Blog Archives

Fence fixin' in the snow

1/31/2013

    So today I worked on a few things. First the bigger cattle are acting up. They are going through fences and some are even just plain jumping them. We have hay out and we feed them so I don't know what the deal is.   What I do know is that for the whole 10 minutes that it snowed today, I was out fixing the fence for the third day in a row. With that said Mom and I have talked.
    We are going to sell off the large heifers. We have a baby bottle farm and those big ones just get into to much trouble. It isn't what you are thinking though I can promise you that. Most cattle would be hauled off to a sale barn and sold for meat but not on this farm. No one is going to eat these girls.
    So how am I going to sell them and know they won't be eaten? Well, That started 2 years ago before any of you even knew who I was ... LOL. You see there was this man and he had a calf that about died. He brought it to Mom to save. Mom saved it and sent it home. The calf kept getting through his fence because he didn't really deal with small calves.  (the fencing is different for different size livestock) He just had bigger cows and the baby was getting in the way all the time and getting out and just getting into trouble. So after about 2 weeks of being home she ended up back at our place.  As those two years have passed Faith, as we call her, has grown into a sweetie. She is the only cow we have that I call Mom's. She loves Mom and comes up to get pets and treats but only from Mom. Anyway, The man that had her Hit some hard times and sold off his herd during those two years.
    Well, Things are looking better for him now and that means he has 30 acres of unused pasture. So I gave him a call. (Yes we know him, know him ... He goes to our Cowboy Church) He just started laughing and said it was ironic that I called because he had just told his wife the other day that he wanted to get a couple of heifers to put out on the pasture again to eat down the grass and start out slow getting his herd back. (Funny how God brings things together sometimes, huh?) So he is going to work a few things out and if all goes well he will be taking Faith and Libby to his place to birth out and be the start up of his small herd again.

    On a Side Note ... All those going to SPA ... Have a wonderful time and look for Lot the Lamb. He is with Chris who is also known as vtknitboy Introduce yourself and get a pic so we can post it to his page ... He is already on his way ... See the picture below ...

    Also Tomorrow at 7pm we will be doing the drawing for the fiber in the Great Flyin' West Give away ... So get those comments in with the secret phrase to qualify ....

Cat Trees, fences and meetings ...

1/30/2013

So today started out calm. I went to work with Mom and helped her with her secret project. (And you wonder why I have secret projects ... I learned from the best... LOL) Phase 1 as Mom calls it is done thanks to my handy-dandy tree building skills ... (Handy-Dandy ... LOL ... That is from my days of dreaming of Being the owner of a Dog named Blue on Blue's Clues... Just in case you didn't know that.) Okay so I didn't build a real tree but I did build a cat tree ... Okay, Okay that just means I screwed all the pre-drilled poles and platforms together but hey that thing is huge and Heavy. After all it is a tree certified for a 25lb cat ...

That Cat tree is over 6 ft tall and then Mom had me hang some toys off the different levels to keep the cats interested.

When Mom brought me home I found the cattle in the orchard so I had to fix fence. When Dad got home he helped me finish up before I headed off to my 4-H Meeting where we had to put together 80 packets for our "Welcome to the Real World Program." Mom did help with the packets since I helped her this morning. Between those packets and the animals packets we did yesterday I have seen and put together enough packets for quite awhile.
And just so you know the Cats loved the Cat tree but Mom says they will love it more when the entire project is complete which should be by Friday so one more trip to the shelter this week for me ... Check out Toby the Shelter Cat taking it for a Test Run ... He loved it!!

Pain and Rain

1/29/2013

    So last night I didn't sleep to good. Going to the Dentist really takes a toll on my Jaw. The enamel on my teeth maybe overly week but my roots are strong and they attach to my Jaw with great strength. That means when they have to get down deep into my teeth to repair them I have pain for days after. By 2 am I was back up for pain relievers and by 5am I was so tired I couldn't concentrate on my school work. The day after that was all ups and downs. The dull roar of Pain would come and go through out the day. I didn't really do much Not that I wanted to.
    Mom helped me get the animals packets done for the shares and worked on our secret project. We think we have a great surprise lined out for the Carrie Shares if all goes as planned. I even got to the post office to get everything mailed out. I did have to go get the cattle as it started to storm and they were locked in the back acres with no shelter. It was just one run to one gate and back.... Easy but Man did I get wet ... Oh and the project I was helping Mom with last week came today and by the end of the week it will be done and out of the way.
    Other then that it is all Rain. Rain to Mom means baking something and with her new oven that now means two somethings. Today it was cake and brownies ... Rain is a good thing in more then one way ... After that we just sat and watched the world get washed for the rest of the day.

