Harvest Thyme Homestead

A Picnic in November?!?!

2009-11-14T19:17:00.005-05:00

Yes, today is Saturday, November 14th. Almost a week and a half before Thanksgiving and today it was 70 degrees with blue skies and the sun. A perfect day to be outside. Perfect enough to cook hotdogs outside over a fire........in mid-November!!!!!

My parents brought my niece and nephew over today to enjoy this beautiful weather. Everyone helped trimming up my huge willow tree of dead branches of which we used to have our fire. My niece and nephew enjoyed our campfire. The fire was low while they roasted hotdogs of course. I, however, find hotdogs replusive and made a BLT:)

Miss Gracie was busy picking out seeds from this huge gourd so we can dry the seeds out and hopefully plant them next year. She loved getting her fingers all gooey.

Everyone was enjoying the picnic including Dixie and my Mom. Notice the picnic crashers coming up in the back..............

Yep, even some of the lambs didn't want to miss out on the picnic!

Some lambs were even were looking for a free handout.

So, they got treated to the gourd when Miss Gracie was done getting some of the seeds. The little kat ram lamb, well actually a wether now, has button scurs and is just a sweetie. I hated to wether him carries nice polled genes but it had to be done as he did not sell.

Isn't there a saying about being "half out of your gourd"????

All in all it was a beautiful day. Dad and I put up this new gate.....a nice 12 ft. gate. Reason for the new gate one might ask? Well, Christmas is coming early to Harvest Thyme, hopefully it will be this Friday as a matter-of-fact! And in order for the sheep and goats to get their Christmas gift, I had to install this $125.00 gate!!!!

Honestly, the things I do for these animals!!!!

Stay tuned for early Christmas at Harvest Thyme!!!

Just the Day Before Friday the 13th

2009-11-12T20:07:00.001-05:00

There is a serious strike going on in the chicken coop. I am willing to be sympathetic to the girls to some point, but ONE EGG every 3-4 days for 2o girls???? REALLY???

Perhaps they missed the memo on Thanksgiving and the big baking season coming up. They have been free-ranging for the last month and this is the gratitude I get. One egg every 3-4 day. Pathetic. I think I am getting played.

The real hero around here this week is Jangles. Jangles is my outdoor cat and is a pretty good "catch". A rat had taken up residence in my garden barn the past few months and I won't put rat killer down due to the cats and I refuse to set one of those huge rat traps (I like my fingers attached to my hands) so I have been hoping one of the cats would get the nasty, disgusting rat. Monday morning when I went to the garden barn to get bird seed, I stepped on something soft. It was dark so I was not really focused on the ground but I was when I stepped on the soft thing. At first I thought it was a small cat then I saw that nasty rat tail. After my intital panic attack, I was quite happy to know "it" was dead. Jangles is known for leaving snakes, mice, moles, and even a bat once on the porch so I am sure with 99.9% accuracy that he got the rat.
He got tuna for breakfast as a treat:)

Other than that excitement, things have relaxed a bit around the homestead. Lots of hungry animals with the cooler weather and sheep are pretty wooly.......though I think the chickens have relaxed just a little too much!

Since tomorrow is Friday the 13th maybe I will try to scare the chickens into giving me some eggs.......well its a thought:)

Ouch! Hey, that hurts!

2009-11-07T20:47:00.002-05:00

Goat are relentless.

They have no shame.

They pick on other farm animals especially sheep.

They love to pluck the wool right off of the sheep as a matter of fact.

Sosa is a Nigerian Dwarf, not even half the size of Ira, a Black Cotswold wether.

She plucks wool off Ira frequently.

I believe Ira's exact words are, "Ouch, hey that hurts!"

Sosa never picks on someone her own size and her targets tend to always be the Cotswolds.

Ira is big enough to plow Sosa down in one hit but he never does.

He just puts up with her crap.......a true gentleman:)

Rockin' & Rollin with the Kids

2009-11-05T11:44:00.004-05:00

On Wednesday my students participated in a field trip to the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in downtown Cleveland to attend a class on the history of hip-hop culture.

The Rock Hall is located right near Lake Erie and is only about 15 minutes from my school. The day was a tad cold as a pretty strong wind was coming off of the Lake.

This is a nice view of the Mather freight docked next to the Hall.

