Spring is finally truly here in all its splendiferous, grassy green and flowery yellow glory!
We have had numerous sunny days in a row, and today are getting a needed rainfall to moisten things up a bit again.
The greenhouse is full of seedlings in various stages of early growth. Peas have been planted on Patriots Day and on the 25th. (They are especially loving this rain.) Garlic is almost a foot high and strawberry plants are green and growing. Baby chicks are in the workshop for another two weeks.
Two month old pullet hens are in the chicken tractor on the pasture, and more baby chicks are due in two weeks. A gorgeous new fence has been built around the main pasture. ( A photo will be taken on a sunny day.) And there is a rumor about that milking goats might join us in a few months if all goes well. Things are busy and happening!
Blessings on this April shower that will surely bring the May flowers.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
ZemYa House Concert! - rescheduled!
The Zemya concert that was supposed to happen March 1st got snowed out by one of our many snowstorms this winter.
It will now take place Saturday, May 3rd.
Hope you can make it!
It will now take place Saturday, May 3rd.
Hope you can make it!
Monday, February 25, 2008
ZemYa House Concert!
Zemya to Perform Local House Concert for Fuel Assistance Fundraiser
Saturday, March 1, 2008
7:00 pm
New Elm Farm
27 Lambert Rd., South Freeport (off South Freeport Rd)
Zemya, the nine-woman a cappella World Music group, will perform at a free house concert with special guest Connecticut singer-songwriter Kim Hoffman to help raise funds for local fuel assistance. Zemya sings a wide range of folk music in native languages from around the world. Their current repertoire includes songs from Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, South Africa, Russia, the Americas and the UK. Bring a dessert to share (optional!). All ages welcome. Donations accepted for local fuel assistance funds. FMI and directions, call 865-4019.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
7:00 pm
New Elm Farm
27 Lambert Rd., South Freeport (off South Freeport Rd)
Zemya, the nine-woman a cappella World Music group, will perform at a free house concert with special guest Connecticut singer-songwriter Kim Hoffman to help raise funds for local fuel assistance. Zemya sings a wide range of folk music in native languages from around the world. Their current repertoire includes songs from Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, South Africa, Russia, the Americas and the UK. Bring a dessert to share (optional!). All ages welcome. Donations accepted for local fuel assistance funds. FMI and directions, call 865-4019.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Happy New Year Thoughts for 2008
Happy New Year to one and all!
It is snowing again! Amazing!
Here are some beauty tips for our New Year:
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run her/his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more that things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed - never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover you have two hands - one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.
(I borrowed this from Dr. Brad Weeks blog - these are "beauty tips" from Audrey Hepburn)
It is snowing again! Amazing!
Here are some beauty tips for our New Year:
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run her/his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.
People, even more that things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed - never throw out anyone.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms.
As you grow older, you will discover you have two hands - one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others.
(I borrowed this from Dr. Brad Weeks blog - these are "beauty tips" from Audrey Hepburn)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
This is Venus, my trusty and ultra-devoted Dalmatian. She is now 12 1/2 years old, rather arthritic and going blind. But she gets around amazing well and accompanies me on all animal chores...unless it is too cold.In that case, she waits patiently for me in the mud room.
This is a peek in the hen house. This batch of hens is about 2 years old. they have been great egg layers up until about a week ago. Hopefully, they are just having a wee bit of a winter rest and they begin laying more eggs again before too long.This a look at the other half of the hen house. Here is a new flock of 25 Rhode Island Red hens (plus one old Buff Orpington rooster - Golden Boy, by name). When I say new, I mean new to this farm. They are really about a year old and spent their first year in Chesterville. I saw that they were for sale in Uncle Henry's and thought that I was reeaaally lucky to find them. Ever since they have arrived, though, they have hardly laid any eggs at all. Not sure why, but I am surely hoping they will kick into gear by springtime. If not, their future doesn't look too bright...
This is our Barn Kitty who has been with us about a year. She was a stray and has a very spunky personality.You can not really pet her as she does not understand at all about the "velvet paw" concept, but she is fun to have around. She is also very conscientious about keeping the rodent population balanced.
Just relaxing in the sun....
Life is good....
Chloe, our big alpha sheep, is on the left and below is Baby. (These are names they arrived with...)They are hoping for a handout of apples which they have been getting lately, and they have become quite shameless at begging for them.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to one and all!This is the first blog in far too long.
More will be coming soon with updates of farm goings-on and animal anecdotes.
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Spring, splendid Spring
"In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy."
David Steindl-Rast
Benedictine brother
"Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there."
