Sheep Sheering Time! Muddin' in the dooryard!

Sunday, March 29th. The day had started out drizzly and cold as is normal for Maine in late March. We have also been known to have the occasional snow storm this time of year and sometimes in April as well. This day we had planned on for weeks. With Icelandic sheep it is fine to shear them this early since they would shed on their own if not sheared in time. Normally I would have them sheared twice a year though this year I wanted to see how they would look if I followed the traditions of their original masters, the Vikings.

The breed I have is from Iceland and the Vikings would put them out to the field this time of year after the shearing and the lambing season to common fields. The survivors would be brought into shelters for the long winters in the fall when the snow arrives. They are a primitive and hearty breed and their wool is not only long and colorful but plentiful as well. With all of the colors available in nature, you do not have to dye the wool. The wool comes in two layers; the Tog which is the thick outer layer that actually looks like locks of hair and the thin, fine inner layer that can be used to stuff pillows. I put both of the types of wool together and get the famous Lopi wool that is used in the beautiful Icelandic wool sweaters.

This breed of sheep has not been bred with any other type of sheep for hundreds of years and is one of the oldest and untouched breed available. It is the perfect breed for the climate here in the mountains of Western Maine. They thrive out here and love the snow. I have seen them stand in the field with several of inches of snow on their backs unfazed. Icelandic sheep have been used as the primary source of wool, meat and milk for Iceland for as recently as thirty-five years ago when they were brought over here. There are a few farms about with this breed. They are far different from their more modern cousins. They are shorter and feistier. Most breeds of sheep have only one lead sheep of the herd-though with the Icelandic sheep, many can be dominant and they rams are known to get somewhat aggressive with each other for dominance. Some of this breed brought over here have horns and some don't my own herd is mixed. Only one surviving to this day actually has his horns. I had lost two ram lambs, probably due to their fighting it out. I had not actually witnessed it, though have buried them in the back with lots of tears. We have had to fix the males we are not using for breeding to cut down on that aggression in the herd, through sad example.

Enough about the breed in general. Now about the shearing day. It was cold, as I mentioned. The sky was gray and drizzly and you could see your breath. My daughter Jacqui and I dressed in layers and headed out to the barn to prepare for their big day. They had been fed their grain, hay and fresh water, though kept in their stalls. We wanted them there. They must have known because they called out to me in their sheepy questioning baaas.

We were in the kitchen when Dave Averill arrived. He showed up in his truck and came out with his tackle box and electric shears. The Vikings would comb the sheep this time of year with large combs. Though in modern Chesterville, we use electric shears!

They also long for his time of year as well to be loosened of their heavy burden and to tromp about without all of the heavy layers of wool. As the snow thaws and the weather gets warmer they long for the fresh air on their backs with out all of that wool-thus we helpt them of that. They might protest this, but now I wonder if it is their game. Since they seem so happy after when they are out in the field.

Dave has been here several times since I have first had the farm and he followed us into the barn. We gave him the electric cord for the shears and laid out the tarp on the ground and had the broom ready. We had also lined up the bags of wool for easy access.

Thus began the assembly line that we had all grown used to. Dave would go into the stall with the large rams and took out Njord first-the papa of most of them and brought him out of the stall to the middle area. We set to work. Dave would sit Njord down in the middle to still him. There are certain positions that you put sheep in and they stay put. It looks silly when you first see it-but they don't move and it is early to shear them. I would have taken picture of this process but the light in the barn is limited and not good enough for my digital camera. I will take some more when the shy is blue again.

