Farm notes...........

Happy holidays everyone ~ I hope you are enjoying the festivities of the season as we are here at Tylerfarm.  The temp outside feels like winter but our ground is bare of snow.  We are hoping Sunday nights storm brings us a little white stuff to add to the feeling of Christmas :)  Below is a photo of our lovely tree.  We enjoyed a great family evening on this Wednesday past decorating it and reminiscing about our ornaments, especially those when the boys were back in kindergarten!  Such fond memories :)

No matter what time of year it is or what's going in any of our lives, new life springs forth here at the farm when the time is right.  On December 7, one of our first time heifers, Hope, gave birth to our sweet new addition, Harriett.  Harriett is a black angus/red angus and will spend her days on the farm, hopefully producing beautiful little replicas of herself.  Hope delivered her while I was at work and all was well when I arrived home.  I was thrilled and relieved to see all was well!

On another happy note, I have been fortunate to land a job at a local health care organization.  I have been there for a few weeks now.  I enjoy the commute, the people I work with are great, the organization treats their employees exceptionally well and the job security is fantastic.  I am enjoying being part of the public work force again.  The security is a great feeling but it also allows me to continue to plan for the farm and the farm shop which will both continue to grow and flourish.

That's my newsy update for now.  I wish you all the happiest of holiday seasons.  I hope to catch up more often now that life is settling into more of a routine.  I hope you are all well and happy!

Thanks for still checking in on us here at Tylerfarm.

Deb and the gang ~  

In honor of all our Veterans..........my sincere thanks ~

Heroes

By Jared Jenkins

In war, there are lives risked and lives taken

Men and women giving their best to defend what they love

They defend their country

Their honor

Their people

Some call them soldiers

Others call them heroes

Our veterans have risked their lives for us

They have lived through hell and fought with honor

Many have killed

And regret doing so

For every life, there is a soul

For every soul, there is a life

For those who have died, we show great appreciation and remembrance

For those who live, along with them live the horrific memories of battle

Some, memories of defeat

Some, memories of victory

Our veterans were more than soldiers

They were, and still are heroes

A new season, a new start..........

(

Fall has arrived here in the Northeast.  The leaves went from green to beautiful reds, oranges and yellows and have now turned brown and are covering our fields and forests.  The sky was very ominous today, Mother nature not being able to decide if it wanted to rain or just make us wonder.  The winds have been gusty and it smells like winter isn't far behind.  I love the changing of the seasons and this year it's especially poignant for me.
Personally, I'm at the beginning of a new season as well.  Suffice to say, my 19 year marriage did not survive a long distance work relationship and I find myself single again.  It's been a very strange, emotional few months but the healing has begun and I have so many new and wonderful things to look forward to as well as so many things to be thankful for and believe me, I am!

(We have a new farm sign!  My friend Luke, handcrafted the letters out of used work horse shoes for me.  Thank you Luke - it's awesome!!)

I have given my long range plans a lot of thought regarding the farm and though I have downsized and turned things around somewhat, Tylerfarm is still going strong and will continue as long as I stay healthy and enjoy it. Our sheep flock has gone from 60 to 10 with a new ram on his way here.  Sometimes businesses grow so fast that it spins out of control and becomes so much work, it's not a joy anymore.  That's where I was at.  Now I am back to where a few lambies in the spring will be as exciting as it used to be, not a worrisome burden as it can be  when you have 40 babies in a matter of a few days.  Our fiber, roving and yarns will be better because sometimes doing less and doing it better really makes a huge difference.

(My pumpkin eating sheep :)

In other farm news, the 9 piglets that we raised have all gone to the butcher and then to the customers who ordered them.  I like to raise them and having piglets for the first time was awesome but I'm always glad when they are gone.  When they weigh 250 lbs, they are a little unnerving!  I did keep one of the sow piglets, Daisy, and we will raise her and breed her to have a litter of piglets in the spring.  I won't raise 9 again at one time but will do a few for special customers that I have.

