Shepherd's Garden

 First of all, for those who didn't know, it was Moragh's birthday on Monday (Nov 19th), which was also our first day at Shepherd's Garden, our third woofing host farm! And, she totally forgot it was her birthday until Emily reminded her. The picture above is her "I'm the birthday girl" pose.

Shepherd's Garden is located in Harvey Station, New Brunswick, which is about halfway between Fredericton and the Maine border, ish. Both times we drove into Harvey have been at night but it seems like a nice little town and reminds Emily a bit of Rustico (a town on PEI near where she grew up). The farm and buildings on it date back to 1864 and with 65 sheep plus assorted other animals, it is both our oldest and largest wwoofing host farm so far.

We've been really lucky with clear, frosty weather these past two days. The property is beautiful and we look forward to exploring the lakes and ponds some afternoon.

Buckwheat is wondering why the pats have stopped.

 Now, the animals :) there are so many here for us to love! There are two housecats, two unnamed barncats and two dogs. Buckwheat is an older tortoiseshell/tabby female who has decided we belong to her now. We can't be in our bedroom for two minutes without her showing up on the bed. She has no regard for personal space and even as we write this blog post she is taking turns standing on Moragh's stomach or Emily's chest, looking for attention. Which she gets. She has us all figured out. Rex is the other housecat, an orange tabby who is so laid back he tends to fall off the couch and just sleep wherever he lands. He wears a green Christmas bell to warn birds of his approach. We don't see him as often but when we do, he is also in-your-face with the snuggling. Picture of him soon.

Maude, Moragh, and Blue.

 There is a slightly senile border collie named Maude and an Australian shepherd named Blue. Poor Maude has many idiosyncrasies but is very pretty and sweet. Blue is probably the happiest and most obedient dog we've ever met and lives to be outside with the sheep. They both love Moragh, as all dogs seem to. Playing on the porch is a morning routine.

The mature herd, waiting for morning mash.

Our work here revolves around taking care of the animals and also - our favourite - getting firewood ready for winter! Each day starts with morning chores: three different sets of sheep (male lambs, female lambs, mature herd) get hay and mash (brewer's mash actually, from a local microbrewery), the horses come in for oats and hay, two sets of chickens need feed and water, eggs need collecting, and the barn cats get a bit of dry food.

A male lamb!

This picture is for Ayden. Sheep have long tails!! Sheep with short tails have been docked.

Moragh with Bud and Bailey.

Did we mention the horses were Clydesdales? Their names are Bud and Bailey, and they're huge. Their hooves are the size of dinner plates. They are very mild-mannered though and we're excited to get to know them better.

Ted and Louise, our hosts here, raise two different kinds of chickens, meat birds and laying hens. The meat birds are no longer with us this season but there are two sets of laying hens on the farm right now. The birds in the picture to the right are younger birds, about to come in to their first and most productive year of laying. They are sleek and quiet and live in an enclosure in the large barn.

The other set of laying hens have just finished their first year of laying and are all going through a major moult. They live in a separate shed between the barn and the house. They are scraggly looking and loud and little bit crazy. We love them. In the morning they crowd the door waiting for the grain bucket to show up and when it does, they all start carrying on with this noise that sounds like they're saying "ohhhhhhhhhh maaaaahhhh gaaaaaaaaad" over and over again. We now join in. So if you're outside the shed, we all sound crazy. These hens are being sold and will be replaced by the younger set soon.

There are also 11 Highland cows! They are so sweet and shaggy. They don't need much care right now, they keep to themselves in the pasture.

woodshed we intend to fill.

Other than animals, we've mostly been doing firewood. Emily strung an electric fence yesterday, and today we dug a hole to find a leaky pipe and helped load some sheep on a truck, but mostly, it's been the wood.

At least the view is nice. This is the end of the really long lane, where the wood splitter is set up.

Name one thing you don't want to find inside a log you are splitting.

Our answer: live, but hibernating, black ants.

SO. MANY. ANTS.

This is how we keep in shape around here.

We are having lots of fun, and keeping very busy. Ted is great at planning a reasonable and structured day and making sure we participate in all aspects of the farm. We hope to update soon with some anecdotes about our experiences here!

Wishing you all well,
Emily and Moragh