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Monthly Archives: July 2016

Peru and our excuse for not blogging!

30 Jul

Pat & Sharon at Machu Picchu. Bridget said it looked like we were photo-shopped!

 

We’ve had a long quiet spell on this blog. Don’t worry–life goes on at the Ladder Ranch. Pat and Sharon just spent two weeks in Peru. Our problems with visas for our skilled and valued Peruvian employees has reached the level where we decided to go to Lima and meet with staff at the American embassy. We also spent time with the family of Pepe Cruz, our long-time Peruvian employee. More photos will follow, but here are a few to prove that we were well and truly in Peru when we left in the middle of July, trusting Meghan, Eamon and family to hold down the fort. So here’s a few photos of us when we were touristing, not working. More Peru photos to follow!

Sharon and Pat in the beautiful agricultural region of Ariquipa

Sharon and Pat in the beautiful agricultural region of Ariquipa

Sheep grazing near Chivay

Sheep grazing near Chivay

 
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Posted by on July 30, 2016 in Events, Family, Folks, Sheep

 

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Fourth of July fire works

04 Jul
When Maeve, 7, made cookies, she didn't realize that one could not use a plastic "cookie sheet". This how to clean a cookie sheet which has plastic and imbedded cookies. It worked!

When Maeve, 7, made cookies, she didn’t realize that one could not use a plastic “cookie sheet”. This is how to clean an oven rack which has embedded plastic and cookies. It worked!

 
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Posted by on July 4, 2016 in Events

 

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Sorting the buck lambs

03 Jul
Purebred Hampshire and Rambouillet sheep, waiting for the sort.

Purebred Hampshire and Rambouillet sheep, ready for the sort.

Much of our lives revolves around reproduction…sometimes encouraging it, sometime avoiding it, but always managing it. Sheep reach sexual maturity at a relatively young age, so in July we must remove the buck lambs, born in March, from their mothers and the ewe herd. The conventional wisdom, at our latitude(about 41) is that ewes can be bred in any month with an “R” in it. It’s a bit more complicated than that, depending on factors such as the breed and nutrition, but we have learned not to overthink it. Suffice it to say that if you don’t want to be lambing at Christmastime or so, it’s a good idea to remove intact buck lambs from their mothers in July. We don’t want to wait until “AuRgust”!

Since we raise our own bucks, and they are getting to be pretty big guys, we put them into the corrals at the Johnson Ranch, where they summer north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. The buck lambs who pass the test to be replacement rams are weaned and taken to the Home Ranch, far away, we hope, from any ewes.

 

These guys will miss their moms, but they get to grow up to be Dads.

These guys will miss their moms, but they get to grow up to be dads.

Which one of these is not like the others? Pepe, Adolfo, Apolinario and Max are taking a lunch break.

Which one of these is not like the others? Pepe, Adolfo, Apolinario and Max are taking a lunch break.

 
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Posted by on July 3, 2016 in Animals, Dogs, Folks, Folks who help us out, Peruvian sheepherders, Sheep

 

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