Gnat Gnews

It's shearing time again

2009-03-06T20:47:00.004-07:00

We are lucky to have mellow rams this year. Shearing is hard enough when you haven't been trained; aren't as limber as you used to be; and your cat-like reflexes are slowing down. Even with mellow rams, we still have to go through the pre-shear routine. It's all part of their fun.

First, there is the run around in circles to make us dizzy and wear us out. This involves ducking and dodging the head rope. They are too woolly at this point to use a crook. Finally, one takes pity on us, if you can call it that. The ram will run into the head rope and drag us into the barn where the shearing stand is set up. It's like water skiing on dry land complete with dust rooster tails.

Even though the ram is kind enough to drag us to the stand, that is where phase two of the pre-shear routine begins. The ram suddenly develops lead feet. We are obliged to lift and drag the woolly one onto the stand. Once in the stand, we must do the pedicure. Legs may only be lifted so high and we must not tickle the hooves.

Finally, the shearing can begin. The trick with this year's rams seems to be to keep them awake while we are shearing them. Or, if the ram happens to be really mellow and not needing the head stall, to avoid him stealing your hat when you are working near his head.

Shearing seems to be great entertainment for the rest of the flock and the guard mustang, Ruby. They come up to the barn door to voice their opinions while we are working. Even the barn cat, Gabby, has to add his two cents worth. If Gabby isn't careful, one of these days his tail will be a little shorter.

That's Entertainment.

2009-02-24T21:52:00.002-07:00

The tourists are returning for another season. At least, this year, they are easily entertained. Hubby was returning home after delivering a couple of rams. He made a pit stop at a tourist attraction. When he came out of the restroom, he found a group of tourists whooping it up at the back of the stock trailer. Some were even photographing it. Curious as to what they found so entertaining, hubby looked at the back of the stock trailer. Nothing unusual there, unless you count the bumper sticker on the back of the trailer that says, "Vegetarians on Board."

A Gnat Ranch Recipe: Breakfast Burritos

2009-02-22T21:01:00.003-07:00

Morning chores builds a big appetite. Especially in the winter months. So big breakfasts are the order of the day. Here's one of our favorites.

Breakfast Burritos

Note: The portions listed are for making one burrito. Adjust accordingly for the number of burritos you will need to feed your crew.

Brown and crumble 2 ounces of mutton sausage*. Drain.

Add 1 ounce of shredded hash brown potatoes, cooked to a golden brown.

Add 1 teaspoon of minced onion and 1 teaspoon of finely chopped bell pepper or green chili. Cook until onions are translucent and peppers are wilted.

Add 1 egg, slightly beaten. Cook until egg is set.

Spoon filling onto a steamed 10 inch tortilla. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Fold the tortilla into a burrito and wrap in foil. Place in a warm oven for 5 to 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve warm with your favorite salsa, gaucamole, and sour cream.

*If you don't have access to mutton sausage, you may substitute pork sausage or ground beef.

Accidental fashion statement

2009-02-16T21:24:00.003-07:00

I was down to my last pair of clean jeans. Out of desperation, I made up what I thought was a fairly weak bleach solution to pre-soak the jeans that had been stained from various ranch chores. I soaked the jeans overnight.

The jeans looked okay when I dumped them in the washing machine. When I took them out, the jeans were definitely faded. Not an all over fade; just in spots. And those spots weren't an even fade; graduated like one sees in tie-dyed t-shirts. I groaned because I was looking at buying new jeans just when the money was the tightest.

Worse, I would have to wear a pair of those jeans to go to town to buy new ones. Just as I was getting ready to go, Hubby asked, "When did you buy those new jeans?" I explained what happened and that I was getting ready to purchase replacements. He shrugged and simply said they were kind of cool.

While I was purchasing the supplies needed for the ranch, I noticed that I was getting quite a few approving looks from the men. If the women noticed the "tie-bleached" jeans at all, it was only because their husbands / significant others were looking. I guess it will be a while before I buy new jeans.

It's Official

2009-02-03T23:11:00.003-07:00

There will be six more weeks of winter. Pirouette concurs with the ground hogs. She had a little black and tan Shadow this morning just before the sun came up.
Shadow is a little ram whose horn buds are already showing. He is already bigger than Minuette, who is almost a week old now. Pirouette did not appreciate me picking Shadow up to check him out. A few minutes later, Shadow comes bounding up to me with an expression that said, "Tell me again why I'm supposed to be afraid of you." I think we're gonna be in trouble.

The 2009 models are starting to arrive.

2009-01-25T21:16:00.009-07:00

This is Hop-A-Long, born January 18th to RAN Red Ear. He is a black and tan coloration, sometimes called Reverse Badgerface or Mouflon. The white spot on his head is known as a Two Grey Hills marking called a bishops cap. Four horn buds are already present even though you can't see them in this photograph. Hop-A-Long was four days old before we saw him use any gait other than a hop.

Salt had this little guy yesterday afternoon. We haven't named him yet. He is white with tan points and small dark spots on his back and sides. A red spot is on the scruff of his neck. If you look closely, you can already see the horn buds on his noggin.

Minuette, our first little ewe lamb of 2009, was born at 8:30 this morning. She is also a black and tan. We haven't noticed any horn buds yet, but those can show up as late as three months of age. What Minuette lacks in size (smaller than our barn cat, Gabby), she makes up for in curiosity. The ewe behind Minuette is not her mama. Enchantress, who is Minuette's dam, is one of our black ewes.

A week in review

2009-01-23T21:00:00.002-07:00

We have had a busy week at Gnat Ranch. Hopefully, things will settle down soon. I could use a rest.

Hop-A-Long arrived at 10AM, Sunday, January 18th. This lamb earned his name within minutes of gaining his feet. He does not walk. He does not run. He hops every where. His coat is a wavy black and tan that promises to be a gorgeous fleece when he grows up. Four little horn buds are already present. Hop-A-Long is also full of mischief. His favorite target is Willow, the dog. He can get her worked up in a hurry to where she ends up being scolded for making too much noise.

Monday was relatively uneventful. We got to sleep in for a change.

Tuesday held a surprise we weren't expecting. A bobcat was in the sheep barn. The animal had apparently gotten into arsenic somewhere and wandered into the corral to get some water. The sheep were watching her but weren't panicking. They seemed to understand she was too weak and sick to be a threat to them. I wasn't expecting to find a bobcat in the barn when I went to see what the critters were staring at. She was so sick she didn't hiss or growl at me. The poor thing couldn't even jump up to a shelf two feet off the ground. We put her down because we couldn't stand to see her suffer, never mind that she was in the sheep pens. The bobcat had lost so much weight that she probably weighed around 15 to 20 pounds. Normally, bobcats weigh closer to 35.

Gabby, one of the barn cats, inadvertently took some of the sting out of putting down the bobcat. As sick as the animal was, she scared the pee-waddin' out of Gabby. He petitioned for two days to be allowed to a house cat even if it meant living on the roof without food and water. I finally got a ladder and pulled him off the roof. Spike, the other barn cat, took the invasion in stride as she has more bolt holes than a rabbit warren. Once the bobcat was gone, she resumed her domain in the barn.

Wednesday we went to get some hay for the sheep. We made a stop at an autoparts store to pick up a new headlight for the Dodge pickup. Then the pickup wouldn't start. One of the two batteries was bad so we had it replaced. Good to go, right? Wrong. The starter seized up because a fuel filter was dripping diesel fuel onto the starter. So we had to have a new starter and the filter modified so it wouldn't drip on the new starter. The new filter will arrive next Monday. Needless to say, we got home rather late and were told all about how we were neglectful stockmen for missing the critter's suppertime.

Thursday, Hop-A-Long got his eartag and his tail docked. He isn't sure about people now. The being carried is fine; it's fun to fly for a lamb. But getting pinched on both ends isn't his idea of a good time.

New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-19T22:39:00.003-07:00

I finally got around to looking at the Gnat Gnews. Almost three years since my last update???
It has been said that if one writes down and lets others know your resolutions, you are more likely to keep them. We'll see if it works.

My resolutions are:

To be more dilegent about posting to the Gnat Gnews. There are a lot of things happening at the ranch, e.g. new lambs and new critters.
To attend more fiber festivals this year to meet other crazy shepherds and shepherdesses and to learn more about processing my fleeces.
To expand my SheepishGrins.etsy.com store to include more handcrafted items and some fleeces.
To learn a new fiber art skill.

Four is probably a good number to stop at. It will be easier to keep them that way.

It's tourist season

2006-04-16T19:57:00.000-06:00

The highway to a popular tourist area goes right by our place. Since our ranch is surrounded by public lands and is not visible from the highway, tourists often decide to take our ranch access road in search of a "wilderness experience." Most turn around at the locked gate and look for their adventure elsewhere. One or two decide to set up camp in the middle of the road, blocking traffic of exhausted ranchers returning late at night. Some take the time to vandalize the gate. A few dare to look for the key and come through the gate only to leave when they realize there is someone actually living here. Their first clues are the barking dog and dancing mustang rounding up the churros.

It is a sad fact that the few who vandalize the property or leave the gates open are the reason we dread the tourist season. If the tourists would use common courtesy when dealing with locals, they may have a better "wilderness experience." The locals can usually tell the intrepid adventurer where the best trails for hiking are; where they have the best chance of sighting wildlife; etc. Locals are usually proud of their area. If they weren't, they wouldn't live where they do. So talk to them. Don't turn around and drive away when you suddenly find yourself in someone's front yard. The locals may even let you park in their yard while you are backpacking in the back country for a few days.

