Catherine Friend's Blog, page 8
May 11, 2011
Meet the Ladies
Hi, my name is 117. I'm getting on in years, so thanks for not photographing my udder.
I'm 704. I'm young. I'm a little skittish. In fact, when my babies are born, I plan to freak out.
I'm 703, and I'm hoping for a spinal blocker. Maybe some Valium or oxycontin. Or put me under and do a C section. Just get these blasted things out of me.
I call myself "Missing Ear Tag" because I refuse to be reduced to a number. I manage to rip out every tag those dang farmers put in my ear.
I'm 707, and sweet as can be.
I'm Orange 1. Orange? Everyone else has blue or green tags. I don't know what happened that year. The farmers switched numbering systems and I was first in line. If you've read Sheepish, you know me as Black Girl. These farmers don't name their sheep, so they don't have much practice, but really--Black Girl? Just because I was all black as a lamb? Why not Monique, or Laura, or Jessica?
And I'm Helen. Back off. These blasted eggs can't hatch soon enough. I'm tired of hanging out in this stupid box in the darkest corner of the barn, but it's where I laid the eggs, so I'm stuck here.
Spring on Rising Moon Farm....everyone's a little anxious about the impending babies, including me. Melissa has a full time, off-farm job now, which is making our checkbook very happy. But this means she won't be around to help with lambing. If this strikes terror in your heart, it means you've been paying attention to who I am---I've made no secret of it in my memoirs.
So I have the sheep locked in the three-sided barn (with plenty of food and air and sunshine.) At the first sign of trouble, I'm calling the vet. I may not be able to deliver a lamb, but I can dial a phone!
I'm 704. I'm young. I'm a little skittish. In fact, when my babies are born, I plan to freak out.
I'm 703, and I'm hoping for a spinal blocker. Maybe some Valium or oxycontin. Or put me under and do a C section. Just get these blasted things out of me.
I call myself "Missing Ear Tag" because I refuse to be reduced to a number. I manage to rip out every tag those dang farmers put in my ear.
I'm 707, and sweet as can be.
I'm Orange 1. Orange? Everyone else has blue or green tags. I don't know what happened that year. The farmers switched numbering systems and I was first in line. If you've read Sheepish, you know me as Black Girl. These farmers don't name their sheep, so they don't have much practice, but really--Black Girl? Just because I was all black as a lamb? Why not Monique, or Laura, or Jessica?
And I'm Helen. Back off. These blasted eggs can't hatch soon enough. I'm tired of hanging out in this stupid box in the darkest corner of the barn, but it's where I laid the eggs, so I'm stuck here.
Spring on Rising Moon Farm....everyone's a little anxious about the impending babies, including me. Melissa has a full time, off-farm job now, which is making our checkbook very happy. But this means she won't be around to help with lambing. If this strikes terror in your heart, it means you've been paying attention to who I am---I've made no secret of it in my memoirs.
So I have the sheep locked in the three-sided barn (with plenty of food and air and sunshine.) At the first sign of trouble, I'm calling the vet. I may not be able to deliver a lamb, but I can dial a phone!
May 6, 2011
Wool Could Keep Soldiers Safer
According to the American Sheep Industry (which is quoting Australian sources), wool has a new use - making body armor even more bullet resistant. Here's the article:
Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) school of fashion and textiles discovered that a blend of wool and Kevlar, the synthetic fiber widely used in body armor, was lighter and cheaper and worked better in some conditions than Kevlar alone.
The RMIT textile technologist, Rajiv Padhye, Ph.D., said the standard bullet proof vest was generally made of Kevlar, a dense, strong and expensive fiber. For military use, a heavy ceramic plate provides greater protection over vital areas.
A Kevlar vest typically comprises some 36 layers of Kevlar fabric; however, it loses about 20 percent of its effectiveness when wet, requiring an expensive waterproofing process.
"What we did was kept the Kevlar but added a wool yarn into this," he said.
The increased friction of the wool in a tight weave means a vest comprising 28-30 layers of fabric provides the same level of bullet resistance as 36 layers of Kevlar.
"Because wool fibers expand naturally in water by up to 16 percent, the wool-Kevlar blend actually becomes more effective in wet conditions," he said. "The result is a cheaper bullet-resistant vest that works even better when it's wet."
