Seasons
Bleatings!
Heceta Head Lighthouse near
Florence, Oregon with sea lions in foreground! VACATION
TIME
Here is a photo to cool you off! I
have just returned from a trip to Oregon to visit one of my sisters. My
daughter (and granddaughters) tended the farm so I could take a week
off from farmlife and I know the farm was in good hands. I spent a few
days on the coast and a few days in the mountains and a few days in Portland to
see how the other half lives. I had a chance to work alongside my
sister in her shop, "Great Gatherings", and visited the Portland Womens
Temple and also had the opportunity to meet the editor and
publisher of the We'Moon Daybook. If you are unfamiliar with
this group and are interested in womens issues see http://www.wemoon.ws/wemoon.html
I return to farm life with lots of great stories and inspired by the
creative atmosphere of Portland; but this country mouse is ever so glad to
be back in the country again.
Fall
Shearing
August is here and it is time to start
shearing goats again. I know many of you have been asking when I would have
more mohair available... well, stay tuned! It is SO HOT that
I have started shearing a few of my baby goats early. Keep an eye on my
ebay store, Herbalmaid
Gallery, for fleeces as they are sheared. Most will be sheared
around the end of the month.
Time to gear up for breeding
season
With breeding season just around the corner, it is now time to check your
fences and tighten up your pens. Wean all the babies to allow the dams to
regain condition. Worm them all. Trim feet (you won't want to do those
bucks later). If you were thinking about getting a new ram or buck,
now is the time to do it. I have some good prospects for you on
the sheep and goats
pages.
The HMFF Tractor goes to
town
Our antique tractor on parade at
the Rosebud Thresher Show: 1948 Allis Chalmers WD with rotobaler. It
may look rough, but it has been in continuous use for 58 years! (guess I'm
looking alittle rough too). Brother John, our chief haymaker, is
at the wheel. After the wheat was threshed at the show, our rotobaler
showed that it can bale straw too!
How to Harvest Bunny Wool
In response to an email I got last month, you will find a special pictorial
on plucking rabbits this month. See the rabbit
page to see how this bunny was plucked. Lots of bunnies
are still available too! I will be going up to Bethel, MO over Labor
Day weekend for the World Sheep & Fiber Arts Festival. Look for me
in the rabbit tent. I have 10 rabbits scheduled to go if they do not sell
before then. Delivery of rabbits to Bethel possible. To
check out the festival see www.worldsheepfest.com Free admission
this year!
Puppies Rescued
Six sick and starving abandoned puppies were found on the highway by
my daughter who rescued them and brought them home to try to save them. Three
survived and are now fattening nicely on goatsmilk and puppychow. They have been
wormed and are needing homes ASAP. They look to be part beagle and
shouldn't be too large of a dog. They seem to be good natured pups, just
starting to growl and bark and wag their tails... so cute. There are two
males and one female. If you can offer a home to one of these little
orphans, please contact me at hmffarm@fidnet.com
HMFF percentage Boer does well for
4-H'er
"Taco", a percentage Boer buckling, was purchased from HMFF as a
bottle baby and later shown by his young owner at her local county fair where he
took Reserve Grand Champion! Thanks Ceely for doing such a nice job
with Taco and for sharing pictures.
Peacock Feathers
for Fiber Artists
I have posted several lots
of peacock feathers (both eye feathers and these sickle type feathers) at
the ebay store. For those of you interested in felting...
these look great on hats! I also posted one box of Peacock "Fringe"
which could be used for making a designer yarn OR incorporated into handmade
paper as an accent. Hope you all are surviving this hot weather,
Kathy Barger-Harbert
Herbal Maid Fiber Farmr