I read that Ernest Hemingway, before sitting to write a new novel, would spend hours peeling oranges and gazing into the fire. He said he was preparing his soul to write. No wonder he was such a good writer. I think I should get some oranges and try this.
Meanwhile, let's see what comes out after eating popcorn. I do have a nice warm fire to look into. Today seemed very cold. I think the temperature only got to about 35 or 36 degrees. The day started out at 17 or so. The animals don't seem to mind as long as they have good food to eat.
I put extra straw in the run and plunged in the geese water bucket. I put up the winter panels on the chicken coop. I made sure the heater was working in the sheep water trough. The other night when it was windy as well, I closed the doors on the north side of the barn. I guess we are ready for winter.
I am SO glad I am not hauling buckets of hot water from the house to the barn like the first winter.
When I was first starting out as a sheep farmer, I read forums where others were also raising sheep. All I remember were the accounts of women in Montana or Minnesota with sick sheep hundreds of miles from a vet with howling wind and below freezing temperatures. Maybe that is why I haven't gone back to that forum in years.
I need to check in with my neighbor who just got 3 goats. He is new to farming and was converting an old shed into a goat barn. I hope he got most of that project done, Karen says goats don't like the cold or is it just cold rain and snow? He has a wife and four kids and a dog so I guess a few goats in the house wouldn't be too bad. He has a fine chicken coop but I am not sure where the pigs hang out in the cold. Ah, winter farming.
I want to build a solar heater for the fiber shed. From what I have read, they do work, and I need a new project. Oh, but I am not finished with the woven bird house and I am doing a quilt sample, with multi textures using wool as well as cotton, for a talk at a local quilting group meeting in January. But I did finish Lyndy's couch (picture soon). And if I got the fiber shed warmer, I could do more projects out there instead of bringing them into the house. I do like my spinning wheel in the house for the winter but any more than that makes too much clutter.
I love winter but it does take a few days like we have had this week to get me ready.
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3 months ago
Goats especially don't like cold and wet but they can handle cold if they have plenty of hay and shelter from the wind. I always tell myself people raise goats in much colder climates than VA and that makes me feel better. It's interesting having one sheep now and comparing him to the goats. He doesn't mind the rain at all like they do but he still wants to be near them.
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