Saturday, June 11, 2011

Hernia

From Wikipedia-Femoral hernias are a relatively uncommon type, accounting for only 3% of all hernias.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femoral_hernia

Well, I guess I have to be the different one. (o;

Dr. Bears repaired my second hernia in 15 years. The first was repaired by his predecessor, Dr. Evans. It was the 'normal' type of hernia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inguinal_ligament The pain of this one was very different as I felt it in my thigh more than my groin. Apparently, it was pressing on the femoral nerve when it was presenting.

He put 2 plugs in to hold it in place. Right now it is sore and swollen, so I have no idea if I am having a reaction or not. But, he put in some kind of block in my leg/groin which put my leg completely to sleep from mid-thigh to mid-shin. With no feeling meant no walking. I almost felll on the nurse in the hospital, but I did fall here at home. I am hoping I didn't hurt anything. By this morning most of the feeling was back.But, I walking with my cane again as I am not steady nor strong enough to walk unassisted. The good thing is I can get my own coffee! I just can not take care of my own animals yet.

I go back to see the surgeon next Friday. We will see then if I did any damage to myself when I fell. In the meantime, I hope to update my blogs, get some quilt tops done and maybe even a little spinning.

TTFN.

Thursday, June 02, 2011

MIA

I know. I've not updated my blogs in ages... I've been busy with work, following Jerry to shearing jobs, and going to doctor's appointments.
I have hernia surgery June 10th, and hope to be able to spend time on the laptop updating the blogs.

In the meantime, see what followed me home? 6 white leghorns, and 6 black stars. They are 2 1/2-3 months old. (These are pictures from the website. I'll take my own in the next week or two...)

http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/index.html


 

Barred Rock
A very nice rooster came with Emma & Bo
 

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Black Star

  NH Reds
(came with Emma & Bo)
Pearl-White Leghorn

Saturday, May 21, 2011

End of an era

My '89 Ford Aerocruiser that I bought in 2000 finally went where all good cars go. It would no longer pass inspection, and then its fuel pump went just before we reached a shearing customer's house. Junk your car. com came and took her away. She has been replaced with an
'88 Chevy pickup and a horse trailer. The truck will be great for truck 'stuff', but I still need a place for my show stuff. So, that is what the trailer is for. That and hauling sheep. (o;
Bye Blue! You are missed!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

NH Sheep & Wool website is updated

http://www.nhswga.org/

(Almost) the last of the lambs...

I got in at 11:15 pm last night after a fun night of laughter, food and spinning/knitting. Thank you ladies!! I needed a night off!

I couldn't sleep, so I read email and wandered to bed about midnight. Max (the dog cat) started acting 'stupid', so I turned the baby monitor back on. There was no sense in listening to snoring sheep when no one was close. I heard nothing unusual so I went to bed. 12:30ish I heard something that seemed off, so on go the clothes, to the kitchen for the flashlight and coat. Get out in the barn and something doesn't look quite right. I notice Lillian's butt looks like it has blood on it, and I need to get in to see what is going on. We didn't expect anything from her for at least another 2 weeks. Sure enough, I get up to her and she has herself a little ram lamb. He was dry and fed, so he must have been born while I was out spinning. Good mom! She is one of my keepers. She is out of Shauna, a tri-colored Romney, and Joshua, a chocolate Border Leicester/Romney. Put her in the lamb jug, and head back to bed for about 4 hours.

4 am, Jerry comes and wakes me up. We have another ewe in labor, but only 1 foot is showing with the nose.  I make her stand back up, Jerry puts on the gloves and goes to work pushing the lamb back in to pull out the 2nd leg. We put her in the other lamb jug, he goes to work, and I go in to have a cup of coffee and wake up. I go out after my 1st cup and she had herself a white ram lamb. She is Dorset/Romney and was bred to the Horned Dorset.

Ok, it now 6 am and I am up and cleaning house (because it needs to be done) and listening for her to have a 2nd one, maybe... I hear groaning and moaning, put my coat back on and go out to look at Scarlett. Hmm. It is not her. Look in general population, and Callie has just had a ewe lamb. Ok, I grab a towel and go in to get the lamb. She follows me out and I put her in the 3rd jug.

So, now we have 3 new lambs under 3 heat lamps with 3 happy ewes.

All that is left (planned) is our boarder. Emma is a lilac, hornless Jacob. We bred her to our Romney ram. She is pregnant and is either going to have one big lamb or 2 smaller ones. This is her first know breeding. Neither the owners nor we know for sure how old she is, but she is not too old. We will just keep an eye on her.

Pictures will come later, when I find the camera and go out and shoot some. (o;

TTFN

Saturday, March 19, 2011

Spring must be here!

The Canada geese came in this past Tuesday, the robins are around the area (too much snow here yet...), and the MUD is showing up everywhere!

We are still awaiting 4 mothers to be. Hopefully they will be shorn this afternoon to see how close they are. I think they are going to wait until the 26th when I am headed for school....

Happy spring all!!

Friday, March 11, 2011

Random shots


                                                           



Tuesday drive

This was taken at high noon in Croydon.
The trees looked like they had Christmas lights on them.
It was an incredible blessing to be delivering mail at that time.

