The four Little Soay ram lambs have been growing, they have been growing bigger, they have been getting fatter, their horns are growing and so has something else. The “something else” appears to have been enlarging at a faster rate than everything else…..except their testosterone level, and combining the two “t’s”, testicles and testosterone elevated the four little rams to priority red in Greg’s “must do” list before they began to “practice” and usurp Rodney the resident ram’s job. The boys were moved into a  temptation free zone to live a celibate life with rams in waiting, Galveston and Blondie who have little time or patience for either said testosterone or dangly bits (particularly if they are attached to another ram). All seemed well, the little rams eventually settled down in their new bachelor pad, Galveston and Blondie studiously ignored the young pretenders and all concerns of incestuous behaviour and 5 legged two headed lambs were set aside….until the little black “ram” engineered an audacious escape. Surprisingly, Galveston and Blondie did pay an inordinate amount of time and energy ensuring that the escapee was made VERY welcome in their pasture, so much so that it caused Greg to take a closer look at the little black lamb. The closer look caused great consternation here on the ranch….it didn’t detect any ram’s parts but it DID explain why the celibate rams were being so accommodating…..the little black ram was in fact a little black ewe and clearly her arrival in their midst was the answer to a celibate ram’s prayers. OOOPs….looks like a new priority for Greg’s sorely stretched priority list and the little “she” in amongst the big “he’s” became a NOW project for relocation back to the girlie pen and yet another claim for the No Blame Policy.

Billy Bob the bull came to visit Daisy Mae today…..in a straw. This morning our black Dexter cow was a wanting lady, her hormonal body clock had gone into overdrive and every bull between here and Texas must have been aware of her needs. Misty Moo the Jersey heifer was wisely keeping a safe distance from the wanton cow and Greg ensured that he and the girls did not become the object of her lust. A resolution to Daisy May’s problem was only a telephone call away….Wayne “the AI man” was summoned and with luck the Billy Bob / Daisy Mae union will result in a healthy calf at the end of March next year.

It has been a wet week for Anna and Jen but clearly their enthusiasm wasn’t dampened by the persistent rain that sorely tested the new drain system in the barnyard. All around the ranch, splashing through puddles, plodding through the mud both girls smiled and it was easy to smile with them. Both girls have ridden Lady the huge Shire mare, mucked out stalls, milked Daisy the cow, chopped and stacked wood, operated a chainsaw and sawmill, turned out the sheep and groomed and tended to the horses. Every experience was a new memory and we enjoy making those memories with our two WWOOFER volunteers, sadly each visit has to end (usually when I just get the names right !!!) and Jen left the farm today to return to Oregon. Jen was only here since Monday and in that short time we became very fond of her. We look forward to a return visit as soon as circumstances allow Jen…. good luck in everything you do.

Time to go to bed, Take care, keep safe, M

Yum ... Yum... Its harvest time. Fresh raspberries and homemade ice cream made with our own fresh cream and whole milk from Daisy Mae. If only we could make the vanilla and sugar, it would all be home grown.
Today is Daisy's day for Wayne the Man and his bull straw. We will let you know how it goes...
Sorry for the short entry, but its been a quick morning. Time to get to the barns. Daisy is moaning and horses kicking the doors. Take care and stay safe. G&M

Bran the Border collie was traumatized, HIS house was under occupation, a noisy, loud, insufferable invasion of HIS farm…. and HIS people didn’t evict them! Two little people, running jumping screaming and laughing and he could find nowhere to hide. He tried the hay stack but little Coulton found him, he slunk under the chicken shack but Jordin wasn’t far behind. In desperation, tail tucked firmly between his legs Bran abandoned his post, left his sheep unguarded and his turkeys helpless and the dog cowered quivering in a darkened corner of the barn kitchen.

Coulton, two years old and so much mud sad and stones was in sensory overload, constantly stepping out of his little blue rubber boots, he scrabbled up the crumbling gravel pile to the top and smiling broadly at his achievement slid on his padded diaper butt all the way to the bottom. Little Jordin blonde hair flying dancing in her little pink slippers appeared to be in ten places all at once, clambering over the log stack, up the hay pile and enticing the chickens with little blades of grass clutched in tiny fingers. Jaden, so much older, so much wiser and so much more experienced quietly groomed the horses, helped Grandpa with the cow pen…..and RACED the quad !!! If there was an excuse to get the quad keys from the safety of Grandpa’s pocket Jaden was smiling, the farm road land/speed limit was broken….no, SMASHED and Jaden was smiling more. We had so much fun, Amanda, Greg’s daughter and the grandchildren were visiting from Arizona, it will take us a little while to recover, Bran never will ….but hurry back !

