Photogenic Ruby

Hubby got out the big camera and we had a very sunny afternoon for taking pictures.  Here are some of the special ones.

Although she has a nice pen on the other side of the barn, Ruby has adopted this location as her preferred perch.  Here, outside the hen's area - the hen's workbench, really - Ruby can see outside and the entire inside of the barn.  As well, she can squeeze under the workbench where today I found her sprawled out and sleeping.

Here she is looking out the back door of the barn, through which the sheep come and go during the daytime.

I quickly put a bandanna on Ruby to begin collar training her, which seems foreign to Maremma owners.  The bandanna is made of cotton and can slip off or break if hung up.

Like me neighbour's Great Pyrenees, Ruby as a snarly greeting smile.  The sides of her mouth curl up and you wonder if she's going to growl, but she's happy to see you - it's a fancy smile!

A priceless puppy photo with the droopy ear.  She is 3 months old so these gangly looks won't last long. 

Millie's eyes are brown and her nose is a dark pink while the 'classic' Maremma is like Ruby with black eyes and nose.

Oh, the ears are properly in place now, but the hip is drooping.  Oh, well, this is a long time for a puppy to be still!

Amusing, Ruby stayed tucked behind me.  She did not accept Beau near her barn and told him so.  Ruby fiercely defends her barn with snarls, barks, growls and raised fur.

Beau had to leave the barnyard.  He wasn't really too hurt as he is rarely allowed in there.

I have taken to wearing overalls or coveralls since Ruby jumps, sometimes on my back.  She is learning quickly - and the hard way at times - not to jump.  As of this writing she now greets me by coming to me and sitting, then rolling over for a belly rub.  The jumping is subsiding, so maybe the laundry volume will return to normal.

A happy puppy and a happy puppy owner!

Ruby Tuesday

It was a Tuesday when he got the Maremma puppies.  My new friend, the elderly gentleman who has Millie's mother, got all five puppies.  The owner is an impatient man and threatened to shoot them to get rid of them.  And at one third of what I paid for Millie, yes, we'd take one of the puppies.

There were three females and two males and he wanted to keep the males.  So, my neighbour and I went over on the Friday to pick out our puppies.  Hubby and I had wanted to go together but he was not available and someone else was coming for a puppy on Saturday morning.

Ruby came up to me several times and sat down for a good scratch, which none of the others did.  Ruby was the smallest of the litter but that didn't matter to me.  She is three months old.

Coming down the road to the house she puked.  My poor car; I put it through so much.

I had prepared a pen for her, one in which she could get in and out but the sheep cannot.  The sheep will bash her before accepting her.  The dog needs its own safe space to call its own.  I pulled the car through the gate and right up to the barn, then carried Ruby into the barn and heaved her over into her pen.  She is solid.  She stayed in the pen, exhausted, stressed, sick.

The pups had been well handled by grandchildren.  They had been living with sheep and were also used to chickens.  Llamas are very new to Ruby.  The adult parents were on the farm.  And the puppies are related to my neighbour's amazing Maremma, Charlie.

I gave Ruby some water and cleaned up my car.  I checked on her every few minutes and she just stayed put in the pen.  A little while later the dairy farmer arrived with a wagon load of second cut hay.  Ruby fell asleep nearby as we unloaded and stacked the hay.  I fed her some kibble.  She stayed in her pen and slept for the remainder of the afternoon.  She was upside down and looking very content.  I had locked the sheep out of the barn for the rest of the afternoon.

In the evening she ate up her kibble again which was followed by some dry heaves.  She explored a little bit, returning always to the barn.  The barn quickly became her safe place. 

The sheep did not want to go into the barn at night.  They did not want that dog-thing in there.  I bribed them with grain and Smudge - oh so food focused - was first into the barn.  Ruby stayed snug in her pen while the sheep took turns stamping their front leg, one of few offensive behaviours they possess.

