Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Old House Progress







I've been working on the old farm house and am posting these photos mainly for my parents and interested friends and relatives. I'll post more as I get rooms finished.








Saturday, April 25, 2009

90 Degrees

Yep. It was 90 degrees F. today. We zoomed right from Winter past Spring and into (hopefully) temporary Summer.

I'm exhausted from the Market and whatever farm chores I managed to get done.

Tinkie is back with the herd, having voluntarily walked through a gate held open for her. She's had her annual adventure. It's out of her system and she's back to normal.

Asparagus grew up during the hot day and I picked a good sized bunch this evening. We set up sprinklers in the vegetable garden area. After I rest up tonight, I'll probably feel like doing some outside work, but the grass needs to be cut again already.

The old house is shaping up nicely. Now that the interior plaster is repaired and rooms painted, I can clean and put furniture back. Soon, it will be ready for guests.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Tinkerbelle's Adventure

Spring marches on relentlessly.

Lilacs fill the air with fragrance. The peonies have their little ball buds and amazingly, flag iris are ready to bloom.

It's been cool and rainy. Fine with me. Seedlings are safe and sound in the greenhouse, developing nicely, thank you. I can see peas, beets, and spinach coming up outside. I transplanted some Oriental greens outside and also scattered seeds in small beds

Baby bucklings have all gone to new homes. The goats were stuck inside much of yesterday because they don't like rain and mud. Again the barn needs raking and new shavings in stalls and hallways.

Of course there's a clutch of little chicks with their determined mommie chicken. You can't get through Spring without chicks, whether you want them or not. She tricked me!

On the cow front, Tinkerbelle -- one of the six belles I received in a trade for an old tractor one year -- Lulubelle, Annabelle, Jezebelle, Clarabelle... -- well, anyway, somehow Tinkie, as I call her, got on the other side of the fence. She has access to the pastures the goats are in and is chomping grass with reckless abandon, ignoring her cow buddies who are somewhat concerned about her independent spirit.

Yes, Tinkie was the cow rescued from under a round bale one year when she managed to get into a hay shed. She recovered and hasn't learned any lesson at all from that experience. Evidently, she doesn't have a new calf currently or there'd be a lot of bawling -- as when she managed to get into our fenced woods on one of her other adventures.

Tinkerbelle's girth belies her name, as she is not fairy-like at all, except for the fact that she has magical powers and can, evidently, fly over fences.

Ah, Tinkie, you embody the non-conformist explorer. You are the symbol of independent thought and innovation. May you grow and prosper.

...but I'll get you yet!

Sunday, April 12, 2009

Easter Eggs

While admiring a random basket of mixed turkey and chicken eggs (baskets of eggs fill refrigerators here at this time of year) I had to admire the beautiful mix of colors, sizes and textures. Brown eggs, green eggs, speckled eggs -- who needs dye?

I wonder if city folks started coloring Easter Eggs as a result of longing for the country and the time before the identical "factory eggs" they buy in the supermarket? Perhaps they had some memory of Springtime on the farm?

It's certainly easy to understand why eggs became part of the whole Easter celebration. Eggs are a plentiful part of Spring after Winter's decreased production.

The grass needs to be cut already, due to the rain we've had lately. Redbuds and lilac are blooming, as is the blue pulmonaria. Daffodils and narcissus are "over" already, looking shabby and worn. Tulips have created jolly groupings here and there.

Cabbages and oriental greens came up in the greenhouse in a matter of two days. They need to be transferred to multipack containers already. It's a little too cold to plant most things in the garden this year, but these will get out there soon. Rhubarb is doing great outside and I probably should pick some already. I saw the first asparagus tips peeking out of the ground.

Another class of baby goats has graduated from their safe maternity barns. It was time for the mother goats to get out in the pastures to get the nutrition from browse. The babies seem, with the exception of occasional stragglers, to be following the herd. The little ones who miss the "goat boat" cry in vain, as the mothers know they will learn soon from the experience. Mama goats pick up the little ones when the herd comes back down to the barns to get a drink mid-day. The babies are in goat kindergarten, a little disoriented but learning a lot about the world at large and life on the farm.