"They told me to be careful out there, where the wind blows a venomous rage through your hair"

Great Lakes Swimmers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jh2dCx54Ajk

Perfect barn music.  Supposedly it's about Canada, but I could see it being about Minnesota too...Especially the "frozen veneer".

 

That being said, the wind is howling out there today, but it's super hot, and the eastern sky looks white it's so bright, like the sun exploded. Heat advisory here for the next few days--up to 97 on Monday.  I can handle that not too badly now but if there's humidity with it I'm in trouble...The poor sheep!! Lace comes to me and looks distressed, hyperventilates hot sheep breath in my face, and presses her face against my face.

 

Last year with these temps I had to keep Wedge Wookie and Wicket in the garage where it was a bit cooler, and turn the box fan directly at them. Then when that wasn't enough I brought Wedge and Wookie into the basement where they lived in a large dog kennel with a shipping box 'run' for three or four days.  We can see our young birds have inherited Wedge's heat intolerance.  They've been pale and hyperventilating this past week, at least when the humidity was high.  I put the sprinkler on their enclosure which cools the ground a bit and washes away the poop and keeps the flies away. 

 

Oak had a swollen eye again the other night, but this time we know it's not stinging nettle contact since he had his fly mask on. The weed pollen is high right now and we do have the lovely goldenrod on the property, which my eyes interpret as silica grinding away my conjunctivas.

 

I picked up a few Dex packets from the vet on my way home from TRC yesterday--it's nice they'll let me have some on hand for our two allergic horses.  Oak's allergy medication is on backorder, so he's been without it for a week now.  Can't believe it's unavailable in the middle of allergy season...frustrating! I'll likely give him his aeromask a little more as a preventive, and hope the weed pressure subsides soon. 

 

Every day we go out and pull ragweed, horse tail, mare's tail, smart weed, nightshade. That one can kill.

 

 

From Pipestone Sheep Vet FB page: After further review the ripe berries are most toxic followed by green berries then leaves and the stems in that order. There are two types of poison one that is sugar based that causes intestinal problems and clinical diarrhea the other causes neurological damage and symptoms. Both are deadly and night shade cannot be tolerated in pastures.

Well with that said it's time for me to get out there and check the fencelines, and under the trees where it likes to grow. We need to move the sheep again today so I can't rest until I've checked thoroughly, especially with our two new curious lambs taste testing everything.

Have I mentioned before that everything here tries to kill you?