Peripatetic philomaths…focusing on what's really important, eating ethically and cleanly, fermenting, foraging/wildcrafting, practicing herbalism, and being responsible stewards of our land. Sharing our photos, musings, and learnings. Still seeking our tribe.
Every so often, one of the ladies lays a strange egg – unusually shaped, colored, or, like this one, sized. It’s just a reproductive quirk, but fairy eggs are always fun to find and this one was ready for an adventure around the farm!
Continue reading “Eye Candy: Portraits Of A Fairy Egg”
Early this morning, I was behind the house, looking at a newly-established bird’s nest, when I heard leaves rustling. I figured it was a robin, searching for bugs under the dead leaves…until a rabbit appeared and casually hopped away from me. That was not what I was expecting to see.
Continue reading “Around The Farm: A Real Easter Bunny”
Winter has some of the most striking sunsets of the year. I’d chalked it up to the crisp clearness of the season’s days, and science seems to back that up. The depth of the smoldering hues on the horizon seems, at least to me, to be a sort of swan song: the sun, not going gently into night, leaves its breathtaking impression on the observer.
Experiencing beautiful sunsets one of the rewards of being a farmer. Nighttime chores mean receiving this gift of Nature’s beauty without needing to make special arrangements to see it – fortuitously, I’m already outside! Sometimes the display is accompanied by the soft hooting of owls, a reminder that predators arrive with the darkness and to make haste in getting the poultry secured for the night. And, each night, our birds are settled in safely, just as the sun reluctantly dips below the dusky sky.
Interesting fact: according to Stephen Corfidi of NOAA, “were it not for the fact that human eyes are more sensitive to blue light than to violet, the clear daytime sky would appear violet instead of blue”. Learn more about the science behind spectacular winter sunsets here.
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”
The transformative power of snow is at work once again, turning the mundane magnificent. With a liberal powdering of snow, even a dry, brown leaf is renewed…and perhaps a bit of my spirit, as well. May you also find the ordinary beauty around you and luxuriate in it.
She waited for him at their special place, where they had met many times. The air was crisp and clean, the sun making the freshly-fallen snow sparkle. It was a day full of possibility.
Continue reading “Short Read: In The Winter Forest”