Spring Lambs, Rainbows and Purple Fields



Spring lambs



"The Lambing" in spring, is one of my favorite occasions. The ewes give birth here in the frosty cold winds of early spring. The precious human like cries of mother and baby, fill the air day and night. Look at how cute they are ! Such a precious sight for us to see.

This little guy was white and buff. Such a peaceful spirit. This darling little face  staring up into mine just made my day. I keep the lambs and ewes in my kindest thoughts and prayers that they have a safe birth and life. I do not know much about sheep ranching but I would like to learn. I love the cyclical nature of sheep ranching, the tradition, the herding and the lambing. I would love to interview a sheep rancher and find out what their life is like, why and how they got into the sheep ranching business.



An afternoon rainbow for Easter Sunday.



 The delicious smells of Easter dinner was emerging from the oven. I wondered how my garden was doing in the wind and rain. I left the warm kitchen and wondered out to view my garden. There, just outside my kitchen door I see a brilliant rainbow bursting forth in front of dark blue clouds.  Each color was beautiful displayed, purple, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. Rainbows are such an inspiration. Rainbows are a symbol of hope and unity. They bring a sense of joy and peace. I just love this big bright rainbow. It arched clear over into the next county. Near the end of the colorful display, a double rainbow finale appeared. It faded as the afternoon sun came shining through the clouds. Rainbows are such a happy uplifting event.



Oceans of purple flowers.



Oceans of purple flowers spread over the fields and lawns here in the spring. They are not anything you would want to have in your yard come summer. But the fresh green grass and lovely young weeds put on quite a show here. The silver, sun blanched finish of the old Mormon barns set the stage don't they?



The water is flowing into the farm fields.



Melted winter snows flow from the mountains and channel into canals for irrigation. Everywhere water flows and sheets out over the fertile alfalfa fields. We wonder how the water is allotted and what a water share is. In the meantime I love to watch it flow and gurgle through the land.

Spring is a great time of year. In the city I remember the sweet scent of roses mingling with the smell of wet pavement, the blue skies and white puffy clouds. Here in the country, the leaves are just now unfolding from their sleepy buds and the bright spots of  dandelions are popping up in the garden and along the roads.  It is wonderful to see the fresh live green things growing up from the brown winter grasses and hear the sweet sounds of meadow larks, nesting robins and lambs.

Bind Weed, Red Clay & New Garden Boxes

Last year we we couldn't keep up with the persistence of bind weed in the garden. It is by far the most vigorous plant I have ever come in contact with. Bind weed pushes through the ground on great white spaghetti like roots that grow 20 feet into the soil. Bind weed twirls gracefully up the fences, forks out over the lawn with perfect balance and come up to grab the delicate stems of your fresh produce. You can hoe it and put the remains in your bucket and next day it will be back.





Bind Weed August 1, 2010

 

 Bind weed is so beautiful in late July and August. Her deep green leaves and burgundy blush on the cream tipped buds mesmerizes me. The bud opens to the sun as white as a wedding gown. When we moved in, the lawn was blanketed with the white flowers of bind weed and I was taken by it's beauty. It wasn't until it took over my garden that I began looking for solutions. Garden boxes is one of them. Garden boxes with a heavy duty layer of weed cloth on the bottom on top of the lawn. Paul had mentioned building wooden garden boxes for the spring growing season but I had no idea they would be so spacious and beautiful. I am a lucky wife to have such a talented and willing husband. Here is how he made 3 - 3'x7'x24" high garden boxes. Cost was $200.



Shopping list

200 coated outdoor screws 31/2" long
water based waterproof cedar stain
12 - 2"x12"x10'long lumber
3 - 2'x4"x8' cut into 22" pieces for inside corners
36 ' of weed cloth we used a natural cloth made out of corn.

Tools Needed:

skill saw
screw driver gun
staple gun
carpenter's pencil
tape measure
framing square
paint brush
2 saw horses
and 2 extra boards for a work surface.







