Helping Horatio

I noticed Horatio shaking his head and keeping inside the barn more than usual during the day. This morning I got a good look at his head and saw a large red bare spot. Flies were buzzing around it. I thought OH, NO, how will I ever get a look at him to find out what's going on. He is HUGE, maybe 350 or 400 pounds, and has butted both me and Matt in the past. Horatio is one of my rescued Rambouillets, and has a magnificent hornset. He is not mean, just playful. When he butted me I was carrying a bucket of corn past him. Who could blame him for trying to get my attention? I told Matt about the bare spot and we speculated that he might have torn it on some old barbed wire that is still around the farm. I feared the flies would lay eggs in the flesh and his beautiful head would be full of maggots. Matt was reluctant, understandbly, to tackle him. I said, what if we grabbed him while he's lying down? If you lay on top of him I might be able to dress that wound. He shrugged and walked away, but didn't exactly say no. Later in the day I said, look, he's lying by the back door of the barn. Maybe if you sneak around and jump in the door and straddle him we can do it. Matt must have been feeling real good because he said, sure, let's try. I grabbed my kit and away we went. Matt jumped in the door, and staddled Horatio, who proceeded to get up and run away with Matt. I was there in a second and got ahold of the big horns. Horatio must not be feeling well since he stopped and decided not to fight us. Matt said to get him on the shearing stand, which we succeeded in doing with much pushing and pulling. I managed to dress his wound (getting Blukote on one horn, what a stupid klutz I am!) and check him all over for flystrike. I did get his very overgrown hooves clipped, something I've been wanting to do for months. I decided to clip his wool, but only got his back done before I realized I was stressing him terribly in the heat. At least I cut an "air hole" in the fleece. I borrowed Hannah's spray bottle and filled it with permetrin sheep spray to keep the flies off him. I gave him Ivomec, LA200, and vitamin B. I hope he's okay. I just love the old boy. I have to get some good pictures of that head to make a notecard.

Eggstravaganza

Whenever Hannah comes Omi is treated to eggs almost every morning. She collects them from the nestboxes, and other secret spots Hannah has managed to discover, and makes scrambled eggs for me. We have to crack them open in a little glass jar one at a time to make sure there are no beginnings of eyeballs or backbones. Hannah and Luke have seen the other side of the egg cycle on Omi's farm - not always pretty!

Farmer's Market

Up early to load up the truck for the Hamilton market. Matt took the kids to McDonald's for breakfast while I set up. Luke slept away most of the morning while Hannah shopped. The weather was perfect - cool and a little cloudy. I love the way this market tends to get busy later, leaving me time to get things together. Lots of nice people. I gave Hannah my camera to take some shots and she got some cute ones. Hannah and Luke played in the fountains and found things to buy - no trouble there. They bought beeswax candles, pine tree and pine cone shaped, key chains, and several pieces of beaded jewelry for Hannah. Omi bought several boxes of blueberries from NJ and raspberries grown in NY from the farmer across from my space. They are heavenly! He says he will have six weeks of raspberries and I am hoping to make jam for the first time in my life. Home to let the sheep out, relax a bit, chase the sheep back into their field, do chores, then head for the pond again. If we can find enough scrap wood we'll have another fire. I am so fond of our nightly camp fire. I might collapse before then...

The Party Goes On and On

We had a lovely splash in the pond followed by a barbecue back at the barn. The doggies joined in, providing Hannah and Luke with a lot of entertainment. Luke threw the ball for Bodie and Holly, then rode Holly back to the shore. Izzy got a bath and even Thor, who usually remains a passive observer, came in the water. After our barbecue a fabulous orangey-pink sunset painted the sky as we got ready for the big show. Uncle AJ kindly left a small fortune of fireworks here last year, and Poppy bravely put on the show. The neighbor down the valley once again put on a fantastic display of giant rockets with bursting colors everywhere. He must have had several canisters to fill, as there were long pauses between each blast. Poppy filled the spaces with his rockets. There were other farms lighting fireworks in the valley, giving us a total of four shows! It was great. We pulled chairs high up on the hill and watched them all. Poor doggies, they were terrified. Izzy wouldn't go back inside, and just shivered and shook under our chairs. We ended the night with our usual campfire. Hannah and Luke filled our bellies with roasted marshmallows, then we staggered inside. We had an early morning ahead of us at the Hamilton Farmer's Market.

