I am starting a new farm blog site. It's at:
http://schoonoverfarmblog.blogspot.com/

This site will allow me more flexibility with photos and links. I hope you like it!

Clara who shed her cashmere even though the weather is still freezing and is now wearing a wool sweater

Chloe relaxing in a sun beam on the couch.

I've been home almost one week with a painful back, possible from shearing 25 sheep. I'm trying to be good and moving a lot but not bending or lifting which means no farm chores. But I have been peeking out the window watching our Highland cow Hana. She was due in March and has had a progressively increasing udder and vulva so we knew the time was soon, but she kept stalling. Finally last evening she produced a calf for us and once again I missed the delivery (although barely). She is so good at it that we always miss it. Anyway she and the calf are doing well. Once again we cannot get close enough to tell yet if it's a heifer calf or a bull calf, but the most important thing is he/she is dry, eating and warm despite our unseasonable cool temperatures. I may try to go out with binoculars today to see what we have. We can't pick a name until we know!

I have been thinking about how my life is so much more affected by seasonal variation than when I was younger. I grew up in the suburbs of Seattle and only noticed the seasons with relation to school and holidays- at least that's my memory. Now I am noticing that not only my farm and garden work load change (which I have appreciated for a while), but my diet changes as does my home. Right now we have pheasant eggs incubating on the dining room table, and I have pumpkin starts in my window sills. I pay much more attention to weather forecasts and worry about it's effects on the animals, pasture and garden. I've been thinking about how much more I appreciate these variations in our climate and how much more they affect me. It's actually a beautiful thing- even though I complain about the weather from time to time.