Welcome Jen who arrived yesterday from Oregon for a short stay and welcome back from a weekend off the farm to Anna….we missed you.

Got to go, take care, keep safe, M

We have come to the conclusion that there are few species more hormonal than cows and Daisy Mae and Misty Moo are more than happy to prove the point. Every three weeks mild mannered Dexter cow Daisy and docile Jersey Heifer Misty transform into creatures with only one purpose, creatures with only one thought on their mind. The overwhelming instinct that brings about the single minded behaviour in the barnyard is procreation and Daisy and Misty unashamedly and very loudly let the whole valley (if not the world!) know that they are in serious need of …preferably a bull but if no bull is forthcoming ANY male will work! On Monday, once again young Misty surrendered to the hormonal urge and transformed overnight into the obsessive cow from hell…. this time we were ready for her and Wayne “the man” was already on speed dial.  Wayne is the man who makes the need for a bull obsolete…Wayne and his straw can convert our “wanting” heifer into a momma cow in just 9 months and with 20,000 sperm and just a little luck there will be a mini Misty in the barn in March next year. Next week it will be Daisy Mae’s turn for the hormonal fix and peace and tranquillity will (maybe) return to the cow pen for another nine months.

Today was an exciting day…if you are a turkey! Greg and Anna have been hard at work finishing the new turkey habitat that has been THE project for several weeks now. Sarah and Brian participated in the original groundwork (literally), they dug holes and filled them in, they levelled and they set posts they ate chicken poop and sweated blood for the cause…thank you both, we miss you. Greg and Anna have finished the project, a gate has been hung and a net strung to protect the little turkeys from Edgar the eagle and his extended family looking for a chicken takeaway. It was time to turn the little turkey poults out into the big wide world…sadly the “so ugly they are cute” birds felt that their world was already plenty big enough and were not excited by… or interested in the brave new world outside the turkey shed. After several moments with only a hint of a little turkey beak in the doorway ( “you go first”…. “no you, I’ll watch this go ‘round ”)…. and a rising level of agitated turkey chatter from within, the battery on the camera was becoming challenged and our patience was OUT !!  Enter the turkey “persuader”…me!  I’m no longer as fast as I was,  certainly not nearly as flexible and Turkey Lurkey and his feathered siblings are clearly related to the Road Runner. I was bouncing off walls and climbing perches, slipping and sliding in turkey poop before those birds decided to surrender to the inevitable and left the safety of the shed (with or without my “persuasion”). All afternoon, as the heavy black clouds gathered ominously overhead, the young turkeys scratched and scuttled happily around the pen ….then the first drops of rain began to fall. The poults bunched up, if turkeys have any sense, they were on sensory overload, their little world had expanded and now wet stuff was falling from the sky, it was all too much for a little turkey. Sadly the birds are not noted for their intelligence and clearly ours were not going to prove to be an exception. Anna Greg and I went back into the pen for yet another turkey roundup, Bran the Border Collie was desperate to help, the birds were less than excited to be saved from the rain and ….I’m DONE with turkeys ! 

Time to go. The cuckoo clock has spoken. Take care, keep safe. M

One of those weekends that we met ourselves coming back !!! It’s officially Monday morning but where did Saturday and Sunday go ?

On Friday evening, WWOOFER Sarah requested Greg’s home baked pizza for her “last supper” and most recent WWOOFER arrival Anna donned a back pack bigger than herself, got into the shiny red car that disgraces our grimy dusty farm truck and headed off into the wilderness for the weekend.  With our last WWOOFER out the door and the house empty and quiet…..Greg and I were home alone ….. honey time…..if we just had the time !!

