The Spider and the Butterfly

My sweet husband often reminds me of a childhood memory of his, a teacher would often ask "wonder why they call them butterflies, not flutter bys'?"  Watch a butterfly.  You don't see butter but you sure see flutter.

In the mornings I try to walk.

 My morning walks are surrounded only by the sounds, smells and movements of nature.  There isn't much else around me.  Point is, I'm especially aware in these early morning moments. On this particular 

morning walk

I noticed the frantic flutter of a butterfly's wings suspended in a not yet bloomed cluster of milkweed.  The butterfly was obviously in trouble.  I had to help!    So I approached the butterfly.  Sorry no photos. I don't carry technology with me on my walks.  It didn't take long to notice that the butterfly was caught in a spider web.  Even better, little miss spider(nothing little about her really) sat, perched on the branch above, waiting for the last flap of the beautiful butterfly's wings.  

Breakfast!

 I couldn't just let this travesty take place.  Death and dining by a yucky old spider!  The milkweed was situated on the embankment, not an easy access point for me to reach.  With a little ingenuity I was able to whisk the web loose from the butterfly and off she flew as high as my neck could reach to see.

Oh my heart felt free; and happy

.  I almost skipped the next distance.  After my heart came back down to earth I began worrying about what I had done.  I mean really, I had to have

something

to worry about.  After all, the spider has to eat.  I interfered with her breakfast.   I'm not fond of spiders that's true.  I don't imagine many of us are.  I do try to respect

all Gods creatures

though.

We raise an endangered breed of sheep, the 

Navajo Churro'

s on our farm.  As such, I am aware of many of the teachings and beliefs of the Navajo Indians.  

Spider Woman

 is a wonderful spiritual story that suggests

weaving and the spiders web are interconnected

.

 I might wrinkle my nose or scream at the idea of a spider.  I really don't appreciate the itchy whelps I find about my body from time to time.  I must admit though I have a sense of respect for them too...at least my higher self does!

 So, I continued to walk thinking of the spider and feeling bad.  

I had interfered with the natural process

.  Not respecting the cycle of life I took matters into my hands and saved that butterfly.  I interfered in the natural process!

Wait just a minute,

aren't I part of the process too?

 Isn't that all part of life? Unsuspecting people interfere all the time. Get in the way. Ky bosh a plan. By the time I walked out as far as I wanted to go and turned to circle back to the farm I had concluded I would go apologize to the spider but not feel too much guilt for what I had done.  My motivations were genuine.  Maybe she wouldn't even be there?  As I got closer to the specific frond of milkweed I looked and you cannot imagine what I saw...the milkweed was

covered with unsuspecting butterflies!

 So, Ms. spider might not have had breakfast but she would feast on lunch and dinner too.  Milkweed attracts butterflies.  Ms Spider knows that too.  I stopped, looked close and said, "sorry about your breakfast but from the looks of things you'll be dining fine in no time."  I turned to continue my way home.  I couldn't help but think how easily a thoughtful gesture can be considered otherwise.  How easily our kind reach can be considered interference.

I chuckled at myself over the whole ordeal.  I smile at the moments spent that morning with the spider and the butterfly.

What I realized. in the end,

everything turns out as it should

They don't wear galoshes

We have had so much rain here this year.  My 102 year old mother in law says she has never seen anything like it and that's a whole lotta years to be comparing to.   We've certainly seen rain in large quantities come through quickly but not over such an extended period of time. The farmers growing vegetables have had quite a difficult year.

As livestock farmers, were not complaining. If your in the business of grass, things are good!  We have an abundance of grass and the sheep are loving it. This would be a year we'd duplicate in a heart beat...if given the choice.  Alas, that's not the way mother nature works.  So, we'll enjoy our bounty this year and hope to be as grateful next year.... regardless of what she has in store for us.

Rain or shine, there are chores on the farm that must be done!  Egg collections is just one.

