Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

Another week comes to an end and our heavy work weekend starts. DS1 has been putting up the extension posts and has half of them up. Tomorrow the rest of the fence post extensions go up, the rolls of wire get bought, I plant the veggies (about which I have been procrastinating all week), and the usual laundry and other housework gets done (possibly). Monday the men come back to put the wire up on the extension posts. DH and I will count and measure the cross arms and cut them in half for fence posts for the new pasture fencing. Next week DS1 will measure with DH and decide where they want to install the posts for the new pasture fence. We need a gate at the bottom of the pasture - I would like to have a gate from each pasture into the other if possible but might not be able to get one installed since other pastures are already fenced without a lower gate.

We don't want to do too much since we will not be staying here too many more years. OTOH we might, so we want to make it easier to run this place as we age. I would like to put in a runway and squeeze for giving shots and drenching, but don't know where I want it or if I want to spend the $$$. If (when) we move to our new place, we will plan the runway and gates for that purpose when planning out the fencing, pastures, and barns.

On a good note, I had good cards today at bridge.

 

[Ridgetop]

Another day, another dollar the government wants to take. . . . I have stopped watching any news programs for a while. No matter which network it is, the news is all bad and depressing. Instead I put on the oldies country radio station. I also get more work done if I am listening to country instead of news programs. DH loves Fox and while I prefer it to CNN or MSNBC, I can only listen to so much.

Well, DS1 got most of the remaining extension posts up. Tomorrow he will finish across the gully and up to the rear fence corner. The rear fence sits on top of a cliff so not too much danger there of coyotes leaping into the property and surviving the fall or the dogs, and no danger of the dogs leaping straight up a cliff and over the fence. Monday the wire goes up.

DH and I went to Lowes (no Tractor Supply around) and bought 600' of 48" welded wire. Again since it sits about 4-5' above the ground and the lower half of the fence is no climb, welded should not be a problem and is one third the price. Probably could have used chicken wire since it is just to raise the fence in the air, needn't take a lot of pushing, etc. But might as well put up something more substantial since we are doing all this work.

DS1 needed another 180 #56 stainless steel 3 1/16"-4" pipe clamps. They come in contractor packs of 6. We could only get 12. I needed 30. DH had ordered the first set along with the extra heavy duty steel pipes so we did not realize the hardware store did not routinely stock large amounts of them. The salesman checked the inventory on the computer and said they had them in West Hills - 25 miles away. I called first, they had 1 package of 6. We drove to Hoe Depot where we got clamps that are not as sturdy for $.36 more each! We got 30 clamps but DS1 says they will rust out too quickly so they need to go back if we cant find any of the better and cheaper ones at another Lowes. I called DS1 who checked on his computer and the Burbank store supposedly has 12 packs, the Santa Clarita store has 24 packs. The West Hills store still lists as having 22 packs.

Tomorrow DS1 and DH will drive to both stores (opposite directions) and get however many they can. If we can't get enough by Monday, we will still put the wire up but DS1 will have to wait to attach the bottom of the wire to the top rail of the existing fence. I will have to go along with one of them or maybe I will go to the Burbank store myself to get the clamps since I need a 25' hose and 2 soaker hoses which I could not find today. Again, . . .

I did get the yellow crookneck and zucchini squash planted along with the cucumbers and bell peppers. I also put in a climbing trellis for the cukes. DH is digging up the tomato bed now and I will put the tomatoes in tomorrow. I have to dig up another small bed to plant more rosemary (excellent with lamb), along with several containers of mint (for making ice tea) and strawberries for the grandkids. All this for everyone else to harvest and enjoy while we are in Texas for 6 weeks! Again, . . .

It is time to replace the marking harness crayons with another color on Sunday. 2 ewes marked but not necessarily bred.