When the gate had closed behind the last sheep, when Misty Moo and Daisy May were contentedly chewing their cud and contemplating on a day doing nothing, Old T Bone, stability no longer coming naturally was wedged tightly in the corner, bottom lip hanging loosely in a deep grass sleep and Starbuck the black Appaloosa was working hard to beat his own speed eating record by emptying his hay manger in ten minutes, we decided to saddle up and ride. Charm the Golden Palomino, head hanging over his stall door keenly monitoring how much attention and more importantly how many carrot morsels his stable mates received quickly retreated into the shadows at the back of his stall when the saddles came out. Not your turn this evening Charm. Lady and Quest were hopefully going to take us for a nice peaceful ride and even more hopefully return to the barn with us. This was the first time our two giant Shires had been ridden out together and from high up on Quest’ back I wondered if a parachute may have been prudent and hoped that my prayers for a safe return would be heeded ! The big bay gelding quietly tolerated my fumbling attempts to scramble into the saddle and stood motionless as I reflected on the long journey it had been to get to this point…..and the even longer long fall to the ground ! My prayers were answered, Lady quietly plodded through the forest, I ducked the cedar branches, fought the trailing blackberry vines and shuddered as spider webs (and their crawly residents) adhered to my skin. Quest, alert, ears pricked and nostrils flared picked his way through the forest trail but never once gave me cause to question my sanity….well….not on that count anyway !

My turn to call the “no blame policy” into play over the weekend. A little lapse in concentration, a little distraction …..an unsupervised hosepipe filling a water bucket and Quest either needed to learn the doggy paddle or get fitted for water wings. The stall and the barnyard were under water….not sure irrigation would be a good excuse but the barn floor was clean !

So, Anna has been here at the ranch for a week now and that young lady has just about covered all bases. Looking like a real farmer, work gloves in her pocket, rubber boots and wearing a big smile Anna has worked her way through mud, muck, poo and cement. All 5’2” of her has wielded the chainsaw, worked the sawmill and learnt to drive the tractor. She grooms the horses, feeds the sheep and milks the cow and after a ten hour day she is still smiling. THAT’S farming !! 

Well, Monday night, we just had a thunderstorm, Bran is traumatized, the garden is getting a soaking and the cuckoo clock says it’s bedtime.

Take care, keep safe, M

So as the sun shines over the Pacific North West Greg has once again found himself with an all girl team, I have found myself with a houseful of cookie monsters and the new turkey pen is well under way. Our most recent WWOOFER arrival Anna arrived on Monday and hit the ground running….I don’t think she has stopped running since !

Sarah has been hard at work with Greg’s dads antique scroll saw, creating a special fun feature for the 2013 Farm Tour. Each letter and feature required painting and young Sarah is now a serious contender for John’s “I can get more paint on me than the paint pot” title. The new sheep wall is almost complete ( I LOVE IT !!!) and sadly so is Sarah’s stay with us, she leaves the farm this weekend and we will miss her…..but she still has today so it’s back to the cow pen and I’m sure Greg will find a worthy mission for her last day !

Anna has blended in to farm life like a natural, wandering around the barn with gloves in one pocket and a hefty hammer in the other, wielding a pitchfork or pushing a wheelbarrow. All 5 foot 2 inches of her (reliably informed 5 foot 3 inches on a really good day) has been up ladders, scaling walls, hammering sawing stapling and digging. She has with Sarah been instrumental in the construction of the turkey run under the scrutiny of the older turkeys who are clearly anxious to flex their wings and like vultures observe the proceedings through the window of the coop.

Player and T Bone together would have caused Greg’s schedule to be adjusted yesterday ( if he ever had a schedule !) after they effectively dismantled an outlet. It is almost inconceivable to imagine wobbly unstable old T Bone being able to twist the metal plate covering the outlet but the evidence was indisputable….both sides had been bent and mangled. I guess his legs may be wobbly but what teeth he has left  are strong !  Together Greg and Anna relocated both outlet and switch ( player learnt long ago the satisfaction of lighting up the barn at 3am). It was a chore high on Greg’s “must do” list and he has the two horses to thank for forcing the issue !

As the sun went down yesterday Anna and Sarah took to the saddle. Riding Charm (aka beauty with LOTS of attitude) and Starbuck respectively both girls demonstrated that the drivers education, brakes (most important) steering (always helpful) and accelerator ( hopefully not yet in service) had been dutifully studied and applied. Starbuck, the black Appaloosa with no spots was a stallion for the first seven years of his life and clearly deep within his brain, (despite the absence of necessary appendages) Starbuck remembers the good old days. Occasionally the testosterone ( in the gelding’s brain, wishful thinking !) tips the scale and docile Starbuck becomes a force to be reckoned with. With Sarah aboard, the black Appaloosa began to shift gear from idling to turbo, walk became an animated jog and the beautiful black head began to toss. Sarah had her hands full, Starbuck had mutiny on his mind and we were still a way from the barn. Sarah handled the situation like an experienced rider, Starbuck’s attitude was ignored and horse and rider returned to the ranch still firm friends.   Golden Palomino Charm, with new rider Anna aboard is never docile, he never even gives the impression that he may be.  Despite the Arab temperamental jog and the wilful head tossing, Charm responded to his young novice rider and Anna was still smiling as she slid out of the saddle in the barnyard. Well done girls !

