Puppies

Hero and Heidi went on a walk with me.  Joy took a couple rictures as we went by the house. 

Cowpeas Versus Bahiagrass

The cowpeas we planted earlier are growing nicely.  The recent rains are helping, the soil was getting pretty dry from the 3 weeks, or so, of no rain.

However, there were some swaths that I missed when spraying herbicide to kill the bahiagrass.   In those swaths where the bahiagrass is still active, the cowpeas are struggling. 

This missed swath is in the chain link fence area of the west blueberry field. 

Orchids Under Lights

Joy's indoor orchid project is producing some nice results. This setup is in what we call the "old house".

This flower is quite spectacular.

It is located on the main table under the big LED grow light.

On this shelf rack, LED "shop lights" illuminate each  shelf.

Puppy Update

Puppies, Hero and Heidi, are up in the 50 to 60 pound range now.

Hero

Heidi 

Can you find Heidi in this picture?

I assembled this shelter when the puppies arrived, the 55-gallon drum was supposed to be a special place for them, but they never went in it.

Recently, I couldn't find Heidi, she was sleeping in the drum.  She eventally, after alot of calling, woke up and came to eat.  After eating, I followed her as she went back and crawled into the drum.

At first she was hanging out a bit.

Then she pulled herself all the way in.

Update, 2019-06-10.  Today I worked through the flock with Hero and Heidi, checking eye color, deworming as necessary, collecting fecal samples so Joy can do parasite egg counts, and weighing each sheep.  Also weighed Hero, 67 lbs, and Heidi, 60 lbs.

Cats

Striker and Charcoal enjoy sitting in the wire mesh chairs on hot days.

It's unusual for Charcoal to permit Striker to lay so close to him.

It's even more unusual for Leo to hang out with the other cats.

South Fence Line

This past weekend Jeffrey and I used the post driver to put in all the wood posts (6 - 7 inch diameter) That are needed along the south side of the Coast Electric Field.   I lost count, but it was something like 25 posts.  This is remarkable, never would have happened the old way.  This particular fence line runs along the right of way for the electric lines (hence the field name), their maintenance tractors have rutted the soil and in spots it is boggy and impassable.  But we caught a dry spell and were able to get our equipment in, and with the post driver rapidly put in all the needed posts.  Now even if it gets wet, we can work around the soft spots and get the fence finished. 

Blueberry Time

Blueberry season has come and is pretty much gone already.   It has been a short and early season for us.  The flowers bloomed early and then we had a hard frost that killed many of them.  I've worked through most of the bushes, not picking every last ripe berry, but getting a most of the reachable ones.  This year I picked 18 1-gallon pails/bags.  Contrast to last year where I picked over 40.  It good to maintain a good supply in the freezer to see us through lean years. 

Post Driver

Some assembly required. 

About a week ago, Monday, I started putting our newpost driver together.   We have a contract with the NRCS to install fence that will encircle what we are now calling the Coast Electric Field, about 18 acres.   A bunch of wood posts need to be installed, for end brace assemblies as well as every 100 ft along the fence line.   So we got this post driver to help.

It's heavy, the backhoe provided overheadlifting support.

It has hydraulic control for plumbing the driver up.

The first test post.

Installed.  Very easy.  Beats drilling a hole and back filling and tamping sand around a post.

Ewe Flock; Rams Done

The sheep finished with the grass in the Mid Pinelands field, so Sunday afternoon we trailed them back to the arch barn area.  I called them from the front; Jeffrey followed them to keep them moving.   It only took about 20 minutes to walk/run them across the farm.  We were both in ATVs, the sheep had to hoof it.

This is a forage end photo with Kratos,  Anneika and the sheep in the background.  The tall bunches of grass is big bluestem;  the sheep ate at its edges, but did not flatten it like they did on the bahia grass. 

He we are in the holding pens behind the arch barn. 

Early Monday morning, I got up to beat the 95 degree heat expected.   Here the sheep are gathered in the alleyway leading to the squeeze tub.   While gathered here, I dosed them with fly spray  (the flies have been bad), the ran them through the chutes to separate out the rams.  The rams, having done their job get to go on vacation now.