by Susan | Jan 29, 2012 | Ducks, On the Farm
Oscar laid an egg!?Turns out Oscar is a girl. A renaming may be in order. Oscarina? Not sure that works. I think she’ll be forever Oscar to us. Here’s her egg along with a Bantam egg (green one), Buff Orpington egg (brown one), and the beautiful Pekin duck...
by Susan | Jan 29, 2012 | Bird Patterns, Domestic Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns
This little felt chicken ornament was inspired by our own Buff Orpington chickens. Often when we check for eggs, there’s a Buff in the Box – that is a Buff in the nesting box getting settling to lay an egg. We have 12 chickens, six nesting boxes, and they...
by Susan | Jan 28, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Look what Hannah found this morning when visiting the Banties. Our first bantam chicken eggs! We got these little chickens in August. They were on clearance at the Blue Seal store. Who could resist $1 chickens? Six months after their arrival at Downeast Thunder Farm...
by Susan | Jan 28, 2012 | On My Mind
We’ve been living in this house we built ourselves for seven years now. Suddenly it seems that we are having a rash of appliance failures. First, there was Hannah’s television, just a couple of months out of warranty (of course). She does not have a...
by Susan | Jan 26, 2012 | Felt Patterns, Waterfowl and Seabird Patterns
In Maine, the Atlantic Puffin resides on a few islands off the coast. Almost gone from Maine in the early 20th century, their populations are now thriving or stable due to the help of Project Puffin. These cute little sea birds have a colorful, almost clown-like...
by Susan | Jan 22, 2012 | On the Farm
Mid-morning, as I was making brunch, the Banties on the porch started making a ruckus, wildly bock-bock-bocking all together. We laughed at their antics wondering what had gotten them so stirred up. Suddenly, Paul called out, “There’s a fox!”...
by Susan | Jan 21, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
The Girls are at maximum production! Nine weeks into egg laying we had our first day with one dozen eggs. That’s 12 eggs from 12 hens. Good job, Girls! This is exciting stuff for a first-time farm girl.
by Susan | Jan 21, 2012 | Bird Patterns, Domestic Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns
Dilly is a special duck at Downeast Thunder Farm. She inspired this little felt duck ornament. You can read more about Dilly here. Click here to download this free duck felt ornament pattern.
by Susan | Jan 20, 2012 | Out and About in Maine
Overnight Mother Nature dropped eight inches of snow resulting in Snow Day #2 of the year. Once the front moved out, Hannah and I strapped on our snowshoes and headed out exploring. We trooped up the woods road and then ventured into the woods. I wasn’t sure how...
by Susan | Jan 19, 2012 | On My Mind
Moonset from my kitchen window this morning.
by Susan | Jan 15, 2012 | Critters, Odds and Ends
I ventured outside at 7:30 this Sunday morning to let the ducks and chickens out into their pens, and replace their frozen water with fresh. The thermometer read 3 degrees with a stiff breeze. It’s officially brrrr outside today. I snuggled up on the sofa with a...
by Susan | Jan 13, 2012 | Chickens, Ducks, On the Farm
The first storm of 2012 dropped four inches of slushy snow overnight. The snow was the perfect foil to expose those who lurk in the shadows of the night. Living in the Maine countryside means that you share the land with predators. We’ve seen eagles, hawks, fox,...
by Susan | Jan 12, 2012 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
School was called off early and the snow is coming down. It’s a good afternoon to hunker down with a movie and a project. Today I finished a felt cardinal ornament that I’ve been puttering with. She joins the collection with my chickadee and owl family....
by Susan | Jan 8, 2012 | Bird Patterns, Felt Patterns, Perching Bird Patterns
Now that the holidays are over I find myself at loose ends. Feeling the need for a project I drew this pattern for a felt chickadee ornament using a photograph for inspiration. I think she turned out pretty cute. Click here to download the chickadee pattern and...
by Susan | Jan 7, 2012 | Granny Gadget
Last month Granny Gadget sent us (via QVC) this new six-plate George Foreman Grill. Years ago Mom sent us one of the the original George Forman Grills. It was handy, but came out of the cupboard only three or four times a year. This new version has yet to see the...
by Susan | Jan 6, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Everything! Chickens are very curious little creatures. They love to explore every little change or sound. When I stopped to visit with them today, The Girls all gathered around until they figured out that I was empty-handed. Except for my camera. This little girl...
by Susan | Jan 3, 2012 | Critter Care and Housing, On the Farm
At Downeast Thunder Farm, my engineer husband designs and fabricates our structures, farm implements, and equipment as we need them. He’s a handy guy to have around! In planning for another chicken coop this coming Spring, Paul drew up this nesting box design...
by Susan | Jan 2, 2012 | In the Kitchen, Recipes
New Years Eve I made this very yummy Spinach Artichoke Dip. I love the warm creamy texture with just a little bite of jalapeno. Downeast Thunder Spinach Artichoke Dip 1 – 8 ounce block of cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup mayonnaise (the real deal – not light...
by Susan | Jan 1, 2012 | Chickens, On the Farm
Nesting box number 6 is the place to be if you’re a chicken. We have six nesting boxes in our large coop, but box number 6 is the most popular. Some days we find all of our eggs in this one box. (Seven eggs today – a record!) This is what I found when I...