King of the Kitties

Luke loves the kitties most of all. He has plenty to play with. I am on the waiting list for the low-cost spay and neuter clinic in Oneonta. I will be their best customer. They operate one day a month. In the meantime, Luke is in heaven.

Beauty and the Beasts

Hannah put on her new birthday dress for Independence Day. She is the beauty in the den of beasts. I might ask her to take it off and save it for the Farmer's Market tomorrow. Bonfire and barbeque tonight - the dress might not survive the fun.

Chicken Luke

Luke loves the baby chicks. He braves the pecking of the protective Bantam moms to get one out of the cage. Holly is standing by, as she is the protector of all the farm babies, from kitties to chicks. I figured out that Pip was killing my farm critters, back in the days when he would have terrified puppy Holly hiding behind the toilet in the trailer. Now that Holly is grown up, she snarls and growls whenever Pip goes near a kitten or a chick. I've seen her roll him over and stand over him in the "I will rip your throat out" dog stance. Good girl, Holly.

Boy in the Barn, Continued...

I was suspicious when I saw my garbage can full of mohair overturned. Then I saw why...it was needed for a plan Luke had to go from floor to floor without climbing the ladder! This is much more fun - especially when the can fell out from under him and Omi dropped the camera to grab his legs! Boys will be boys!

Happy Fourth!

Independence Day dawned cool and sunny here in the rolling hills of Central New York. The Today Show had some cute vignettes on the Revolution (which many of my folks took part in, I'm proud to say). There is no parade in Brookfield today, regretfully, so we decided to stay home on the Farm - the best place - and do our own celebrating. Matt bought a package of Nova lox, cream cheese, bagels (not NJ bagels, but a close second) Bermuda onion and tomatoes, and asked me to make him breakfast. Omigosh, what a Blast from the Past. I don't know if my Swedish fishy genes kicked in, or my Jewish Experience, but I was in heaven for the ten minutes I took to eat that crunchy, creamy, lox bagel ensemble. Hannah and Luke were still asleep, so there was no eewww, yuck! What a way to start a holiday. Hopefully, my neighbors down the road who are really into fireworks will crank up a show tonight. Last year, I was out in the field when I saw an amazing display of rockets coming up out of the woods. It just went on and on, so I sat down in a chair and watched with the critters gathered around. What a show! Here in the way-back-yonder. Luke woke up this morning and started playing with his kitty/toy bag. Such impossible cuteness, I just can't describe. So I will try to catch it in a photograph.

Raining Sheep and Goats

A cloudy day turned into torrents of rain later in the afternoon. We had pretty much decided to stay on the farm and find things to keep us busy anyway. Hannah and Luke live in Las Vegas, where it hardly rains at all. They enjoyed running around in the rain - ducking into the barn through the big open doors where they had a view of the storm, then running out again. Hannah and I made clay buttons which took up a good chunk of time. After we finished his jungle tote bag, Luke busied himself in the hay mow, pushing great piles of loose hay through the hatch door, down into the lower barn. I didn't realize what was going on until I wondered where that big pile came from and thought Uh-Oh, there's a little boy in the barn. He chased cats, dogs, lambs and goat kids hither and yon. Little Lincoln grudgingly gave Luke a ride. After dinner, when chore time came around, Omi was abandoned by her helpers, who sneaked back in the apt and turned off her favorite Celtic folk music (which helps her work)and turned on loud, screaming, raucous Cartoon Network, which reverberated through the barn and turned Omi's mood rather sour. We are having a little trouble with the concept of "chores first, then play." When this happens Omi gets to pick out the movie for the night. Sometimes its "Pride and Prejudice" which is sure to send Hannah into her bedroom where she will listen to her books on tape, and Luke out to find some kittens to play with.

