This Is The Farm Blog

Last entry I babbled about the temps hitting minus 10. Then - they hit minus 21.  That's right, negative 21 degrees.....On the same day I contracted some boola-boola virus flu thing and went home early from B&P - and found two near frozen lambs just born. And with the flu - all the symptoms you can possibly imagine....worse than you can imagine...and this from a person who gets the flu - oh - never - it was bad......two preemie lambs, one blow dryer a bathroom, the flu - gads. One lamb lived and at a whopping 5lbs is as loud and bold as a little one can be. I lived too...its up 40 degrees today - FORTY DEGREES WARMER TODAY....what the....???

Posted by jackie at 08:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Oh boy its cold out there. I arrived home today, parked the van, transferred to the truck and drove down the slippery slope to the house. About an hour in, I realized I forgot my PC in the van and it will freeze. I asked Rich to get it and he was like 'oh man I can't believe you're asking me to do that, you gotta be kidding...I'm not going out there." So I begin my negotiations....Please, please...he says he has to feed the lambs. And I then tells me he'll go get the PC if I feed and check in on the lambs. To which I agree because I am frozen and stupid. All he has to do is drive his car to my car, get a bag and return.....stupid..

 So off I go barreling down the hill with a bucket and two bottles. And it is really, really cold out there. Holy cold - wow.

Posted by jackie at 09:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Wake up. brush teeth. Coffee. Shower. Dry Hair - so it doesn't freeze, not for cosmetic reasons. Drive to store...where we now pack for our CSA customers. In the comfort of HEAT - unlike prior years in the "clean room" of the shed at 25 degrees with big mittens.

Arrive at work, there's STAFF members there! People that work at B&P help with the CSA packing now - its a ritual, everyone enjoys it....They're getting to know names, and how to pronounce names....except for the Polish names - no one really tries which is ironic since Rich's last name is  HORBAZAWICICWICKWEEEEESKIII - Oh shit how do you say that? .........or whatever someone makes up on the fly. We have fun. They help load my van. I drive away and go all the way to Chicago (which  has a very glamorous feel, if I do say so myself)

 And almost always, except last month, I get there on time. Where I connect with more people to help, Jeannie and Julie. Jeannie actually helps. Julie sort of waits for her baby to arrive - which I suppose is okay given that its supposed to be any day now. What's my point here? I've almost forgotten. Oh, then there's a customer that shows up two weeks early - which is fine - we sort it out and we've got enough to fulfill his share. His first time meeting the big white van and pee wee farmer. Not sure if he's expecting pot or his meat share....that's an inside joke. And the snow is barreling down - as always. This is great - underground food...respectable way to make a living...all I needed.....

Back to the tundra now...

Posted by jackie at 08:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Off to work I am today tending the local foods grocery we adopted in Beloit. The day starts with me waking up to the sound of lambs screaming for food. Rich at present has three bottle babies and at about 4:30am they start looking for food. I heard an extra and expected there was a new baby. So I slid down the ice covered hill. Well - it is more like skipping and skiing all in one. Once you get going, you can't stop. So I plummet down the hill and find three wee ones running a muck looking for Rich and his bottles....They've snuck out. They glom on to me and baaaa baaa baaaaaaaaa under my coat that looks like a sleeping bag. Looking for udders, they were.....and so I search for the baby sheep I know is new. I find her baaaaaaaa-ing away and her Mum turned upside down. Stuck.

Mum has been turning upside down for about a week and a half now. This isn't all that normal but it happens. She was top heavy. So me and my sleeping bag coat and a pink down mitten and a brown knit glove 'right' her...She's thrilled to be on her feet and immediately takes care of the wee one.

Up hill is much easier....momentum is gone when you're climbing up hill -so off I go to work.....

Life on the farm.

Posted by jackie at 09:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)