1. Native Plant Center online
2. Digital Atlas of VA Flora
3. The value of green space to human health
4. The Future of Gardening (the role of lawn in American landscaping)
5. Ecosystem Gardening (includes sub-link to Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens)
6. NEW Guide to Frogs and Toads of VA
7. Feeding Deer—illegal from Sept. 1 to Jan. 7

Native Plant Center

This is an online searchable resource that’s based on the booklet you received during your training, Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping

http://www.nativeplantcenter.net/

Since its release in 2003, the demand for the Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping has never waned. Citizens, schools, non-profit organizations, communities and government agencies use the guide to find the native plants that met their local conditions and interests in order to create landscapes to attract wildlife and reduce the amount of pollutants going into the Chesapeake Bay. In response to this, the entire resource has been put online into a searchable, user-friendly online database– the Native Plant Center. In it’s soft release, the portal offers the option to search by region, plant type, soil conditions, flower color, and more. A geolocator, shopping cart, and community features are still to come.

Digital Atlas of VA Flora

The “Digital Atlas of VA Flora” is now online at www.biol.vt.edu/digital_atlas/ This web site contains plant distribution maps, photos, and tells you whether or not a species is native or introduced. You can also select your county to get a list of species known to occur there. However, there are no common names, everything is listed by scientific name. [Note: at a recent meeting we heard that the long-awaited Flora of VA is expected to be published Nov. 2012, but this fall they’ll start taking advance orders for the first printing. Will let you know when we get the official announcement about advance orders.]

Monograph — Value of Green Space to Human Health

Parks and Other Green Environments: Essential Comp. of a Healthy Human Habitat
Dr. Frances E. (Ming) Kuo

This monograph presents an overview of what scientists have discovered about the relationship between nature and human health, focusing on the most compelling findings. It focuses on three classic indicators of health, drawn from animal research. (48 pages, available for download)

The Future of Gardening: Why Going Native is the Answer

This is the transcript of a talk presented in June 2010 at the Millersville Native Plant Conference, about the role of lawn in American landscaping and how it needs to change:

http://www.millersvillenativeplants.org/2011/04/the-future-of-gardening-by-neil-diboll/

Ecosystem Gardening

Another great web site at www.ecosystemgardening.com Contains articles, discussions about special topics like green roofs and pollinators, and feature pages, such as Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens (www.ecosystemgardening.com/native-plants-and-wildlife-gardens.html)

Guide to the Frogs and Toads of Virginia Now Available

A Guide to the Frogs and Toads of Virginia is a 44 page field guide that covers all 27 species of frogs and toads that inhabit Virginia. Species accounts, descriptions, biology, behavior, habitats and conservation issues are all described and illustrated through more than 80 photographs and drawings. Included is a complimentary CD of The Calls of Virginia Frogs and Toads. The price is $10.00 and is available through the VDGIF website.

FEEDING DEER:

From: Dixon, Julia (DGIF)

Sent: Thursday, August 25, 2011 11:23 AM

To: A403-DL-DGIF Everyone (DGIF)

Subject: PR — Reminder Deer Feeding Ban Begins Sept 1

For Immediate Release

August 25, 2011

Contacts:
Deer Project Coordinator Matt Knox, 434–525-7522
Deer Project Coordinator Nelson Lafon, 540–248-9295

Reminder: Effective September 1, Feeding Deer Will Be Illegal in Virginia

Richmond, VA — Effective September 1, it will be illegal to feed deer statewide in Virginia. The annual prohibition runs through the first Saturday in January. In addition, it is now illegal to feed deer year-round in Clarke, Frederick, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and in the city of Winchester as part of the Department’s chronic wasting disease (CWD) management actions established in April 2010.

This regulation does not restrict the planting of crops such as corn and soybeans, wildlife food plots, and backyard or schoolyard habitats. It is intended to curb the artificial feeding of deer that leads to negative consequences.

Problems with feeding deer include: unnaturally increasing population numbers that damage natural habitats; increasing the likelihood for disease transmission, and increasing human-deer conflicts such as deer/vehicle collisions and diminishing the wild nature of deer.

In addition, feeding deer has law enforcement implications. Deer hunting over bait is illegal in Virginia. Prior to the deer feeding prohibition, distinguishing between who was feeding deer and who was hunting over bait often caused law enforcement problems for the Department’s conservation police officers.

Deer Feeding was Booming Along with the Population

Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) Deer Project Coordinators Matt Knox and Nelson Lafon noted when the regulation first took effect in 2006 that, for more than 20 years, the practice of feeding deer had expanded across the eastern United States among both deer hunters and the non-hunting general public. The most common reason for feeding deer is to improve their nutrition and to supplement the habitat’s ability to support more deer; in other words, to increase the carrying capacity for deer.

According to Knox, many people feed deer because they believe it will keep them from starving, but this is not a legitimate reason to feed deer in Virginia. In Virginia, deer die-offs due to winter starvation are rare. In addition, according to Lafon, “We do not need more deer in Virginia. In fact, we need fewer deer in many parts of the state.”

Nelson Lafon completed a revision of the Department’s Deer Management Plan in June 2007. Based on his research, it appears that the citizens of the Commonwealth would like to see deer populations reduced over most of the state. Lafon noted that Virginia’s deer herds could be described as overabundant from a human tolerance perspective and stated that feeding deer only makes this overabundance problem worse.

Is Your Birdfeeder Attracting Deer?

Supplemental feeding artificially concentrates deer on the landscape, leading to over-browsed vegetation, especially in and around feeding sites. Over-browsing destroys habitat needed by other species, including songbirds.

It is not unheard of for deer to take advantage of birdfeeders and begin to eat spilled birdseed. Individuals who inadvertently are feeding deer through their birdfeeders may be requested by VDGIF conservation police officers to remove feeders temporarily until the deer disperse.

Deer Are Wild Animals

In their natural state, deer are wild animals that have a fear of humans because we have preyed upon deer for thousands of years. However, when deer are fed by people, they lose this fear, becoming less wild and often semi-domesticated.

Fed deer are often emboldened to seek human foods, leading them into conflict with people. Despite their gentle appearance, they can become lethally dangerous during mating season capable of goring and slashing with their sharp hooves and antlers. There are numerous cases across the country of individuals injured, and in some cases even killed, by deer they treated as pets.

