Jacob's Reward Farm and Dove Sanctuary

These days the quiet morning calm is punctuated with a far off "pop, pop.....pop, pop, pop." It's dove season, and hunters are out bagging birds with shotguns in area pastures. There's a new rule that hunters can't shoot within 600 feet of residences, so we won't be seeing the guy from last year who was wandering around the field across from our house. I think the birds know this, and have started congregating on the power lines in front of the farm. Ollie, ollie, oxen free! Tag home base, little birds! You're safe here.

This morning I let the chickens out with my trusty loppers in my hand, in case I ran across Mr. Rat Snake again. Of course, he has moved on to less exciting egg buffets, maybe across the creek. Smart snake. I provide refuge for doves but not snakes. I'm discriminatory like that.

Otherwise a very slow day at the farm. I went to the feed store and stocked up on alpaca feed and a few hay bales. Hay is really expensive at the feed store. The three bales I got will just tide me over until I can locate some more economical bales straight from a hay farmer. I do have a line on a good flat bed trailer, which might make the job of hauling the hay home much more practical. I'll know more later.

This evening I hung around after setting out the sheep food and just enjoyed the woolly antics. Here you see a shot of the closest thing to a rumble between Queen Esther and Shadrach I've witnessed. Like most sheep altercations, it was over almost quicker than I could react and get a picture. Everyone is really getting along well. Tonight we had a brief thunderstorm, and I could see during the intermittent lightning strikes that the whole flock was holed up together under the big hoop house, out of the rain. Everyone pulls together in the face of icky weather, and all quarrels are mended.

Lucy says, "Hi!"

Itzhak says, "Nom, nom, nom."

Esther has bald, convex knobs on her head where horns would be. I've never seen that before. Wonder what to make of it. Ideas? The yellow on her neck is from spilling Iodine on her the other day during her last pedicure. (oops) I hope it will wash out... Looks like she and Shadrach have figured out how to share the same feed pan. Bucolic bliss.