Category: Seasons

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Pears

pears on railing

We have these wonderful pears growing on a tree in our front yard.  Not only are they very sweet raw but I plan to dry some of them to preserve the harvest.

I cut them in slices and lay them on wax paper.  I then put them in a deep pan and place a net over them.  Then they sit in the sun and dry naturally.  Depending on how thick you slice them and the temperature of the weather it can take a few days to get thoroughly dry.

They are delicious and chewy and you can then enjoy them all year round!  Yum!

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Hot

two sheep in front of fan

California is being hit with a hot weather system right now.  This is our 5th day of what is supposed to be a weeks stretch of temperatures over 100 degrees. It has reached 103 on a number of days here and that is hot!

I try to keep the sheep cool with drum fans and misters. They appreciate it and often crowd around the moving air. They stay pretty still from around 2:00-4:00 to conserve energy and regulate their internal temps.

two sheep in front of fan

The ducks get a hose sprinkling several times a day which they absolutely love! I have a cute video of their reaction to the cool down in next weeks blog.

Our dog Rosie loves to sun bathe!  But this week she’s only been able to stand the heat until about 8:00 in the morning!  It’s too hot!  We are looking forward to a break that’s supposed to be on it’s way Friday.  I sure hope so.

red dog in sun

 

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Shearing Day!

sheep and shearer

Always a stressful and exciting and stressful day for both me and the sheep comes every spring on shearing day.  The sheep must be kept off food till they are done and packed tightly into stalls to await their turn.  When I first got my Wensleydale’s I imagined that I would eventually shear them all myself.  But since the first time I witnessed the hard work and finesse of a professional shearer I have since changed my tune.  A good shearer is worth his weight in gold and I tip mine heavily to be sure he wants to come back next year!

 

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Sheep waiting anxiously
sheep and shearer
Two down, thirty two to go!

 

 

 

 

 

carole skirting fleece
Look at this amazing fleece!
sheep in pasture
All done and happy to be in the green grass.

 

 

 

 

 

All the fleeces must have to be skirted before they are bagged to remove all the dirty bits and vegetation that has found it’s way into the fleece.  This is a delightful time to see what has been growing all year and the results of months of energy.  I had never seen the Karakuls shorn before and so it was fun to see what they looked like under that lofty coat!  The photo of the gorgeous fleece shown above is from a shy sheep named Ferdinand.  His fleece is large and absolutely unique.  He is a Karakul, Romeny, Wensleydale cross and the attributes of each show up in his beautiful fiber!

 

 

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Plum Blossoms in Bloom!

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Plum blossoms overlooking sheep pasture.

 

 

Plum blossoms are associated with strength as they are some of the first blooms of the year.  They are a reminder of vitality, endurance through difficult times and the hope of renewal. They hold the promise of a nearby spring and the re-generation of life. 
Plum Blossom Farm is blessed to have many wild, native plum tress around the property as well as a domestic tree which will deliver loads of sweet, juicy deep purple plums in a few months.
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Plant life is starting to grow again
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February Feels Like An Early Spring!

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Haggart and his Karakul family chomping away

 

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Colorful Camelia

 

My friends try to remind me that it is common for Sonoma County to have spring-like Februarys and then fall back into the rainy season in March.  Well it feels like that may happen again this year because we have had plenty off sunshine and warmth lately. 

The flowers have started blooming and the clover has popped up.  The sheep devour the tender new greens and munch with noisy abandon. 

I saw that there is a storm headed our way next week so we will just enjoy these past few days of heaven before the mud returns. 

Ewe eating grass

Bayarma devours clover
pink flowers

So dainty and lovely!
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Baby It’s Cold Outside!

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Brrrr! We have had a long stretch of cold days and nights over the past few weeks.  The water buckets have been frozen over, the water nozels are frozen closed, the ground is icy.  As you can see even the sheep are frosty!I know that compared to most of the country our temperatures are very mild.  My friend Jane who has an animal rescue in Wisconsin has been telling me about her weather and there 30 degrees is warm and it’s 20 below that qualifies as cold!
IMG_1016Frosty on the outside, toasty on the inside!
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