tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-210217452024-03-12T22:10:15.196-05:00Brambleberry BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger285125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-28064777301661925992017-01-09T17:38:00.001-05:002017-01-09T17:38:25.512-05:00Life on the Frozen TundraHi. 'Long time no post. <br />
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I've been busy doing stuff around the farm. The farm shop, for instance, is completely cleaned out and re-organized. I've even fixed some furniture that had been sitting in there for years. I now have a handle on what tools I have and can find them fairly quickly when I need to do repairs. Yay! It's good.<br />
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My neighbor found the time to remove the double door on the end wall, which had de-laminated and was shredding in the strong Autumn winds. He and a friend put up 2 X 4's in the wall and used the metal siding I bought last year to completely cover the outside of the end wall. Inside, we installed some pegboard where the double door had been.<br />
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I hired another neighbor/friend to replace the shop door and storm door. What an improvement. The old storm door looked like it'd been run over by a large truck.<br />
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When they get time, the guys will finish re-siding the rest of the building.<br />
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My sights are now on the old garage, which will keep me busy for another year, most likely.<br />
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The chickens are laying up a storm and with any luck, all the goats are pregnant and due to kid in March and April.<br />
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We got about five inches of snow on Friday night. Since the temperatures have been in the teens and single digits over the weekend, the snow and ice remain. It will be up in the 60s by the end of the week.<br />
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Surprisingly, the Angry Bird is still at it. He is a smallish cardinal. I've tried reasoning with him, yelling at him, and scaring him, all to no avail. A couple of us think that he is the reincarnation of someone who was close to me, but I'm not sure what to do about it. This guy just keeps bashing his head against the window. I wish he would make peace with his life and go about some more productive business.<br />
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When it is this cold, I spend a lot more time inside. I read and stream movies and find inside stuff to do. I've gotten more involved in politics lately and am thinking that since I write this blog mostly for myself, I may express some of my ideas about current events. So: warning. If you don't want to read opinions from the liberal side of the street, you may want to look elsewhere for entertainment.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-41828595460701226962016-07-19T17:01:00.000-05:002016-07-19T17:01:08.057-05:00Angry BirdIt is hot and sticky. 'Nothing new -- but unpleasant.<br />
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There have been recent bear sightings of a "good sized" bear crossing into my land from the common road. This has given new credence to some about the bent bird feeder stake.<br />
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The "chicken house geese" have been relocated to the pond and so far, bloodshed has been averted with the other group of geese. I took great pains to repair the old duck house for them, but so far, they will not go in consistently for the night.<br />
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Meanwhile, all chicks, including the 24 Americaunas from the hatchery, have graduated into the general population and are learning to co-exist with the older chickens. They all know to return to their coops at night so that I can tuck them in and close the doors to keep predators away. I think they are all very smart.<br />
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Mr. Beep, the peacock, recently had two visitors, both similar peacocks which came right into our zoo netting and walked into the chicken house. I guess he thought his prayers for a mate had been answered. They managed to go in and out by mysterious means for about two weeks before I figured out who they belonged to. My neighbor became the fearless peacock trapper and we got them back to their home. Mr. Beep is desolate once again. The chickens simply are not impressed by his magnificent mating display, but I am always complimenting him on its beauty!<br />
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There is a house finch, which looks just like one of the Angry Birds, who has been tapping with his large orange beak and flinging himself into the windows around my bedroom for months. He is red with black around his face. I thought surely he would have tired of this behavior a long time ago, but he keeps on. The frequency and the fury has abated somewhat. I'd guess that's because he's probably given himself brain damage.<br />
