these hooves were made for walkin

it's cool and windy today.  the chickens are huddled under bushes, against fences or wherever there's a block.  the sheep are wandering in the front, where there's less of a gust.  i just soaked jacob's foot in a bowl of warm water and betadyne.  i noticed something wasn't right yesterday when he laid under the grapefruit tree as the other sheep ran for the fallen fruit.  when he finally stood, he was balancing on the tip of his left front hoof.  upon closer examination, i found a tack nail stuck straight into the bottom of his hoof.  james pulled it out with some pliers.  dr. martin just happened to be in the area, came by to check it out, and left us with bottles of penicillin and baytril.  jacob will receive 2 shots, twice a day for a week (plus a daily soak), to prevent infection and tetanus.  he's limping a bit, but is getting around okay.  

it's about time for some hoof trimming, which is not my favorite task.  i bought some trimmers from a sheep supply, but they're not as easy to use (or as sharp) as i had hoped.  dr. martin recommended buying some dykes instead.  i need to sharpen my scissors for some wool clipping, too.  little becky is getting very wooly around the eyes.  i usually have to trim the sheeps' faces a couple of times during the winter.  left untrimmed, they can become "wool blind" when fleece grows too long on their faces.

i cut the bantams' nails around dusk.  since they're penned, they don't run around enough to wear them down naturally.  some of the chicks acted like i was murdering them, while others were nonplussed and remained calm.  we had a rooster fight yesterday, so one of the bantam roos is separated from the rest.  poor little guy's spur was torn off while he was in the hutch.  no idea if he got it stuck in some wire, or if the other roo kicked it off.  we cleaned him up and sprayed the wound with alushield, which stopped the bleeding immediately.  we've had spur incidents with a couple of the standard roos.  roosters fight with their feet, and spurs can be broken, but they eventually grow back.  some people remove the spurs from their roosters to prevent them from wounding each other or the hens.  we're lucky that our roosters are tame.  we can pick them up and carry them around without a problem, which is not the case with many.  they say the way to tame a rooster is to turn it upside down in front of its hens.  apparently it's quite embarrasing for the rooster, so it takes him down a notch.

the orange and tangerine trees are ripening.  i think we're close to losing our navel tree.  it's showing signs of old age and isn't producing as much as it did.  looks like we'll have a bumper crop of tangerines, though.

bacteria can be delicious

it's not as easy leaving the house since we changed the clocks.  the sheep are up and out earlier, and usually wandering in the front of the yard when i'm ready to leave for work.  scooter has been waiting for me nearly every morning this week.  he follows me, follows my car as i pull to the gate and would follow me out to the street if i let him.   i have to get out of the car, lead him over to the grapefruit tree and drop some fruit as a distraction.  or walk over to the avocado trees and pull down a few green leaves for him to devour.  if the other sheep see me doing this, they'll run over as well,  then i have a whole herd following me until they get treats.  they definitely have me trained.  i usually end up driving away with dirty hands and bits of straw on my clothes.

i went to the farmer's market last sunday for the first time in about two years.  can't believe it's been that long, but weekends are precious time and sunday mornings are usually spent cleaning the pens and cooking a big breakfast.  the santa clarita market has grown since i'd been there. the longest line was for the tamale lady, go figure.    i've always liked the fact that farmer's markets keep you eating "in season".  rather than buying the not-quite-ripe fruit from south america sitting in the supermarkets now, you can buy super fresh apples, persimmons and pomegranates grown locally.  i confess that i miss summer fruit, though, and i mourn the end of peach season (time to crack open the canned ones).  i managed to drop about $45 on vegetables, bread, cheese and sausage.  i bought about 4 ounces of organic "jersey" cheddar, made in petaluma, for about seven bucks.  time for me to start making some cheese (both kinds).  and when did blueberries start costing $5 for a small basket?  i'm a sucker for them, and they WERE awfully fresh...

james is on a mission to make sauerkraut after visiting pattie.  she's been reading a book called "wild fermentation", and made a batch of sauerkraut using only salt.  she gave us a sample from a pot sitting in her dining room.  it was strong, but good and crunchy.  pattie seems to be into all things fermented right now (the jars of kombucha have multiplied since my last visit).  i've always loved borscht, especially my grandma's.  i remember her giving me a polish cookbook when i was in college, so i could make my own.  i was slightly horrified to read the recipe, which involved sticking a bunch of beets in a clay pot and letting them sit for weeks at room temperature until they fermented.  to my young mind, that didn't sound very healthy (or appetizing).  pattie was quick to point out that i could find the same recipe in "wild fermentation".  

speaking of fermentation, i'm considering experimenting with some cheese-making this winter (that $7 cheddar got me thinking).  i've always loved cheese, and a recent episode of "good eats" made it look so simple.  i'm sure pattie will offer a few tips, too.