by Susan | Sep 30, 2011 | On the Farm
The duckies taking a morning snooze in the shade. A close-up of our bantam ameracauna rooster, Pepper. Or Dr. Pepper as we’ve taken to calling him.
by Susan | Sep 29, 2011 | Hannah's Cutting Board
Hannah decided to run for student council at school. She said that all of the candidates bring some kind of treat in for the class, but she was concerned that this treat sharing constituted a bribe. I commended her on her viewpoint, but suggested that she play along...
by Susan | Sep 28, 2011 | On My Mind
Back in July, I explained how chicken math works. We went to town for chicken wire and came home with four baby bantam chickens from the end of season chick sale. These cuties cost us all of $4. Or so we thought. The trouble started when we attempted to introduce the...
by Susan | Sep 25, 2011 | On the Farm
The Turkey Dudes moved out of the garage today! Hooray! Paul mucked out the meat chicken run and got it set up for the Turkey Dudes with a little shelter and a roost. They were cautious as they explored their new surroundings. We watched them for a while as they...
by Susan | Sep 24, 2011 | Recipes
Since Maine Apple Sunday, I’ve tried three different apple crisp recipes and finally have one that I think is good enough to share. This is crispy and just a little tart – not too sweet. Our apples are from old, wild, overgrown trees. My guess is that they’re...
by Susan | Sep 23, 2011 | Out and About in Maine
We celebrated the first day of autumn with a visit to the Common Ground Fair put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. We waffled about going because of the weather forecast. Was it going to rain? How much would it rain? Thunderstorms? Three...
by Susan | Sep 22, 2011 | Odds and Ends
Hannah’s latest English class poem seems appropriate on this last day of summer. The Coming of Fall As the last day of summer was coming to an end, I said goodbye to a silent friend. As I was walking home, My mind began to roam. I saw the calming...
by Susan | Sep 20, 2011 | On the Farm
The air has turned decidedly cooler this last week. The windows that remained open all summer are now closed. We’ve pulled out the fuzzy sheets and extra blankets for the beds. Right now I’m snuggled on the sofa with a sweater and down blanket....
by Susan | Sep 18, 2011 | Out and About in Maine
Farmer friends in Harrington called today to let us know that they were butchering meat chickens and we were welcome to come over and see their Whizbang Chicken Plucker in action. After reluctantly learning how to pluck chickens I needed to see this. Redbird Farm is...
by Susan | Sep 18, 2011 | On My Mind
I was lying in bed this morning, just as the sun was showing itself. My mind was working on ideas for a duck house remodel – their current house originally built as a meat chicken run. Paul was awake so I told him about this thought for giving the ducks a little...
by Susan | Sep 17, 2011 | In the Kitchen
Hannah was on a mission today. Unbeknownst to me, she had a plan for lunch. While I was outside working, Hannah was busy in the kitchen. Here’s what I found when I popped inside for a moment. She made a white bread dough using the bread machine and then formed...
by Susan | Sep 14, 2011 | On My Mind
On Hannah. She was home from school today with a terrible headache – one that started last night that she hadn’t been able to shake by this morning. When I returned home from work she greeted me from the dark cave of her room with my camera. She said that...
by Susan | Sep 13, 2011 | On the Farm
The September full moon over the Banty B & B chicken coop.
by Susan | Sep 11, 2011 | On the Farm
Beautiful weather gave us the opportunity to work on all kinds of outdoor projects. Paul focused on getting wood cut and stacked for the winter while I worked on garden and turkey projects! And you wonder why we don’t let the ducks and chickens run lose. As soon...
by Susan | Sep 11, 2011 | Out and About in Maine
There are a number of old apple trees on our property. Some trees are sparse and short and the deer eat most of the apples. Others are so big that we cannot reach the apples – even with ladders. None of the trees are in easy access locations. We have to wade...
by Susan | Sep 10, 2011 | Chickens
At long last my mudroom is empty of all livestock! Today we finished the bantam chicken coop we started last weekend. Clover, Pepper, Salt, and Shadow have checked into the Banty B & B (click here to see the coop going together). I imagine they’re a little...
by Susan | Sep 5, 2011 | On My Mind
The three day weekend gave us lots of time to work on home projects. It’s a bit scary that summer will soon be over!
by Susan | Sep 4, 2011 | Hannah's Cutting Board
Hannah cooked us a truly wonderful dinner last night. The menu consisted of a chicken / broccoli ziti dish with garlic (of course) roasted red peppers and cream. Yummy. Dessert was a chocolate mousse made from scratch with homemade whipped cream; very rich and quite...
by Susan | Sep 3, 2011 | Garden
Garlic is a staple in our kitchen – even Hannah likes it. That’s why I increased our crop planting to 100 cloves last fall – up from 60 the year before. I spent an enjoyable afternoon sitting in the dooryard cleaning garlic. For the past few weeks...
by Susan | Sep 1, 2011 | Out and About in Maine
I played hookey today and took Hannah and her friend “M” to the beach for the day. We went to Roque Bluffs and we were the only folks on the beach. I parked myself in my chair, listened to the surf and read while the girls played. Swimming was short lived....
