Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Fall is in the air... time to shift gears

This morning we woke to temperatures in the mid 40's. That's a sure sign that our first frost isn't far behind. Average first frost comes anytime now, as the old-timers talk of August frosts that leave the tomatoes green and corn not yet ripe.

In 2005 the first frost came August 30 and in 2006, it came close on Aug 28 and finally got us in mid-September.

Bev and I got the sheep feeder moved, and the panels removed. Tonight, the sheep (and I) should both be much happier. They'll be able to reach their food, and I won't get alfalfa leaves in places unmentionable.

You can see in this first photo how we placed the feeder between two fence panels on an east/west line. Once we placed the wire panels, it was like a wind tunnel. The wind blows primarily from the south or west for most of the year, and with the hay laying on top of the panels... it was at the mercy of the wind.

We've moved the feeder adjacent to the gate and on more of a north/south line. Removing the panels will let the sheep reach their hay with no problem. I really don't expect they'll get hay all over the backs of their heads and necks, either. Until we have lambs, this setup should work fine.

Since fall is coming, we have to ensure that what can ripen or mature, will do so. I pulled the sugar snap pea plants today, harvesting as I was going. Most of the hulls were sunburned, so I took the time to shell them... ummmm, fresh, hot, buttered peas for dinner. Now the cucumbers will have more room, since the peas were crowding them.

As you can see, we'll have some nice onions, but doubt if the corn will make it. It's just now tasseling and I haven't seen any little ears yet. We have a pumpkin on the vine. Of course, it will do ok in the first frost.

I heard Mom say she ate the only ripe tomato we have... and Bev told her that would be the last of that... you're supposed to bring things into the house first.

Bev got my skirting table done, so looks like now it's time to finish off the rest of the fleeces. I still have four or so fleeces that I've not looked at. Hope they stand up like they should.

The market lambs are being advertised on Craigslist. If we can sell them privately, we'll make a little more money than at the auction. So far, I'm running the ad in the St. George area, and will expand it to Las Vegas, as there's a huge ethnic market there.

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Posted by Shari Thomas @ 2:02 PM

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Oye...feeder issues! Tell me about it. I've been pondering this winter's feeding myself and considered those 4" holes as well. If nothing else, at least we can grumble together, eh?

Posted by Blogger Tracey @ August 21, 2007 at 10:00 PM #
 

Hello Shari,
I just wanted to leave you a comment. I really enjoy reading your blog.
It's funny all the things we have in common. Your blog is a great read!

Dora Renee' Wilkerson

Posted by Blogger Dora Renee Wilkerson @ September 4, 2007 at 5:37 AM #
 
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