As my daughter says

It is 4 wheel drive, not 4 wheel stop.
I came upon this on my way home Thursday from New London. I did not think the roads were slippery. But, I guess if you have snow, speed and nasty frost heaves...this is what happens. I hope they are ok.

Sunday, March 06, 2011

This was a first for us

I managed to get to bed by 8 pm Friday night and to sleep pretty quick, only to be awakened at 10:30 by a screaming lamb. Thoroughly annoyed I got up to put the lost lamb back with its mother, (they keep rolling under the gate) only to find out that Cassidy had a 2nd lamb 7 hours after the first. Well, there went my sleep for the rest of the night... I now know why I could not get one of the nipples open. At least the little ram was able to get some much needed colostrum. But, I still could not fall asleep wondering if he was going to make it.

And, yes, we are positive it is hers as she was in the lambing pen all by herself!

Went to a lambing clinic Saturday. No matter how long one has been at this, there is always something new to learn. Or in our case, share. But we did learn about dystocia up close. This site has good some great pictures, but the good and the bad...

Sunday we planned on going to church, our monthly spinning meeting and then dinner with friends. Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans... God has other plans for us. Ewenice presented us with twins. But, we did not know who the lambs belonged to because they were in general population when we got out to feed and with everyone yelling for food at once, no one was paying attention to the pair. But, once fed we figured it out. The rest of the day was not the way it was meant to go either, but that is ok.

Now, just for the last 7 ewes to wait until after daylight to lamb or Thursday...

TTFN and here is to hoping and praying for a sleep-filled night!!

Friday, March 04, 2011

Today we had our 20th lamb born. There are still 8 ewes to go. I just pray they don't decided to go all at once...

Tomorrow we head to a lambing clinic. Do we need it? Probably not, but there is always something to be learned in any kind of farming. And it is nice to be able to comiserate with our shepherds at this time of the year.

The camera battery is charging. Hopefully I will remember to take pictures. And then to try to get them all uploaded.

One thing at a time. (o;

TTFN

Friday, February 25, 2011

More lambs...

As soon as Google lets me I will post more pictures.

Since 8 pm last we've had 6 more lambs. Cheyenne gave us at black ewe at 8 pm, Gert gave us a black ram at 3 am, Heifer gave us twin black lambs at 4 am, and Mabel gave us one of each (white) at 1 pm.
Gert doesn't want to nurse, so she is tethered to the gate and I have been milking her into a water bottle and feeding her boy every 2-4 hours. Mabel gave birth outside in the middle of the snow storm... Good thing I heard her on the baby monitor. Cheyenne and Heifer are doing fine, as are their kids. I just don't know what Heifer's kids are yet... I'll check later when we feed.

TTFN

Ladies in waiting


                                                The oldest lambs are growing quickly!

                                                    Mabel should be going anytime.
                                           Can I just adopt you instead of birthing my own?
                                     Ewenice has a bare butt. Mabel is losing it on her sides.
                                                             A lot of heavy ewes.
                                                          Olivia, looking depressed
                                                                    April
                                                   Lillian, in front, and Susan

The last oak next to the new garden is down!!



               Even though the big oaks are down, there are still 10+ acres of trees to come down.
 This is what is next for the other new garden. We get plenty of morning light, but not afternoon light.
Getting cut up for firewood. Notice Maxmillian coming to see what he humans are up to.


The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi


Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

And where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy;

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

To be consoled, as to console;

To be understood, as to understand;

To be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

And it is in dying that we are born to eternal light.



--St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226)

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Farm update

We've had 3 more lambs born this past week. 2 rams and 1 ewe. Her name will be Faith, as I have faith that we can make a name for ourselves with Registered Horned Dorsets. We tagged the 5 and banded their tails. At this time, they are making a 'puppy pile' under the light in the creep.

We've put the 5 heaviest /closest ewes in the lambing pen. Those poor things are so close... We are listening carefully for that sound of labor.

No pictures at this time. They are still in the camera and I am too tired to load them into the computer. So...I am off to the recliner, a good movie, dinner and a lap warmer. Hopefully to bed early to get in at least a couple hour nap before all 'heck' breaks loose in the barn.

Hmm...maybe dinner will be delayed. Someone is making noises. Off to the barn.

TTFN

Monday, February 21, 2011

What have we been up to the last few days...

We had 2 ewes lamb one night after another. This brings us to 4 ewes lambing 5 lambs (2 ewe, 3 ram) in 7 days. We are both working, and shearing has started up. We've not had time to shear our own yet!
                                     
                                     
                                      
                                                          A newly born ram lamb.
                                                        Tina & Ruth with their children.
                         Cloud is looking on from the boys pen wondering 'What are those little things?'
                                                     One of many very pregnant ewes.
                                            Cornelius. Father to all the lambs born so far.
                                      I am so very lucky to be married to this wonderful man!!
                                                    Candace and her new ram lamb.
                                               Gracie and Faith and a no name ram lamb.
          Faith will be registered soon. She will be going to the NH Sheep & Wool May 14 & 15, 2011   

                                           Hey! It is safe in here. No one can mess with us!

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