The entrance gallery is the only area inside where pictures can be taken. In all honesty the Rock Hall is a tad expensive to get in but our students attend for free because we are the "urban" district.

The other issue that I have with the Rock Hall is that each year I go, I am seeing a pattern of how old I am getting. The students always make comments like, "Gosh, that was so long ago.......they are so old now.......I wasn't even born then.....they wore that back in the days??!!!" You know I am a product of the 80's!!!! Run DMC was a big thing then so was Madonna and Michael Jackson!! I was very cool back then and shame on my students for making fun of those times!!!

Okay I am not as old as those Elvis people like my Mom and Dad (LOL) but unfortunately I was raised on that music......I think it was some type of brainwashing that my parents were attempting to do and I still listen to "that" music today.....okay, I will admit it, I do have an Elvis gospel CD that I really love to listen too:)
Biggify both guitars as there is a lot of detail on them!!

Of course, the kids really liked this guitar!! They were really surprised to see how much MJ stuff was at the Rock Hall. Overall, it was a good trip and the kids were good. Next trip is to the House of Blues and Washington D.C. is in May.

ReRun: Just wanted to let you know that your students aren't the only ones who like Rock-n-Roll..........Hound Dogs like it too!!!

On Friendship......

2009-11-01T19:52:00.008-05:00

Friends come in all shapes and sizes.

Friendship is based on trust.

Dixie is the protector of her little lambies. They trust her and sometimes they even share their grain with her........sometimes. These little lambs have been getting an extra supplement of grain and fresh grass to hopefully give them an extra few pounds for winter.

Have I introduced you too my little friend? This is "Glover", my little 10# Shetland wether. He sure is not the "ideal" Shetland but he has a heart of gold and calls to me everytime he sees me. He follows me around in the yard while I do chores and loves to be picked up and hugged and because of that he will always have a home right here. I will protect him and love him because he is my friend and I could care else whether or not he is the "ideal" Shetland. Friends don't judge friends like that.

Squirt and "Miss Addison" are working on their friendship.

Miss Addison is a Black Cotswold x Shetland cross.......her daddy is Jed and she got his black gullie white teardrops. She is a sweetheart 100x over and is definitely a true friend. I think she is going to have some Cotswold dreads too:)

This is Miss Addison's fleece.........oh, she is just so thick and soft already at 6 months!!

Its been so busy around the house, farm, and at school and now with the time change I am sure I will feel like I have less time. And good grief, Thanksgiving will be here before I know it. At least I have my "friends" to share the holidays with:)

Pumpkin Aters!!!

2009-10-26T20:59:00.004-04:00

This is what I found when I got home from school today.................

............Halloween is not until Saturday so who was attempting some type of impressionist art on my pumpkins??????

The pumpkin pecker scoundrel unveiled "herself" without any shame or remorse...............

...........and right around the corner was another fine feathered pumpkin pecker, this one obviously was not into impressionist art but a more violent, explosive art form and obviously very proud of her work of art.

"I told her not to let those chickens free range. They are sneaky little chicks," Ethan said.

"But do you think she will let us have some of the remains?" Jammer asked.

"Do you mean the pumpkins or the chickens?" laughed Ethan.

And so on Thursday.......

2009-10-22T20:53:00.008-04:00

Autumn is moving in quickly here in Northeast Ohio. The maples have started to turn into wonderful hues of gold and red. This maple tree is in my front yard. My cat Casper enjoys staking out the bird feeders here.

The garden is pretty much cleaned up. I've started to put down some manure and today I got some sections tilled up. I want to get the manure in, tilled, and then put a nice layer of mulched leaves down. Tomorrow its suppose to rain (again) so hopefully I will get it all down by the end of the month.

I have been rotating the lambs out on the green grass the past few weeks. These are twins out of Jed and Polly. The black one is a ram lamb with very small scurs and gullie is an ewe. She doesn' have perfect tail but she is overall nice little lamb with A+ personality:)

So in my previous post I indicated I was taking today off for me and so I did. So this morning I was off to Amish Country for some feed, bakery, and some baking goods. Beautiful day as the temps were in the high sixties! Of course, I had to stop at my favorite store, Primitive Gatherings, to see their cute decorating ideas.

I know this is a big NO NO to even think about BUT I am thinking this guy might have to find his way onto my front porch come December! Well, there is a 90% chance of rain tomorrow but it is Friday and my sister is having a clambake on Saturday (clams are gross but I love the chicken and sweet potatoes:) so hopefully the rain will move out by then!!!

