This is all about Della, who is our 2 1/2 year old black lab that is smarter than both of us and most other humans.
Here on the farm, everybody has a job and Della's job, which she does quite effectively, is to protect Susan and me from strange things and strange people. She does this with a menacing bark that is directed at anybody or anything that shows up unexpectedly (Fed-ex, UPS, etc.). Once we show we are friendly with the visitors, Della is their friend too. She is all bark and will let it fly from the porch but, so far, has not tried to bite or attack anyone. Also Della has so many faces to fit her moods and I think we know them all by now. That's the good side of Della.
The bad side is Della likes to chase deer and the deer lead her on long runs in the surrounding area. Once onto the trail of a deer she is relentless but never seems to catch a live deer.
Now the worst side of Della is that while on these deer chasing jaunts, she comes up on dead deer (carcasses) left by hunters after they have cleaned off all the useable meat (at least useable by us human types). Then Della has to bring her find home so we can share in her joy, so to speak. i think she competes with the black and turkey buzzards for these finds.
Well, last night about 3 am, Della, who sleeps in our bedroom on her rug at night) stirred and Susan let her out, presumably to take care of her bladder business. Then she returned about 4 and Susan let her back in. Off to sleep until daybreak. Then when we went out to feed the chickens and goats about 7 am, Susan cried out "Come here!" And there, under the walkway that connects the garage to the house was a full grown deer carcass that Della had drug up in the night. It was huge but obviously a hunter had cleaned it so what Della got was mostly ribs and a few bones, but the skeleton was still fresh and intact. Well, we promptly loaded it in a big black trash bag and put iut in the truck to go to the dump later. Only then did we realize how strong Della can be. It weighed about 15 pounds and the nearest hunting is probably 1000 feet away. She has been recuperating all day with more sleeping than normal. We're not 100% sure it was Della that drug this carcass up to the house, but if it was not, then we've got a bigger problem I suppose (Coyote, Mountain Lion, etc.) but this is not likely or Della would have had a fit last night (remember her guard role?).
Oh, the life of a dog! We love Della as do all of our 8 grand-children but sometimes she can be very frustrating. But most of you would kill for a dog as great as Della.
And to think we got her from the local Animal Protection Society! That's the place to go for good dogs. And that's Della's story for today. I'm sure that all her chapters have not been written.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thanksgiving
I almost forgot - yes, Thanksgiving was great. We had the 26 expected and it went well. Two tables outside (it was nearly 70 degrees) and one inside. Very inter-generational and inter-family. Lots of fun. We really are blessed.
Winter Is Coming
Thanksgiving is behind us and the wonderful Christmas season has begun. We have two plans for the winter: Plan A is what we do when it is below 32 degrees and Plan B is what we do when it is above 32 degrees. Keeping the animal water flowing is a challenge. Plan B is haul it in buckets and plan B is use the hose system for the goats and Daisy. So these are big questions in the morning and in the evening: Is it going to freeze tonight? We really like Plan B best - easier, quicker and more pleasant.
Yesterday I saw a young bald eagle fly by as I was sitting in my office. Still hear the pileated woodpecker in the mornings.
Two days ago, one chicken got loose and two goats got loose, unrelated events. Took a while to get everything back under control. Third goat got tangled in the electric fence (juice was not flowing at the time). Today I repaired the fence so that it will be harder to get tangled. Also got the juice flowing.
Chickens not laying eggs yet and we hope it is still due to the molting --- otherwise we'll have a big problem --- not feeding chickens that don't do eggs for long. It's been 6 weeks now.
Bought Christmas tree last Friday, erected it in the stand last night and will finish decorating it this Friday. This is pretty good for us.
Garden is growing winter crops but slow to get to harvest. Amazing how they hunker down in the mornings when it is so cold and then rebound as it warms up. God really knew what he was doing, didn't he? We get mint, cilantro, and some other herbs from the yard as we need them for dinner. Susan still is creative in using what we have for the meals. We eat fresh stuff most of the time.
