SageHill Ranch Journal

[SageHill]

What a great day. Cool 45-67 partly cloudy. Got started grazing all the sheep. Yesterday I put two hog panels up in the spots the lambs seem to break-away in their lambie moments. Both spots go into hazardous areas of rocks (boulders) and very deep run-off channels. Now that those areas are covered in green no one can see where a 3 ft or more run-off channel is, or boulders that drop off to ???. Of course the lambs didn't even think to head towards either spot. They were on their best grazing behavior. . Grazed them all in a few different areas -- it was a happy munch-a-thon.
Made my TSC and local feed store run - got all I needed. While I was gone DH took care of one of the wash outs next to the road. It's all set for the next round of water due on Tuesday. I harrowed all the arenas - YAY. They look soooo pretty now. That's another done and ready for Tuesday.
A good day spent getting things done. One more to finish up with is setting up a platform for the lambs to access the automatic waterer. I'll load the platform into the UTV and take it to the barn when it's time to put the sheep away.
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Snacking on the sugar bush....

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a slightly opinionated ewe lamb - I'm good at getting those "Strange poses" .....

 

[Baymule]

That looks like a perfect day!

 

[SageHill]

Grazed again - while we can. Rain is supposed to set in late tonight throughout tomorrow for an inch total. Annual rainfall average - depending on where you look - is 11 to 14 inches. THIS IS the rainy season - aka n o r m a l weather pattern. If you're ready for rain you are set. If not - so be-it.
Took the whole flock out and they and Obi decided the best eats were on the west slope today. So we spend hours on that slope. I'm working on a new way using basically the same route back to the barn. I've got a few different areas along the ranch road to stop and do short grazes. Once we get close to the barn the sheep decide to act like barn-sour horses - wanting to charge back full speed ahead. Obi is in prevention mode - and the ground to one side has some pretty big ruts that he somehow manages to navigate safely. My inner me is silently screaming 'no let them go' while Obi's inner him is hollering back 'can't lose the sheep - ever'. Yeah - once again dog's right. So I've been working the last few days grazing in my perceived good grazing stop spots. Today was the first time to give it a shot - and it worked. Not as well as I wanted - but I can see the progress and once the sheep figure out it's a favorite tasty diner along the way back I think it will be perfect.
My ginormous velcro strip 4 inchs by 5 ft (I think) awaits me in the mailbox. It will be my addition to the deck chair so I can trim hooves (once we dry out a little). I wanted something that I could do a quick release on so in the worst scenario I don't have a sheep running around with the deck chair strapped to it! - that would be hilarious after the fact (heck they could bring Green Acres back with that one). I looked all over for a seatbelt ala airline seatbelt, but no luck - just "seatbelt" extenders you should see what Amazon thinks I would be interested in after those searches!!
I'll be giving Ree and also Zo chances at some simple grazing soon. With all the work that Obi does and as much as he loves it, I need to get some of the others going and I don't want to wear him out. It's tough work, and he's the best.
Traffic control.....

The best fence ever --

.... and finally a funny ...
smile for the camera and say "cheese"...

Absolutely NO PHOTOSHOP in this - it's straight out of the phone! Told you I get those crazy silly shots.

 

[Baymule]

That’s so funny! The hills are green! So pretty and so much food for sheep! Obi is the best! What an awesome dog!

 

[SageHill]

That’s so funny! The hills are green! So pretty and so much food for sheep! Obi is the best! What an awesome dog!

This is the time of year I love - so green it reminds me of Hawaii. Come late April early May it will all be brown.

 

[Baymule]

Brown and dry. Not good.

 

[SageHill]

It's been busy - though a normal busy, just lots of things that need to get done almost all at once.
The rains we got from last Saturday though Tuesday totaled 5 inches here according to my rain gauge. For the most part things we did to help direct water flow and prevent flood/erosion all worked. We do have a running creek - ground water and run off from the avo grove to our east. That of course happens to have it's own little "run" along one side of the big arena. Mud - such is life.
I dug up some pepper tree seedlings from around the ranch and relocated them to next to the small arena - it they grow they will be a great source of shade for that arena. - if not no great loss - they were "free".
Sheep are all doing great. Of course I'm sure they were tired of staying in the barn! Poor, poor, sheep - warm, dry and predator free.
We've been out to graze sporadically because of the rain. Yeah I know they can get wet -- but there's no reason to because there are so few days like that.
This morning we were back at it - out for almost 3 hours. When I was in the barn I could hear some coyote calls. Went outside the barn and listened - they were on both sides of the ranch - to the north and to the south. UGH. Gave some thought to staying close in - but decided to go toward the meadow.
Everyone worked well - a nice mosey to the grazing area - west slope was the tasty choice this time. The sheep were settled in to eating and about 3-4 minutes later all their heads were up and looking toward the meadow. Ah yeah - Wiley C was walking the ranch road between the west slope and the meadow. I told Obi to "Stay" (quietly) got my pistol out and aimed (thinking all the while - he doesn't know I'm here - take your time) squeezed and pop - he left in a hurry. Loaded and ready for a second shot but it was not to happen - left and didn't return.
I have friends that think that's scary to come up on a coyote (or coyote happen upon us). But that's just a fact of life out here.
OH and I found a dog slip lead that I'd dropped about a month ago and couldn't find - replaced it - that came last week. Now I've got an extra! I will admit - when I first caught sight of it I thought 'oh crap snake' --- then realized it was my lead!! .
Life is good - the sun is out, the fields are green, and things are getting done again. The rest during the rain was nice too.
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On The Road Again ......

Tasty Morning Cafe' - self serve.....

Ewe lamb - aka "Jasmine" -- growing up fast and cute.....

Yellow flowers starting up pop up - yummy yellow flowers....

 

[Ridgetop]

This is the time of year I love - so green it reminds me of Hawaii. Come late April early May it will all be brown.

I agree! I love the first spring showing of the grass when we get rain. Southern California grows beautiful pasture grass when we get rain. It stays until the first week of hot sunny weather (usually a few days after the rain is gone) then almost instant brown. We have no spring. LOL

 

[SageHill]

I agree! I love the first spring showing of the grass when we get rain. Southern California grows beautiful pasture grass when we get rain. It stays until the first week of hot sunny weather (usually a few days after the rain is gone) then almost instant brown. We have no spring. LOL

So true - no spring - we just have two seasons -- green and brown.

 

[Baymule]

Good for you on the coyote. You just need more practice!