On Saturday morning Ruby came out to the field with Millie and I.  She kept going to the sheep and they kept trotting away from her.  All the while Millie just ignored Ruby.  Then Millie came closer to me and it was Ruby that was aggressive with Millie, growling with high scruff.  I told them both to behave and they did.  There was one deep growl from Millie and that was it - for now.

Ruby already knows her name.  She is learning that I do not like to be jumped on and that "off!" can be followed with a good shove.  "Ah, ah, ah!"  receives a very quick response.  I suspect she has already been corrected for chasing and trying to play with the sheep.  She knows when I ask her to slow down and will sit and wait for me to say it's okay to move forward again.

When I returned to the house she eventually slid under the fence or gate and followed me toward the house.  Beau saw her and chased her.  Ruby ran up and into the barn.  Tonight I took Beau up to the barn on a leash.  Ruby clearly defended her barn with barking, growling and raised scruff.  It was some time before she backed down.  Beau of course does not care, really.  He is not aggressive and barely cares to be assertive.  Unless his ball is concerned...

We watched her this evening after the sheep were tucked into the barn with her.  Ruby came out of her pen and laid near the chicken area where she can see outside.  Coyotes began howling across the road and Millie began her night time barking routine.  Ruby did not bark.  It was safe in her barn.  The sheep stamped their feet and kept their distance.

We are pleased with Ruby.  The long range goal I have at present is to breed her.  For now, she needs to grow up.  She really is just a baby Maremma.  It amazes me how smart she is and how instinctive the protective aspects are for these dogs.  Stay tuned for more Ruby stories.

Being here

Eight seconds

We had a very nice visit with KJ and CB last week.  Hanging in my mind is CB's question, "How long did it take you to decide to buy this place, about 8 seconds?"  And that is pretty much how it was, really.  With all of the challenges over the past seven months it is encouraging to hear the views of others, that this is truly a lovely place and what a beautiful adventure.  And then, "Can we come and visit again?"  The answer, always, is "Yes, certainly.  Just let us know...."

Many deduce at first glance that this is an old house and it is not.  It is eighteen years old and was a rebuild following a fire.  There are several spots around that seem to be the remnant foundations of previous buildings.  I plan to research and find out more.  In addition I have met a man in his eighties who remembers coming here when he was a child of about ten.  There was an Ayrshire dairy herd here then.

Being there for a friend

When our friend called she was distraught, upset to say today was the day she had to put down her beloved dog.  It had to be today.  He cannot manage any longer.

We had said recently she was welcome to bury him here on the farm.  And so we organised our day and prepared for her arrival.  We had located a pet cemetery at the back of the small forest behind the house.  We went there and selected a spot.  Hubby got some tools and he went out to dig the hole.

He came back a while later to report he'd hit hard ground and needed a pick axe.  Off we went to the neighbour's to borrow one.  In the end the hole was not as deep as desired but it would do.

And so she arrived with the body of her beautiful old beast in the back of the car.  Hubby gently scooped him up and laid him kindly in the sheet lined wheelbarrow.  Goodbyes were said with teary eyes and the sheet was wrapped around him.

Hubby laid him in the prepared place and his owner took up the shovel and tearfully filled in the space.

We walked.  We talked.  We hugged.  After a cool drink on the veranda she headed home.  The next day she returned with her son and they placed a marker on the gravestone.

We were glad to be there for a friend.

Rain

A steady and gentle rain is perfect for running in, at least that's my experience.  I do like a soft and gentle rain.  If you are a grazing animal and need to eat, rain is accepted.  So, off we went the other morning, Millie and I and the flock of sheep.  I wore a full rain suit, thanks to hubby who often keeps me dressed for the weather in cool stuff.  I'm not sure rain gear is cool but I remained dry.

I headed to the cabin as the sheep had selected that area of the field for grazing this morning.  I removed some of my rain gear and hung out there.  I propped open the door and Millie actually put both front feet inside.  I put a chair nearby and petted her on the dry parts under her neck.  Because of the wet I had not brought a craft with me, but had my rifle along.