Time to get this entry posted, take care, keep safe, M

Big brother John has been busy…very busy. The old red British telephone box in our barnyard was looking distinctly shabby. Fiancée Jean, in her office, in front of her computer had decreed it….Johns’ mission was to right what was wrong…. and turn dull and dirty into shining and clean. Bright and early (way too early !) for the past few days John has arrived to get to work. Armed with an array of pain brushes and a specially mixed pot of paint box red he took up position in his telephone box under my flagpole. In burning sunshine and Summer rain he has painted…..sadly not just the box. The cement pad, the pea stones around it, the barn door, Jeans’ car seat, my lavender plants, (struggling to survive now have a dash of vivid red) …oh and John. Somehow there was operator error (or paint tray/ tin malfunction !) and my big brother was wearing more shiny phone box red than the phone box ! I believe he has accomplished his mission and I would be surprised if he ever volunteers to paint again !

Sadly, today we say goodbye to Brian. Brian from Georgia has been with us for a month and we are going to miss him. He is off to a farm in Oregon, our loss is their gain and they had better take care of him ! Thank you Brian, it has been a pleasure hosting you…please come back some day.

As Brian prepares to leave, Anna arrived. Yesterday, with John feverishly painting himself in the box in the barnyard and total carnage in the barn kitchen our newest WWOOFER appeared. I was busily scooping one of the multiple piles of steaming poop in Coopers stall ( I swear that horse poops more than he could possible eat), local farming neighbors were “processing” soon to be chicken pot pie in the farm kitchen and Greg was deep in discussion as to whether the “parsons nose” (aka chicken butt) stayed on or came off and our fresh faced young WWOOFER arrived. From the depths of the horse stall I heard Bran bark and a quick survey of the barn gate confirmed my worst fears……Anna had got past me, brother John, red from head to toe had waved his paintbrush vaguely in the direction of the barn kitchen and her first impression of Gentle Giant Meadows ranch was a chicken butt !   Welcome to the farm Anna !

The turkey pen is progressing which is a good job as the turkey poults are still hatching in the barn kitchen and the already hatched are growing rapidly. I happened to be passing by as Sarah had just securely (very securely) nailed in a very bent nail which clearly had to come out. Brian tried to remove it, Sarah pulled and twisted, the two intrepid volunteers struggled but the nail wouldn’t come out. The last think you want when something is going wrong is a witness. I didn’t say anything….accidents happen….we have a no blame policy around here…..I just got out the camera !!!

Time to go, all around the breakfast table willing WWOOFERS are eager to get down to the barn….aren’t they ?

Take care, keep safe M

As the evenings draw longer, the winds don’t blow and the rain clouds no longer threaten the unwary, thoughts turn to saddling up our equine friends and taking a lazy trail ride through the leafy forest. Friends and family familiar with Charm will undoubtedly question the sanity in that statement……lazy and Charm don’t go in the same sentence but we live in hope and he is (along with us) growing older! Long time unused saddles are dusted down, saddle pads and bridles relocated and the mounting block (essential !! either our horses have grown or we have shrunk !) placed squarely in the middle of the barn yard. Lady ( commonly referred to in her absence as Lumpy Lady)  our big Shire mare and Charm  (beauty with attitude) watch the proceedings with growing suspicion and eventually resignation as they realise the long Winter vacation is over. From their stalls old man T Bone, the big bay gelding and Player the grey, whinny anxiously as first Charm the golden palomino and then Lady leave the yard. Old Cooper paces and Starbuck the black Appaloosa with no spots couldn’t care less, he’s had his grain, he has his hay and the saddle isn’t on his back. Brian having learnt the rudiments of Western riding and (I’m sure) struggling to remember hands legs and feet ( heels DOWN Brian !) settled deep into the big roomy saddle adopted the classic relaxed position and confidently pointed Charms nose toward the road. High up on Lady, Sarah headed off in the direction of the arena hoping that the Shire mare would be kind to her…..over a ton of un co operative horse can seriously upset even the best day and sadly it seemed Lady was bent on testing every element of tuition Greg had given the new rider perched up on her big broad back. Happily Sarah rose to the challenge and despite Lady’s best efforts succeeded in applying steering braking and accelerator all in the right order. Out on the trail, Brian was absorbing the beauty of the forest and enjoying the challenge of riding (spiders’ webs, overhanging branches and insects that don’t just bite, they chew) ….. and Charm, true to form was enjoying ensuring that it really was a challenge !! Both our new riders returned to the barnyard with their respective mounts ( always a good thing !) still smiling (even better !) and clearly the experience wasn’t too bad as they apparently were enthusiastic to have a re run ! ( gluttons for punishment). The following evening it was Brian’s’ turn to be tested by Lady in the arena ( is there something wrong with that statement ?) and Sarah headed off into the forest to feed the gnats   

