Simplicity in all Things

With the high waters this year, it's really put pressure on my pasture. I made the decision a couple of weeks ago to reduce my flock a bit and help relieve that pressure. That and the fact that if I need to buy hay to supplement, I can use the extra money.
Yesterday we sorted sheep and I was able to send 10 wethers off to market. I am thankful for buyers for most of them and feel confident that I can sell off the extra one or two. In addition to that, I posted sheep for sale on craigslist and had a nice, young family contact me from Deer Lodge, MT. They were looking for a starter flock and wound up buying 12 yesterday. I am very thankful and actually quite shocked that it was this simple. Thank goodness for the internet. Before craigslist and facebook and all of this technology, it was very difficult for me to sell lamb or sheep. I am feeling good about my flock size and it's quite a relief actually.
I still have plenty of fleeces to sell from the spring shearing. Maybe that should be my next goal set. Again, the internet is so helpful.
The mill is currently working on my wool for the CSA and it shouldn't be long before that's all ready to send off to customers. I can't wait and I am sure they are getting anxious as well. I am very grateful, once again, to have customers who makes a purchase months in advance of receiving their item. Truly a leap of faith on their part and I promise not to disappoint them. They are part of my bread and butter in this operation.
We have been fortunate to have guests in the wagon for 2 weekends in a row. This endeavor has been quite slow, but all good things in time, right? The local paper did an article on vacations on farms and ranches and I was fortunate to be included in that. You can read it here.
Have a great week! I plan to.

Flooding Woes

May 25, 2011
My sheep pasture just beginning to sub.

I must admit, I've been a bit preoccupied the last couple of days with flood waters. We live about 300 yards from the East Gallatin River. With so much rain and snow pack at 200% above normal, we knew we'd have some water coming this way. My sheep pasture is about 90% covered in water. Up until today it was just water from it subbing from underground. Today it is actually coming from the river, into the neighbors and now into our field as well. For now it's ok because we have higher ground we can move the sheep to. Tomorrow we will need to let them into the pasture behind the house.
We had high water here back in 1982. We didn't live here then. My in laws were still living here. There was water up to our sheep pasture fence, which is just adjacent to my barn. None of that was here then. No barn, no sheep. Actually, this house was not here either. We built it in 1994. I have not been under the house to check on the crawl space, but tomorrow I will check that out.
This is really nothing compared to what lots of folks are experiencing right now, even folks right here in Montana.
It is unnerving and unsettling, but we can live with it for now.

Spring!

It's arriving in its own due time, but it does say Spring on the calendar! We are now allowed to call it that. I love Spring. I think the fact that I was born in the Spring helps with that fact.
There are signs of Spring all around us. Aside from the wet, heavy snow, mud and general "slop", we have beautiful signs of Spring as well. The Robins have returned. I've seen and heard the Sandhill Cranes, today 2 pair of Snow Geese flew above me on my walk down to the river. My tom turkey is strutting his stuff and the ducks have begun to lay eggs along with an abundance of lovely chicken eggs! All wonderful signs of life, hope and things to come.

It's the little things!

I have a garden cart I bought at a garage sale probably 10 years ago and I use it every single day. I haul hay in it in the winter and I haul veggies in it in the summer. It gets a workout! Well, it fell apart on me. It didn't take any convincing for Chris to put new wood on it for me. He knows how much I use it. He even straightened the wheel he bent about 8 years ago.
It's the little things that make me happy! Here it is with new painted and oiled wood!

In the News!

I am very excited to report that we have been featured in Zone 4 magazine this issue. As a matter of fact, Serenity Sheep Farm is the centerfold! As I told them, it's the only centerfold I would ever wish to be.
I think Rilla did a lovely job telling our story. She and her husband stayed out here last summer so that she could write the article. I saw him recently and he said, "She didn't sugar-coat it. We had that much fun!" Music to my ears.
If you don't live in a zone 4 gardening area and would like to see the article, you can order it direct from them. I've already bought more issues than I care to tell you about. I had to send them to friends and family, don't you know.
Plus, the folks at Zone 4 are just awesome.

Exciting Farm News!

If you garden in zone 4, you probably have access to the magazine by the same name. The magazine is based here in Bozeman. Last summer they came out to stay in the wagon and then attend the kid's camp the next day. The current issue came out this week and I am happy to report that Serenity Sheep Farm is the centerfold! Three awesome pages of our story, right in the middle of the magazine.
Ordinarily I am not one to toot my own horn, but they did such a lovely job, I just had to share.

Granted

Last year I put in for and received the 4% grant available from our local food co-op. The chose Serenity Sheep Farm Stay as the recipient of their 4% day in February of this year. Our day will be the 25th.
The reason I put in for it was to spur Kelly along in his mushroom growing operation, so the grant money will be used for that.
A poster needed to be created and taken in to the co-op by Jan. 31. It needed to represent our farm stay. Where does one begin and end? So many elements I didn't want to leave out. Being a "tad bit" of a perfectionist with my work that others will be viewing every day led me to about 10 hours into this project from selecting, editing, printing photos to the end result. I am pleased with it and plan to re-use it for a summer camp round-up at the Emerson in April! Dual-purpose!
So, if you don't happen to live here and can't swing by the co-op to see it, here are some pics for you.