Much to the dismay of Sir Richard (pictured here) we collect eggs daily.  He'd prefer having little progeny strutting about.  At least, based on his frequency of procreation you'd want to think that.  Believe you me, it's far from his fault there aren't little chicks running around.  Those of you that know chickens know what I'm talking about.  Wear those hens OUT!  That's why many farms choose not to have a rooster.  Unless you want chicks there is really no reason to have roosters.  Unless of course your like me and believe a farm isn't complete with out the morning crow of the rooster.

For some reason when it rains our eggs are covered in mud.  I haven't quite figured out how the mud gets on the eggs but they are generally covered.  It's not just one egg.  It's not just one hen.  I try not to disturb the eggs too much so if they arrive looking clean I put them directly in the egg carton.  On a normal day of collection (sans rain) there is always an egg or two that needs a bit of attention but not the majority and mud is usually not an issue.

The girls have nesting boxes to lay their eggs.  The nesting boxes are under the cover of the chicken coop roof so neither the nests or the coop perches are exposed to rain or mud.  The nesting boxes themselves aren't muddy.  Just how do those eggs get so muddy?  Maybe their feather bums drag across the grass hitting the occasional mud puddle or two and that's how it happens? They share nesting boxes so maybe it's one hen that is just a dirty girl with dirty feet?  Maybe it's one hen that likes to dirty the other girls eggs?  Maybe the hens get a little crazy?

Maybe Hen Party has more meaning then we know?  There are too many dirty eggs for it to be one or two hens.  How many hens does it take to have a hen party?

Blackberry Lime Jam

I have ventured into a creative space with my jams this year. I think I've overcome the fears around preserving and I'm feeling a bit brave.  Preserving is such a wonderful way to share gifts that keep on giving. It is a feeling like no other when you open a jar of something you made months, the previous year, or even years before and taste all the love you put into it.  The preserves get stored on a shelf waiting for the next PB&J or fluffy buttermilk biscuit slathered with butter.  The memory of what, how, where and when get stored away with them.  Then one day you walk into the pantry and pull out a jar. POP goes the lid and all those luscious fruits and memories are there for the spreading.

So the first "creative flavor combo" for me this year, Blackberry and Lime.  I can't take credit for the idea.  I knew I had a bunch of blackberries and I wanted something a bit different so I 'Googled' . Last year I tried a Blackberry Peach recipe.  That didn't get it.  The blackberries just over powered the peaches.  I've also tried a triple berry and it was good but I wanted something unusual.  The addition of the lime adds a brightness.  You can barely detect it until you read the label and then you exclaim, "I knew I tasted something a bit different.  I think this is a keeper.  See what you think

The jam recipe is ever so basic folks.  All I do is measure 2 pounds of fruit and place it in a non metal bowl with 4-8 ounces of  sugar.  The amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of the fruit and your taste buds. Then, finely grate the rind of 1-2 limes. Stir well.  Cover the fruit, sugar and lime peel and place it in the fridge for at least 24 hours. If your schedule gets hectic I've left it there for 3 days.  Yikes you say, but it was fine.  I adore this recipe for this reason.  So often my days plans get interrupted by something going on around the farm.  I have to be flexible and this recipe flex's with me.  Actually this year the blackberries didn't seem to break down at all in 24 hours.  That's what you want, the sugar and the fruit to macerate, or break down together.

OK.  Your 2 do list is letting up a bit and you can see your way clear to get into the kitchen and finish your preserves.  Place the fruit in a non reactive pot and bring it to a simmer.  Simmer, simmer until....

Here is the secret word friends...EVAPORATION.  It might not smack you in the head the way it did me but when I read about it in Christine Ferber's  beautiful book about preserves, Mes Confitures  I was like, Dah. Of course. That's all jam and jelly making is, removing the liquid from the fruit until it concentrates. So,the days of slaving over the stove worried about the precise timing of the process are over.  I know what to look for now.  When the liquids have dissipated I know it's time for me to really participate in the process.  Don't get me wrong I do stir the mixture as it goes I just don't stress over WHEN the mixture is about to jell.  So, after the fruit starts to thicken up I add my flavors.  I added 1 Tablespoon of fresh squeezed lime juice and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of lime zest.  Give the flavors a change to meld and then taste it.  If it needs more, go ahead but remember the flavors develop.  When it's time to check the set you may want to use a thermometer. The jam should reach 221 degrees Fahrenheit.  Another method used is a chilled plate.  
 Place some of your jam on the plate.  If a line drawn with your finger doesn't bleed, your good to go!  Now it's time to can that JAM!  

