The Taming of The Sheep

Ted and ClaireAnna spent some time with the new sheep tonight.  One of them is quite friendly.  The others are coming along. 

 

What a cute farmer!

Penny's First Walk

This evening we went for a walk on the farm.  Four people.  Three dogs.  One cat.  And....one pig.  Yes, Penny took her first family walk with us and she loved it! We really couldn't tell she wasn't a dog!

 



This one is a dog.

 

 

 

If you click on the youtube link, you'll see the video in a larger size.

Horses and Friends

Last Sunday, ClaireAnna invited her friend Sarah Hooten over for a trail ride.  Sarah had ridden some before, but that was mostly in a round pen and she had never loped.  The girls had a wonderful day and a great ride.  ClaireAnna rode Woodrow and Sarah rode Cindy.  Ted and I were on the 4wheeler some and at the barn some, but they were mostly on their own.  When Sarah was ready to try her first lope, I was ready with the Handicam! This is some of the best fun we have, when we can share what God has given to us with others.  It's especially fun for ClaireAnna and I to share the horses with other horse crazy girls! Sarah says she had a great day and so did we! 

 

2012 Russellville Christmas Parade

 Once again, we rode the ponies in the Christmas parade.  They were both really good and we had a great time! Lots of our friends were riding too, some of them 4H friends, some of them just horsey friends.  These pictures are horrible.  I guess I should learn what setting on the camera to use for night time!  But I'm grateful to Ted for taking them regardless. 

 

ClaireAnna on Cindy, Lisa on Grinch, Libby on Roan Baby.  Waiting for the parade to start. 

 

This is Grinch's 2nd year in this parade.  He was a very good boy! (A little figity, but nothing too naughty.)  It is Cindy's...um...can't count.  We started taking her when ClaireAnna was just 5 years old and I walked along side.  She's been in many, Christmas parades and other parades as well.  Her behavior is always excellent.

Dayna rode double with ClaireAnna on Cindy.



We tacked up and decorated the horses at home, then trailered them to the assigned location for the parade.  Then we mount up and wait for what seems like hours (actually, almost 2 hours) for the horses to move out.  Horses are always last, just before the fire trucks and Santa, so that people walking/ marching in the parade don't have to step in the horse pooh!

Notice the reindeer antlers!

ClaireAnna and I made her a sweater for a tacky Christmas sweater contest at youth group.  She didn't win because everyone said her sweater was too cute!  So she wore it for the parade and sure enough, a total stranger in the "audience" shouted to her, "I love your swearter!"  It is now the designated "parade sweater."

OK!

 

 

 This gorgeous group of homeschoolers from REACH (Russellville Education Association of Christian Homeschoolers) attended Oklahoma! today at the Alma Performing Arts Center! We had a wonderful time and the performance was excellent. 

    After the play, some of us ate at Braums and then did some Christmas shopping.

 

Meet Pumpkin And Spice



 

At Harmon PFarms, we normally raise a meat hog for the girls to show at the county fair in September, and then have it butchered for the freezer. When Kate was younger, we'd raise two. Since she's out of 4H now, we often have only one, but have gotten two on occation when the breeder has a cheaper runt to sell. This October, when our fall farm parties were pending, (two annual parties we host for our homeschool group and our church) I suggested to Ted that it was too bad the kids who visited wouldn't get to see a pig. As I knew he would, he told me to go out and buy one! So, we found an ad on craigslist and headed to Ozark, AR, to pick up a pig for the petting zoo. When we got there, the farmer explained to us that he had one smaller pig that had some neurological damage from being stepped on by her mother at birth and that he would sell us that one for a reduced price. Well, of course, she came home with us too! So, we ended up with two adorable piglets that were a big hit at the fall parties and are now growing nicely for our freezer.  This is the first time we have had hogs during the winter.  Meet Pumpkin and Spice. (See Pumpkin's "problem" in the video below.)

 

 



This is the mother.  She was huge!!



On the way to our new home.



We spent our first few weeks in a cozy pen inside the barn.

 

 

We are very proud of the fact that all of the animals we raise for meat here at the farm are treated with respect and kindness. They recieve shelter, food and water and lots of attention. We do name our butcher animals. We interact with them daily and try to make sure they are happy. When it is time for them to go, we feel statisfied that they have lived a healthy and enjoyable life and we are grateful to have had them in ours.

Girl With Dogs

 

The Big dogs of Harmon PFarms, romping in the barnyard with ClaireAnna. 

 

 

Sheep? Why not?

Ted bought some sheep.  Why?  The only reason I can come up with is....Why not?  What's another species when you've already got a herd of everything else!

 

 

Here they are, fresh off the trailer and in their new pen.  These are Katahdin Hair Sheep. They are meat sheep that shed and do not require sheering each year.  These girls are from Iron Star Farms in North Fork, AR and are registered and purebred. 

This is Freckles.  She is 2 years old and bred to lamb in April. 

This is Annie Lee.  She is also age 2 and is bred to lamb in April. 

 She is bred to a different ram then Freckles. 

