Goodbye 2009...

Hello again, from Tennessee Renaissance Farm. 


It's been some time since I wrote last. Things slow down a lot as we move from fall into winter. And some things have happened that are frankly hard for me to write about. Thank you for your interest and encouragement. Bear with me through this update. 


The late fall and start of winter have been much colder than recent years. With the onset of really cold (for us that's low's in the teens at night) weather, neighboring dogs seem to roam more. Some of the neighbors' dogs and some strays basically formed a pack, which is never a good thing. And so it was on the Sunday before Christmas. The dogs killed six of my nine goats that night, and one the following night. Howard the llama, normally the protector, was unable to stop what happened. It was a devastating thing. I just don't have the words. It was really heartbreaking to bury the seven of them. 

Since those bad nights, the fence has been repaired and strengthened. I am reasonably confident that no more dogs have been inside the fence since then. The dogs have become wary of being around the farm, which is probably best for now. 

We've had another, colder cold snap lately. I don't think it's been above freezing for the last week or so, and there are several more days of similar weather in store. It's unseasonably cold, for middle Tennessee. I sold one of the remaining goats at auction, but the other is too ornery to be caught lately. I can understand how he (Leviticus) might be wary of other creatures, lately. He seems to be in a better mood, and he's starting to at least hang out closer to Howard most of the time. Even in the snow, Levi joyously comes running at feeding time. 


Carrying warm water for the livestock several times a day is tedious. 


Having snow on the ground makes it easier to see the surface of the ground back in the trees and brush. I can see much clearer spaces inside the fence where the goats ate up alot of the brush. Being able to see more space open turns my mind to plans for spring. Some more fence will be built. Maybe a small building project or two will take place in the summer. It'll only take another day's rental of the tractor and much of my back forty will be walkable. I really enjoy that thought. 


Thank you for your support of Tennessee Renaissance Farm in my first year of blogging. I will need your continued encouragement and ideas going forward. 




Things I'm looking forward to in 2010: 

• Fresh vegetables from the TRF garden
• More goats!
• Harvesting my first honey! (I need your best biscuit recipes, by the way) 
• Inventorying plant and wild life on the Farm 
• Sustained above-freezing temperatures
  
• More bees!
• Fencing on flat ground instead of the hillside
• New used farm equipment! 

Autumn Gold

So now is the peak of fall colors on Tennessee Renaissance Farm. What's left of the poplar leaves are flamey yellow. The maples are red like embers. It's a gorgeous time to stroll the farm and consider my plans for next year.

Last week, one of the goats passed away. It is sad. Their primary function is to work on the farm clearing brush, but I have to admit I am attached to them, to some degree. Rest well, Lil Buddy.

Today's photos are fairly self-explanatory, so I'll let you enjoy them.

Won't be long 'til there's frost on the pumpkin...

• This little guy is my buddy. He's the smallest goat, but definitely the friendly one. He likes to be petted, even when I'm not feeding. He's the one that meets me at the fence first each morning and walks with me when I make the rounds.
  
• The next photo is of hedge apples on the ground. I don't know what, if any purpose they serve. I've heard a tale that hedge apples can be used to keep bugs away.
  
• Poplar leaves are turning. The old timers at the farmer's co-op thought that such a wet summer meant we'd have pretty fall colors this year. I'm not convinced, yet.
  
• This is what I spent a couple of hours working on in the rain on Friday. The fence runs downhill and there was a slight gap underneath, which allowed a couple of the goats to roam. I took some stakes and chicken wire, and wired them to the bottom of the fence. For good measure, I found an old fence post to weigh down the chicken wire with, on the inside.

Eviction day...

Tennessee Renaissance Farm is here to benefit... me, mostly. The things that I do, the things that I choose not to do, the animals I bring in and the ones that were already here all serve purposes. This is the first real eviction from the Farm, but the rule here is everybody chips in. No free rent, right?

And so it is with yellow jackets. This particular gang of them has harassed The Gentleman Farmer and my family a few times this summer. One nephew has been stung on two occasions. It's hard to locate yellow jackets safely, so I've just avoided the area and put off dealing with it. Today I was mowing, thinking I was not close to where the nest was, actually kindof mowing a border around where I thought it was, when it suddenly looked like the ground was moving where I had just mowed.

