Around the Ranch & Farm

I take a lot of photos that I keep in albums online called "Around the Ranch".  They're not meant to be instructive, but rather to share the joy (and occasional dismay) I experience here in my part of New Mexico.  So I'm starting this topic and I hope you share your photos of your ranch or farm here, too.

I'm starting with this photo that I took this morning just as I was finishing morning chores out at the barn.

The horse is my 26 year old Arabian stallion, SE Kokopelli Kid (Koko).

A friend gave me a bunch of cut flowers for a late birthday present. They've stayed looking remarkably fresh for a couple weeks now (I did add that packet that came with them to the water).  I've taken lots of photos of them and this is one of my favorites.

Raven, a neighbor of mine
(c) 2023 Lif Strand

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Here are some favorites from our homestead...

Matthew Wagner wrote:Here are some favorites from our homestead...

Great photos!  You've got the eye, you put your love of your life in your photos by sharing the small as well as the big picture.

Worm moon / March
(c) 2023 Lif Strand  using Pixel Pro 6
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A hint of rainbow
A couple evenings ago a dark cloud promised but failed to produce rain (virga).  When it passed over my valley all I got was a few drops. As it headed east, cloud and virga were struck golden by the setting sun, and I was further gifted with a faint rainbow. Look carefully, it's there to the right of the windmill.
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Beautiful pictures! This is one of my most recent favorites. Winter in Wyoming can be pretty nasty, the wind is biting, the nights are frigid, and the ice is hazardous... but it makes for such beautiful moments! I think people underestimate the amount of fulfillment that comes from working on a farm (or ranch, or whatever you want to call it). The work is hard, and you never seem to get a day off, but it's SO worth it! Actually working, doing things that really matter, that's what makes life meaningful! Plus, you get awesome pictures out of it;) I love taking pictures as I do the animals, so it's nice to see that I'm not the only one, lol!

Elena Sparks wrote:Beautiful pictures! This is one of my most recent favorites. Winter in Wyoming can be pretty nasty, the wind is biting, the nights are frigid, and the ice is hazardous... but it makes for such beautiful moments! I think people underestimate the amount of fulfillment that comes from working on a farm (or ranch, or whatever you want to call it). The work is hard, and you never seem to get a day off, but it's SO worth it! Actually working, doing things that really matter, that's what makes life meaningful! Plus, you get awesome pictures out of it;) I love taking pictures as I do the animals, so it's nice to see that I'm not the only one, lol!

Wow, that is a beautiful animal!  It's a sheep or goat?  I know nothing about them but to me the horns look like the wild bighorn sheep we have around here.   I am I correct in assuming that beautiful coat is sheered at some point?

Lif Strand wrote:Wow, that is a beautiful animal!  It's a sheep or goat?  I know nothing about them but to me the horns look like the wild bighorn sheep we have around here. Am I correct in assuming that beautiful coat is sheered at some point?

Thanks! Sorry if I give you more information than you're looking for, I love talking about our sheep! Smoky is one of our Icelandic breeder rams! They are a super cool old breed, and are incredibly beautiful on top of their beautiful colors! They do, have impressive horns, don't they? The Icelandics come in horned and polled, and Smoky is fully horned. His are actually pretty wide. This is his sire, who has more developed horns.
We actually roo instead of shearing. The Icelandics are one of the few breeds that have a "wool break," so their years coat breaks off at the base in the winter and you can pull it off come spring like you would groom a dog. It leaves much softer edges on the fleece, so their fleece makes really soft yarn. They also have a dual coat. An outer layer called tog that is really thick and water resistant, and an inner layer called thel that is really soft and insinuative (much like a goose has down and outer guard feathers). Smoky is a homozygous black grey, which is just one of their multitudinous color patterns! Valmunder (below, Smoky's sire) is a white.

Elena Sparks wrote:Thanks! Sorry if I give you more information than you're looking for, I love talking about our sheep! .

Not too much info!  It's fascinating learning about breeds I've never heard of before!

So "roo" is pulling the wool, like they do with angora rabbits?  I bet the sheep are happier not having to be sheared!  But what happens if they go too long without anyone roo-ing them, or does their wool just fall out on its own then?

Lif Strand wrote: Not too much info!  It's fascinating learning about breeds I've never heard of before!

So "roo" is pulling the wool, like they do with angora rabbits?  I bet the sheep are happier not having to be sheared!  But what happens if they go too long without anyone roo-ing them, or does their wool just fall out on its own then?