That's a significant matter, considering Kevlar costs about $70 a kilogram compared with about $12 a kilogram for wool. (Reprinted in part from Australian Associated Press)
Yea for wool! Wool just keeps getting more and more relevant. Makes me proud to be a shepherd. :-)
Researchers at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) school of fashion and textiles discovered that a blend of wool and Kevlar, the synthetic fiber widely used in body armor, was lighter and cheaper and worked better in some conditions than Kevlar alone.
The RMIT textile technologist, Rajiv Padhye, Ph.D., said the standard bullet proof vest was generally made of Kevlar, a dense, strong and expensive fiber. For military use, a heavy ceramic plate provides greater protection over vital areas.
A Kevlar vest typically comprises some 36 layers of Kevlar fabric; however, it loses about 20 percent of its effectiveness when wet, requiring an expensive waterproofing process.
"What we did was kept the Kevlar but added a wool yarn into this," he said.
The increased friction of the wool in a tight weave means a vest comprising 28-30 layers of fabric provides the same level of bullet resistance as 36 layers of Kevlar.
"Because wool fibers expand naturally in water by up to 16 percent, the wool-Kevlar blend actually becomes more effective in wet conditions," he said. "The result is a cheaper bullet-resistant vest that works even better when it's wet."
That's a significant matter, considering Kevlar costs about $70 a kilogram compared with about $12 a kilogram for wool. (Reprinted in part from Australian Associated Press)
Yea for wool! Wool just keeps getting more and more relevant. Makes me proud to be a shepherd. :-)
May 4, 2011
Should sheep wear clothing?
This may not be a question that's ever occurred to you, but many months ago, when I received the draft cover for Sheepish, I laughed out loud because the sheep was 'wearing' a lime green hat and a lime green scarf. I loved the cover instantly. This has never happened to me before. I tend to get fussy about covers, urging the company to tweak this or move that.
But when this cover appeared in my email inbox, I was behind it 100%. Then the publisher started to tweak, changing the background color to pale blue, then pale orange. I threw, in highly professional terms, what is known as a hissy fit. The cover remains as it was, untweaked.
Whenever I have a new book come out, I give a gift to those people in the publishing company who've helped it along. This time I wanted to thank Sean in Marketing, Lara in Publicity, and of course, Alex the cover designer. But what to give them? When Hit by a Farm came out I gave people Lambchop puppets. When The Compassionate Carnivore came out, I sent my editor Renee a real shepherd's crook for 'shepherding' me through the process.
The other day I was inspired. Alex (cover designer) dressed a sheep in clothing for my cover, so I would do the same thing for him. I dashed to Rochester and found some lime green yarn. I searched and searched for stuffed sheep, and found them at Toys R Us. Then I knit my very first hat, about two inches high, and a ten-inch scarf.
Sheep actually do wear clothing. They wear coats designed to keep their fleeces free of VM. (Vegetable matter is hay and straw and burrs and other crap they tend to pick up.)
Lambs wear coats to stay warm.
Sheep at state fairs need to be kept very clean, so they even wear hoods, which is a little too Klu Klux Klannish for me.
Given that sheep do wear clothing, I guess a hat and scarf isn't all that crazy.
So I dressed my sheep. Three of these cuties will be heading eastward very soon.
But when this cover appeared in my email inbox, I was behind it 100%. Then the publisher started to tweak, changing the background color to pale blue, then pale orange. I threw, in highly professional terms, what is known as a hissy fit. The cover remains as it was, untweaked.
Whenever I have a new book come out, I give a gift to those people in the publishing company who've helped it along. This time I wanted to thank Sean in Marketing, Lara in Publicity, and of course, Alex the cover designer. But what to give them? When Hit by a Farm came out I gave people Lambchop puppets. When The Compassionate Carnivore came out, I sent my editor Renee a real shepherd's crook for 'shepherding' me through the process.
The other day I was inspired. Alex (cover designer) dressed a sheep in clothing for my cover, so I would do the same thing for him. I dashed to Rochester and found some lime green yarn. I searched and searched for stuffed sheep, and found them at Toys R Us. Then I knit my very first hat, about two inches high, and a ten-inch scarf.
Sheep actually do wear clothing. They wear coats designed to keep their fleeces free of VM. (Vegetable matter is hay and straw and burrs and other crap they tend to pick up.)
Lambs wear coats to stay warm.
Sheep at state fairs need to be kept very clean, so they even wear hoods, which is a little too Klu Klux Klannish for me.
Given that sheep do wear clothing, I guess a hat and scarf isn't all that crazy.
So I dressed my sheep. Three of these cuties will be heading eastward very soon.