I have also been interviewing for a full time off the farm job.  I have worked with a vocational councilor on my resume and I have to say 30 years of working and life experience looks great on two sheets of paper!  I interviewed last Thursday and have another at our local hospital on Tuesday.  I am looking forward to going back to work, being in a social environment during the day and having the farm and my wonderful family to come home to everyday.
I have  been teaching classes for our local Adult Ed program and will do more during the winter semester.  I have been approached to teach at another school as well.  It's terrific that people are becoming so conscious regarding their food and wanting to learn to produce more of it for themselves and I love being able to help them do that.    I feel so blessed to be able to share what I have learned in my life with others.

(I never tire of driving down our driveway - I leave my troubles at the end of the road)

I'm going to keep my shop open on Saturdays.  We will continue to have beef and lamb as well as eggs and roving, yarns, sheep skins and hand crafted gifts for sale.  I'm adding new kits and other items as time permits.  A HUGE thank you to all of my customers who have continued to shop with us during the last few months of chaos.  I appreciate all of you!

(A festive gift from a friend - Thank you Anita! )

........and thanks to all of you who continue to read the blog, even though I have been in hiding lately.  I hope to find the time to be here more often and share what's going on around the farm.

~Happy Autumn to you all ~

It's been awhile ~

It's been so long since I've had a chance to post, we have gone from summer to autumn!  Our foliage season here in the Northeast has already passed it's peak and it's starting to look drab.  Certainly looks and feels like October.  I am enjoying the cooler temps and we are having our fall rains.  We really needed them.  
Life has been changing in leaps and bounds at the farm. Good changes are coming around, including this surprise litter of bunnies.  11 little hoppers showed up unexpectedly.  Even though I'm supposed to be cutting back on animals, I brought home two rabbits for Sarah.  One of them had five babies with her, about 5 weeks old.  I had no idea the doe was re-bred!! Oh well, it was a happy surprise and they are well loved.  We will find good homes for them when they are old enough to leave their Mom.  Anyone want a bunny?

I hope all is well where you are.  I do read all your blogs when time permits.  Hopefully I can get back here more often.   Have a nice day everyone!!

Where to start?

This blog post has been a long time coming...........just haven't known where to jump in and begin.  I really don't believe in endings - simply new beginnings.   My life and life on the farm is changing in some big ways.  Good ways....exciting things to come for our entire family.

I've spent the last 14 months with my husband working on  an island off the coast of Maine renovating an old stone mansion school.  He was home on weekends, sometimes not even that.   While this was an interesting, once in a lifetime opportunity, it was extremely difficult for our family.  With the help of our two sons and family, we survived it although not unscathed by any means.  Separation is difficult no matter how prepared you think you are.  I've worked more hours per week than I care to count and have been doing that for a very long time.  The sacrifice was worth it......for my family but.........I'm tired. Plain and simple.  I overwintered 60 sheep last year along with a dozen head of cattle and a multitude of other farm animals. While I loved all the animals  and cherished all the joy they gave me,  I certainly do not want to spend another Maine winter like that.   This farm and what we have created here is amazing but we have come to realize it is simply too much work for one person and not only that, it's simply not necessary any more.

Our boys are busy - growing up and moving on.  The demand for fresh meats, milk & produce has diminished greatly here at home and certainly the demand is not there to warrant milking even one cow or having three gardens.  I had just one garden this year and while the harvest has been good, without rain for over a month now, it hasn't been fabulous and we STILL have more produce that we can eat, can, feed to the pigs, etc.  

So.........I am now down to just 12 sheep.  All of our pygora goats have gone to loving, new homes.  We are down to three head of cattle and a manageable amount of poultry.  Of course, the donkey is here :)  I plan to keep a half dozen finn ewes and one ram and allow them to cycle, breed and lamb on a natural schedule.  I plan to continue selling lovely finn roving and hand dyed yarns through an on-line Etsy shop along with my weaving, jewelry, etc.  We still have fresh meats in the shop as well as the above mentioned items but the shop will be closed by the end of September.  Unfortunately money is always a deciding factor in every situation.  Insurance prices keep rising and just to run the shop and liability on the farm, not animals or equipment, pricing is astronomical.  We are afraid to run the farm without it so....it's a catch 22 situation.

The changes will make the farm  manageable for me  and also give me time to pursue a different part time career off the farm.  I've been on the farm for 20 years now and feel like I'd like a little "social" time doing something interesting and making a steady pay check other than my adult ed teaching.    Not sure what direction that will take me in but it's fun and exciting just thinking about it :)  It will also give me more time to  truly enjoy the animals that do live here and enjoy the things I love to do ie., gardening, spinning, knitting, reading., etc.