Instinct kicked in before thoughts, causing me to run. When I slowed down and looked back, it was a literal cloud of the pests, much like the bees when I have a hive opened for inspection. The yellow jackets gradually settled down again, but it would be their last hurrah.

As dusk happened, I gathered some tools: Mag Lite, camera, matches, leftover citronella oil. The flames weren't as impressive as I had imagined. (I really don't like yellow jackets.)

ALSO NOTE IN THESE PHOTOS: The yellow jackets (sortof) have similar coloration to honeybees. They are NOT bees. Bees are not aggressive (they are defensive). Bees have fuzz on them. Yellow jackets are naked. Yellow jackets' heads are shaped weirdly. Usually, yellow jackets will help themselves to sugary drinks on your picnic. Bees much prefer nectar from flowers. Bees also do their part on the farm, producing that liquid gold that The Gentleman Farmer loves.

Fall on the Farm

My goats are doing well. They have definitely taken their piece of Tennessee Renaissance Farm and made it their own. The progress they are making in eating up the brush is amazing. As they have grown comfortable here, the goats seem to be more friendly. Now they come out and walk with me when I'm out and about on the farm. Even if I'm not feeding right then. Not a bad thing.

Howard is ever vigilant. When I found a gap under the edge of the fence the other day, he made took up a position beside that gap and would not let the goats near it. It's pretty cool how he picked up on that and did his job. He wears his hats as mayor and protector of the farm well.

The bees are slowing down after What I think was a very decent summer for them. Meagan, Taylor and Emily each have a good amount of honey stored up. Hopefully they will all come through winter in fine shape. I'm looking forward to that first golden harvest in a big way.

I know I've been lax in maintaining the blog lately. I've got enough projects in mind this fall and winter that I should have plenty to write about. Watch what happens next.

Settling in nicely...

The llama and goats have gradually been getting to know each other and making the place their own. After much deliberation, the llama has been named Howard. It's been suggested that I find him a top hat and vest, and appoint him Mayor of Tennessee Renaissance Farm. Why not? Hah.

Howard was definitely the first to warm up. He's the first to allow anyone to pet him and not be (too) jumpy about it. He definitely takes his job as protector of the goats seriously. He keeps a watchful eye on the herd and is johnny-on-the-spot when a dog comes to the fence. It's very cool to know that Howard will be effective in case of predators visiting the farm to snack on my little goats.

The goats have been slower to get friendly. I think part of this is because they are smaller and generally less confident creatures, and I don't know anything about their lives before the auction barn. It's obvious that they were handled and raised as livestock and not pets.

Today was a first for the farm, also. One of the goats put his head through the fence and couldn't pull it back out. I think dislodging his head was easier than when my brother got his melon stuck in the railing of the stairs, but still traumatic for the little guy. It was the first time any of the goats ate from my hand, which seemed to calm him before I had to take him by the horns and help back his head out. It's odd how some animals will always look outside their fence when they have so much good stuff inside with them. Now I know why I count so carefully at feeding time and walk the fence a few times a day.

My post Monday from the Woodbury sale barn was the prelude to this: I aquired 10 pygmy goats and since then, a llama.

Five goats were delivered Wednesday after their shots and deworming. Later I was given an option on five more from the same lot, and they are here now. I was told that a llama will help protect the goats from predators, so now a llama has joined the gang.

So far, the goats have been very skittish. At first, when I turned the corner of the fence, they'd disappear into the woods. They are starting to learn that I'm the one who brings the food that they like. They aren't quite friendly just yet, but they don't run away when they see people, either. So far the goats are pretty scattered, but I'm told over the next few days they should pretty much hang out in a group. They've had a hard week.

The llama is awesome. He has such character and seems to have a good nature about him. he'll come right up and smell your hands and then trot away to chew on a weed again. When you see his eyes, you know there's something going on in there. He seems to have some sort of wit about him.

So far none of these creatures have names. I figure I'll name the goats one at a time, as I get to know them. I'm accepting nominations over the next few days for names for Mr. Llama.

God bless you and yours. Thanks for reading about the Tennessee Renaissance Farm.