It was a hard. but good, work day. The sidewalk blocks were installed for an instant sidewalk at the farmhouse and the remainder of the roses were planted, making 32 in total planted this year. Tomorrow if all goes well, the bulbs will be planted, but other than farm chores, not much other work is expected to be completed. My youngest son is coming for two nights with his girlfriend and her sister and her significant other. There are also guests at the bed and breakfast, so both houses will be full. Plus, my cousin Dave is out to give me a hand with the readying of the farm for winter. There is wood to stack and the yard needs to deemed safe with no debris, wood or anything else in the winter pathways. This is important for the snowblower and skid steer so the areas are easy to keep maintained in winter. And then there are the new sidewalks at the little house...

I spread two buckets of gravel the day before yesterday to create a foundation for the sidewalk blocks. This was done with a shovel and rake, since the skid steer has too wide of a bucket to be of much assistance. One of the walks curves to meet the other, leaving wider spaces which were then filled with gravel. Later on, I will add coloured rocks or something more creative in those spaces, however for now, the idea was to get the walks completed. Dave and Travis both helped, then helped me plant the 9 rose bushes and shovel some manure I moved in for two new flower beds. Spring will be wonderful when all the plantings begin to blossom. But first, we need to continue to prepare for winter and get through that. Hmmm.

The most excellent mother hen raised 10 babies and gave them her all. She taught them where to find food, what to eat when foraging, where to get water, how to avoid danger and so on and for three months, she cuddled them to keep them warm and safe. Two days ago, I noticed that she was not with her brood. They were in an entirely different area of the farm. She also roosted in the tree with the other broody and her four and the rooster, leaving her young ones in the straw pile, where she reared them. The young ones seemed a little bewildered at first, but they did not call for their mother like lost babes do. Instead, they went about their daily business, not sticking entirely together, but within a certain distance that they were aware of the others, yet not with them in a group any longer. Now, how do I entice the babies to roost in the coop, rather than hunker down in the straw pile and how do I get Mamma, Roo and the other broody and her four into the coop? They will not survive our cold winters if left outside. Suggestions welcomed.

The neighbour who bought two baby goats, Weezie's first set of twins, actually, 2 years ago, offered two sheep and two alpacas to me. He is very busy and his children are now grown, so he wanted to downsize and be free from chores. I went to see the animals and the alpacas were lovely and healthy. The sheep are brother and sister, but the brother is castrated, making him a wether, formerly kept as a pet. He has a beautiful fleece, so may stay on the farm for that wool. He and his sister are purebred Suffolk sheep, very large, and not overly friendly, but they were at one time, so perhaps they can be tamed again. The female will be bred this winter to Walter, the Cotswold ram. The two alpacas are both in tact males. Alpacas can mate with llamas and will produce a sterile (mule) type of animal called a huarizo and they are valued for their gentle dispositions and their fine fleece. The only problem is that the alpacas will fight over the girls, so only one can be exposed to the females at a time. Mating should take place in the early summer, since it is 15 days short of a year for the term of pregnancy for the baby. Twins are extremely rare, while singles are the norm. So, in May next year, Brad or Zach, will get to visit the girls. Aiden, the male cria will be gone by then, hopefully. A man is supposed to pick him up soon and take him to his new home. Welcome, new critters, to the Fat Ewe Farm.

Minnie Pig and Tasha Pig are gone. They were great on the farm, but began to eat the small animals, starting with the newborn lambs which they pulled through a small hole between the pens and then the birds. Over thirty ducks and chickens were demolished. So, once the taste of blood was sweet in their memories, Tasha and Minnie could no longer stay on the farm. First they were advertised for sale, but the fall is not a great time to sell pigs since most do not want to winter them over. No takers for Minnie or Tasha. The butcher came this morning and I cried for the loss of my friends. There won't be any more scratches on the ears for Tasha and Minnie loved belly rubs so much, she would fall over on her side in a trance when she got one. They got all the bed and breakfast left overs, which they loved and looked forward to each morning and evening. But, pigs can even be dangerous to humans. Stories have been told about hungry pigs devouring their keepers. Minnie and Tasha were well fed and had lots of room to roam and places to root. I could comfortably go into their pen and walk with them and they always came when they were called. But today, they are gone and it is a sad day. Dwayne and Ethel, the alpacas, were also on the list for the butcher and the four bodies left the farm to be hung in the cold storage before cutting and wrapping. Thank you for your presence and for the gifts of your lives, my friends. Thank you.

