by Susan | May 5, 2014 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
I spied these goldfinches out the kitchen window this afternoon – the first I’ve seen this year. They were kind enough to stick around until I found my camera. A little sunshine on a rainy afternoon!
by Susan | Apr 15, 2014 | On the Farm
Yesterday, the pond all but melted, found the ducks hanging out on the bank. They’d yet to dip a foot into the pond, still splashing in their mortar box. All that water just waiting for them and they wouldn’t go near it. I talked Paul into helping me “coax” the...
by Susan | Mar 24, 2014 | On the Farm
It was a sad weekend here. We lost two roosters over two nights to what we believe is a single predator. What makes it even harder is that we knew that one of the coop doors needed repair and our delay in fixing it properly cost us. In the banty coop, a predator got...
by Susan | Mar 16, 2014 | Garden, On My Mind
The ground may be frozen and snowy, but spring arrived in my mailbox yesterday. Given my gardening history, I may have been just a little optimistic when ordering seeds – 32 varieties!?A typical spring involves me starting seeds, killing the seedlings at some...
by Susan | Mar 12, 2014 | Backyard Birds
Recently, a friend shared beautiful pictures of bald eagles that she took along the Narraguagus River. I confess, I was a little envious. I’d driven past this stretch of the river many times without a single sighting. So the last couple of weeks I took special...
by Susan | Mar 8, 2014 | On the Farm
This is our third season experimenting with producing our own Maple syrup. The weather has been so cold that we haven’t thought too much about the sap season. When the weather man predicted temps in the 40s, we knew it was time to get things rolling. On Monday...
by Susan | Mar 4, 2014 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
Chickadees in flight. A beautiful sight from the kitchen window.
by Susan | Mar 3, 2014 | On the Farm
My enthusiasm over the victory over the squirrel has diminished. He’s back, and I do believe he’s mocking me. Adding cayenne to my bird seed this weekend kept the squirrel out of my feeder for much of Saturday. Yet, here he is the next day, giving me the...
by Susan | Mar 1, 2014 | On the Farm
This has become a common sight at one of my feeders. I haven’t been too bothered by the squirrel snacking. In fact, they’ve been quite entertaining at times. However, the past day or two, the little red squirrels have started eating me out of house and...
by Susan | Feb 16, 2014 | On the Farm
This morning, I stood at the kitchen window sipping my first cup of coffee, studying the aftermath of last night’s storm. Although still blustery and snowing, the storm looked as if it was on its last legs. Then, I noticed a little stirring in the pristine snow....
by Susan | Feb 15, 2014 | On the Farm
The past few mornings there have been fox tracks everywhere. This stealthy nighttime visitor has been routinely inspecting the chicken coups and duck houses, a fresh set of track appearing each morning. Today, as the afternoon skies turned gray with the promise of...
by Susan | Jan 31, 2014 | Ducks
Not long ago, Janet emailed and asked how the ducks were fairing this winter – that I hadn’t mentioned them lately. Well, Janet, winter is definitely not their favorite season, but our eight duckies are doing well. We got the ducks for eggs (although...
by Susan | Jan 29, 2014 | On the Farm
I wonder what she was thinking of me as I stood 30 feet away snapping pictures. She seemed as curious of me as I was of her. This went on for a minute or so before she became bored with me and quietly wandered off into the woods.
by Susan | Jan 28, 2014 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
After watching our Misplaced Grackle for weeks, recently another Grackle arrived on the scene. He/she is shy, retreating to the safety of the fir tree when I appear to take pictures. I’m happy to know my grackle is not alone! Funny how I project human emotions...
by Susan | Jan 24, 2014 | On the Farm
This winter has been defined by ice. The cycle of snow, sun and frigid temps has left us with icicles everywhere. There’s more to icicles than meets the eye. They hold reflections of the world around us.
by Susan | Jan 22, 2014 | On the Farm
Sunset on a bitter cold January evening. Only 56 days ’till spring.
by Susan | Jan 19, 2014 | Chickens, On the Farm
Did you ever wonder how the term “chicken” came to mean scared? I am convinced it has to do with chickens and snow. Our chickens hate snow. When there is snow in the ground, the refuse to come out of the coop. And, if the outdoor roost is clear, they will...
by Susan | Jan 9, 2014 | Backyard Birds
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology web site allaboutbirds.org is my go to place when trying to figure out who is visiting my yard. Just yesterday, they released Merlin, a bird identification app for smart phones. Since I receive an iPhone for Christmas (my phones have all...
by Susan | Jan 7, 2014 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
Mother nature often surprises me. Following a day of torrential rain, the ice we’ve been plagued with since before Christmas melted overnight. This is the view of the duck pond from the porch today. This was the view just a few days ago, my birches looking so...
by Susan | Dec 31, 2013 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
After having a week off and then working yesterday, I opted to play hookey today. It was extremely cold, the roads were icy, and frankly, I just wasn’t ready to get back into the swing of things just yet. On this last day of 2013 I puttered both inside and...