Yeah. Here's a link to a video that shows rooing on two of our sheep. There are a few methods that work well, and it all has to do with gently separating the old coat from the new coat. you pinch the fleece between your fingers (making sure you're grabbing the old coat, not the new one) and pulll the base apart. The movement separates the bottom thel layer from the new growth, and lets you pull it off. Catching it at the right time lets you pull off the whole coat in a large blanket. A wool break is unique to a small group of really ancient breeds in the northern short-tail family. Which also means that we don't ever have to dock their tails because they're naturally short, which is nice!
Each sheep breaks differently, so some are definitely easier to roo than others. The first year we had them, before learning about rooing, we sheared. It was awful! The sheep didn't relax like normal sheep, the shearing job was awful and left lumpy matting everywhere because of their woolbreak, and the guy cut them all over. Rooing does exactly the opposite (assuming you catch their break at a good time). They can relax, it's a great way to bond with them, and I'd imagine that it feels pretty good! So unlike a normal shearing where you leave and the sheep never want to see you again, you end with them relaxed and friendlier than before. You do have to catch their break in time though. They break sometime midwinter (depending on the sheep), and as the winter progresses they develop their new coat below. If you wait too long to roo them, then the layers twist together and become matted, making it super hard to roo. You want to wait until they have at least half an inch of regrowth though, or they are COMPLETELY naked, and it hurts to pull off. The drawback is that it takes longer and you only roo once a year, but it's totally worth it!
The sheep with more lanolin in their fleece will generally start to loose it on their own, but they won't loose everything, and end up with messy and matted fleece. Most of them would just layer up and start collecting years and years of awful matting. In our years of breeding, we've learned that there are certain lines that roo better than others. The rooing trait is not utilized very often here in the US, so it's becoming weaker. We've been selecting within our flock for better rooing for a number of years, and are hoping to help other people learn how to do it.
Another benefit is the overall fleece health and performance. The two pictures below are both of the same ewe. The first shows her as a two year-old, when we ended up having to shear her because we were too late (and she's from our harder rooing lines). Her fleece became matted and grew in super weird. The second year (picture from a month ago) we caught her early enough and were able to roo her. What a difference! Her fleece is now some of the best in our flock! lustrous, long, curly, fine... incredible! And all of that came from rooing her.

THE TRAIL TO HOME
Here in my part of New Mexico, it's only green a few months of the year. I didn't take this photo during our summer rainy season but well after, when the junipers and pine trees are the only green around.
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Elena Sparks wrote:Here's a link to a video that shows rooing on two of our sheep.

What is the origin of the word "roo"?  I can't help but think kangaroo but I'd be surprised if there's any connection!

Lif Strand wrote:What is the origin of the word "roo"?  I can't help but think kangaroo but I'd be surprised if there's any connection!

That's a great question, lol! I've never thought about the origin of the word, but it's true that it is a bit of a weird one. I looked it up online and found this Descrition about the origin and meaning of the word roo. It's kind of fascinating! Apparently it came from a a Scandinavian term meaning "to pluck (or other similar phrases)." In such harsh conditions, the natives couldn't afford to shear their sheep because it left them helpless against the elements. Thankfully, their native sheep breeds had developed the trait of a wool break, so they could be rooed. It's not practiced as much now because of how long it takes, but it's still interesting. Because of how it worked, by the time they hit the easiest point to be rooed, they'd have at least half an inch of regrowth underneath their old coat. Becasue of that, it meant that they could safely roo their sheep without worrying about them dying from the cold. Pretty cool!

One of my favorites for my most recent set of pictures! This is Sugar, our half draft mare. I've always loved the graceful curves on a horses neck, and I finally managed to catch it on film (after many failures)!

Elena Sparks wrote:One of my favorites for my most recent set of pictures! This is Sugar, our half draft mare. I've always loved the graceful curves on a horses neck, and I finally managed to catch it on film (after many failures)!

Great shot of an obviously beautiful horse!

REFLECTING ON THE FULL MOON
Moonrise as seen from the edge of a cattle tank. I love water reflections!
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Pink sky moon (May)
(c) 2023 Lif Strand
Not quite a full moon but close!
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Last night's moonrise was awesome.  I took this photo about half a mile from my property.

Lambing is finally starting to drop off now! These two were the first lambs this year, a beautiful white ram and ewe from Peaceful Valley Claara and Peaceful Valley William! Lambing time has gotta be both the most stressful and the most incredible time of the year! Seeing all the new life, the excitement of seeing how your pairings turned out, and on top of it all it's finally starting to warm up! The Icelandic sheep have incredible colors, and lambing time is full of sleuthing out the genes that each lamb inherited. It took me ages to figure out how the genetics worked, but it's now one of my favorite things to do!

Elena Sparks wrote:... lambing time is full of sleuthing out the genes that each lamb inherited. It took me ages to figure out how the genetics worked, but it's now one of my favorite things to do!

I felt the same way when we were breeding horses!  I really got into pedigrees, paid attention to other people's crosses and the pedigrees that hinted of the genetics involved.  It's a longer-than-life endeavor with horses, though, given how long it takes to see if your breeding dreams pan out.  It's something for a dynasty of horse breeders to dedicate themselves to.