And close any gate you open! There is a reason those gates are closed. If you go through an open gate, leave it open. Again, there is a reason the gate is open. And please don't vandalize a gate. Private lands are scattered throughout public lands and they are usually defined by fences and gates.

Don't park in the middle of a road even if it looks like it hasn't been used since 1492. I don't know about you, but I don't care to come home in the middle of the night and find my driveway blocked by a passed out camper. "I didn't know it was a road" is not an acceptable excuse. If you can drive a vehicle on it, and if there is no vegetation growing on it, it's a road in the desert. Just because you can't see the end of the road doesn't mean it's a dead end road.

Ratmobile

2006-03-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

I just got my pickup back from the garage. The mechanics there have dubbed it the Ratmobile because the only time I have trouble with it is when the rats have been chewing on the wiring or hoses. It's amazing how much damage a rat can do to an EFI engine over night.

We tried using poisons but that only seems to attract more rats. Then they carry the poisons where the cats and dog can get at them. We've even found stashes in the hay stack. Poisons are not an option for rodent control.

Drakar, our Aussie-Chow cross, goes after rats with great determination and he usually gets his rat...after digging three holes that look like bomb craters.

The barn cats, Gabby and Spike, have their paws full just patrolling the barn and the stack yard. They do a pretty good job considering their collection of trophies piled in one corner of the barn. Not just rats, either. Ground Squirrels. Rabbits. Birds. All trophies in a neat pile. Things are pretty safe in the barn now. We haven't seen any damage by rats in there for the last couple of years.

Until we can get a few more cats, I will have to remember to leave the hood up on my pickup when I park it for the night. Oh, and my most recent bill from the garage... in addition to replacing the ignition wire set, I was charged for evicting a rat family from the air cleaner housing. No wonder they call it the Ratmobile.

Oh! They are so adorable!

2006-02-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

A frequent reaction when I show photographs of the new babies at work. Only instead of grandchildren, I show photos of my new lambs. Yes, Navajo-Churro lambs are cute and so adorable, just as any breed of lamb is. The difference is Navajo-Churro lambs know they are cute and adorable.

Aria, pictured here with her mom, Diva, is less than seven days old. The guard dog and the male barn cat turn to putty whenever Aria gets close to them. Even Hussa, our recently purchased ram who arrived after Aria's birth, nuzzles her gently through the fence. Yes, Aria knows she is cute and adorable, thank you very much for noticing. Even the guard mare, Ruby, has noticed how cute and adorable. Why else would a half-wild mustang allow a lamb to nibble on her fetlock without kicking it into the next county? And people wonder why I am going gray.

An Avenging Angel

2006-02-10T07:45:00.000-07:00

We were recently forced by nature and circumstance to pen two weanling ram lambs with their sire, a large, aggressive ram with magnificent horns. Dad was pretty rough on the boys until we hung a large white rubber boat fender in the ram pen just above Dad's eye level. We hoped he would use that as a punching bag instead of his sons, but reverse ovine psychology prevailed. The adult ram is terrified of the "avenging angel" and the lambs sleep peacefully under its protection.

Not so bright lights

2006-02-08T13:40:00.000-07:00

With the increase of energy bills, people ask us advice about converting to alternative energy when they learn we live with solar and wind power. Their eyes cross when we suggest they practice energy conservation first. We use alternative energy because we have no choice. The grid isn't close enough for us to hook onto it. We conserve energy out of habits we established to extend the life of our equipment prior to moving to the ranch. Those habits cost us $60 per month in utility bills back then, compared to $150 to $300 per month utility bills of our neighbors. We all lived in trailer houses of similar age, size, and configuration. The structural differences were very subtle. It was our habits that made the difference in the pocket book.

First, we replaced all the incandescent light bulbs with flourescent ones. They may be more expensive but they last longer. The Department of Energy estimates a 12 % reduction in electric bills just by switching to flourescent lights. And all lights in unoccupied rooms were turned off. The hardest part of developing this habit was making sure the room was unoccupied first.

The thermostat was set on 68 degrees in the winter and 80 degrees in the summer. If we were chilled, we would add a layer of clothing. If we were hot, we would remove a layer.

Insulated curtains made a big difference. Heat exchange through trailer windows was a big drain on the pocket book. Using the curtains as a means of temperature control can be tricky during the spring and fall with sudden temperature changes, but summer and winter use are pretty straight forward. In the winter, the drapes are open during the day and closed at night to keep the heat where it does the most good. It's just the opposite in summer; open at night and closed during the day.

