Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Steady progress

It has been crazy here since the move. All the animals are comfortable and we are happy to be in the rental house so close to them but life has not let up. We have been busy getting all the bank and contractor “stuff” done so we can get building the new house. I have been siding the barn, moving sheep and taking care of the other animals. There always seems to be more to do that I could ever get done (Mack has been in CT with his mother for the month of July so I am a one man band, he is a great worker and I miss his help). I figure as long as I keep my work focused I will continually make forward progress. The grass is really growing well.
I have been moving the sheep around forcing them to eat the stump re-growth. I have been confining them to small areas and broadcasting more seed before putting them on a new spot. There little feet do a great job working the seed into the ground and I have been surprised at how fast the new grass and clover starts to grow.
One really great thing that has happened is I was able to get a guard dog for the sheep. The coyotes around here are pretty active. You can hear them talking to each other right on our property. I really lucked out when one of my friends (Jocelyn B) found an ad for a free livestock guard dog (LGD). I spent bunch of time learning about them and what makes a good LGD. The short story is he is working out wonderfully. I am so relieved to have him out there with the sheep.
I have posted a bunch of pictures, just a sampling of what is going on. If all goes well we should be breaking ground for the new house in a few weeks.