Josh Billings
The season of warmth and green growing things is well upon us, and for that I am exceedingly grateful...and happy!
Tender green shoots are inching upwards in the greenhouse. The garlic and strawberries have been relieved of their winter hay coats and are looking mighty lovely. Parsnips were planted for the first time last year and dug up on a blustery early April day. My oh my, they are tasty and sweet!
April 5th and 12th brought us blizzards and wet, heavy snow - about a foot each storm. Then came the big nor-easter on April 16th with lots of rain and wind. But by the 18th I was able to begin planting some peas in our upper garden which dries out relatively early. Then we were blessed with a series of warm and sunny days which we all sorely deserved and made us feel that Lady Spring was finally able to muscle her way past King Winter.
The hens are happily laying close to three dozen eggs a day. The sheep are still waiting for the shearer to come and for the grass to become greener and taller. We have a new kitty-cat who lives in the workshop. She was a stray who came to us in December, and her job is to keep the workshop as a mouse-free zone. So far, she seems to be doing a fine job. Sometimes her name is Fido, other times it is BD, but mostly it is...Kitty. She is very spunky and full of personality and lots of fun to have around the yard.
The winter did bring us at least one sad loss. Mrs. Mouse squeezed into the bigger, stronger beehive, made a big nest, gave birth to four babies and managed to eat thousands of bees. Afterwards I learned that the mouse guard needs to be put on by early September which was probably at least one of my mistakes.
Daffodils, forsythia and hyacinth are blooming! And a mere two weeks ago they were under snow. A miracle.
We are planting fruit trees this year! Eleven dwarf apple trees were planted a few days ago. A few more apples, plus peaches, pears and elderberries are going to arrive in the next week. We are also planting a couple dozen
blackberry bushes and more strawberry plants. In a few years, we hope to have lots of fruit to pick and savor.
We no longer have any resident geese or ducks, but we do have regular visitors to the pond - Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, Mr. Ring-necked Duck (mighty handsome), the occasional Canada Geese, and Harry the Heron. The osprey flies overhead hoping for a good catch, but there do not seem to be many trout left, so we will probably stock it again. Our ravens are back and nesting close to where they were last year. Mr. Raven - also known as One-Leg for he always flies with one claw hanging down - is very curious and keeps track of all our various goings on regularly. Mr. Red-tailed Hawk is another regular flying above the driveway. Yesterday we saw two red-headed, pileated woodpeckers together on a tree - that was quite a sight.
We are well on our way to another glorious growing season in this beautiful, peaceful part of the world.
Our blessings really do overflow.
"In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous." Aristotle
David Steindl-Rast
Benedictine brother
"Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there."
Josh Billings
The season of warmth and green growing things is well upon us, and for that I am exceedingly grateful...and happy!
Tender green shoots are inching upwards in the greenhouse. The garlic and strawberries have been relieved of their winter hay coats and are looking mighty lovely. Parsnips were planted for the first time last year and dug up on a blustery early April day. My oh my, they are tasty and sweet!
April 5th and 12th brought us blizzards and wet, heavy snow - about a foot each storm. Then came the big nor-easter on April 16th with lots of rain and wind. But by the 18th I was able to begin planting some peas in our upper garden which dries out relatively early. Then we were blessed with a series of warm and sunny days which we all sorely deserved and made us feel that Lady Spring was finally able to muscle her way past King Winter.
The hens are happily laying close to three dozen eggs a day. The sheep are still waiting for the shearer to come and for the grass to become greener and taller. We have a new kitty-cat who lives in the workshop. She was a stray who came to us in December, and her job is to keep the workshop as a mouse-free zone. So far, she seems to be doing a fine job. Sometimes her name is Fido, other times it is BD, but mostly it is...Kitty. She is very spunky and full of personality and lots of fun to have around the yard.
The winter did bring us at least one sad loss. Mrs. Mouse squeezed into the bigger, stronger beehive, made a big nest, gave birth to four babies and managed to eat thousands of bees. Afterwards I learned that the mouse guard needs to be put on by early September which was probably at least one of my mistakes.
Daffodils, forsythia and hyacinth are blooming! And a mere two weeks ago they were under snow. A miracle.
We are planting fruit trees this year! Eleven dwarf apple trees were planted a few days ago. A few more apples, plus peaches, pears and elderberries are going to arrive in the next week. We are also planting a couple dozen
blackberry bushes and more strawberry plants. In a few years, we hope to have lots of fruit to pick and savor.
