Making Hay, Part 1

If you're involved in raising livestock in any way, then you know that of course you have to feed them.  And if you live where there is winter weather, then part of the year that will mean feeding hay (grasses cut, cured and put up for animal feed). 

You either purchase your hay or you produce it yourself.  Sometimes that includes not just raising the crop on your farm but also having the equipment and manpower needed to cut the hay; rake the hay (turn it over and let the sunshine cure it till dry); make the hay into bales to store through the winter (either big round bales or small square bales); wagons to haul the hay and then a barn or shed to store it until needed.  Equipment can be tractors and machines, like in the picture below (that's quite an array of mechanical horsepower parked in our front yard!) ~

or the original horsepower (draft animals) and implements ~

Four Percheron horses at the hitching post, getting ready for noon break

Sometimes you have a combination of both!  That was the case for the 2011 hay season at our farm, and what a joy this was. 

Here at Serenity Farms the majority of our farm is pasture land for seasonal grazing and hay ground, with some acreage rented out for row crops (usually corn and soybeans, sometimes wheat or spelts)  As a farm raising livestock, haying time is pretty intense!  And it doesn't end with just getting the hay put up in the barn, there are also decisions like "how much" to put up.  You want to be sure you have enough to last through the winter months and just like everything else on the farm that is related to weather, how early winter comes and how long it lasts until  you can get animals back out on spring pasture will effect that decision.  I am pretty obsessive about how much hay we have in the barn for winter - I always want to much!  This year, we cut it pretty close - here is what the hay mow looked like when we first started turning the sheep out on grass ~

The spelt straw (golden yellow on the left of the photo is in good order) but the hay (bright green to the right) was cutting it pretty close - only about 25 bales left at the start of grass season!  Whew, I was stressing a bit ;)

Hay has been a part of my life as long as I can remember, and even the parts that I can't ((grin)).  I grew up in a haying family, and even when Mom and Dad didn't have a farm my grandparents and uncles did, and Dad worked with them.  I married into a haying family - my husband had this farm already set up for hay production when I came along ;)  We don't have our own equipment anymore for various reasons (health and circumstance) but we do have the hay ground and now it's put up "on shares" - where a farmer who does have the equipment makes all of the hay and we get our portion as part of the rent of the land.

Trust me, this does not take the stress of hay season away completely, LOL!

I'd like to share a few photos with you of the first cutting hay making (there will be a second cutting, and hopefully even a third) and I hope you enjoy them, and maybe  understand and appreciate that this isn't just a group of serene, pastoral farm photos but a glimpse of the toil and sweat and hard, hard work in some of the most extreme weather that farmers go through to produce a good crop.  The other key ingredient is the weather, and God is in charge of that.  Some years we get it made just right, some years not.  We have had our share of both, and are grateful that this year it was perfect.

I'll do this in three parts, mostly with pictures and not so many words, so it will be easier for you to view.  This is Part 1.

Farm Kids

Kids ~ Grandkids ~ Farm Kids!



Yes this skinny girl is my child, mother to these two boys!  I was that skinny once, too, a long time ago ;)





Wonder...



Boots with shorts is perfectly acceptable farm fashion

I love this last picture so much, it almost makes my heart hurt....8 years old and 4 years old, brothers though not exactly friends at this stage, headed out on an adventure with Grandma (me).  I just want to capture this image and hold it in my heart forever!

Farm Flowers

Photos taken from around the farm and fields over the past few weeks ~

From woods edge (below) and a hybrid Iris (above) ~

From herb and flower beds ~

An old rose, full of bloom and fragrance (above) ~

 And from the Burnham Farm, the old fashioned Mock Orange bush and our daughters flower bed ~

What has been your favorite blossom this spring?

Fluffy Sheep Clouds

Tomorrow, these two handsome guys (Ted Collins on the left, Derek on the right) will lose those fluffy wool sweaters they are wearing when they are shorn in the morning.  Just in time, I would say, both by looking at how shaggy they are starting to get and also because our temperatures rocketed to 92 degrees with high humidity today!

We sheared the ewes in March, before lambing, but left the rams with their wool as they live outside of the big barn with only a 3-sided shelter.  Plenty for a sheep in full fleece, but a little cold and wet for a "naked" sheep ;)  We no longer coat our rams.  Over the years they have managed to destoy any brand of coat we put on them, and tangle themselves and each other before they do.  I know that other shepherds get by just fine coating the rams, but we don't and I have given up trying to change it.  Life is just easier for me (and I guess them) this way!  Before they go back out to pasture they will get wormed, vaccinated and hopefully hoof trimming if they need it.  I say hopefully because neither of these guys care to have this done.

We had a heavy rain move through tonight.  Luckily, my daughter had been here to help me get the rams shut in the barn so they would be dry when Dave, our shearer, gets here in the morning.  Unlike so many other showers lately that only seem to bring more oppressive heat when finished, this was more of a "normal" spring rain that brought a cool, breezy relief when it passed out of the area.  I just came in from outdoors and could have easily been convinced to stay out!  It is cool and no bugs or humidity.  The earth smells so fresh and mingled with that rain washed fragrance is the smell of lily of the valley and iris.

If it had not been already getting dark, I would have tried to get a picture of a cloud that hurried by in the northern sky.  It looked for all the world like a sheep head!  I stood and watched in amazement while it blew over the pasture and woods.  I came in thinking of the words to "How Great Thou Are".

Sleeping will be a lot better tonight than it was last night.  And tomorrow night it will be a lot better for the rams ;)

We Really Do Have Lambs...

I thought you might be waiting for proof (grin)~

These are, from top to bottom, Carley's lambs Hayley (black ewe) and Holden (white ram); Amanda's twin ewes, Hannah and Heather; Sarah's ewe Helen (remember baby Helen, born back in February?) and then Dawn's wildly colored ewe lamb Hilda (named after a shepherd mentor and friend). These are just a few of the flock that I was able to snap pictures of this past week. Here are two more:

LOL...don't adjust your monitor, Serenity Farms has not switched breeds! The ewe pictured above is Izzie. She is an Icelandic-Hampshire cross ewe. She came to us as a yearling and is a very efficient sheep. Her sire was a stunning registerd polled moorit Icelandic ram from Orchard Hill Fleece Farm, her dam was a registered Hampshire ewe. Izzie's first lamb last year from our Corriedale ram looked like any other speckle face, commercial cross sheep. This year's lambs, also from our Corriedale ram, threw back to the Icelandic genetics in a big way. These guys are fine boned, fast growing, with wavy fleece that appears to be dark moorit on one and black on the other. One of them (the one I think is moorit) has very small tear drop shaped patches under his eyes and a bit of shading around his muzzle. They are both wethered and their names are Hoot and Holler ;)

We are still waiting on a few young ewes to lamb, first timers, then we are done for the year. Overall, we are very pleased with the quality and vigor of the lambs from our new registered Corriedale ram "Ted Collins". I'll end this post with a picture of him back on an earlier, woolier, wintery day (he is the white fellow peering into the camera):

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!