  Line up the boards onto a few extra pieces of lumber to keep the boxes off the ground and level.

It was snowing outside and we did all of this under the carport. We listened to country music and the work went really fast.  Below Paul is putting in the screws to hold the box together.

 
 

The garden box is 24" high so we make 6 - 12" layers then paint on the stain.

 

 

These 2 saw horses came in handy. Notice the 2x4's lying under the saw horse. The next day the sun was out and the stain had dried. We carried the separate layers out to the garden and decided where to put them. Once we figured out where they would go, we attached the 2 layers together with 2x4's by screwing the 2x4's on the inside corners. We turned the boxes over and attached the weed cloth to the bottoms with the staple gun.

Next the trailer got hitched to the white Ford truck and Paul went off to town to buy some clean dirt. The boxes were filled one by one, load after load with the finest richest dirt I had seen since moving from Southern California. The red clay here in Utah is beautiful to look at but the hard pan is difficult to sink a shovel into. When it is dry it is hard as a rock and when it is wet you can sink to your ankles in the orange red mud. Growing delicate vegetables and flowers is difficult in the heavy red clods of plowed up earth. Big Sage, Rabbit Bush, Juniper and oh yes, Bind Weed do well. This black gold promised success with this year's vegetable and flower crop. We of course put in a bottom layer of llama manure then filled it with the new soil.

Below are my beautiful garden boxes filled to the brim with lovely rich soil. Paul is already plowing the cow manure into the cornfield. But that is another story.

Time For Dog Obedience School



This is Kollie now 6 months old.



Kollie is a teenage bombshell, full of independence, lot's of bursting energy and smart too! I was crushed one day when my obedient little puppy refused to come to me. "Kollie?" I repeated. No response except for a little come hither look in her eye and off she went in the other direction. All those hours of training and treats have gone to the wayside. She and I are at a crossroads and I am the one who needs training! Walker our 2 year old Australian Shepherd needs experience socializing with other dogs and training so we signed him up first.  Our human family members and Walker signed  up for obedience classes at the Hitchin Post in Enoch,  just up the road from us.

 We were to leave our dogs at home for the first class. It is basically the humans that need training in communicating with their dogs. We were greeted at the door by a very large German Shepherd named Gunner. He was so gentle and well behaved. A beautiful and calm Siamese cat followed behind him and brushed past my pant leg. The wood floor was clear and open. The atmosphere was friendly and inviting. I could hear Ceasar Milan and my eyes caught his video playing on the monitor screen in a corner of the room. There where a few chairs lined up against the walls for us humans to sit while Pam gave her educational presentation on dog training.  My grandson and I sat down on the folding green chairs, while Paul went up and signed in for the course. Ceasar's heart warming and encouraging miracles gave me a spark of hope.  I was thinking of my little Kollie and our 2 other dogs and each family member and how we could achieve a harmonious way of life together. There were quite a few people there with various challenges and questions. Pam Williams, our trainer, explained to us that dogs are programmed just like wolves and our pets were not furry little humans. I felt my head sink as my visions of Kollie as my little baby dissolved. Though I could still love her as my companion and play with her it was also my responsibility to learn how to communicate in a way she could understand and educate her on the house rules. As Pam spoke and demonstrated with her own dogs, I was beginning to understand my dogs behavior better, I was beginning to see a miracle forming for our whole human and fur family!

 Our homework was to spend at least 15 minutes with our dogs heeling on a leash then having them sit down by our left side. Pam says we give verbal commands because we are human and need it but dogs can sense how you feel, what you want them to do and when to do it just by looking at you. Your expressions, your movements your posture all tell the story of who you are and what you can accomplish.We were also to grade the food we feed them also. This was a shocker. She told us to check the ingredients and change their diets. There is information on the internet about this grading system. I would check it out because in the 60 years dog food has been in business dogs are getting more diseases and ailments than they did before. If your dog is losing hair, scratching, has skin irritations, hip dyplasia or tumors, the diet is a good thing to check into.  Most vetenarians do not study nutrition. We love them and what they do for our pets but do your own research. It will save your dogs life and save on vet bills.