May 1, 2011
A Farming Author's First Fiber Event
When Hit by a Farm came out, the whole fiber world wasn't even on my radar. Well, it was, but in a "those-people-are-sure-weird" sort of way.
That was then, this is now. Yesterday I was part of Lila and Claudine's Yarn Shop booth at an annual knitting event in the Twin Cities called Yarnover (The yarnover is a knitting stitch, one I actually know how to do.) I had a little table with copies of Sheepish and Hit by a Farm, a few postcards, flyers with an excerpt from Sheepish, and a pen for signing books. I was surrounded by yarn.
When an author does a booksigning at a bookstore, unless she's J.K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyer, she may sell 5-10 books. At a library event, same thing. So when I packed 50 books for this Yarnover thing, I felt stupid. "Who are you kidding, insane woman?"
Ahh, but this was a fiber event. Fiber means yarn, which means wool, which means sheep, which means "we love this!" My buttons that said "get sheepish" were gone in just a few hours. The "get sheepish" bookmarks disappeared soon after that.
By 1 pm I was out of books. Totally. Wow.
Out of books, and out of energy. Partly from talking to people, partly from staring at everyone's knit shawls, sweaters, etc. and wondering if I could ever do that.
Still, it was a fine day.
Maybe these fiber people aren't so weird after all.
That was then, this is now. Yesterday I was part of Lila and Claudine's Yarn Shop booth at an annual knitting event in the Twin Cities called Yarnover (The yarnover is a knitting stitch, one I actually know how to do.) I had a little table with copies of Sheepish and Hit by a Farm, a few postcards, flyers with an excerpt from Sheepish, and a pen for signing books. I was surrounded by yarn.
When an author does a booksigning at a bookstore, unless she's J.K. Rowling or Stephanie Meyer, she may sell 5-10 books. At a library event, same thing. So when I packed 50 books for this Yarnover thing, I felt stupid. "Who are you kidding, insane woman?"
Ahh, but this was a fiber event. Fiber means yarn, which means wool, which means sheep, which means "we love this!" My buttons that said "get sheepish" were gone in just a few hours. The "get sheepish" bookmarks disappeared soon after that.
By 1 pm I was out of books. Totally. Wow.
Out of books, and out of energy. Partly from talking to people, partly from staring at everyone's knit shawls, sweaters, etc. and wondering if I could ever do that.
Still, it was a fine day.
Maybe these fiber people aren't so weird after all.
April 28, 2011
I Should Have Stayed in Bed
Now that Melissa's headaches are better (Yeah, surgery!), she's been able to get a fulltime job for the first time in many, many years. She's locating underground utility lines, and loves it, even though she's clawing her way up the steep learning curve, and there are days when we both wish she were home during the day. It's now my job to feed the pregnant sheep, the llamas, the big steers, the little steers, the chickens, and the ducks.
Yesterday it's rainy, so the ground is slippery muck, since we haven't had enough sun and warmth to help the grass grow. Tucker (the llama) stands in the wrong place waiting to be fed. Taking pity on him because he can't figure out where to go, I bring his food to him. He knocks it out of my hands and into the water trough below, getting both of us wet. What a mess. I finally lead him into the barn where he's supposed to go in the first place.
I feed the four steers (each about 600 pounds?) in a long wooden trough. For a year there has been no sign that the two part-Holstein brothers are actually related. But they've recently begun ganging up on the two Jerseys (the world's bovine pacifists) and knocking them away from the feeder. Now I call them the Twins, 'cause they're colluding to get all the corn.
I foil them by making two huge piles, one for the Twins, one for the Pacifists, and that's been working. But yesterday the Jerseys step back and won't eat. This means I must scoop up their food so the Twins won't eat it.
Time to feed Chachi, who's in with the ram, Inigo Montoya. Inigo's become a problem---he's lost his fear of us, and loves to charge. It really races your pulse to have a 200-pound beast lower his head and charge you. Our friend Drew told us last month that he throws a bucket of cold water in the face of a problem ram to surprise him.
So I'm having trouble keeping Inigo away from Chachi's food (we've tried many things---too long to go into). I decide today's the day for the water treatment, so I tramp back to the pen with a bucket of water straight out of the well, 280 feet below ground. It's COLD water. Inigo hops toward me, aggressive as hell.
"You want some of this?" I say with a snarl, then I fling water at him.
He's very surprised...to see that I've missed him entirely and instead drenched myself. Turns out flinging the water up isn't that effective.