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Gladiola bulbs that I bought in a large cheap bag, not really expecting much of, have grown and are currently blooming. I love the way they look in a vase in the house.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-89613461096840089852016-05-19T11:30:00.002-05:002016-05-19T11:30:41.945-05:00Gander ManagementThe males of the species are all "hormoned-up" this Spring. Ganders in the chicken house are fighting one another for the lone female. She has started laying eggs in her hiding place and the guys have made some sort of pact to maintain the peace. Out at the pond, Honky guards his old Wifey from Baby Huey -- who is wary and makes wide circles around them.<br />
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The two roosters have gone at one another even though there are plenty of hens to share. The first batch of white leghorn chicks have graduated to a coop in the chicken house. My home incubated chicks are sharing the big brooder with 24 new hatchery chicks. All seem to be doing fine.<br />
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The goats are without a buck until the Fall, when I will acquire one to breed them. My neighbor and I will go back into the goat business when he retires from his off the farm job in the Spring. I've been cleaning and fixing in the nursery barns as I have the time now and won't necessarily want to do it in the hot late Summer and freezing Winter months. I'm using up all the piles of old metal roofing material by lining the walls of the newest maternity barn to cut down on drafts. <br />
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The goose house now has a nifty metal floor made of old sign material and the back is now covered with metal siding. This has kept rats and other small vermin at bay. Similarly I've patched up holes in the chicken house to improve the rat- and snake-proofing.<br />
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The beautiful red bull has learned to get over fences and electric wires to go pretty much where he wants to go. It is becoming a problem, as the cows observe and learn from him. My neighbor owns him but we have combined herds on my land for grazing. He took the bull across the road to his place in the trailer and put him in a chain link fenced enclosure last night. We talked at the road for about ten minutes, when I noticed that he was out. This morning, he was again up at my place. I'm not sure what the solution will be for him, but am at least hoping to see some of his red haired children among the calf crop this Fall. I hope they do not inherit his intellectual abilities.<br />
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There'll be no peaches, apricots, or pears this year. The late frost wiped them out. Apples survived.<br />
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The hay is up high but we need the rain to stop for a few days in order to cut it. That's the normal report for May.<br />
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Keep your socks dry.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-87213818185552629842016-04-04T13:38:00.001-05:002016-04-04T13:38:46.917-05:00Pink Blossom WorldOn Easter, the redbuds were newly hot pink in the fields and hills. All the fruit trees were in bloom. Peonies, always a miracle, were up with their reddish foliage. Some tulips were blooming, lilacs were all budded out and all looked jolly, right on astronomical cue.<br />
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As I cleared old dried lemon balm near the house, I accidently found a nest of baby Easter bunnies. Since then, I've checked each day to see if they're still alive and, despite the recent cold nights and rain, they are! Just placing my open palm over the place where the nest is tells me because it is very warm to the touch. Mother rabbit must be secretly visiting to nurse, as they are growing. She pulled out some of her own fur and lined the nest for maximum coziness.<br />
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I don't think I'm getting soft in the head yet, as I still don't love the wild rabbits that eat a lot of the plantings. As a mammal, I'm just a sucker for cute furry babies. They'll be gone soon, and I can get back to the gardening.<br />
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My deer proofing is being challenged by sustained fifty-mile-an-hour winds for the last three days. I can confidently report that dollar store whirligigs don't quite hold up. They've been collected and stored inside until things calm down and I can do some repairs. One of the nice expensive wind chimes with a solar light has been blown to smitherines and I've yet to find all the pieces.<br />
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I guess it's all right, as I was worried that the plantings were starting to look a bit like "crazyland" and I can revise the arrangement after the repairs are made. The deer WILL NOT deprive me of fruit and flowers this year!<br />
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A big group of around thirty wild turkey were walking through the middle of the hay field yesterday morning. They were all females with their young -- a tribute to good wildlife management and the fact that hunters thinned out the "gobblers" on the last legal hunting day. If there are too many Toms, they find the nests and break the eggs to keep the females breeding.<br />