The field is cut for the winter and on heavy frost mornings it looks like a nice dusting of snow.
Beautiful moon these past few nights with Venus and Jupiter hanging close by.
So a little slow these days on the farm, but that's the way it is ... and should be.
Come see us.
Dwight
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Fall Events at our Farm
As we move through Fall, we are more aware than ever of the full impact of the change of seasons.
Some things, like mowing the lawn, cutting the field of hay, and planting/harvesting the kitchen garden take less time.
Others take more time - like water for the animals (due to overnight freezing temperatures, our hose systems do not work in really cold weather), like us getting dressed to go outside(shorts/T-shirt vs. lots of clothes & heavy coats, and it just seems we move a little slower. The days are shorter so we have longer nights after the dusk when all the animals are tucked in for the night, which is nice.
The sunsets are absolutely gorgeous on most days, we enjoy the early-morning pileated woodpecker on the dead tree (wow, is he/she loud!), and the freshly cut field is giving us better views of the deer.
One chicken died - Susan thought it was sick a few weeks ago as the crown was not straight but what do we know, as rookies at this? Bad thing is it was a hen, not one of the 3 roosters. And an older hen at that so this will cut down on the eggs. One of the roosters born this year is really pretty with many colors - he's really a mixed breed but wish all of you could see him. His feathers are many colors, including a shiny green. Right now, the chickens are still molting and not producing eggs. We're faced with the sad possibility of maybe having to buy some from the co-op. But maybe they'll get going again soon.
One goat - Chloe - somehow found herself outside the goat pen fence - and since it is electric (in theory), she was quite distraught until we led her back into her familiar territory. That was a first and we hope a last. I think she was just jumping around and crashed through the fence accidentally.
We enjoyed identifying trees in the fall by their leaf color and found that we have a dwarf sumac, which is brilliant red (like a sugar maple).
Our friend Jerry cut the field yesterday for the winter. Looks really good - from a distance, like it was mowed but really it was bush-hogged.
One of our cats, Jerry, just seems to come and go for long periods. He leaves when we are away for a couple of days and he returns after a week, or sometimes after a month. He looks well fed. His brother Tom stays around. Tom has asthma and knows not to play very far ...
Della is doing fine - she's our black lab. She may be smarter than most people. Loves chasing deer, barking at strange things (which is her paying job - we pay with food and good heath care) that show up (like the UPS man), and snuggling with us. Really, she is pretty sharp. We can almost talk to her in our English. Still have to fiugure out how to keep her close by as she is beginning to wander towards the road and on the neighbors lands as she fruitlessly pursues deer. We tried an invisible, radio fence but it scared her too much so we sent it back. To fence in her area would be about 1000' of fencing - yuk. So still open thing to be solved.
Lots of hawks mixed in with eagles and buzzards these days. They're incredible at how they just seem to float.
The sky is clear most nights so the moon and stars are spectacular. Esp. since we do not have outside lights in this area. Very dark.
Susan is harvesting winter crops - mustard greens, some lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, broccoli rob, some spinach. Still getting swiss chard - great stuff. She also planted a few flats of pansies as a buffer with the kitchen garden fence - looks really good.
Next week is Thanksgiving and we expect about 26 people. Will tell you about that later.
Anyway, that's the way things are in the Fall of 2008 here on the farm.
Some things, like mowing the lawn, cutting the field of hay, and planting/harvesting the kitchen garden take less time.
Others take more time - like water for the animals (due to overnight freezing temperatures, our hose systems do not work in really cold weather), like us getting dressed to go outside(shorts/T-shirt vs. lots of clothes & heavy coats, and it just seems we move a little slower. The days are shorter so we have longer nights after the dusk when all the animals are tucked in for the night, which is nice.
The sunsets are absolutely gorgeous on most days, we enjoy the early-morning pileated woodpecker on the dead tree (wow, is he/she loud!), and the freshly cut field is giving us better views of the deer.