Okay, now I'm mad. I wipe the water off my glasses, squeeze out my scarf, then focus. This time I really nail him with the water. He shakes his head and staggers away, stunned.
Unfortunately, he comes back 30 seconds later. "You're gonna have to do worse than that, b*tch."
Oy.
Then later that morning I let the little calves out for their walkabout. I return 90 minutes later with their bottles, and they're very willing to come into the barn. (Have I mentioned that Little #2 hasn't learned that it's quite inappropriate to stick his nose in other people's 'business'?) So I'm trying to put the big bottle, heavy with milk, into Little #3 bottle holder, and he's sucking on my gloves and making things difficult.
I'm bending over a low gate trying to do this, when Little #2 and his nose begin a fairly vigorous assault on my 'business.' I start laughing. Because my hands are busy with the bottle, I can't fight off Little #2's insistent nose.
Let me just say...
Please, people, remember that we're professionals. Do not try this at home.
Yesterday it's rainy, so the ground is slippery muck, since we haven't had enough sun and warmth to help the grass grow. Tucker (the llama) stands in the wrong place waiting to be fed. Taking pity on him because he can't figure out where to go, I bring his food to him. He knocks it out of my hands and into the water trough below, getting both of us wet. What a mess. I finally lead him into the barn where he's supposed to go in the first place.
I feed the four steers (each about 600 pounds?) in a long wooden trough. For a year there has been no sign that the two part-Holstein brothers are actually related. But they've recently begun ganging up on the two Jerseys (the world's bovine pacifists) and knocking them away from the feeder. Now I call them the Twins, 'cause they're colluding to get all the corn.
I foil them by making two huge piles, one for the Twins, one for the Pacifists, and that's been working. But yesterday the Jerseys step back and won't eat. This means I must scoop up their food so the Twins won't eat it.
Time to feed Chachi, who's in with the ram, Inigo Montoya. Inigo's become a problem---he's lost his fear of us, and loves to charge. It really races your pulse to have a 200-pound beast lower his head and charge you. Our friend Drew told us last month that he throws a bucket of cold water in the face of a problem ram to surprise him.
So I'm having trouble keeping Inigo away from Chachi's food (we've tried many things---too long to go into). I decide today's the day for the water treatment, so I tramp back to the pen with a bucket of water straight out of the well, 280 feet below ground. It's COLD water. Inigo hops toward me, aggressive as hell.
"You want some of this?" I say with a snarl, then I fling water at him.
He's very surprised...to see that I've missed him entirely and instead drenched myself. Turns out flinging the water up isn't that effective.
Okay, now I'm mad. I wipe the water off my glasses, squeeze out my scarf, then focus. This time I really nail him with the water. He shakes his head and staggers away, stunned.
Unfortunately, he comes back 30 seconds later. "You're gonna have to do worse than that, b*tch."
Oy.
Then later that morning I let the little calves out for their walkabout. I return 90 minutes later with their bottles, and they're very willing to come into the barn. (Have I mentioned that Little #2 hasn't learned that it's quite inappropriate to stick his nose in other people's 'business'?) So I'm trying to put the big bottle, heavy with milk, into Little #3 bottle holder, and he's sucking on my gloves and making things difficult.
I'm bending over a low gate trying to do this, when Little #2 and his nose begin a fairly vigorous assault on my 'business.' I start laughing. Because my hands are busy with the bottle, I can't fight off Little #2's insistent nose.
Let me just say...
Please, people, remember that we're professionals. Do not try this at home.
April 25, 2011
I'm Trying not to Laugh
A few posts ago I described my Calf Moment, when I fed them, then let them out to play, and couldn't get them back in the barn without difficulty, especially Little #2, who slipped through the gate into the east pasture.
Well, let me just say that Melissa had her own Calf Moment, and it was way more chaotic than mine. (Sadly, smugness can afflict the best of us.)
She fed the calves at 2 pm, then decided to let them have a little walkabout inside the barn. The barn door was open, with a low board across it as a barrier. Little #2 has seen too many John Deere TV commercials, because he took one look at that board and thought, "Runs like a Deer," and flew over the board. Then the other two insisted on being let out as well, so Melissa gave in. They ran around like crazy animals for a few minutes, then she tried to get them back inside.
Uh-huh. No way. And to show he was serious, Little #2 shot through the five-wire electric fence into the north pasture, where the sheep and Tucker the Protective Llama were grazing. As Melissa ran for the nearest gate into the north pasture, Tucker realized a potential threat had entered his world. He thundered towards the calf.