Placing bulky furniture and bookcases against exterior walls increases the R-value of the insulation. Thicker walls means less heat transfer, which translates into lower utility bills.

We were never big fans of television. We prefer reading or talking to each other, so our TV wasn't on much. We gave it away once we got to the ranch. And we don't miss it.

Since moving to the ranch, we have propane appliances rather than electric -- with the exception of the clothes dryer, which drys by wind and solar power. There are energy efficient models of refrigerator and freezers out there and the prices are comparable to propane appliances. It's just that we don't need, or want, all the bells and whistles that come with the electric models.

Using wood and coal for heat during the winter doesn't cost us much. We live at the edge of a pinyon-juniper forest. Live trees are carefully pruned as a fire control measure while dead ones are removed to reduce the risk of fire by lightning strike. The wood is stacked and allowed to cure for winter use. Coal costs $50 per ton, which will last us 2 years.

If you are serious about cutting your energy costs, practice energy conservation for a while. You will need to develop the habits anyway if you decide to go with alternative energy. The transition is easier if the habits are already in place. As a dated saying goes, "Try it. You'll like it."

A rose by any other name...

2006-02-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

Names are easier for me to remember than numbers. I think it comes from working in the medical field for so many years. Heaven help you if you ever referred to a patient by a room number rather than by their surname. So all the critters must have names.
I don't pick names out of a hat when a new lamb hits the ground. I watch the lamb for a few hours to see what name is most appropriate for the newest arrival. Some times, the name is obvious, like Red Ear for example. She is a white lamb with one red ear. Salt and Pepper were obvious; twin ewes with one being black and tan while the other is white with tan spots. Pirouette took a little longer to name. Her favorite pastime is spinning in circles like she's chasing her tail. Princess Speed Demon liked to race the length of the corral when she became steady on her feet.
Conventional names come to mind sometimes while I am watching the sheep. Ruth is one of our starter ewes who didn't have a name until she arrived at the ranch. Abraham was named for his birthdate, February 12th. Other names, like Rudy pictured, come from a physical characteristic. His nose turned red a few days after he was born.
Still others never reveal their names so we have a No Name and a Nameless.
The barn cats get named, too. Spike wasn't named for her punk rocker markings. She was named because she held her black tail erect whenever she was on the prowl as a kitten. It looked like she had a spike stuck on her hip bone. We had two others named Spitz and Growl because they could spit and growl like cats 4 times their size. And Gabby doesn't shut up.
The hard part about coming up with names for critters on a ranch is trying not to get rhyming names or names that sound similar to a name already being used. We train our critters to respond to their names. If the names sound alike, the critters get confused. We knew a couple who complained that half their team of horses for a six-up hitch wouldn't respond when called unless all three were called at the same time. The names rhymed. It may sound cute to our ears, but it's a confusing jumble of sounds to an animal.
Names determine how we react to individuals whether they are two-legged or four. You wouldn't react kindly to a name associated with a known villian-type like Snydly Whiplash, but you would react with favor to a name like Sweet Nell. Biblical names are especially good for a favorable response. Native American names are good, too, but I don't think Sitting Bull would be appropriate for a ram lamb. Sitting Ram? Nope. Doesn't sound quite right.

You know you've been in the desert too long when...

2006-01-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

1. Somebody says it's raining and everyone runs outside to see what it looks like.
2. Rain is measured by inches between drops.
3. The dog has a tarantula for a pet.
4. You stack rocks for shade.

Building a sheep ranch in the desert is definitely challenging. Selecting the right breed of sheep for the environment wasn't difficult. We chose Navajo-Churros, a breed that was developed in this region for the past 500 years or so. The breed was nearly extinct in the 1970's, but through the dedicated efforts of Dr. Lyle McNeal and some Navajo-Churro fanciers, the breed is on it's way to recovery. Months were spent researching the Navajo-Churros to see if it was the right breed for us. Nowhere in the limited literature did we find mention of:

These sheep have a sense of humor and will play tricks on one another as well as their shepherd.
They are more like their wild cousins, the desert bighorns, than they are like other domestic breeds of sheep.
That they bite when you nick them during shearing.

We didn't think too much about the comment that Navajo-Churros breed out of season until lambs started showing up in the corral in November. The older siblings of these lambs shown in the photo below are only 6 to 11 months older.

As you can see, Navajo-Churros come in an assortment of colors.

If you look closely at Pepper, the little black and tan ewe in the foreground, you can see the horn buds characteristic of this breed.

Fortunately, Pepper's horns won't be as impressive as her sire's, PDF Black Hawk.

I haven't seen a four-horned ewe yet, but I'm told they do occur. Our foundation flock of ewes do carry the four-horn gene so I'm waiting.