Brian and Sarah, having spent an afternoon pruning the fruit trees found themselves out in the orchard with the chipper clearing up the branches they had worked so hard to chop down….a bit like digging holes and filling them in !!! Bran the border Collie never slow to spot an opportunity recognised that our two WWOOFER Volunteers were temporarily unsupervised and that every branch was a potential throwing stick. The dog, too intelligent to be disciplined tests everyone with the stick/stone/straw test, just in case they aren’t familiar with canine ordinance. Rules dictate that Bran doesn’t get to play stick on the ranch but the Border Collie apparently worked out that what we don’t know doesn’t count and with an air of desperation he scurried amongst the fallen branches to find a worthy twig that wasn’t attached to a big branch. Much tail wagging, head cocking and pleading yips could be seen as Bran attempted to find a willing play mate out in the orchard. So near yet so far Bran,…. so many sticks and no chance of a chase, sadly ( for Bran, happily for us)  Brian and Sarah know the rules and all sticks found themselves in the chipper. 

It’s been several days since I wrote, there has been so much activity on the ranch and I am out of time. Hopefully the photographs posted with this entry will cover some of the projects undertaken by our wonderful WWOOFER twosome. Much has been achieved…Greg is smiling…..life on the ranch is good. Take care, keep safe M

Fox 13’s weather guru has got excited, high pressure is locked in over the Pacific NW and MJ can’t find even a shadow of green on her double Doppler. After the marine clouds have drifted away the sun has come out…. And stayed out. Greg has been struggling to find projects that keep our WWOOFER volunteers both interested and occupied while the rain wind and hail transformed the ranch into a semblance of a water park and the arrival of Summer has allowed the team to get back to work on the new turkey pen. The hole that was dug ( and filled in) has now got a very smart looking drain cover ably constructed by Brian and Sarah. A cement catchment  trough, complete with graffiti  initials completed the mission and it was a very happy Greg that watched flowing water go gurgling down the drain. No more flooding in our barn yard ( we hope) …thanks team !!

Two little farm visitors arrived on Friday. Rodney the ram has become accustomed to receiving guests and has recognized the advantages of being sociable. Carrot morsels were offered by tiny little fingers and happily accepted by the ram who is currently living a celibate life pending his return to his harem in the Autumn. We took a walk in the sunshine under a cloudless sky down Cow Lane to visit with Misty moo the Jersey heifer and Daisy May the Dexter milk cow and a wander down the farm road past the pond to visit Lady and Quest the huge Shire horses. Blondie and Galveston the Soay rams have learnt the benefits of responding to kindness when visitors arrive and the chickens happily crowded the fence line for the giggling youngsters. The  big green tractor was the final stop on the tour. Two little boys pushed and shoved to wiggle the levers and turn the steering wheel, it mattered little that the vehicle was immobile, it was a big green tractor on a farm and it was fun ! Thank you mom for your very kind donation to our local food bank, I’m sure it will be appreciated by those in need in our community.

Brian and Sarah have both learnt how to steer Lady and learnt the benefits of finding out how her brakes work. On Friday they both tested out Lady’s accelerator and discovered that using steering brakes and accelerator all at the same time was an acquired skill as our wilful mare meandered around the arena. As the sun dropped behind the tall cedar trees and the shadows began to lengthen, looks of intense concentration turned to smiles of achievement as the trot became controlled and the bumping became a little less bumpy (and painful). Well done you two !!! We are proud of you.

Time to get this entry posted, the cuckoo clock has spoken and it is time to get down to the barn.

PS. I got to ride Quest, it was AMAZING…more next time.

Take care, keep safe, M