SSS + S = sheep shearing stress + snow :)

Well it certainly has been a challenging winter, and there appears to be no end in sight!
Every week the weather forecast teases us with a double-digit forecast for the next week... but next week comes and goes, and the warmer weather remains elusive. Everyone is grumbling about the groundhog that was certainly mistaken, and my vet suggests the groundhog heard about the death threats and is currently sitting on a beach in Mexico..... lol

Seriously though, our grass in this region starts growing around April 17. My back yard still has 2 feet of snow, and the drifts at the farm are way higher than that. I moved my sheep shearing date up to April 18 from April 1, thinking for SURE the snow would be gone by then.... well.... probably not. More snow in the forecast for this weekend, and cooler temperatures again.

Last year I moved the sheep into the old shop the day before shearing, and we set up the handling alley in there for shearing. They need to be inside the evening before in case it rains (or snows!) to keep them dry. Preferably dry for 24 hours before shearing. Well, the shop still has 4 foot snowdrifts in front of it, and it would not be possible to use it. Unless we spend a day on the tractor to clear it out.

Option 2 would be to use the barn. That has its own challenges. Due to the record number of stormy days and more animals, the barn litter has accumulated dramatically through the winter. I keep adding more bedding and now the 8 foot wall is down to 5'6'' in places... meaning I bump my head on the rafters. The plan is to get a bobcat in the summer to clean the barn, but that is not possible to do now because there is nowhere to put the manure. Hmmm.

Option 3 involves using our stock trailer and rent a couple other trailers, and trailer the sheep down to Larry's farm to shear them in the double car garage or in the quonset. The quonset is full of stuff that will need to be moved, and half my sheep panels are still froze down so making a decent pen and alleyway will not be easy.

I cannot delay shearing much longer. Lambing commences May 1, there are always a few that pop up a couple days before that.
I went through my images from last year - a totally different weather picture!

This was taken March 25, 2012. the snow had gone,

the flood was up and the geese were happy

Shearing day March 27, 2012

April 6, 2012. A little dusting of snow. Notice the corrals in the back - no snow.

Right now (April 11, 2013) there are still 8 foot drifts in the corral, and foot deep snow in most places in the pasture. 

This was April 13, 2012. Where the chickens were in 2011. 

The grass started greening up

First kids were born April 18, 2012. 

My backyard, today. Those are my knee high Muck boots - the snow is up to my knees

April 11, 2013

What the barn looks like now. Notice 8ft drifts to the left in the corrals. 

Journey to self sufficiency part 1

I'm passionate about self sufficiency and sustainability and being a good steward of the land. My little urban homestead is a work in progress, self sufficiency is a journey and it is certainly not completed in one day!

This list is for my urban homestead. I have a somewhat different view for the little farm where the sheep, goats, horses and other chickens are. More on that in a different post!

The yard September 2009

Early 2010 after a big rain. I had just had some landscaping done and the manure worked into the ground with a tiller. Probably end May?

2010 late May. Still having landscaping issues.

2010 July. The weeds grew prolifically in the new manure enriched soil! 

My square foot garden in 2011. Chicken coop in background

Garden beds changed in 2012 to save space and produce more.

Lawn with micro-clover in (nitrogen fixing) and garden in background, 2012.

The lawn looks bigger than it is. The yard was landscaped in 2009, and again in 2010 and 2011 to fix drainage issues. I also imported several truckloads of rotted manure and spread it in the yard... with a shovel and a rake. :) The ground was bare during landscaping, and this lawn was seeded April 2012, and the picture is early August 2012. Amazing transformation.

A book that inspired me greatly, I still read from it regularly. 

John Seymour wrote about rotational grazing and environmental factors long before others.

The first edition of this book was published in 1976. 

Things I do already:

• I'm working on creating a permaculture yard with indigenous plant species.
• A large raised bed vegetable garden with closely spaced plants( think square inch!) and poly culture plantings: planting basil in the shade of tomatoes or radishes with carrots.
• The chicken coop is in the fruit orchard. The girls provide me with eggs and manure for the garden. They get rotated to fresh grass and get spoils from the garden.
• I recycle everything I can.
• I compost everything I can.

Things I would like to do:

• When my current washing machine quits, I will replace it with an energy free model.
• When my current dryer quits, I will not buy another one. A clothesline will do.
• If my kitchen appliances quit, I will replace them with energy free models where possible - hand crank blender, etc.
• I would like a wood stove for saving on energy bill - in fact I would like a Rocket Stove, which is more fuel efficient than a woodstove. But that might void fire insurance on my house....

Waste:

• Recycle everything possible.
• Compost everything possible
• Re-purpose where possible: re-use egg cartons, re-use tin cans for starting seeds, buy wisely. Buy in bulk to minimize waste and packaging.

Water:

• I plan to convert my toilet to a composting toilet and use the septic tank for grey water catchment only. That water can be used in the garden. I have a dirt basement so it should be fairly easy. Envirolet Composting has an extensive list of different styles, but I will have to save up some money for that as they are fairly pricey. 
• Have a rain barrel to catch runoff from the eaves. Maybe even one for next to the chicken coop!
• One side of my house eaves drain into the well in the front yard. 

Energy:

• Improve home insulation and ensure doors and windows seal. Use passive heating/cooling by opening curtains on sunny winter morning, closing them to block out heat in summer.
• I would like to install solar panels and a solar water heater. But good solar panels are still pricey. The provincial government in Ontario has some great programs for solar and wind, but here in Saskatchewan I will have to wait and see what programs they offer in the future.
• Use space heaters to just warm the rooms you use most, when you use them.
• When my current washing machine quits, I will replace it with an energy free model.
• When my current dryer quits, I will not buy another one. A clothesline will do.
• If my kitchen appliances quit, I will replace them with energy free models where possible - hand crank blender, etc.
• I would like a wood stove for saving on energy bill - in fact I would like a Rocket Stove, which is more fuel efficient than a woodstove. But that might void fire insurance on my house....

Environment:

• As many native plant species as possible.
• Nesting for native bird life.
• Shelter and food for beneficial insects and birds