One chicken died - Susan thought it was sick a few weeks ago as the crown was not straight but what do we know, as rookies at this? Bad thing is it was a hen, not one of the 3 roosters. And an older hen at that so this will cut down on the eggs. One of the roosters born this year is really pretty with many colors - he's really a mixed breed but wish all of you could see him. His feathers are many colors, including a shiny green. Right now, the chickens are still molting and not producing eggs. We're faced with the sad possibility of maybe having to buy some from the co-op. But maybe they'll get going again soon.
One goat - Chloe - somehow found herself outside the goat pen fence - and since it is electric (in theory), she was quite distraught until we led her back into her familiar territory. That was a first and we hope a last. I think she was just jumping around and crashed through the fence accidentally.
We enjoyed identifying trees in the fall by their leaf color and found that we have a dwarf sumac, which is brilliant red (like a sugar maple).
Our friend Jerry cut the field yesterday for the winter. Looks really good - from a distance, like it was mowed but really it was bush-hogged.
One of our cats, Jerry, just seems to come and go for long periods. He leaves when we are away for a couple of days and he returns after a week, or sometimes after a month. He looks well fed. His brother Tom stays around. Tom has asthma and knows not to play very far ...
Della is doing fine - she's our black lab. She may be smarter than most people. Loves chasing deer, barking at strange things (which is her paying job - we pay with food and good heath care) that show up (like the UPS man), and snuggling with us. Really, she is pretty sharp. We can almost talk to her in our English. Still have to fiugure out how to keep her close by as she is beginning to wander towards the road and on the neighbors lands as she fruitlessly pursues deer. We tried an invisible, radio fence but it scared her too much so we sent it back. To fence in her area would be about 1000' of fencing - yuk. So still open thing to be solved.
Lots of hawks mixed in with eagles and buzzards these days. They're incredible at how they just seem to float.
The sky is clear most nights so the moon and stars are spectacular. Esp. since we do not have outside lights in this area. Very dark.
Susan is harvesting winter crops - mustard greens, some lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, broccoli rob, some spinach. Still getting swiss chard - great stuff. She also planted a few flats of pansies as a buffer with the kitchen garden fence - looks really good.
Next week is Thanksgiving and we expect about 26 people. Will tell you about that later.
Anyway, that's the way things are in the Fall of 2008 here on the farm.
Friday, October 24, 2008
It Was Supposed To Rain!
We got out early this morning to get it done because the rain was supposed to come. We had put down stones for the walkway a couple of weeks ago, but they were only arranged, not level and fixed in place. It had been staring us in the face every time we drove in the driveway. So..today was the day. We had to dig out, level, put down tiny rocks, tamp in place every stone. We did about ten stones, got hungry and stopped for breakfast and went at it again. We came back and finished it. We swept off the rocks, wet them down, moved dirt around. It looks great. I like the way it curves...it's serpentine.
Still there was no rain. There was plenty more to do. Dwight tilled around the garden fence so that I can plant pansies and keep the grass from growing into the garden. I began the process of getting out the grass (plus some earthworms and grubs) and tossed them over to the chickens.
The rain still had not come so Dwight tilled in the courtyard area near the woods line so that I can plant some beautyberry bushes and a lantana that I got at the arboretum plant giveaway. Then we trimmed some stray limbs from the maple behind the plowed area.
You know, that rain still has not gotten here, but we surely did have a great productive fall day outside.
Still there was no rain. There was plenty more to do. Dwight tilled around the garden fence so that I can plant pansies and keep the grass from growing into the garden. I began the process of getting out the grass (plus some earthworms and grubs) and tossed them over to the chickens.
The rain still had not come so Dwight tilled in the courtyard area near the woods line so that I can plant some beautyberry bushes and a lantana that I got at the arboretum plant giveaway. Then we trimmed some stray limbs from the maple behind the plowed area.
