What's That?

Wild Rose Farm Ewes At Sunset

The ewes were making their way over to the fence yesterday afternoon ... I was taking a little break from the dining room remodeling project (why it's been so long between posts) and decided to take some pictures.
When they got up to the fence, it was "Hmmm, what's that little thing?".

What's That On The Other Side Of The Fence?

We've had this puppy since last Thursday...  :)

Jazzy Isn't Too Sure About Those Sheep Either!

Pure Sheepy Joy!

Wild Rose Farm Ewe #37 - Are You Bringing Apples?

I've been gathering the apple & pear "drops" for the sheep and 'ol #37 keeps an eye open when she sees me with the bucket.  These are the fruits that we can't use for pie or apple sauce, so the next best thing is to let the sheep "Hoover" them!

Wild Rose Farm Ewe #37 Keeps Her Eye On The Prize ...

Only about a third of the ewes seem to be interested and #37 is the ring leader.  Sometimes she'll have 3 or 4 down before the others realize what's happening.

#37 & Friends Munching

It gets a little crazy as the ewes gobble the closest fruit ... we stay nearby until they finish in case one of the apples would get stuck on the way down.

#37 - Don't Talk With Your Mouth Full!

I had noticed that one of the Rambouillet ewes has some green algae on her wool.  We've seen that occasionally when the weather is rainy & overcast.  It will go away eventually in the sunshine.

#37 Scarfs Up The Last Apple

Today they got 2 buckets of apples & pears after saving the "good" ones for a couple of pies.  We didn't spray the trees and it turned out to be a good year for apples.  The pears are ok, but they're a less desirable variety that is an excellent pollinator for the other pears.

Wild Rose Farm #37 - Gotta Love That Face!

As hard as it is to believe, all good things must come to an end.  Two buckets are enough for today #37 --- you don't want to get sick or tipsy on the fermenting apples! 

SERIOUSLY ... No More Apples Out There???

Neighborhood Belties

Belted Galloways Grazing On The Skyline

One of our neighbors has a herd of Belted Galloway cattle, aka "Oreo Cookie Cows".   They were grazing on top of the hill and looked very striking from a distance.  His well kept, manicured farm starts just on the other side of the line of white fencing.  The horse pastures in the foreground need a bit of tlc and some lime, but the color made for a nice fall scene ...

Change Of Scenery At Wild Rose Farm

Foggy Morning Grazing

The picture taken this morning in the heavy October fog is virtually the same scene as in the previous post taken at sunset ... what a change of scenery!  We were supposed to get rain today - which never happened - and the fog got heavier before it finally burned off late morning.

Morning Chores Done ...

I had already freshened up the "X" on the barn doors & had planned to do some more painting today, but it was too wet & cool to get that done.  The theme this week has been "if it's white and doesn't move, it's getting a coat of paint"!  

Wild Rose Farm Rambouillet #401 & Crossbred #34 Grazing

We'll just have to wait for another string of sunny days to continue the painting projects ...


Ewes Watching The Shepherd

Baaaaack & Forth At Wild Rose Farm

The Flock Grazing On A Fall Afternoon

The temperatures have dropped since the weekend and we're going back & forth between sunshine & rain.  It had been dry, so we could use the rain.  
The sheep have been going back & forth too.  No rhyme or reason.  One goes and the others hurry to follow ...

Llama Snow White - "Now Where Are Those Sheep Going?"

I was taking pictures when the flock reversed course and headed back to the pine trees.  Did someone find the dropped apples along the fence line?  Who knows?!?  They moved fast enough to leave Snow White wondering what the heck happened to her grazing buddies.
Just as fast as they left, in minutes they came hustling back towards the camera.  Go figure.  Sometimes you just have to be there to witness the silly activity ...

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Rushing Back To Graze

Wool 101 - A Lesson From Wild Rose Farm

Dear blog readers -
Ever wonder how wool is grown & how it turns into a nice handspinning fleece?  The condition of pastures plays a key role, like keeping out burdocks, etc.  But ...

Picture #1 - Your handspinning fleece on the hoof, staying clean.

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Grazing

Picture #2 - Your handspinning fleece at rest, staying clean.

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Resting

Picture #3 - Your handspinning fleece at rest, NOT!

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Also Resting

I was amused by this Rambouillet ewe who decided to plop right down in the middle of the only nasty spot in a couple of acres!  The Dorset ewe lamb on the left & the crossbred ewe on the right had more sense.  We had burned a pile of fence line brush cuttings on the roadway and she couldn't resist.  Usually, we see sooty noses when the sheep have access to where we've had a bonfire - they  like the ash and minerals.  The donkey and the llama also like dust baths and will roll in ashes.

The good news is that most of this will wash off over the fall & winter before spring shearing.  Ha.  This is why the most spectacular spinning fleeces come from jacketed sheeep!  :)