I think we may have to fence 2 100' x 200' pastures to make sure that we don't have to cut any brush next year. We may not have it all cut this year by the deadline which means we will have to cut it ourselves instead of relying on our fuzzy helpers. Since we have to cut 200' out from the side and 200' down from any structure, we are looking at cutting over 40,000 s.f. If we fence the first pasture at 200' x 200', next year we can cut it in half so we can do an intensive grazing and make sure that our little fuzzies don't just eat the prime stuff and leave the rest. That is pretty much what they are doing now and will continue to do until they are forced to eat the unpalatable brush in about 7 months. If we want them to graze off the "have to clear" areas we will need to confine them in that area long enough to force them to "clean their plates". I will also add a few more ewes which will help. At this time we have 4 sheep on the front half acre, another 3 sheep on 4 acres with the mule. We lost our other 3 equine mowers since my friend selfishly wants to go to the Mule Days bash in Bishop she and her entire family have attended annually for over 30 years. LOL 3 generations are showing there now. Next year we will be going again too. Spectators, not exhibitors. Lots of fun!

Taking the 5th wheel in to the shop for all the little repairs and maintenance checks that have to be done before going on a long trip. Of course, no matter what we have done in repairs to the truck and trailer, something else will go wrong on our trip. That is really why we rarely took vacations other than 1 week camping at the beach each year. It is some sort of Robbins family curse. Someday I will relate the stories of our trips. All of them with hair raising events. I need a stiff drink or 2 before I am strong enough to remember them.

 

[Baymule]

I make the cinnamon cucumber rings too. My Grandmother called them Mock Spiced Apple Rings. I soak them in lime water, then process with Red Hots cinnamon candy and cinnamon sticks. Is that how you do them too?

Do you have a rough idea what days/weeks you will be in Texas? Can't wait to meet y'all. Tell your sons to sign up for hurricane repair crews, that will give them a crash course in the finer points of living in Texas. LOL Or at least the coastal areas.

Your sheep are looking so good. You mentioned that the white head Dorpers are not mean like the black head Dorpers. My short experience is with the black head Dorpers and they are some bad boys.

It sounds like Angel is coming right along with her training. We need updated pictures!

 

[Ridgetop]

Yes, the Cinamon Rings I make are the probably the same ones you make. After soaking them in lime, they take several days of heating in the syrup, then letting them cool and sit for 24 hours. Are they the same? I like to get oversize cukes, slightly overripe since you pare out the woody seeds anyway. A lot of work but OMG! Got the recipe 35 years go from DH's cousin in Kansas. My family LOVES them.

We are really excited about meeting you too. I am not sure of the exact date we will leave but we will be in Texas the whole month of July and probably into August. We can't leave home until June 19 since we have physicals on the 18th and they are harder to schedule than hen's teeth. DS3 and family only have 2 weeks vacation so once they are on their way home, we will get on with arranging to meet up with Erick in Austin, look at ranch property with Kris, and of course, coming out to your area to meet you and Devonviolet if she is available. Once we know when we are leaving (depends on them) we will have a better idea of when we will be in Texas. We plan to stay in Texas for a month so if they don't want to leave home until the end of the summer, we can skip driving out together and meet them in Fort Worth.

Thank you for your compliments on our sheep. Yes, last year Jane Patton (she and Wes are Glennland Dorpers) told me that the White Dorpers are sweet but the regular black headed Dorpers are mean. They have both. Since then several people have confirmed that the White Dorpers are much sweeter and gentler. I have the White Dorpers which must be why I love them so much. The ones we have are very gentle. Actually, too gentle, which is why Angel had to go in with the bucks when she was younger and wanted to love on and play with one of the lambs. LOL Angel has grown tremendously, she is about 90 lbs. and will be 6 months on May 9. Great puppy. The rams were not mean to her, but taught her to respect them, and that sheep are not for playing with.

 

[Ridgetop]

after church DH and I drove to Lowes in Santa Clarita to pick up the clamps DS1 needs to finish the fencing posts. They were supposed to have 24 contractor packs. They had 2. So I called DS1 who had gone to the local Lowes. He had found 20 packs (2 cases). He still needed another 10. So we drove to another store in Santa Clarita 15 minutes from the first one. There we got lucky and found a whole case. So DS1 now has enough to finish the fence. It only took 4 Lowes and 1 Home Depot to get what he needed. Apparently this is not a popular size since they had lots of the other sizes. Or instead of them not stocking very many of this size, this must be a very popular size and they keep running out. Either way, we have enough to finish the fence extension. The workers changed their date to Tuesday, so the wire will go up on Tuesday. I found the soaker hoses too. And I found the only package of Romano Italian bean seeds in the entire 4 Lowes!