You know, that rain still has not gotten here, but we surely did have a great productive fall day outside.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Free Plants at Raulston Arboretum
On Saturday, October 11 2008, we went to the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh, which is affiliated with NC State, and participated in their plant distribution for members. This was a great time - they gave away 5,000 plants to those who supported the arboretum and we got about 28 - free! Susan had gone on-line, decided what we should go for, and then when we got there at about 8:15, we registered and lined up. There were maybe 200-300 others in line, and at 9:00 they blew the horn and we positioned ourselves near the plants we wanted. The plant varieties were numbered and in rows sequentially. Then we could get one plant of three different types so for the two of us that was 6 plants. Then we waited for the second horn and did it again and then the third horn. Now we had 18 plants. After that it was a free for all and we got about 10 more plants! It was very organized and we appreciate the volunteers at Raulston for making it a lot of fun. Plus we met some neat folks in line. We highly recommend this arboretum ... and their plant give-away.
Oh, the chickens are doing fine with their move - we measure success by the eggs they provide us and they still come 2-4 per day. Yesterday, one of the younger chickens got outside the fence and Susan and I herded him/her back under the fence. He/she seemed relieved to be at home inside the fence. Fortunately, neither of our cats (Tom and Jerry) nor our house dog Della saw what was happening.
We have changed the grain feeding bowls for the goats so they cannot put their feet in the bowls - moved the three bowls outside their stall and cut holes in the wooden fence around the stall. Then we wrapped it in wire so Daisy could not get to it. Still need to tinker a bit with it but seems to be working pretty well. There's always something like this to do in the barn. But it's a lot of fun to think through the solutions as the problems arise. Tonight we are getting a delivery of 8 bales of orchard grass from Jerry.
Susan has planted lots of fall vegetables and they are doing really well. we are eating the lettuce, swiss chard, and okra (not a fall vege but still hanging on). The weather looks like there will be no frost for a week or so which is good. We are nursing the last two-three peppers along and hope that they can make it. The beans are gone and the tomatoes are 98% gone.
And it is so beautiful outside!
Oh, the chickens are doing fine with their move - we measure success by the eggs they provide us and they still come 2-4 per day. Yesterday, one of the younger chickens got outside the fence and Susan and I herded him/her back under the fence. He/she seemed relieved to be at home inside the fence. Fortunately, neither of our cats (Tom and Jerry) nor our house dog Della saw what was happening.
We have changed the grain feeding bowls for the goats so they cannot put their feet in the bowls - moved the three bowls outside their stall and cut holes in the wooden fence around the stall. Then we wrapped it in wire so Daisy could not get to it. Still need to tinker a bit with it but seems to be working pretty well. There's always something like this to do in the barn. But it's a lot of fun to think through the solutions as the problems arise. Tonight we are getting a delivery of 8 bales of orchard grass from Jerry.
Susan has planted lots of fall vegetables and they are doing really well. we are eating the lettuce, swiss chard, and okra (not a fall vege but still hanging on). The weather looks like there will be no frost for a week or so which is good. We are nursing the last two-three peppers along and hope that they can make it. The beans are gone and the tomatoes are 98% gone.
And it is so beautiful outside!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Moving The Chicken House
Yes, a friend with a tractor came on Sunday night (october 5) and picked up the whole chicken house and moved it about 200 feet to the upper garden near our house. It had to be done at night after the chickens had gone in. And of course we tried not to upset the chickens too much as they rode inside their house because we did not want them to forget about laying eggs. It all worked out and we appreciate our good neighbors who are so helpful on these things and who have the right equipment. So thanks to Jerry, Victor(Jerry's son) and Jerry (Victor's friend). It was quite interesting to see this move only in the tractor lights and the moonlight.
I wonder what the chickens thought the next morning as they cautiously exited their house to new surroundings. They seem to be quite happy.
So why the move? Susan had a great idea to let the chickens scratch the compost at the end of the kitchen garden to remove the weed seeds, especially the Johnson grass seeds. Johnson grass is awfiully hard to get rid off because of the huge roots. We managed to get a truckload of it out of the compost but are sure lots of seeds remained. So the chickens are there and doing a great job scratching out the seeds and eating them and ....
