I can't believe that 2011 is almost over. So much has happened! I have
utterly failed to keep pace with this blog so let me try to sum it up:
1. We sold Pete in May to be a stud for a Lippitt farm in New York. Anxiously awaiting word from his new owner as
to whether Pete will have any babies on the ground in the spring. If not this spring, then probably next.
2. From June to September, we fostered an off-track Standardbred mare, LuLu, who
was in training at PPF after having had her adoption not work out. I rode her on occasion for Deb while she was here. LuLu
eventually went to a very satisfactory home, which made me very happy because she was a doll.
3. We sold Stevie in October to be the cherished, beloved companion of a horsewoman in Gorham. All reports have him
progressing beautifully. It still boggles the mind that we made TWO sales in one year. But, we'll have no horse sales next
year because...
3. We did not manage to get Ray bred to
Mist. Sadly, our Princess still thinks of Ray as a "frog" rather than a "prince"... wanted nothing to
do with him even when clearly in heat... but if we can't get her to change her opinion, well, we may seek assistance from
technology. A last minute effort in October to breed her to Weathermont Ethan using AI fell through, but that's going to be
our option in spring. Still, we'll have some babies on the ground next spring, because...
4. We bought two Suffolk-cross ewe lambs at Fryeburg in October, and in December
acquired a flock of adult Romney sheep — a ram, 2 ewes, and a wether — and we're relatively certain at least one
Romney ewe is pregnant. Maybe both. So there are some sweet little lambs in the future of the farm. Actually, our hope is
that there will be a lot of little lambs... some to be sold for fleece-bearing, others to be used for meat. The Suffolk ewes
will produce excellent market lambs once they're old enough to cross with the Romney ram, while the Romney ewes can give us
great pure-bred fleece lambs. Everyone wins! (Note to self: get Nate into 4H STAT.)
5. Although this isn't farm related... my diabetes book published! AT LAST! It came out in July and seems to have
been well received. In addition, I have published 3 articles in the Lippitt Club News, and hope to continue writing for them
given that my time is much more flexible nowadays, since I'm now working from home as a freelancer. Although it was not by
my choice, the fact is, I am not unhappy to have a break from the 9-to-5 world — which isn't to say I'm not actively
looking for a fulltime job and wouldn't be thrilled to have one, but... there are definitely advantages to working at home.
For 2012, all I can say is this: Let the wild ride continue!
Ray is in basic saddle training with Gloria Steiger of PPF, and doing very well. He's traveled a few times over to PPF and
to Hollis with great results. Although we're having a bit of holiday interruption, I am certainly looking forward to seeing
him get back into a routine — and I know Ray is, too, judging by the eagerness with which he came to the gate when Mark
brought the trailer around the day we got the sheep. (Poor boy was disappointed that it wasn't his day to go for a ride).
We do hope to get him bred to Mist this spring, or failing that, to breed Mist to Ethan via AI. We're also planning to get
Ray trained for AI collection so we can cross him to outside mares with less trouble.
Beyond that... we'll see what life brings us.
