Black Ram Farm

Musings from Rural Vermont

Farm Show

Posted by blackramfarm on January 29, 2010

Yesterday was the last day of the Vermont Farm Show up at the Barre Civic Center.  Extension and UMV are all over it and I was stationed in two booths,  AgrAbility in the morning and Extensions in the afternoon.   I was not too psyched about the day, it just rubs my nose in the fact that I don’t have my sheep anymore.  And not having my sheep is a bit of a sore spot.   But I sucked it up and figured that I would have fun just talking with new people and finding out their stories and catch up with some Extension folks that I like a lot but don’t get to see too much.

So kinda at the end of the day, when I was just being a bit of myself,  I was yacking with Tony Kitos about what he does and thinking about a farm that could use his help, when this dude in a suit comes by and starts chatting with Tony.   I introduce myself, as we are all standing right there and ask him if he s a farmer, which we all know he isn’t ‘cus of the suit.  Plus he had really nice shoes, which told me that he was from away.   Turns out he is Andre Denis Wright, chair of the Department of Animal Science at Groovy U-vy and is a pretty down to earth, normal kind of guy with a sense of humor.

Then he mentions that he has been in Aussie land for the past 12 years, via Nova Scotia, and he has been studying SHEEP.  and and and better than that,  Merinos.  Yes Merinos and then he tells me that he wants to bring Meat Merinos to the Miller farm, now that the cows are gone.   Well…. now we are talking!    He talks a bit about working with a flock that had an 11 micron wool clip,  he talks about developing vaccines to reduce methane production in sheep…. and wants to do the same at UVM. And I want in.

He said that he was gonna check out the blog, I gave him this address….. we will see what his follow though is like.   This could be really exciting, imagine…..Merinos at UVM…..

Posted in sheep | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

leaving it up

Posted by blackramfarm on January 24, 2010

Last weekend I went riding (as in snow mobile) with Zoe and Andy Skelton. Andy just so happens to be a Word Press dude and writes the code for the blogging program, so any opportunity to pick his brain about my little old blog was welcome.

He suggested that I keep the Black Ram Farm blog up.  Yes Chris Baumann, you are correct and I was wrong. Andy said that since I am still getting a  lot of traffic on this site, to keep it somewhat active and as I begin the publishing phase of writing, to keep most of the content up and then once the book is actually out there, to then leave snippets up.

Last night I was having pizza with Anne and Bill Hogan over in Shelburne.  Anne has edited several children’s books and Bob has a pretty good mind about business.  He liked the idea of the published version of Black Ram Farm (and Mr. Toes finds a Home) and thought it best to find a publisher rather than self publishing. Lesley Alexandra Jump Baumann, heads up, you are gonna have to get the Mr. Toes sketches going!

So now out to the universe:  I am looking for a publisher to publish and market my book.   Any help would be appreciated.

So now in a quandary about Owl Tavern. Maintaining one blog is enough and I do like the new name and new direction.  So for now I will be keeping farm and fiber related things on this blog and all other, not so relevant or potentially boring writings about my little life up on the other blog.

Blogging schedule:  2-3 posts per blog weekly, rotating from blog to blog depending on how interesting life is.   This should be fun

Posted in pondering, transition, writing | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Owl Tavern

Posted by blackramfarm on December 29, 2009

Here it is folks:   Owl Tavern New blog and new address.   You can find all the new posts at www.alexandrajump.wordpress.com

Posted in pondering | Leave a Comment »

Owl

Posted by blackramfarm on December 29, 2009

Yesterday on my way up to Bub’s place, I saw a beautiful owl land in a snow-covered tree.  I watched for a good 10 minutes until it floated off into the woods.  What a treat, an owl sighting in the middle of the day. What now it the message?

Owls are the bridge between death and rebirth, flying silently in the dark of night.  I have been moving through a death of sorts and am now feeling new life on the horizon as I settle in my new home.   The house has  been busy this past week and with Lulu’s departure, I am feeling a need to finish nesting.  My office and writing space is still in shambles, but most of the pictures are up and dishes are generally put away.

UVM gives us the week off between Christmas and New Years, however I am heading into the office today to tie up loose ends with work, which should have been completed before now.  I managed to get into work over the past few weeks, but the quality was certainly lacking with my mind on other things.

Other things like moving, getting my finances in order and getting ready for full-time work at Extension.  I hopefully will get a job description and a pay grade the first of the year and will be blogging 75% of my time and continuing farm safety stuff the remaining 25%.   No graduate classes this winter, I need to practice being still in my new space.

