Sebastopol Geese Enjoying Their Swimming Pool

My Sebastopol geese love love love their time in the small kiddie pools I have set up for them and our ducks. My husband and I have not yet had time to build a pond for them , but they are pretty happy splashing in their little pools and any water trough or dish they can fit themselves into.

My geese are a family consisting of William and Trillium the parents, and 3 goslings they hatched out and raised. My geese bring me great joy and I love to sit in the poultry yard and watch them. They love to sit by the poultry yard gate and watch me !

A Few Residents of Laughing Dove Farm

A few of my Jacob Sheep grazing in the front pasture between the house and the gravel road.

A mama hen with chicks she hatched out and tends.

One of my ewe lambs. I had 19 healthy lambs born here this year , doubling my flock of sheep !

 This little curly mama hen hatched out her brood of chicks under our new chicken house. They are tiny bantams and will be tiny when grown up. She and her rooster are very protective of their chicks. The rooster / father of the chicks is a self-blue d'uccle I got from my oldest grandson a few years ago

Whimsy, one of our 4 dogs. She is my constant companion and protector.

Life is so good here, especially because I am blessed to share it with people and animals I love.

"Some people go through life trying to find out what the world holds for them only to find out too late that it's what they bring to the world that really counts." L.M. Montgomery ~ ' Anne of Green Gables'

Time To Watch The Animals In The Snow

We've had snow here at Laughing Dove Farm since the last week of November. It is beautiful outside , especially as I view the winter-scape from indoors while sipping hot coffee. The birds in the picture above are sitting in branches just outside one of our living room windows. The cats seem to think this is just for them and occupy the window sill during daylight hours to watch the birds flitting from the branches to the bird feeders, bird bath and back again.

Luna, our 9 month old Lab puppy loves watching birds too, all birds. She is watching a Pileated Woodpecker  in our woods and would have followed the large and very loud bird if we'd not had her on a leash.

Whimsy, my German Shepherd has appointed herself Luna's best protector and playmate. Luna and Whimsy love the snow. Our below freezing temps and deep snow don't seem to affect them. Luna loves to roll around in the snow too.

My Sebastopol Geese appear to have such bright white feathers until the snow shows up the geese in bright whiteness. The geese too, do not seem to be bothered by the snow except for the lack of a continual supply of water for their bathing and drinking.

Every day I have to haul huge buckets of hot water out to the goose troughs. As soon as I pour hot water over the troughs full of ice the geese hop into their ice bath to drink ,bathe and play until they exhaust the small amount of water I am able to supply for the day.

Goth ( center of picture), my 12 year old Jacob Sheep ram and the rest of my flock of sheep are wearing their wool coats. The snow and cold don't bother them either.

Goth is having the best time of his entire life now. He has never had so much room to roam and on Laughing Dove Farm he has acres ! Since Goth has been a very good ram ( mostly ) I am happy to keep him in his old age. I am hoping he lives many more years and dies peacefully chewing a mouth full of sweet fresh grass. ( Goth is shown here with some of my flock, most of them are his children or grandchildren.)

My sheep heading back to the barn. The snow is much deeper now, the grass is a foot under the snow.

 Our old goat Thorin and Goth side by side.

We love our new home and the knee-deep snow too. The temperature has been below zero most nights and today it warmed up to 7 degrees above zero . The hardest part of so much snow has been doing my farm chores. I have a hard time walking in the deep snow while carrying buckets of grain and water and armloads of hay. Today we bought snowshoes for me so tomorrow's chore time should be a little bit easier. This is going to help even more if we get the predicted snow ( 1 to 4 inches) this weekend.

Our new home is snug and warm, the scenery all around us is so beautiful I sometimes can scarce take in that this is our home ! We've begun a few of the things we need to do to make this place work for us but because we're retired now we're taking our time. Time to gaze out the windows while sipping coffee or tea. Time to laugh at the silly things our animals do.Time to watch the animals play in the snow. Time to walk in the woods, play with our grandchildren. Time to go fishing and camping as soon as the weather permits EVEN IF there is a huge 'to-do' list attached to the fridge. That nagging 'to-do' list has been around as long as we've been married, I expect it to be here as long as we're alive. Time to be... simply be.

New Life ~ Goslings for Easter

 New goslings for Easter ! My Sebastopol Geese keep trying to raise a family but the last two years Ella was unable to successfully hatch her many eggs. It was very sad for me knowing all the diligent  care and tending of her eggs laid in a nest in the goose pen was of no use, none hatched. Even sadder was discovering that each and every egg had a fully developed gosling inside that could not break free of its' shell.

This year Ella began laying eggs under the rhododendrons, a place she'd never be able to protect herself or her eggs from predators or our pet dogs. I took her eggs from that beautiful but unwise nesting site and placed them in an incubator. Then I re-located 2 eggs in a nest box made especially for Ella in the goose pen. I kept Ella and Fella confined during egg laying season so she would not choose another site. This last Thursday night and on into Saturday some of the eggs began hatching.

The goslings had poked small holes in their shells but were unable to get out. I peeled tiny bits of their shells off and found even the membrane inside the eggs was too hard for the babies to break free of. ( I DID keep water in the incubator and misted the eggs with water every night .) I needed to be careful how I peeled the shell and membrane away so as not to rip delicate baby goose skin and cause them to bleed to death, so I wrapped each egg in warm , wet washcloths and held them firmly while I slowly began taking pieces of shell off to give the goslings room to move and help me extricate them. I also needed to roll back their membrane covering slowly. It was a long process for each egg but looky here.....

... 3 of the 4 successfully hatched Sebastopol goslings ! One baby was still working herself out of the shell when my husband snapped this pic of me and my new little geese. There are 3 more eggs in the incubator due to hatch in a few days. These little goslings have imprinted on me and get very excited when I say "babies, babies, babies ", just like their parents, Ella and Fella , who get very excited when they hear my voice and follow me around like puppies because they're imprinted on me .

There is new life everywhere here at Cedar Pond. New lambs, baby doves, chicks, goslings, new flowers just beginning to bud. New life here in this world is but a small reflection of the blessing of new life given to all who ask for it from God, and unlike our temporal earthly life and joys, new life from Jesus is eternal, "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death , in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we might walk in newness of life." Romans 6:4

Easter blessings to you !

February Spring

Here are my two Sebastopol geese Ella and Fella splashing in our pond along with the ducks. I took this video last year . Ella and Fella spend part of every day in the pond but lately have taken to hiding themselves in unlikely places. I have found them in the wood shed, the kiwi arbor, the hay shed,  behind the veggie garden hiding in the long wild grasses on the other side of the fence, and behind a tall shrub in the front yard flower bed. I had a suspicion that proved true...

 ...they're ready to lay and hatch a clutch of eggs. My husband found the first goose egg of the season today. Look at the size of it compared to 3 large chicken eggs I just gathered. I am going to try to incubate the eggs in a small incubator I own. The last 2 years Ella and Fella were diligent parents and tended their eggs faithfully. For some reason all the eggs developed fully but the goslings were unable to hatch and survive. ( Even with help.) This year I am hoping to accomplish what Ella and Fella were unable to do and return successfully hatched goslings to the nest for them to raise. We'll see.

The weather has been warm for this time of the year and the sound of the frogs at night is almost deafening. Our honeybees have been out and about and it is a good thing my husband supplements them with sugar boards he places in their hives because there are not enough flowers or trees blooming to sustain our hives at this time.

My Jacob sheep were sheared last month and I can see 9 of my ewes seem about ready to pop with lambs. Their udders are full and lambs should begin arriving any time from now until the end of March. The ewes ( female sheep) seem almost comatose in the sunshine as they lean against fence posts or soak in the heat of the compost pile. It looks so funny to see sheep literally stretched out all over the pile. Later on after the lambs are born they'll have fun leaping over the pile. Who knew a manure pile could provide more than garden enrichment ? SHEEP ! ( 11 year old and very pregnant Sassafras shown in the picture )

I know the calendar says it is still winter but our animals , bees, and wildlife say it is spring.

Dancing Fairy ~ Frilly Geese ( Gifts from the heart)

 The gift that made my heart sing , a painting done for us as a Christmas gift by our daughter's oldest daughter. She painted what I feel as I watch my beautiful geese swimming in Cedar Pond. The fairy seems the magical embodiment of my geese as she dances over the water. When I look closely ( click onto picture ) at the painting I see so many more details and marvel at granddaughter's ability to capture so much with paint and her imagination. Thank-you KN !

" It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving," Mother Teresa

" You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving." Amy Carmichael

" Some of the most beautiful things worth having in your life come wrapped in a crown of thorns." Shannon Adler

 

* Pictures are of my Sebastopol geese Ella and Fella .

Random Happenings Around Cedar Pond

 It's that time of year I spend a lot of time watching and evaluating my Jacob sheep. This is Gudrid. Her four horns are a bit wonky but I like them, and I like her. I also like her fleece. I have a new ram and am hoping Cedar Pond's Gudrid and  Puddleduck Jonas will produce some amazing lambs for me. I am excited about spring 2016 lambs already.

 My husband was painting the second story of our house front, directly over the skylights in the sunroom. The cats were fascinated and watched him the whole time he was up there.

 Blizzard ...

 ... and Miss Marple.

