Homemade Greeting Cards Are The Best!
Hannah has taken to making her own cards for special events. I think they are the best. She knows Paul longs for some goats to add more commotion to the Farm. Hence the subject for her Daddy's Day card. When did she become such a talented artist?...
Sunday Snapshots
It was a gorgeous weekend. Sunshine, seventies, and cool breezes. Picture perfect.
Feasting on Lilacs
My lilacs are in full bloom making the garden smell wonderul. As I sit and write this, the breeze is carrying the scent of lilac in the window. Late this afternoon, when we were feeding critters and putting things away outdoors, I found these...
Adventure to the Big Pond
Peep and Squeak are finally getting out of the brooder and experiencing the great outdoors. We put the big ducks in their run early and let the babies explore alone. We had to coax them into the pond. It's a lot bigger than the bathtub! Then they...
Lupine
One of my favorite things about June is the appearance of Lupine growing wild along the Coastal Maine countryside. Although they can be invasive, I so like the tall purple spires, I've started a few from seed at home. They make a good backdrop for...
Hairy Woodpecker – My Morning Visitor
The past few days this Hairy Woodpecker has been a regular morning visitor at my garden bird feeder. Isn't he pretty?
Firsts and Endings
It's been a long week full of firsts and endings. Hannah graduated from 8th grade tonight and officially moves on to high school. She has anticipated this day for weeks, excited about moving on to high school. The reality of it left her (and me)...
Banty Population Explosion
Occupancy in the Banty B&B has hit an all-time high. Over the past couple of days the Banty chicken population doubled. Shadow is proving to be an excellent chicky mama, sticking to her nest until five baby bantam chickens hatched. It seemed...
Artichoke Pizza Sauce
Artichoke hearts are one of my favorite pizza toppings. I was intrigued when during a recent window shopping visit to Williams-Sonoma, I discovered Artichoke & Garlic Pizza Sauce. I couldn't justify $13 a jar for pizza sauce, so the past three...
The Curious Gray Jay
The past couple of days, a cute gray bird has perched on the fence outside my office. I've never seen him visit the feeder in the front, he just sits on this fence and surveys his surroundings. Studying the grainy pictures taken through the window...
Welcome to the Farm!
Exciting things are happening here today. Little Shadow, our Bantam hen is still on her nest. She's my favorite chicken because she's so sweet and even tempered - and a good mama. Hannah's chores include feeding and watering the Bantys each night....
Bees in the Barrens
The bees are back - a sure sign of spring in Downeast Maine. Bee keepers have deposited their hives all across the region to pollinate the blueberry bushes. Everywhere you look, the barrens are covered with lush carpets of green and mauve. The...
Wild Woodland Whites
The sun was shinning and my appointments for the day cancelled, so I took the afternoon off to putter at home. It was too beautiful a day to stay inside watching the clock. As I wandered around the woods by the pond I found lots of white...
Courtship?
Sitting on the porch yesterday, I spied what may have been a bit of courtship going on between these two unidentified birds. There was a lot of posturing and hopping about going on. Cute!
Sunday from the Porch
After two beastly hot and humid days, today was a gem. Still quite warm, breeze off the water kept the things comfortable in the shade of the porch. I had a bit of work still sitting on my desk, so I bounced back and forth from my office to the...
Pond Music
We created the pond last year for the ducks. At the time, we didn't appreciate that we'd be creating an ecosystem. I've always enjoyed the night sounds here, but this new ecosystem is NOISY! With the windows open last night, we had to crank the...
Disappearing Phlox
I'd noticed that my Phlox was looking a little sparse. Just the other day it was in full bloom, and today, only a couple of the plants had flowers on them. I justified this by telling myself that the ones in bloom were planted later last year -...
A Halfway House for Chickens
The new girls on the block are ready to leave the brooder and be introduced the the rest of the farm critters. Last year taught us that a gradual approach is the best way to merge new chickens with an existing flock. So Paul built the new girls a...
Route 9 Panoramas
Pictures from Route 9 also known as the Airline Road from a couple of weeks ago. At certain points along the way the vistas are stunning.
Owling at Birdsacre
Today's mission was to find dress shoes for Hannah to wear to her 8th grade graduation dance. We power shopped our way through the task of purchasing her first pair of heels. Mission accomplished! We rewarded ourselves with a visit to Birdsacre -...
Sunshine Please!
It has rained for seven days straight. And not just drizzle, but on and off steady, solid downpours. I wouldn't be surprised if the peas, beans, and squash I planted last weekend have drowned. I've been busier than I've ever been on the work front....
Wandering Ducks
The ducks have provided lots of inspiration for posts lately. Broody ducks, cute ducks, new ducks. No ducks. That's what I found when I arrived home - no ducks. Nada. After checking with Paul who said, "They were just there a little while ago," I...
An Unexpected Dip
The baby ducks started out with a basic chick waterer. I wanted to give them a waterer where they could dunk their heads, but keep things as dry as possible. After doing a bit of research, I cut a hole in the side of a gallon milk jug. I guess I...
Tag Team Nesters
Shadow, our broody Banty, takes a moment to stretch her legs. While she enjoys her break, Salty temporarily takes over the broody duties. The two Banty hens seem to be taking a tag team approach to sitting on this clutch of eggs!
Meet Peep and Squeak!
Hannah named the first ducklings to hatch at Downeast Thunder Farm "Peep" and "Squeak". Here they are taking their first swim in my bathtub! They are the cutest little things. http://youtu.be/7JEz5xYZR4E
