A Rough Winter Solstice
Written on the 21st with pen and paper - posted online at the library. It's December 21st, the Winter Solstice, and I sit here writing this post by candle light. The wind outside is roaring like a freight train and rain is pounding on the roof. We...
Naughty or Nice?
Purfessor Snape slinks into the dog's bed when she isn't looking. What do you think? Naughty or nice?
A Beast in a Basket
Our little kitty, Cinder, adopted my grandmother's laundry basket - circa 1930. These days she has competition for the basket. Ginger - aka "Beast." Silly dog.
Loved Ones Ever-present at the Holidays
I spent much of the weekend cleaning and pulling out Christmas decorations. This wooden Santa face Mom gave me is perfect for one of our porch posts. I made a garland to frame my grandmother's mirror using White Pine brush that Hannah gathered for...
The Pine Grosbeak A Winter Visitor
A few years ago, when we had an extremely cold winter with loads of snow, a flock of Pine Grosbeaks descended upon our bird feeder. Unfamiliar with the bird, I had to look them up to identify them. They stayed for a couple of weeks before departing...
Our Free Range, Organic Christmas Tree
For the past few years, we've been cutting a tree from the farm for our Christmas tree. These fir trees have not been groomed for the purpose, so they're "au natural" or as Paul calls them - free range, organic Christmas trees. Started out of...
She’s Growing Up
A basketball game day, all of the players have to dress up (i.e., no jeans and jogging shoes). As I watched Hannah get ready, it struck me like a bolt of lightning that my little girl is growing up. From the borrowed scarf to dress up? a t-shirt to...
Head Count
Each night when we put The Girls in their run we do a head count. There should be 14 chickens: Gilfy and Miri (Miri is always the straggler and has to be coaxed in), The Colonel, six Rocks, five Buffs. I was on chicken duty last night and counted...
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...
