September

Lots of cats, sheep, horses and of course, Bea.  And some wool, a few chickens, some wildflowers, a big fish, a cool spider and some sparkly stars.

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And The Verdict Is...

...well, it's a bit undetermined.  

As I scrolled through all of the photos from this year, Murphy was always in front except for the picture from the beginning of the year.  I knew I'd need to pull out the photos from 2022 to get a better idea, but I had a long 'to do' list that I needed to keep at...so I pulled out the photos from 2022.  That's how things are not done around here ;-).

There were a couple of pictures of Krista leading everyone out.  Oh right, I remember that.  Her kids were young and she wanted them out early, eating square meals so they'd grow up big and strong.  I really enjoyed watching her raise them up.  She was a Good Momma.  She still keeps an eye on them.

There were a couple pictures of Bea leading them out and another series of pictures of Archie leading them from atop the fence.  He mostly looks annoyed that they are following him though, so I'm not sure that was actually a leadership choice.

Here's a picture of Murphy in the lead.  I wish I'd written down the dates of each of these pictures.  I thought I'd remember.  

And from...okay, I'm going to go back and look for the dates...this was back in June (the rest were from fall).  Look who's in the lead :-).

It seems that maybe the girls used to go out first.  I'm not sure that was an actual leadership role or just being more efficient (cough cough ;-).  I really don't have a daily record of the flock going out because back in those days I wasn't locking them in the barn lot at night so I wasn't opening the gate each morning, watching them walk out.

Regardless, Murphy is obviously the solid leader these days, at least in the matters of food.  I wish I knew how that was determined.  I first thought it was his "I'm getting to all the food first" mentality, but that doesn't explain why they all wait on him when he's not there.  

Is it just routine now?  

I know from years of fighting with him over every style of gate latch and handle on this farm that IS he very smart.  Do they recognize that as well?  

Is he the bravest?  I'd probably put Krista at the top of that list now that Rocky and Jared aren't heading up security.  Boy, that was a great story, eh?  

Or is he just the pain in the butt they are all willing to sacrifice?  Just kidding, Murphy ;-).

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching them all walk out each morning this year.  I love thinking on what is going on with that.  While I sure miss the days when Hank was on duty and I never worried much about flock safety, watching the flock dynamics is a great trade off for walking out to open the gate each morning.

 

What The What

Good grief.  It's October 10th. 

I still don't have my September month end compilation done.  I haven't posted a blog since something like the 26th.  I don't have the 2024 calendar finished...but I'm working on it.  

Looking back, there is always sadness somewhere.  But lots of good.  And so much I've forgotten. I'm glad I "have" to look back, whether for a month end compilation or the yearly calendar.

Here's something interesting I stumbled over a few minutes ago.

Where the heck is Murphy?!?

This was taken the first week of January.  I'm going to enjoy scrolling through the pictures even more now because I'm curious to see if I can figure out when Murphy took over being the boss.  And how or why.  I mean, did Archie try to lead them up a tree chasing squirrels and they decided they needed to vote in a better leader?  Stay tuned!

* * * * *

So yes, there will be a 2024 calendar.  I have some great pictures and stories to share this year - one of my all time favorite pictures of Maisie, an extra fun one of Pinto, a sweet picture of Baba that you won't be able to help smiling every time you look at...

I will have them ready no later than the Hug a Sheep Day farm party which will be on Saturday the 28th.  Actually, I have something fun planned for Friday the 27th as well, but the traditional farm party will be on Saturday, as usual.  

Maggie and I also have a fun Christmas kit almost ready to share. 

Okay, back to work!

On A Wool Farm

Storing wool, raw or finished items, is an ongoing job that should never be taken lightly.  Well, it should be taken lightly...but I'll come back to that and add a few more wool storage tips in a minute.  

Most people storing wool are concerned about moths.  Opening a bag of wool to find a clump of moths inside is a terrible feeling.  As I finished skirting (finally) this spring's fleeces and started sorting through the saved fleeces from past years, I found...chicken eggs :-o.

Broken chicken eggs.

In three bags...including my last Petunia fleece.

Next pandemic I'm just going to starve to death. 

As I was picking out chunks of egg mess I came up with a better plan to keep the chickens from having access to their favorite nesting [bags].  The previous plan of a horribly annoying and apparently not effective piece of cattle panel precariously hooked across the front of the area was just as annoying as the stupid chickens.  

Luckily my friend Ed was bored enough to come out here and make the plan work.  He built a frame around the back of the left side and covered it with wire and plastic netting.  The fronts are easily removed to access the wool. The whole thing looks so neat and tidy and now I feel confident it will stay neat and tidy...and egg free.  

