Lamb Cuteness

Ever since I got a newer phone a couple summers ago I haven't been picking up my DSLR camera too often. It's big and bulky and isn't in my pocket. When I've been at the barn lately, I've only had my phone with me. Although it takes decent photos, I knew it wasn't doing justice to the cuteness of the lambs. I dug out my DSLR and then spent days looking for the lens that takes nice close-ups of the lambs. I finally found it. That's what happens when you have an Open House at your place! I put things away in safe places and then can't find them when I need them. I'm still looking for my extra battery - do not have any idea where that is. Maybe I will find it one day. 

At any rate, here are some nice photos of the lambs. It is amazing how fast they grow and change in their looks. The first ones were born just before New Year's Eve and lambing has been slower than normal. This morning there were 4 born. We are up to almost 70 which is much less than we normally have at the beginning of February. So many of the ewes are not quite a year old yet and they may not lamb this year or they may lamb as late as April.



We've had an unexpected snowstorm today. We were supposed to get an inch and now there is at least five. Makes it all look pretty. It is supposed to be very cold this week. 

Have a good week everyone and enjoy the lamb photos. As always, if you want to use these photos as screen savers or to paint a picture - that is fine with me. 

Look how huge this one is. It is a single (I can tell by the blue number on its side) and most likely a boy. 

If you haven't followed along during lambing season, you are probably wondering about the painted numbers and the stripes on the lambs and ewes. The number is the order the lamb was born in. Both the mamas and babies get the same number. If she had twins, the number is green; if she had singles, the number is blue. 

The stripe down the back gives the 2 week period the lamb was born. First 2 weeks it was blue. Second 2 weeks it was green. Now we are onto purple. 

The paint we use is a spray paint that washes out. Normally it fades away with the weather. By April, there is barely any colors on the sheep. 

This little lamb is not nearly as scared of me as some of the others. When I am taking photos, I always find it calmly staring at me. It is part Suffolk - I can tell because of the speckles on its face and legs. We have a cross-bred ram that has some Suffolk in him so some of the ewes have this speckling. 

Sweet New Lambs

I got to the barn the other day and this mama had just delivered a beautiful set of twin lambs. It looks a bit gory but that is the afterbirth that comes out after a ewe has delivered. 

Here are a couple of close-ups. Nice healthy babies. They are in their own pen now and in a couple days they get let out to fun with the others. 

And here are some of the older lambs. Such a size difference quickly in the beginning.

We are up to 49 lambs so far with many more to come. We are having a break in the cold weather. All the snow has melted. That is good and bad because it does get disgustingly muddy when the ice starts to melt. Our dirt road has been in such terrible shape there have been times when I didn't know if we would get home. This too shall pass but it seems like we have had a lot of melts this winter and then back into the freeze. Still a couple months to go but I am looking forward to seeing signs of sugaring season coming soon. 

From 2019 to 2020 - Happy New Year and Decade

A new year .... a new decade too. If that doesn't cause some reflection and thinking forward with hopes and dreams, I don't know what will. Welcome 2020 here to Leyden Glen Farm. 

Just before the turn of 2019 into 2020, we welcomed a new set of twin lambs. If there is one thing I have been thankful for living on a sheep farm, it is the yearly calendar that keeps it all real and turning over and over again from season to season and year to year. We are going into our 21st year living here on our farm. It is hard to believe - two decades seems like a long time. 

Our year on the farm is quite dependable. Lambs come in mid-winter and it keeps my Farmer very busy and on his toes feeding animals, watching over birthing ewes, researching maladies and sheep obstetrics, and more. He is feeling so much better physically after the hip replacement surgeries of the past two years. It is fantastic to see him bending over, picking up hay, and actually thinking towards the future about how he can keep this all going so his body doesn't fail him. I'm hoping he makes some good choices but you know men -- can't tell them anything! 