Hope everyone has a great Friday!!!!

Thoughtful Thursday

2009-10-21T22:23:00.003-04:00

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood.............

sigh.......

I need a me day,

one in which I can just go my own way,

so no more shall I say

for Thursday will be my day:)

Its Just that Time of the Year

2009-10-18T20:21:00.004-04:00

The weather this week in Northeast Ohio has totally been a downer. My mood has been not in the mood to do anything. Today was the first day the sun shined in like a whole week. The rain, the grey skies.....just depressing. On Thursday I took 3 of the ram lambs to the vet to be wethered. I am not into the banding thing so I have it done surgically. More money but at this point, whats the point but its gotta get done.

The ram lamb pictured below is Fletcher. Fletcher was my hope for my Shetland line: spotted, a nice soft fleece, small scurs as a half poll.......everything I want BUT tail is not so good and depending on how he stands, a definite cow hock in those back legs. I am really bummed out about it esp. because he has a great personality unlike his PITA brother who, besides the stand-offish personality, if very nicely put together esp. having a great tail and nice straight legs. I have always wanted a spotted ram out of Sheltering Pines Spirit so the choice had to be made because I can't have both boys as rams. So PITA got to stay a ram and Fletcher............

............is now a wether. I think Thursday's overcast weather matched mine and Fletcher's mood.
But I love him either way:)

This past Saturday I finally had the opportunity to see my nephew play football! Yep, he is only in second grade and I don't want him tackling me.....he is a pretty tough kid in all that equipment! His team won 24-0 too!

On Sunday the sun finally made an appearance and all the animals were hanging out to catch some rays. Liberty was soaking up the rays on the backside of the barn.

This was like the LaMancha line-up on the back of the barn today: Liberty, Daisy, & Patty.

Hopefully, Liberty will be bred this year:) This weekend I picked up 100 bales of hay to replinish what I have already used. I need to keep my barn stocked esp. come Nov. and Dec. when the weather gets a mind of its own. This winter I refuse to have an empty barn come Feb.

The other day I purchased this wonderful picture to hang in my living room. A simple thought that I often overlook as I rush around trying to get everything done. Autumn is a wonderful time of year to appreciate the wonders of nature, watch the animals grow their winter coats, and reflect on one's personal goals. I need to do that but I need to get rid of the anxiety issues I get when trying to get everything done that I want to get done before the first snowflakes arrive.

There is always tomorrow I guess.......

That Sure is a Big Box........

2009-10-13T21:36:00.006-04:00

This really big box was on my front porch when I came home from school today. This past Friday Zeilinger's called to tell me my roving and felt batting was ready to ship. It was $45 to ship it.......good grief, what were they shipping me??? Now please keep in mind in August I took 34 lbs of Cotswold and Shetland wool to the Michigan Fiber Show to get processed. This is my first endeavor in doing anything with my wool in all the years I have had sheep. But it is a goal of mine to learn to work with and appreciated my sheep for what the gift of wool they give.

Of course, I had no idea what or how much I would be getting back................

............so when I broke the tape seal imagine my surprise when I saw all of this!!!! All I thought was, "Now what the heck am I going to do with all of this?!" I am thinking I will be busy this winter.......let's see, first on the list is a spinning wheel from Santa, spinning classes, more felting classes..............yep, should be a busy winter!

This roving is from my fawn kat ewes fleeces.........I can't believe so soft it is and how well it cleaned up because I picked and picked ti ll I could pick no more so I was very pleased when I saw the roving and batting!!!

This is roving from my Black Cotswolds. Most the wool I took up went to roving and batting from the Cotswolds. I have had my Cotswolds longer than the Shetlands. I am pretty excited now that I finally have taken the first steps to making a true product from my little farm:) Its all a process but its getting there.

Jed is just concerned that I have not decided on who is in his breeding group this year as last year Jammer left him with only 3 girls. I don't want to hurt his feelings but I have not even thought about it...........maybe I will give him the year off........okay I should at least give him one girl so he doesn't hate on me; afterall, he is such a handsome, loveable kinda guy:)

Fall Gardening

2009-10-12T13:22:00.008-04:00

Well, the month of October is not the Autumn weather I was hoping for. Its been a tad cold, grey, rainy, & basically depressing. I can deal with the cooler temps but at least give me some sun in October. The trees have pretty much been holding on to the green leaves too.

