Hello, All!

It’s been a while since I’ve written an update from the farm, and today’s blog post seemed a perfect time to share all that’s going on.  First an administrative comment: If you receive our newsletters at the start of every season, then this post is the first one to go directly to your email’s inbox, as well as being posted to our Facebook page and our website. Please let us know what you think about our new delivery system!  If you don’t receive our newsletters and blog posts, but would like to, please visit our website at sundancerr.com. A pop-up screen will appear asking you a few questions. Once you answer them, you’ll be registered for both the newsletter and the blog posts.

 And now to the residents.

Cats

 For the first time in months, all five cats are calm. On rainy, windy days like today, Steve and Echo will curl up in the winter cat beds that are still around the Little Barn, Mittens will curl up in her bed between bales of straw, and Miracle and Tiger will move from place to place, pouncing every once in a while, sleeping a bit, and swatting at each other when boredom really sets in. On beautiful days, we’ll come across one of them in the barns, or in the pastures, or in the driveway. We will be working; they’ll be hunting or soaking up the sun. We did see a stray male cat for a few days lurking around the work barn, but he seems to have moved on, as have Claude and Bob. We’ve not seen either of them for weeks now. I think about them every day and hope they’re safe. 

Sheep

Our sheep are all so ready for shearing day! Their wool is long and full of pieces of straw, hay, and pine shavings. At least once a day, I’ll see one of them trying to scratch their back or sides against a hay rack, a gate, or a fence post.  Cricket will even nudge my hand to his back when I’m sitting with them! Their shearing day this year is Tuesday, April 23rd.  We don’t know a time yet, but if you’d like to visit us to watch the shearing ~ and watch Bella perform acrobatics that you wouldn’t imagine a sheep could perform! ~ please send us a quick email. We’ll let you know a time as soon as we have it! 

Another important April day this year is Saturday the 27th, which is when we will wash down the stalls, the play area, and all of the stall mats in the Little Barn. I’m sure the sheep are as ready to get rid of the winter grime as I am! We have two wonderful volunteers joining us for this day ~ and we all know to wear mud boots, old jeans, and gloves! 

The biggest work project of April, though, is the construction of a permanent quarantine pasture. We’ve had the stakes pounded in marking the boundaries all winter, and last week was the time to start digging in the posts! We’re about half way done with these, then we’ll put up the fencing, the cattle panel for use as a catch pen, and bring back the calf hutch for protection.  We’re hoping to have this all completed by the end of the month ~ because there are two little girls waiting to make Sundance their forever home! 

Actually, there are three sheep ~ these two ewes and a wether.  They’ve all been staying at the same farm ~ a wonderful family rescued them from another place ~ but it’s time for the three to find a forever home. That’s us! They’ve not been pastured together, though, so we’ll take the girls first, then when they’re through the quarantine period and into a pasture next to our current four, we’ll bring the wether in for quarantine.  We’re hoping that all seven sheep will be a single flock by the time the snow flies again.  We’ll definitely keep everyone posted on all of them! 

Dogs

Riley and I have been having the best time lately! I found a local trainer about a month ago, and we started obedience lessons. It’s been a while since I’ve worked with an Aussie pup, but it’s all coming back ~ and the other two dogs have joined in the fun, too! We do lessons every day with Sarah watching from one doorway and Vega watching from the other.  When Riley’s done, he watches the other two each take a turn with sit-stays, heeling turns, and down-stays.  Because Sarah has been through these lessons, she’s teaching both Vega and Riley.  I love watching their minds work ~ and watching them teach each other is just amazing.  

Rabbits

Some of you will have already met our newest resident ~ Albert, or Mr. A. Bunny. He’s settling in nicely! We’re going really slowly with his transition. He had stayed in a barn, so the transition to living in the house probably caused a bit of chaos in his system. We made great progress this morning, though.  I always give everyone a piece of carrot after I clean the hutches. Albert hadn’t quite known what to do with this orange stick I was offering him, but this morning, he hopped right over to me, sniffed the carrot, and hopped away. Not a bad start to figuring out what this human hand thing is! 

And that’s what’s up on the farm in April! We’ve definitely jumped into Spring around here, and we hope that your Spring has jump-started in exactly the ways you like best.  And just one last thought for you ~ we’d love to say hi to everyone in person if you’d like to visit us and our residents! We don’t have specific open farm hours for the general public, but I love showing folks around who come to join us for an hour or so. If you’re going to be in the area, send me a quick email at tracyg.sundancerr@gmail.com.  You’re always welcome!

Until next time ~ All our best! Tracy and John