Thesheep are huge and some can be quite aggressive-depending on the breed. Mine are small, though almost large with all of the long heavy wool. Njord is white and brown as is the other ram named Odin-who was next. Though Odin had the curling horns. So Njord was put this way and that and quickly and efficiently we watched the wool sheared off. The fleece was removed in almost one section. When Njord was put to sitting again-his hooves were then clipped. This was the time that I grabbed all of the fleece and Jacqui and I quickly split it up to put in bags. We ran them up to the garage-the dry area to put the bags of freshly sheared wool to be organized and cleaned later. We then put Njord out to the field while he protested, and then quickly shut the doors and swept the area clean for the next one. I peeked out and saw Njord out in the filed slowly getting his freedom and jumping about unencumbered by all of that winter wool. Next was Odin and then the ewes (females) Of the females was the mama of them all Freyja, and Brunhild and then Skaadi, Baaa One and Baaa Two (Tiffy named them) and Thumbelina (Jacqui named her).

This was the jist of the assembly line that we had worked out. They all ran from us when we tried to catch them one by one. They should know the drill by now. I wonder if it a game that they play just to show me that they love me and to keep me on my toes!

They went out after one by one to join the others in the field and I saw some of them jumping and running about. In all it took about an hour for the whole process.

We then clean out the barn and headed back out to the muddy driveway and into the house to wash up. I was all muddy from grabbing all of the wool on the ground.

Muddin' in the Dooryard!:

This time of year everything seems to have turned to mud. There is still plenty of snow, though the thaw is in big effect and mud and puddles of melting snow are everywhere.

We had a little bit of snow that night and a frost over everything. The days can be anywhere from 30-50 and the evenings are still under freezing. We use the wood-stove at night and for the mornings and evenings this time of year. The snow banks are still there though are pushed back a bit from the road and very muddy.

My driveway has turned into a huge mud pit as I mentioned before and I had no need to warn Dave about this-he was used to the area and was careful as he pulled out and onto the road. There are also a lot of potholes and frost heaves from the temperatures. Many alignment has been ruined and cars are ditched this time of year on a normal basis. I still have my snow ties on since we can expect more snow this time of year and I carefully navigate on roads avoiding huge ditches and potholes and gaping frost heaves. I have felt my car bottom out way too many times. Though know which roads to avoid this time of year, as do most other people.

My own driveway or dooryard is a typical farm one and is made of dirt. So in the winter it becomes a huge solid ice pit. This I have warned many people about and frantically have had to go out to my car with a bag of kitty-litter or ice-melt-whichever I had on hand-just to get out to the car without breaking a leg.

This time of year it is banked with melting muddy snowbanks. The driveway is now a huge mud pit filled with huge gaping ruts that are easy to get trapped in. We talk at work about our adventures getting struck in the mud. Some people who have four-wheel drives go out on purpose to cover themselves and their cars with mud for fun. Not so with me!

For one thing, I have to navigate carefully in my waterproof boots just to get to my car-again! I could easily slip and fall in it-Yuk! This I have done before. I have to make sure the car is parked in a high relatively dry spot and then to be careful in backing out!

Last night we had our first lightning storm of the season which is why I could not get online last night. We have satellite and have to depend on atmospheric conditions-which were not cooperating with me.

So this morning, I knew my driveway would be one huge monster mud pit. However, I was running a bit late and had not paid attention when backing out. I backed right into a huge mud area and quickly became stuck right in it! My car just sank in deeper the harder I tried to get out of it! I then called work and told them why I would be a little late. I had tried to find some sticks to give it some leverage but my car was sunk too deep and was by then covered almost completely in mud. I was still dry though, for I had not fallen in it. This time-at least!

I called for a tow and they laughed and mentioned I was the first one of the season! I'm glad I am the first of something! When Sean arrived he quickly went about business. It took him while after reaching around in the slick mud to find a spot for the chain. Finally I was pulled free and went off to work. When I had arrived at work I had proof of my plight all over the car and had to explain to them that; No I had not gone "Muddin'" that I had gotten stuck! They laughed and then wondered when it would be their turn.

:)

Super Mom to the rescue

Normally I have Tuesdays off. You would think that a day off is a day off-well, for me-it is a time to catch up. I work full time during the day selling insurance and work Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So I can have Tuesdays off to catch up and the take the girls for their appointments. I do not even know what "down time is". I also have a farm and work on the wool from my sheep and write novels. I am the Queen of multi-tasking and am proud of it!