People often treat the deer they feed as if they own them, even going so far as to name individual deer. Not only does this association diminish the “wildness” of “wildlife”, it also leads to a mistaken notion regarding ownership of wildlife. Deer and other wildlife are owned by all citizens of the Commonwealth and are managed by the Department as a public resource.

Deer Feeding Congregates Animals, Increasing the Spread of Disease

The increase in deer feeding that has taken place in Virginia over the past decade now represents one ofVirginia’s biggest wildlife disease risk factors. Deer feeding sets the stage for maintaining and facilitating the spread of disease.

Diseases are a big issue in deer management today across the United States. Feeding deer invariably leads to the prolonged crowding of animals in a small area, resulting in more direct animal to animal contact and contamination of feeding sites. Deer feeding has been implicated as a major risk factor and contributor in three of the most important deer diseases in North America today. These include tuberculosis, brucellosis, and CWD. Virginia’s first case of CWD was discovered in a doe killed during November 2009, in westernFrederick County less than one mile from the West Virginia line.

Please Don’t Feed Deer

It is clear that the negative consequences of feeding deer outweigh the benefits. If you are not feeding deer, you should not start. If you are currently feeding deer, you should now stop. Feeding deer is against the law between September 1 and the first Saturday in January. If anyone sees or suspects someone of illegally feeding deer during this time period, or observes any wildlife violations, please report it to the Department’s Wildlife Crime Line at 1–800-237‑5712.

To learn more about Virginia wildlife regulations visit the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries website at www.dgif.virginia.gov.

It is the mission of the VDGIF to maintain optimum populations of all species to serve the needs of the Commonwealth; to provide opportunity for all to enjoy wildlife, inland fish, boating and related outdoor recreation and to work diligently to safeguard the rights of the people to hunt, fish and harvest game as provided for in the Constitution of Virginia; to promote safety for persons and property in connection with boating, hunting and fishing; to provide educational outreach programs and materials that foster an awareness of and appreciation for Virginia’s fish and wildlife resources, their habitats, and hunting, fishing, and boating opportunities.

We are excited to announce a gift for you that is a perfect musical accompaniment for this Blessed Holiday Season! Our friends at 106.1 The Corner, here in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Adrienne has her bi-weekly program called ‘Backyard Revolution;, is featuring ‘Just Like Christmas’, as their free download of the week. From December 13^th through the Winter Solstice, December 21^st, this original tune written by Adrienne and Jim Photglo, and featuring Tim O’Brien, as well as, members of The Duhks, will be yours for the price of your warm wishes for a joyous Winter Solstice, a Merrrry Christmas, and of course, the Happiest New Year yet! Visit www.1061thecorner.com for your free download! We’d love for you to be our friend on Facebook both at Adrienne Young-Ramsey, as well as, at Backyard Revolution. Let us know where and what was happening when you played the song…anything special that is fit for the entire family, we will display your feedback proudly on our Pages!

Stay tuned for our annual ‘Year-End RoundUP’ where we will be announcing lots of exciting news about things past, things present, and as always, the Best that is YET TO COME!

We also encourage you to consider honoring the Solar New Year this coming Winter Solstice, and invite you to learn more about it and share with us what you know, at our Facebook page and/or Backyard Revolution!

MORE ABOUT THE SOLSTICE

Mark Dec. 21 on your calendars for what will be a cool, cosmic day. In the very early morning hours, enjoy a total lunar eclipse, then bid Autumn adieu and celebrate the arrival of the winter solstice in the evening. The Winter Solstice occurs when, because of the earth’s tilt, our hemisphere is leaning farthest away from the sun, and therefore: The daylight is the shortest. The sun has its lowest arc in the sky. A total lunar …eclipse is somewhat rare and occurs when the sun, the Earth and the moon align. The moon is always full and it passes through Earth’s umbral shadow,.
On the morning of Dec. 21, around 1:30 a.m., the moon begins passing into the Earth’s umbral shadow. Totality occurs at 2:41 a.m., when Earth’s shadow completely covers the moon. The middle of the eclipse is 3:17 a.m., and the moon emerges from totality at 3:53 a.m. By 5:01 a.m., our lunar neighbor escapes completely from the umbral shadow, meaning the darkest part of the shadow. During the totality phase, expect to see the moon as a bright red or rust color.
Then, around 6:30pm later that day, the solstice ushers winter into the Northern Hemisphere’s seasonal rotation.
The day of Dec 21^st will be short, the night long, and the moon a brilliant shade of red.
Barring cloudy skies, Central Virginia will witness the entire event.
Solstice is Latin for…standing-still-sun.
We know that the Winter Solstice has been celebrated in cultures the world over for thousands of years. In old Europe, this start of the solar year was a celebration of Light and the rebirth of the Sun, with a ‘un’, was known as Yule, from the Norse, Jul, meaning wheel. Both fire and wheels were long chosen as symbols for winter solstice rituals.

Ancient cultures made huge efforts to observe the solstices constructing an astounding array of their greatest architectural structures — tombs, temples, cairns and sacred observatories — so that they aligned with the solstices and equinoxes. Many of us know that Stonehenge is a perfect marker of both solstices. Well, did you know that there huge, megalithic, circular stone structures and sites in the UK that are over 5,000 years old (making them older by centuries than Stonehenge, and even older than the Egyptian pyramids), that were built to receive a single shaft of sunlight deep into their central chambers at dawn on the winter solstice.

And though there are hundreds of other megalithic structures throughout Europe oriented to the solstices and the equinoxes, the blossoming field of archaeoastronomy studies such sacred sites in the Americas, Asia, Indonesia, and the Middle East.
There is now a book, The Sun in the Church revealing that many medieval Catholic churches were also built as solar observatories. The church, once again reinforcing the close ties between religious celebration and seasonal passages that had been honored by nature based spiritualists, built observatories into cathedrals and churches throughout Europe. Typically, a small hole in the roof admitted a beam of sunlight, which would trace a path along the floor. The path, called the meridian line, was often marked by inlays and zodiacal motifs celebrating the
The rebirth of the sun, with a un — as connected with mid winter celebrations,
Along with, the birth of the Son, with an on – marking the official birth of Jesus.
An interesting linguistic similarity but one that makes perfect sense in light of the fact that Christmas was transplanted onto the winter solstice some 1,600 years ago, centuries before the English language emerged from its Germanic roots. Perhaps this is why we have come to express these two ideas in words that sound so similar?