Of course, after the house was moved, Susan and I had to move the electric fence as we do not let our chickens roam freely. This went OK too.
Some of you may think that the chicken yard will smell badly (especially since it is 25 feet from the house) but that is not an issue. There is no odor, except inside the chicken house when we do not clean it out often enough. So no problem with smells. And the eggs are great and easy to gather! Also it's now easy to toss the garden weeds and dead plants ovber the fence to the chickens instead of haiuling them to the old chicken yard.
Another good byproduct of Susan's idea is that the goats now have a bigger and better fenced area.
The only negative is that the old gate to the original chicken yard, which is on two posts seciured by concrete is still there and unused. We call it the "Gate to Nowhere" (you know about the "Bridge to Nowhere" from Sara Pailin).
After the chickens finish their Johnson grass seed cleaning business we may move them back. Also thinking about putting wheels on the chicken house to make the moving easier.
And that's the story of the chicken house being moved in the light of the moon on Sunday night, October 5.
I wonder what the chickens thought the next morning as they cautiously exited their house to new surroundings. They seem to be quite happy.
So why the move? Susan had a great idea to let the chickens scratch the compost at the end of the kitchen garden to remove the weed seeds, especially the Johnson grass seeds. Johnson grass is awfiully hard to get rid off because of the huge roots. We managed to get a truckload of it out of the compost but are sure lots of seeds remained. So the chickens are there and doing a great job scratching out the seeds and eating them and ....
Of course, after the house was moved, Susan and I had to move the electric fence as we do not let our chickens roam freely. This went OK too.
Some of you may think that the chicken yard will smell badly (especially since it is 25 feet from the house) but that is not an issue. There is no odor, except inside the chicken house when we do not clean it out often enough. So no problem with smells. And the eggs are great and easy to gather! Also it's now easy to toss the garden weeds and dead plants ovber the fence to the chickens instead of haiuling them to the old chicken yard.
Another good byproduct of Susan's idea is that the goats now have a bigger and better fenced area.
The only negative is that the old gate to the original chicken yard, which is on two posts seciured by concrete is still there and unused. We call it the "Gate to Nowhere" (you know about the "Bridge to Nowhere" from Sara Pailin).
After the chickens finish their Johnson grass seed cleaning business we may move them back. Also thinking about putting wheels on the chicken house to make the moving easier.
And that's the story of the chicken house being moved in the light of the moon on Sunday night, October 5.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Day the Chicks Arrived
The big news today is that three (so far) baby chicks were hatched by our hens - there are still about 15 eggs in the nest so this may not be the end of the brooding season. This was what you might called unplanned as we think the 6 hens and one rooster we have is enough --- but the hens had other plans. They were fairly aggressive when we tried to pry the eggs loose three weeks ago so we decided to let nature take it's course. Now, after the 21 day incubation period, here are the chicks.
It was cool because Owen, one of our grandchildren from Greenville SC , was here and got to help us catch the chicks and move them to a box in the garage. He will always remember today and made three trips down to the chicken coop looking for more. So much for the classroom incubation process when the hen's God-given role is never mentioned. he saw the real thing as God designed it.
So here's how it went...we went down this morning to let the chickens out of the coop. There was one little chick walking around on top of the hen who was brooding in the basket. We scooped it up, listened for others, and brought it up to the house. Emma, Owen's sister, who had been here earlier in the week, had already prepared a box in the garage with paper towels, some food, and water.
We showed the chick to Owen and ate breakfast. Then Dwight and Owen headed down to the chicken yard for another "chick check". This time the hens were off their nest and walking around the chicken yard with two more baby chicks. Boy, were they protective! How they got off the nest with the chick, we're not sure. But they pecked Dwight and Owen on the feet before they could steal away two more chicks. They're all in the garage with a nice protective wire lid made by Dwight and my dad - to keep the cats away.
Owen checked for chicks one more time before he headed home this afternoon.