Rain.  It is needed.  It rained all morning.  I'd had enough after an hour and so had the sheep.  They headed in to the barn and I followed.

Northern Harrier

I saw this bird hanging around the other morning and hubby got out the big camera.  We asked our avid bird watching friend and she quickly identified it as a Northern Harrier.  They used to be known as a Marsh Hawk.  We thought it was a Golden Eagle but the tail feathers are wrong.  He - I am assuming gender - has been around a few other days.  Enjoy the photos.

Descriptions state that the Northern Harrier has an owl like flat face, which can be seen in this photo - okay, maybe you have to zoom into the photo to see it.  In addition, a distinguishing feature is the white patch at the top of the tail or the rump.
 

Each of these anecdotes is about being here...

LGD happiness, Garden and Craft

We've had lots of company over the past few weeks.  It has been great to share our farm adventure with friends and family.  They can now put animal names and faces together.  It is fun when people arrive and want to meet the animals.  It does surprise non-animal people that I can tell the sheep apart and have names for each.  Keep in mind however that I haven't figured out the chickens.  I can only readily distinguish one, Blondie, and that is because she is so much lighter in colour than the other reds.

Millie has been very busy indeed.  We are more than half way through a month of antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease and she seems to feel fantastic.  As hubby pointed out, it is possible that she has had the disease for years and this is the best she has felt in several years.  She seems to sleep a bit less, is more interested in the sheep and is eating lots.  Finally this big dog is eating big dog portions. 

I feed her breakfast in the car, thanks to DB's suggestion, to get her used to getting into the vehicle.  I have booked her spay surgery for later this month.  After eight, when hopefully the coyotes have all gone home, Millie meets me at the back door and we head out to the barn.  At first I bribed her with treats, now she just comes.  Actually now she's looking for me.  I open the gate to the back field and let the sheep out.  I go into the barn to feed the chickens and gather the eggs.  I get my lawn chair and head outside. 

These days the sheep wait for Millie to go first.  She takes her time, smelling and inspecting things.  We head out into the Middle Field where the cabin is located, and the sheep head to the right and down into the hollow while Millie goes straight and checks out the perimeter.  Millie continues around the entire field.  She goes into the bush along the back of the house and travels all the way back to the barnyard path and returns to the field.  I have been very impressed with this routine of boundary checking that she has taken on.

We spend about twenty to thirty minutes checking the field.  I more or less stay with the sheep during this time, paying attention to the south end of the field where we know there is coyote activity.  Then I set up my chair in the shade at an elevated spot.  I work on my craft which is interrupted by Millie sucking up to me.  This is the major suck up time of the day.  This is when Millie sucks up any love I am willing to dole out to her.  Sometimes I take the dog brush.  I remove burrs from her coat.  We have chats and I scratch her ears a lot.  Then she'll fall down and ask me to rub her belly.  Otherwise she lays down and dozes and observes the surroundings.  The nose goes constantly.

On occasion she has growled or even barked at something in the woods.  When the sheep run she does too.  Millie's goal is to get in front of the sheep to protect them from anything bad.  The sheep think she is chasing them and run faster.  Slowly, the sheep are becoming accustomed to her.  They run away from her less frequently.  The sheep move away and regroup instead of running headlong back to the barn.  Millie really wants to bond with them; instead, at this point in time, she is bonding to me.  We expect over the winter and with new lambs in the spring that the sheep will bond more closely with Millie.

Millie is very busy at night, barking at coyotes and other noises.  I awoke at three one morning to a howling coyote and Millie responding in kind with a howl, then a bark.  This went on for about five or ten minutes.  Now that she knows of the fields out back Millie is also more attentive to these areas, which is desired.

Oh, I recently met Millie's mother, Hillary.  I was speaking to her owner, petting this dog that came up to me and kept pawing me.  Her owner kept telling her to stop that.  She had a lovely demeanour and was the friendliest of the dogs.  The pawing behaviour was a giveaway since Millie does this.