I won't spend time of the basics of canning on this blog.  Ball is an excellent site and has resources galore.  Basically fill your processed jars and process the jam in a water bath for 10 minutes but the Ball site will answer all your questions.

I am here to tell you this is another practice makes perfect story.  Each time you preserve fruit, be it jam, jelly, marmalade, chutney or whole, you will have a new experience.  The fruit will differ year to year and so will your finished product.




 I use this basic recipe for everything now.  The only thing I might change in the process is adding 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice to the macerating fruit if I want the flavor or so the fruit doesn't discolor.  When the fruit begins to thicken I add my flavors.  While surfing about the web I found a fabulous chart on Northwest Edible Life
blog that I will use as my guide  but once you get the basics the SKY'S THE LIMIT.

Lamb Sliders

Requested again and I'm finally getting "round 2 it".  It wasn't until I saw our recipe published in another newsletter that I felt the boot in my backside.


We all have a few favorite recipes in our collection.  Why do we love one recipe over another?  Is it all about taste?  I think not. Preparation being such a huge part of the creation plays a huge role in my liking a recipe or not.  I've made a few things in my life that tasted good to me but I just didn't enjoy preparing.  If a recipe is too technical or requires too much of my attention it's usually not for me.  Like, puff pastry....why would anyone want to slave over such a process when you can buy such an excellent option as Dalfour?  I know and respect those cooks out there that love the preciseness of such an endeavor it's just not me.   Long story short, you won't find a recipe like that in my collection anywhere.
Some might argue that I love making breads, preserves, and pastries and they require thought.  RightO, but I've learned that with practice you become more adept at these and therefore less thought is required.

So, here you go.  A recipe we've served at many functions, weddings (mine included), art events and just round our table.  Hope you enjoy!

Recipe of the Week   With summer time comes summer grilling! This week's recipe comes from Olga Elder from Stoney Mountain Farm. Stoney Mountain Farm Lamb Sliders 1# Ground Lamb 1 link Italian sausage, casing removed 3-4 cloves garlic, grated or minced ¼ C grated onion ½ T cumin ½ t cinnamon 1 t fresh chopped cilantro or ¼ t coriander 1/8 -1/4 t hot pepper flakes 1-2T fresh parsley, chopped 1 egg ½ Cup oatmeal soaked in milk S&P to taste Feta or Chevre cheese  Place all ingredients, except cheese, in a bowl and mix well (I use my hands).  The mix will seem wet.  Form into 1" balls, place on roasting rack or prepare for grill.  Flatten the patty gently, then press dime size ball of cheese into center.  Cover with just enough additional meat mixture that the cheese is sealed in.  Roast in 400 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes or starting to brown.  You can turn to broil if you like a crispier texture.  I also like to grill them.  These are also great regular burger size but the sliders are fun and trendy! Serve in "slider" rolls now available in most groceries.  "Hawaiian Bread "Slider" rolls are a great option. I serve these with a tomato and onion relish but any one or combo of these would be great. Experiment; there are many condiments and such that really compliment lamb!