 I finished my chicken embroidery on a piece of linen. I am still not sure what I am going to do with it. Add words ? Make a pillow or tea cozy with it ? Put it away in a drawer and forget about it ?

I carry a small bag of embroidery projects with embroidery floss, scissors and extra needles for those times I find myself waiting somewhere away from home. The doctor's office, the auto shop, or while visiting people. If I have some stitchery to do it keeps my hands busy and my mind free to concentrate on conversation or prayer. 

We now know why our fountain is losing water more rapidly than it should. Just glad Ella and Fella can't actually get into the fountain to splash and swim ! ( You know that is what they're contemplating.)

 

We finally got some rain this past weekend, along with a windstorm that knocked out our power and kept us without electricity over night. We survived , but many in our area sustained a lot of damage to their homes and the winds whooshed their way over the mountains to eastern Washington without much rain fanning the flames and spreading the already devastating wildfires there.

 

September is here and I am so happy about this. It has been a very hot , dry, and busy summer , but my favorite season is almost here and along with September cooler weather has come. Yay !!!!

Blue Bottle Garden

 The blue and white anemones are blooming, heralding spring.

 This year I am determined to do a major re-do in my herb garden aptly named 'Blue Bottle Garden' because I have two blue bottle trees in it ( not shown here ) and cobalt blue glass type things all around it. Two of our grandsons helped me with the weeding and digging, and they really were a very great help.

 These two grandsons have fun together while they work, and that makes it fun for me.

 This little guy weeded a good size herb bed ( with help from his big brother ) that had been almost completely taken over by a weed that disguised itself as the sage the bed was planted with. After choking out most of the sage the weed proceeded into the garden paths headed for the oregano & rosemary. It was a big job and I had to dig up the few remaining sage plants so we could get the weeds' roots. In the background you can see the cage my husband built me years ago for some of my doves.

 I moved the doves to another aviary and we now have 5 parakeets happily living here.

 Parakeets are such active and funny birds to watch.

 On the other side of the herb garden fence, under brown fern fronds, one of my ducks is sitting on her clutch of eggs. She is one of the ducks Ella & Fella ( my Sebastapol geese ) hatched out last spring. Her nest is lined with her down. I only saw her because I was weeding the inside of this fence line. She is well hidden and even my dogs haven't found her.

 Ella is also sitting on her own eggs and I am hoping she is successful in hatching her goslings. Fella guards her faithfully , as he did her and the ducklings she hatched out last year.

On the other side of the Blue Bottle Garden , outside the fence, is the fountain my husband & I bought to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary a few years ago. I can hear this fountain burbling from the herb garden. My husband weeded & mulched this flower bed that is under our living room window. From indoors we watch hummingbirds bathe in the water flowing from under the doves, then the busy flying jewels take a break and sit in the bushes in the sunshine to dry themselves.

All this was done and observed in the last week while we had record high temperatures for this time of the year. The Blue Bottle Garden is finally being shaped into the garden I've wanted it to be for a long time now , the flower beds and vegetable garden are being prepared for spring planting. I am so excited to finish the planting and enjoy even more the time to work in the garden while I watch the new life hatch and grow. I am going to post frequent updates on this garden because I have found that blogging about my gardens keeps me on track and motivated to keep up with the weeding & tending. The garden looks sparse right now , but soon it will be full of the sage, thyme, rosemary, blueberries, and so much more that has grown there for years. Hopefully minus the choking weeds.

Spring & Loving All the Joy It Brings

 Last night a new lamb was born here on Cedar Pond, making the total thus far ~ one ram ( boy ) lamb and 4 ewe ( girl) lambs. This is last night's newborn, a lilac ewe from Cedar Pond's Brigida and Shadow Mountain's Landon-Tonkin. I am holding her just before my husband banded her tail to shorten it. I am also hopeful I will love her horn-set. She was a very healthy little ewe lamb, up and looking for her mama's milk within the hour of her birth. This is what I love about my Jacob Sheep, they are an old breed , a primitive breed, a survivor breed !

 Ella has laid 9 eggs thus far and seems to be ready to settle down and sit on her eggs. Jim fixed a gate on the goose pen and we will fence off the small goose-yard for the duration of Ella's incubation of her eggs. Fella has already begun to protect the nest site , a good sign things are going according to God's design and plan for making more baby geese. ( The green were laid by the ducks Ella & Fella hatched last year and raised as their own lil' babes.)

 Hellebores, one of our first blooming plants here, and loved ( bee-loved ) by our bees. The hellebores are covered with our honeybees seeking nectar and pollen at a time of the year both are scarce.