School is about to start, Hubby is home and starting a new project close to home and hopefully our life will settle into a comfortable routine.  I hope the blog will resume with new and interesting topics, farming and gardening included.  Tomorrow - the tomato harvest has begins.

For those of you that still come to visit, Thank You..........I look forward to catching up with all of you  :)

It's a date!

............for this evening to go to the movies with a very special 15 year old.  He's taking time out of his busy schedule to hang with his Mom!  He's been really looking forward to seeing this movie and it's showing at the new Cinemagic theatre.  I know I'll enjoy it, just because I'm going with one of my boys.  I'll post a review tomorrow :)

A glorious summer day~

Mornings just can't get any better than this one in my book.  A beautiful sunrise, 50 degrees and no humidity!  My kind of weather.
 I started the day with an early cup of coffee, listening to the sounds of peace on the farm.  No one stirring - everyone still nestled in their places of comfort, waiting for dawn to break.  Once the sun does rise, look out.  Things change quickly!!

Most of our little goaties have gone to their new homes. As you can see, they are very friendly and love attention!   Two little wethers remain for now until their new family is ready to take them home.  It's very rewarding when our babies go to loving homes, especially with children.  These children are adorable and these goat kids are extremely lucky!  

Time to get busy......hope you all have a great day!  

Maine's Open Farm Day

Join us on Sunday, July 25 from 10 - 3 for Maine Open Farm Day!

Maine's Agricultural Community welcomes visitors on Open Farm Day ~ 

Every summer on the third Sunday in July, farms all over the state of Maine open their barn doors to the public to give them a chance to see where their food and fiber comes from.  Stop in for a visit.  We would love to chat with you about what we do here.  Visit with the sheep, draft horses, cows, donkey, pigs, goats, guines, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs & cats that make up the animal kindgdom here at Tylerfarm.  

Browse our Farm Mercantile.  We have a new supply of natural and dyed spun yarns  and roving from the sheep and goats that live on the farm and a couple of alpacas that spent a little time here as well.  Everything in the shop other than food products will be offered at 20% off!  

We will have spinning demonstrations throughout the day; farm tours at your own pace; a petting area and  folks around to answer your questions and chat with.  

The newest hatch on the farm ~

To read a nicely written  article about he farm and Open Farm Day, pick up a copy of the Tourist News.  A free guide to southern Maine and what's going on.  We were very proud to be approached by these folks and are so pleased with the article.  Thank you Anita for a job well done!

Hope to see you all on Sunday!  

God Bless America ~

Wishing you all a safe, happy, healthy Fourth of July ! God Bless our troops, past and present~

The school of hard knocks..........

I'm no stranger to this school. I've been here more than once. It's always a very memorable education. Today was no exception. This was Charlotte, our super friendly sow last wednesday, enjoying her first mud bath of the season. She spent all winter in huge 10x20 box stall cushioned with deep straw, gaining weight, awaiting the birth of her piglets. All twelve of them!!

We moved Charlotte and her little sow, Daisy, out into the "piggy" paddock and noticed she had a limp and her hind right hock was swollen. I thought now that we had taken the rest of her babies off her and moved them to their own space, her leg would have a chance to heal. She favored it but seemed to getting around ok, eating and drinking. After checking her for three days, I called our friend the pig expert and he confirmed my suspicions. She had a broken leg and there was nothing anyone can do for her. She left this morning. No one can figure out how she did it, but that doesn't stop us from trying.

She wasn't just ANY pig.....she was really a special animal. She taught me so much about pigs and their behavior and we all loved her. She will be missed.

"Bliss"

Today was weaning the little pigs day. Charlotte, our sow, is in 7th heaven!! We have had two days of thundershowers and her puddle was ready for her. It's the first place she landed and hasn't left yet :)

This is Daisy. She is the only female we kept of this litter. She will live with Charlotte. Today was her first experience with mud. She looks like she liked it~

The little boys are in the pig pen next door to Charlotte and Daisy. They can see Mom but can't get to her. They are 6 weeks old and weigh around 50-60 lbs. They eat very well on their own and Charlotte has got to be ready for the break. She has lost some weight but is still in good condition. Now she can dry up, relax and take it easy for awhile.