Picture this: A little, deer-like 30-pound calf being chased by the 400-pound llama, who's being chased by Melissa as she yells, "Don't kill the baby!" After Melissa had gotten enough exercise, Tucker stopped and the calf stopped. Then the calf hopped the fence into the east pasture. Melissa slogged back to the original pen and managed to get one of the remaining two calves into the barn. Then she returned to the east and cornered Little #2 against the fence and an old composter made of pallets. She snagged his leg, and wrestled him into the original pen. After a bit more running around, she got all three calves back into the barn.
We will, of course, soon be letting the calves roam outside most of the day.
Little #2, however, might be on a leash.
Well, let me just say that Melissa had her own Calf Moment, and it was way more chaotic than mine. (Sadly, smugness can afflict the best of us.)
She fed the calves at 2 pm, then decided to let them have a little walkabout inside the barn. The barn door was open, with a low board across it as a barrier. Little #2 has seen too many John Deere TV commercials, because he took one look at that board and thought, "Runs like a Deer," and flew over the board. Then the other two insisted on being let out as well, so Melissa gave in. They ran around like crazy animals for a few minutes, then she tried to get them back inside.
Uh-huh. No way. And to show he was serious, Little #2 shot through the five-wire electric fence into the north pasture, where the sheep and Tucker the Protective Llama were grazing. As Melissa ran for the nearest gate into the north pasture, Tucker realized a potential threat had entered his world. He thundered towards the calf.
Picture this: A little, deer-like 30-pound calf being chased by the 400-pound llama, who's being chased by Melissa as she yells, "Don't kill the baby!" After Melissa had gotten enough exercise, Tucker stopped and the calf stopped. Then the calf hopped the fence into the east pasture. Melissa slogged back to the original pen and managed to get one of the remaining two calves into the barn. Then she returned to the east and cornered Little #2 against the fence and an old composter made of pallets. She snagged his leg, and wrestled him into the original pen. After a bit more running around, she got all three calves back into the barn.
We will, of course, soon be letting the calves roam outside most of the day.
Little #2, however, might be on a leash.
April 22, 2011
Rest in Fleece
Wool is as green a fiber as it gets (a point I make in Sheepish,) but here's an idea that tops them all: wool coffins. The British have been finding ways to increase wool sales for four hundred years, so they're very good at it!
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2056346,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2056346,00.html
April 21, 2011
Revised Website Now Live!
After much hard work on the part of my Website Goddess, JC, my website has had a facelift. There are still a few issues (where'd all my Facebook people go?) but they're minor.
If you're a teacher or librarian, take note of the teaching tool in the right column that uses The Perfect Nest.
If you have a middle school girl in your life, scroll down on the right column and pre-order Barn Boot Blues. It won't be out until October, but pre-orders now would stun my publisher. They might ask me to write another book!
I've added a Q&A, an audio book link, info about presentations I give, and the video of our sheep. Wheeeeh!
Stay tuned for upcoming blog entries, which include cool information about wool (Some people think wool is boring. What's wrong with them?) and an update on why I'm once again Head Farmer, just as lambing approaches. Yowza.
Enjoy the sunshine today, if you're lucky enough to have some!
If you're a teacher or librarian, take note of the teaching tool in the right column that uses The Perfect Nest.
If you have a middle school girl in your life, scroll down on the right column and pre-order Barn Boot Blues. It won't be out until October, but pre-orders now would stun my publisher. They might ask me to write another book!
I've added a Q&A, an audio book link, info about presentations I give, and the video of our sheep. Wheeeeh!
Stay tuned for upcoming blog entries, which include cool information about wool (Some people think wool is boring. What's wrong with them?) and an update on why I'm once again Head Farmer, just as lambing approaches. Yowza.
Enjoy the sunshine today, if you're lucky enough to have some!
April 20, 2011
A New Look to Farm Tales
Soon (either this post or the next one)Farm Tales will have a new look. We call it the 'cool tissue paper' design. The blog's new design more closely matches my website, and, in fact, the blog entries will now be available in the center column of my website.
Once JC the Web Goddess gets everything in place, then you'll see the changes. The links should all be the same, so no worries there.
New look, same farm, same farmers, same silly stories!
Once JC the Web Goddess gets everything in place, then you'll see the changes. The links should all be the same, so no worries there.
New look, same farm, same farmers, same silly stories!
This is a test
This post will self-destruct in 2 minutes.