Oh, there is the matter of the BLT sandwich that Della decided to eat at lunch. Dwight was with Susan's Dad in the garage making a wire top for the chick box and Della sneaked into the kitchen and ate half of one of Dwight's prized sandwiches. He had bought a 1.5 pound tomato at the Hillsboro farmer's market on Saturday just for these sandwiches. The slices of tomato were so big that they hung off all 4 sides of the bread. He had prepared the sandwiches for our lunch just before Susan's dad needed help with the wire for the chick box. While we were in the garage on this important project, Della managed to find the sandwiches on the table. This was not like her at all but they must have smelled good. Dwight was torn between being very angry and bursting out laughing - the latter won the day.
On other fronts, the kitchen garden is going great - tomatoes, squash, beans, swiss chard are all prolific right now. Okra is slowly coming, and other kinds of squash plus more beans.
The original garden has gotten away from us with so many things going on - Susan's father and his wife Myra have been here since mid-June and a steady stream of family to be with us and visit with him - he's 86 and has hearing and vision issues but loves to see his family and friends. Susan has been so good about cooking for them and driving them on errands. Also the Seawell school animals are vacationing here for the summer. They're not too much of a burden but do add to the list -- keeping the yard presentable -- lots of new church friends to get to know and spend time with --- etc.
All in all, it's a delightful season - one that we rejoice in as we sit on the front porch in the evenings and watch the bats whiz by and the deer play in the meadow.
It was cool because Owen, one of our grandchildren from Greenville SC , was here and got to help us catch the chicks and move them to a box in the garage. He will always remember today and made three trips down to the chicken coop looking for more. So much for the classroom incubation process when the hen's God-given role is never mentioned. he saw the real thing as God designed it.
So here's how it went...we went down this morning to let the chickens out of the coop. There was one little chick walking around on top of the hen who was brooding in the basket. We scooped it up, listened for others, and brought it up to the house. Emma, Owen's sister, who had been here earlier in the week, had already prepared a box in the garage with paper towels, some food, and water.
We showed the chick to Owen and ate breakfast. Then Dwight and Owen headed down to the chicken yard for another "chick check". This time the hens were off their nest and walking around the chicken yard with two more baby chicks. Boy, were they protective! How they got off the nest with the chick, we're not sure. But they pecked Dwight and Owen on the feet before they could steal away two more chicks. They're all in the garage with a nice protective wire lid made by Dwight and my dad - to keep the cats away.
Owen checked for chicks one more time before he headed home this afternoon.
Oh, there is the matter of the BLT sandwich that Della decided to eat at lunch. Dwight was with Susan's Dad in the garage making a wire top for the chick box and Della sneaked into the kitchen and ate half of one of Dwight's prized sandwiches. He had bought a 1.5 pound tomato at the Hillsboro farmer's market on Saturday just for these sandwiches. The slices of tomato were so big that they hung off all 4 sides of the bread. He had prepared the sandwiches for our lunch just before Susan's dad needed help with the wire for the chick box. While we were in the garage on this important project, Della managed to find the sandwiches on the table. This was not like her at all but they must have smelled good. Dwight was torn between being very angry and bursting out laughing - the latter won the day.
On other fronts, the kitchen garden is going great - tomatoes, squash, beans, swiss chard are all prolific right now. Okra is slowly coming, and other kinds of squash plus more beans.
The original garden has gotten away from us with so many things going on - Susan's father and his wife Myra have been here since mid-June and a steady stream of family to be with us and visit with him - he's 86 and has hearing and vision issues but loves to see his family and friends. Susan has been so good about cooking for them and driving them on errands. Also the Seawell school animals are vacationing here for the summer. They're not too much of a burden but do add to the list -- keeping the yard presentable -- lots of new church friends to get to know and spend time with --- etc.
All in all, it's a delightful season - one that we rejoice in as we sit on the front porch in the evenings and watch the bats whiz by and the deer play in the meadow.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Wow, Time Flies
Well, so much is going on here in the beautiful countryside of Orange County NC.After the great spring, suddenly in early June, it is cooking HOT! Susan's outdoor hours are really down to 6:30 til about 10:30 or so on these days when the temperature reaches 100 degrees F. Seems like weeds grow much faster then non-weeds - I guess this is another impact of the Fall (of man ).