Welding and the Dentist

1/28/2013

So today I had to go to the Dentist and had to have a cavity filled. I also found out that I have two more. For those that don't know when I was younger due to illness, I ended up having dental surgery. Between that and the medications I had to take the enamel on my teeth didn't form as strong as it should have. What that means now is that When I do get a cavity it gets to the nerves faster and goes deeper then other peoples would. It also means every time I turn around I am having to have one tooth or section of teeth sealed or resealed. No it's not fun but Hey, I'm a guy and guys love to eat ... No teeth, no eat ... and that doesn't cut it with me... I am a bottomless pit... LOL
Anyway, Mom got alot done while Dad and I were gone (Dad had a regular appointment but mine was emergency) As for me, well, After we got home we took the trailer and went to Dad's Father's workshop and fixed the two horse trailer. When we got home it was time for chores and dinner. Yes, Dad and I did slack today but don't tell Mom cause she didn't.. LOL

Carrie comes to town ...

1/27/2013

So before I run off to the rodeo I wanted to share with you the name I have decided on for our Dorset Ewe. First I want to say thanks for the ideas but being true to her Oklahoma heritage means alot to me. This Ewe is 100% breed, born and raised right here in Oklahoma. And we hope to make her into a hit with her socks.... So Without Further adue I give your "Carrie" ... If you all remember Carrie Underwood came from a small town in Oklahoma and rose to the top too. So With her new name we hope to help you be producing Carrie cloths just as fast as she can grow them, we can get them milled and ya'll can create them.... I hope Carrie Cloths will someday be a household name .... LOL

Hoove to Feet

1/26/2013

    First, Let me just say thanks for watching my silly little movie. (and thanks to Mom for the sheep voice over) What was is it all about? Well, Meet the newest member of our herd. Why is she here? Well, she was breed to show in the show ring not far from our house and when she got to old for that she was on her way to slaugher at the ripe old age of 3. (or she will be on Feb 21st) She comes complete with a pedigree. Not only do we know where she came from but we have her entire lifetime history.
    Now, to keep her from Slaugher we have taken her in and she is going to earn her keep growing ... Sock Yarn! So How is this going to work?? Well, Two lucky people will get to purchase a share of our trial Sock yarn share. In each share you will get ... 2 ply fingering weight Yarn, a complete history of her life with pedigree information, a photo, and personalized tags to use if you give an item as a gift made of her yarn.  (her picture will be on the tag as well as her stats)
    What you need to know about this lamb is that she is 100% Dorset. Dorset is usually classed as a medium grade wool that wears well. Dorset is a down wool and is generally considered one of the softest breeds in the Down classification of wool types. Dorset is very warm and commonly used for long-wearing socks, sweaters, and other outer garments as well as blankets where warmth-trapping loft is desired, but may also be worn against the skin depending on the sheep. Dorset wool makes excellent sock and scarf yarn, retaining basic Down characteristics of warmth and durability but with a softer hand, slightly increase crimp, and slightly less loft. Dorset wool is known best for it's warmth and durability.
    Who are the two lucky people who get to join in our trial sock yarn shares? Well, If you are interested email me at rj@barnontheweb.com The first two person to get their email in saying they are interested will be the lucky two. Why only two? She is but one sheep and we have no idea how much her fleece will weigh because she has only ever been sheared for show and her fleece thrown out. We also don't know how much weight will be lost in the wash from Lanolin. So to make sure everyone gets a fair share we will have to limit it to two. The cost is the same as our other yarn shares that are listed on our general store page.  When will these shares get back from the mill?? We have Danny, the Shearer, coming this spring and if he thinks she can be sheared this spring, the yarn will come in this fall. If he says we have to wait until the fall to shear her, it will be spring 2014 until the yarn gets back from the mill.
   So if you aren't one of the lucky two, what is in this for you ... Well, this little girl needs a name. So like every other time we have added to the herd, we need a convection and a name... Please start posting your ideas ... This little girl can't hit the runway sporting socks without a name ... She is so Vogue ...