The garden is exploding.  The broccoli has been yummy but is pretty well done.  Remember that I went small and only planted a half package of most seeds.  The cauliflower has been disappointing but there is still time.  The zucchini has been crazy and the relish, muffins and BBQ-ed products scrumptious.  Bush beans have been lovely and I wish I had planted more.  The butternut squash is like a crazy beanstalk plant, with tendrils overtaking space wherever it can.  The tomatoes are to the point where I must pick some daily.  We have had a beautiful freshly grated beet salad thanks to Sister.  There are carrots too.  Oh, and the red romaine continues to produce.

So, fresh veg we have lots of.  Some meals consist of all fresh garden veg which is just divine and oh so healthy for us all.  I am already planning on expanding the garden for next year.  I need to decide where to put asparagus and rhubarb.  The garden will always be a work in progress and that is just fine. 


So, my latest Shepherdessing craft - is that a word / phrase?  Oh, I was an academic once and that allowed me to make up words, so it will still work.  I was taking knitting with me which has been great.  However I realised that I really want to get Dot's fleece carded up.  So, I got out a larger back pack and stuffed it with a bag of some fleece and a smaller, clean bag.  While sitting I tease out the tufts of fleece, allowing the breeze to carry away the chaff and toss the undesirables.  The good stuff goes into the clean bag.  This has been working very well.  At the end of the day I card this up on the drum carder which I have set up on the veranda.  Each day I am able to produce a few more batts of fleece ready to spin.

I have a lot of fleece work to do.  It really needs to happen outside.  As the nights get cooler it is on my mind that any outside work must get done soon.  The seasons and the weather prioritise many of my days' activities for me. 

It's 8:01a.m. and Millie wants to get the sheep out.  She and Beau have played chase around the house and Millie has discovered digging in the sand pit left by the pool.  It is great to see her happy.   

Work Station

In my previous life I had my own work station which in some establishments is referred to as a pod or a cubicle.  The walls are temporary and may be short or tall.  There is no door.  Sometimes the lighting can be challenging.  I found that the fluorescent lights tended to induce headaches so I had them turned off.

These days my work station is quite different.  There is no pod or cubicle, no walls or door either.  The lighting varies daily and I have no control over the intensity.  I must dress for the outdoor temperature whereas I used to dress for the indoor temperature which always seemed to be cold in summer and hot in winter.  You'd think the government would figure out how to control the temperature in its office buildings....

Here is my work station. This is my own patch of the Canadian Shield!  My chair is not ergonomic but then I don't sit it in for very long in a day.  My chair is very portable and can go anywhere on our acreage.  My tools, as depicted here, include my cute little rifle and my current knitting project.

Here is one of the many expansive views I enjoy regularly.  Serene and pastoral, happily grazing sheep.  The sheep in the foreground are the lambs; they are almost as big as their mothers now.  From various perches where I move my chair I can enjoy the view of the sheep.  My presence is as important a deterrent to coyotes as my seeing the sheep.

I need some dish cloths so I have knit up this one while sitting at my work station on my piece of the Canadian Shield. I have begun a second one now.  Actually this is my third one.  I didn't care for the first one so I ripped it out and started again.

On several mornings recently it has been foggy with heavy moisture in the air.  In my work bag I usually carry a camera.  I spent some time the other morning finding photogenic spider webs and this is one of the better shots.

This is all part of the view from my work station.

Fibre, Fun and Fellowship

This blog has been percolating in my brain for over one week.  The Fibre Fun Day was planned for Tuesday August 19th.  There were a number of regrets; it is a busy time of year for holidaying.  At any rate I selfishly invited fibre friends and family for a day of fellowship in order to get me out of the barn and playing with fibre.  It worked!

There were six of us in total.  Our potluck lunch was quite enjoyable - as these things so often are!  Two of us were fibre folk, three were family and one was a neighbour.  The fellowship was just lovely.  After lunch we went for a walk and then we enjoyed the veranda again until it was time for departures.

