest.

I hope you are enjoying seeing photos of some of our animals around the farm as much I am enjoying showing them to you!