The business of the season and the change over at Solstice has me moved into a better direction.  The owl reminds me that when one part of our life dies off there is opportunity for new life to begin.

Posted in transition | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

Christmas 2009

Posted by blackramfarm on December 27, 2009

Christmas Eve Lulu and I took off for early service at the Stowe Church.  There was no way I was going to make it to Eleven and Emmie and I had butted heads more than once over the past few days.  She was trying hard to get the Lobster Bisque just right and I was trying to get the house ready for guests I didn’t really know. Emilie had a bit of  ‘tude to say the least and I was heading into a lupus flare up. Em had taken off and cousins showed up for a visit and I was a bit miffed with the fact she had left while they were on their way.  How rude.   So some readjustment needed to happen and Lulu and I headed to church while Em waited for her guests. That was a good thing.

On the way there Lulu and I saw three young ladies trying to hitch from Shaws market into Stowe.  Incredibly dark and not a good place to be trying to get a ride.  We swung around and called out to them.  The girls were on visas from Peru and were working up at Stowe Mt. Lodge.  They had taken the bus down to the market to get Christmas day meal makings and found the market closed for the evening.  They asked about Church and the service times and talked about how they all missed their mothers and how they were going to call them when they got back up the mountain.   Lulu and I had been early, so by the time we drove up and back down the mountain road we were in perfect time for the service, which was lovely.

Back to the house and Em’s guests had arrived.  Lobster Bisque for all and thanks to Lili for a support phone call to Em while sister and I were out at Church.  She helped calmed the storm.

Emmie had invited Kenny here, so Kenny’s father Wendell came too.  He lives with Kenny in NH and is part of the package.  Emilie calls him Sunshine because he is such a grump.  And he really is. “I am rude, crude and socially unacceptable, and I like that way and I am not gonna change”, says he.  Trucker, ex Diablos member and very opinionated.  (Ain’t we all?) But he managed to drink his coffee from my grandmother’s Wedgwood without breaking it. So he got points all around.

Jared, Kenny’s younger brother, came too.  We call him Puddy and he is a bit of a rough stitch. He makes really funny faces says really random things at really odd times.  Sometimes understandable, sometimes unintelligible.  Funny none the less. “Well fire it up!” was heard more than once.

Christmas morning we were 6,  all up and having tea and coffee and opening stocking type things in the dining room.  We all managed to get cleaned up in time for more guests to come for breakfast. Round one.

When I was little,  my grandparents always had guests at the Christmas table.  Folks who were not able to be with their families for one reason or another, so in this tradition I invited the family that owns Lui Lins Chinese restaurant in town.  Guozhen, Tongmei and their son Henry.  Tongmei said that in the 10 years that they have lived in this country, no one had ever invited them to a holiday meal.   They were able to come for breakfast, only because it was the only time they didn’t have the restaurant open.  Hardest working folks I have met in a long time.  They seemed to enjoy themselves here and liked the house. Breakfast now done by 10:30.  Round 2.

When our breakfast guests left,  the boys headed out to see friends up in Eden and the girls and I went over to Sue and Judith St. Aubin’s with a tenderloin roast ready for the oven.  St. Jude lectured me about missing her choir sing at Holy Something or Other’s,  but then I showed her the roast and got her to ease off.  Lili was there too, so a quick cup of coffee and visit, then back for round 4.  Lulu did a really good job with the roast, Yorkshire pudding and green bean casserole considering the stove cooks too cool. She pulled off the timing of the meal beautifully and some man will thank me that I taught my daughter how to cook a tenderloin roast.

Hanna, one of Emilie’s oldest buddies came by too, some unfinished business with Puddy who she had met over the summer.  Puddy had gone out Christmas Eve and walked to her house 4 miles away and then ran all the way back, which explained why Jewel had woken me and Lulu up well after midnight .

Hannah stayed a bit for dinner, round 4 done. Em and her crew headed out for New Hampshire and Kenny’s mother’s house.  Quiet for me and Lulu a very short time.   Round 5 was  Lulu’s best, best, best friend Jesse and her mum Jenny and my friend William.  Relaxing after a long day and chatting over knitting and a bit of spinning and wine and more Bouche Noel from Joyce. That butter cream frosting just could not be matched anywhere. 

The end of the day and the quiet of the house was wonderful.  Nothing better to be done in this new home of mine and most tavern like with all the friends, old and new, coming and going throughout the day.  The best part of the Christmas celebration was in fact the actions and the relationships formed over meals.  No one really had any money for gifts, so there were very few.  But we were rich, beyond words because the love and friendship in this home was in abundance.  And isn’t that the point of the whole thing?

Posted in pondering | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »