Old barns

An early winter view from the North

Our Pennsylvania style side hill barn was built around 1850. I love it. Inside, I look at the ancient huge timbers, and the way the barn was constructed, and I'm so amazed. I wonder about it's past, the livestock and people that have come and gone. The sweat and tears that have gone into it. My dear daughter Maddie, always ready to help

Instead of going on vacations, we spend the money to re-roof the barn, and save the other old buildings on our old farm. Illinois has so many beautiful old farmsteads, and so many in disrepair. It makes me sad to see them, but I realize how expensive it is to keep them up. At one time, our farm had sheep, cattle, pigs and poultry, as did many small farms across the country. Factory farms and government regulations are making it impossible to make a profit as a small producer, which is too bad.

Family bonds

Claire and her momma Hazel, from 2005

Many Icelandic sheep breeders have noticed the strong family bonds in their sheep. I know I have. I go out to do a barn check, and sisters will be sitting with sisters, moms with daughters and grandmas, grandmas babysitting their grand-lambs. Mothers and grandmothers hang by their daughters during lambing, as if to give comfort, or maybe a few words (baa's) of wisdom. When I buy a couple of ewes from another farm, they hang together on our farm, like friends. I wonder, does this happen with other breeds, or is it because the Icelandics are a primitive breed? It is one of the things that endears me to these beautiful, intelligent sheep.
Their ancient wisdom.

Anticipation!

Ginger, one of our crazy little one winters

I'm beginning to get a little worried. I hadn't intended to breed any of my ewe lambs this year. Grady, our ram lamb had other ideas. He broke into the non-breeding pen 3 times this fall (the little booger!). Rams will be rams, that's for sure. The ewe lambs all look to be in good condition and not overly fat, so I'm sure they will be fine. I just wonder how many there will be.....

Delphine and her daughter Geranium

I've been doing udder checks when I feed in the mornings, and it looks like we'll have lambs in less than a week! I need to do a bit of prep work in the barn. We don't jug everyone, we really only have one lambing jug for 30 some ewes, then a larger pen for maybe 3 ewes and their lambs. Some don't go in at all. I keep a dry erase board handy, and record lambings as they occur. A baby monitor is on, so I don't normally do midnight barn checks, even though I'm a bit of an insomniac and sometimes wander out in my boots and robe if I'm up. Can't resist!

So many shepherds shear their ewes before lambing. We usually wait until April or May to do shearing. With Icelandics having their wool break post lambing, that's the best time to do it. The ewes do seem to shed the wool around their udders and belly, so the lambs never seem to have a problem finding their milk. Such anticipation!

Gala blues

Salem, our guard llama

We've been fighting the Gala/Mal ware virus
on our computer for the past 2 weeks.
It got so bad, we had to erase everything
and start all over with new software!

My husband the engineer thought it would be an interesting
challenge to fix it himself. Interesting? more like frustrating!
I think (hope) everything running fine now....

A photographer came out to visit us last September.
I had almost forgotten about it, until I received a CD
with beautiful photos that she took of some of our animals.

Handsome FinnThe ever-smiling DelphineFudge

How nice to see green grass and sheep with long flowing fleeces!

Falla

March is here! That means that lambing will start soon!

It's up!

Beautiful silvering Faye, on a snowy February morning

The new website is up and running! http://www.redbrickroadfarm.com It's far from perfect, but improving every day. It's a big improvement over our old site, plus it will be much easier to update. I believe in the adage, "a picture says a thousand words" or that an image is more influential than a substantial amount of text. No doubt, I'm more of a visual person than a writer.
Websites appear differently on some computers. Let me know if it looks funky to you, or if there's something you'd like to see. I'm always looking at ways to improve!
Please also note, we are changing internet providers. Our new email is rbrfarm@centurylink.net

Frosty, frosty

I awoke to the frostiest landscape I've seen
in 14 years on our farm.
Absolutely breathtaking!
Stella bumped up against the fence,
and was covered with frost. The temp was zero, but sunny and still.

It was an amazing morning to be outside.

Olivia and I took a walk up to the secret garden.

Even the scraggly elm in the ram paddock
was beautiful today.

Belle is always quick to investigate anyone on the road,
and was happy to find that today it's only me.
Mornings like this are priceless!

Winter mornings

I'm not much of a morning person.
I need good, strong coffee before I venture out into the cold.
A chorus of hungry baa's greet me, and I get a few suspicious looks,
"Where have you been? Can't you see we're starving?" Everyone follows me with their expectant eyes....Pregnant ewes are always hungry. And sometimes irritable!Bellys are starting to get round, and there's still
over a month until we begin lambing!Belle, the watchful guardian, always on the lookout,
even when she's been up all night barking at coyotes The sky is full of contrails, jets heading west from Chicago.
A beautiful, sunny morning!