Wednesday, February 18, 2015

A Peek at my Week - Valentine's Day Week - 2015...

Gosh, it's been a while since I've let you peek at my week~~~

The weather here in Central Utah has been so unseasonably warm that I planted some of my 'cold weather' crops in my garden. This has been the warmest February on record for us and it's scary~!
What will we drink if it doesn't start raining?


We have very little snow left to drain into our reservoirs and It's dry and dusty in the valley's...

 This pic was taken from my morning walk, in the brush ground above our farm.
There should be snow everywhere. I really wish Boston would share some...

To capitalize on the weather, I've been in my garden trying to get in what I can early.
The ground never froze hard here in Utah this year, so everything planted last Fall is really doing well; garlic, spinach, walking onions, etc...

We might rise into the 60's (temp.) again soon, so that spinach will just pop right up!



The garlic planted last Fall has been growing so fast that the harvest may happen in 
May, or June this year~!


I planted my peas along my trellis on February 13. Normally, in my growing zone, I wouldn't put my peas in the ground until the end of April. This is just crazy scary this year...

 
 I planted mustard greens in this old, rusted out water heater turned into a watering trough...


And a bunch of lettuce and radish seeds in another rusted out trough I drug home last year...

I've mulched both with straw, just in case we get a freeze after they germinate, to give them a bit of protection.


I tried an old technique and I left a row of beets and a row of carrots in my garden last Fall and covered them with full bales of hay for protection. They wintered over wonderful and I'm still giving away fresh produce from last years harvest, to get the rows ready for Spring planting this year. Actually, I think the carrots get sweeter storing them this way...

I'll get my carrots & beets in this week and perhaps, some turnips. I'm even considering planting some cabbage soon...

The animals are enjoying this unseasonably warm Spring - 
They just lay around sun bathing and eating alot...

Most of my hens are laying daily and I'm over-run with eggs. I hope they get broody soon and start nesting. The 'Man-Child' has a cousin that would love some young chicks...

Oliver spends a lot of time over to the barn during the day, basking in the warm sunshine and keeping an eye on his flock of chickens.


I've named the new little stray, "Ms. May" and she sneaks around getting loved on and playing with Oliver. 

When she first showed up here, she wasn't walking on her left front paw, she was just limping. It took a few weeks for her to warm up to me enough to let me pick her up to investigate and it looked like someone burned her on the bottom of her paw with a cigarette ~ ugh!
I hate people who are mean to animals~!!!

I put a salve made of pine gum and sheeps tallow on her paw (she won't lick it - it's yucky tastine) and it seems to have healed the burn well. You can't even tell she had a burn there prior, thank heavens...


May is a beautiful calico color and she is usually camouflaged and it takes me a minute to pick her out in the barnyard. She is a sneaky one, but such a sweet little thing. 

The barn yard animals, especially Charlie (my Alpaca) and a hen named Polly take very good care of her. It's awesome to sneak over and see this little kitty all snuggled up by Charlie in the sun. I can't seem to get a pic - I keep trying and trying, they look so cute together. May is usually wrapped around Charlie's chin...


My new ram "Titan" is getting bigger, I think...
He is the teenager of the barnyard. He drives Charlie CRAZY~!
He doesn't listen very good...

 

He's even figured out how to steal Charlie's treats...



If a tongue through the sheep panel doesn't work to get at them, then climbing up the panel sure will~!

This is usually how he meets me in the mornings when I go over to do chores. 
Titan is usually standing straight up, half climbing up the sheep panel.
He gets so excited to see me~~
He's never climbed out, he just climbs up to look out farther...

Charlie is pretty good at scolding him and keeping him in line.
On this morning, Charlie had just had it with Titan being pushy, so Charlie spit grain in his face - grabbed him by the ear and gave him a good talking to~!


With this warm weather, Charlie needs to be sheared. The sheep are St. Croix hair sheep, so they won't need shearing.

I've pondered and wondered how to shear Charlie gently. 
I don't think it's possible.
 =(

The 'Man-Child's' cousin will do it when I'm ready, but they say I can't be present. He's too much my baby to watch him upset.

That's ok - he needs the wool off soon. I was scared if I tried to do it myself, it could get ugly.
One of my good friends said, it would be a WWF smackdown:

~"Jen vs. The Wooly Alpaca"~



I think its best to let the men folk handle Charlie's shearing this year...

Besides, when he's naked I intend to train him to walk on a lead, so I can take him on my morning walks with me and maybe a picnic, or 3...

=)

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK~!

3 comments:

  1. Interesting to hear what the weather is doing is your area and how you are attending to your garden because of it. I'm in KY and we just had the worst snowfall in years and we'll be having record lows the next few days. Not getting to the garden anytime soon. Crazy weather all around.
    Farmhouse hugs,
    Cindy

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  2. It has taken me awhile to comment. I was so upset over your poor kitty. I am not a violent person, but something like that... Also, I worry over Charlie. From what you say it sounds like he is intelligent and sensitive. I can't imagine a bunch of guys man handling him, giving no thought to his dignity. At least don't do it in front of the other animals, otherwise, he will lose his authority with them. You will think I am silly, but I do think they have feelings. I hope you get some rain, we have been fairly dry for a couple years now. I miss the rain, too.

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  3. P. S. I would love to see a photo of Miss May and Charlie snuggled up together. :-))

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=)