So, when I was oiling the cedar siding on the new porch (with Bioshield organic plant oil), something seemed amiss. There were a lot of exposed nails, not properly hammered into the siding, but why would there be nails showing on beveled siding. The contractor came today and I showed them to him. Either he has never installed cedar siding before, or was too tired to know what I was saying. He said the nails would be set and filled. That is not supposed to happen. The whole point of beveled siding is that NO nails are visible. That way, no moisture penetrates the wood. Now, I have a dilemma. I do not want to the nails to be punched and filled. I just paid a huge amount of money for that porch construction and it is not up to par at all. I think the siding should be replaced. There are also large gaps around the doors and windows and the electrical outlet. Not good. If the contractor does not agree to replace the siding, then what? Do I pick a battle with a sick man and hope he is around until the verdict is pronounced. He has stomach cancer, which is why he was away for three weeks this last time. oh Gosh!!!

Of all the animals on the farm, the dogs are my favourites for sure. I am dog person and have had a dog pretty much most of my life. My favourite breed is the border collie, crazy as they are, because there is nothing like them. They are perpetual puppies and always in trouble when not given some work to do, because they just go create their own. This is not always what we want them to do either. The livestock guardian dogs are my second favourites. I had no experience with these breeds, the Pyrenees and Maremmas, but they are gentle giants, except when it comes to predators and their farm. Then they turn into killers. I have never seen the remains of a coyote around the farm, and have never seen a coyote either since the dogs have been old enough and big enough to fight them. Ofcharka is the size of a bear and black, and Harley is equally as tall, but slighter in build. The pups, Mike and Joe, will be as big as Harley, I am pretty sure and they are already barking at the bad things in the night.

So, with the seven dogs, we do not have predator losses (except to the pigs, but that is another story). Livestock guardian dogs like to elevate themselves to best view their surroundings. They also like the warmth of a composting pile, and since I use manure and spent hay on my flower beds, they do not see much difference in laying on a flower bed or manure pile.  I suppose from the perspective of the dogs, it is the same thing only in a different place. To plant anything I have to fence it in or it is soon trampled or laid on and gone, squashed in oblivion. Jenna is sleeping on the new flower bed being created by the new deck. Fortunately, the only flowers planted in it so far are roses surrounded by wire cages. The cages are for two purposes. One is to keep the dogs off the plants and the other is to keep them from marking the rose bushes. Five of the dogs are males. One marks the rose bush, then the other four have to and the first starts again and the rose bush dies. So the wire cage helps with that a lot. Now, to figure out how to best fence the raised bed in place for roses and flowers...hmmm.

October is just around the corner and fall is definitely in the air. The birds are going to bed much earlier, around 7:30 now, and voluntarily at that. All I have to do is close the door and they are in their shelters for the night. The next two weeks will be spent weaning lambs, worming, shearing the Angoras, and setting up winter housing for the animals. Hopefully, the snow won't come until the November this year, but the leaves are certainly all changing colour and it is very pretty. The race is on to get things done before it just gets too cold and the snow arrives.