 This one is Clarice.  She's only 8 months old and is not bred. 

 

So, what are we going to do with these sheep, you ask?  Well, ClaireAnna will show them at the county fair in the breed class and possibly in the market lamb class.  We will sell the lambs for show, breeding or meat.  We may butcher a wether here and there.  We plan to buy a ram in the spring, or maybe keep one that is born from the two bred ewes.  And they will be used in our petting zoo.  We've never had lambs born here at Harmon PFarms, so this spring should be fun!  Be sure to stop by in April and see them!  

A Project For Kate

 

Kate has always wanted a Pot Belly Pig. We’ve always said no. But last week, a wonderful family offered us this cutie and we changed our minds. She was raised in their home but has developed some behavior problems. Kate wants to work with her and try to help her learn to respect and get along with people better. She started the first day with clicker training. Things were rocky at first and this cute little piggy enthusiastically showed us her inner pit bull! 

 

 

In this video, taken 11/30/2012, the day after she arrived at Harmon PFarms, Penny is viciously attacking Kate’s foot. But Kate persists in making her move away and eventually, Penny obeys. Penny is learning that Kate can make her move. And if Kate makes Penny move, then Kate is the boss over Penny. Penny wants to be the boss! But from now on, she will be learning that she is not!
 

 

 

This video was taken today, just one day later. Penny has already learned a new trick! She is learning to obey!! Penny does not get any food without earning it. She is fed all her daily ration from Kate’s hand, only after she obeys in some way. It is going to take a while to completely change Penny’s thinking. She is still attacking anyone who walks by her pen. But we think she is showing improvement and we are determined to give her a chance! 

 

Penny is about 5 1/2 months old. She currently weighs 37 lbs. We believe she will reach about 50 lbs. at maturity. She sure is a cutie!

Penny’s story to be continued……

2012 Thanksgiving

We had a lovely, casual and relaxing Thanksgiving this year with all the kids in attendance.  Josh and Lily had plans with her mom on Thursday and her dad on Saturday, so we took Friday.  It was our first time to have no feast on the actual day (Thursday) so I did some baking and cleaning and then we ate dinner at Burger King!  Jes spent the whole weekend with us which is always excellent!  On Friday, I roasted a turkey in my new convection oven and it turned out just fine.  We always have the same thing for Thanksgiving dinner and everybody has a favorite menu item.  Dad makes the cornbread stuffing which only he and Jes eat.  (Yuck!  But for cornbread stuffing, I hear his is excellent!)  I make Squash Stuffing Casserole which is Kate and my favorite Thanksgiving food ever!  Josh loves the sweet potatoes with marshmallows (but this year they were "too sweet").  And for everyone, the turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls with butter (Josh had eight!) and corn are must haves.  Jes made some yummy fresh cranberry orange sauce which Dad refused to eat in favor of the can shapped glob of jellied stuff.  But I loved it!  I baked a delicious apple pie on Wednesday that we ate on the spot.  I made a homemade pumpkin pie for Friday but it had egg shells in it and was a big disapointment! Next year, I'll try again. 

 

We have so much to be thankful for!

I LOVE those cute cheeks and that handsome beard!

After dinner, the girls played Sequence. 

Softies For Babies!

Ted and I spent the day at Ragsdale's Auction House up Hwy 7 in Dover.  I was so excited when I saw two large bags full of new, hand crocheted baby blankets in beautiful colors! I was sure they would be snatched up quickly and probably go for more then I could pay.  I was wrong.  I got them for $15!!!  All 23 of them! ClaireAnna and I took them to Choices Pregnancy Recource Clinic the next Monday.  What a joy to be able to give something so beautiful to the mammas and babies that are helped there! 

 

First Shot. First Kill

ClaireAnna went deer hunting this year, for the first time, and took this young doe with her brother's rifle in the bottom hay field at 218 yards! What an exciting night!

 

How You Doin?

We finally realized that it was time to find a replacement for Bocephus.  Ted decided he'd like to try a breed new to us called the Maremma.  We found this adorable guy at Iron Star Ranch, in North Fork, AR.  We are so grateful to owners, Greg and Jan, for allowing us to adopt him. 

 

This photo was taken at Iron Star Ranch as we were first getting to know our new pup.

 

He rode on my lap in the truck, all the way home.  When I did put him on the floor, he just climbed right back up.  He's a cuddler!
 

Maremmas are a livestock guardian breed that originated in Italy, so we all decided that the new pup needed an Italian name.  We tossed around several: Vinnie, Mario, Fredo, even Pasta! But everyone finally agreed on Joey. 

As in...Joey Tribbiani!

 

 

I'm sure our Joey we grow up to be just as handsome!

 

I think he's saying it right here, "Hey, how you doin?"

For now, Joey lives in a large pen with two dairy goats who spend the night with him, but go out to pasture during the day. 



Please don't poo in my food bowl, thank you very much.

Joey will guard the goats and the sheep and hopefully, the entire barnyard.  We have no doubt that he will be a wonderful addition to our family!

Come back soon! These goats are only interesting for so long!