He is really enjoying watching the sheep farming videos by Sandi Brock in Canada. She has a YouTube channel which has 101,000 subscribers. Evidently many people are interested in sheep farming. She keeps it very real and talks about all the things that happen on a farm including some of the sad and dirty parts that most on-line sheep farmers don't show on their IG feeds. I appreciate this because so much of livestock farming is so different than what the public perceives it to be or let's say wants it to be. 

We wish you a Happy and Healthy 2020 -- and beyond. 

Updates - My Farmer and Pottery

Farmer Mark had his second hip surgery last week and he is resting and recovering. He had a different procedure from the last hip replacement which is supposed to have a quicker recovery - it is called anterior as opposed to posterior. He went back to the doctor this week for a check-in and they are very happy. He is sitting and moving around with a walker. He has been on some nice easy short walks. You can only imagine the frustration he is feeling not being able to take care of his animals. Last year he discovered farming videos on YouTube and they are keeping him somewhat entertained. 

This is one of his favorite YouTube channels called FLANK. It is about British Farming and features a Mum - Sarah - being filmed by her son Rufus who comes back to the farm he grew up on. The mum is quite hilarious and I find it entertaining too. Check out their first introductory video here. 

I'm doing my best juggling the house, the family, the healing farmer, the garden and the sheep. Luckily most of the sheep are out on pasture grazing and as long as the grass holds out and they stay in, they aren't much trouble. I say that - but last week I spent an hour and half along with some neighbors getting 12 sheep back in their fencing. One ewe got her head stuck in the electronet and the rest escaped. She is fine and they all went back in eventually.  

I have been accepted into the North Quabbin Garlic And Arts Festival in Orange. MA which happens September 28 and 29th. I will be selling products of my own design - tea towels, books and whatever pottery I can get made. I have heard that it is a great event so I am super excited for it. Evidently people travel from far away to attend. I had better get busy making so that I have enough product to make a good display. 

I found this bookcase on the side of the road a couple weeks ago. It was black and looked like it had been in someone's garage or basement. I am always on the lookout for shelves for books or supplies or my pottery studio. I took it home - luckily it fit in my SUV - and painted it in this pretty green color. I've been filling it with my pottery that is waiting to be fired. 

Here are some other pieces that are waiting to be bisque fired. My kiln is a Skutt 1027 and it takes me a while to fill it. I think I have almost enough ware to fire so I will do it while The Farmer is recovering from surgery. 

Hope all is well with all of you as we head into the beginning of official summer. 

The End.....

It finally happened here in western Massachusetts - a killing frost. It was late this year and some odd bits are hanging on here and there but Monday morning when we awoke, the grass and fields outside were covered with white frost. My beautiful colorful garden is done for the year. It is such a bittersweet day - but there is always next year if you are a gardener. 

The normal gorgeous autumn color in western Massachusetts has been lacking this year. We have experienced massive amounts of rain constantly which has made haying very difficult. Mold and fungus have been rampant on the leaves of the trees and in people's homes. I do not remember another season like this. Two years ago drought, now rain rain rain. Finally the other evening when I was working in my pottery studio, I witnessed a brief glimpse of gorgeous fall color. And it was brief as the sun set onto the horizon. 

A killing frost signals the end to the growing season. It means that the sheep will soon need to be moved to their winter barns but we will wait on that as long as we can because there is still green grass growing. We have found it necessary to supplement some of the sheep with big bales of hay. They do not particularly want to eat it - they prefer green grass but if they are hungry enough they pick at it. 

When I say "we" I usually mean "The Farmer" or me but this year has been so challenging. Luckily we have a couple of Farm Angels - Jason and Ryan - who have been helping us out this year as Mark tries to get over his hip replacement surgery. Last week I had to rush him to the hospital at 5 in the morning. He was in severe pain and could barely breathe. After a day in the ER, he was admitted to the hospital with a pulmonary embolism in both lungs. He is out now and recuperating at home but he isn't able to do much at all. 