In the 3^rd century, Emperor Aurelian established December 25 as the birthday of the “Invincible Sun” as part of the Roman Winter Solstice celebrations. Shortly thereafter, in 273, the Christian church selected this day to represent the birthday of Jesus, and by 336, this Roman solar feast day was Christianized. January 6, celebrated as Epiphany in Christendom and linked with the visit of the Magi, was originally an Egyptian date for the Winter Solstice.

Today, most Western-based cultures refer to this seasonal holiday as “Christmas.” Yet As Winter Solstice was overlaid with Christmas, and the observance of Christmas spread throughout the globe, we lost some of the deep connection of our celebrations to a fundamental seasonal, hemispheric event. Many people – of many beliefs – are looking to regain that connection now.
And so, as we love to do here during our BYR segments, we want to honor and encourage the preservation of our historical roots, and so, let’s share a few traditions linked to Solstice celebrations and gear up for what is going to be an opportunity for some powerful observations as the Winter Solstice this year will be accompanied by a Full Moon, as well as, a total lunar eclipse…hold on to your Reindeer!

It’s not surprising that most of the customs, lore, symbols, and rituals associated with “Christmas” actually are linked to Winter Solstice celebrations of ancient Pagan cultures. While Christian mythology is interwoven with contemporary observances of this holiday time, its Pagan nature is still strong and apparent. Today, those who are inspired to reintegrate the ancient focus of this holiday which, truth be told, can be overwhelmingly commercialized and stressful, can readily get back to the basics of Christmastime and the secular New Year by giving a nature based, spiritual focus to existing holiday customs and by creating new traditions that draw on ancient, Pagan ways. Here are some ways to do this:
• Celebrate Yule, the ReBirth of the SUN, with a series of rituals, feasts, and other activities. In most ancient cultures, the celebration lasted more than a day. The ancient Roman Saturnalia festival sometimes went on for a week. Have Winter Solstice Eve and Day be the central focus for your household, and conceptualize other holiday festivities, including New Year’s office parties and Christmas visits with Christian relatives, as part of your Solstice celebration. By adopting this perspective, Parents can help their children develop an understanding of the multicultural and interfaith aspects of this holiday time and view “Christmas” as just another form of Solstice. Have gift exchanges and feasts over the course of several days and nights as was done of old. Party hearty on New Year’s Eve not just to welcome in the new calendar year, but also to welcome the new solar year.
• Adorn the home with sacred herbs and colors. Decorating your home in red, green, and white honor the traditional Druidic holiday colors, as well. Place holly, ivy, evergreen boughs, and pine cones around your home, especially in areas where socializing takes place. Hang a sprig of mistletoe above a major threshold and leave it there until next Yule as a charm for good luck throughout the year. Have family/household members join together to make an evergreen wreath. Include holiday herbs in it and then place it on your front door to symbolize the continuity of life and the wheel of the year. If you choose to have a living or a harvested evergreen tree as part of your holiday decorations, call it a Solstice tree and decorate it with Nature, Druidic, Celtic, or Pagan symbols.
• Convey love to family, friends, and associates. At the heart of Saturnalia was the custom of family and friends feasting together and exchanging presents. Continue this custom by visiting, entertaining, giving gifts, and sending greetings by mail and/or phone. Consider those who are and/or have been important in your life and share appreciation.
• Reclaim Santa Claus as a Pagan Godform. Today’s Santa is a folk figure with multicultural roots. He embodies characteristics of Saturn (Roman agricultural god), Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time), the Holly King (Celtic god of the dying year), Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god), Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats), Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse), Frey (Norse fertility god), and the Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year). Santa’s reindeer can be viewed as forms of Herne, the Celtic Horned God. Decorate your home with Santa images that reflect His Pagan heritage.
• Honor the Goddess as Great Mother. Place Pagan Mother Goddess images around your home. You may also want to include one with a Sun child, such as Isis with Horus. Pagan Goddess forms traditionally linked with this time of year include Tonantzin (Native Mexican corn mother), Holda (Teutonic earth goddess of good fortune), Bona Dea (Roman women’s goddess of abundance and prophecy), Ops (Roman goddess of plenty), Au Set/Isis (Egyptian/multicultural All Goddess whose worship continued in Christian times under the name Mary), Lucina/St. Lucy (Roman/Swedish goddess/saint of light), and Befana (Italian Witch who gives gifts to children at this season).
• Honor the new solar year with light. Do a Solstice Eve ritual in which you meditate in darkness and then welcome the birth of the sun by lighting candles and singing chants and Pagan carols.
• If you have a indoor fireplace or an outdoor fire circle, burn an oak log as a Yule log and save a bit to start next year’s fire. Decorate the inside and/or outside of your home with electric colored lights. Because of the popularity of five pointed stars as holiday symbols, this is a good time to display a pentagram of blue or white lights.
• Contribute to the manifestation of more wellness on Planet Earth.
• Donate food and clothing to poor in your area.
• Offer time at a social service agency.
• Put up bird feeders and keep them filled throughout the winter to supplement the diets of wild birds.
• Donate funds and items to non-profit groups such as Spiritual Groups, Quaker churches, Nature education and environmental organizations.

Here is Virginia, in the wee hours of Dec. 21^st, just a couple hours after midnight on December 20^th, we will have the highest Full Moon until 2020. If you can make it outside, do so. Great night for a bonfire and some quiet contemplative meditation under the brilliant star cover -

• Meditate for Love, for your dreams, for healing and world peace.
• Work magic for a healthier planet.
• Make a pledge to do some form of good works in the new solar year.
• Give Thanks!
As a side note, the Moon will occupy a very special place in the heavens that night. Our sky is a carnival of intersecting planes. There is the flat plane of our solar system seen edgewise, defined by the ecliptic. Then there is our galaxy’s disk, the Milky Way. These eternal planes meet and cross at the Taurus-Gemini border. Astoundingly, a third plane called the solstitial colure — the sky-circling meridian running through the celestial poles in the precise direction of Earth’s tilt — is right there, too.

It’s an implausible three-way intersection. And yet that is where — within a few degrees — the Full Moon will stand during the eclipse!

Thank you so much for checking in, we wish you and yours love and light and continued blessings throughout the new solar year, and beyond.

What? BACKYARD REVOLUTION at MONTICELLO for 4th annual HERITAGE HARVEST FEST!
When? Sat. September 11th, 2010, 10am–4pm

Greetings, Friends! Backyard Revolution is honored to participate for the 2nd year in the 4th Annual Heritage Harvest Festival. Below is information about the event, as well as, BYR’s scheduled events for the day. We do hope to see you there!

