Someone asked me recently how many chickens I have. I could only guess. In winter, I take a nightly headcount of all the birds during evening chores. Now? A headcount is practically impossible with so many free-ranging chickens, ducks, turkeys, and guineas loose. During the day they’re all out and about doing bird things. At
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It’s a day to celebrate mothers and grandmothers and those who’ve simply mothered us even though they weren’t the ones who brought us into this world. I think, too, that it’s a good day to recall the joys that come to those of us who play that role in one way or another. Here at the
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After spending five months together in the womb, the twins are accustomed to togetherness. They stand together, move in tandem, and are rarely more than a foot or two apart when they’re out in the big, wide world. They’re a bit more independent in the comfortable safety of the barn. Out in grazing pen in
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The mamas here at the farm have been busily adding to the livestock numbers. Nona, a very shy ewe, presented us with twin lambs. She’s a first-time mother, but managed the birth and cleanup duties quite well. The trouble came later as her udder filled with milk. At the end of the first day, she had much more milk
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Look what I found in the barn yesterday morning! My favorite ewe gave birth to this healthy tiny ewe lamb not long after daybreak. She’s Peep’s first lamb — and don’t blame me for the name. Peep and her mama, Bo, were part of a package deal on ewes, and they actually knew their names.
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Tiny, the bottle lamb, is grown up now and having hair issues. Actually, she has a lot more issues than just her bad haircut, but that’s a story for another day. A year ago, Tiny was a fat, spoiled lamb. Most days she appeared neatly groomed, except for the bits of leaves and mud spots
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A year ago today, Tiny Bottle Lamb weighed about 7 pounds. She still slept indoors in the playpen and followed me around outdoors like a puppy. She still sucked fingers when she was hungry. She hadn’t yet learned how to cross a creek, even a very little one.
When the snow covers the ground in a deep blanket of white, my world narrows. The occasional traffic on our narrow gravel road dwindles to none. An entire day passes without a single set of wheel tracks disturbing the snow. I could be snowbound here, trapped by the snow and the icy layer of frozen
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Their house still stands, though it and the rest of the property is neglected and unused now. The county long ago abandoned the road that once bordered the north side of the yard. My youngest daughter and I visited there a few years ago on a long road trip we took for the primary purpose of her gaining a lot more real-world driving experience before taking the exam for her driver’s license. The old farm place seemed a fitting destination for that coming-of-age experience, and I bored her for days with stories of my childhood adventures with my cousins there. Hot summer days picking blackberries . . .
It’s been a while since I posted. Life’s been particularly busy this spring . . . and I’ve not been up to the challenge of keeping up with any but the most critical tasks. Now summer has crept upon me before I’m ready. That’s how life is sometimes. Here’s a quick update – just the
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