Updates

I feel like I have been keeping a journal in my head.

1. Since the last day of the 'chicken massacre' I've had a lot of things on my plate. The morning after I had one chicken left I went out to tend to the ducks. Much to my surprise and delight I found my original hen wandering around the pen with the ducks, acting like nothing had happened. I brought her back into the barn to her very happy rooster. In the mean time I went ahead and purchased 2 roosters and three hens of the Fawn Silver Duckwing (dilute to the pair I have left). They are being shipped out Monday from South Carolina from a top notch breeder. His website is www.choicebantams.com. I encourage you to see them. Show Quality all the way. Even if I never show chickens (I can't do one more thing I swear!) I want something that is very representative of the breed. I'm also looking at larger breeds of chickens for next spring, but really wanted some more bantams as I enjoy the OEGB (Old English Game Bantams). I have put chicken wire in one of my large 14' x 12' pens. They are 4' high plywood, 4' chicken wire. I have made more roosts, cleaned the pen and have it ready and waiting for the new batch of chickens. I"ve learned my lesson. They'll be inside all winter and next spring if I get some chicks, I'll release them all so they forage around the farmyard like chickens are supposed to. Watch for photos!

2. Last weekend I was able to go to Albert Lea, MN for a Young Bird Pigeon Show co-sponsored by the three Minnesota All breed pigeon clubs. While there I brought four breeds. Three of the breeds I had BEST OF BREED. In the 4th breed, the English Trumpeter, I had 5th overall with my blue bar winner from this summers Squeaker show. A well earned, well respected placing for all my hard work with the color. In addition I had 5 other of the top 12 color class winners, receiving Best of Color with the Blue Class, Opal, AOC (Any of Color) Splash, Lavender Splash, Dun and Red Splash. I was surprised with a few of them, but happy nonetheless.

3. After the pigeon show I drove even further south into the forbidden land (Iowa) to Mason City for a dog show. I was SO PROUD of how Mac, my tri boy did. He stacked perfectly, effortlessly and for several minutes (which is pretty hard for an 11 month old to do mind you). He was 2nd in his class to a dog that had won the major the day before, and went Reserve the day I showed. Much to my surprise my little blue merle girl Zoe, was Reserve Winners Bitch on a 4 point major!!!! It was only her 2nd day out, and just a week over the 6month old mark! The judge was very forgiving of me trying to 'rush' her, but he told me I had a very nice girl. I couldn't be prouder!

4. After raining pretty much since Saturday noon and still raining now, I have been unable to work all week. Its frustrating when I have fall clean ups to do, shrubs to prune and cattle yards to clean. Now after what seems like a foot of rain (my rain gauge is cracked I found out!) the yards are a runny mess of mud and water, knee deep on the cows and higher on the calves. Their dry areas are only the loafing barn for the cows and under the lean of the hay shed where the calves can lay in loose hay the cows can't reach. And we'd been meaning to clean them out all summer when we had a dust bowl in there.

5. Even the sheep don't like the mud. I put a 4'x8' sheet of plywood in front of the door they jump into every night and every morning. It doesn't solve how muddy the rest of their winter paddock is, but I think it helps a little bit as they aren't splashing down into the muddy water. I'm even going to bring the horses in tomorrow to let their feet dry off...their loafing barn I found tonight is a standing pool of water thanks to the build up of hay around their barn from this dry summer's feeding.

6. I'm off tomorrow to meet up with Peeps in the cities. I'm officially a sheep addict now and you can blame Mary Ellen :) I really just wanted to see her again and chit chat but I told her it was silly to drive up to MN and not bring some sheep with!

7. I was invited by Gail Former to help assist/attend an A.I. day at Chris and Alan Greene's farm in Illinois. Its about 10 hours of a drive for me, but well worth it, considering I assisted in swine reproductive surgeries at NDSU when i was in college there. A very educational day I believe and I'll get to meet Maureen Koch there, as well as others. Gail told me she's going to ask Juliann to come there too. I hope she does...it'd be nice to see her again.

8. My black ram lamb is definetly scurred. Next to the other boys with their massive, thick, gracefully sweeping set horns, they look like toothpicks! His one scur will have to be trimmed as it is coming back towards his head too soon. On the good side his fleece is killer soft for a black. I wanted my black ram. I got him. I wanted soft. Got that too. But most everything I want to breed him to is related to him. Maybe I can sell him as a whether for a fiber animal. He's too nice to eat :) The other boy that is scurred or slow growing horns will be staying here. His micron was quite impressive (although not as impressive as the F1 Jericho boy, Jazz) and if i decide not to use him this year, he'll be used next fall. He's a gorgeous fawn color that looks to be turning even lighter now, with some nice crimp coming in at the base. Maybe Juliann wants me to bring him with on my trip to IL?

Well that's all the news and gossip up this way for the time being. I wanted to have only ONE post, but wanted to let you all know what was going on up this way!