About the Festival

Thomas Jefferson championed vegetable cuisine, plant experimentation, and sustainable agriculture. The 4th annual Heritage Harvest Festival, hosted by the Thomas Jefferson Foundation in partnership with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, celebrates Jefferson’s legacy in a fun, affordable, family-oriented, educational event promoting gardening, sustainability, local food and the preservation of heritage plants.

The 2010 Heritage Harvest Festival will be held on Saturday, September 11, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Monticello: on the West Lawn, in the vegetable garden, and in the new LEEDS-certified Visitor Center. The new venue will showcase the restored gardens more vividly, and feature the wealth of Monticello’s interpretation programs in not just gardening, but also natural history, foodways, and the roles of the entire plantation community.

Participants will continue to enjoy the traditional tastings, workshops, hands-on demonstrations, interpretative walks, and a variety of garden tours and exhibits. Experts, including Master Gardeners, come from around the country to share knowledge and volunteer their time to run the festival. Local food, sustainable farming, and a heightened interest in the flavor and diversity of traditional fruits and vegetables have captured the imagination of gardeners and consumers throughout the United States. The Festival addresses this trend with tasting workshops, lectures, and seed-saving demonstrations, as well as a Marketplace with displays and sales of fruits and vegetables, food and plants.  Cooking demonstrations by some of Charlottesville’s most revered chefs will be another popular component of the 2010 Festival.

At the heart of the Heritage Harvest Festival are educational programs on seed-saving, botanical medicine, heirloom varieties, sustainable agriculture, compost production, organic gardening, integrated pest management, edible landscaping, regional cookery, and other aspects of sustainable living. Monticello’s Visitor Center will provide an ideal setting for more formal “premium” lectures and workshops. Rosalind Creasy, the mother of the edible landscaping movement, Patti Moreno, the “garden girl” of sustainable urban living, and Sharon Astyk, author of the Jefferson-inspired book A Nation of Farmers, are among the renowned speakers for this year’s Festival. Interpretive tours of the restored Monticello garden, plus specialty tours on seed-saving, natural history, and native plants, will take place every hour. Monticello’s restored kitchen will also come alive with cooking programs highlighting the Jefferson and African-American legacy in food.

Visit Heritage Harvest Festival for more information.

Schedule of Events for BACKYARD REVOLUTION at the Heritage Harvest Festival at Monticello

• 10:00 a.m. - The History of Batteaus & River Trade & Commerce in 18th Century Virginia with the
Virginia Canals and Navigation Society
• 10:15 - Maple Syrup Making - Jay Eagle is a 5th generation Virginia Maple Syrup Farmer who’s syrup is a delight for even the most discerning palate — discover the joy of this process!
• 10:30 – Wildcrafting and Foraging/Plant Identification Walk led by Colin Boggess
• 10:30 - About A Cow - Farmers Ben and Carly Coleman share how they are creating a self-sustaining farm that ensures Happy Animals, which produce Happy Products, which creates a Happy Family!
• 11:00 - Raising Sheep to Spinning Wool - Lynn Szarabajka has been raising Corriedale X sheep and spinning wool for over a decade now. Come learn how she does it!
• 11:00 - Cheesemaking and Dairy Goat Farming - Caramont cheese founder, Gail-Hobbs-Page shares her wisdom about raising dairy goats, making delicious chevre, and creating a successful brand.
• 11:30 - Arrowsmithing & Orienteering with Map & Compass - Master Craftsman, Olin Bare, shows how to build arrows without jigs & effectively use a map/compass– skills necessary for any true pioneer.
• 12:00 p.m. - Natural Yarn Dying - Accomplished Artisan, Janet Kerig, demonstrates how to achieve deep, rich palette, using natural materials.
• 12:30 - Hide Tanning – Find out about the basics of this ancient preservation method as Soren Mitchell guides you towards an understanding of this primitive skill.
• 12:30 - Wildcrafting and Foraging/Plant Identification Walk led by Colin Boggess
• 1:00 - Old Time Whittling – Experience the practical and joyous art of country wood working as Hugh Gildea and David Montague bring to life the potential of wood
• 1:30 - Sing-ALONG! - Shape-Note singing is a largely unknown part of our country’s history – join the fun in this family-oriented expression of melody, rhythm, lyric, and song with Debbie Hunter.
• 2:00 - Blacksmithing - Learn about the history and methodology of this alchemical process with one of our regions finest and most authentic Blacksmiths, Scott Hingley.
• 2:30 - Natural Food Preservation (Fermentation) – Gain an understanding of how to employ the ancient process of fermentation to preserve healthy food. Led by founder of New Moon Naturals, Dawn Story.
• 2:30 - Wildcrafting and Foraging/Plant Identification Walk led by Colin Boggess
• 3:00 - Hewn Log Home Construction and Restoration - Historic Restoration Specialist, Luke Ramsey discusses the history and art of constructing and restoring hewn log cabins.
• 3:15 - Colonial Soapmaking – Using natural materials available in most kitchens, learn to make your own soap, as well as, soapmaking techniques throughout history. Led by Matt Boggess

Ongoing Activities in Backyard Revolution’s Young Pioneers Tent

The entire family will enjoy the activities in our Young Pioneer’s Tent!

• Reading, Writing, and Receipts - Historical Educator, Rachel Deddens will bring the Art of Collecting Family Recipes alive as children and adults alike, learn the history of how ingredients and directions work together to make recipes, while creating their own take home cookbook and plan to start collecting old family recipes.
• Walnut Head Dolls – Lydia Fleshood will assist your young artist in creating their own Grandfather or Grandmother Walnut Head Doll to take home

Pictures from Floyd Fest are already up on our Facebook page. I hope to have some up here soon as well, but until then, here’s a little something to look forward to for today: At 11:55am (Eastern) on WTJU 91.1 FM, Adrienne Young will be talking about Floyd Fest and Backyard Revolution’s experience there, as well as whether raw milk should be legalized or not.

Be sure to tune in!

“Charlottesville Inside-Out” 305 from Community Idea Stations on Vimeo.

Learn about a one-of-a-kind Special Olympics tennis tournament; then celebrate the region’s cultural and agricultural heritage in your own backyard. Guests: Ron Manilla, Jon Fried, Special Olympics; Adrienne Young, Backyard Revolution.