Our Little Orchard

Ah, our little orchard.  I knew when I first set foot on this farm I wanted to have a "little" orchard.  On a small scale an orchard is also referred to as a fruit garden and sounds more appropriate for our farm.  I love to eat fruit in every form, fresh in the flesh , pies, preserves, cobblers, in my pancakes, muffins, on yogurt or ice cream, and fresh in the flesh some more. My mouth waters at the thought of it. I am often reminded of a moment in my childhood some suggest should be embarrassing.  My grandmother placed a bowl of blueberries on the breakfast table.  Yes, a bowl.  I pulled the bowl in front of me, sure it was meant just for me and proceeded to pour a bit of milk.  With haste the SERVING bowl was snatched from my place mat.  Embarrassed, really?  I knew what was in that bowl.
Gosh, trees in my own back yard!  I can eat the fruit right from the branch it hangs from. What a treat.  Blackberries, blueberries, cherry, apple, pear, plum, persimmon, fig and even pecan are all here now.  We haven't gotten a harvest from each and every one yet.  The harvests of fruit will improve with age, the trees are still fairly young.  Our blackberries and raspberries provided gifts the first year and now there is enough fruit for me to really be challenged with options.  More then you can swallow in one sitting usually means your going to have to prepare them so that they don't go by way of the fruit flies. Plenty of jams and cobblers have been made from our berries already. In fact, as I write I have fruit macerating ...my first step for jams and preserves. I have journeyed through the preserving process so that I'm just getting comfortable.  Now I'm even making my own flavor combos.  Today, blackberry lime!  I have already taken some pictures of the process so you can be assured I'll share the recipes in an upcoming post.  I love, love, love to preserve stuff.  It feels so thrifty and respectful of the food.  There is nothing quite like popping the lid from a jar of preserved fruit or vegi's  you toiled over the year (or more) before.




  As our trees are maturing  each year we have a few more fruits, that is if we get there before the deer, crows, or Japanese beetles.  You'd be surprised how much we loose.  Last year we lost about 50 pears to dining crows.  We wait for the fruit to ripen, they don't!


The fruit we planted that I haven't mentioned is the fruit needing the most attention....peaches.  Of course it is the very fruit we planted the most of.  I have been guided so often on this farm by an idea I've dreamed about in the past, never really understanding what's involved.  Me, really, jumping into something blind....no.  Yep!  That's me.

For those who know our farm you know we're all about the no chemicals or pesticides way of doing things.  We follow organic practices with everything on our farm.   Ever tried to grow a peach tree?  Oh my is it a challenge....  Peaches are very susceptible to all sorts of pests and diseases and AFTER they were planted I heard folks say, "you can't grow a peach without spraying".  I don't know if you were paying attention but I am trying to tell you I was probably told  before I planted them but I didn't HEAR it until after.  Yep, I must admit...I wasn't listening.  Or, was it selective hearing.  Oh well, it wasn't intentional.  I just wanted peach trees and I didn't want to be discouraged.

Well here you have it.  Picked today from one of our peach trees.  They are some kind of yummy and I am some kind of proud.  For anyone who gardens you understand "the fruits of your labor" well this is truly "the fruits".   I wonder if the sweetness is at all influenced by the fact that we grew them right here in our own back yard.  Or, maybe the fruit is so sweet cause we did it against the odds?

I do know we can't take all the credit.  It's been a good year for our peaches.  The long season of cool temps kept the bugs at bay long enough that all the luscious fruit formed and ripened before the bugs got to it.  The reason we had no bugs this year I have figured out.  The real mystery, how did the deer and crows miss these beauties?  We're not complaining, just wiping the peach juice from our chins.

The Hay Bale Fiasco

On a sheep farm you've gotta have hay.  We are a sheep farm.  I'm not adding this up for your benefit, I'm trying to remind myself why we have this current dilemma.  What dilemma you ask?  Well, it goes like this....
Last year we added chickens to the farm to improve our pastures, the natural way!  They're is nothing finer then chickens scratching and chickens pooping on a pasture.  I'm happy to share the science of it all but that's for another Blog topic...and another blogger!  So, having chickens it was and we have enjoyed having them.

 Having a rooster crow in the morning....every farm must, right?  Chickens produce those yummy farm fresh eggs...gotta have those too right?  And so, we did.  The real icing on the chicken addition, we'll sell those eggs and that will really add to our farms productivity, right?

All those facts became reality, except maybe one....productivity.  Again, I am not going to address all the chicken realities we've rearranged our farm for, just the most recent.











We spent a great deal of time last month putting up hay, cutting and baling and stacking ever so beautifully in the barn, Whew!  A huge task done.  The sheep will be fed this winter!  Wait, whats all that clucking I hear?  It was as if we'd sold tickets to THE chicken gathering of the century and we'd asked them to arrive earlier then the gates were opened.  I mean those gals were lined up to get in.  All in, around and over those bales they came.  They were picking at the seed heads and just enjoying the change to their environment....so I thought that's all they were doing.

