South Pastures, Indian Plum and Sheep

Hey, you're here for more of my world, hope you had a chance to take the first farm tour last week, The Farm Tour Begins and you're ready for the next chunk of Vicktory Farm & Gardens. You know, this is brought to you by the good folks at:
'cause they have a weekly thingy with a deadline and that is the only way you get Lanny to cough up on promises. It's not that I don't want to follow through, I just procrastinate myself into forgetfulness. Grab you boots 'cause were going through some deep muck on our way out.

Mr. Mallard, who likes to hang out with the Silver Appleyards, he blends in you know, swims in the pond that separates the Barn Garden from the South Pastures.

But for us to get there from the Barn Garden we have to cross this bridge EBet has made for herself. I know I didn't leave you off in the Barn Garden but I was out here checking on things when you showed up to continue your tour of the Farm, Dear Reader, that's why I said grab your boots!

Let's get across EBet's bridge. It's not all that scary, the sheep are blocked off of it because they were crossing it to come over to the Barn Garden. They have four feet you only have two, so I am sure you will be okay.

The sheep are looking like they think I might let them out, I'm not the person in charge of them but I am a person and according to them that means capable.

They have water in their tub, so they're not in dire need, besides I know what they are like when the gate is open, I'm out here this morning strictly for the tour not dislocated hips. I do kind of feel sorry for them. They had to be locked up again because the coyotes came back and stole a lamb night before last .

Look at their sadness. They hate going back to the ol' lock up, but it keeps them safe at night. Our coyote protection is limited: Guard dogs are not an option; Dirt hates anything in the llama family; we had a miniature donkey once, that was pretty good but Dirt and he had a few go a rounds so Dirt is reluctant to go back there; traps are illegal in the state of Washington or the state of "whiney-baby-furry-creature-loving-city-dwellers".

Dirt enjoys evening coyote hunting, but that so far has proved that he does not have enough gear for dispatching the enemy, but the orange bucket technique worked great. We just have to figure out how to have each sheep wear an orange bucket.

I don't think they would cotton to wearing an orange bucket, well I'm not sure they would cotton to anything, although they may wool to a few things here and there.

Little lamb says he has enough self-esteem issues without having to go around with an orange bucket even though his pal Mr. Dirt has proven that, no matter, what a coyote will not go near an orange bucket.

On the east side of South Pasture Road is the turkey pen and fowl pasture. They aren't out either due to coyotes, but their concerns also include possum and raccoon that will get them in their night time roosts up in the trees or in their open house. EBet really needs to wrap her head around a better door set up but I guess it works for now. So if you come back in a couple of years it will be the same. Things only change if they don't work, aesthetics is not high on the list of priorities for the farm boss and bookkeeper.

I'll just skip down the lane and leave that nasty thought behind me, life is what it is.

Here we are at the Back Pasture Gate. This heads out to the wood lot and the lower beaver ponds where Dale used to train his dogs. It is gorgeous out there but we will leave that for another day. It's so peaceful let's pause awhile here, I get a faint whiff of a definite sign of spring.

And here is the source, Indian Plum, Oemleria cerasiformis, (oom-LER-ee-uh seh-ruh-sih-FORM-is) also known as osoberry, oregon plum, skunk bush. But I really only know it by Indian Plum and I think that a person can certainly see why it got that common name. It is from the family: Rosaceae and ... well, you just came here for the basic farm tour not the taxonomy and ethnobotony tour, you'll have to come back for those.

I will say, this is one of the first natives in this area to bloom and when we moved out here before I could afford spring flowering bulbs, this was my harbinger of spring and a signal to plant peas and taters when it begins to leaf and when it begins its bloom. Nature gives us way better signals to plant by than the calendar.

Well, we'll head back to the farm now, would you like to come in and have tea and a scone?

Oh wait, look over here I forgot to point out the South Pasture. In the distance where the trees start is the corner of this pasture that Dirt and I put in after we had been living here for a few years.

It's fairly on line with the house compared to the highway but when the trees that were here got cut you could really hear the highway a lot more. Sort of like your curtains in your house muffle noise even though the person isn't behind them talking.

Way over there is the tire swing that I showed you from the front pasture last week.

Yep, that's the pond that started at the highway. Ponds attract waterfowl but so do new pastures, Dirt seeded this one five times before the Canada geese left it alone. There isn't too many forms of wildlife that haven't cause Dirt and I some aggravation and messed with our bottom line, our break even point rarely gets hit it seems.

Ah, see? This is the canal that divides the two pastures.

And there is the tire swing, I promise, maybe if you make it bigger you can see it.

I like fence line pictures, not sure why, just do and the less perfect the fence the better. The white tape is actually hot wire. It keeps the horses out of the Barn Garden because water is not a barrier to them.

I should let the sheep out. I hope they belong in this pasture today. Which pannel is the "gate"?

Ahh the bungee cord is the give away, all the other pannels are "permanently" tied with baling twine, our favorite.

Well they were happy to get out and no hip or knee causualities, they didn't bowl you over did they?

But it sure seems like they think they should get to go out that other gate? Hmmm. I really should spend more time with the livestock, but I'm just a Dirt girl now that I don't have my dairy goats.

Well they're sure skeedadling off to something, I should too. Sorry you don't have time for tea and scones, maybe next time. Can you believe this weather? And several days in a row too. I think I've got a thing or two to plant today.

While I'm doing that you could go take in some more places around our planet. There are some cool places out there and you can get to them easily from here at That's My World Tuesday!

Have a great day, evening, morning, Dear Reader!