norseofcourse's journal - spring and show update

[norseofcourse]

I got a microscope!!! It's one of the things I've been searching for on Craigslist. A nonprofit resale store south of me had one listed for awhile, but I never managed to make it there on the limited weekend hours they have. Then a few days ago, they announced a sale - 30% off everything in the store! So today I headed down (luckily we do not have the weather the east coast is dealing with). It was still there Their sale brought it down under $40

They said it was donated by a doctors office, after the doctor passed away. So I've cleaned it off with rubbing alcohol, just to be on the safe side. It looks like it was well taken care of, and maybe not used much in recent years. It's an older model, an American Optical 'sixty spencer', looks a lot like one I used way back in biology class. It even came with an extra light bulb!

Now I need to get the McMasters stuff and everything else I need to run my own fecals. This should help me identify parasite issues faster, and check effectiveness of wormers more easily, too. My sheep vet can do fecals, but it's $20 a test, and I have to take time off work to drive the sample there, as they're open about the same hours I work. Now I can test fresh samples as often as I need to. Yea!!

 

[BlessedWithGoats]

Neat!! Great find!

 

[norseofcourse]

8 weeks now till the start of lambing season. The sheep and ponies are doing well, we're all waiting for spring, I think. It has been a weird winter - sometimes typical winter temperatures, several spells of warmer days (including breaking a high temperature the other day), much less snow than normal.

In early March I will vaccinate the sheep, and separate Elding from the ewes. At that point I'll start increasing the ewe's grain, gradually. They will need the extra calories - Elding does not!

Tonight was another 'udder check'. If size is any indication, Rose will again lamb first - she has the largest udder. Gracie and Lukka have orange-size udders. Brosa has a very small udder. She is the one I am most concerned about, since she lost her lamb last year. And we're coming near to the time of year she lost it (February 12). She had no udder development last year before she lost her lamb, so I'm hoping that the small amount of udder I am feeling is a positive sign.

 

[norseofcourse]

There's one weed that is always the first to start growing in the spring, and the first to flower. Well, today, I saw some of them *blooming*!! It's only February 7th! It's been such a crazy winter - we have snow expected over the next few days, but not a lot. But it's going to get cold again, and this poor weed is going to regret thinking it's spring (it hit 50° today).

I have not been able to figure out what this weed is - does anyone know? I don't believe it is henbit or chickweed. It grows in a clump that right now is about 4" across, you can see a few of the little white flowers in the center.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I can't tell you what it is... but I can tell you that it isn't chickweed! At least not the chickweed that grows south of Houston.

 

[Shorty]

it looks like creeping jenny we use it in pots at the garden center I work at, but its also a perennial you can use as a ground cover.

 

[babsbag]

http://the3foragers.blogspot.com/2012/03/hairy-bittercress.html

Is your little plant hairy leaved bittercress? Pretty sure that it is in that family.

 

[babsbag]

Many years ago when I was in college I took a plant identification class and I used to hike around looking at all the wildflowers and keying them. I had to be able to identify 50 different plant families by sight; it was fun but a long long time ago and I have forgotten most of it.

 

[norseofcourse]

@babsbag - it looks like you've got it! Hairy bittercress! Thank you

That plant identification class would have been fun. I've ID'd a lot of the plants here through the wonders of the internet - either lucky googling, or posting them to various sites for help. Books, and friends locally have also helped, and I know someone who knows wild plants pretty well, but she hasn't had time to come out yet... maybe this spring or early summer she can.

 

[babsbag]

Identifying plants seems to run in my family. My brother has a PhD in plant physiology and he has the really hard books to use for plant ID. My sister takes pictures of wildflowers and knows the common names of all of them, and where she took the picture. My uncle used to walk me around his garden and tell me the botanical names of all his plants, and my sister's son can do the same. I am in the small leagues compared to them. Usually all I worry about now days is whether or not bees like the flowers, who needs a name, names don't make honey.