Winter Over?

Yep...well, it's been an awful winter. Very tough on people and animals alike. As you can see, Fritz..our biggest Wether, at almost 120 lbs, is dwarfed by the snow banks.

We lost trees, fences and business because of two tough months of snow...finally, just today, washing away under torrential rain. YIPES.

The B&B business has taken a huge hit from the economy, as has most of the travel and tourism industry. It has affected us as well, but fortunately we planned for slow times and are still running the Inn and using downtime to our advantage. Besides, the animals don't care about the economy and demand just as much from us as they always have. So here is the animal update:

The goats got through winter in pretty good shape. Berta caught pneumonia in December, but a course of antibiotics, nutridrench, probiotics and B12...plus a LOT of TLC got her safely through. We battled a minor outbreak of foot scald, and some leg mange (Berta, AGAIN), but all in all the gang seems to be in good shape. Next comes the joy of shearing...ooooh nooooo. They all have long long shaggy coats ready to be shorn.

The chickens and Guinea hens did well also. We lost one Guinea to an owl. Despite the fact that we had to confine them all to their coops for 4 weeks, snowed in, they came through like troopers and are rewarding us with dozens and dozens of eggs.

The cows had a rougher time as they are pastured on an upslope and caught the worst of the snowy weather. We brought them into the barn several times, but they are not used to being confined and protested by trying to destroy the barn..ha ha. Several of the cows have gone off to market and the herd will be considerably smaller this year. Again...the economy has taken it's toll on them as well.



So THIS is what I have been doing with my time...working on Kat'z Kritterz ragdolls!
They have helped pass the time and are actually selling! So I have added them to my inventory of studio "output" and will be taking them along with me to shows this year. And yes, I have been painting, but it has been difficult with all the distractions and snow shovelling to get in any quality studio time. I do have a couple of paintings going to the Millwood VA show and have some great ideas for more work this summer.

Any Uncle Wiggly fans out there? Well, If Mr. Fungus (and you know who you are) doesn't spread and cause the little spring plants to hide under the leaves, I'll be back soon with another update!

Our Silent Rooster

One of our roosters, Augie, has laryngitis. Nothing sadder than a beautiful New Hampshire Red Rooster trying to sing out and only making a few raspy squeeks. This all started after the 11 days of rain we had and he caught a cold. He was improving until we cleaned the coop and stirred up dust and wood chips and he is wheezy again. Poor guy.

Otherwise we are on schedule with all our vegetable planting and farm chores. We have a wonderful grass and lespedeza hay crop coming along. We are slowly but surely getting the goat paddock cleaned and tidied up so the goats can spend the coming warm months just lazing around...which they do very very well. I have been sending them out every afternoon to eat up the wild honeysuckle, poison ivy and other weeds. They come home fat and happy. No need for summer hay with all the goat goodies growing wild.

We have three new baby calves..cute and bouncy. The cows are all finally free of their shaggy winter hair and look sleek and shiney.

So far it has been a busy Memorial Day weekend...The weather has cooperated for the campers at Willow Run Farms and the B&B guests have been enjoying having breakfast served on the front porch. Since it usually rains on Memorial weekend these warm sunny days have been a real treat.



Our next big event is the North Mountain Arts Festival in Hedgesville. It is a fun little show with lots of quality participants...a chance to buy locally made art and crafts..one-of-a-kind items.

Waiting for Spring...

OK..so between the bad weather and a sick goat or two we are finally getting caught up.
Berta was the next goat to have a problem...an icky leg infection...that required shots (oh goody) and a nasty sulphur ointment for ALL the goats.
I did use some old time farm cure though which worked well. It's a good general purpose topical antibiotic and skin soother....first make a 50/50 solution of cider vinegar and water and wash the injury...then put on a mixture of cider vinegar and olive oil (just like salad dressing!!!) to soothe and protect any irritated skin. It works on animals..never tried it on people.
70MPH wind gusts took down one of our tipis. It will stay down for a while as it needs a lot of repair.
The Patuxents were here for their winter camp and we hosted a gala 18th C. feast for them at Cider Mill House. We had a wonderful evening. Those folks are the best. We cooked game stew, ham, winter squash, 4 different kinds of breads, and even a raspberry fool along with other goodies for the meal. Yum.
See ya soon.