Here is the link for Grading Your Dog Food   .http://www.elkcountryanimalshelter.org/GradeDOG%20FOOD.html      Changing our dog food  has increased the shine on our dog's coats and their bowels are now firm. We also removed the ritual of dog bones after they ate because we found wheat made their bowels loose. Because the food is so satisfying they do not even look for their treat. Pam says we can give them a small slice of meat for training or treats. We also give a chunk of Taste of the Wild dry dog food. They love it and it is very good for them.



On the way home from our first dog obedience class, we formed our own alliance and agreed per Pam's instructions, to balance and center ourselves  before we walked into the house. This is one of the most important practices we can do as human beings for ourselves and for our pets. It felt good to be on the same page! Paul told us he was reminded of the training he did with his ultra cool dog Blizzard, a Great Pyrenees. He admitted he had forgotten many of the things he had learned when Blizzard walked the earth. This class was opening our eyes and our hearts. It is a lifelong process of practice and repetition

The truck pulled in the gravel driveway and we all exchanged confident smiles. We were ready and armed with knowledge. The door opened and our "energy" met with their "energy". Three sets of eyes looked up in awe at our balance and confidence. Little Miss Kollie hopped up to greet me and I told her firmly "Off".  It took only seconds for her to know that hopping up on my leg was not acceptable. We all made our way through the kitchen. It was quiet and still. They were reading us. I felt this thrill of accomplishment beam through my chest and I quickly took a deep breath to balance myself. Bedtime was equally as calm and quiet. We had become Leaders of the Pack and I felt respected and accomplished.

Read about when Kollie was a puppy just click on this link:
http://littleutahfarm.blogspot.com/2011/01/little-kollie-moen-border-collie.html


We will be taking Wind Walker to the first session and then we will take Kollie to the next session. We will use what we learn with all our dogs. But it is important to have Kollie and Walker each take a class for socialization and obedience training. The exposure and practice for our family is also valuable.


Contact information for Dog Obedience Training The Hitch'n Post Dog Training Center
 Pam Williams Trainer
The Hitch'n Post also carries some Pet supplies,and does Pet Grooming and Boarding

4200 N Wagon Wheel Dr

Cedar City, UT 84720
(435) 586-7530
Enoch, UT

Llama's Have A New Pasture

 During the day the llamas are laying down all stretched out, soaking up the sun and sleeping. Ever so often they get up and graze on the leftover hay bits in the main corral. In the evening right before feeding time the llamas put on quite a show. The llamas breakout into a wild frenzy, and running, springing up and down on all fours (pronging) Boing* Boing *. Wulfie calls out his shrill alarm sound and leads the herd in their ceremonious dance in, out and around the two corrals.The new pasture offers lots of room for the late afternoon romp.



Watch Video

Our new pasture is a result of learning from our mistakes. We tried many times to plant this area with grass with little luck. Once we cleared the tumble weeds and bind weed, the dirt was barren. When wet we sunk to our knees and when dry it was rock hard. Nothing would grow in it except for bind weed which kept poking up through the ground.  Paul decided to go to Southern Utah University to get a truck load of manure from their agriculture department. He also mixed in the llama manure we had in the compost bin. Out came the tractor and the manure was applied and the ground was leveled. Paul purchased pasture grass seed from our local Ace Hardware and broadcast the little seeds evenly in the narrow rows. We watered faithfully and like magic, the seed began to sprout in just a few days! The pasture grass continued to flourish. When the pasture grass was well established we discussed plans to fence it with corral railing.


