Amazing Skies

My chosen home is beautiful. The skies can be breathtaking.

Last night I was out, and luckily had my camera.

I was awestruck.

In the northwest a small thunder storm storm was rolling through.

In the southeast the sky was quiet.

Nearly every shot here is natural light, only minor tweaks on a few.

There are so many because I couldn't choose...

every shot was taken within two miles of the farm.

Ben

Sheep

How Two Bitter Adversaries Hatched A Plan To Change The Egg Business : The Salt : NPR

YES!!!!!!! I LOVE seeing positive results from alliances such as this!

How Two Bitter Adversaries Hatched A Plan To Change The Egg Business : The Salt : NPR:

"Gregory sent a message to Pacelle through an intermediary: "Can the two of us just talk?" And Pacelle saw an opportunity."

'via Blog this'

Tried and True Perennials « Eastern Shore Gardener

Tried and True Perennials « Eastern Shore Gardener: "My friend, Nancy Ondra, has a great new book, Tried and True Perennials, and I wanted to make a quick pre-Christmas post about it. It may be a perfect gift for someone on your list.  (I got it for myself!)"

'via Blog this'

Handy in All Seasons « Eastern Shore Gardener

Handy in All Seasons « Eastern Shore Gardener: "I spent an hour or so cleaning up the garden this afternoon. As I was pulling up the first of the winter weeds and cutting back chrysanthemums, I heaved all the debris onto an ordinary green tarp that I have used again and again this year. Since it has become one of my favorite tools this year, I thought I should write a few words about it."

'via Blog this'

The Impatient Gardener: Caterpillars in the Garden or "It Pays to be Pretty"

The Impatient Gardener: Caterpillars in the Garden or "It Pays to be Pretty":

Unexpected Wildlife « Eastern Shore Gardener

Unexpected Wildlife « Eastern Shore Gardener: "We’ve all read at least something about welcoming wildlife in the garden. Providing suitable habitat—including food, water, and shelter—is essential. Sometime the habitat that wildlife chooses isn’t quite what you would expect, though. My current case-in-point is the rather large toad that has been living on our deck all summer long."

Not your grandma’s strawberries | Grist

Not your grandma’s strawberries | Grist:

"In 1950, your parents, grandparents, or a perhaps a younger version of you could eat a handful of string beans -- about three-and-a-half ounces -- and get about 9 percent of the calcium you needed for the day. Almost 50 years later, in 1999, the amount of calcium in string beans dropped by 43 percent, leaving you with only 5 percent of your daily calcium. You could eat more string beans -- except you might not want to, because they wouldn't be as flavorful as in the past. So you could eat more of other vegetables, but it's likely other vegetables wouldon't have as much calcium or flavor as they used to, either. And it's not just calcium: Preliminary research shows that many vegetables have lost significant amounts of nutritional value."

Click through for the entire article.

Potted’s DIY Cinderblock Wall | Potted

Potted’s DIY Cinderblock Wall | Potted:

"Potted’s DIY Cinderblock Wall
A while back I had a discerning client who was also an interior designer. We got along great and she was easy going…all she asked for was something nobody else had or that she’d never seen before. Sure, no problem. I come up with those ideas 20 times a day (okay, that’s a total lie…I wish I came up with them 20 times a day). But I accepted the challenge and started looking for inspiration. And then I was struck…"

click through for photos and full story!

Why there’s more to keeping chickens than getting fresh laid eggs - Green Living - Go Green - WalesOnline

Why there’s more to keeping chickens than getting fresh laid eggs - Green Living - Go Green - WalesOnline:

"Chickens are not only a great source of backyard food, they can also become well-loved pets.

First we wanted our eggs free range, so as not to support battery farming. Then we wanted them organic, without any of those nasty chemicals involved.

Now we want our eggs one stage more wholesome – fresh from the garden and our very own brood of hand-reared chickens.

Keeping chickens has grown in popularity over the last few years, much as traditional crafts and home cooking have done."

click through to read the story!

Kids and Dogs: How Kids Should and Should Not Interact with Dogs | Animal Behavior and Medicine Blog | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS

Kids and Dogs: How Kids Should and Should Not Interact with Dogs | Animal Behavior and Medicine Blog | Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS:

"When a child is bitten by a four-legged family member, it can turn the household upside-down. Owners feel puzzled and confused. “They sleep together all the time,” they might say, or, “He’s always been really good. He even lets Timmy sit on him.” In a majority of cases, the bite seems out of the blue. The humans can’t fathom why their once-trusted companion would bite an innocent child. But anyone who reads “dog” or can see life from the pet’s point of view would most likely say, “I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”"

Great posters and illustrations on kids and dog interactions. Click through to read more!