Sometimes things I've seen literally thousands of times just pop out at me as beautiful and unique. This is just the chain that keeps my property gate closed, but yesterday the light and my mood -- or some magic [grin] -- made me notice it.

This photo was taken up on top of the mesa to the north of me. It forms one side of the valley I live in. While it's a steeper hike up to the top it's over quickly. The mesa that bounds the other side of my valley is a long slog up its side.

This photo is all about the light

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ARONIA (CHOKEBERRY) BLOSSOMS
(c) 2023 Lif Strand
Aronia berry plants are naturally found in wetter areas than here in New Mexico but mine is happy living in a garbage pail under the drip line. Grow them for the birds & bees, but people can eat them, too. The berries are tart & bitter but pack more nutritional punch than blueberries, so obviously you should try them on ice cream!
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Raven at the cattle tanks
(c) 2023 Lif Strand
Ravens and all kinds of thirsty wildlife enjoy the oasis of fresh water from the neighbor rancher's livestock well right outside my gate. Fact is, ranchers and farmers provide more water for wildlife here in the southwest than any federal or state land management agency does.
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Headed Home
(c) 2023 Lif Strand

I don't know how I could live anywhere else when I can see stuff like this here all the time!

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Some days I can barely stand to hike around here because I'm bursting with awe at the beauty.

Juniper sunset
(c) 2023 Lif Strand
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Whitney is a highland/dexter heifer we added to our farm this winter and she is definitely picturesque! She's going to be part of our breeding program, and will hopefully add hardiness and stability to our current cows.

This is why I live in New Mexico

Southern sky, June in New Mexico
(c) 2023 Lif Strand
Taken with a Pixel Pro 6 cell phone on night setting. New Mexico's dark skies are magical.
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Dusk after a hot July day
(c) Lif Strand
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OBVIOUSLY I'm in love with New Mexico, even if it is 100° right now.

Cleome serrulata (Rocky Mountain Bee Plant)  
(c) 2023 Lif Strand
Everybody loves bee plant, not just bees!
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The trail to Red Hill
The tip of the local volcanic cinder cone, as seen across a mesa that's on the other side of my valley, which is at the foot of the mesa I'm standing near the top of.
(c) 2022 Lif Strand
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Never give up. This photo is of a window set in the back wall of my straw bale house, a shadow from a ladder running diagonally down the wall. What's remarkable about this is that the plastering job was completed the beginning of this week, nearly 25 years after the first bales were set for the house.
Yes, it took that long.
Like I said, never give up!

The other day, letting the "flerd" into new pasture we had a new ram lamb miss the gate and go running up the fence and totally miss the general rush of other animals. We were all laughing when we realized that the ram in question was Noah, who'd very hilariously "missed the boat." I snapped a couple pictures just to remember the moment, but wasn't really thinking "awesome photo" when I took them. Looking through the pictures, however, I guess it was much more picturesque than I thought it would be! Noah is definitely a pretty epic looking guy!

Elena Sparks wrote:The other day, letting the "flerd" into new pasture we had a new ram lamb miss the gate and go running up the fence and totally miss the general rush of other animals. We were all laughing when we realized that the ram in question was Noah, who'd very hilariously "missed the boat." I snapped a couple pictures just to remember the moment, but wasn't really thinking "awesome photo" when I took them. Looking through the pictures, however, I guess it was much more picturesque than I thought it would be! Noah is definitely a pretty epic looking guy!

Noah is a ram lamb? He looks so grown up! Definitely epic looking!

Lif Strand wrote: Noah is a ram lamb? He looks so grown up! Definitely epic looking!

Well by lamb I mean that he was born this spring, but yes! He's pretty awesome looking!

Elena Sparks wrote:Well by lamb I mean that he was born this spring, but yes! He's pretty awesome looking!

Is he going to change much as he gets older?

Lif Strand wrote:Is he going to change much as he gets older?

Some things will, but the general idea is there. He'll get more muscled, a bigger frame, and larger horns. His fleece will change a bit as well, since it's rare that the fleece stays the same fineness as the sheep ages, but it may not look very different. This is his uncle at Noah's age, vs now as a proven ram at age 3. Forgive the grainy images of him as a lamb, I didn't have my camera at that point.

Elena Sparks wrote:

Lif Strand wrote:Is he going to change much as he gets older?

Some things will, but the general idea is there. He'll get more muscled, a bigger frame, and larger horns. His fleece will change a bit as well, since it's rare that the fleece stays the same fineness as the sheep ages, but it may not look very different. This is his uncle at Noah's age, vs now as a proven ram at age 3. Forgive the grainy images of him as a lamb, I didn't have my camera at that point.

I know nothing about goats, so let me ask this dumb question. Smoky has big horns in all the photos, even as a lamb. So  how long does it take for horns to grow from birth on, and does the growth rate stay the same throughout a goat's life?