Check out the whole video; we’re featured around the 13:15 mark!

Hear ye, hear ye! We are quite thrilled to announce Backyard Revolution’s debut appearance at one of the all time greatest music festivals in the land, FloydFest 9! Join the entire Backyard Revolution cast for a variety of workshops, lessons, and more, including

• Luke Ramsey & Adrienne Young-Ramsey
• Olin Bare — traditional hunter & fletcher (arrowsmith) extraordinaire
• Ben & Karly Coleman of Mountain Run Farms — featuring their star Jersey cow, Primrose
• Rachel & John Deddens — perhaps the Virginias’ finest teachers of historical cooking
• Gerald Boggs — demonstrating his blacksmithing trade
• Soren Mitchel — leading our firestarting & hide-tanning workshops
• Melanie Joice — leading our Young Pioneers workshops
• The Boggess brothers Colin & Matt — leading medicinal & edible plant walks
• Lynn Szarabajka — offering her expertise in raising sheep & spinning wool
• Dawn Story — demonstrating the art of natural food preservation (fermentation)
• Mindy & Calin Farley of PME Compost — demonstrating at-home composting
• And more!

There will also be a Sunday afternoon concert featuring BYR participants on the Global Village Stage. Be sure to stop by and spend some time with us in good conversation about our past, present, and future. Let us know if you’re going to be there; we’ll save you a spot!

For time, location, and other details, please follow this event on Facebook or check out the FloydFest website.

Greetings, everyone! What a fine and glorious spring we are being blessed with here in Virginia. We imagine the same is true for you, wherever you may call home.

We want to encourage you to take some time out this weekend to celebrate May Day, otherwise known as the ancient pagan fertility celebration called Beltane, or Calen Mai.

Should you desire to learn more, there are infinite resources available with just a little research, either through books or the internet or, if you are very fortunate, through word of mouth from a Wise One. However the information finds you, it is a sacred time that has been honored for thousands of years and we here at Backyard Revolution are keeping the fires shining.

The celebration of May 1^st, or Beltane, is one of the most important festivals the year. The word Beltane literally means, “shining fire.” This is one of the most exciting festivals of the Wheel of the year. It is also one of the only holidays that is usually celebrated in the light of day.

The collecting of spring flowers is one of the popular customs of this day. For thousands of years, people would go into the fields to collect the pretty flowers and exchange them. Townspeople would often proceed through the village streets putting flowers on all the houses and buildings. People inside the homes would offer them wonderful food and goodies to eat as sort of a spring version of “trick or treat.”

Another benchmark tradition of this holiday is the Maypole. In tradition, a fir was used. The young, unwed men would go to the forest and return with the tree that would be fashioned into the pole. The pole was brought to the center of the village to be guarded through the night until the first day of May. On that day, the people would come and dance around the maypole clockwise to bring fertility and good luck. Later, brightly colored ribbons were woven around the pole by the dancers as they wove around each other. This symbolizes the balance of masculine and feminine energies and the duality of life. The ribbons would then be removed and kept in a safe place to be burned in the Beltane fires of next year. This action represents the old dying to give birth to the new.

Fertility is a central theme of Beltane. The people lived in close connection with the Earth. To have food to eat, the crops and the beasts of the fields would have to be fertile. In the time of the ancients, this was a life and death matter. For this reason, we have a number of holidays and rituals that are connected with fertility. The maypole is connected to this theme by way of the view point of it being a phallic symbol.
Another fertility representation is the custom of jumping the cauldron. Couples wishing to conceive children will jump the cauldron together. Fertility of all areas of life are invoked during this holiday as well as sexual fertility. This is the day to laugh and banter about having the most joyous of times!

This following passage comes to us through the Earth Path School in Nelson County, Virginia:

Calen Mai (Beltane) is an ancient Welsh holiday signifying the beginning of summer — the beginning of the growing season.  At this time of the year the world is ablaze with the vibrant energy of exuberant growth and fertility.

The Solar celebration is held on May 1 and the Lunar celebration is the first full moon when the Sun is in Taurus. Beltane (May 1) celebrates the midpoint between the Vernal Equinox and the Summer Solstice. Calan Mai is a time of the year when the door between the worlds is thin and divination and connection with the spirits is heightened.

As we are entering Summer, the Light Half of the Year gains ascendancy and battles enacting the tension between Summer and Winter were staged. In these mock battles– as in the natural order of things at this time of year — the forces of Summer would prevail and there would be much feasting and joyous celebration.

Maypole Dancing is traditionally linked to Beltane as a fertility rite. The Beltane Fires were lit and couples jumped the fires to assure fertility. As herds were put out to pasture, cattle were driven between two fires to protect and purify them from any disease.

Calen Mai is a celebration of the good health and fertility of humans, animals, and the land. It was a Great Festival as the fertility of the land — the Earth’s Bounty — dictated the ability to survive.

Calen Mai is a time for us to joyously celebrate our good health, good community, and good connections. Transformationally this is a time to bring into our light the wisdom we have gained from the deepest depths of our consciousness. It is a time to not just see our wisdom but to also to make an external manifestation of our inward knowing.

During this Light Half of the year, our work is to make real — bring into external manifestation– the seeds of our intentions. Calen Mai presents us with the fertile energy to act by shifting and changing our outward manifestations. There is wonderful, joyous energy to bring to fruition our inward hopes and dreams.

Here are some other traditional Beltane rituals you might like to try for this special day:

• Maypole dancing — more associated with May Day for most people but a Beltane ritual all the same! The maypole is a large staff of about 20 feet placed in the ground with long ribbons attached. The merry-makers would then dance with a ribbon in their hand, men going in one direction and women in the other. As they wove in and out of one another the ribbons would cover the pole in an intricate pattern. It’s a ritual related to fertility (which originates from the Germanic tradition) and in the UK it is also associated with Morris dancers, who’s dancing is also associated with fertility rites.

• You can also use your own representation of the may pole such as a branch (fallen not cut) from an Oak or Hazel tree.

• Washing your face in morning dew — tradition has it that it keeps you beautiful all year. So get up early!

• Bonfire or fire of some kind — Beltane is to many a fire festival and one version of the origin of the name is ‘bale fires’ which is due to some of the agricultural work at that time of year. It is also connected to the Celtic God Bel, who was honoured on this day. It is part of many Wiccan practices to jump over a small bonfire or a candle flame. Don’t catch on fire though!