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Speaking of eggs, I filled the incubator with chicken eggs and it's chugging away with its automatic turner.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-10092059030105413642016-03-10T15:20:00.002-05:002016-03-10T15:20:26.348-05:00Spring Cleaning I hurt my back shoveling out the goose house after the flood from snow runoff receded. Now, it is ready for my idea to line the floor with metal to keep varmints from chewing through. My neighbor says he'll help and will use some of the old flat metal he's collected. If that doesn't work out, I've measured the old used tin roofing we've got piled around the farm. This is war! <br />
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I'm also planning on installing metal siding to the back and sides. YouTube has some great videos which provide instruction in the installation.<br />
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Today, I started on the chicken house cleaning. It was also impacted a bit by seeping water. Yesterday, I repaired one of the coops that had rusted out chicken wire. I replaced it with hardware cloth and found the old door for the coop and installed it. A coop a day seems reasonable until my back heals.<br />
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The big barn is next. All the wasted hay on the floor will be unnecessary as it warms up. We've had a couple days of unseasonable heat, but I think that will correct itself soon. Tonight's rain will cool us down and we're sure to get more cold weather this month and next.<br />
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I've ordered chicks and need to get the brooder ready. I've also ordered pullets and have a spare coop just about ready for them until they are integrated into the flock.<br />
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The pear trees were growing straight up to the sky, so I pruned all but one. As I stood on the ladder with my small chain saw, it occurred to me that there was a certain amount of inherent danger of physical injury, so I asked the men if someone would just lop off the two remaining vertical branches the next time they are cutting down cedars and wild cherry in the pastures.<br />
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Spring bulbs are emerging and daffodils are ready to bloom. Trees and shrubs are showing leaf buds.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-75212175939212245022016-02-11T15:11:00.002-05:002016-02-11T15:11:48.472-05:00FebruaryThe good news for today: the mud is frozen, so you can walk or drive on it without slipping.<br />
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The temps are very low and will be for at least through next week, with snow and sleet in the mix. I am back to hauling hot water from the old house to the chickens, as their hydrant is frozen. Egg production is down, understandably.<br />
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That's February for you.<br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-22369039773555005462016-01-31T10:56:00.001-05:002016-01-31T10:56:56.843-05:00Where the Wild Things AreThree sweet dreams were interrupted last night by wild animal cries. Twice, coyotes' howling and once, toward morning, by the high pitched "moaning" of foxes mating.<br />
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I've heard the foxes every year, but did not make note of the dates. Now, I'll be able to compare from year to year.<br />
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A very large flock of robins has been in the pines and around the driveway since the snowstorm about a week and a half ago. I'm happy to provide shelter for them.<br />
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The snow is still on the ground, but melting some each day and refreezing at night.<br />
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Melted mud is just as slippery as frozen slush.<br />
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Signs of Spring: the peacock has regrown the tail feathers shed in Autumn and was displaying this morning for the chickens. Honky gander is in biting mode, expecting old Wifey to start laying eggs soon. We will all make a wide path and try not to set him off.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-85723437840353537682015-12-23T14:20:00.001-05:002015-12-23T14:34:49.136-05:00Bye Bye Birdie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The bird watching was going along swimmingly. I was enjoying watching the phoebes and juncos at the feeder and a small group of Northern flickers appeared on the lawn.<br />
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One morning last week, I went out to take my morning trek down the hill to the barns and I saw the suet feeder on the driveway, metal cage broken apart and all the suet eaten. The wooden feeder was on the ground minus the seed. The steel hanger post was bent at a 45 degree angle.<br />
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I would not want to meet the squirrel or raccoon that can bend steel.<br />
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There were only two plausible explanations: Superman or a bear!<br />
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An Associated Press article in the Sunday paper shed more light on the happening. It seems that the unusual warmth this December has kept the bears out of their hibernation dens and they are still roaming around foraging for food. The article recommended waiting until after the snow comes to put out bird feeders.<br />
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I will do that.<br />