We no longer have any resident geese or ducks, but we do have regular visitors to the pond - Mr. and Mrs. Mallard, Mr. Ring-necked Duck (mighty handsome), the occasional Canada Geese, and Harry the Heron. The osprey flies overhead hoping for a good catch, but there do not seem to be many trout left, so we will probably stock it again. Our ravens are back and nesting close to where they were last year. Mr. Raven - also known as One-Leg for he always flies with one claw hanging down - is very curious and keeps track of all our various goings on regularly. Mr. Red-tailed Hawk is another regular flying above the driveway. Yesterday we saw two red-headed, pileated woodpeckers together on a tree - that was quite a sight.
We are well on our way to another glorious growing season in this beautiful, peaceful part of the world.
Our blessings really do overflow.
"In all things of nature, there is something of the marvelous." Aristotle
Monday, October 9, 2006
October News
"O, it sets my heart a clickin'
like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the
punkin and the fodder's
in the shock.
- James Whitcomb Riley
"Be like a postage stamp, stick to one thing until you get there." - Josh Billings
Lo and behold! It is October again, and we have had frost on the punkins the last two nights! It has been a long and (paradoxically) short four months since my last entry on June 9th when we were still in the throes of the torrential spring rains. Well, they finally did stop, and from mid-June on, we had a gorgeous summer with plenty of sunshine and just the right amount of rain to have a good growing season. The rains of May and June in addition to poor soil in a new garden caused a sad (read: tears more than once) loss of hundreds of plants. In mid-June, I had to completely write off all the work of May and begin again.
But the new seeds and seedlings finally did grow and actually thrive in the main garden of the last three years, and so the season ended up being a decent one - even though I had no summer or winter squash, cukes or potatoes (all lost in the rains). The lessons I learned are threefold: never count on a new garden even if the soil test seems to indicate that things will be fine, never start seedlings inside so early again and be very wary of planting any seedlings or seeds much earlier than the first week of June since we seem to be in a "very rainy May pattern" these last three years. It's just so hard to wait, but wait I will next year.
Other farm news from the summer: Thirty new pullet hens arrived in June. It is the first time I ordered pullets - young hens just old enough to begin laying eggs - and I must say I like it! They have been great layers of eggs and seem to be a happy, frisky group of hens. They really love my almost daily offerings of piles of weeds and unwanted greenery from the garden. They tear into things and can demolish a very large pile in a few hours.
I also raised forty meat birds in the chicken tractor on the pasture. They were Red Bros - a variety that is supposed to forage better on the grass than Cornish hens. They all grew nicely plump in 9 weeks and, after their date at the abattoir, most of them weighed 4+ pounds. When I am raising all these chickens, I completely lose my appetite for them, so I ate no chicken for about the last three to four months. Just two nights ago we ate the first one, and my, it was succulent and delicious! Chickens raised in a healthy setting on good grain and grass are a completely different culinary experience than those things that pass for chicken in the grocerey store.
The poultry pens were rounded out with nine turkeys who were a really delightful crew to raise. Turkeys are the best! It is true they are not too bright, but they are comical, curious, pleasant and make the sweetest trilling sounds when they are happy. They are all now in the cooler soon to go in the deep freeze. And they got quite big, bigger than I had really wanted - two are about 29 pounds! Although I am happy to have one less chore to do, I do miss their contented presence on the farm.
The gardens have almost all been put to bed. Most of them have received a good dose of dolomitic lime, and another good dose of manure or compost. They have also been spaded with our wonderful orange, Italian spading machine which does not harm the soil structure. So things are settling down nicely here as we head into the colder months.
Have been thinking and reading a lot about apple trees, and I think we will take the leap and plant some next year.
It is a big commitment but having our own, juicy apples should be worth the effort. Also would love to learn about grafting and try that on one or two of the older apple trees here. So many things to do and never a dull moment!
like the tickin' of a clock,
When the frost is on the
punkin and the fodder's
in the shock.
- James Whitcomb Riley
"Be like a postage stamp, stick to one thing until you get there." - Josh Billings
Lo and behold! It is October again, and we have had frost on the punkins the last two nights! It has been a long and (paradoxically) short four months since my last entry on June 9th when we were still in the throes of the torrential spring rains. Well, they finally did stop, and from mid-June on, we had a gorgeous summer with plenty of sunshine and just the right amount of rain to have a good growing season. The rains of May and June in addition to poor soil in a new garden caused a sad (read: tears more than once) loss of hundreds of plants. In mid-June, I had to completely write off all the work of May and begin again.