The Chestertown Spy - PAR Community Garden Donates Bounty to Food Pantry

The Chestertown Spy - PAR Community Garden Donates Bounty to Food Pantry:

"The garden, hemmed on one side by fencing (to keep Ruckelshaus’s sheep from both ravaging the place and escaping), at a guess is 15X 50 feet, and is planted with beets, lettuces, peppers, sweet potato, shallots, carrots, peas, lima beans, herbs, pumpkins, gourds, and a veritable forest of tomatoes –38 incredibly robust plants barely contained by a regiment of volunteer-made cages. Among other things, the group has so far donated 40 pounds of mesclun (about a 55-gallon drum in volume) to the food pantry."

click link to read entire article. I am super proud of this project and our volunteers!

Soil 101 « Eastern Shore Gardener

Soil 101 « Eastern Shore Gardener:

"Soil 101
July 19, 2011 by Eastern Shore Gardener
Soil isn’t the sexiest topic for a blog post, but it’s been on my mind quite a bit of late. Part of the reason is I just finished editing/rewriting an e-book on composting for a client, and the organic matter in compost is at the heart of great garden soil. I’ve also had conversations with several friends and gardeners about soil recently. (Yes, I am the nerd that sits under an umbrella at a pool party and talks compost and compost making with fellow gardeners.) So, it’s no surprise that I’ve been thinking about my own composting efforts and the state of my soil’s organic matter."

click through to read the rest of the story...

Concerns About Unleashed Dogs | The Bark

Concerns About Unleashed Dogs | The Bark: "In Juliana Keeping’s column Hey Ann Arbor—put your dog on a leash. A short one, she writes about bad experiences with off leash dogs. She shares her own stories and those of a few other people and complains angrily about so many dogs being off leash in violation of the laws of her city."

Study: Hypoallergenic dogs not less allergic than other dogs

Contrary to popular belief, so-called hypoallergenic dogs do not have lower household allergen levels than other dogs.

That's the conclusion of a study by Henry Ford Hospital researchers who sought to evaluate whether hypoallergenic dogs have a lower dog allergen in the home than other dogs. Hypoallergenic dogs are believed to produce less dander and saliva and shed less fur....(see link for article)

Study: Hypoallergenic dogs not less allergic than other dogs

The Impatient Gardener: Tomato Update

From Lisa's blog: Tomato Q&A

The Impatient Gardener: Tomato Update

Growing Up! « Eastern Shore Gardener

Nice blog post on vines and trellises from my friend Barbara:

Growing Up! « Eastern Shore Gardener

Sweet Potato Dog Chew Recipe - Easy to Make Alternative to Rawhide

It seems obvious that you should be able to make healthy dog treats easily, but I always think of it being time consuming. Not these, and I know our dogs LOVE the commercial variety!

Sweet Potato Dog Chew Recipe - Easy to Make Alternative to Rawhide

Great healthy alternative to raw hide and no reason why you can't cut the pieces (before cooking) into any size you want!

Woof!

Gleaning Inspiration « Eastern Shore Gardener

Nice post about a garden tour and our own expectations of our gardens. I especially appreciate the photos of mature plants included.

Enjoy.

Gleaning Inspiration « Eastern Shore Gardener

Grow to Give Away « Eastern Shore Gardener

Barbara's blog post about the new community garden at Victory Farm!

Grow to Give Away « Eastern Shore Gardener

It Is Certainly Never Boring!

 Last night I did chores in snow and ice. I fed up in a snowy slushy mess, the 4W Drive had trouble staying on track and I had to be super careful where I stopped for fear of never starting again...at least until the snow froze or it all went away.

I took video of Gracie moving the sheep. The new lambs are so unbelievably cute, they move with the flock like toddlers going to work with mommy. The video was lousy, so I'll spare you.

This morning I woke to sage green pastures. No snow. Nada. Zip. Zero. Nil. All of it had vanished in the night. It was raining hard, but I was happy, and so were the sheep!

About 11am it cleared and the sun came out. It was so warm I came out of my layers, and when I came back to the house after doing chores, I opened the windows to air the stink and let the cats have some fun on the roof.

I made my lunch, and noticed darkening skies. Thunder cloud skies, the sort reserved for big changes of weather in the warm months. Yippie! Spring is actually here.

I started to hear thunder so headed back out to move sheep back over to the east side where there is cover. The new lambs are a few days old and are strong, but cover is still a good thing in a storm.

Grace and I head out to the gate, and while the sheep had been spread all over the field only minutes before, they were now all bunched up under the maple be the fence. In a thunderstorm. And they say sheep aren't smart. I started to send Grace when I spotted the ewe with her lambs down in the bottom of the field. Honestly, I couldn't imagine what her problem was, after all the lambs were now four days old and can keep up with the flock....

