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Category Archives: Farm
..and BOOM, it’s winter.
Here in Michigan, we just got our first big dump of snow. Switch from rakes to shovels and from jackets to heavy coats. I was feeling pretty smug about getting ahead of the game on our winterizing chores, but now … Continue reading
Winterizing the Farm
Vacations are refreshing and fun, but on returning from Idaho we had a lot of work to do to get the farm into shape for the coming cold. We put the fourth wall back up onto the goat shed so … Continue reading
Getting to the End of the Harvest
This has been such a satisfying year of making the most of the farm. The goats and chickens gave us so much, the cats did their job keeping the mice down and giving us affection when they felt like it. … Continue reading
Waiting for Chicks to Hatch
Remember Broody, my hen who was determined to sit on her eggs until they hatched? She has sat for at least three weeks now, glowering at anyone who dares to come close, and viciously darting her beak out to stab … Continue reading
Vine Control
I’ve been spending some time with my friend, “The Lopper” this week, relentlessly slicing through the many invasive vines and bushes along the fence row. Then, I enjoyed the satisfying feeling of pulling grapevines down from the trees. I was … Continue reading
Wildflowers for All
A few years ago, we invested in a wildflower planting in the acre of land along the highway out front of our farm. The first year, it was infested with a weed called “mare’s tail” and I spent hours exhaustively … Continue reading
Freezing Strawberries
Inexplicably, this year has been great for my little strawberry patch. I’ve been collecting about two quarts a night and it just keeps on giving. In contrast, the asparagus is weak and sparing. I put straw on both of them … Continue reading
Private Home
I’d like to introduce you to Terrence, the tree frog. He has taken up residence in a wren house that was unoccupied, and seems quite content to spend the day leaning on his little elbows and dozing in the breeze. … Continue reading
My First Yarn Rug
I have a new craft for using my abundance of mohair yarn. I have launched myself on rug hooking! I made my very first small rug with the intention of hanging it on the wall instead of stepping on it. … Continue reading
Posted in Farm, Fiber crafts
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Spring Baby
I’ve just gotta share this little guy who I rescued from our window well. He sat still in paralyzed fear for a few minutes, long enough for a close-up, then slid off the deck into the rose garden. By the … Continue reading
Posted in Farm, Farm Animals
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Curses! Foiled…
I’m in my annual battle with the house finches. They just love building their nests in the corners of our porch columns, soon to be followed by the barn swallows. I don’t mind them raising their families, but I take … Continue reading
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
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
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
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
