Sam's Icelandic Sheep Farm, llc

There is so much that happens here. It takes on a whole new
meaning of ‘just another day.’ In our past lives we loved
opera, theater and all those things that come from living in a
big, metropolitan city. People-watching used to be a
favorite of mine. Now we have opera every day, from
chickens crowing, to obnoxious guineas screeching to birds
singing and trilling throughout the day. The woodpeckers I
liken to the drumming section; the roosters heralding the
opera’s beginning; our cacophony of wild birds delivering
the body of the music score; and the guineas shrieking the
killing, death, disaster that is always depicted in the opera.
And believe me, it carries on all day long!

Our little theater here is watching the lambs play, the dogs
romp, the birds run around like mindless ninnies trying to
get some bug or morsel before the others. Watching a deer
graze, and a squirrel shell and crack a nut is viewing in the
most wondrous form. Then the obnoxious armadillo tears up
the pasture until a dog sees it and there’s murder in the air.
One of the guardian dogs prances around with a rabbit
hanging out of its mouth while the rest of the dogs are
circling as if saying ‘Can I have a bite’, will send you to your
knees in laughter. There’s a pair of bald eagles in the
neighborhood, and occasionally we will see one of them
gently soar so gracefully that it catches in your throat. Our
ponds have the occasional nesting gray heron, snapping
turtles and snakes slithering through the water with
graceful easy that belies their deadly intent. Reality
Theater is what we call it, and it is never-ending, unfolding
all day and night long.

The picture to the left is what we 'dubbed' The Guinea House because I envisioned
housing our guineas in here once I got it rebuilt. Then we could have guinea eggs and the
occasional guinea on the table and in return they would keep down the insects, mainly
ticks, of which there is no shortage. They are also very good foragers of weed seeds.
The goodness of this simple idea was overwhelming. It didn’t turn out that way. Instead,
the guineas, which I never got around to taming, decided to roost in trees or wherever.
They have managed to get themselves picked off by owls and other birds of prey until
there are only 11 as of last counting. Still yet, they do a fine job keeping down the ticks.

But then I decided to get some rooster chickens for meat birds. Once again, repairing
The Guinea House became a top priority. I have a brother who has built houses for a
living, so he showed me how to build the forms. From there concrete was poured and
walls/roof were given added support. Then windows were set in and walls were filled in
around them. I even built a little chicken door. I am almost finished; one more door to
hang and some siding to nail up.