IdleWild Farm & Fiber

06/15/2026

Patch job complete. I need to cap those angled out t-posts until I can get them out of the ground. (A job for tomorrow.) The downed woven wire fence and the corrugated tin that blew in from somewhere unknown is going to be a job to remove.

But. Three strands of wire, strung taut, is enough that I’m willing to gamble letting the horses out back and save myself the hay they’re eating. There’s not a lot of pasture, but there’s enough for those two.

06/14/2026

“I’m going to take the day and just relax.” I said.

That lasted about 5 minutes. Now I’m out fixing fence, because it’s 70 degrees out and doing it now instead of when it’s 90 sounds a lot better.

Today is a patch job. The wind has drifted sand over a big section that is going to involve getting the tractor out here to pull things up, but I’m hoping to make this at least workable enough to contain two horses.

06/11/2026

It’s not enough that I’m locked in a battle with a local coyote pack, but now I’ve got bald eagles eyeballing my lambs as well.

Charra saw it before I did and chased it over the fence line and stood there and yelled at it for a bit. The eagle finally decided to go get itself a rabbit and left us alone.

06/10/2026

Milk vampire. 🍼🧛🏻‍♂️ Or maybe a little milk zombie. 🍼🧟

I swear by all that’s holy, Teppo cannot have a bottle without wearing half of it and his single minded determination to get to that bottle (even if he’s just been fed) is insane. His other new trick is to dance in circles while he’s feeding….and unscrew the ni**le and dump the contents on his own head. When he’s not doing that, he’s trying to nurse on the dog, my elbow, parts of the fence….

He’s now the reason I’ve decided all future bottle babies go on a bucket system. 😂

06/09/2026

Charra is an absolute love. We’re getting each other figured out.

06/06/2026

When you’re tired of the bratty bottle baby incessantly nose punching you in the legs, a carefully deployed coffee can buys a few seconds of peace. 🤣

(I pulled this off his head a second later. No bottle babies were harmed in this video.)

06/05/2026

Everyone, please meet Charra.

Charra’s specialty is protecting sheep and lambs from predators and she’s very, very good at her job. She’s somewhat high mileage and our farm is her semi-retirement, but considering I have zero experience with a LGD, this is the best possible option for both of us. I am very fortunate that this girl was available right when I needed her and that she’s got enough experience that she can get me broke in.

The best part? I get to love on a very sweet, giant dog who adores my lambs.

06/05/2026

Someone new is joining us at Idlewild. More details coming soon, but we’re just settling in for tonight.

05/27/2026

05/26/2026

So we’ve finally pinned a name on the little dude. Meet “Teppo” - which is the Finnish version of “Steve - in honor of his fantastic suspenders (Steve Urkel).

I have discovered that the easier way to keep a male lamb from peeing on everything is to just use an oversized diaper with the front part offset underneath. Adam came up with using a sheet keeper as an adjustable suspender. It’s not foolproof, but seems to work pretty well.