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The summertime peach eating mystery may be on its way to being solved. It was either a bear or Superman.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-68439654885986920962015-12-16T07:22:00.003-05:002015-12-16T07:26:19.308-05:00December Warm SpellA couple of days ago, I was able to walk down to the barns wearing a T-shirt and jeans -- no jacket. I'll don a jacket this morning, but by this afternoon, a sweater or sweatshirt will probably do.<br />
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They're saying that it will be cold tomorrow after the rain, but then we'll warm up again before Christmas.<br />
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The trees have all budded out and I see new lilac seedlings leafed out. This concerns me, because if the fruit trees bloom all is lost for a crop next year. For all I know, the trees themselves may decline.<br />
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This is unusual, to say the least.<br />
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The garden clean up is progressing. I still haven't decided what to do with the space.<br />
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I moved the bird feeder up to the top of the hill and can watch birds outside my window near my desk. Bird identification books and binoculars are in place there.<br />
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I managed to see one "falling star" during the night.<br />
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There is less and less light as we zoom toward Solstice.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-75942825866353367662015-11-12T18:34:00.001-05:002015-11-12T18:34:49.003-05:00NovemberOctober's brilliant color is being washed away gradually by November rains and wind. The hills are slowly turning mostly brown, which will morph into grey as we descend into Winter.<br />
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Temperatures haven't been too bad, however. We had a few cold days, but today, for example, it got up to seventy degrees. This will not last, as the weather roller coaster takes us up and down and then stops at the low end of the thermometer.<br />
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Flocks, large and small, of birds are on the move. Sometimes the sound of their collective wings flapping make me stop what I'm doing and look up.<br />
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I've been working on cleaning up the vegetable/butterfly garden, loading and dumping brush and weeds each day. I'm going to convert it to some neater area, but it's still formulating in my brain. As long as the weather cooperates, I'll continue.<br />
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'Ran into a Spring bulb sale and 'bought a lot of them. They are all planted except for one package of forty blue crocus. I need to decide where they'll go and then that task will be finished.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-57356290197773273922015-09-11T13:29:00.000-05:002015-09-11T13:34:45.170-05:00SeptemberIt is hot and humid. The weather forecasters promised rain for days, but none fell on this farm. The front pond is just a damp spot at the bottom of a depression in the earth.<br />
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As you can imagine, the geese are praying for rain.<br />
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Goats and cows have recently been given entrance to fresh pastures. There are three new calves so far. The chickens have picked up on egg production for some reason.<br />
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I forage old apples from the trees and tomatoes and peppers from the garden and take buckets to the chicken house.<br />
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Yesterday, a pair of green finches slammed into the dining room window one after the other. I do not know if they were mating or fighting when they met their ends, but it made me feel sad either way.<br />
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The always accurate prognosticators are promising cooler weather by Sunday. I guess that eventually they'll be right as the planet aligns in its Autumn path. If it happens, it'll be a relief for me and will allow some more physical work outdoors.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-44218120337198687552015-08-24T17:41:00.002-05:002015-08-24T17:41:36.534-05:00AugustA bowl of orange tomatoes and green and red peppers sits on the counter. It is a still life waiting to be painted. Large bowls and baskets of peaches, apples, and pears have dwindled down as I've tackled the peeling, cutting up and freezing. I've squirreled away what I had room for and made a few jars of no-sugar-added jams for the Winter.<br />
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There is a mystery regarding the fruit trees. I had to pick a lot of unripe fruit in order to get any for myself. At first, half-eaten peaches and their stones were left all over the ground under the trees, presumably by the deer and groundhogs, possums, etc. I picked as much of the low hanging peaches as I could deal with, leaving the high fruits beyond the reach of deer. I soon noticed that there were no longer half-eaten fruit and no pits at all under the trees. No deer were coming at dusk anymore. However, most of the high fruit was being rapidly and efficiently picked during the night. Lights and wind chimes had no effect on the thievery.<br />