This maple tree in my front yard is the first of the maples to change colors. I have planted a lot of maples as I love their color in the Fall. Even the pin oaks and willow trees are still holding on to their green leaves.

During the week I had this brain fart to start planning for next spring so I started tilling up this area on the outside of my garden area. Sometimes I question my work ethic, "Why do I continually make more work for myself?" Must be those Hobby Farm and gardening magazines I subscribe too. Regardless of my personal issues, I am thinking of planting the corn and some pumpkins in this area as those two took up way too much area inside the picket fence. The chickens were quite content to do their part in Fall gardening also.

My parents came over on Saturday to help pull out all the dead plants. Now I've got to get the compost area started.

Things were looking pretty dead in the garden so my nephew and I decided to bring some life into the bare, raised beds.

My niece Gracie planted these sunflowers in August and they are doing quite well. I love the little sunflowers. They only grow about 2 feet high.......I am going to have to plant more of those next year. Does anyone have suggestions on what variety of garlic is good to plant now? Never planted garlic so I thought maybe I would give it a try.

And while I was busy fussing in the yard, the sheep and goats are content to hang out in the sun and catch a few rays of warmth. Harvest Thyme Rutland being one of them. He is really just a handsome boy! If I had to have a pick ram lamb this year, he would be the one in my opinion.

He greets in every morning with his baaing.......the best way to start of morning chores:)

"Are You a Dwarf?"

2009-10-09T21:10:00.000-04:00

"Are you a dwarf? How tall are you? Do you have to sit on a pillow to drive?"

At least a couple times during the year, my caring, compassionate 8th graders ask me this question. I often reply that my 4'10 ft. body with a size 5 shoe will demonstrate what a dwarf I really am if they don't run fast enough away from me.

My point you may ask? Nothing, no actually I have been thinking about dwarfism.

I know that dwarfism exists in all species (well, I don't really know for sure but I am assuming it does... MA in history, not science) and I am wondering if it does with Shetland Sheep?

This past breeding season I had two really small lambs born. At birth they were fairly comparable in size to all the other lambs but as the lambs started growing and maturing, they remained small. The little guy pictured below is one of them.

He is a single ram lamb. His dam is a single black ewe that got bred by mistake at 8mos. I guess I have a number questions. His dam was a normal size ewe lamb, coming in at around 45-50 lbs. I know that some breeders will breed ewes as yearlings or if they are 50lbs. I personally do not believe in it, though I understand & respect those breeders that do; its just a personal preference. I however, felt like a total yuck when I realized she got bred by mistake. Side question: does breeding under a year in age affect size of lambs?

Anyways, he is really small. He was born mid-April and is just starting to push about 12 lbs. He is just a little stinker. Are there dwarf Shetlands? If so, what constitutes a dwarf Shetland? I am just wondering about bloodlines, genetics? If so, does it skip around? Meaning generation to generation? I am no genetic genius and by posting this I am probably causing a big flag to go up on my Shetland sheep but I am not trying to win breeder of year over here and I would like to know. I AM NOT TRYING TO BREED DWARF SHETLANDS EITHER. I don't believe in just culling either, too soft of a heart and I believe in the underdog. And while I am not ashamed of this little guy being born either and have nothing to hide, I also understand and know he is not breeding quality. This little ram lamb was wethered back in August and is completely content doing his own "little thing" out in the barn and I am completely amused watching him .

I often wonder though, if by wethering them too young, does it prohibit growth that they really need when they are smaller? I always get a variety of responses from the vets I go to so I end up with a variety of self-diagnosis's and end up weeding through it by experience.

This is him on the left pictured with 2 other lambs, all born within days of each other and actually the other 2 are twins (not to each other however). I am wondering too, if by working with polled genetics, is this a more likely situation to arise as opposed to working with non-polled lines? Personal preference is that I do like the Shetland sheep that are finer boned, though not so fined bone that it would compromise their confirmation. I am surprised to see so many larger boned Shetlands at the few sheep shows I went to this year. Is this a new trend in Shetlands?
If so, then if more and more people breed for larger boned Shetlands then the "normal" sized Shetlands will start to all look like dwarfs now won't they? Just a thought.