It was not until the evening, well after everyone had left, that I carded up some of Dot's fleece and added some sari scraps to it.  I sat down and spun.  It was divine!  I was spinning my sheep's wool!

I put the fleece through the carder twice.  The second time I added the sari scraps.  I will add more the next time.  They are predominantly red but there are many colours mixed in.  Sari scraps are just that; the scraps of silk swept up off the floor in a sari making shop.

Things with Millie continue to progress.  As desired she marks the field, claiming it as her territory.  She patrols the perimeter, especially in the morning.  She is learning to slow down when she approaches and walks through the flock as they are not yet fully supportive of her being there.

Following our twice daily pasturing of the sheep for one to two hours at a time, Millie usually returns to the house area and sleeps under the veranda.  Sometimes she will stay with the sheep in the Front Field.  Once she ditched me after an hour, heading back to the veranda for a nap.  A few times she has refused to follow me into the field.  This afternoon I was armed with a Ziploc of leftover turkey meat which got her FULL attention.

This remains a time consuming task, absorbing about four hours of my day, minimum.  However, the sheep are well fed, we have had no more attacks or losses, and Millie is with the sheep.  It is time well spent right now.

The kids are here for the weekend and it has been very nice.  This is daughter's second visit and son's first.  They have met all of the animals.  Son was thoroughly spit upon by Henrietta - twice - for no other crime than feeding her corn husks.  We have enjoyed the fruits of the vegetable garden each night at dinner and cooked up eggs too.  Cranky the hen has recovered from her broody spell and is now laying again so we get five eggs most days.  There have been walks and talks and a few chores.

Veg & LGD at work

Oh to have time to veg out!  No, that's not what this blog is about.  Vegging out doesn't really happen here too much.  I must say though we had visitors for lunch and enjoyed their visit a great deal.

The vegetable garden is in full bloom.  Daughter's Christmas gift was a book on vegetable gardening and I heeded the sage advice of going small.  There is still a lot happening in the small veggie garden.

On a whim I bought seed potatoes and onion sets at the local supermarket.  I planted all of the potatoes, about five pounds.  They are red potatoes which we find yummy.  I planted three hills at one end of the garden and then followed another suggestion and at the other end of the garden, dug two trenches and planted them in rows.  All are doing well and we ate our first potatoes last week.  Some potatoes are the usual large size while some are baby sized.  I'm happy to leave them be to get bigger and dig them up later.

We ate our first tomato the other day.  I was too excited to get a photo first; we ate it!  There are six plants.  Although they are supported with tomato cages a few were blown over in a recent windy rain storm.  I managed to right them, adding an extra support to one.
 
We are inundated with zucchini.  I made zucchini relish this evening, finally.  I purchased a canning starter kit this past week for bottling things such as relish.  I've never canned before.  I carefully planted only three hills of zucchini.  Visitors  are usually sent home with some zucchini.

We have had one meal of bush beans and more are ready for picking.  I only planted half rows of these and would have preferred more as they are easy to freeze.  Onions are kind of everywhere.  I had never planted onion sets but usually seed green onions.  I thought I planted the latter too but don't see them so I guess not.

Lettuce we have been eating for some time.  I mixed the seed packets of arugula, spinach and red romaine.  The bugs like the arugula and when we eat it there is a strong peppery taste.  The bugs do not care for the red romaine and we continue to cut that and eat it young.  There is no sign of spinach.

The broccoli is developing heads while the cauliflower is not.  The half row of mixed beets and carrots is looking very yummy but I'm just leaving it.

The weeds got quite out of control.  Sister helped me to get on top of it recently.  In cleaning out a stall which is mostly hay and bedding I put this down for more mulch.  I'm now down to the hotter layer of manure and this is getting dumped on the outer edges of the garden away from the current plantings.

Today visitors offered us a free rototiller.  "Yes, please", we said.  It needs a servicing but should work out just fine.  They have a trailer and will bring it down to us in the next few weeks.