The move didn't seem to bother the little guys at all. They made themselves at home in the pig house and spent most of the day exploring every inch of the outside pen.

They are so naturally nosy :) They are looking into the ram pen. No fear, just natural curiousity. The rams pay them no mind.

Happy little porkers :)

Alpaca shearing; Fresh beef ~

The alpaca shearing was great! The shearer was a great guy. Pleasant, cordial and more than willing to teach me how to shear my alpacas. By afternoon I sheared a pleasant wether from start to finish. I felt very proud of myself. I have to admit I'm a little sore today. He shears them on a thick mat on the floor of the barn. There's quite a lot of crawling around. We all had a great time! Thanks so much Carol for the invitation and the goodies :) See you in July.

The bad news.........Not one of us remember to take a camera :( DUH..... Carol let us take photos with her blackberry and will email them when she can catch her breath. I'll be sure to post them soon.

Today I re-stocked the farm market freezers with 700 pounds of fresh beef. Just in time for our summer community that returned last weekend. Business is picking up and Friday's and Saturday's will be busy from now on. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone again.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Another school year comes to a close........

Life seems to get busier as the summer progresses. Our youngest, Tyler, has been a busy boy this past year and his schedule keeps me running :) He has participated on the Varsity Track & Field team, High School Band and Karate. That and high school homework, which there seems to be plenty of every night. He is looking forward to the end of homework but he will miss his team and the friends he has made over the year. I can actually remember (no, really I can :) when I was a freshman in high school and how important those friendships became in my life.

This photo was our trip to the last band concert. The students are required to wear white & black with tie to every performance. Tyler plays an assortment of drums, vibraphone, percussion instruments, bells, etc. They will be playing at the University of Southern Maine for the last Senior Assembly and also at the Portland Civic Center for Senior Gradation. He's really excited and looking forward to both evenings out. They performed in two great concerts at school for parents and fellow students. The Pops Concert was to raise money for equipment. It was wonderful to see a lot of participation by so many students in the audience, teachers, community, etc. We really had a great night out and the band and chorus are outstanding!

It has been a good year. We couldn't be more proud of Tyler and all that he has accomplished this year!

Tomorrow - shearing day for the alpacas.....photos will follow.

August in May ~

............at least it feels like August. 92 degrees yesterday, 94 today. Yikes! The beaches were packed with folks, daring to enter the cold Atlantic water looking for a little relief. It has been very hot the last few days and the humidity has been steadily on the rise. The animals were all in the shade, trying to get a breath of fresh air and no one had much of an appetite.

My garden plants looked absolutely dead last night. My peppers seemed to have survived and most of the cabbage but a few of the broccoli plants are looking lost. I planted basil seed on Monday - I noticed several of them have popped up through the ground when I watered them tonight. Amazing what that kind of heat does for seed germination.

A cold front moved through around 7 pm with an hours worth of incredible wind which brought us cooler, more normal temps for this time of year. Thursday is supposed to be a pleasant day and we will finish planting our seeds and our potatoes. Tomato plants will go in as well. I doubt frost will show it's ugly head again until fall (crossing fingers).

Our piglets are growing quickly and Friday is castration day. This will be our first time and a good friend of ours who has been doing this for many, many years is going to come and give us a hand. Not sure how much we are looking forward to it but it' s something that has to be done. From what I've read it's a fairly simple and quick process. I'll update after the deed is done :)

Hubby and I had a chance to purchase a few flowering annuals for the planters. This whiskey barrel sits on the stump on the corner in front of my shop. We usually do a red, white & blue theme but opted for something completely different this year. We hope to plant more this weekend :)

A new week ~ new projects

A gorgeous sunrise this morning......the start of a very warm day. 80's and near 90 this week in our neck of the woods. I remember an morning early last week when it was 28 degrees! The frost damaged my blueberries, bleeding hearts and hostas. I've never seen hostas so badly damaged in all the years we have lived here. I think they will come back but they look pretty brown and bedraggled at this point. Hopefully those temps are well behind us.