Vacation Bliss

The kiddies slept to 11 when I got them up to go to the movies. Luke wanted to see Hancock and today it opened in New Hartford at the multiplex. There was a little too much violence for my liking but it was a pretty good movie. ?We stopped at Michael's and bought Hannah a rubber stamp of a fairy in a lavender garden. Luke wanted to go in PetSmart and look at the birds and fish. On the way back there was a rare red light on the highway - a freight train crossed the road! First one I've seen in NY. Back at the farm, Luke continued work on his own tote bag (jungle print). We laid around and watched TV, climbed up into the hay mow to find eggs, played with lambs, did our chores, ate spaghetti for dinner, and sat around the campfire until 11 PM. Oh, it was so much fun! We sang patriotic songs, watched the stars and planets rise, and found our fortunes in the coals of the fire (Hannah's idea).

Wild Flowers

I hated to see the road department cut down the grass on the side of the road...so many flowers were sacrificed to the blades...but look what grew back in the space created. Pretty yellow flowers line the road to Brookfield, almost three miles of continuous blooms.

Little Boy in a Big Barn

Luke loves to climb the ladder to the hay mow and look for eggs hidden in nooks and crannies. I go with him for fear he will fall down a hay hole, or be attacked by a rooster, or fall prey to some unknown danger. I wish I had a load of hay up there for him to climb on...I am extremely nervous about hay, and am trying to keep that nagging fear bedded down. Not succeeding. The grass is chest high across the road and no sign of the neighbor. Granted, we have not had four days of sunshine without rain yet. Here's hoping for a hot, dry August....still, without this hay cut we won't have much time for a second cut. Other farmers are haying in Brookfield. Another winter like the last and I am finished. What's that poem..."But for a steed the battle was lost"? or something like that? But for a tractor...

Ahh, The Pond

We were a little lazy tonight and took the truck up the road to the pond. We left the big dogs home and took Izzy, who was dizzy with all the attention. I told him the big dogs would be jealous and would probably beat him up when he got home, but he didn't care. Hannah and Luke had a rock skipping contest, and raced across the pond in their tube floats. I love to watch them play together, and just sat and took in the happy sounds and the beauty all around me. What paradise! This is the prettiest piece of land in the valley. It's high summer, and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it I can. Too soon the kids will be gone and the frogs will have their pond back. Luke decided he wanted to return to the barn, and Hannah wanted to stay. I bundled him up and off he went, heading straight downhill. I lost sight of him but heard the big dogs barking and knew he was going in the right direction. Brave little boy!

Sleeping Heads

Oh, to see the Little Heads under the covers. I love to watch them sleep. We stay up late and the kids sleep late. Hannah and Luke are always rushing here and there - to clubs, Scouts, parties and outings. At Omi's Farm we take it slow and easy. It's a bit of an adjustment at first...but we are doing fine - watching the clouds roll by and staring at the campfire at night.

Luke the Tailor

Luke is fascinated by my sewing machine. He saw me sewing a bag at night, after the dust settles and the kids are watching TV. Now he wants to make his own bag. We practiced sewing straight seams, then cut out a little bag. We'll see how it goes. He has very definite ideas of what it should look like! Izzy tried to help as much as he could but decided to just keep Luke company.

Team Work

Hannah and Luke made brownies together. They cooperated beautifully and got the batter poured into the greased glass baking dish without a glitch. The brownies are perfect. We'll have them for dessert tonight. I kept thinking...I won't be seeing Luke sitting on the countertop too much longer. He is growing up so quickly. It seems like yesterday that I brought him home from Las Vegas in diapers on the red-eye flight. What a night! Ah, memories...grandchildren build the BEST of them!

Letters for Mommie

We wrote letters home to Annie today. What fun for me, the Teacher Omi, to see the Little Ones, heads bent over their work, doing their best handwriting. This is the first time I've seen Luke writing anything extensive, and I'm VERY impressed. Hannah's letter was illuminated by glitter pens. I know Mom will be thrilled when she sees the lovely colorful envelope in the mail box! I can turn anything into a social studies lesson, so we talked about postage rates (my stamps were outdated) then took a trip to the Brookfield Post Office! How wonderful - especially the part about Izzy making it all the way to B'field and back without barfing in my truck. We are making gains in that department! After a stop at the Brookfield General Store, we returned to the farm for some brownie making. My grandchildren are definitely chocoholics, poor kids. It runs in the family.