So, I had Grace gather the flock and I start walking down the field. If I took the flock down to the ewe, she would simply fall in and bring her lambs along with her. That was the plan anyway. As I got closer I could see only one lamb. I turned to see if the other was with the flock when I saw the flock standing looking at me, not moving like they should be. Off to the left I see the ewe with her twins. SURPRISE!!!

The reason the ewe was off by herself in the field is because she was lambing. Right now. In a torrential downpour (did I say it started to rain?) Gah, sheep have great timing!

Grace worked the flock down the field to meet me with the ewe and her first born. I could tell there was more on the way, a wee bit of sack was pushing out for me to see and to decide we needed to get to the barn now. In the rain. In Auntie Em wind. Oh, and the thunder. Yes, there was thunder too.

I turned and grabbed up the lamb and prayed the ewe would follow, especially if the flock was travelling the same way. We trudged up the field, me occasionally bleating to the mama ewe, Grace pushing the flock from behind...through the gate and past the barn wen the flock. Somehow I sound enough like the lamb to keep mama from taking off with the flock into the field, and I get her turned about and into the barn with her baby...just in time to realise that my Grace (The Best Sheepdog In The World) has stayed behind and has been patiently pushing the OTHER mama ewe and her twins toward the paddock, and safety with the rest of the flock.

By the time I closed gates and watered the ewe in the barn, the rain had all but stopped, but the wind was going strong. Grace and I headed to the house to get dry, drink tea and talk about our adventures.

More Sheep on the Lamb

Yesterday I picked up hay for the 'starving' sheep. This is always a big event as the flock either gets penned up, or is allowed to get crazy and either follow the hay wagon, or run out the gate to prune the yard.

Needless to say, Grace noticed instantly that they had chosen to run out the gate. Of course, the stubbly brown stuff also known as grass was way more interesting than the new hay.

As you can see, grazing happened in the midst of the agility equipment....

As I was cleaning water tubs, one noticed the feeders were filled with new hay...and of course, the rest followed quickly behind. After all, the poor dears were starving.

Grace was not pleased that she wasn't allowed to push the sheep off of the feeders and waited, hoping to hear the command to move...

This girl is just waiting her turn.

And this old girl wants to know just why I am watching her eat. She was one of 5 lambs born to my old Suffolk ewe Sophie.

Grace suddenly realised there were stragglers...she had to get them as she was certain they would never find the feeders on their own.

The little guy.

Liz. Not thrilled.

Grace determinedly waiting for more work to appear.

"LOOK! More sheep Ma! See? See??"

And waiting again....

Happy sheep....

Raw Milk Kills? Really?

I drank milk when I was growing up.

Lots of milk.

Processed of course, mostly bought from a local dairy.

As a teenager I had access to raw milk. I drank lots of it.

My favorite way to consume it was on oatmeal for breakfast. Sweet creamy delight.

Once I lost access to the raw milk, I totally lost my taste for drinking processed milk and now only cook with it.

Good blog post on Raw Milk:

http://homegrown.org/blog/2011/02/why-we-farm-trying-raw-milk/

Sheep -- On the Lamb

It really is deceiving how innocent sheep appear. Really, it is. Because deep down, each sheep had the deep seeded desire to escape. Really.

Now I know that seems hard to believe. After all, how could anything that appears this sweet be bad?

Trust me. Sheep may not be malicious creatures, but they are bad. Always looking for a way out. You know, to the greener pasture. The one on the other side of the fence. Or in our current weather pattern, the flock (mainly the big red ewe that leads the flock) is certain there is a HUGE cache of sweet alfalfa hay right on the other side of the blasted fence that keeps them from getting to that fictional hay (or maybe they think it is fresh spring grass?).

Now, Carm looks innocent enough, but when it comes to her dinner she is a force to be reckoned with. It came as no surprise when I looked out the window this afternoon in time to see half of my flock o the wrong side of the fence headed down the neighbors yard to find the elusive Holy Grail of (non-existent) hay.

You see, in the snow and ice, several limbs had come down on the fence. Initially, the fence was not bothered by the limbs, and the limbs were frozen into the ground so I left them to deal with later. The was just the opening Carm and the girls were looking for, as they took the opportunity to walk up the limbs just enough to topple the fence, allowing them the escape route they had been looking for!

I pulled the branches (now thawed) away from the fence, and Grace and I foiled their escape plans. We circumnavigated the entire farm to get the flock back to their home field, but of course Grace thought that was a blast and is rooting for another great escape tomorrow!