When we came home I set up 3 planters and planted the dwarf cherry tomato plants my grandkids had asked for. Then I planted some Romano Italian beans. Tomorrow I will plant the rosemary, strawberries, peppermint, sweet mint, and the remaining tomato plants. I put the dwarf tomatoes and beans in tubs that I set in the middle of the children's old play area. While the middle of the play yard is not the best place for raised beds, it is the only place that will get full sun for most of the day. I put a solar garden light in the middle of each tub to avoid falling over them in the dark. Then I added a solar garden light to the squash bed right at the spigot. Now I will have enough light to turn the water off in the dark after I forget and leave it running. Without falling over the planters. We will eventually put artificial turf to replace the grandkids' wood chip play area. This s not a California fancy thing, the artificial turf is necessary because the gophers will invade real grass (I have put in 4 sod lawns). The gophers invade and the dogs search and destroy the gophers. Great pest control, but then I have a dirt and grass area that looks like a mine field where lots of mines have exploded. And lots of holes to fall into.

Tomorrow, after DH finishes digging up the tomato bed, I will plant the tomatoes. Then he will commence to building another wire lined raised bed for beans, carrots, and beets. Lucky the bed is already built so he just needs to clear out all the junk that got dumped there, line it with wire, and fill it with dirt and planter mix ready for me to plant.

Saint Rika became less perfect today. She jumped over the garden fence into the narrow raised planter with the squash. She ignored DH's commands and my coaxing to come out. Couldn't drag her out through the young new squash plants. Besides I had zip tied the garden fence to the posts. I had to squirt her with the hose to make her leave the nice soft soil. She sat on a pepper plant. I think it might survive.

Bad dog - no biscuit.

 

[Ridgetop]

SURPRISE! Woke up during the night to a gentle rain! Saw the dark clouds at sundown but figured they would blow away again. Unfortunately DS2 (not so much of the darling at the moment) left or table saws out on the driveway. We have to use them there since we don't have room in the tool shed to move large pieces of lumber around. (Also since I cleaned it up I don't want sawdust on everything LOL) Besides we have to pull them up a half flight of steps to use them so they live inside the barn in a small area all folded up. Anyway, I figured on some strong words for DS2 since DS1 had been complaining that the saws were left out. Then as I walked around I saw the weedwhacker had been left on the other side of the house in the open too. Less surprising because DH planned to use it today and had just picked it up from the shop after maintenance. So that is 2 times - things go in 3's but then I remember that DS1 had his driver disassembled and laid out to dry off after he accidently dropped it and it landed in a horse trough! After 24 hours drying time it ran fine. The rain was very light so probably everything else will dry out and be fine too.

I had been planting stuff, but the only thing I left out was a partial bag of planter mix in the wheelbarrow. So embarrassing to get on everyone else and then find I am guilty too. I always have to check first to cover my tracks! LOL

At least I don't have to water my newly planted plants today!

 

[Baymule]

Yes, we make the same Spiced Mock Apple Rings. They are a lot of work, but nobody ever thinks that they are cucumbers!

I know @Devonviolet will be available when y'all come to Texas. No way she would miss getting to meet y'all.

 

[Devonviolet]

I know @Devonviolet will be available when y'all come to Texas. No way she would miss getting to meet y'all.

Absolutely! Make sure I know when you come, for a visit, so I can meet you!

 

[Ridgetop]

Well, deep subject!

Sorry, I am a little wacko right now after spending all day getting the paperwork done for the bridge tournament I am doing for the senior center. Missing paperwork, incomplete lists, people who are supposed to play but did not turn in their paperwork because they thought some one else had done it for them. AAARGH! It is my fault though, I sold have planned to go on that cruise during the Senior Games so someone else could have run it. That is what I did last year. I also gave my file folder of paperwork from the past 3 years to the person who did it last year. SHE TOSSED IT!!! She could have just given it back to me since t had all the information I had amassed over the past 5 years of running the tournament!


Never mind. I have everything taken care of except I have to find 3 other people to make up a 4-some or tell someone they can't play.
Again

I will take a tranquilizer or wait - I can open a bottle of wine. That sounds better since I am actually very thirsty.

