Archive for February, 2009
February 28, 2009 – Sheep Bling
Today the lambs got their bling – new earrings. Only one stud for both boys and girls. Ear tagging is a new process for us and it seemed to go well. Here’s Linda with number 16. And me with number 17. I went into the local farm store (Theisens) earlier in the week to get ...Read more.
February 27, 2009 – What’s Your Type?
What’s your type? Soil type, that is. I stumbled upon a great web site by the NRCS that allows you to zoom into a piece of planet earth. Here’s our farm from the air, via the NRCS web site. Once you navigate to an address, gps coordinate, or legal description, you draw on the map ...Read more.
February 26, 2009 – Thingamajig Thursday #155
Here’s this week’s thingamajig Thursday. Also check out the last thingamajig answer. As always, put your guess in a comment below. Hold mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer. one year ago…”Ferns Strawberries and Coffee”
February 25, 2009 – Quick Hard Cider Recipe
I’m trying to make a quick and dirty hard cider. The guy at Eat the Weeds has this short youtube showing how to make it. I was excited to see the bubbles start doing their thing in my brew. We’ll let you know how it tastes in a week to 10 days. one year ago…”Banana ...Read more.
February 24, 2009 – Willow Bouquet
At this time of year, anything new in the house is welcome. Linda made this willow arrangement from the willow patch. It looks much better than this in place – we’ll watch spring arrive a few weeks early as the catkins emerge. one year ago…”San Jose Farmer’s Market and Poas Volcano”
February 23, 2009 – Winter Willow Nursery
I’m a little bit pumped about our willow nursery. It’s taken off and I am even more excited to try expanding the willows as browse for the goats and sheep. As soon as the ground unfreezes, we’ll cut these down and plant many more in the back pasture. The test plantings we did last year, ...Read more.
February 22, 2009 – Claire to Girls State
Claire was selected for another honor this week – “Girls State” sponsored by the American Legion Auxiliary. The best description I’ve got is the following from the acceptance letter. Congratulations on being selected to attend Iowa Girls State. You are joining an outstanding group of young women from across the State of Iowa dating back ...Read more.
February 21, 2009 – Late February Snowbanks
Although most of the “flatland” snow has melted, the county is still working on the roadside drifts. We’re back in the deep freeze with lows in the single digits and highs struggling to reach 20. They came by with, using the correct terminology here, a Big Scoopy Machine and pushed the big drifts all the ...Read more.
February 20, 2009 – Hangin’ with the Ewes
All the ewes and lambs are together now that moms and babies know who each other are. Everybody got their tetanus shots and one boy was banded – the two others will have to wait a few more days as they are not quite old enough yet. I can’t wait for it to green up ...Read more.
February 19, 2009 – Thingamajig Thursday #154
Here’s this week’s thingamajig Thursday. Also check out the last thingamajig answer. As always, put your guess in a comment below. Hold mouse over this sentence to pop-up answer. one year ago…”Things are Better for Our Kids”
February 18, 2009 – Calling the Turd Herder
OK, so this won’t be the most fuzzy and warm news from high hopes gardens, but it’s February, so expectations cannot be too high. The last couple of weeks whenever a toilet flushed, other drains in the house have gurgled. It most likely means that the vent is partially or completely clogged, or the septic ...Read more.
February 17, 2009 – Book Review in Wapsipinicon Almanac
The 15th edition of the Wapsipinicon Almanac is now out and this issue features a book review by yours truly. I reviewed the book The Emerald Horizon: The History of Nature in Iowa (Bur Oak Book) by Cornelia Mutel. I’ve always wanted to be a contributor to this funky publication. The journal is still made ...Read more.
February 16, 2009 – Tank’s a Mommy
Tank finally had her lambs. She had triplets – each of them seems very vigourous. The previous triplet birth last week, we eventually lost the runt of the batch, but we’re hopeful about these three. These seem to have perhaps a Romanoff or other Daddy ram as they have more curly fur than their barnmates. ...Read more.
February 15, 2009 – Claire to Debate Nationals!
Yesterday our in-house debater earned a trip to the national competition! She competed in the District tournament in the Quad Cities (Davenport/Bettendorf/Moline/Rock Island) and won her house of Congress. This particular debate event is organized around the format of the U.S. congress and participants propose and debate bills. Over the course of the day the ...Read more.