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I wondered just what (or who) was picking fruit during the night. It was obviously animals who either took the whole fruits away or ate them stone and all.<br />
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It wouldn't be turkeys or other birds, because they would, presumably leave the pits. Could it be bears? Giraffes? Troupes of baboons?<br />
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Although I could train a camera on the trees and find out, I'm thinking I'll just let the mystery be. It would be a shame to eliminate the fanciful imagining of night visitors to my peach trees.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-62599456106086228272015-07-30T13:22:00.001-05:002015-07-30T13:22:54.780-05:00Never Underestimate the Power of Throw Rugs'Almost at the end of July -- just August humidity to get through before I can breathe again.<br />
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The new pullets have started laying their miniature eggs, which are unsaleable and therefore "house" eggs for me. It takes three to make a respectable plate of scrambled eggs.<br />
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Butterflies are everywhere, but especially in the former vegetable garden, which looks more like a butterfly jungle. 'Glad to help out.<br />
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We've had some nice rain and red raspberries are ready to pick again. First, I'll need a machete to cut down the giant weeds that block my path to them. There are more ripe tomatoes than I can use, so the chickens get the benefit. Peppers are on the bushes and nearly ready to pick.<br />
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The peach and pear trees are so loaded with fruit that the branches are hanging low. Deer come to feast each evening. I hung a wind chime in the peach tree to discourage them and will do some arts and crafts with tin cans and old keys to arm the pear trees.<br />
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The men cut and baled more hay. I am happy to report that the big barn lofts are full of square bales.<br />
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Having gotten the lawnmower stuck in a slight dip between the fence and the peach tree with no one around to help me push it out, I discovered that laying a couple of old throw rugs in front of the tires gave me enough traction to get back on the job. I think this will work for ice and snow if the Mule gets stuck, so I have a new respect for throw rugs.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-4017286999197423302015-06-21T14:53:00.002-05:002015-06-21T14:53:58.074-05:00Summer SolsticeJune has been as hot and humid as any July or August. I hide indoors during the middle of the day. All productive outdoor work is done early in the morning or early in the evening. It is a survival technique.<br />
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Since there is also some rain most days, it was a challenge to get the hay in, but the men did it. The hayfields are already well into the next growth and will likely allow for another cutting in the Fall.<br />
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Berries are prolific this year. I've picked red raspberries, black raspberries, gooseberries, and blueberries already. The wineberries will be ready soon and then blackberries.<br />
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There are pears, peaches, and apples on the trees which will ripen later on. Vegetables march on, developing at an amazing rate.<br />
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Last week, I saw a bald eagle in one of our lower pastures -- don't know what it was hunting. A lone monarch butterfly appeared near the barn. I'm hoping all the butterfly bushes and milkweed will insure a large visitation this year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-56035045761126110772015-05-29T10:11:00.000-05:002015-05-29T10:11:03.546-05:00Kids, Kids, KidsYes, I'm hip-deep in little baby goats. There are 41 so far, with one doe still to go. They are fun and a lot of work. If we had chandeliers in the barn, they'd be swinging from them!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-58133405957194447422015-03-25T11:54:00.003-05:002015-03-25T11:57:02.074-05:00Marching OnwardIt' nearly the end of March and I'm still on baby goat watch. Any day now...<br />
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The temperatures are up and down. Rainy and sunny. There are mentions of a snowy mix.<br />
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The world is waking up from its long winter nap. Butterfly bushes are showing new growth. Daffodils are up and blooming in drifts. Grass is greening up in the pastures and lawns.<br />
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Fifteen pullet chicks are lounging in the big brooder, eating and drinking like little lumberjacks. The geese are laying. The ganders are murderously protective.<br />
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There is comfort in this annual miracle.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-90167521593662290092015-02-19T08:30:00.000-05:002015-02-19T08:30:15.100-05:00FebruaryWe are deep in the deep freeze this week. It was in the minus zero range last night and won't get past 9 degrees F today. We got eight inches of snow a couple of days ago and the Governor declared a State of Emergency! The county was closed. There was no garbage pickup and no mail delivery on Tuesday. The schools are closed.<br />