 Ok, ok, I know I still haven't gotten to the point.  We sell the eggs, right?  We have a pretty standard order to deliver each week, pre sold!  That's great.  Each day we collect eggs and each Saturday we deliver them.  That's the routine.

Well I believe someone forgot to tell the hens we have a routine. Our laying boxes have become passe for the time being. The chickens have decided to lay those eggs 10 feet up on top of bales stacked so tight to the rafters we can't even see what's up there.  So, how productive is it for us to climb and hunt for our eggs each day so that we make about $40 per week?  We've had to scramble a bit to fill our orders and the saddest part according to my husband, there have been no egg consumed in our house lately.   Each chicken challenge we've faced we find a bit more chicken wisdom. We are now presented with a new challenge.  We haven't really figured out how we'll lure them back to our desired organized method of collecting but we'll figure something out.  It is my contention those hens just wanted to be sure we know....Chickens Rule!

My Secret Place

When I was young living in the mountains of North Carolina one of my favorite things to do was wander to a creek situated on the far side of our property.  I now know it was a special place.  I don't recall feeling as though I needed an escape but maybe I did.   I can still hear the gentle trickle from the water.  As if I was right there I can still feel the blanket of nature around me.  I would spend what seemed like hours there.  There was one spot in the creek that leaves would dam up the water flow and my mission, first thing upon arrival was to free the water.  I never asked or wondered if mother nature wanted me to.  It just seemed like the water wanted to flow....


So, here on our farm there is a spot that reminds me of that same place from my childhood.  This creek is quite a bit wider, probably proportionate to a grown up version of what I saw then.  In my 'adult' creek I have depth and can see wonderful reflections of the trees on the banks edges.  If you look in the right spot you can see fish darting about.  The water is very still.  Its so peaceful.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

I have read that Alamance County N.C. supplied the gold to the US government prior to the California Gold Rush.   I wonder if anyone actually panned this spot in the mid 1800's?  Maybe our fortune in gold has been left, yet to be discovered!  Hmmm, maybe I should be panning, not blogging!

Often, I peer up and down this creek and imagine Native Americans skipping across stones or even local settlers making their way down the path to a neighbors.  We've also been told there was quite an active liquor still on the property.   I learned on PBS that a still requires a water source  be close.  So, maybe, ya think it was here?  I'm always on the lookout for signs of activity from people before me.  There is a fairly large mound of stacked rocks very near the crossing, who did that and why?  Who else might have walked across this same path?  Did this 80 year old stand of Poplar trees start from a bird carrying the seed or did someone plant them?  I know, this is nothing more then an "if walls could talk" thing.  Clearly certain places conjure more curiosity then others.   Maybe its the age of all that surrounds me?

Serious though, can't you imagine parking your bum here on the banks edge, listening to nature?  Pull up a rock, it will take you awhile to take it all in.    I don't know about the rest of you but I feel closer to God in these natural spaces then anywhere.  Surrounded by the awesomeness of earths beauty.  

And, I must admit, that little girls imagination is still with this adult girl, especially in places like this.  Maybe it's the peace and quiet that frees my mind?  

Dwarf Coreopsis, also know as Mouse Earred

 I don't think I consciously declared this spot as my secret place but that's what it is becoming.  The floor of the woods has had a few years of rest from the hooves of cattle tromping about.  Now, with each new season  I am greeted by new native wildflowers that pop up out of who knows where.    This is just what's there now, spring!  The summer will behold different ones and fall, and winter...well, I'll have to see.

Wood Violet

Toothwart

MayApple

MayApple emerges in the spring and produces a flower in May that later bears the fruit, or apple. Looking down upon the plant you cannot see the flowers, protected by the canopy of the leaves.  Just who can you imagine has the vantage point to see those flowers?









The fern, as prolific as it seems to be in the richly composted forest soil, it always catches my eye.  The bright lime green against the brown leaves...  nature, our greatest interior designer.







