The Pilgrim Goose Felt Ornament
A goose is on the list of critters I'd like to add to the farm. The Pilgrim Goose would make a good sentinel for the property. However, until we have more open space and a budget that includes feed for the geese, I'll have to settle for this goose....
Giving All Year Long
Last year when our chickens started laying, we quickly realized that a dozen hens lay enough eggs in one day to last us almost a week. We started selling extra eggs to friends and neighbors who appreciated farm fresh eggs. One week, overrun with...
The Craziest Season of the Year
It's junior high basketball season. That means between two jobs, and now with basketball pick ups, drop offs, and scheduling in games, I have entered the craziest season of the year. No, it's not the holiday season - it's basketball season. I don't...
A Silent Mockingbird
A little bird with a big personality - this may be the quietest Mockingbird you ever see. You can download a printable pattern for this ornament (right click on the link and select "save target as" to save to your computer). Comment here to share a...
Fences and Feathered Friends
A bitterly cold day found Paul and I outside running fence around the duck pond. Now that the pond is solidly frozen, the ducks don't have much protection from predators. We tuck them away into their house at night, but they're used to having the...
Wonderful Wimpy White Bread
There's nothing better than warm bread, fresh out of the oven on cold day. Well, on any day. Hannah prefers white bread, but I really don't enjoy wimpy white bread from the store. After some trial and error, I've fine-tuned a white bread recipe...
An un-Common Kingfisher
When folks suggested that I make a Kingfisher, I had to look it up because I wasn't familiar with the bird. A Google search delivered this darling bird. Only when I finished him and looked up more information about Kingfishers did I realize that...
Making Christmas Wreaths
Hannah enjoyed the mild temps over the holiday weekend making Christmas wreaths. In the spirit of the swags she made for the porch posts, she made these elegantly simple nature inspire wreaths to hang underneath the windows. Downeast Maine is a...
Merry Christmas Bird Tree
People have shared so many different ideas for how they are using my bird patterns that it got me thinking. I came up with this concept for a holiday wall hanging using the birds. It could be as large as you want - scale your birds accordingly....
The Proper Penguin
Penguins look so proper and stoic. This Adelie Penguin, somewhat out of place skating on the duck pond, is stylish in his winter scarf. Click here to download the free pattern (right click and select "save as" to save this to your computer). Leave...
The Neighborhood’s Going to the Chickens
I can't imagine what the bantam chickens were thinking as they looked out their window yesterday afternoon. Miri and Gilfy have decided that they like to hang out in the doorway of the banty coop run. They're too big to go inside the coop!
The Laughing Loon
The call or "laugh" of a loon is an eerie, soul touching sound. It's a treat to see one of these birds on the water. I hope you enjoy making this felt loon for your Christmas tree. Click here to download the felt loon pattern (right click and...
Turkey Day False Start
My mind didn't fully focus on Thanksgiving this year until the last minute. This last week, full of meetings and a trip to Portland left me a bit discombobulated. Almost two months ago, Mom (aka Granny Gadget) sent us a CharBroil Big Easy Smoker....
Happy Thanksgiving
Wishing you and your family a safe and happy Thanksgiving day!
For the Love of Ducks
Yesterday morning, Hannah set her alarm for o'dark-thirty. By 6:15 a.m. she was out at the pond chipping away at the ice to make a swimming hole for the ducks. She worked at this for 30 minutes before the school bus arrived. I wonder how much...
The Bird Tree: A Collection of Bird Felt Ornaments
I have been creating these little bird felt ornaments for almost a year now. This hobby started when I made ornaments for Christmas gifts last year using patterns I found online. Not until I turned the Downeast Thunder Farm blog owls into ornaments...
A Lively Painted Bunting
I confess that I didn't even know what a Painted Bunting was until a few readers requested a pattern for one. They are such a lively, beautiful little bird. My selection of felt colors did not do this cute bird justice! Sadly, I will never see one...
Hannah’s Nature Inspired Holiday Swags
Each of our five porch posts now bears one of these pretty balsam fir swags Hannah created. Hand-crafted, she decorated them with things she found in our woods - pine cones, white pine branches, and ribbons of birch bark finished off with a raffia...
An Autumn Walk in the Woods
During hunting season. I hate that we have to be worried about our safety when heading out for a walk in our woods this time of year. Better safe than sorry! Yes, she's wearing her orange, Mom!
Peace of Mind
We purchased our first generator eight-and-a-half years ago when building our home. It provided necessary power to begin our building project until Bangor Hydro connected us to the grid. I wrote about the demise of the generator in The Seven Year...
Enchanted by Owls
My love affair with owls started when I was a little girl. My grandmother, Ruth Bender Nerviani - affectionately known to me as Mother, had a few owls in her home - some have since made their way to me. As a child, I wondered why she had so many...
Whistling Baltimore Oriole
An often requested pattern, the Baltimore Oriole has a sweet whistling song. This little guy may be the only one I ever see at my bird feeder here in Maine! Click here to download the pattern for the Baltimore Oriole.
Great Blue Heron Ornament
In honor of the Great Blue Heron who visited our humble pond on the eve of Hurricane Sandy, I've designed an ornament in his likeness. Click here to download the Blue Heron pattern.
First Snow of the Year
After yesterday's rude surprise of a frozen pond, the ducks proceeded with caution on this morning of the first snow. They didn't race to dive in this morning. Instead, they walked around to the high side of the pond taking stock of things before...
Ice Cubes
Wintry cold set in over the past two days. Yesterday, Paul fired up the outdoor wood boiler for the first time this season - a week later than last year. The wood boiler is not something you crank on just to warm things up. Once it's running it...
