Self-taught farmers confidently raising chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Our focus is on practices that are environmentally harmonious and respectful to our livestock. We appreciate the beauty around us, clean eating, fermenting, and responsibly utilizing the bounty of the land. If you like thinking for yourself, continuous learning, and connecting with the homesteader lifestyle, check us out.
The snow creates so many opportunities for, frankly, woolgathering and whimsy. When I spied a tiny cave created by a curled leaf, I imagined that wandering creatures like fairies might take advantage of the diminutive shelter to get out of the freezing wind and warm up a bit before continuing on. Safe journeys, my friends.
Ah, the cursed ice! Despite how carefully I’ve tried to tread, my luck finally ran out and I did some kind of unwanted (and undeniably ungraceful) move trying to prevent myself from landing hard on the icy ground.
While I may ultimately have failed to stop the tumble, at least it really only involved a slow-motion (at least in my head) flailing of arms and awkward footwork, resulting in a semi-rough landing on a knee and rear. That ice felt less forgiving than concrete! I think the fact that I was pulling the loaded cart actually helped prevent a more painful fall, and I seem to have escaped physical injury.🍀 Seriously though, the ice is bad news…you don’t know where it’s slick – assume everywhere – or when you’re going to lose footing. And, thanks to heavy sleet and periodic melt that refreezes at night, the ground is one, thick, solid sheet of ice. A veritable skating rink. There’s no escape.
To my fellow farmers (and anyone else) dealing with the ice, I wish you the best of luck in keeping your footing. An injury on the farm is a big deal, so I hope we all weather the storm as well as can be expected and come out of it as hearty and hale as we were before this weather blew in…and with our dignity intact.
Nature never fails to amaze, despite how much we take her for granted. In the midst of a spell of frigid weather that’s left surfaces coated in thick ice (making walking treacherous, at best), and among the myriad prints that have been left in the snow by our boots and various animal visitors, I happened upon this, this very morning. Does she know it’s Valentine’s Day? I choose to believe it’s not a coincidence, that she left something remarkable as a reminder that Nature needs – and deserves – our care and protection, too.
The ice storm arrived, as forecast, yesterday afternoon. By dusk (evening chores), a thick layer of slushy ice pellets lay upon the ground, accompanied by continued falling sleet and rain. This morning, the world around us looked very different…and very cold.
Continue reading “Eye Candy: Ice World”
After a painful period of absence, eggs are back on the menu – and in the incubator. It’s a pleasure to collect eggs in a range of colors, and gratifying that the fowl are, once again, “earning their keep”!
Continue reading “Farm Fowl: Welcome Winter Eggs”
You might think that with all the unexpectedness that occurs on the farm, little would surprise me – but you’d be wrong. While exploring a shot of an ice-ringed pool, I discovered something in its shallow depths that was simply…startling.
Continue reading “Haiku: The Eye And The Fish”