I was very disappointed that the contractor did not come back for three weeks now. There was no answer on his phone for a while, but then I did get through to him and asked where he has been (obviously not at my place). He said he has stomach cancer and was doubled over in pain, then went to the hospital and they immediately shipped him to the Edmonton cancer clinic and he has been there ever since. He indicated that he hoped to be back to work on Monday, tomorrow and his priority will be to finish the porch and build the quonset, for which he is already paid. I bought a wood stove for the quonset so if I want to work on something there, I can do so in the winter too. I am sorry for him, and also wish that my projects were completed.  Also, for animals, there will be a pen in one section where they can come in out of the cold if they need to. If I was smarter, I could figure out a way to pipe out some of the heat to the sheep house.
Anyhow, I did manage to put the primer oil on the cedar siding of the porch today and tomorrow, hopefully, will be able to complete the rest and start the stain/finish. The products I am using are made in Germany and imported by Bioshield Paint in the USA. They are not made of petroleum, but from plants and trees,  and are biodegradable. The stains contain earth pigments for colours. It is a pleasure to work with these products and the inhalation of such presents so much less damaging vapours than conventional wood stains used more commonly in North America. How does it look so far?

I got Tasha and her brother, Boris, from a local farmer. She had quite a few pigs and not much idea of whom fathered the piglets. They were mineral deficient when I got them too, with curly hair, which show that they require some food other than whole grain, which is what they were fed as a sole diet. Anyhow, they were well fed here and became the rototilling crew until Boris got too old and possibly could breed his sister, so he got traded for Minnie, a piglet of my former sow who was a newborn piglet on the farm the year before. Sonya, the sow, was bred to a boar from up north.

The problem is that Minnie was very aggressive and chased everything out of the pen. She has a very large pen of almost a quarter acre, so I am sure she is not lacking space. Then she began to bite the birds and finally now, eat them. Tasha has joined in and they have devoured twenty some ducks and chickens. As soon as the mobile butcher can come, they will have to go to the freezer or there won't be a duck or chicken left on the farm. I am sad to see them go because they are quite delightful. Minnie loves belly rubs and will fall over if she gets one and stay mesmerized by the sheer pleasure. Tasha loves to have her ears scratched. Both of them make a formidable rototilling crew and have done two pens remarkably well, turning and returning the manure and spoiled hay so that is can be a garden next year. I am sad to say goodbye to the girls, but enough is enough . Bad piggies!

Just recently, the bed and breakfast hosted five guests for ten days, but during that time, all their meals, including breakfast, a bagged lunch and dinner, plus copious amounts of baking, were also supplied. This was the first time the license for catering and cooking all meals for guests was truly exercised and there was a steep learning curve.
1. The baking prices were not high enough and basically, my time was free. This has been adjusted and also, fifty percent additional charge is added for organics.
2. The meal prices were fine, however; if the food was not portioned onto the plates, every bit was cleaned up. I tried to cook enough for six people so I could have some dinner too. What ended up happening is that familiarity bred complacence and although I explained the rules for the kitchen, as time went on, license was taken. The guests felt comfortable enough to get up and help themselves or if the food was on the table, they simply demolished it. Though flattered that the meals were found to be tasty and desirable, it was also problematic since guests are not allowed in the kitchen by health regulations. Therefore, lesson number two is to be consistent and strict about guests in the kitchen and also portion size and left overs. When meals are cooked in a restaurant, if you ask for seconds, you pay for the extra food.
3. Although it is a convenience to offer hot and cold beverages and a microwave, there are expectations that due care and attention would be exercised. One guest caused damage to an antique dresser with many cups of dark tea which left rings and a spot that removed the finish. I managed to bleach the rings and get most of the obvious problems out, however; the damage is not to be fixed. There are many coasters all around for the guests to use.
4. I do hope that most guests would respect the house rule of not going into the kitchen, especially to help themselves to food, but I learned that the kitchen must be locked no matter whom is there or they will indeed violate that rule.

All experiences are valid and I am grateful for the five guests who helped me shape a more firm grasp on both prices and enforcement of rules for guests. They were very nice people and for the most part, also fun to have at the bed and breakfast, and the process has indeed been beneficial to me and will be also for the future guests. That is learning as I go!