Flu Season

It's flu season here. I did get my flu shot, but some virus or other seems to have knocked me on my backside, and I'm tired and achey and my stomach hurts, although it doesn't ever seem to object more loudly than a stubborn ache and a vague queasiness (for which I am grateful).

I have, however, finally come up with a herbal tea that seems to ease the stomach cramping and queasiness. I'm not a doctor, I don't play one on TV, and all I know about the herbs I'm using I have discovered from various books and other sources so ... this is just a description of what has worked for me. For heaven's sake, if you have food sensitivities, strong plant allergies (hay fever), or are pregnant or nursing, do not try any sort of unknown foods or herbal remedies - that's just plain common sense. Now, for the rest of us, who have had enough Pepto for the day and want to try something else, here's the recipe:

• 3 parts yarrow flowers
• 2 parts calendula blossoms
• 2 or 3 rose hips
• a generous sprinkling of powdered ginger, or a chunk of ginger root
• a very slight sprinkling of dill

Steep all that in boiling water, strain, and add as much honey as you need to make it taste okay (it's not bad, but it's not anything you'd drink just for the flavour), and drink about a cup of it. Yarrow needs to be used in moderation, so probably no more than 3 or 4 cups in a day, but I find that one in the morning, one at lunch and one at dinner seems to really help.

Yarrow grows wild here, as do wild roses, so we are able to harvest those ingredients quite readily from the land around us. The calendula that I grew last summer was an amazing success, so we have plenty of that now as well. Dill is on the list of things to grow this summer ... but ginger .. hmm, I don't think that even grows in this climate. I'll have to do some research, I do enjoy it and it'd be a great addition to the garden (if it's possible, that is!).

And the winner is ...

We had to do a random selection from the names submitted ... we just couldn't decide!

The random number generator turned up ... Elvis!

Elvis is doing very well, although I think he is impatient for the other lambs to show up ... he was chasing the chickens the other day. :)

Lambing Season

The Icelandic sheep are very seasonal breeders, meaning that they generally time things so that lambs arrive close to Easter. The Columbia and Hampshires, though, are nowhere near as particular - probably because they hail from Great Britain where spring comes a good deal earlier and when it does arrive, it's really not all that much different from winter ... unlike spring in Iceland ... or Canada for that matter. Regardless, the Columbia and Hampshire sheep tend to lamb earlier in the year, although they're not quite as hardy in the cold as the Icelandics are.

If we were sufficiently organized and had adequately sturdy fences, we would keep the rams away from the ewes in the fall in order to time the arrival of lambs in the spring. While we did make an attempt at this last fall, our fences proved to be inadequate barriers to the determined efforts of the rams who sensed ewes in dire need of their services and did all they could to address the situation.

The first result arrived this morning, in the midst of a (thankfully) very warm spell we've been having.

He is a lovely large ram lamb, born to our purebred Columbia ewe (the biggest sheep we have here), and it looks like he was fathered by our Southdown ram, most likely (look at that little smile, that's a very Southdown grin). He arrived some time in the night with no noise from the dogs, no fuss from the sheep, and no intervention from the humans. The Boy found him when he went out to feed the sheep this morning ... this little guy was up and walking around, chasing his mama around the pasture quite happily. That's a great way to start lambing season!

This year is an "E" year, meaning all the lambs will get names that start with E. This little one hasn't got a name yet ... please give us some name suggestions in the comments, for him, and for the others still to come!

The Competence Project

Like it or not, there are some things you just have to learn how to do yourself.

Today, I learned how to change a tire.

As I pulled out of the parking lot at work, I noticed a very unpleasant thumping sound from the back of the vehicle. I pulled into the nearest safe driveway, the hospital entrance, and got out to take a look: sure enough, the back tire was squished totally flat.

There was no driving on it, not even the two blocks to the tire place. I phoned home and The Reluctant Farmer told me where to find the necessary equipment in the back of the car, and gave me the basic instructions. I made an attempt to undo the bolts, and there was no way they would budge. In frustration I phoned AMA to come rescue me, and went inside to use the hospital's public loo.