Last Sunday it rained unexpectedly. That was OK since we always need rain and the men were not coming to work until Tuesday so we had a day to dry out right? Wrong! On Tuesday morning we woke up to a light rain. The men were here and wanted to work so they finished hanging the fence extension in the morning. It was very light rain (in Seattle it would not have counted as rain) and stopped and then dried up by the afternoon so when the fencing was done the men were able to do some week whacking. Yes, not enough sheep this year, and too much forage! No problem - instead of raking it up and getting rid of it as the fire department says to do, we let it lay and the sheep clean it up for us. They like it dried out.

Then I finally got the news that the lots were posted for the on line Dorper sale. First I signed up as a bidder. Then I went through and looked for the breeders I wanted who are in state. I liked some stock from out of state breeders so I had to email to see if they would deliver to Wes Patton's ranch in Chico or somewhere thereabouts. Then I had to look at the photos and videos for the body type and conformation I wanted. Then I went back and checked pedigrees. And descriptions. And gradings as to body type, pigment and shed. A lot of the ewes I was going to bid on were sired by the sires of my current ewes! Since I really like them and what they gave me this year, that will be OK. On the other hand, do I really want my tiny flock to be completely sired by 3 rams? Choices, choices . . . . I do like line breeding, especially since they are good lines. And while I am learning Dorper lineage and pedigrees it is good not to be inundated by too many bloodlines. After spending 2 days looking at all that info and pix I made a list and wrote down the maximum I will spend. I really prefer to see the animals in person and touch them. Call me Uncle Joe, but there is information you only get from feeling the animal's structure.

Now I am exhausted! Building fences is easier! But I am ready for the auction next week. This year I am more experienced and won't bother bidding until Sunday. No need to worry ahead of time and get excited, then someone swoops in and snaps my chosen ones out from under me. This year I plan to do the swooping and snapping up.

In 2 weeks we will go to Modesto for a sheep show and auction weekend. Road trip for DH and me! Stay in a motel and eat out! It has been about 8 years since we were at a sheep show and auction. So excited - love the smell of the barns and the excitement of the exhibitors! Probably will bid there too. The difference is that I can see some of the other exhibitors' stock instead of having to rely on the breeders I know and videos. I may not buy anything since prices may get too high, but hearing the judge's comments will help me decide. Often lesser known breeders have exceptional animals and bloodlines and you can afford them. The judge is from South Africa so that will be interesting too.

I also found out that the same program we used with our dairy goats is available in the Dorper Association. Every 2 years you can sign up to have someone come to your farm and go over your flock and grade them for you. We used to do that every couple of years with ADGA and it was super helpful for us. We learned so much. The next grading program will be next year and by them I hope to have a few more of our own lambs on the ground. Not too expensive either considering the help it can give you as a breeder. Only a couple hundred dollars and that is the daily rate. Since we have so few animals we can arrange for a half day.

Poor Angel is confined to the kennel for a week or two. She has been limping of and on for a couple of days. Not bad, some days she is fine but we decided to take her to the vet and have some xrays just in case. Good thing we did since the vet says she has a small tear in her shoulder. No knowing how it happened but since she is running with 2 other Anatolians in 5 acres of steep hills, it is not surprising. Anyway, she is on anti inflamatories and light pain meds and is locked up in the 10 x12 kennel. Poor baby. The vet said he wants her confined even tighter and I considered using Bubba's ginormous crate, but she wouldn't be able to potty except when we took her out on a leash. So I will use some of the horse fencing (PVC mesh) and make the kennel run about 5 x 10 for a while. She goes back to the vet in 2 weeks to make sure it is healed. We thought it might have been growing pains. Some large breed dogs grow too fast and outgrow their joints for a while causing them to limp. Bravo, one of our Pyrs, wet through that. He would limp on one leg, then switch to another leg. He had to be on Rimadyl and we cut his feed to lose weight and slow down his growth. I wondered if that was Angel's problem.

We tried to weigh her on the lamb sling scale and she weighed 89 lbs. which seemed high, but today on the vets scale she was only 75 lbs. which is a relief. I am considering getting a digital sheep scale eventually and putting it in a runway. Easier to use, but too expensive for the few lambs we weigh. DS1 will just have to keep hoisting them up in the sling onto the hanging scale. It takes all of us but it is good family bonding time.

Got to get dinner on the table. Bridge tomorrow.

 

[greybeard]

You ever think about just switching over to hold 'em or 5 card stud?
Not near as much drama