I've been adding to my wild flowers, being careful to include only native varieties.  Saturday mornings, after I've set up my vendor booth for the days farmers market I venture over to see Tim and Helga MacAller of FourLeaf Farm in Rougemont NC.  I like to tell myself I'm going to say my morning hello's but something unusual  lures me in further.  Always truly excited about what they have I love hearing them describe what graces their tables on that particular Saturday.  Usually, I cannot resist something, at least one little treat.

As I hurried to discover whether some of my additions I'd planted the year before had decided to charm my woodland setting, I was so excited to see....

Solomon's Seal

Dwarf Iris not yet in bloom

I also planted Trillium but cannot find any sign that it came back.  Tim MacAller told me though, "don't give up on it, it's a funny plant".  The way he said it I'm convinced it's yet to appear.  I finish this blog today, Friday...the day before my Saturday market.  I'm thinkin I'll say hello to Tim and Helga......

April. Did I miss it?

Where does the time go?  We always hear folks ask that.  If I didn't have so many notes all over the calender for April 2013 I'd swear something happened to that whole month.  Like a whirl wind, come and poof...gone!

Shearing Day over 100 visitors

Fact is April is a very busy time for us.  When April appears we have usually just finished shearing all of our sheep and wool is everywhere.  We always hope our Shearing Day event will reduce the numbers of fleeces we have to deal with as folks in attendance buy them right off the sheep.  We do have fewer but we still face what seems like a mountain of wool!

 Yes, I must admit, the quantity of fleeces can be overwhelming and it takes me longer then it should getting round to sorting through them deciding which will go for yarn, roving or which will be kept to sell as raw wool. Several of them will be too full of vegetation, some matted, or not the quality you'd want to sell to someone in any form.  So, what to do with each bag of wool?  As I have them stored under a shed roof for now it's a BIG task that smacks me in the face each and every time I walk out the front door of our house.  Guess I should have picked a better place to put them?  Maybe if I didn't have to see them they'd disappear like April.  

Mi Sueno

Yes, April is also a BIG month for lambing.  In the fall we put the ram in the pasture with the ewes for 60 days.  That's much longer then most farms would leave the ram with the ewes but our primary ram, Mi Sueno, has my husband speaking for him...get my drift?  The primary downside of leaving Mi Sueno in with the 28 girls longer could be that our lambing might take longer.  Mi Sueno is not a romancer, he's a, he's a, how should I put it?  Wham bam kind of ram?  How do we really know that...lambing was DONE in less then 30 days.

Anyway, basically 149 days from 1st exposure to the ram you start preparing for the possibility of lambs.  Over time you learn tell tale signs and you get used to your girls.

Soon Please!

March 29th was the 1st possible day, no lambs.  March 30th, nothing.  Then on April 1st the lambing began with one ewe and twins.  Within a few hours the lambs take on personalities and we're able to assure them the nursery will be full very shortly. 





As the days progressed we were gathering sometimes 6-8 lambs per day.  Mind you, were a small operation! Each lamb happily greats the new one(s).  Each mom is different, some very protective, others experienced and calm others know they have a responsibility and they'll give off their lamb specific bleat to let the wee one know where they are but other then producing milk and feeding it they're kind of like..."What?  I'm over here!"  Regardless, It's an amazing process to behold.  I am sure some would accuse me of being too imaginative with this whole process.  Maybe I am to some degree but mostly I'd disagree.  Each of these animals is unique, with personalities and feelings.
This year we were blessed with 37 beautiful lambs and only one didn't make it.  Sad fact, they say 10% loss isn't unreasonable. So, as farming goes we'd have to chalk it up to a very good year even with the loss. For those that follow us on Facebook you know about our loss, it was a very tough day.  After 6.5 hours of hard labor she gave birth to the biggest lamb we've ever had on our farm.  A real beauty!  We checked the mom for milk and made sure they had bonded and a few other aftercare protocols.  They were both exhausted!  He didn't make it through the night.  You beat yourself up, what could I have done, what didn't I do/see...this the hardest part about farming to me.  We face a lot of life and death realities around here.  From the raccoon eating our chickens to the lamb that struggles to be born only to pass before his romp through the green pastures.  We often cry but mostly we carry a heaviness for awhile.  Then we find ourselves standing on the fence line watching 36 lambs jump and play without a care in the world.  They gather in a bunch, all of them, and like a swarm of bees they run, kicking up their heels, happy to be alive!