Sitting in the car, waiting for the AMA guys to arrive, I thought "this is boring." So, I got out the tools again and gave the bolts another try ... this time, they moved! A few more attempts and everything was loosened. I got the lift under the frame in the spot marked by the little bites out of the metal (also helpfully indicated on the diagram on the jack itself), and little by little, up it went. The wheel came off, the car rolled off the jack, and at that point I remembered that I was supposed to have put the emergency brake on. Did that, put the jack back under, and got the spare tire attached.

I called AMA to cancel the call and the lady at the other end said "way to go, girl!" :)

I drove home slowly, knowing that the bolts were not necessarily on all that tight and that spare tires don't really appreciate highway speeds, and received the hearty congratulations of my family as well.

It seems a small thing, I am sure, to anyone who has done it before. Still, never having done this, it was a bit scary at first. Knowing the AMA guys would be there if I couldn't solve the problem myself helped give me the courage to make an attempt, and the boredom of the wait gave me incentive to succeed.

So, that's one more thing I can say I know how to do.

Caleb

The new puppy finally told us his name: he is Caleb.

Caleb means 'devoted companion', according to some of the baby name lists I have seen. Caleb was the guy who helped Moses during the Exodus, along with Aaron and Joshua. Our Caleb seems to be the calm level headed sort (well, for a puppy...) and the name just seems to fit.

Besides, when you holler it across the pasture it's got good enunciation and doesn't sound at all like Bob or Mac. :)

He's adapting quite well to our routines - he plays like mad then crashes and sleeps ... and then he's up and at it again. He is not at all food-insane like so many dogs, he is friendly to absolutely everyone, and he is really interested in all the animals but hasn't chased any of them yet. He has an understandable desire to play with any wool I leave lying around, which we are working on ... but really, he is about as good and calm a puppy as one could hope for.

He is figuring out the potty training thing, adapting quite well to the crate, given how little time he actually has to spend in it, and overall, fitting in nicely. We are glad we have him. :)

A farm dog

At some point working with livestock, you start to realize that a lot of things might be easier with a four footed helper. We have friends whose dog can be sent out to round up the horses and bring them in, and have watched dogs keep sheep from going through gates at a word from their owners. I've seen dogs follow their people around, just happy to be with them, and happy to do as they are asked when a job shows up for them to do.

Now, a dog like that takes a lot of training and work and love. But then, you get a lot of love and companionship in return, as well as the practical help.

Since Duggan went over the Rainbow Bridge, we've been missing an inside dog. Well, okay, some of us have been missing an inside dog ... The Reluctant Farmer is pretty reluctant to have dog hair in the house again, and I can see his point. But, The Reluctant Farmer is also pretty reluctant to spend any more time than necessary chasing stubborn livestock, so, he's been convinced that a farm dog would be a good thing for us.

Besides, as much as we love Bob and Mac, a dog that lives in the house and plays with the kids (without knocking them over inadvertently) is something we'd all really enjoy.

So ... I started looking. We wanted a dog with one of the herding breeds as part of it's genetic makeup but balanced with something a little more laid back, in an effort to reduce the intense herding need that some working dogs have.

Today, we found him.

This is our as-yet-unnamed 8 week old puppy. He is half lab, one quarter border collie and one quarter heeler. His mother is the collie/heeler and very friendly. The puppy has been very well taught by his littermates and previous owners not to nip and seems very quiet and happy.

He cried for about a minute and a half when I put him in the crate to drive home ... then quit and went to sleep. Once we got home, he wagged his tail at everyone, wandered around the house, followed us, sat on our laps, snoozed with The Reluctant Farmer for a bit, and managed to go to the bathroom outside!

He is, understandably, pretty wrung out with all the changes. He is tucked into a crate at the moment and resting fairly quietly. He cried for several minutes when we put him in, but we moved the crate so he can see us and he seems to have relaxed. Of course, it is all very stressful when your littermates are suddenly gone, and you can hear big dogs barking outside, and everything smells weird.

It's been a long time since I was involved in puppy training, but I do remember what all is involved ... and this little sweet heart certainly shows all the signs of being worth the trouble.

Now we just have to find out what his name is. :)

You know it's going to be a bad night when ...

... your cold is so bad that your own snoring wakes you up.