Jean-Claude Van Ramme

There is always something new going on at Long Shadow Farm. We are still working on the greenhouse - slowly but surely, sometimes. Here are a couple pictures. We got all the posts pounded into the ground. Doing it by myself, on a Sunday full of distractions (egg customers, dogs acting crazy, sheep getting food bags stuck on their heads) I managed to pound in 7 by myself. With Larry and his dad, and everyone getting along, we managed to pound in the rest in an hour or so. Bam. Done. NEXT! That's not too surprising. Larry is much better at using a sledge hammer than I am. Not that I don't know how to use one properly, I just don't have the swing to put in behind it. What would take me 20 minutes, took him 5. (Well, next step is the bows, purlins, hip boards and baseboards, which I insist MUST be done in one day - due to wind exposure ripping up the bows if they are not properly supported...)


Of course, the subsequent project here is the hydrant for the green house. This required the use of rental equipment. I spent most of Sunday in this thing, and we almost got all the trenching done - until we hit the water table and water mixed with clay = glue. We had to change the location of our hydrant. But either way, while Larry was toiling in the sun, gluing PVC pipe together to lay in the hole, I was in the shade, and consequently a mini wind tunnel inside the cab of this thing, freezing my tail off, and not taking my eyes off the hole I was digging for a second.


Before the trencher arrived on Sunday, Nancy came with her trailer and brought us our ram. He was NOT what I expected, but I love him. I named him Jean-Claude Van Ramme. Not the muscles from brussels, but we hope he does the trick. When Laverne and Shirley arrived, they came flying out of that trailer bucking and kicking. When I went in to see Jean-Claude - he was napping! He got up and slowly sauntered out. This was a pleasant surprise, actually. I was so afraid of having an overly aggressive ram that could hurt the babies, or even ME. This guy is gentle as, well, a lamb. He's got 11 new girlfriends, and I think he's going to be a busy guy!


This is the one girlfriend who is hands off for Mr. Van Ramme. This is Shirley and her boys, Charlie Brown and Linus. She won't be feeling amorous, she's got babies to watch over.