• Flowers, particularly hawthorn — baskets of flowers were made to make the most of the colourful array of nature’s gifts. So as part of your Beltane ritual, make a basket of flowers to give away as a gift.
  Incense and herbs — angelica, frankincense, hawthorn, lilac and rose are associated to Beltane rituals.

• A chalice for fertility — this symbolises the womb. You can also include a dagger for male symbolism. Dip the dagger into the chalice as part of your Beltane ritual or altar work.

• Colours — white, dark green, red are used to symbolise both the fertility rites and also, because of the return of the sun to the earth, both spring and summer seasons are associated.

• Red and white ribbons to braided around a wand to place on your altar.

• Lastly, binding is also symbolically very important as this is a time for marriage. You can also use your Beltane ritual to bind your desires to you but bear in mind you will be stuck with them so choose wisely!

Choose Healthfully AND Frugally!

The harvesting of nature’s bounty has begun as we see fresh fruits and vegetables appearing on our market shelves, our farmer’s markets, AND our own gardens.

When you “grow your own” there is no need to monitor intake – we’ve even come to making a meal out of a visit to the garden…at least while the tomatoes are in abundance. However, if you are buying produce from the grocery, especially crops that aren’t local to your region, then it helps to purchase organically. This is ideal if you can afford it but sometimes the cost difference just doesn’t fit the weekly budget. So, here is a helpful list to keep handy when buying fruits and veggies that can assist you in discerning what items you really want to watch out for, pesticide-wise, and what items are actually, not so bad to buy conventionally.

The first list is known as the CLEAN FIFTEEN and is a grouping of conventionally grown Fruits and Vegetables with the least pesticide residue. You can save money by not purchasing organic.

The Clean Fifteen

1. Onions
2. Avocados
3. Sweet Corn (although watch out for GM corn!)
4. Pineapples
5. Mangos
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet Peas
8. Kiwis
9. Cabbages
10. Eggplants
11. Papayas
12. Watermelons
13. Broccoli
14. Tomatoes
15. Sweet Potatoes

The Dirty Dozen is another list made up of produce you need to do your best to either purchase organically or locally, whenever possible… Also, try visiting a local pick your own orchard (since travel isn’t an issue, they often use less pesticide) but ideally, you can work towards establishing these crops in your own backyard. In tests, the following fruits and vegetables are shown to contain the highest pesticide load. You can reduce pesticide exposure up to 80% by choosing organic versions of these fruits and vegetables.

The Dirty Dozen

1. Peaches
2. Apples
3. Bell Peppers
4. Celery
5. Nectarines
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Imported Grapes
11. Carrots
12. Pears
]]> http://backyard-revolution.com/honoring-our-ancient-rites-%e2%80%93-celebrate-beltane/feed/ 2 http://backyard-revolution.com/dandelion-wine-time/ http://backyard-revolution.com/dandelion-wine-time/#comments Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:30:05 +0000 Adrienne Young http://backyardrevolution.com/wordpress/?p=324

Dandelions are abundant right now, tiny tops of vibrant yellow sprouting up seemingly, without much provocation besides sunshine on a grassy field or deserving patch of green (areas freshly mowed seem to encourage the visitation of these cheery blossoms even more). We’re thrilled at the continued sight of these little guys because there are many things one can do with them and we are already soaking a large bucket for a batch of Dandelion Wine which will be ready before the year is out. Outside, stark drifts of winter preside while inside, we shall uncork a bottle of early spring’s liquid sunshine — Dandelion Wine! We’ve gathered some interesting bits to share and wish you luck and spontaneity in your collecting — do not hesitate to pull over on the aide of the road if a well
stocked meadow presents itself!

Stay in touch and share your discoveries on things to so with Dandelions!

O Joyous Spring! How Blessed we are to walk this Earth! Earth!

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Dandelion — definition & etymology from Answers.com

1. A Eurasian plant (Taraxacum officinale) of the composite family having many-rayed yellow flower heads and deeply notched basal leaves. Widely naturalized as a weed in North America, it is used in salads and to make wine.
2. Any of several similar or related plants.
3. A brilliant to vivid yellow.

[Middle English dent-de-lioun, from Old French dentdelion, from Medieval Latin dēns leōnis, lion’s tooth (from its sharply indented leaves) : Latin dēns, dent-, tooth + Latin leōnis, genitive of leō, lion.]

WORD HISTORY: Dent-de-lioun, the Middle English form of dandelion, makes it easy to see that our word is a borrowing of Old Frenchdentdelion, literally, “tooth of the lion,” referring to the sharply indented leaves of the plant. Modern French dent-de-lion, unlike Modern English dandelion, reveals to anyone who knows French what the components of the word are. The English spelling reflects the pronunciation of the Old French word at the time it was borrowed into English. The t in dentdelion probably disappeared early in Old French, having been absorbed into the related sound of the d. The earliest recorded instance of the word occurs in an herbal written in 1373, but we find an instance of dandelion used in a proper name (Willelmus Dawndelyon) in a document dated 1363.

A brief history of Dandelion Uses and Wine

A look at the making of dandelion wine through history, as well as instructions on how to make and enjoy dandelion wine today.

It seems today that the common dandelion doesn’t get the respect that it deserves. Sure, it’s a weed… a really persistent weed… but there are a variety of uses for the dandelion that most people never even stop to realize. Dandelion leaves can make a great addition to salads or be boiled and served like spinach, and the roots can be ground for use as a coffee substitute. The stems can even be used as a treatment for an upset stomach (not to mention that the plant was once used by the Chinese as a treatment for breast cancer.) The Russian dandelion is even used in the production of rubber. Perhaps one of the greatest uses of dandelions, however, is the making of dandelion wine… an act that has served as a summertime tradition for hundreds of years.

The History of Dandelion Wine

Long before it was a book by Ray Bradbury, dandelion wine was popular across most of Europe. The Europeans often believed that the making of the wine was a magical process, and that the fae (also known as faeries or fairies) helped the process along. After all, they were starting with bitter dandelions and ending up with sweet wine… how can there not be magic involved?

Often, families would get together to collect the dandelions to make their wine with during the late spring or early summer, and would work diligently to collect all that they could for a good batch of wine by fall. The wine made in early summer would age for several months, and then would be opened toward the end of fall and the beginning of winter.