Normally it can be with one appointment, but sometimes they add up and the shuffling of them can be pretty intense. This particular Tuesday I had a million things to do to say the very least.

I called before to set up a ride for my daughter Jacqui to be picked up from her school and to be bought over to her afternoon appointment in Farmington with her doctor. I was planning on staying home. However, when I called-I found out that at this particular appointment, I had to be there. Well, I knew the maneuvering had only just begun with this request. I did not want to reschedule.

So after that call that morning I did the usual chores on my day off; straightened up the house, banked the fire in the wood stove, made sure there was enough wood brought up from the basement, cleaned the dishes in the kitchen, took the dogs out (too cold for them still to be left out for the day and their dog house is still under snow), made the usual phone calls on recent events and appointments to be made, and then finally was I able to get dressed and head out the door for my car to be fixed. I had called my friend Heather to see if she was able to rescue me-since there would be a lapse during the appointment that afternoon when Tiffy would be left home alone after getting off the bus. I was trying to call everywhere to help on that one.

I then headed out the door to Wilton after my car was heated up to have it worked on. I was finally having my driver's side window fixed so that I could open it. It was hard going through tolls (I would have to drive up and have my daughter in the backseat hand them the money- or pull over before hand to leave the window rolled down, a nightmare in the winter here in Maine-thank goodness I rarely used the toll way!) Also at the bank I would always forget when I wanted to drive to the window or the ATM and have to park on the side in frustration and actually walk in the old-fashioned way or walk over when no one was around to the ATM!). I was also having the oil leak fixed-I was sick of having to put in a quart of oil each week!). The removal of the snow tires would have to wait for later!

So I drove there and was given a ride back to my house to wait it out by Chris' wife, Moe.

When I arrived home I hunkered down and prepared for battle. I decided to pay as many bills as I could online-since I can never find the time to visit the post office and have no idea how much stamps cost now (cant seem to keep up with that. Also the cost of milk!). So I frantically tried to arrange the rest of the day and even called the school to have them remind my daughter of her appointment and that she was getting picked up there by someone else. After paying my bills, I decided to play online for a hour and found a whole bunch of songs to download onto my MP3 player-though I could not figure out how to make the actual connection between the two.

The night before I had to put my three kitties in a large cage so they would not have water or food before their surgery (they were being fixed Tuesday). It was rough passing them and knowing they were hungry and thirsty. Vet's orders!

They were to arrive between 1-2p. They arrived at 1:30p. The vet is Stephanie and she owns the Maine Woods Mobil Vet unit. They are veterinarians that actually come to your home. She works on pets and fiber animals (my sheep) for shots, nail clippings etc... (YEA!) She arrived with her assistant and her four year old son (who was adorable!). On the agenda was to create a sort of assembly line in my kitchen for fixing my two female kitties (Dot and Little Miss) and the male kitty (Trouble)-they were also to receive their rabies shots. Then my dogs Loki and Bart were to have their nails clipped.

I have to admit, I was very impressed with the whole process. She created a small sterile area and I was actually allowed to watch the whole process! Very interesting. Her adorable little son was wandering about and I gave him a banana to distract him. He wanted to go pet my dogs, but they are not that used to kids that little and were a little skittish of the boy! They growled and knew they were getting in trouble from me over that and hid under the living room table. The kitties were given shots to anaesthetise them for their surgeries and they were laid out and prepared for it. Living on a farm you get used to life in all forms; the good, and the ugly-though necessary. I make sure all of my animals are fixed and most are even micro-chipped (dogs and cats-not yet on the kitties). I had to be a part of fixing my two male rams with the elasticiser (long story and quite vivid and I am not even male-ouch!).

So, one by one the kitties were fixed. I was nervous since my kitties had gone into heat already. They were born in July in the same litter. They are my other cat Butterina's kitties.