I contemplated posting this for awhile as I am not the type of person to put this kind of stuff on my blog. I prefer to keep it light hearted and fun and truly I am not all knowing about Shetland genetics but I love my sheep for just being sheep and being there for me so I posted.

If your reading, thanks for listening to my thoughts.

And if I do say so myself, I do have some pretty loveable sheep:)

A Thought on Friday

2009-10-09T09:30:00.006-04:00

And its a 3 day weekend because Monday is Discoverers Day (Columbus was booted out once it became known that he wasn't the nice guy we all learned about in Kindergratin)!!

So much to do but at least its not at work:)

On Halloween........

2009-10-07T22:27:00.005-04:00

My students are writing either a Halloween or Autumn poem in class this week. One of the requirements is to have some pictures to frame around their poem, kinda like a collage of images. I found this vintage Halloween card on line that has the most awesome details that I shared with the kids today which inspired a conversation on the history of Halloween in the United States and how and why it has become the second most popular holiday in the U.S. Our conversation will continue throughout the month as I also do a unit on the Salem Witch Trials in history class including the movie "The Crucible".
Yes, we celebrate Halloween in my classroom:)

A "BOO" Kind of Morning

2009-10-05T21:04:00.004-04:00

So at 4:45 am I awoke to this gosh-for-saking noise......kinda like a motor attempting to start but the belt was stuck so it kept cranking. It was really LOUD and being so coherent at 4:45 am I stumbled out of bed thinking my house was going to blow up. Down to the basement I went and yes, that noise was coming from the furnace. After muttering a few choice words, I turnd the furance off and stumbled back up the steps saying in some colorful language what a wonderful week it was going to be AGAIN. I double checked the furnance before I left for work to reaffirm that yes I was not imaging the noise and it did exist. So on the way to work I was thinking about how I was going to rob a bank to pay for a new furnace. I called my Dad to complain and then I called FWB who wanted to know why I always call in the morning when there is a problem? Why don't I call, he wondered, to profess my love for him? REALLY? I told him this was not a laughing matter and when would he be over?

So yes, this evening FWB fixed the furnance for me. The problem one might ask? Well on the side of the fan motor drum that is located on the inside of the furnace, is this sticker that says "Apply 20 drops of oil annually". Now who the hell reads that label???? Seriously. The furnace is 18 yrs old, why the heck would it need oil now? Even FWB admitted he would have never noticed it. Well, it got oiled and its working now so I will keep my fingers crossed. Good thing I didn't have to rob a bank tonight:)

Now back to more serious "BOO" matter. Front porch Halloween decorations. I got my orange lights up around the porch tonight and finished up with some other things. Now of course, its just me and the "kids" who enjoy the lights & decorations as I have never had a trick-or-treater come to my house.......must be that 800 ft driveway.

I did promise Dixie I would dress her up and take her out trick-or-treating this year..........
........what do you think of her costume??? LOL

What a Really Long Week......

2009-10-03T21:02:00.005-04:00

It was a really long week.......a really long week. Between all the rain, my sump pump burning out (during a downpour of course), major drama & issues w/my students (how is it possible that a pregnancy issue, house arrest, child abuse, a threat to be shot at take place all in one week and all in 8th grade?......opps I forgot I was called an f-ing b#@*! by a student, probably because I was one last week. Though I appreciated being called an f-ing "B" as that carries status and power, I would hate to be an a*#hole "B" as that sounds so deeming and powerless, and just being called a "B" is just so boring......yes being an f-ing "B" is much better.......though I did correct the student to make sure she knew it was Miss. F-ing "B". I so hate being a Mrs.) ........... anyways, where was I before I got sidetracked by drama?

Oh yes, what a really long week it was. Did I mention that when I opened the barn door on Tuesday morning at 5:45 am that a LARGE RAT walked out the door and across my feet??!!! Yes, I am on a mission to destroy that unwanted guest. Let's see, oh and then those pushy sheep and goats this week at feeding time in the morning!!! I have a new motto.....I push back now. I refuse to be pushed around, clipped from behind, smashed into the wall......afterall, I OWN THEM>>>>THEY DO NOT OWN ME.........right???

Yep, what a week. Trying to keep up with chores and house stuff this week was not productive as the rain & early coldness just dampened any get up and go attitude.