Modern Dandelion Traditions

These days, it seems like a lot less faerie magic is used in the making of dandelion wine… a shame, really, but with faerie magic so hard to come by it doesn’t really come as a big surprise. Dandelion wine is still alive and well, though; people still enjoy the sweet taste that’s just a little bit different than the other wines out there. Of course, there are other uses of the dandelion that are common these days as well… there are dandelion recipe books, dandelion cook-offs, and dandelion festivals (which no doubt feature some dandelion wine somewhere in the mix.)

With winemaking evolved at its current state, it’s no wonder that there’s a grassroots fondness for dandelion wine. It’s easy to make, so even those home winemakers who don’t have the time or money to spend on making more elaborate wines can enjoy it. The taste is still sweet and delightful, pleasing the palate and offering an alternative to the sometimes-harsh grape and fruit wines that are more plentiful. One of the biggest appeals, however, may simply be that dandelion wine is a tradition handed down to us from our ancestors… hundreds of years or more can vanish in a single sip, bringing you together by a common activity with those who came and went before.

It is usually made to last well beyond the winter, so that by the time that it was gone the next batch was well underway.

From Flower to Wine

The key to making dandelion wine is in the flowers. You’ll need only the flowering top of the plant, before it wilts and turns into the white puffball that everyone knows and gardeners hate… and you’ll need a lot of them. Select the largest flowers that you can, checking to make sure that there aren’t any small bugs crawling around in the middle of the petals. Make sure that you get your dandelions from an area that hasn’t been treated with any sort of chemical herbicide or pesticide, and place them in a large pot or container with a lid. You’ll need the dandelion equivalent of a gallon, so make sure that you have enough dandelions before you start picking… they won’t last long before they start to close up and wilt.

Once you’ve got your gallon of dandelion flowers, it’s time to add some water. Boil a gallon of water, and pour it over the flowers; the heat of the water will leech out the flavor and color of the flowers, creating the base for your wine. Cover the pot or container, and leave it alone for two or three days. Stir the dandelion water occasionally, but resist the temptation to start in on the next step after only a day has passed… after all, the finished product will have to age for six months to a year. Waiting two or three days will be easy.

After the few days that it takes for the dandelions to bleed out has passed, it’s time to get started on your wine. Strain the liquid to remove the solid dandelion flowers, and place it in a pan over a burner. Add three pounds of sugar, a section each of orange and lemon peels, and a bruised ginger root. Bring the mixture to a boil, and allow it to boil for around 30 minutes. Once you’ve finished boiling it, set the mixture aside and allow it time to cool. (Use a cooking thermometer to keep track of the temperature… you’ll want it to get down to around 110 degrees before you do anything else with it.)

When the mixture that is effectively dandelion soup has cooled sufficiently, it’s time to start fermenting it. Use a piece of dry wheat toast and sprinkle some yeast on it; wine or mead yeast would be preferred, but breadmaking yeast will also work. Place the piece of toast in the pot, and cover it… leave it alone for two days. (Don’t even stir it.) After the two days have passed, strain the liquid off again and place it in bottles or casks. Put it in a cool place where it can sit undisturbed for at least six months (though a year is fine if you can wait that long). If you end up with more than you think you might drink, don’t worry about it; if properly kept, wine only gets better with age.

by J. Edward Casteele, May 23, 2005

]]> http://backyard-revolution.com/dandelion-wine-time/feed/ 1 http://backyard-revolution.com/spotlight-on-local-food/ http://backyard-revolution.com/spotlight-on-local-food/#comments Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:21:28 +0000 Adrienne Young http://backyardrevolution.com/wordpress/?p=320

Greetings, Good People!

This week, Backyard Revolution is focusing on Local Food, why our food choices matter, and measure that need our attention right now that will work towards preserving the rights we have a humans living on this Earth to choose what we put into our bodies, what we eat, where our food comes from and how it’s grown.

We are quite familiar with the Local Food Movement and are fortunate to live in a community as conscious as Charlottesville. Luke and I just returned from Philadelphia (our Honeymoon, actually) where we were awestruck and truly inspired at how active the populace is in supporting the farms, farmers, food and agricultural heritage of Pennsylvania, in general. Granted, while Virginia was farming tobacco in the 18th century (which is crop that severely damages soil), the German and Dutch settlers so familiar with fertilization and how to preserve and nurture the land were producing incredible yields of fruits and vegetables in Pennsylvania, which continues on today.

As a matter of fact, the Buy Fresh, Buy Local Movement, at least in terms of Food Routes Network, began in PA. I have served as the spokesperson for the Food Routes Network since 2004, doing my best to raise awareness for Buy Fresh, Buy Local Campaigns across the nation.

Here in Charlottesville, the Piedmont Environmental Council sponsors our areas’ BFBL movement. PEC is hosting a fundraiser, along with The Haven, Sunday, April 25th, starting at 6pm. Sponsored by Whole Foods.

We will be there, not only as supporters, but as well as part of the panel discussion and would love to see folks out to support this event.

Here’s the run down on the evening:

• 6pm — the local food and wine tasting
• 7pm — Academy award nominated film The Garden
• 8:30 — panel discussion with local community garden advocates and we’re excited to have been asked to be on the panel.

Tickets are a $12 donation, and an additional $5 for the Local Food and Wine tasting.

Food Choices Matter

Source: Whole Foods Market

What do you know about the beef cattle that your burger came from? Is that salmon fillet from a wild-caught fish or farm-raised — and what does that mean for the planet? Can you identify all of the ingredients in your favorite cupcake? What does it mean for a tomato to be labeled organic, conventional or local?

All of the questions and messages about food and where it comes from can be daunting, especially when you just want to get dinner on the table in a hurry. But your conscience tugs at you, saying: “What I eat matters. Not only for my health but for that of other people and the planet.”

You’re not alone. A lot of us feel this way. And you’re right: food choices do matter. What we put on our plates affects the world and its people every day. We cast a ballot with every bite. We vote with our food dollars for organic, for ethical trade, for planet-friendly, for whatever is important to us. The more we vote for better choices, the more change happens in the food industry and in the world.

And it doesn’t have to be so daunting. Whole Foods Market is made up of people who work hard to decipher the tough questions and offer easier choices for you. From the team members in your neighborhood store who proudly offer local products to our global expert who contributes to shaping government policy as a member of the National Organic Standards Board, we help cut through the noise. Here, every shopping dollar stretches far beyond the checkout lane.

Bottom line: what we eat matters. Yes, the small food choices we make every day can add up to big change. Yes, it requires more than swallowing thoughtless food conventions. Yes, it makes a difference.