All these setbacks and so called recovery are making me think more and more about how we are going to carry on this farm this year through the winter lambing season. The shearers are supposed to come at the end of November. Mark won't be able to do anything and I'm thinking we should put it off a bit. Yes we could pay people to help but that is expensive and lambing is a tenuous time with life and death happening every day. Someone who isn't experienced with lambing would not be a lot of help. 

And so it goes at the farm. I don't want to be a downer but as you all know - everyone in the world goes through challenging times and this is one of those times for us. The only thing that is keeping me sane is the making I am doing in my pottery studio and at the sewing machine hemming tea towels and seeing my kind customers at the two farmer's markets I have been doing this year in Amherst and Northampton.

On a positive note, I have decided to again host our 4th Annual Holiday Open House here at Leyden Glen Farm on December 1/2 from 10-4. As per usual, I am doing this with some of my local artist and textile friends. I'll be posting more on that subject soon. For now - here is the flyer that I worked on yesterday. 

Summer Beginnings, New Kittens and a Request

How do you make it through the beginning of summer? There always seems like there is so much to do. The grass and vegetation is growing at an amazing rate this year. We must be having the perfect combination of moisture and hot and cold temperatures. It is hard to keep it all at bay. 

The Farmer is off to a good start on his haying. Field by field, he is working his way through the first cutting of hay. For all you non-farmers, there are usually 3 cuttings of hay off each field here in western Massachusetts. It is a race to get the first cutting done before the grass becomes mature and tough and the grass heads out (that means that there will be seed heads on each stalk).  The sheep prefer nice tender hay. This is the food they will be eating next winter. 

I have yet to get my garden tilled and ready for planting. I never start too early because it doesn't seem to matter for what I plant - sunflowers, zinnias, and annual flowers, herbs, a little bit of veggies. All those crops love the hot humid days of August and so I wait until mid to late June to get everything in. I haven't even ordered my seeds yet!

We are looking towards The Farmer's hip replacement surgery. We have been downsizing the number of sheep and lambs that we will be keeping through the summer so that it is more manageable for me - the not so good farmer. I need to find someone to help me out with the daily chores. I hope Mark heals quickly so he can at least supervise everything so I don't screw up too much. Farming is really not my thing. Gardening is. Writing is. Making is. But not farming although I am the support and help out when needed. If I were in charge of the farm, we would have about 30 sheep and that would be plenty for me. But it isn't and so we have 100's. Yes, I wrote 100's. 

I have heard from my publisher Roost Books that they would like me to rally some Amazon book reviews from my followers, friends and family. I know this is crazy of me to ask since I have been begging for direct sales myself (and boy have you delivered - I have shipped just over 300 books myself) but I'm asking. If you have time, hop on over to the Amazon page and add a review if you are enjoying Crafting A Patterned Home. Evidently books with over 50 reviews rank higher - thus sell better. If this book doesn't sell, noone will take me on for another. Thus far, the book has 3 reviews. Thanks in advance. It can be very short or more detailed if you like. 

It wouldn't be spring without kittens here at Leyden Glen Farm. Mittens has been taking great care of these sweet little babies. Julia has just begun working her socializing magic on them. At this time, they are all spoken for but thought I would share the cuteness.

Here they are playing with Rosie - the almost 6 month old. By next week, they will be running around like crazy. 

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Webs Book Event yesterday. It was great to share and meet everyone. And thanks to Amy G for organizing and Webs for hosting. They have been so supportive and kind to me over the years. 

Thanks in advance for those Amazon Reviews. Have a great week everyone! 

Sheep Shearing Video

Here's a video that Terri K took while she was helping us with shearing yesterday. You can see the three blade shearers Kevin, Doug and Jeff. The video is less than 20 seconds but gives you a look into the day. 

Read my previous post here to see more photos. 