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I guess that Virginia is technically the South.<br />
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I managed to drive down the hill in my UTV even before a neighbor came around with a snow plow. I put my lone trash can out on the road. It's still sitting there. Yesterday, after taking care of the animals, I saw the sun come out and knew that it was my big chance to get out and get a haircut and buy some supplies. I made a break for it. It worked out really well because when I got home just after noon, the next weather event was starting. It was this current cold front and a light coating of new snow.<br />
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The forecast is for more interesting weather and a warming trend with rain. That sounds jolly and exciting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-57358240961240753582015-01-06T18:32:00.000-05:002015-01-06T18:32:11.291-05:00Blue EyeThe days are so truncated right now. I try to make use of all the daylight hours doing farm chores and it seems that 5 p.m. rolls around awfully quickly. That is the time just before it is pitch dark. I must go down and get the geese tucked in while there is still a little light.<br />
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The old grey goose has gone mostly blind. She walks into things and has a hard time finding the entrance to her side of the goose house. She shares it with Baby Huey, son of M. Honky Embden, who does not tolerate geese other than his old Wifey in his private apartment.<br />
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B. Huey Embden acts as her seeing-eye gander, leading her with sounds. She navigates by sound. I don't know exactly how old she is. I bought her here from an acquaintance about ten years ago.<br />
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We've had Honky et al. for at least twenty years. Embden geese can live past thirty. I can still remember Baby Huey's blue eye scoping me out from the incubator even before he fully emerged from his eggshell. He was alert and intelligent even then. I'm guessing he imprinted on me.<br />
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He and his brother especially enjoyed untying shoelaces on people's shoes when they were little. They've lived a pretty natural goose life on our ponds and exhibit the charming testiness that I admire in geese. Huey greets me each morning with enthusiasm when I open his door and escorts the old grey goose to the pond. He then insists on walking me to the gate of the pond yard as I go on to whatever my day will entail.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-37578315119043109372014-12-14T16:12:00.002-05:002014-12-14T16:14:30.051-05:00Fun on the FarmToday, the temp is up to 50 degrees F, bright and sunny. It started a bit colder.<br />
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I began my day bundled up in a fleece-lined jacket, with gloves and a scarf over my Manure Movers of America sweatshirt and jeans. I tied the strings of the jacket hood, which was over my scarf. As I tackled the brush around the farm shop with loppers and hand shears, the day warmed and I began the old farmer's strip tease. I lowered the jacket hood, then took off the scarf and gloves. Before long, I took off the jacket. You can work up a sweat doing this kind of work.<br />
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As I organized and cleaned the inside of the shop, it became clear to me that I have to do something about the wild vines and brambles which are trying (successfully) to come inside through the windows. So I managed to clear one long wall and started around the side of the building. Unfortunately, the slope and the fact that there is a pasture fence near this mess doesn't lend itself to much mechanical short cutting. I'll just work my way around the building by doing what I can on warmish dry days until it gets done.<br />
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Right now, the pasture side looks much like what Snow White's castle must have looked like with all the brambles and weeds.<br />
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The cows are sharing pasture with the goats. I noticed that the calf kindergarten was having fun running wildly through the grass. They must have noticed that this scared the goat herd and made them run in the other direction. A new game. What total fun!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-31557813955156640722014-12-09T06:58:00.000-05:002014-12-09T06:58:18.228-05:00DecemberThe cows have been cycled into the last pasture near the barns. There's a lot of grass there which they are currently chomping down.<br />
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We've had a little snow, some freezing rain, and a good number of cold but sunny days.<br />
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The farm work shop is getting organized. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Many loads of cardboard and metal have been hauled to the recycle center. Trash has been bagged. "Lost" treasures have been found and located with items of similar function. <br />
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I've gotten down to the nitty gritty of sorting screws into see-through containers, which is very tedious. However, it will be nice to find just the right size and type when doing projects and repairs. I now know where many power tools and hand tools are located. The drawers are labeled.<br />