While each was being fixed they had their rabies shots. Then we had to tackle the dogs for their nails to be clipped. In the winter they are inside-way too cold out to tie them up in the yard and their dog house is buried under mounds of snow! I cant even find the propane tank out there! We literally had to shovel an almost tunnel to get from the house to the barn. So their nails tend to get long. That was quite a feat in itself! The whole time I was getting a call from the school about Jacqui's ride waiting for her and no Jacqui. They finally had to contact the bus driver en-route to find out that she had forgotten and boarded the bus. I also got a call from my friend Heather who was able to come over and to watch the kitties in their drugged out and recovering state and to meet Tiffy as she got off her bus! Meanwhile, I was helping to hold down the dogs and calming them and talking on the cell phone and regular phone-depending which one I received calls from during all of this. Also, Moe was able to come over to pick me up since the car was done enough for me to use it. They had two people call in that day at the garage and Chris was doing all of the work himself! He was backed up that day. So by the time Moe arrived, I had managed to have my friend en-route to rescue Tiff and I was paying the bill to the vet and helping them clean up-Jacqui got off the bus. I ran out to the car with her and Jacqui and hoped that Heather would be at the house in time. We arrived at the garage and almost went to another car parked outside. I thought "boy, my car really needs a bath!" and it turned out that it was another car. I was able to take my car then and with them knowing I would be back there after the appointment to pay the bill. They knew me enough for that-good thing! I then went into the garage and waited while they backed it out and then drove off frantically to catch the 3p appointment. I called on the cell and informed them that I would be about ten minutes late-which I was and went right in. My daughter Jacqui has severe ADD and has been having trouble focusing in school.

After the appointment I called and found out that my friend Heather had showed up in time and then was able to drive over to the garage happily rolling up and down my window in glee to pay the bill. I had spent over $600 in all that day and came home very tired but happy that I was able to manage it all and nothing went wrong. Many close calls and room for potential tragedy-but all went well and everything that was supposed to get done-got done!

I came home and visited with my friend while she played with my computer and showed me how to download some songs and my pics to the MP3 player. I then made sure the girls had all their homework done and their chores. Jacqui to bring up the firewood and to take care of the sheep out the the barn and to bring the dogs out. Tiffy to clean the kitty-litter. I made supper and all was well in the world and I was able to rest in peace that night to battle another day!

This is just a small example of my usual busy Tuesdays...

Tis the season for MUD

Now that the snow is melting, the next season here in Maine is the famous MUD SEASON. This is the time of year when the snow starts to melt and turns everything all around into mud. People up here love the love snow, I know its crazy, but there are plenty of places south of here with less snow-naturally. But what is the fun of all that? All winter we trudge out to the cars early in the morning to heat them up and brave the mountainous trek to where we work. On the way the mountains are lit up with freshly packed snow that we can't wait to get home to ski on or snowmobile on-or whatever-make snow angels? This season of freezing subzero temperatures and warm cozy wood stoves has to end sometime-which it does and is outside. Outside the days are below freezing and thus the snow is melting. Now you may ask-probably not-but it works with what I'm writing..."Where does all that snow go?" Well, I'll tell you..... It slowly melts and ends up everywhere-leaving mud all around.

The roads up here are steep and very mountainous-beautiful granted-but treacherous all the same. On the side of the roads there are not sidewalks like in the suburbs-or anywhere else on this planet it seems-but huge ditches. Now, this might seem odd if one were to visit for the first time. I wondered what that was all about when I first moved up here. Then I found out. There is so much snow on average each year-often with banks of snow way over the tops of the average cars in height. The ditches quickly fill up and then pile up to the sky from there. People who live here are always talking about past memories of the times past when they snow banked their cars-this happens often up here due to ice under the layers of snow and curvy and windy hills. My minivan which was in beautiful condition when I first moved up here quickly fell prey to the lure of the ever present snowbanks that one would meet while trying to navigate down or even up hill most evenings on the way home. I mistakenly took of the comprehensive and collision on my vehicle's insurance and as if that added license-it fell a victim to the climate here and met lovingly each snowbank as I careened my way home on a few occasions. Thus, I was able to add my stories pridefully to my neighbors who only smiled knowingly in response. I tried in vain to hide those initial blunders by taping it with the infamous duct tape (again the reference to the most common staple here)-but alas, it still was not good enough. I then just drove on and was thankful that the van still got me from point A to B.

