Monday Dose of Cute: Hangin' with the Big Dogs

This is a low maintenance time of year with the sheep. Breeding season is over, lambing season won't start for another three months (which I know will go by in a flash, it always does), and there's still enough good food out in the pastures so that we don't have to do any supplemental feeding. We're behind trimming hooves, but we're always behind trimming hooves.

If the weather and the grass hold out, we may not have to start feeding any of our homegrown organic hay until winter, which would be really nice. In another few weeks we'll separate out the 15 bred ewes (including the two that I'm afraid aren't pregnant since they were seriously flirting it up with Da Big Guy the other day) and start giving them a daily ration of grain to make sure they're consuming enough calories to sustain the twins and triplets that are probably growing inside most of them. This past lambing season we ended up with 19 live lambs from 9 mamas, and not a single single.

For now, though, the entire flock is fat and happy and living together (minus our ram, Da Big Guy, and his buddy Teddy) with their guard dogs, Daisy and Marta, out in the securely fenced, big front field. This means peace of mind for us, and an easier job for the dogs, since they don't have to worry about any of their sheep wandering off in search of better snacks.

Twice a day I head out front to count and check on everyone and visit with the dogs (and maybe do a little sheep snuggling too). Lately the flock has been resting at the very far end of the field, but I don't mind the hike. With the lovely weather and beautiful autumn color we've been having, this is definitely one of the most enjoyable parts of my day. And it's always more fun when Bear and Bert come along with me.

18 more photos below. . .

Friday Dose of Farm Dog Cute

Have some good clean fun this weekend.

More Bear? Here.

More Topaz? Here.

© FarmgirlFare.com, thoroughly washed—and less terrifying than it looks.

Friday Dose of Cute: Have a Happy Weekend.

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Friday Dose of Cute: Hot Dogs Chillin' Out

We've had over 11½ inches of rain in the past two weeks. I can hear raindrops pattering on the metal roof above my head as I type (one of the best sounds ever), and there are more thunderstorms in the forecast through Tuesday. This never happens in summer. This never happens at all. It's been wonderful. And weird.

The rosemary and lavender plants are very unhappy about their soggy feet (they're now covered with vented plastic laundry baskets in an attempt to keep them from getting any wetter), the 20 tomato plants are looking sicklier by the day, the cherry tomatoes (the only ripe tomatoes in the garden so far) are all cracking, and a lot of rain has fallen inside the leaky Shack, but otherwise things are so far pretty much fine, which is actually kind of a miracle. A lot of places are flooding.

We're thrilled that the hayfield and grazing pastures are getting so much rain after the beating they took during last year's horrendous drought. It's the middle of summer and there's still plenty out there for the sheep and donkeys to eat, with more grass growing up every day. It's hard to believe the farm looked like this last August.

On the way home from an 8-hour errand running trip to town on Tuesday, we stopped to buy 10 pounds of heirloom tomatoes and have a little visit with one of our Amish neighbors. We talked about guinea hens, growing herbs, and of course this crazy weather. I think she figured it out: "We're getting all of last year's rain this year."

As long as we aren't getting next year's rain, that's just fine.

The best part? Our beloved wet weather creek, which usually only runs for a few weeks each year during the winter and/or spring, is swooshing crisp, cool water through the farm during the heat of summer.

10 more photos below. . .

Wednesday Dose of Cute: The Next 30 Days of Yoga Session Starts July 8th!

Get happy, do yoga (no mat required).

Have you been wanting to try yoga, or wishing you could establish (or restablish) a regular yoga practice at home? Marianne Elliott's 30 Days of Yoga: A Lifetime of Well-Being brings the benefits of a yoga class into your own home, and it works. I've taken the course twice, and it really did change my life.

The next session begins July 8th, and registration is open now.

Marianne is an author (her book, Zen Under Fire: How I Found Peace in the Midst of War, was just released in the U.S.), yoga teacher, courage cultivator, and human rights advocate and consultant, as well as a former human rights lawyer in New Zealand and a United Nations peacekeeper in Afghanistan. She created 30 Days of Yoga for herself because she struggled with her own home yoga practice, and her approach is grounded in a radical form of self-kindness.

30 Days of Yoga is a lovingly crafted online course to help you develop and sustain a home yoga practice that adds self-care, kindness, and a greater sense of well-being to your daily life.

There are three different 30 Days of Yoga courses to choose from: the standard version (which I did), one for total beginners, and one for people who think they're too busy to do yoga. The standard version lets you choose from several different yoga practices to suit your needs and goals.

Each course includes daily e-mails and weekly podcasts from Marianne, plus additional special practices, access to a special course site, and an e-book containing all the written materials from the course.

You'll find plenty of support and encouragement (and meet some really neat people from around the world) in the private 30 Days of Yoga Facebook group, which you can remain a part of after you finish the course. You can also request a personal yoga buddy for the 30 days (I'm still good friends with mine).

All the details, including a link to three free sample videos (the yoga for bloggers is wonderful!) are here.

Marianne says that a little bit of yoga every day will not only keep you well, it will also help you stay clear, connected, and courageous—all qualities you need to do your great work in the world. I totally agree. 30 Days of Yoga might be exactly what you need. I know it was for me.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where, as demonstrated here and here, yoga is for everybody.

Friday Dose of Cute: Have a Happy Weekend.

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Wordless Thursday Dose of Cute

More roosters? Here.
More Lucky Buddy Bear? Here.
More wordless cute? Here and here.

© FarmgirlFare.com

Lucky Buddy Bear, Ace Cattle Dog

It's hard to believe that our beloved Lucky Buddy Bear turned eleven years old this month. He's been suffering from some age-related hormone issues (aren't we all?) that we're still trying to get figured out, and he is slowly losing his eyesight, but for the most part he's doing well. The vet couldn't believe how good his teeth looked.

Bear is half English Shepherd and half Australian Shepherd, which are both excellent stock dog breeds. When Bear was still a little cub, we bought a book called something like How To Train Your Stock Dog Even if He's Smarter than You Are. After reading the first couple of chapters we gave the book to Bear.

It has been so amazing to see the natural instincts our different farm dogs possess. Bear simply knows what to do, just like Daisy and Marta, our two livestock guardian dogs, know to protect their flock. Two different types of dogs, two completely different jobs. And then of course there's Beagle Bert. Nobody had to teach him to head off after a rabbit.

Even though Bear has never been formally trained as a stock dog, he does remarkably well. He helps with everything from rounding up chickens and herding sheep to keeping the donkeys (and sheep) from attacking you when you're holding the treat bucket. He's also an excellent guard dog, often staying up all night warning off coyotes and monsters.

He's far from perfect (probably because we never trained him), and there have been plenty of times over the years when he's done exactly the opposite of what we wanted him to, but he's always been more of a help than a hindrance. And what a big personality. I can't imagine the last eleven years without him.

Despite having no experience with cows except for being around the freezer steers we raise two at a time every few years, Bear was in top form recently when a hungry mama and three bad little calves escaped from the neighbor's pasture into our (obviously much tastier) hayfield.

15 more photos below. . .