But the new seeds and seedlings finally did grow and actually thrive in the main garden of the last three years, and so the season ended up being a decent one - even though I had no summer or winter squash, cukes or potatoes (all lost in the rains). The lessons I learned are threefold: never count on a new garden even if the soil test seems to indicate that things will be fine, never start seedlings inside so early again and be very wary of planting any seedlings or seeds much earlier than the first week of June since we seem to be in a "very rainy May pattern" these last three years. It's just so hard to wait, but wait I will next year.
Other farm news from the summer: Thirty new pullet hens arrived in June. It is the first time I ordered pullets - young hens just old enough to begin laying eggs - and I must say I like it! They have been great layers of eggs and seem to be a happy, frisky group of hens. They really love my almost daily offerings of piles of weeds and unwanted greenery from the garden. They tear into things and can demolish a very large pile in a few hours.
I also raised forty meat birds in the chicken tractor on the pasture. They were Red Bros - a variety that is supposed to forage better on the grass than Cornish hens. They all grew nicely plump in 9 weeks and, after their date at the abattoir, most of them weighed 4+ pounds. When I am raising all these chickens, I completely lose my appetite for them, so I ate no chicken for about the last three to four months. Just two nights ago we ate the first one, and my, it was succulent and delicious! Chickens raised in a healthy setting on good grain and grass are a completely different culinary experience than those things that pass for chicken in the grocerey store.
The poultry pens were rounded out with nine turkeys who were a really delightful crew to raise. Turkeys are the best! It is true they are not too bright, but they are comical, curious, pleasant and make the sweetest trilling sounds when they are happy. They are all now in the cooler soon to go in the deep freeze. And they got quite big, bigger than I had really wanted - two are about 29 pounds! Although I am happy to have one less chore to do, I do miss their contented presence on the farm.
The gardens have almost all been put to bed. Most of them have received a good dose of dolomitic lime, and another good dose of manure or compost. They have also been spaded with our wonderful orange, Italian spading machine which does not harm the soil structure. So things are settling down nicely here as we head into the colder months.
Have been thinking and reading a lot about apple trees, and I think we will take the leap and plant some next year.
It is a big commitment but having our own, juicy apples should be worth the effort. Also would love to learn about grafting and try that on one or two of the older apple trees here. So many things to do and never a dull moment!
Saturday, July 8, 2006
Sunday, June 11, 2006
Turtle!
Just showed up in the middle of the driveway:
I tried to pet the turtle- to put my hand in the shot and show scale- and I got snapped at!
Scribbler didn't though.
I tried to pet the turtle- to put my hand in the shot and show scale- and I got snapped at!
Scribbler didn't though.
Friday, June 9, 2006
Rain*La Pluie*Der Regen
The rain in Maine is the bane of my brain.
The rain in Maine is reigning without reins.
Could the rain in Maine wane without being in vain?
The rain in Maine is inhumane and insane.
Must the rain in Maine remain?
May the rain in Maine refrain and constrain lest I become profane.
Perhaps the rain in Maine could deign to feign and then abstain.
The rain in Maine causes many a Mainer to complain.
The rain in Maine is reigning without reins.
Could the rain in Maine wane without being in vain?
The rain in Maine is inhumane and insane.
Must the rain in Maine remain?
May the rain in Maine refrain and constrain lest I become profane.
Perhaps the rain in Maine could deign to feign and then abstain.
The rain in Maine causes many a Mainer to complain.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
In Memoriam
" Like the dew on the mountain,
Like the foam on the river,
Like the bubble on the fountain,
Thou art gone and for ever!"
- Walter Scott
Tom the Amazing Swimming Turkey met his Maker last night. His white feathers trimmed with black stripes are strewn about the fowlyard this morning. There is another pile of them further out in the pasture. It was probably the big coy dog who has been regularly visiting the area and who clearly has developed quite a taste for our birds. He or she has already happily dined on seven ducks.
It is a sad day for the farm. Tom, you will be sorely missed. You were a wonderful, if quirky, bird. Life on the pond won't be same without you.
Like the foam on the river,
Like the bubble on the fountain,
Thou art gone and for ever!"
- Walter Scott
Tom the Amazing Swimming Turkey met his Maker last night. His white feathers trimmed with black stripes are strewn about the fowlyard this morning. There is another pile of them further out in the pasture. It was probably the big coy dog who has been regularly visiting the area and who clearly has developed quite a taste for our birds. He or she has already happily dined on seven ducks.