Things to Remember

1/25/2013

Just a short note to let you know of a few special dates to remember:
    First tomorrow we have a special blog post planned
    Feb 1st is the end of our fiber input contest with Knittinonthefly and the announcement of the winner of the wonderful Fiber give away
    Feb 6th we will have a special announcement

And finally I am trying to decide if I want to raise these??? LOL Pig or sheep only you can decide ...

Going Postal ....

1/25/2013

    So day was a mail day. Normally that isn't anything to post about but this time I need to ask a really big question. First, you need to know that our small town post office is now reduced to half days Monday through Friday and closed weekends. That is why Mom can only get there on certain days when she isn't at work. We feel that makes people think we are slow to mail orders out but we are on a schedule and just don't see anyway to get around it.

    Today while on our normal postal run, our really nice, part time, postmaster informed us that all the prices at our post office were going up AGAIN! In the past since these hikes were a few cents here and there, we just ate the cost to make our customers happy. This time things are going up by dollars not cents.

    So what does that mean?? Well, it means that the boxes we use to normally mail out our reasonably priced bags of fiber now cost as much to mail as we sell them for! So here is my question of the day to all of you. Would you pay more to get it faster or would you pay less and be comfortable getting things a bit slower if you knew it was going to be slow to start with?? Either way we are having to consider raising prices to cover shipping costs and I really don't think it is fair but there isn't much anyone here on the farm can do about it.

    Please let us know your thoughts.

Mom actually cried ...

1/24/2013

    I always know Mom is proud of me. It is one of those things that I never question I just know because she tells me and shows me in so many ways. Today however, She was so proud of me and Grateful to one man that she cried ... Let me back up ...
    Does anyone remember Operation Secret Squirl Santa?? Well, We sent 80 stockings and 80 care packages totaling over 15lbs of candy and 100 lbs of other "stuff". To me and my family it was an honor to serve the men that are serving to protect the right to live the life we do and I never expected anything in return. It needed doing so me and my family got the community to do it. It was never about anything else but stepping up to do what was just the right thing to do.    Here is the video I made and sent to the troops. The first part explains why I did what I did....

Today,however, this little project to do the right thing became something I will remember as a milestone in my life forever. It was no longer about me and Sarge. It impacted others and those other became real. I don't know if that makes sense but today I got something I have had the pleasure of giving from time to time. At those times I thought that it was never enough to say thank you on paper for whatever that person had done. Remember this Great Honor?? At that moment I only hoped that Sir Will understood how much I truly appreciated what he had done for us.
Today I understand that a paper like that can melt a heart and bring tears of pride to a mother's eyes and make a 15 year old Boy feel like a man and make his chest swell with more pride then I knew I had in me. So what am I Babbling about ... This came in the mail today ...

On the back were signatures of real people that I hope were touched by our project...

You can't really read it in the picture but here is what it says....

        "RJ Straw has demonstrated an extensive support to international Troopsdeployed in Afghanistan under ISAF NATO Mission. As simple a token of appreciation as Christmas Stockings are they have enlighteded a particularly sensitive time of the year for many soldies who are thousands of miles away from their loved ones. Acts of generosity as like his are the ones inspiring us to accomplish our mission and keep going in our fight for Freedom. RJ Straw has, therefore, made a sigificant contribution to the success of Regional Command West Combined Joint Operations Center. I proudly state that RJ Straw is now part of our small RC (W) CJOC family and reflects great credit upon himself."

Herat (Afghanistan)

Signed

Pablo Gomez Lera
Lieutenant Colonel SP ARMY
Director CJOC
Regional Command - West

    There was even a personal note from Sarge that I will keep forever with my certificate that means just as much if not more to me then the Certificate. I know that sounds bad but I appreciate the fact that a soldier overseas found time to write me a personal note of thanks to let me know that I had touched so many. (Not like he didn't have enough to do??)