That's where April went!

Triplets

These harsh realities of nature are not easy yet we know we are in a close relationship with Mother Nature and knowing her we feel grounded. 

Nature reaches out to us with welcoming arms, and bids us enjoy her beauty; but we dread her silence and rush into the crowded cities, there to huddle like sheep fleeing from a ferocious wolf.   Kahlil Gibran

Prada to Carhart

                             Farming Fashion!

Several years ago on my journey to find a farm I'd set my eyes on a place in the hills of North Carolina.   A picturesque 20 acre farm situated on a hillside.  Previously, an alpaca farm.  The owners built a very specific structure with human living space above and alpaca living quarters below.  Warm summer days plus piles of alpaca poop adds up to ripe aromas.  Didn't they know that architectural design went back centuries and had been dispensed with because the residents of those living areas couldn't survive mother earths perfumes?  

They had plenty of money when they built the place to incorporate elaborate fans and exhaust plans so they would only be consumed with alpaca cuteness...nothing else.  It was a glorious place.  At the time I really had my sites set on it.  Am I glad today it didn't work out? You betcha.  A switch to farming was a shock to my financial reality as it was without saddling myself with more debt and less land to farm.  Never the less, it was an education and an adventure that entertained me until I could fine MY farm.

At the time this was all going down a friend of mine said, "oh, your going to farm where the farmers wear lace".  I spent my first adult life very conscious of fashion.  I loved clothes and all the adornments.  For some reason at that moment I defended the honor of all female farmers before me and those yet to find their way. My head spun toward him and I said, "...and why not?"  Why just because we farm would folks assume "lace" was out of the question?  Maybe it was a path I would soon discover.  Maybe it was a bra about to be burned?

Now, several years later as I speak from the tractor seat I have a much better understanding of the roots of such perceptions.  No, lace isn't a farm worthy fabric this is true.  There are certain realities in farming that become the "fabric" of your day.  Utility takes precedent over frills.  You wear things that are tear resistant, wash hardy (they get washed ALOT), weather protective and last but not least you look for quality in what you wear more then ever before...your clothes have to stand up to hard wear and tear.  Your adornments are chosen by need not complimentary color or bling.  Your gloves are where you can most easily access them, your cell phone is where it won't fall out as your bending over or hurling bales of hay and your boot socks are usually chosen by what's not currently covered in mud!

So, again back to why I'm writing this today...my female (and male) farming friends have found their own individual way to express their fashionable side. Our designers are different and we probably pick up our farm seed at the same place we choose some of our clothing.

Regardless, the farmer fashionista does exist.   As I've said before, don't ever underestimate what's under those Carharts!

Puttin Up the Fence

The other night my dear husband decided some pop corn was in order.  I entered the kitchen and to my surprise he was using the wrong kind of pot, too much oil, too many kernels....you get the picture?  I'm sharing this incident because he has the same reactions with me and my fencing capabilities     Precision is key.  Focus is imperative!  Just as I seek the perfectly airy billow of popped corn,the kernel that can only be achieved with precise execution, he too requires the same from his "kitchen".
I have learned (he says not) that I should just listen and do as I'm told. hee-hee  That will be the day!

Posts into the horizon....

A beauty of a fence he builds no doubt.  "Straight as a gun barrel" one of our neighbors exclaimed.  It is truly an amazing feat of engineering.  Yeah, I know, you and I think it's just a bunch of fence posts put in the ground standing vertical to support a wire fence.  Well we're both wrong.  The beginning of the fence is dependent on the middle and so on.

