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Author Archives: bluestempond
Vortex at Bluestem Pond
The whole Midwest is suffering under this year’s polar vortex, and we are feeling it here for sure. The temperature at 11 am has risen from 17 to 10 … (oh, that’s negative Fahrenheit, in case you didn’t know!) I’ve … Continue reading
Mystery Hen
I have not much to say recently, as most of my farm experiences have become routine and not worth a big announcement on the blog. We’ve just returned from a week away, visiting for Christmas, and I am so grateful … Continue reading
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A Heavy, Icy Snow
We heard the blowing sleet hitting the house last night and the weather report said it would be a few inches by morning. Still, I was surprised to look out the morning window onto a prairie laid flat. Just yesterday, … Continue reading
One Big Flock
I think I now have the correct formula for growing my flock of chickens without creating a riot. It took a lot of patience. I had to keep the youngest generation protected in their box for a long time, or … Continue reading
Here in Goatland
I sheared the goats last week, on an 80 degree day. They were panting out in the sun, and I figured they’d love to feel the cool breezes again. Of course, the next morning it turned cold and hasn’t really … Continue reading
Segregation – in a Good Way
I think I’ve got this chicken dilemma solved. My baby chicks were being bullied by the young adults and I learned the hard way that this could mean mortal danger. I did some research and talked over options with my … Continue reading
Visitors
Big event, this weekend! Our son and his little family are visiting and we get to be “Grandparents: Live!” for a few days. Our little granddaughter has just mastered walking and in the last week started favoring it over crawling. … Continue reading
What’s This Geometry?
I saw this on the porch screen and was perplexed at the pattern until I looked closer. I guess I should have respected their privacy but it was so pretty! I actually hate these little triangular flies that follow me … Continue reading
Re-building a Flock
Yesterday, we followed a Craigslist posting and picked up four white hens that are close to the age of the rest of our babies. They are tall, sleek White Leghorns, the kind of chicken that produces your normal, ordinary, white … Continue reading
Catching a Predator
We are gradually recovering from our chicken loss, and are getting ready for battle. The day after the attacks, I spotted a fox crossing the property, stopping to take a drink from the pond. I read up on it and … Continue reading
I got a call from my husband in the afternoon, “You’d better come out to the barn right away.” I dropped everything and hurried out the door because this did not bode well. He met me at the entrance and … Continue reading
It’s a Boy!
It is confirmed, one of our ten babies is definitely a rooster. Meet Prince Harry. I was beginning to suspect he wasn’t an ordinary hen, as his tail grew tall and he began strutting among his peers and leading them … Continue reading
Endless Improvements, Fun Projects
We just can’t leave well enough alone around here! I’ve been feeling irritated that I often have to disconnect the electric fence in order to enter the goat pasture to dump out the water bucket or the feeding trough. It … Continue reading
Who Are These Tufted Toddlers?
I’d posted a couple months ago about the many varieties of new chicks we’d brought home. They are now big enough that I opened the trap door on their playpen so they can learn to wander among the big grownup … Continue reading
Playing God with the Pond
The pond (Bluestem Pond, we call it), has taught me the need for an ongoing tussle with Mother Nature, who wishes to make it into a cattail garden. Last year, I used a long-handled cutting rake to break them off … Continue reading
Healing Maple Trees
We planted three maple trees in front of the barn, back in 2010. The following Spring, the bark on the southwest sides was cracked and peeling with holes bored in by insects. It took a year or two of working … Continue reading