Lambs, new lambs. Something I never tire of, a joy and sight that brings me to tears for the joy. I know the day is coming soon I will not be breeding sheep but I put off that thought because the joy of keeping sheep, the joy of new lambs...well, it brings me joy that cannot be described except that the joy makes me cry. ( Happy crying, so don't worry. ) This is Gudrid and her new lamb, a lilac Jacob Sheep ewe. Gudrid is shown here nursing her lamb .Yes, the Gudrid mentioned in my last post.  Gudrid is a first-time mama and I love everything about her breeding. She is the daughter of Bide-a-wee Buttercup and Cedar Pond's Goth. She looks in physical appearance very much like Goth's mama , Cedar Pond's Tiara. I am so happy with the lambs from both parents and their amazing heritage I am planning on keeping this little lilac ewe lamb no matter what. Besides, a first time mama who tends her lamb so well will pass on this exceptional quality to her daughters.

March is here, spring is here, new lambs are here, new baby chicks are here, joy is here !

Ella's First Egg of the Season~ Spring Has Sprung !

The weather here is unseasonably as warm as late spring. The bees are buzzing about looking for pollen and nectar not to be found and they have taken over our poultry feeders eating what ? Not sure about why the bees are abuzz in all my chicken feeders but the chickens are having trouble eating with so many bees in their feed. My Sebastopol goose Ella laid her first egg of the season and this year I am hoping her eggs will successfully hatch. Last year she and Fella were diligent parents , but all they hatched were the duck eggs I placed in her nest along with her own eggs. Several eggs  seemed to have been successfully incubated by Ella only to end with fully developed goslings trapped in their eggs, appearing to be unable to extricate them selves. ( Anyone with any helpful info regarding this , please comment  !)

The first goose eggs, the bees abuzz, and new lambs due any day. Spring is here on Cedar Pond and it has sprung !

Sunday Sunshine Therapy

 There were a few moments of sunshine between down-pourings of rain . I took a walk along our little road  with my pack of 4 dogs . We watched my geese and ducks swimming in sunshine reflections.

 Me, my puppy ( she might be large but is still in her youth ) and our 3 old dogs who have all been with us for more than a decade, took our time. I allowed the dogs to examine every log , stick,stone and puddle. The Labs just had to take a splash and a swim in the pond. Therapy ~ that is what you should call a walk in sunshine with dogs you love & enjoy.

The very old Labrador Retriever ,Willow ( dog with collar ), is always limping and in some pain , but she is one of the happiest dogs I spend time with. She gets along with all the dogs and cats and is easy company. She was born in my kitchen many years ago, 4th and last generation of Labs born here at Cedar Pond . She has been such an easy dog to train and have around I have taken her for granted. As I watch her in her old age I am appreciating more and more what a treasure she is.

Just a simple walk with my dogs, some Sunday sunshine therapy.

All This & Heaven Too

 Ella & Fella, my Sebastopol geese, were enjoying sunshine this past week. Warm sunshine untypical of our usual January weather. But no worries for us, the rain and high winds are back tonight. "It was a dark and stormy night".

 I cleaned out the goat pen on that rare sunny day and rewarded Thorin with his favorite treat after I was done hauling out 3 wheelbarrows full of manure. Something seems amiss here though, I did the work and he got the treat ? Oh well, he is a very old goat, going on 12 years of age.

 My husband finished the 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle we received as a Christmas present. Do you see that all the pieces are in varying shades of black & white ? The puzzle became an obsession with him. He would drink his morning coffee while working on it, eat dinner while working on it , and go to bed way too late because he could not let it go. The puzzle dominated our home for a little over 2 weeks. But look, it is done ! I am now declaring we will only have jigsaw puzzles to work on over the Thanksgiving through Christmas season. ( He finished a 1,000 piece Christmas puzzle on Christmas day,then quickly began this one.)

 

 I cleaned two sheep pens last week during sunny and rainy weather , after I cleaned the goat's pen.

I finished weaving 2 rugs ( not shown ) and spun up several skeins of yarn. This is some of my hand-dyed Jacob Sheep wool. I also spun up a few skeins of natural color Jacob Sheep wool, then set the ply . Maybe I'll sell this wool yarn, maybe not. I can think of a few weaving projects this wool might be perfect for.

January has thus far been both restful and hard work. I love the feeling I get after a very hard day of physical work, even if I do smell like sheep and I hurt all over. I love seeing my baskets and bins fill up with the yarn I spin up from the wool of the sheep I love. I love seeing the rugs I weave especially after I cut them off the loom and finish the ends. I love having work to do that is not really work because I still count it all a blessing and a privilege to be able to do these things. And I really love a hot bath after a day of working here on Cedar Pond, and then spinning up yarn on my spinning wheel as I spend a quiet evening with my husband, watching our favorite shows and simply being together. I love my husband. Thank-you God for all these blessings. " All this and Heaven too." au

"The sleep of the working man is pleasant whether he eats little or much." Proverbs 5:12