Let’s retake our plates.

The Haven

The Haven at First & Market
112 West Market Street
Charlottesville, VA 22901
View map
Phone: 434–973-1234
Contact: Kaki Dimock

The Haven at First & Market is a dynamic, multi-purpose community space that features resources for the hungry, disadvantaged and homeless. It enhances our community by providing a centralized space for resource providers, a community kitchen, a day haven, and a cultural and arts space in downtown Charlottesville.

Website: TJACH

S.510: The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act imposes unfair and burdensome regulations on local food sources. WE NEED YOUR HELP! PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS!

Here in Virginia, we truly are facing a revolution — one that is being pushed as the right to choose and choose rightly, in regards to the food we purchase for our families and ourselves, is absolutely being threatened.

The Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association — VICFA — is helping to head up a campaign urging folks to become aware and involved in the effort to safeguard what remaining choices we have to the corporate food chains that are dangerously close to monopolizing our food purchasing options.

April 14, 2010

Dear VICFA Supporter,

We have received reports from Senate staffers that our call volume has been extremely low. By all reports, S. 510 will be debated by the Senate within days. It is imperative that we all call and make our voices heard. Do not assume that someone else is going to call. Call now!

Call both of your Senators. You can find their contact information at www.senate.gov, or call the Capitol Switchboard at 202–224-3121 or toll-free at 877–210-5351. Ask to speak with the staffer who handles food safety issues.

Tell the staffer that you want the Senator to amend S. 510. If you get their voice mail instead of the staff, leave the following message:

“Hi, my name is _____ and I live in ______. I’m very concerned that S.510, the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act, imposes unfair and burdensome regulations on local food sources, which are very important to me. The Committee version of the bill does not address my concerns, and I urge the Senator to support the Tester Amendment to exclude small facilities and direct marketing farms from the most burdensome provisions of the bill. Please call me back at ____________.”

TALKING POINTS

1. The major foodborne illness outbreaks and recalls have all been caused by the large, industrial food system. Small, local food producers have not contributed to the highly publicized outbreaks. Yet S. 510 subjects the small, local food system to the same, broad federal regulatory oversight that would apply to the industrial food system.

2. Increased regulations and record-keeping obligations could destroy small businesses that bring food to local communities. In particular, the reliance on hazard analysis and risk-based preventative controls, a concept similar to “HACCP”, will harm small food producers. HACCP has already proven to be an overwhelming burden for a significant number of small, regional meat processors across the country. Applying a HACCP-type system to small, local foods processors could drive them out of business, reducing consumers’ options to buy fresh, local foods.

3. FDA does not belong on the farm. S. 510 calls for FDA regulation of how farms grow and harvest produce. Given the agency’s track record, it is likely that the regulations will discriminate against small, organic, and diversified farms. The House version of the bill directs FDA to consider the impact of its rule-making on small-scale and diversified farms, but there are no enforceable limits or protections for small diversified and organic farms from inappropriate and burdensome federal rules.

4. Food safety and security both come from a diversified, vibrant local food system. Local foods give consumers the choice to buy from producers they know, creating a transparent, accountable food system without federal government oversight. State and local laws, which are often size-specific rather than one-size-fits-all, are more appropriate for local food producer.

Act now. We cannot do this without your help.

Sincerely,
VICFA Communications
Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association

]]> http://backyard-revolution.com/spotlight-on-local-food/feed/ 0 http://backyard-revolution.com/newborn-lamb-learns-to-suckle/ http://backyard-revolution.com/newborn-lamb-learns-to-suckle/#comments Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:21:14 +0000 Adrienne Young http://backyardrevolution.com/wordpress/?p=308

We wanted to share this experience because it made quite an impact on us: We have eight sheep here on the farm. Yesterday morning we went down to the James to see the mighty river at its flood level. When we returned home, to our surprise, a tiny baby lamb was tucked up under one of our ewes, Meek. An unexpected situation as we normally plan for them to birth in March but nonetheless, a precious blessing we were grateful for.

We watched from afar checking every few minutes to see if the little lamb had started to nurse. To our great frustration she just wouldn’t latch on. We started to worry that Meek wasn’t producing milk and finally decided it would be best to put them in their own area and allow them some privacy from the other sheep. We wanted to make sure the lamb got some colostrum which is the fluid that initially comes from the mother that contains vital nutrients and enzymes which help to jump-start the little lamb. It is pretty necessary that the newborn receive the colostrum within the first 24 hours of life or it will struggle. After some kind of hullabaloo we had moved the little one and her mother to a fenced in part of the yard and were able to discern that mommy’s milk was not flowing.

We were concerned.

Fortunately, Amherst Milling Co. (est. 1823) was still open so we jumped in the truck and headed over to get some colostrum and milk replacement. Bill, the kind and helpful gentleman who runs the store, set us up with the milk mix, a baby bottle, and some excellent advice. As we were leaving he went over to a drawer and gave us a milking syringe tip and explained how it might help the milk flow. We thanked him and sped home knowing it would be dark by the time we returned. We got back and found the little lamb curled up on the ground, still not nursing. We managed to turn Meek over and calm her while we helped to get her milk flowing. Bill’s advice worked! However, the newborn still wouldn’t latch on, being too weak to suckle with any strength. We decided to take the little lamb inside which isn’t the first thing you want to do because you run the risk of it becoming dependent on the bottle, but there didn’t seem to be any other option. We sat with her next to the wood stove while she took an hour and a half to drink three ounces of Colostrum.

We’ll never forget the sound of her first swallow and the welcoming gurgle her little tummy made. God bless us!

If you’ve never held a little lamb in your arms, make sure to add it to your list of things to experience before leaving this earth.

After she finishing the bottle, we returned little lamb to her mother and tucked them both away inside a little shelter lain with new straw. When we came out this morning to check on them, there was are little lamb standing on all fours sucking hungrily away at Meeks teets…success!

Though we’ve had lambs born before, this was the first time we had experienced this particular situation. After going through it, we felt so grateful, mostly for the happy ending but as well, for the reminder that life really is a learn as you go kind of deal. Thanks for checking in. Make sure to take a look at the picture in the ‘New Born Lamb’ photo album.

Warm regards, Luke and Adrienne



This is our little lamb at less than one day old. We had to bottle feed her because she was too weak to nurse on her own.



Happy to be back together



Little lamby feeling strong and up on her feet



Meek and her lamb

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