by Susan | Oct 11, 2015 | On the Farm
It was a cold night, and the house was locked up tight. Yet, the call of this owl woke me at 3 am – as loud as if I had the windows open. I lay there and listened for five minutes or so and when sleep eluded me, I opened a window and recorded the sound. Just as...
by Susan | Oct 4, 2015 | Garden
The day was sunny and cool, a high of 60. Yet, inside the greenhouse, even with the door and a vent open, the temperature was 80 degrees. I spent the afternoon in there yanking out the spent squash and cucumber plants and cleaned up the beds. Despite the fact that we...
by Susan | Oct 2, 2015 | On the Farm
All summer long this little snake has been lying in wait for me on the porch stoop. He stalks me, incognito on the edge of the cement step, for that perfect moment to startle me. This morning, our first serious jacket day of autumn, he did it again. After my initial...
by Susan | Sep 7, 2015 | On the Farm
This is the first year that I’ve been successful at growing giant sunflowers. I’m fairly certain the chickens sabotaged my prior attempts by eating the seed. In early summer I planted a row of Burpee’s Mammoth sunflower seeds right in front of the...
by Susan | Aug 24, 2015 | On the Farm
We abandoned use of the Girls’ chicken run this year after a portion rusted out and we found a raccoon visiting. Our plan is to rebuild a smaller run with a covered slanted roof. I can’t imaging any better visual for the power of chicken poo. I believe...
by Susan | Aug 9, 2015 | Garden, On the Farm
I’ve grown garlic for almost as many years as I’ve lived in Maine. It’s one of those veggies that I consistently have good luck with. Last October, I planted just shy of 90 cloves in two of my hugelkulture beds where I grew cucumbers and pumpkins...
by Susan | Jul 26, 2015 | On the Farm
After a crazy day yesterday organizing and overseeing small town festival events, the most adventurous thing I did today was pick wild raspberries. I discovered new batches of them in an overgrown and mucky area off the driveway. Given my haul, today’s Sunday...
by Susan | Jul 19, 2015 | Garden, On the Farm
A burst of consistent 70s during the day the past few days has helped to nudge my garden along. Beauty is taking hold in the garden – at the same time I’m challenged with pests. There is beauty to be found in the ordinary. Like these tomato blossoms....
by Susan | Jul 11, 2015 | Garden, On the Farm
Today is the beginning of an experiment in the new greenhouse. Inspired by a photo on Pinterest, I started cucumber seeds in hanging pots. These are suspended from a shower rod fastened over one of the beds. In order to give the cucumber vines support, Paul fashioned...
by Susan | Jul 9, 2015 | Chickens, On the Farm
We all have our evening routines. This time of year for us, it goes something like this. I head to the greenhouse to visit my plants. I’m battling powdery mildew on my spaghetti squash, something is eating my Swiss chard, and my peppers are looking a bit...
by Susan | Jun 28, 2015 | On the Farm
I’ve been dreaming of and plotting for a greenhouse for years. The inspiration for our greenhouse came from this video on YouTube. After considering a variety of different styles (pvc, cattle panel, hoops, etc.) we opted for this design for a few reasons. It...
by Susan | Jun 27, 2015 | Garden
It’s been a most unusual spring and beginning of summer. The days have been cool – we’ve been lucky to break 70 degrees and the nights have been downright cold. Typically at this time of year we’ve got the windows open 24/7. Lately, if we open...
by Susan | Jun 19, 2015 | Garden
I’ve had fun this afternoon with this new perspective in photographing lupine in the garden. There’s something very compelling about the patterns of the blossoms. The bees pull open the lupine petals with their front legs and all but climb in to feast....
by Susan | Jun 14, 2015 | On the Farm
The lilac’s bloom heralds the arrival of the hummingbird clearwing moths. I am fascinated with these whimsical looking creatures. Clear window-pane wings, fuzzy bodies, big eyes, antenna that mimic eyelashes, and curly probiscis, they remind me of little garden...
by Susan | Jun 13, 2015 | Garden
Purple is the color of the day in my garden. A carpet of phlox appeals to chicken little. The lupin is in full glorious bloom, attracting big, fat, bumbling, bumble bees who shy away from my attention, and the less flashy honey bees who are single-minded about their...
by Susan | Jun 7, 2015 | Garden, On the Farm
This weekend we labored on the greenhouse. And I do mean labored. Neither Paul nor I can move without whining. While we’re still not finished, the top and sides are in place and fastened down – no small feat given the breezy conditions. It was like...
by Susan | Jun 4, 2015 | Backyard Birds
My last few sneak peeks at the phoebe nest with my iPhone yielded nothing but those five eggs tucked away. Until today. Perched precariously on a ladder, I slid the iPhone over the nest and snapped. What appears to be a quintuplet of baby pheobes didn’t even...
by Susan | May 28, 2015 | Backyard Birds
This guy looks a tad bit disgruntled. I understand where the phrase “ruffled feathers” came from! I love the iridescent colors and the subtle patterns of their feathers. Different light, different moods of my favorite subject.
by Susan | May 26, 2015 | Backyard Birds
by Susan | May 24, 2015 | On the Farm
Following a ridiculous amount of manual labor this weekend, the greenhouse we started last fall is closer to being put into service. The pressure treated wood framework over two 3′ x 20′ hugelkultures is complete. One pvc bow is in place across the ridge...