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I've got a short list of other indoor farmy projects to keep me busy during the Winter months.<br />
<br />
Bear sightings are on the rise. I haven't personally seen any yet this year, but some of the neighboring farmers have killed bears on their land.<br />
<br />
I've only heard the coyotes screaming once so far.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-69771676692555439132014-11-16T15:43:00.000-05:002014-11-16T15:43:19.761-05:00NovemberWell, it's cold enough to convince you that it is mid-November. The black walnut trees are leaf-less and some of the others are holding on to fading Fall colors.<br />
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Barn cleaning is going swimmingly and I'm making serious inroads on the farm shop building. I've hauled carloads of cardboard and paper to the recycling center and am sweeping and sorting like a madwoman. It should be done in a year or two.<br />
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The cows have a visiting red Angus bull and the goats a handsome Boer feller. We should be knee deep in kids come March. September should be prime calving time.<br />
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So far, no snow. I am thankful for that and hope it will continue in that weather pattern for some time to come.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-33015303941235995722014-10-25T09:05:00.002-05:002014-10-25T09:39:31.617-05:00Sweeping the Cobwebs AwayIt's the long-awaited coolness of Autumn which allows me to engage in productive physical farm work. I've cleaned out the goose and duck houses, exchanging clean straw for mounds of dirty litter. The chicken house took only a day.<br />
<br />
Now, the goat barn clean up is in progress. The upper part is mostly raked out, with dried manure and old wasted hay hauled out in my Mule UTV. I'm tackling the lower part now, which requires me to get large mounds of the wasted remains of large round bales in order to work the gates. That would allow me easier entrance and exit with the Mule.<br />
<br />
This will take a great many daily forays before it's accomplished. This will be my work outs as long as the weather permits. I cannot do it while the goats are "in" because they invariably hop in the driver's seat of the UTV while I'm raking to check and see if they can drive it. The other day, they managed to dislodge the ignition key. Long searching finally located it in the hay. 'Not quite a needle, but still...<br />
<br />
In the middle part of the barn, where wooden gated stalls are located, giant cobwebs hang down from the ceiling. It is truly <em>halloweenish</em> and it is impossible to walk through without getting my hair topped with the wispy strands. The only way to make the area more people friendly is to take a broom and literally sweep the cobwebs from the ceiling. That is something I can do with goats present, but I cannot leave the broom down there because the goats will eat it!<br />
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Mostly, I check to see if the herd is somewhere in the pastures before I go down to the big barn.<br />
<br />
The trees have now turned their cheerful Fall colors and sunshine this week will encourage the continuation of the great barn cleaning of 2014.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-15887177132681386472014-08-17T14:43:00.001-05:002014-08-17T14:43:56.257-05:00AugustAugust's halfway over and it hasn't been too bad this year. Today is a bit humid for my taste, but it isn't quite up to ninety. The nights have been reasonably cool and actually we had a lot of lower temperatures this month during the day.<br />
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The morning glories I let grow in my vegetable garden are living up to their name. Beautiful blue flowers greet me. There are so many butterfly bush volunteers that at mid-morning the butterflies are all over the fenced-in area. If you were so inclined and had nothing better to do, you could pull up a lawn chair and watch the zucchinis grow!<br />
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I have serious zucchini fatigue this year. Luckily the chickens like them. And yes, I've made zucchini bread and even zucchini lasagna. Enough. The best thing I did with them is make "noodles" with a little gadget and froze bags of them. Hopefully, I'll enjoy them when it is cold and there is snow on the ground. By then, zucchini will seem like a good idea.<br />
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Listening to the old timey bluegrass radio show today, I heard one of the Carter sisters sing a song about going back home to Texas. It was probably a recording from the 1930s. She sang, "I am weeping like a willow; I am mourning like a dove."<br />
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I've never heard that song before. It's probably famous in Texas.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-71692492640016656832014-06-20T17:03:00.000-05:002014-06-20T17:03:11.029-05:00Wild KingdomHere are some of the things about Summer that I hate:<br />
<br />
We are in the period of heat and stinking high humidity. You can hardly breathe at midday. This morning, I was out using the trimmer before seven a.m. I worked up a good sweat.<br />
