Saturday, April 21, 2012

There's fading...and then...

...there is an abrupt change of plans.

Somewhere, oh, around Christmas, my little grey lamb decided to be white.  Look what we found when we took off the coat and sheared today!
His mother (obviously) carries the fading gene.  So we knew our little black lamb was actually grey...but this was more than we expected!  Hee-hee!
Looks can be deceiving, no?


Wednesday, April 18, 2012

More to scare you...

Real Estate anywhere outside the state of Michigan should be seeing a boost....You'll understand what I mean if you go here, and do a little reading of the recent posts.

Make no mistakes - the government, at the behest of processed food manufacturers and retailers - is after your right to choose what you eat and how it is grown.

Imagine... being served, raided, and forced to slaughter your family livestock. Forced to brutally kill animals you have helped to breed, feed, understand, respect, and even love. Because some moronic politician passed an idiotic law. It's happening right now in Michigan.

Today it's hogs...tomorrow.....???

They're taking the fresh salad right out of your mouths, and shoving the Twinkie and McNugget as far down as it will go....

Monday, April 16, 2012

Yak!

So, at my new job there are some strange things we do...all in the name of collectible dolls. (That's what we make..)

Like today. I spent several hours ironing the doll wigs made from yak hair. Really. We make wigs with yak hair. And the best part is the sewer has all kinds of "leftover/unusable" yak hair when she is finished. The more wiry stuff is actually better for wigs, so this "leftover" hair is the softer, fluffier part of the yak.


And I get to keep it! So, spinners....any suggestions? Ever spun yak before? It has no crimp/memory like wool so it needs to be blended. Blend it first on the carder? I'm full of questions...

In the end, my beginning spinner skills (or lack of) may put this fiber on the shelf, but we shall see...

Friday, April 13, 2012

Just in case you haven't heard...

I'd like to think that all of us here are like-minded. In most respects, that is....And when it comes to corporate bullying and doing what is right, we all recognize a travesty when we see one.

The (VERY) short version of this story is this:
Local (as in Vermont) farmers asked a friend to make them T-shirts with this logo. He complied, and their message of eating well and local caught on. More people ordered T-shirts. It became a nice little trend. The trend grew (as good things do) and now it's a local, grass-roots, healthy trend.

In steps the corporate bully (cue sinister music) Chik-fil-A. They have an ad campaign to push their vile processed food that goes something like this: Eat More Chikn. It is supposedly more compelling when spoken by cows...I don't get it, but there it is.

Somehow, these guys now feel they have the exclusive right to the phrase, "Eat More ...." The legal beagles that Chik-fil-A hired insist that the average American would be terribly confused if the two phrases ever juxtaposed, and they imagine thousands, if not millions of junk food dollars evaporating when starving folks turn to the garden in stead of the drive-thru.

So they filed a lawsuit to stop the one-at-a time production of the Eat More Kale shirts. They are attempting to crush the entrepreneurship and industry of one small Vermont artist. They claim local (and national) foodies and farmers have no right to their free expression and professed love of dark, leafy greens.

The case went to court once. The judge saw the insanity of the situation and ruled against the corporate goons. But it was a temporary victory. The corporation is deciding to throw more dollars into legal harassment and is continuing to pursue the rights of the corporation over the individual.

If you want to help fight back, go here and order your self a shirt. Or a sticker. Or just check out the site.

And finally, plant some kale.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Lamb #1

The marking harness did the trick - 147 days after the big blob coloring job...we had a lamb!

Secret x Leonidas = a nice, big ram lamb....grey in color with a beautiful splash on the head and frosted ears. Sure, I would have preferred a ewe, would have LOVED two rather than one, but hey- no vets, and I didn't have to pull this one myself.
Secret is a very protective mother...actually bordering on psycho aggressive. So photo opportunities come few and far between...

But we'll keep practicing....

Sunday, April 08, 2012

Duck, Duck, Goose

Okay, we'll start with the weird photo today...in honor of Easter Egg hunts everywhere.....do you see it?

It's actually the very beginning of today's subject....

Candy is determined to hatch an egg. Regardless of the fact that there has been no male goose about. So we've quietly replaced a goose egg with two potential duck eggs. So far....so good. Check back in 28 days or so...we may have results!

Something like this:
Can you resist the cuteness of these little feet? They come with their own pedicure!
HAPPY EASTER!

Sunday, April 01, 2012

Elliot and Olivia

More new stuff on the farm, because ADDING chores is exactly what one should do when returning to full time work....let me introduce Elliot and Olivia - the Ancona Ducks.
DD is holding Olivia...and yes, she is wearing pajamas. (Doesn't everyone when they farm?)

We want to expand our egg offerings at the Farmer's Market this season - chicken, quail, and duck. (Duck eggs are particularly nice for baking and making noodles/pasta)

And how about another pic to peruse:

Well?