What was really exciting for me today, was Millie.  Actually we need to back track a few days...  On Thursday the Vet came to see Millie.  A four year old farm dog she had never seen a Vet, never had a vaccination or a check up.  Getting near her can be challenging so getting her into the car and to the Vet clinic was not going to happen.  We paid the extra charges to have the Vet make a farm visit, like you do for large farm animals.

When I fed Millie her breakfast I quickly and quietly closed the door behind her and locked her into the Small Barn.  I put a net over the top of the door into the lean-to to ensure she didn't jump out there, even though I had secured the outer door.  She actually took this well.  She curled up in the mucky manure I was in the process of cleaning out of the one box stall and slept there for the morning.

The female Vet at the clinic arrived around lunchtime.  I was pleased it was her as Millie can be more timid with men.  Millie was as good as gold.  The Vet said she forgot to pack a muzzle but I assured her she didn't need it.  Millie was a little nervous but all went well.  The Vet checked her out thoroughly.  She has no concerns about the lump on her abdomen and will remove it when she spays her.  All shots were given without any reaction from Millie.  Blood was taken to test for heartworm and Lyme disease.  Anal glands were blocked and Millie was excellent for this procedure.

The Vet commented that Millie has a fine demeanour, that we had done well to find her.  Booster shots are needed in a month and the Vet suggested we bring her in for spaying and do the boosters then.  I said I would know in two weeks if I can get Millie into the car and could call and book the surgery then.  That lead time will work at the clinic.

There was a call later in the day from the Vet that Millie was negative for heartworm but positive for Lyme Disease.  I had suspected the Lyme Disease.  This area is known for many deer ticks and an outdoor dog it is not surprising she is positive for the disease.  I picked up a month's worth of antibiotics the next day.  The whole thing was costly but necessary.  Millie needs to be well cared for if we are to have her a decent length of time and to do the high stress work we expect of her.

So, Millie works all night, barking and scaring off intruders.  A few nights ago Beau woke us up with his barking which was a response to Millie's barking.  In short she had killed a muskrat on the front lawn.  She took care of this intruder that crossed the boundary.

What we want Millie to do is stay with the sheep.  She has not been with the sheep since she was zapped by the electric fence.  I have invited her into the field a few times.  The other night she followed me and my pocket full of treats into the Front Field.  She walked the fence line with me.  I was thrilled.  I left the field and she remained totally checking out the field, looking here and there, and marking her territory.

This morning, after eating her breakfast, I invited Millie with a pocket full of treats in to the Front Field, up behind the barn and out into the Middle Field at back with the sheep.  She came.  She did the Livestock Guardian Dog thing we want her to do.  Now, she wants to be with the sheep but they are easily spooked by her.  We are working on it.  Millie has quickly learned that when I say "easy" she slows down and the sheep do too.

I was more thrilled when Millie came out from under the veranda this afternoon and followed me and my bag of treats out to the Middle Field again with the sheep.  At one point she and I were on the deck at the cabin when the sheep scurried up the field and headed around the curve to the other end of the field.  "We gotta go" I said to Millie and she was right there.  I quickly walked up the field.  Millie ran past me.  "Easy" I said.  She loped ahead.

When I got around the corner she was sitting in the middle of the field and the sheep were not too far beyond her.  She had listened to the "easy" and then parked herself safely near the sheep.

It's all coming together.  It's only day one and I am thrilled.  Millie gets lots of pets.  Yet, she walks the field edges with me and inspects and marks and sniffs the air, as she is supposed to do.  I am working with her to accept that the sheep are not yet ready to allow her to be one of them.  I am working with the sheep to allow Millie to get closer.

So, suddenly we are making lots of progress with Millie and I am a happy shepherdess because of it.  There was the potential to take a few steps backward after the Vet visit day  but that didn't happen.  It was almost like Millie could see that this was for her, that we care and want her to be well and happy.  And a Livestock Guardian Dog out with her sheep wears a huge smile like you wouldn't believe!