Today was much better.......even a little sun this afternoon. I let the chickens out to "play" in the garden. My cat "Moo" was very interested in the inside of the chicken coop and just watched the chickens hang out.

Dixie, however, was on a mission to get the chickens back in the coop and followed them everywhere.

A little Autumn cheer at home this weekend is much needed..........

........so is some food. Tomorrow is making pumpkin bread and peaunt butter cookies day.

Maybe I will get to getting some fleece samples too:)

Autumn Needle Felting & a Winner

2009-09-27T20:51:00.008-04:00

On Saturday I participated in another needle felting class. This class was creating an Autumn wall hanging using a variety of different fiber. So I worked with alpaca yarn, merino roving, & Wensydale locks, all in a variety of colors. This is my final Autumn needle felted product........

I am pretty excited about it!! Each class that I take is helping me build confidence that I can do this; I am learning more about the fiber and how to work with it, and it is helping me appreciate my sheep even more. Its so rewarding to do this!!

Today I worked in the garden trying to clean up a bit. I am collecting the mammoth sunflower heads to dry for the winter......I am thinking the birds might appreciate that:) My silly cat Maddie walked right into the picture......he is a garden helper too.

Miss Essex is such a beauty!!!

Oh, she wants to say that, who? Who did you say won the garden flag?
Tammy......the one with all those cute kittens!!!!!

I want to say thank you for everyone who stopped by and left a comment!!
Autumn Blessing to Everyone!!

A Little Autumn Cheer for You Too!

2009-09-25T21:55:00.004-04:00

It doesn't matter what the season is, of course its better if its Fall, but regardless.........

I do really love garden flags! Especially my favorite Autumn flag:)

And I really do love my chicken coop and the chickens, even if someone in the coop is an egg hater! So, today when I was shopping at my favorite store, I found this really cute garden flag that had 2 of my favorite things on them........autumn and a chicken!

Too fun I thought so I bought 2 of them! One for me and one for a blogger friend.

I thought I would share one with someone who stops by and reads about the on-goings at Harvest Thyme whether its good, bad, silly, or whatever. So, if you are interested and think this flag would look cute at your house/farm, just drop me a comment and on Sunday I will draw a name and whoever gets picked I will send you the flag:)

I just thought this might be fun to do and bring a little autumn cheer to someone's home!

Trying to Give Everyone Equal Blog Time

2009-09-24T10:00:00.000-04:00

As a blogger I sometimes get zoned into certain subject matter. For example, Autumn is my favorite time of year so I tend to post lots of pics about my Fall decorations, the garden, the scarecrows etc..........

........and of course there are the sheep. I have been zoning in on the abundance of ram lambs that were born this year because everywhere I look I see little boys with growing....well, you know what I mean. BUT there were 6 ewe lambs born this year so I thought I would post one of the prettiest girls born.

This ewe lamb is out of Windswept Savannah Grace, an exquiste honey mioget ewe. Miss Ewe Lamb is working on her pesonality qualities.......I tell her she is a tad "uppity" as she always turns her cheek to me when I want a picture. She inherited her mom's beautiful facial features. Her sire is Harvest Thyme Jammer. She was much darker when she was born and her color is lightening up. Would one call her a moorit or a mioget?

She is twin to the mioget ram lamb Kara at Mapleton Farm bought. She is more double-coated with a softer, wavier fleece, but there is nice crimp to it. This pic was taken about mid-side. She really hit a growth spurt this past month and is filling out nicely:)

I so neglect the miniature horses in posts and since Miss Speedy is Queen B in the barn she felt the need to be recognized. She needs a bath before the cooler weather really sets.
When I first got the mini's I was not sure if they would work out with the sheep and goats but it all has worked out well; of course there is the occassional push and shoving at feed time but other than that, everyone gets along.
Now I need to get a much neglected goat post going because there are breeding plans in the air for them coming up!

A "Smooth" Autumn Start

2009-09-21T20:57:00.008-04:00

This is not the view from my kitchen window, but from the chicken coop!

Yes, I thought the girls needed a little Halloween spirit amongst their silly cackling selves.

Its okay, I know I need help, but Autumn is my favorite season and everyone should join in the fun, even if its a bunch of chickens........it is a nice view the big barn, don't you agree?