But the tomatoes are coming on strong in the kitchen garden, the lettuce is still here a few more days (we are praying for a little overlap for the lettuce/tomato sandwiches, the string beans are looking good, squash and okra are planted and beginning to show their heads. Today we saw a double-winged dragon fly land on out mosaic table that has in it double-winged dragon flies - amazing coincidence? Or what?
Yesterday, we watched a hummingbird slowly meander through 7 great lavenders about to burst forth with blooms. Two days ago, a deer showed up at our backyard pond looking majestic.
We seem to see more deer in the close up yard than ever and it is still exciting to watch them.
Our barnyard animals are doing fine - the goats are growing bigger, of course, but we like not having to bottle feed them twice daily. The chicken egg production averages about 3 a day which is still more than we can eat so we give them away when we can.
Della (the black lab) is mostly a house dog now and Daisy (the Great White Pyrenees/Newfoundland mix) is being slowly allowed to stay with Muffin, Heidi and Chloe (the goats). This Saturday, the Critter Corner from Seawall school in Chapel Hill will move out here for the summer - this will add two goats, three chickens and two ducks to the mix for the summer.
Susan is working on recovering the lower garden from massive weeds - I mean huge. Taller than she is. I'm helping but she's the main one. The weeds go to the chickens for composting and then to the gardens for mulch. God knew how to do it.
Oh well, that's all for now. We'll try to be more regular on this.
Dwight
But the tomatoes are coming on strong in the kitchen garden, the lettuce is still here a few more days (we are praying for a little overlap for the lettuce/tomato sandwiches, the string beans are looking good, squash and okra are planted and beginning to show their heads. Today we saw a double-winged dragon fly land on out mosaic table that has in it double-winged dragon flies - amazing coincidence? Or what?
Yesterday, we watched a hummingbird slowly meander through 7 great lavenders about to burst forth with blooms. Two days ago, a deer showed up at our backyard pond looking majestic.
We seem to see more deer in the close up yard than ever and it is still exciting to watch them.
Our barnyard animals are doing fine - the goats are growing bigger, of course, but we like not having to bottle feed them twice daily. The chicken egg production averages about 3 a day which is still more than we can eat so we give them away when we can.
Della (the black lab) is mostly a house dog now and Daisy (the Great White Pyrenees/Newfoundland mix) is being slowly allowed to stay with Muffin, Heidi and Chloe (the goats). This Saturday, the Critter Corner from Seawall school in Chapel Hill will move out here for the summer - this will add two goats, three chickens and two ducks to the mix for the summer.
Susan is working on recovering the lower garden from massive weeds - I mean huge. Taller than she is. I'm helping but she's the main one. The weeds go to the chickens for composting and then to the gardens for mulch. God knew how to do it.
Oh well, that's all for now. We'll try to be more regular on this.
Dwight
Thursday, April 17, 2008
All 16 of us work
This is Dwight and I am doing today's news at the farm.
There are 16 of us not counting the wild things around that we cannot count, Each of us has a job which makes everything work well together here on the farm.
The 3 goats poop and create food (fly larva) for the 7 chickens who make compost and Susan puts it in the garden and plants grow without buying and using artificial fertilizer. Later the goats will give us milk. The chickens of course also give us eggs which are wonderful. Della, our black lab, is a guard dog and protects us if there are strange sounds or animals around, Daisy is a Landseer (mix of Great White Pyrenees and Newfoundland), weighs over 100 pounds at 10 months and her job is to live with the goats and protect them from harm.
My job is to fix things (like two gate latches today), help Susan as needed like tilling, be a friend to everyone and, of course, produce the income needed. Nothing we do here produces cash which is the way we like it, at least for now.
Susan is the head gardener, head researcher and thinker of the farm, and helps me in eating the bountiful garden produce. Tonight we had lettuce from the cold frame and from the time we cut it until the time we had eaten it was about 30 minutes. Fresh has a new meaning!
