Rage Against the Trees

So, the littles are still afraid of the new girls. No amount of cajoling seems to be working and the littles have worked themselves into a nervous wreck. My mother and I have come up with an alternate plan.

I figured, goats are simple minded. Out of site; out of mind, right? So, I'm moving them far way so they aren't tempted to try and get to the littles and the little can not have to think about the apparently frightening big girls. My aunt's side of our property is in need of a little weed-eating, and since that is the reason I originally got the goats and the portable panel fencing we are going to give it a try.

I started with setting up 10 of my portable dog kennel panels around a dense privet/poison ivy/weedy tree:

 

Two days later:

 

All that's left are a couple of bare vines to be thrown away. And, the goats have stayed put.

 

On to the next area.

 

Eat little goats, eat...

 

-M

 

Garden Carding

I took my wheel for a spin today at the GA Botanical Gardens. What a fantastic place to spin!

I got quite a few looks but I met some adorable kids and talked to a lot of people about fiber, so of course I loved it!

 

I was able to get a nice shot of my wheel, a little LadyBug model. I love that it is so portable, I can't imagine picking up a larger wheel to take a little trip to the garden.

 

I decided I needed a few pictures of my yarn. This is a navajo-plied chunky yarn made from shetland/babydoll/alpaca fiber, my first wheel spun item.

 

And I just loved these trees to model the fiber against. Their trunks are just beautiful. The colored yarn is made of the same batt as the navajo-plied chunky yarn, but it is plied with a thin, green cashmere yarn I reclaimed from a sweater. The white is a single ply I've been practicing with. I'm not sure what the wool is exactly (it was a sample pack that came with my wheel) so I thought I'd give it a shot to see how even and fine a yarn I could manage. As I only have three bobbins, I've wound the yarn back on navajo spindles I've been working on building. They really do a nice job displaying the yarn, and with an easy cardboard version of a lazy kate, I can ply directly from them.

 

I forgot to get pictures of the llama fiber I was carding, but I'm sure I'll have many more opportunities to get pictures of my decked out carders in action.

 

All in all, a beautiful relaxing day in the garden.

-M

Spring has Sprung

Well, the littles and bigs still havn't figured out how to "play nice". Really, it isn't so much about being nice as it is about the little ones just not being hysterical that there is another goat in their pen.

Otherwise, the farm is flourishing. We've prepared the garden beds and started seedlings that are coming along nicely. Summer is coming quickly. Hopefully we can just manage to keep the goats from devouring it all.

 I know this is a little picture overload, but I just couldn't help myself with all the blooms!

We trimmed back the climbing rose so it wouldn't be climbing into the roof and trained some of the canes to the lattice.

One of our meager little blueberries. So little, but so tastey!

Pepper, squash, and tomato seedlings are already started

 

 

                                  We also planted our newest peach tree. Can't wait to see it bloom

An the succulents are already well on their way. One of the rock walls is half covered with this loveley creeping green.

 

One of our older peach trees in full bloom

 

The beds agains the retaining walls are coming in nicely. Lambs ear, hostas, lillies...

 

I think this is one of my favorites

 

 We're trying out a new plan this year using straw bales as planters. All the large beds are being prepped with compost and manure, so veggies here we come!

 

 We have some kale that eeked through the winter. We might try again, but it seems GA is just a bit too warm for this leafy green.

And our grape vine has started budding out!

Genesis 1:14    And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,

-M

Privet and Persimmon

We tried to let the littles and bigs stay together, but it quickly became a game of chase and the littles weren't very happy. So i decided to be adventurous and take them all on a walk thinking that the larger area would make it more relaxed and distracting with all the food to eat. It seems to be working well, lets just hope the bigs still follow the littles when its time to go up for the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 There's nothing quite as relaxing as watching goats browse.

 

Happy trails

-M

SCI Goaties

Today's the day. I drove down this morning to pick up my two newest additions: Raquel and Brownie a'la Mode (now re-christened Persimmon and Privet).

They are San Clemente Island goats and are very deer like in their behavior. They've already taken a liking to Rose, Bramble, and Briar, but the little ones are quite sure what to make of the long-legged neighbors

Hopefully everyone gets along well, but for now they are separated. Only tomorrow will tell

-M