Corner posts, braces, angles, pushing and pulling...every added component requires thoughtful analysis.  Of course so much of what he knows he learned as a young boy with his father.  His fathers knowledge also came from a familiar source, and added experience of course.
I am not going to write today about the dynamics of fencing because I think that might get a little boring.  I wanted to share how complex the project really is.  I wanted to share also as I look at the process the magnitude of the task ahead and the accomplishment when done.
We bought this farm with little to no fencing standing. The fencing that was here was so old, rusted barb wire, and quite frankly dangerous.  We couldn't begin to use it for our sheep.  So, not only did we have the arduous task of "puttin up a fence" we had to dismantle what was here.  You've also heard me say the fence is our first line of defense in protecting our sheep so fortress like it must stand!
There is so much to tell and share. There is the equipment we attach to the tractor, specific to fencing and the ingenious tools John has created to make the task easier.  For example, each post is positioned 13-15' from the other.  Rather then measure each time he puts in a new post he has created a "gauge stick".   Dah!  He has one for height and one for distance.  The more I write the more I realize this blog might only interest the girls out there?  Maybe guys know this stuff already. Maybe this information is as common to guys as the shortcuts we gals take in the kitchen?

John (oops, I haven't introduced him yet...he's my husband...the master fence builder) also says the fence is such a task he doesn't want to have to repeat it.  Not in his lifetime!  How do we accomplish that?  As with anything you want to last, you want to invest in quality materials.  We could go to the store and buy posts or we could take the advice of the old timers.  There is no written evidence but there is physical evidence in all the posts still standing after 40+ years.

This barn, here on the farm, has cedar beams and pillars and has been standing for 50 years.  The pillars  are 12-14" in diameter.

The "red" is considered the heart

You have to be careful to use the red cedar.  You know the stuff, so fragrant to us but objectionable to bugs.  Here in the Piedmont of North Carolina they have used cedar for centuries.

Cedar all over...see it in the foreground?

Who knows whether they used it because it grows like weeds here or because it lasts.  If we assume either argument we can't argue with the wisdom.  Regardless of why we must still be careful to use only the red heart cedar.  The red heart resist rot and bugs.  The "old timers" say you'll find the red heart cedars growing in the wooded areas.  We are so blessed on this farm to have "posts" growing everywhere.

So, I forgot to mention before any posts or fence can go in the ground a lot of ground work has to be done.   One of the previous owners was just plain lazy and went around the farm with the wire fencing and just attached it to trees.  It will kill a tree over time.  We've found wire actually buried within the growth of the tree.  It's really sad and unnecessary.  (See, I'm learning!)  Nope, the fella I'm building fence with puts a lot of time into the preparation of the area.  We have so much dead fall to move to clear the way for the fence line. If your asking "where to?", good question.  It's not like you drag it to the end of the driveway for the garbage pickup service.  We drag the trees to a central pile, one by one and later with burn permit in hand give the carbon back to the soil.  I know, I know some are probably saying what about the air pollution.  There are plenty of studies to suggest the soil contribution out weighs the air pollutants.  It's all what you choose to read, right?  John has also been confronted with the emotional response from me regarding one tree or another.  He might have his fence line figured out and then my keen eye spots a tree in his line that for one reason or another just cannot be sacrificed.  It might be an old glory or a one a kind specimen or just another old persimmon that the sheep love so much and are spattered about the farm.  Who knows.  Most of the time he understands even though he has to rework a great deal of whats already been done to accommodate my emotions.  That's true love!

 Now, let's talk bracing.  Good bracing according to John, is the key to fence longevity.  You have all the vertical posts in the ground and the wire gets pulled tight to the post so you have to "brace" your corners and bends so the posts don't pull out of alignment.  I am not even going to begin trying to explain the placement of the braces.  That's advanced fencing!  So, here we have a few pictures showing the braces, usually always on a long stretch or a corner, or where the wire would begin or end like at a gate.

Fencing, fencing, fencing...

Now I digress...I'm distracted.  I pull back some bark on one of the posts and what do I see? 

A burrowing worm made his home here.

The most curious art in nature....

Now that I have established a break from pounding nails how about a moment for a Glamour Shot?

Not completely off the job, at least I'm posing on the fence.

Poor John.  Some employees are just too much distraction!

As John has proclaimed time and time again, "I'll probably be fencing for the rest of my life" so, rest assured, there will be more to come on the topic....