Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Fat and Happy

The weather was glorious today, not a cloud in the sky and very pleasant temps. I let the sheep out to graze while walking with the doggies. The sheep and goats are nicely on the fat side. Not too fat, but filled out and fleshy. There is still a lot of grass on the hill and I want them to eat as much as they can before it is covered with snow. My friend Jim Baldwin says it's easy to make them look good now - it's making them look good in April, after they've wintered over on hay, that's challenging. The elevator should be fixed by the next hay delivery, making it infinitely easier to get the bales in the barn. Chris Kupris tells me he paid $12,000 for that elevator in 1992. I want to keep it oiled and working as long as I can. Mia called today. She's very busy putting in hours in a doctor's office as part of the Physical Diagnosis part of her Nurse Practitioner degree requirements. She has to go into Newark to UMDNJ once a week for lectures, do a lot of homework, and keep her full time nursing job in Morristown Memorial. AJ is preparing to be ordained as a priest soon, and Eric is working on his big project for the BSA - the new permanent adventure center and permanent Jamboree site in West Virginia. I'm so proud of them all. I think about them all the time, although we are all so busy we hardly talk anymore. Out to finish chores, get my laundry out of the dryer, then clip another bunny. I'm fading fast, so better get it done.

2 comments:

Dan said...

Hello Maggie:

I was looking at the wonderful photo that is on top of your blog page and was wondering if that magnificent view is actually part of your farm...or is it simply a beautiful farm photo that inspirss you to work (and write) so lovingly about farming the land? (Your entry today talked about sheep and grass on the hill, so I wondered if this might be the hill that you speak of)
-Dan

Maggie's Farm said...

That's my land you see. I own half way up this big hill and behind my barn going up to the ridge. I lease the rest from the guy who got here before me. The land behind and beyond the barn belongs to another guy from Long Island who has a "camp" up on the ridge and comes every once in a while. I bought the best barn I could find that was for sale in the area. Most barns were sadly half fallen down and would be more of a liability than an asset. The sheep come first, of course.