As luck would have it, Paul spotted some fencing rails leaning against a fence on a drive out of town. We decided to drive on through the open gate and talked to the 3 men working there on a rusty water drill. Turns out they were for sale at half the price of new ones. We were told there were other stacks of railings on the property so we found a stack we liked and began sorting and selecting the rails we wanted. Some of them were bent or rusted. We ended up with 22 very nice 12' long by 5' high rails and a matching gate!
The owner of the property drove in with his truck and let us know that the rails were once a part of the ostrich farm he and his family had up on the hill. He motioned with his hand towards the southwest range of juniper and red clay. It gave the rails a history and we eagerly loaded them up and took them to our little farm.

Once the rails were home, Paul applied a few coats of silver spray paint until every rail looked shiny and new. The railings were assembled in less than 30 minutes. My husband is so good at fixing, building and creating,  designing and improving our property. He is amazing. This project completed our whole acre somehow. It looks beautiful and the llamas really enjoy the grass and extra room.

Little Kollie Moen-Border Collie Pup

Here I am all starry-eyed and full in love with our newest family member, Kollie. My husband and I had been wanting a new Border Collie after Decker our dog died. We began looking at pictures of Border Collies and some ads. Then one day...
We ended up at the Market Grill Livestock Auction in Cedar City to buy another llama. There were no llamas. There were just goats and sheep. A man asked me what I was looking for and he and another man said they had a llama for sale at his ranch. I asked a few questions about the goats and one thing lead to another when one of them grabbed my left elbow and escorted me and my husband insisting,"You got to see this puppy I got."
We let ourselves be lead to a long stock trailer with 3 large goats in the back. A galvanized clasp and heavy chain clanked along the sides of the trailer. A side door opened and the man reached out to grab a tiny Border Collie puppy! She was 4.6 lbs and 6 weeks old. Once I held my arms out to hold her I was hooked and so was my husband, Paul. He handed the man $50 and she was ours, a gift from our dreams.



Lakota our llama meets his new sister, Kollie.

 We took her right on over to the vet for shots and worming after watching the auction. And then Miss Kollie met with all the others members of the family. Here she is meeting Lakota one of our llama herd.

Wind Walker and Windy our Australian Shepherds took well to Kollie. Windy took on a mother role and Wind Walker is like a dad or big brother. Kollie was like having a newborn baby and we took her out every hour during day and night  to potty train her. Paul and I took turns during the night. there were days I was so tired from losing that little bit of sleep. It wasn't long before she slept for about 2-3 hours at a time. In a few more weeks about 3 months old, she began sleeping through most of the night. And soon after that she was jumping up at the back door to go out. Kollie learned quickly.

Read About:  Golly Miss Teenager Kollie

The Southern Utah Sky



Glorious sunrise over the high western edge of the Colorado Plateau
Just outside my kitchen door.



Everywhere I travel in Southern Utah I see beauty, whether I am stepping just outside my kitchen door or on foot for a hike or riding in the truck exploring back country roads.  You can look up and out into the sky and experience fantastic cloud patterns, streaming sun rays, and fire lit sunrises and sunsets. Hawks, eagles, magpies, crows, ravens, doves, ducks and flocks of snow geese fly overhead. There is always something to enjoy in our Southern Utah sky.

My Bike Ride Around Cedar City, Utah

I took off riding down the country road.

I took off riding down the country road. It was a beautiful day in Cedar City.

The wind blew the grain making each stalk gracefully bow.







The sun cast western bound shadows off the bales of hay, making it appear to be a giant alfalfa chessboard.

Alfalfa Chessboard

The Crow Tree

Here is the Crow Tree. Lot's of loud cawing and ruffling of wings.









My favorite rural road has been newly paved and I must adnit it is easier to peddle on.

My favorite rural road.

No dust to swallow today, only sunflowers and blue sky to absorb.