Planting begins in earnest today. Purchased all our bedding plants and will have them in the gardens by this evening. The soil has been setting fallow for two weeks now and is weed free. Hopefully it will stay that way.

I really enjoy working in the dirt but by noon the sun is right over head and just too hot for me. I'll do inside work and then after chores work in the gardens until sunset. We weed and work them after planting in the early morning before chores.

Our goat kids are really getting big and Mom's are ready for them to be weaned. Two of our babies will go to their new homes this coming weekend. Bluto, pictured below, has become our favorite. He has a great personality and would rather hang with people than eat. He loves to ride in the wheelbarrow when we hay the rest of the animals. He will jump into the wheelbarrow from their feeder and ride until we make him get out. They are great fun at this age :)

One thing we need to get is to shear the alpacas. I've been watching shearing videos on youtube. Looks easy but I have a feeling that's not going to be the case. They have adjusted to living here and are hesitantly social. They will eat treats out of our hand but really prefer not to be touched. They lead well once they are haltered and get along with the sheep just fine. Once they are sheared we will introduce them to the big pasture with all of the sheep.

They are very cute but they will spit at you if you piss them off. Scared the daylights out of Tom - he really didn't know what Scion was doing until he spit at him. The rest of us watching laughed because it really was funny. Deliberate and comical :) He likes them still and does very well with them. The fiber is beautiful and I am anxious to see what our yarn is like.

Sheep shearing is just about finished and we finished all the goats last week. Our goats look funny once they are sheared, especially Amos the Buck as he has really big horns and they look really huge on him without his fleece. I know they all feel much better and they look better as well.


My Dad and his two boys, Tom & Tyler are back at Wildwood Stables in Arcadia National Park, Maine. They will be there throughout the summer giving guided carriage tours through the park. If you get there, be sure to ask for "the old Cowboy". He will give you an awesome ride through that beautiful area with incredible views of the Atlantic ocean.

This is the top of my Dad's tack box. Tom sanded it all off and Sarah painted this beautiful picture of Tom & Tyler with my Dad. She is sooooooo talented! He absolutely loved it. Such a wonderful gift - we will miss him but I know how much he loves his job and that he will have a great summer :)

Time to get busy - wishing you all a pleasant, productive week ~

Final resting place.......

Some of you may remember that I lost my faithful friend, Banjo, last June. There is not a day that goes by that I do not miss him at my side as we went about our routine everyday. . He left his mark on this farm and we all miss him still. We opted to have him privately cremated and he has been resting atop our big entertainment center, waiting for exactly the right spot to place his ashes.

Steve and my kids gave me a beautiful red maple tree as a mother's day gift. We celebrated yesterday as Steve has been away for a couple of weeks. We all, as a family, decided where to plant the tree and also decided it would make a perfect resting place for Banjo. It sits on our south lawn, and I can see it from both of the dining room windows which is where I spent most of my time when I'm inside. We spread his ashes in the soil and know that he will be watching over us everyday.

It's a great feeling to know he's at peace and not suffering. It's also a peaceful feeling to look out the window from my rocker and feel his presence around our tree and bring to a close that sad time in my life.

Farm Funnies.........

A friend sent these along and they are too cute not to share. Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Growing season.........

It has been a crazy, hectic week and we have been so busy with one project right after another. Fencing is taking up a lot of our time during the day. We hauled 6 ton of round baled hay home on Wednesday. I also purchased two bales of wrapped baleage. I have never fed this before but the cattle and sheep seem to enjoy it and it will definitely stretch our hay. It smells like vinegar - pickled long grass. The sheep will blatt and blatt until I give them a little of it during night chores. I'm hoping to head north again this week and pick up 20 more bales.

The unusually warm spring weather continues and it's wonderful to see everything growing and flourishing with the sunshine. The above photo is the new pasture that we put in and seeded last year. It is about 8 inches high and ready for the sheep. The sheep are in a smaller pasture right now to get them used to grass again and they are loving it.

Babies ate their fill and then crashed in the sunshine. They are all growing so quickly. Only two little wethers still look like babies. It's been amazing to watch as they mature, what type of fleece each one will have. Of course, I'd like to keep them all but I know that's not practical :)

Speaking of fleece, remember the new M&M's - when they came to live here they were in full fleece. Gorgeous silver fiber and lots of it! Below are the girls with their coats on.

