Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Getting Ready

Black Walnuts Gathered & Soaking For Dye
We are having visitors tomorrow at Wild Rose Farm & it happens to tie in with gathering black walnuts to soak out for a natural black walnut dye.
The squirrels already got to the ones on the left and removed the nut meat from both sides of the shell. I need to gather more walnuts (say a 5 gallon bucket full) to make enough for a nice strong dye bath ... then let them soak & ferment for a week or two!  

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Apples, Grapes, & Sheep!

Wild Rose Farm Ewes Coming For Apples!
We've been having really sunny & dry weather this week, but it looks like a T-storm is on it's way tonight. Excuse the glare, but you can see that it's perfect fall painting weather and that's where I was when the sheep came trailing along. I had picked up a bucket of fallen apples & pears to throw over the fence.
OK, So Dump The Bucket!  We're Waiting!
These pics were taken with my cell phone, but you get the idea.  Once again, the wise old ewes came right up and waited.  Later today after it got a bit overcast, we noticed an apple that I had missed and got a chuckle out of it lodged in the tree.  :~0
Apple Resting Comfortably In Tree ...
Mr. WRF was out spreading our composted sheep manure & signaled me to come look at something along the fence line. This has been a great year for blackberries, cherries, apples, and now the acorns & walnuts are falling.  Take a look at this huge crop of wild grapes that he spotted in a wild cherry tree!
Lots Of Grapes For The Winter Wildlife! 

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Cow Pies, Sheep, & A Goat Competition!

Canfield Fair Dairy Exhibit
Yes, we endured the heat for our annual visit to the Canfield Fair last weekend.  The trick is to go early in the day and be on the way out after lunch.  Passing through the dairy barns on the way in, we came across this sign & it couldn't have been more nicely framed! 
Use Caution On Ye Olde Cow Path - Watch Thy Step!
We chatted with some Tunis sheep who were waiting for their part of the sheep show to start ...
Canfield Fair - Tunis Sheep Ready To Show!
We'll end the post today with a contest that we stumbled upon back behind the 4-H area and next to the llama & alpaca tent.  It was a Pack Goat Obstacle Course!  The first competitor was a white goat who had done well up to this point, but was not happy with the water hazard ...
Ain't No Way I'm Go'in In There!
The next competitor was a little black goat that knocked off both hurdles (was he a tad too short legged for the course?), but was happy as a clam to do everything else!
Happy Goat Pole Bending - Note Fallen Hurdle In Background!
Next they walk the elevated plank ... the judge in the purple outfit is scoring each component of the course as they go along.
"Spotting" The Goat As It Walks The Plank!

Up & Over The Ramp With No Trouble
They were through next station and only the water hazard remained.  It was over so quickly that I almost missed the shot!  She scampered right through, popped over the end, and headed for the home stretch ...
The Audience Was On Their Feet Cheering! 
It turns out that we saw the class winner dominating the course.  Whoo-hoo! Now if you want to try this at home, here is a llama packing class schematic for those of you with intermediate & advanced skill sets.  ;)   Remember, it's all about having fun at the fair! 
Canfield Fair 4-H Llama Pack Courses