The expanse of land is breathtaking

I can see forever along this northbound road to Lund...Green and deep brown & red earth and fields, bordered by Willows, Russian Olive Trees and Elm.There are barns and silos, cows, sheep and many mountains ranges as far as you can see, in all directions. the expanse of land is breathtaking.

My kind of place!

I turn right into a muddy bog which spread under  a stuck irrigation sprinkler. 

I can not pass, I thought.

I saw a detour through the willows in a wash, so I ventured carefully off the beaten path.

The small sandy bank caught my pedals and the rabbit bush grabbed at my spokes. But once down I had planty of room to weave in and out of the willows in the wash.
40-50 yards I traveled while the barbed wire fences screamed in the wind. I turned my head from  the hard spray of water shooting out across the wash.

I approached the dry road. I pushed my bike up the sandy clay bank.


I peddle eastward, facing the rising edge of the Colorado Plateau.




A silver grey horse comes out to greet me.



A silver grey horse trots out to greet me, snorting, head bobbing, mane blowing in the wind.
I smiled at his startled face and stance as I passed.



I turned towards home,

The highway stretched before me,

Lined with tall yellowed grasses, silver green sage and the deep dark purple alfalfa flowers.

Facing south, I think of the red cathedral cliffs at Kolob Canyon and the wild lifted rocks at 

Virgin Gorge.




The Yellow Farm House



Here is the big yellow farmhouse, where I turn for home.




My neighborhood. Cedar City, Utah .



SUMMER TIME GARDEN SO GREEN

The warm green fields of summer.

There is a lot to be said for the vast changes that occur where the seasons are true. The promise of Spring, the warm green fields of Summer, the colors and mystique of Fall and the sparkling snowscapes of Winter. They all cause me to appreciate their fleeting beauty.













I am so happy with the many shapes, colors and surprises the green gives me this summer. Walking through the arbors with the now tall willows and soon to climb Black-eyed Susans.

Iceland Poppies

The little shade garden of wildflowers are a delight with their delicate pastel fancy shapes and habits. A sure place for Faeries and Tea Parties.

The volunteer sunflowers

The volunteer sunflowers reach their faces into the wild blue sky and the smell of harvested alfalfa permeates the cool night air.

Sunflowers

Our new lawn.

Our new lawn has grown in so green! The grassy knoll we constructed with clods
 of leftover grass, grew many wildflowers.

THE VEGETABLE GARDEN

And the bounty of food and the pleasure of it's color.

My bowl runneth over!

My bowl runneth over...with squashes, beans, Chinese peas, fennel and corn. Heirloom tomatoes and peppers galore.

Green, Green, Green



Corn is not yet as high as an elephant's eye.



Green, Green, Green



The corn is not yet as high as an elephant's eye but... My Deborah Maple is even higher into the sky. about 20 ft.



Our  New Deborah Maple



Oh beautiful earth with your thunderheads.

With your ethereal paper white moons...

Ethereal paper white moons

and your circus blue ribboned sunsets

   Heavenly gilded clouds of  gold.

I am truly where I love to be. Thank you.

Hurray For Llama Beans - A New Green Lawn

In April we dug up the old lawn in the garden and threw all the clod of grass and roots into a mound or knoll along the fence. Then we sprinkled llama beans (manure) evenly over the the ground.

We covered the area with llama bean (manure)



The little llama beans protect the seeds from the winds and are just the right height to cover them. I run a rake gently over the beans in an up and down motion just enough to vibrate the seeds down a bit to cover them. The llama beans are a balanced fertilizer and keeps the grass seeds and surrounding area moist.

Below you can see green blades of grass are peeking thought the layer of llama manure we applied.  It took awhile to sprout with the weekly snows and cold temperatures. But Mother's Day I noticed the welcome green haze coming up from the lawn. The right side was planted first. The left side of the garden lawn was seeded a week later. Notice in the far upper right hand corner of the picture there is the little knoll we built from recycled clods of grass. We will plant wildflowers there when the weather warms.

A new green lawn is sprouting