Last week we introduced them to the shearing stand and gave each one of them a haircut and a pedicure. I really think they felt much better without all that wool. About 15lbs per sheep.

They have made themselves right at home, mixing with the other sheep and observing the lambs from a distance. They are beautiful sheep and we are delighted to have them. I hope to get it all skirted this week and up to the fiber mill. I am so excited to see what Diane does with it.

Our little piglets are also growing quickly. Charlotte feeds them about four times a day and they are now eating baby pig crumbles. They love to cuddle with their Mom but they enjoy using their creep area with the heat lamp. At just two weeks old, they have more than doubled in size and are a handful. They are also getting very curious. I sat in with them for about 15 minutes and after a minute or two they were all gathered around me, sniffing and nibbling on my shoes. It has been a wonderful process and we will definitely have baby pigs again.

The barn swallows have moved back in the barn, readying the nest to lay their eggs. As they are working on both, I'm not sure which one they will use. They dive bomb us as we exit the barn, preferring we didn't enter their territory. They will set on the top rail of the fence outside the door, and really give us the what for.

Scion and David, the newest members of the farm, are doing well and settling in. They are very interested in the sheep and from what I've read and been told, they will do well mixed with the girls. I have a couple of ewes whose lambs need to be weaned and I'm going to introduce them to the boys. They are very mellow and will come to the fence for a small treat. Tom has been handling them and is doing very well. He really likes them and I think from their attitude that they are comfortable with him as well. The next project will be to shear them. Another learning curve :)

This weeks project is to get the gardens planted. The soil has warmed up nicely and been mellow for a week now. The soil remains weed free and I'm anxious to play in the dirt. I did get a chance to drive to the seed store and purchase what we needed. We are ready to plant!

This is our flowering crab that hubby and the boys gave me last year for Mother's Day. It is completely covered with beautiful little pink flowers. It has grown so much in the last year and I can imagine how big and beautiful it will be in years to come. I love gifts that keep on giving and being able to enjoy the blooms of this tree from my rocking chair each year is a special gift.

Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful Mom's out there ~

Happenings around the Farm ~

I honestly do not know where the week went! It's been a whirlwind here with many things getting done and new things popping up. First a piggie update. These little buggers are growing so fast and they are incredibly fun to watch. They are just happy - content - precious little critters. Charlotte is an awesome Mom - thankfully everything worked out just fine. They had their iron shots today. How they squeal.....It was fairly painless and took just seconds. It didn't overly stress them as they went right back to rooting in the soil immediately.

They have a playpen area of their own with a heat lamp where they can nap and stay warm without Mom. Due to our warm weather they aren't snuggling quite as tight but we all know how quickly New England weather can change.
As you can see, they are surely loved :)

In other farm news, the gardens plots are tilled and ready for planting. Hopefully this week will find us in the soil planting cool weather crops. We will have to wait until the end of the month to plants cukes & tomatoes, etc. I've seen hard frost in May several times and I'm not going to push our luck.

New critters are moving in. We have been gifted with three beautiful romney ewes. These gals, Milley, Moxie & Maddie ( the M&M's as Tom calls them ) came from a loving home and we are delighted to add them to our flock. Thank you Elaine & Bob! The fiber from these gals will be fabulous! They are warming up to us and learning that animal crackers are a good thing. They will go out with the other ewes sometime this week.

It is a known fact among my friends that I am a wool snob. I love my sheep and I love wool and never really had any interest in owning any other kind of fiber animals. I do enjoy my little pygora goats and keep a small flock for their lovely fiber and the fact their antics would cheer up anyone. I've never considered llamas or alpacas. I know they have gorgeous fiber and they make good guard animals. I also know that they have been pretty pricey.

To keep this a short story, these two fellows are coming to live on the farm as well. The entire process was a whirlwind but we are going to give them a try.

David

Scion ( I hope I have spelled that right)

Aren't they cute? I love the colors and both have lovely fiber and pleasant dispositions. It will be a learning curve for us but we are willing and able and will certainly enjoy the process. Thank you Carol!

Anyone who has advise for newbie alpaca owners, please feel free to send along your knowledge. We are going to need it!

Have a great week everyone!