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A giant black snake is helping himself to eggs in the chicken house. Okay, okay... he does a service by keeping the mice and rats down to a minimum. I suppose he is entitled to a share of the eggs in return. However, I am sometimes startled by his unexpected presence and I have to look in each nest box before placing my hand inside!<br />
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Something has killed and eaten three ducks this week. I'm thinking a little family of possums or raccoons. They do us no service that I can recall.<br />
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The first kill was through hardware cloth which had been pried loose. I repaired it and thought all was now safe. Wrong. The second kill was through a corner of exterior plywood which was pried loose. I charged up the drill and drilled holes for the new long stainless steel screws. I screwed them down with the drill into solid wood supports. "This is a good repair," I thought. They cannot pull this apart.<br />
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It was not pried loose. The predator CHEWED A HOLE through the plywood in order to slither through and get the third duck.<br />
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These are some clever, determined creatures. I'll have to place a new piece of plywood over the existing one and screw it down in short sections. But first:<br />
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The remaining ducks will not go into the duck house tonight. I will set a Havaheart trap with dog food inside with the door of the duck house closed and locked. They can use their entrance hole to get in.<br />
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Will this work? Who knows. They'll probably manage to eat the dog food and get away. Why do I feel like a frustrated old fool trying to outsmart a woodland creature -- or like Sylvester trying to catch Tweety Bird?<br />
<br />
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21021745.post-75720931230732102142014-06-13T06:22:00.001-05:002014-06-14T19:09:38.282-05:00Summer Vignette<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The old fellow goes out to the garage
and hops on the riding mower. His wife hasn't hidden the key and it
starts up. He mows odd meandering paths around the property. They
reflect the meandering of his mind.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“I don't see no more grass to mow,”
he tells his wife when he goes back inside.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
“It looks fine,” she says kindly.
She is now on her second round of child raising.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
She cannot relax or take a break for
more than fifteen minutes. He has tipped the three-wheeler over
during a rain storm and lain in the mud for over an hour. He used to
regularly run down the tractor battery when he tried to use it, or
fix it, and left the key in the “on” position. Male relatives
managed to convert most of the accessible farm machinery so that keys
could be removed. The riding mower is the only toy he is allowed to
use.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
He is bored and restless, having led an
active life prior to this. Now, there are regular doctor visits and
short day trips his wife devises to keep him out of trouble. He is
not allowed to drive the pickup anymore. The last time he did, he
quickly became disoriented and luckily a relative stopped him before
he left the private rural lane.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
He sleeps deeply in the lounger in
front of the television. The Andy Griffith Show blares on, but he
doesn't seem to hear it.
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I've brought over a bucket of duck
eggs, which the wife likes for baking. She invites me in and we take
a tour of the small home to look at her vast collection of pig
figurines, knickknacks, baskets, and key chains. She's been
collecting them for many years and they fill the tops of her kitchen
cabinets and the spare bedroom. I express admiration and we walk
back to the kitchen through the living room.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I sneak a look at the pale man in the
chair. He is breathing so shallowly that I briefly wonder if he's
died.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
He is okay and the next day his wife
stops by as she picks up her newspaper and I weed the garden in the
early morning. We stand by the fence and have one of our more
frequent conversations on nothing in particular and lots of small
unimportant topics. We both need the diversion.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The husband has expressed concern over
our llama, which he hasn't seen in several days. I explain that
Zorio has been staying inside the barn during the hot, humid days.
He needs a Summer haircut, but won't stand for me to shear him. The
goats are going out llama-less in the meantime. However, the llama
is healthy and is getting hay and feed inside during the day and can
graze during the cooler nights.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
She will tell her husband to assure him
that there is nothing to worry about.</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I muse on the mystery of declining
minds and aging bodies. I think about the bond of kindness and
patience in long term marriages.
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1