Side note: when I posted this picture on IG, several people commented that it looked like the fleeces were in jail.  Three people in our neighborhood have seen it and all three said it looked like either a liquor store in downtown Chicago or when they used to block off the beer aisle at the grocery on Sundays.  I'm not sure what that says about us...well, I guess I do ;-).

Moving on to the Wool House.  Twice a year I pull everything out and check each bag and basket for any sign of trouble.  This year I found lots of tiny holes in quite a few of the roving bags up in the loft.  

Nothing amiss with the wool...just tiny holes everywhere.

What on earth...

ARCHIE!!!

I'm not going to add plastic netting to the inside of the Wool House and if I try to limit his access to the ladder he'll just try to do something heroic like jump up there from the loom and then rack up a vet bill to add insult to injury so I'm going to just keep adding tape to cover his needle sharp claw holes.

Don't even think about it, Pecky Becky!

* * * * *

Here are some wool storage tips that have worked well for me.  This is going to be heavy on the plastic, sadly, but this is one application where I just hold my nose...

Keep everything in clear bags.  Moths are looking for dark so a black plastic bag is exactly where they are hoping you'll stash your stash.

Keep your fleeces where the light hits them. Don't store wool in your dark garage or basement.

Do not store raw wool in the house.  Get it washed as quickly as you can.  

If you aren't actively using a wool item (sweaters, coats, blankets, yarn, roving...) keep it secure in a clear plastic bag and give everything a quick check a couple times a year.

I add bay leaves to all my yarn and roving baskets.  I may not be actively using the baskets of handspun yarn or roving I have stashed around the Wool House, but I love seeing them sitting there.  Scattering bay leaves into the baskets seems to be helping keep them safe.  Definitely doesn't hurt.  

I use clear plastic tubs to store my sweaters.  I have concerns about the holes where the handles clip the lids on so I toss bay leaves in there as well.

Moths don't like to be disturbed...so disturb things as often as you can.  More knitting, weaving, spinning!  

When I'm doing my spring and fall 'clean up and check everything', I take my open yarn baskets outside in the sun and shake each skein out, turn the baskets upside down and refresh the bay leaves.  You can get bulk bay leaves at a good grocery or find a friend in California with them growing in their front yard ;-).

Another way I shake things up is by tossing finished items (sweaters, blankets...) in the dryer a couple of times a year, especially in the summer.  The tumbling and heat has never affected the fit of anything.  Don't do that with wet wool items though as, yes, they would shrink right up.  

Be vigilant!  Keep an eye on everything and if you find a problem, remove the item immediately and check everything else nearby.  You don't need to throw out your yarn, roving, sweater...  Just get it away from your stash and out into the sun and shake it out.  Washing it is never a bad idea either.  

I don't like using chemicals and would only use them if there was a crisis situation.  There is an aerosol dairy spray you can get at the farm store that you can spray into a plastic bag and immediately close up and hopefully not much gets out into the air.

Don't be so hard on those hard working spiders in your corners.  They may be helping keep your wool safe :-).

"Morning, Murphy!"

I've often been asked if there is a leader within our flock here, and honestly, other than certain sheep that everyone seems to respect or sheep that take on certain roles, I've never really noticed one particular sheep that has ever truly assumed control...until this summer.

I wish I could scroll back through time and see when Murphy started bowling the other sheep over to get out to pasture first.  Has he always done this and I never paid any attention until I started locking the back gate at night and opening it each morning, watching them all head out?

At first I just thought it was Murphy being a bossy piggy, wanting to get to the choicest grass (since there's such a shortage of it here ;-) first, but then I (finally) started noticing that no one ever left the barn lot until Murphy said "Let's go!"

Murphy is frequently not the earliest riser.  I usually find a big cluster of sheep already milling around the barn lot while he waits until the last minute to get out of bed, however, no one ever makes a move towards the now opened gate to the back fields.

The first thing Murphy does when he gets up is check the gate latch headed to the Easy Breezy alfalfa stash.  Once he's sure there's nothing to pillage in the barn, he marches out through the gathered sheep, bouncing off anyone who doesn't get out of his way.

At that point everyone falls in line behind him until he reaches the threshold of the gate where he usually stops to survey the back fields.   They all stop as well.  I'm not sure if he's looking for danger or just trying to decide if he's heading towards McDonalds or Hardees.

Once he's made up his mind and starts walking again, everyone else starts walking again as well, but no one ever passes him on the way out.  Whether he goes left or right, he's always in the lead.  After they all reach open ground, everyone begins to make their own decisions.

There have been some fun series of photos of this behavior all summer on IG.  It's not really a puzzle in itself, but if you are looking for a new one... ;-).