As you know I have an abundance of ram lambs and since I am a wimp about sending them off to market (I do not eat lamb, only fish & pork, no red meat unless its a pot roast....ground meat is disgusting btw:) so I am having some issues with deciding what "to do" with the boys. Pictured above is the only smooth polled boy born this year.

This is his fleece about midside..............

........and this is at the back of the neck area. He is single coated and is just a really loveable boy. His tail, in all honesty, is not perfect. A tad wool but I think I will take a tad wooly too get the fleece and smooth polled features.

Here he is with his sire, Jammer. He is not a huge ram lamb, probably about 25-30 lbs. He was born the first of May but he really is starting to put on some weight and is filling out nicely. I guess I would say he is more "refined". Though, the polled boys just don't have that massive head like the horned guys do (right?). I am going to micron his fleece ( I will be fleece collecting this weekend).

Here is my offer:

If his fleece comes back with good results and someone is interested in him as a ram lamb, he is yours for the cost of your transportation and health papers. I would rather have him go to someone who would appeciate him for his polled genetics than have him wethered. Otherwise I am going to wether him and he will stay here as a fiber pet or maybe someone will be interested in him as a wether.

So as Autumn rolls in officially this week, I will enjoy the season and what it has to offer and of course, make sure all the ram lambs are not with the ewes:)

I Am Trying..........

2009-09-18T21:14:00.006-04:00

As the Fall Season rolls in and the boys get restless, occasionally annoying with their pathetic calls, I am trying to decide if I want to breed anyone this coming season. I had an overabundance of ram lambs last year due to my "naiveness" that a 5 month old lamb could breed adult ewes. I have sold 3 ram lambs, 2 are definitely staying ram lambs, 2 have been wethered, 2 I can't decide what I want to do with (both are spotted w/scurs), and 2 more will be wethered (a totally smooth-polled moorit & button scurred kat). Being a new breeder is hard as I do not have the credibility that established breeders have. I have made mistakes, perhaps not pushed hard enough in the sales dept., and I should have had a more planned breeding plan but its all a learning process and perhaps it will start to turn around soon.

Yes, this is Jammer, the stinker that caused much of this:) I can never get a good picture of Jammer as he is always right there by me. His personality plus, thank goodness, passed on to his offspring as the lambs this year have just been a joy of friendliness. Jammer's scurs, however, became fatal and I opted to wether him as his loveable personality won my heart. Yes, scurs are one of those trying issues I have found with the polled lines.

What hurt the most in deciding to wether him was that of all the lambs born here in 2008, he had the best fleece. I am not a fleece expert, but it really is wonderfully soft and has a nice crimp to it. As I have been reading with many Shetland breeders, I am going to micron test his fleece along with ewes and lambs from this year. Curiousity has gotten to me. The one positive thing that came out of the "unplanned lamb explosion" was he passed on wonderful fleece to some of lambs born this year.
(Jammer's fleece above & below)
So, at least one thing is moving in the right direction; the fleece. But I guess I will know better when I send the samples off for testing and get the results. Thats probably when I will truly decide who, if any, I will breed.

Till then, Jammer and I will discuss what to do with all of his "children" and perhaps discuss the "wether" on the farm ........and perhaps he will let go of the string attached to my shorts.

Mums the Word

2009-09-14T21:21:00.008-04:00

September weather here in Northeast Ohio has been absolutely perfect. In the past 2 weeks there has only been rain once; temps in the mid-70's to low 80's, low humidity, and those wonderful cool evenings. I have been taking much advantage of the weather. I have a fully stocked barn of hay (230 plus bales). I have been cleaning up in the vegetable garden and thinking of new ideas for next year. One of my many ideas involved putting in a flowerbed in front of my picket garden. But I got impatient so I got a yard of screened topsoil last Saturday and today I finished my idea..............

............and this is what I can up with! The beautiful garden mums I got at an herb/garden farm that I went to on Saturday (okay, I admit, there was a craft show involved there too:). The mums were $4.00 a piece and I just loved the colors!! The antinque pitch fork with the birdhouse was the result of another craftshow on Sunday at a garden nursery..........do you see the issues I create for myself when I go to Fall craftshows? I just can't say "NO".

These are the garden mums that will come back next year so I will keep my fingers crossed especially because the color is just wonderful!!!!!!

My "Moo" cat found a napping place among the Indian corn and gourds I was using to decorate.

All of my cats have just been enjoying the newly picketed garden area.