Sheep Shearing 2017

It's been busy around the farm. We spent the past couple days shearing the sheep. We didn't exactly shear them - three blade shearers did. Our part was to get the sheep all ready and assist. It took The Farmer about a week (yes an entire week) to gather the sheep to the central location from the various grazing pastures they have been in since May. Once they were all in our wintering over location, the sheep were gathered into the greenhouse barn. They were sorted - we don't shear the lambs - only the ewes and rams. 

Kevin Ford has sheared our sheep for almost 30 years. Isn't that amazing? Kevin is a blade shearer and has been in many international sheep shearing competitions. Besides that he is a super nice man. This year he brought two friends with him. Jeff Burchstead came from Maine. Doug Rathke came from Minnesota. Both Doug and Jeff wanted to spend time with Kevin practicing their blade shearing techniques. Normally they shear with electric shears. 

Here they are after finishing up. From left to right - Jeff, Doug, and Kevin

It was a busy couple days. We had help from our friend Terri Kerner and a new farm helper Andrea. Sorry that I don't have more photos of them. The Farmer, Terri and Andrea caught sheep to pass off to the shearers. Terri, Andrea and I picked up wool, skirted it, bagged it and cleaned up the plywood for the shearers. 

In the past we have sheared in the summer. This year we switched it up so that the sheep have less wool on them at lambing time in January. The blade shearers leave a bit of wool on the animals so that they can stay warm. It grows back remarkably fast. 

I am really glad it is over for another year. The ewes and rams look in good condition going into the winter - well-fed and happy. 

Enjoy the photos. I'm sorry I won't have a lot of time to field questions - I am getting ready for our Open House and my family arrives for Thanksgiving next week. Busy time of year for all! 

Ewes waiting to be shorn

Jeff shearing a ram

Doug with a ewe patiently waiting

Kevin Ford - the pro

Kevin's toolbox

Jeff with The Farmer and Terri in the background

The line-up of 3 blade shearers - Jeff, Doug and Kevin

The Farmer watching

On top of ye olde manure pile

After their haircuts - happy to be lighter and picking around for grass

November

November has arrived. I don't know about you but it is always a shock when the leaves are almost gone from the trees and the landscape turns a shade of gray - almost overnight. We had some massive wind and rains here over the past week. (We didn't lose power but many people in this part of New England and beyond have been without for several days.) It has finally gotten cold - which is just about right for this time of year. When I go outside, I smell the scent of wood fires and decomposing leaves. Everything about this time of year causes changes. The time, the amount of time I spend outside, the thoughts about what I am going to do and accomplish this coming winter, the clothing I need to wear, getting the farmhouse ready for winter and the upcoming holiday season.....

BTW - I've set the dates for our 3rd Annual Holiday Open House - December 2 and 3. More info to come on that soon. Would love to see some of you here. 

On the farm, we will be shearing the sheep within the next couple weeks. It's a big job and I am dreading it. Kevin Ford is coming with his blade shears and he is bringing two other blade shearers with him. It will take two days. The good thing is we will know how many ewes we have going into winter. We have checked with our vet to make sure the sheep will be okay and she said they will be fine. The late shearing will help The Farmer see the body condition of the ewes easier than if they had a full fleeces. He will be able to adjust their feed if needed. Less wool on the ewes will also make it easier for the lambs that arrive in January to nurse from their mothers. 

I'm a bit nervous about being the only one to bag up all the wool. Anyone want to help? It's a long day and very physical but it is an experience you will never forget. Contact me through my email address kristinnicholas AT gmail DOT com.

Lately the mornings have been very foggy. The fog can put a damper on the mood around here but it sure is gorgeous. The photos in this post are from a few mornings here on the farm. When I look at them, they remind me of the colors in Scotland. It will take a while to get used to the new colors that are outside. By March I will be ready for them to be done. I'll just have to create with color inside while it is gray outside. 

I'm making some plans for winter making after the holiday season is over. Do you have any?