Oh, there are two black cats (Tom & Jerry) who help with mice control but also, unfortunately, get into the butterflies at times. Tom and Jerry also provide entertainment for the dogs as the dogs are penned in and the cats run loose and taunt them at times
So, we all work and really enjoy each day and the interesting things that seem to come our way.
There are 16 of us not counting the wild things around that we cannot count, Each of us has a job which makes everything work well together here on the farm.
The 3 goats poop and create food (fly larva) for the 7 chickens who make compost and Susan puts it in the garden and plants grow without buying and using artificial fertilizer. Later the goats will give us milk. The chickens of course also give us eggs which are wonderful. Della, our black lab, is a guard dog and protects us if there are strange sounds or animals around, Daisy is a Landseer (mix of Great White Pyrenees and Newfoundland), weighs over 100 pounds at 10 months and her job is to live with the goats and protect them from harm.
My job is to fix things (like two gate latches today), help Susan as needed like tilling, be a friend to everyone and, of course, produce the income needed. Nothing we do here produces cash which is the way we like it, at least for now.
Susan is the head gardener, head researcher and thinker of the farm, and helps me in eating the bountiful garden produce. Tonight we had lettuce from the cold frame and from the time we cut it until the time we had eaten it was about 30 minutes. Fresh has a new meaning!
Oh, there are two black cats (Tom & Jerry) who help with mice control but also, unfortunately, get into the butterflies at times. Tom and Jerry also provide entertainment for the dogs as the dogs are penned in and the cats run loose and taunt them at times
So, we all work and really enjoy each day and the interesting things that seem to come our way.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
We're doing it!
We finally have our goats! They're really sweet, and we love them. Right now we're having to bottle-feed them twice a day...but not for long. They're eating grain and hay as though they are starving.
Tonight we got to sit down to dinner before feeding the goats. Sometimes it is 8:30-9:00 before we can eat because of chores that need to be done "down at the barn". We have 6 hens and a rooster (Earl and the girls) in one fenced area. Adjacent to them we have our 2 dogs, a black lab and a Great White Pyrenees/Newfoundland (Della and Daisy). In the next fenced area live the Saanen goats (Chloe, Heidi, and Muffin).
We're enjoying the fresh eggs and the early spring vegetables that are just getting started. We have big plans for the gardens. So far we have lettuce, chard, cabbage, and peas growing and have started seeds for lots of tomatoes, more broccoli, pac choi, and some herbs. Asparagus are coming back from last year, but we can't cut them for another year.
This afternoon I pulled weeds to make more room to plant in our 'kitchen' garden. After he finished his Alcatel-Lucent job for the day, Dwight mended a feeding station for the chickens and took the trash and recycling to the dump.
It's been a good day, and we've gotten a lot done. We're ready for a good night's sleep so that we can get up early to care for the animals before Dwight starts work at 8.
Tonight we got to sit down to dinner before feeding the goats. Sometimes it is 8:30-9:00 before we can eat because of chores that need to be done "down at the barn". We have 6 hens and a rooster (Earl and the girls) in one fenced area. Adjacent to them we have our 2 dogs, a black lab and a Great White Pyrenees/Newfoundland (Della and Daisy). In the next fenced area live the Saanen goats (Chloe, Heidi, and Muffin).
We're enjoying the fresh eggs and the early spring vegetables that are just getting started. We have big plans for the gardens. So far we have lettuce, chard, cabbage, and peas growing and have started seeds for lots of tomatoes, more broccoli, pac choi, and some herbs. Asparagus are coming back from last year, but we can't cut them for another year.
This afternoon I pulled weeds to make more room to plant in our 'kitchen' garden. After he finished his Alcatel-Lucent job for the day, Dwight mended a feeding station for the chickens and took the trash and recycling to the dump.
It's been a good day, and we've gotten a lot done. We're ready for a good night's sleep so that we can get up early to care for the animals before Dwight starts work at 8.
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