While I am loving the beautiful "weather", I am also having to decided who to "wether" among the ram lambs. Rutland and PITA have already been moved in with the big boys much to their dismay. This is Shelbourne. Everything is looking good so far with him, fleece is nice and soft, nice tail, he has really bulked up this past month, BUT there is the left scur that is very questionable as it is growing too close to the back of the head. He is Ag and I really made to keep him as a ram but if he has to be weathered, he will make a wonderful fiber pet and he does have the most loving personality.

More "wether" decisions this week but for now I will enjoy and savory these beautiful September days:)

Drying Flowers/Herbs....& sheep pics

2009-09-10T21:39:00.007-04:00

There are so many little projects and chores that need to be done in the flower beds and the garden. Today's after school chores included making bundles of flowers and herbs to dry in the barn.

On the left is pink sedum and on the right is yellow yarrow. I have this massive sedum in the frontyard that one year I will eventully split but for now it has a ton of pink flower heads that the bees are just loving. Then there is the yarrow. I hate the smell of it and it grows like crazy in my yard; HOWEVER, it does produce beautiful yellow button flowers that are nice in dry flower arrangements.

And then there is the Sweet Annie.......oh, yes, I have LOTS of it thanks to my Mom planting one little plant a few years ago. It just reseeds itself over and over again and I pull it out more and more each year. But it does have a few natural, benefical features.
Once the plant dries, the seeds can be used as a natural deworm for sheep and goats. I have a couple of friends that swear by it and the fiber artist that I have been taking classes with was thrilled to hear that I had lots of it. She took a few large bunches to use as a dewormer for her alpacas. The animals have to get use to the smell and taste of it but they get over it pretty quickly when they know their grain is mixed in it. The small bunches I have pictured above sell for $3-4.00 at craft shows. Another friend of mine uses it as a carpet freshner also.
(Tammy if you are reading I promise to send you some this year:)

Today I got a good picture of Spirit's family(minus Fletcher, her moorit,yuglet flecket ram lamb). Sheltering Pines Spirit is pictured in the back left corner then there is PITA, her half-polled ram lamb from this year and Sweet Annie next to PITA, her ewe lamb from last year.
Yep, she does produce those spots!! Behind Annie is Autumn, a moorit ewe who carries the modified and polled gene (she is a Jed. daughter). PITA is for sale if interested ;) He is a very nice size ram lamb with a great tail and soft fleece......he is well-fed too as one can see from the picture!

Miss Essex and I are still working on our relationship. I was trying to get the piece of hay off of her and she thought it was just fine where it was. So, I settled for a picture of her with hay hanging off of her face.

Such is life with silly sheep!

My 1st Wool Scarf Made by ME

2009-09-08T21:06:00.003-04:00

Such a busy time of year!! So many projects, ideas, craft shows, finishing up in the garden and getting it ready for next year, but there is nothing like the feelingo of autumn in the air.

But as I promised myself I am taking the time to appreciate my sheep for what they give me.

This past Saturday I took another wet-felting class but this class was working strictly with roving; top-combed Merino to be exact.

So above is my second endeavor with wet-felting and roving! It is so amazing to see the felting process take place! I had an "idea" of what type of scarf I wanted to make and the colors I thought would be fun with demin and/or a cream colored heavy sweater. I needle felted the lamb design after the scarf was completed and dried. It is such a wonderful feeling knowing that I can actually do this. I have a long way to go and so much to learn, BUT its a start.

I found a little love in my garden the other day. This mammoth sunflower just reminded me of a big heart............

.........speaking of big hearts. This is Jasper, a smooth polled black ram out of Jedidiah. Jasper is such a lover. I can never get a good picture of Jasper because he always is right in my face looking for chin rubs and chest rubs.

Such is life at Harvest Thyme.......just me and the sheep....

.......and the goats.....and the horses.......and the chickens......oh, and the cats,

and of course, the dogs.

How to Attract Females

2009-09-02T21:00:00.006-04:00

STEP 1: Begin with a soft, innocent look.

STEP 2: Give the side glance to show a possible interest......its important to still maintain that innocent look.

STEP 3: Postulate.....show the whole package so she sees the goods.

STEP 4: Go in for the kill........its all in the lip action.

Brought to you by Flat Rocks 'Lil Texas, Nigerian Dwarf Buck

Cost: $500

Sense of Humor: Priceless