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Category Archives: Uncategorized
Garlic
We purchased a big bag of garlic at Costco last month. It was way too much but you can’t buy a little of anything at that place. So, I tucked the bag away in the pantry and have been pulling … Continue reading
The Pond Awakens
(Enough of sadness, lets get back to wonder.) Our farm pond has been sleeping through the long winter. The fish and frogs have gone down deep to sleep through the cold season, and the only movement is from the dried cattails … Continue reading
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Signs of Spring 2017
We are having an early thaw and it’s fun to see all the harbingers of spring around the farm. We met this little guy in the driveway this morning and the dogs were thrilled. He “played possum” and waddled away as … Continue reading
My Poor Ely
Yesterday, I was mystified when I checked on the goats for the night because Ely kept his head down even when I reached out to scratch his head. It was raining and cold and I had things to do so … Continue reading
Spring Teaser
We are in a temporary thaw, with furious winds last night shaking the house and helping to evaporate off some of the excess moisture. The animals are taking this as a sign of spring and everyone is frisky. I opened the door … Continue reading
Building a Community
It seems to me that life in the barnyard must be pretty dull. Each day is pretty much like the last and visits from those at the house come only a couple times a day. And so, it is heartening … Continue reading
Pastoral Experiences
I looked up the word “Pastoral” to make sure I was not misusing it. No, it means, “having the simplicity, charm, serenity, or other characteristics generally attributed to rural areas.” Some days are just like that. My boys seem to look … Continue reading
One Down, One To Go
Yesterday, I took the plunge and sheared my first goat! When I took out my shearing machine for the first time, it was pretty intimidating – large, heavy, and with “sharp pointy teeth.” I read the tiny print in the … Continue reading
Don’t Count Your Chickens…
I was sad yesterday, when I went out to check on the chickens and found that two babies had gone missing. They are small enough to slip in and out of their cage so I chalked it up to natural … Continue reading
Heavy Rain on a Parched Farm
This has been an extremely dry summer on the farm, and any little rain has been met with smiles and dancing. Yesterday, however, we got a downpour like a faucet turned on full and it went on for hours and … Continue reading
The Younger Generation
We found a farm store with two-week-old chicks and I bought 6 of them, so now we have 16 chickens on the farm. A two week head start is better than nothing, although it would have been nice to start … Continue reading
The Mutant Jumbo Egg
My one Isa Brown hen lays a jumbo egg every single day. I have been mulling over trying to hatch a few of them to grow my own flock of Isa’s. I have noticed lately that her eggshells are getting … Continue reading
Making Friends with Goats
I think these guys are beginning to really like me! I came out to bring them their dinner and found them out in the middle of the field, munching on flowers. I called them and they came thundering through the underbrush … Continue reading
Veteran Chickens
I can hardly believe this is my flock’s third summer, and it’s already practically over. Caring for them is now old news and I only just got around to raking out and hosing down their run this week. They were … Continue reading
King of the Hill
Now that my goats have come to trust me, I am beginning to train them some simple tricks. I take peanuts or green beans out with me and call their names, rewarding them when they respond. I can’t help it, … Continue reading
Posted in Farm Animals, Uncategorized
Tagged angora goats, goats climbing, head butting
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New Goat Home
The adoption is complete, and our two angora goat kids are installed into the home we built for them. My husband put together a nice shed and a fun playground to keep them entertained. We found a hay supplier and … Continue reading
“Normal”
Sometimes, I think that the most heavenly state I ever experience is when things are just NORMAL. Perhaps I am getting to be secretly obsessive/compulsive as I age, in that I crave a predictable routine. Special activities are nice but my … Continue reading
Bird Nests
We’ve been a virtual hatching factory around here this month. The finches up in the front porch columns are on their second batch of babies, after the first three hatchlings did not do well. The new ones are in full … Continue reading
The Next Big Thing
We are slowly, tentatively, approaching the big day on which our Bluestem Pond Farm adopts its first two goats. I had always thought, “Sheep!” I have a spinning wheel and am able to spin out thread for yarn in a clumsy way, … Continue reading
Appreciating Growth
When we began building this farm, we had a long-range plan and a commitment to pick away at it year to year until the entire dream became a reality. Part of this strategy included trust and patience that we could start … Continue reading