    So I put forth this question ... Have you written a note of thanks to someone for a little thing they did? Trust me when I say it makes all the difference in the world.

Yarn and Founder???

1/23/2013

    So as most of you know I went to three different yarn shops yesterday. One was called the Knitting Needles and it had a warm rustic look on the inside with cozy spots to sit and knit a bit.  They also had a spot for lessons and such. The owner was very friendly and a pleasure to meet. She has alot of nice stuff but I was surprised she didn't have a section of local products. As a matter of fact she had mostly commercial yarns. They could only point Mom to one they knew came from a "real farm" and that farm was in California. Don't get me wrong she has really pretty and soft yarns but commercial none the less.  There weren't even any local indie dyer's products there.
    After a chat with her about this and that we were on our way to Loops South in Tulsa. We got there no problem. Again, it was a beautiful store. Not really my style ... I felt more like a bull in a china shop to be honest. On the other hand they did have a local project bag makers and some local made stitch markers. Again, Not really any home grown yarn by any local producers. They did tell us that they don't carry Mohair products because the owner of the shop is allergic to it and they did mention that they do a local market day in Oct. for those that want to sell local craft type items but that space was limited and it was by invitation. When Mom inquired about natural colored yarns she was told that they don't sell natural yarns because yarn is about color. (Just so you know ... If you are a shareholder please don't listen to that ... LOL... It is about the fiber... Trust me!!)
    From there we hit one more shop called unwind. The owner was just a nice and pleasent as the others were and at least she had a couple of skeins of local handspun and she herself was a dyer so he had her own local dyed stuff. Now will all that said I want to be very clear... All the shops were nice, clean and had alot of great stuff. All the owners were nice smiley, bubbley ladies more then happy to answer our questions and chat with us. What I am about to say is my families opinion so please look at it from our point of view.
    These shops are the reason local growers and farmers are going out of business at an alarming rate. No they don't mean to be but what if they all agreed to put in a section for local producers. I am not saying let it take over the entire shop but just a small section so that those that want to support american made can? Wouldn't people be proud to support american made, american grown and american produced products in the yarn world as much as we all strive to buy american in every other part of our lives??? Just a question and I do think that the yarn world in my area should be proud to support Oklahoma made. And I also think that if given the option they would. Just a discussion that took place at our house after Mom and I went to the "local" yarn shops 60 miles away. (still the closest thing to local we have) You don't have to agree but please be nice and not rude when "correcting me." Thanks in advance.   LOL

    Anyway, Now on to a question asked here on the blog. You all know I try to answer all the questions if I can and yesterday one such question appeared in the comments of the blog....

knitgal2 askes:
    "Can I ask what is founder and what does the grass being hot have to do with the condition?"

    Well, to keep is very simple, founder is a condition that causes the delicate, accordion-like tissue that attaches the inner surface of the hoof wall to the coffin bone (the bone in the foot) to tear away from the horses hooves. Normally, this will only happen to the front feet but because it causes pain for the horse to stand, the back hooves end up being sore because of the way the horse has to stand to try and ease the pain. Founder tends to be found in horses that are over weight but that isn't always the case as it really is more about a high Carb diet of the horse and not about the horses weight.
    Okay so what does grass have to do with all this??? Back to science class for everyone, just for a moment please. When grass is growning in the spring it stores all unused energy from the sun in the form of Carbohydrates. Therefore, when the grass is growing and the horse is grazing ... The horse is consuming a high carb diet. As the grass slows it's rate of growth in the summer the extra carbs are used by the plant and it is safe for foundered horses to graze on. In the fall the grass gets High carb again as it reduces it's growing to go to seed.
    At these times to avoid a high carb diet Horses must be drylotted for their own protection. If not the horse can be crippled for life due to the tissue totally detaching from the hooves. I hope that wasn't to detailed or hard to understand and I also hope it answered all of your questions knitgal2.
    Just a few final thoughts for tonight ... Please remember we have calendars for sale with all the money going to a shepherd to help pay for expenses for college. The deadline is May 31st to apply and when we get the essays in you all will be voting on the winner. Also if you are interested in Lot coming to visit email me an address to send him and I will have him send just as soon as he is done hangin' with vtknitboy in Vermont.

<<Previous

Categories

Archives