When the snow melts, the big mud that takes hold of everything up here-seems to be everywhere. During the height of the winter the snow banks are so high that you pray each time you get to an intersection when you can't see past the banks at the corners of the road-that it is clear. Most of the times it is-sometimes you can hear them-if you roll down your window (in my current car-a 1990 Chrysler Le Barron that I inherited from my great Aunt-that is not an option).

As the snow melts, you eventually can see at intersections and don't have to pray that a logger truck is not barreling down. Now I can see past them and cross safely, only now to notice the rivers of water all around. Those huge ditches once filled with piling snow are now bare from the melting snow and are fast gathering with small raging rivers of melting snow from the foothills and mountains.

Nature up here is made very real and not hidden behind the safety of suburbia with sidewalks and storm drains under street lamps.

Most driveways (dooryards) are now filling with mud as are the more secondary roads. This is the deep country or the last of the territories that it seems and it is all rural here. Most of the main roads in town are still dirt. Some of them are closed this time of year to logging trucks and main traffic due to the very real possibility of getting struck in some massive mud ruts. My own dooryard is filled beyond repair with huge ruts and I hold on while entering it as I skid over to where I usually park. Most people park on the actual yard-easier to get out of. This I have adopted as well, having gotten stuck in the past in the main driveway.

Gone is the ice pit driveway-thankfully. However, now in its place is the scary mud pit. This is equally scary! My littlest daughter who is nine loves it. She proudly puts her snow boots in the closet and pulls out her new mud boots and runs outside to squish in it! She loves the mud and so do my cats and dogs-who are endlessly bringing it in with them. My floors have seen brighter days. There is a rule that everyone must take their shoes and boots off if they even want to think about entering this house! For good reason! I would have to mop five times each day-if not! Yikes!

This is also the time of year when I can wash the blankets and hang them outside in my yard to dry-washing all of the winter wear off of them and adding the crisp mountain air! I go through all of the winter clothes and boots and get rid of those that fast become worn up here. I take the plastic off the porch screens that had been put there for wind blocks. I heard the wind chimes today for the first time in months.

I air out as much as I can now-though it is still cold and freezes at night. There is still a lot of snow in the yard so my efforts are limited to the area around the house and the garage-now I can almost pull my car into it (the garage was buried all winter and I had to park at the end of the driveway for most of it-whenever it snowed!) and the barn.

The barn doors are still frozen and I had to put some ice melt there to open them out to let my sheep out.

I have caught up on all of my wool work from the winter-the bags of wool waiting to be spun is put into the back room. There is also a lot of wool that has been washed and is waiting to be carded to add the the many bags all carded (those waiting to be spun at the spinning wheel).

This is also the time of year when I prepare my sheep for their time soon to come. Next Sunday they will be sheared. They have grown beautiful wool all year long and they are waiting anxiously for their new Spring freedom where they can romp in the field in all their naked glory. I will add before and after photos of the sheep after this event to this blog. They look gorgeous with all of their many bright colors and long wool. When they are sheared-they look awful silly and I tell my daughters they must be sensitive to this and not laugh-though it is hard!

So now I watch as the snow melts and my driveway fast becomes a part of the mud season. this season seems to not last long, because soon is will be the arrival of the dreaded black flies and mosquitoes! However it will also be the season of the fire pit-I have a huge new one in the back yard and one on the side yard for this and we all canit wait!

:)