Lead Story
Late summer thoughts
Now and then, I’m reminded of how much I have to be grateful for in this life I’m living here at the farm.
The days remain hot, but the nights have grown cool enough that we must turn on a heat lamp to keep the new chicks warm. They’re Production Reds, purchased as replacement layers. Usually [...]
[continue reading...]Recent Posts
About Moo
The Land of Moo is written by Laura Phillips and Jessica Phillips, who live and work on a small farm at the edge of the Ozarks.
A former journalist, Laura is the author of seven novels and hundreds of articles published in newspapers, magazines, and online. She also blogs occasionally at Romancing The Yarn , and for several years, she kept a sporadic farm and garden journal at Real Dirt.
Contact Laura at Laura@TheLandofMoo.com
Jessica received her bachelor of science in English in 2009 and now works as a freelance writer. Contact Jessica at Jessica@TheLandofMoo.com
Birds and Beasts
Blue, our old Aussie, joined us as an 8-week-old pup in September of 1997. Born on a Kansas cattle farm, ...
We arrived home yesterday after an errand and found this lone duckling wandering in the yard. All alone. Abandoned. Unloved. None ...
Someone asked me recently how many chickens I have. I could only guess. In winter, I take a nightly headcount of ...
I goofed. This strange mismatch is completely my fault. A few weeks ago, I swiped all the eggs from beneath the ...
Garden
The peak of summer is the worst time for transplanting perennials. If you’re even thinking about moving those flowers, herbs, or shrubs this month, take my advice and wait. Really.
Unless, of course, it’s a life or death situation.
That’s how I ended up digging out and moving a pickup load of perennial flowers and herbs 150 [...]
Good Eats Here
On hot summer days when you don’t feel much like cooking, a quick vegetable stir-fry can get you in and out of the kitchen in a hurry. The food’s fresh, filling, and not too heavy. I particularly like this recipe for front porch cooking on days when I don’t want to heat up the kitchen.
It’s [...]
Wild Things
This spring a swarm of honeybees showed up and took over this aging hive in the edge of the woods at my neighbor’s farm. It’s been several years since the previous inhabitants abandoned it. They left for no clear reason that could be seen. Bees do that sometimes, when the queen dies or is weak, or some [...]
Perspectives
Fresh peaches from a nearby orchard . . .
. . . and sweet ripe blackberries, picked from a neighbor’s garden patch are this summer’s consolation prizes. We’ve very little to harvest in our own gardens now. The few plants left in the greenhouse are providing enough tomatoes and Melrose peppers for snacks. Tiny cucumbers have appeared at [...]