It is a sad day for the farm. Tom, you will be sorely missed. You were a wonderful, if quirky, bird. Life on the pond won't be same without you.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Saturday, April 8, 2006
swimming turkey
here's how the game works:
1. entice the little dog out by the birds with a plate that she presumes has dinner on it
2. the dog sees the turkey and starts to chase it
3. the turkey realizes he is less afraid of the pond than the little dog
4. and since all his geese and duck friends can swim
5. the turkey hops in the pond and swims away from the dog.
what the video doesn't really show is that the turkey SINKS as it swims further.
*edit* this post was written by brook- and dad has pointed out that it reads like the turkey sunk permanently. it did not, it just appears to become "waterlogged" and float lower the longer it stays in the water. The turkey is fine.
Monday, March 20, 2006
HAPPY VERNAL EQUINOX
"As I grow to understand life less and less, I learn to love it more and more."
Jules Renard
"For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yes, Blessed Blessings on this happy day of the equal parts of light and dark in the renewal time of the year to one and all! But a mighty cold one, it is. So far, my weather forecast is right about that one - even if I did not quite get the several days of rain right. The official log date for Ice Out of the pond was Saturday, the 18th- three weeks earlier than last year! My, the ducks and geese are happy, happy, happy to have their pond fully back again. And the new ducks - the ones that arrived in January - have really taken to it like "ducks to water" (unlike the first group of ducks who took months to get their little webbed feet into the wet stuff.).
Tomato seedlings planted last Sunday are up and already two inches tall, joyfully straining toward the light. The new greenhouse, alas, is not yet operational.......but they say it will be soon. Also have planted 7 flats of onions and leeks, 3 of various flowers and today will be planting several of kale, mustard greens and other leafy things. Once I get into the greenhouse, planting will be happening every day until it is full!
Last Saturday, the 11th, we had our one and only warmish, spring-like day so far, and I spent it happily carting out numerous loads of chicken coop guano mixed in with shavings and mulch hay. These loads were placed in layers with old compost, soil, lime and rock phosphate to begin a new, bigger and better compost pile. My compost making these last three years has been too haphazard. It is my 2006 resolution to make better and even truly superb compost! I will keep you posted (composted?) as to the results.
I am really in love with this time of year. Can hardly wait to have it warm up a bit more so I can really get out there digging, planting, cleaning up and seeing all the spring bulbs and bushes come alive. Last fall I planted several hundred crocuses by the front door and many tulips too. The crocuses started to send up their shoots during the warm spell in January, so I covered them up with hay for a couple of months. They are now uncovered and almost two inches high. I'll put a phto on when they finally bloom. Last year it was April 10 when crocuses bloomed here. It will surely be earlier this year.
Time to sign off for today. Must eat my oatmeal and plant my seeds. Enjoy the light and the growing warmth!
Jules Renard
"For every minute you are angry, you lose sixty seconds of happiness."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Yes, Blessed Blessings on this happy day of the equal parts of light and dark in the renewal time of the year to one and all! But a mighty cold one, it is. So far, my weather forecast is right about that one - even if I did not quite get the several days of rain right. The official log date for Ice Out of the pond was Saturday, the 18th- three weeks earlier than last year! My, the ducks and geese are happy, happy, happy to have their pond fully back again. And the new ducks - the ones that arrived in January - have really taken to it like "ducks to water" (unlike the first group of ducks who took months to get their little webbed feet into the wet stuff.).
Tomato seedlings planted last Sunday are up and already two inches tall, joyfully straining toward the light. The new greenhouse, alas, is not yet operational.......but they say it will be soon. Also have planted 7 flats of onions and leeks, 3 of various flowers and today will be planting several of kale, mustard greens and other leafy things. Once I get into the greenhouse, planting will be happening every day until it is full!
Last Saturday, the 11th, we had our one and only warmish, spring-like day so far, and I spent it happily carting out numerous loads of chicken coop guano mixed in with shavings and mulch hay. These loads were placed in layers with old compost, soil, lime and rock phosphate to begin a new, bigger and better compost pile. My compost making these last three years has been too haphazard. It is my 2006 resolution to make better and even truly superb compost! I will keep you posted (composted?) as to the results.
I am really in love with this time of year. Can hardly wait to have it warm up a bit more so I can really get out there digging, planting, cleaning up and seeing all the spring bulbs and bushes come alive. Last fall I planted several hundred crocuses by the front door and many tulips too. The crocuses started to send up their shoots during the warm spell in January, so I covered them up with hay for a couple of months. They are now uncovered and almost two inches high. I'll put a phto on when they finally bloom. Last year it was April 10 when crocuses bloomed here. It will surely be earlier this year.
Time to sign off for today. Must eat my oatmeal and plant my seeds. Enjoy the light and the growing warmth!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
