Wood Furnace Repair: A Downeast Thunder Farm Dirty Job
I spent the afternoon inside an outdoor wood furnace. The experience wasn’t on my list of things to do this morning, but there I found myself. What I won’t do to help Paul out of a tight situation (literally). The fancy, super-efficient, Central...
Autumn Colors from the Window
The bathroom window. A view that might make you linger a bit longer than necessary!
Quintessential Autumn Day
I abandoned my computer for a couple of hours this afternoon to enjoy a quintessential autumn day. Here are a few of the keepers from my pics.
Early Autumn Sunday Snapshots
Suddenly, autumn is showing her colors. We had our first scrape-your-windows hard frost last week. On October 5th - can you believe it? Entirely too early for comfort. That snap of cold has triggered some changes. Here are a few autumn pics from...
The Purple Door
I decided the front door needed a makeover. So, out with the red and in with the purple. Not exactly an autumn color, but it makes me smile. This color is “Vintage” and I’m not sure if I like the name or the color more.
Welcome home. I think.
I arrived home last night after being away for a week of training in York, Maine. It was wonderful to be home. Hannah welcomed me with a plate of homemade brownies. Yum. I was so happy to be home that I ignored the dirty pots and pans stacked on...
Missing You
This week finds me on a rare trip away from home. Alone. It's my fourth night away and I am wicked homesick. I miss waking up in the morning to the smell of the coffee that Paul made. I miss visiting with Hannah while we wait for the school bus. I...
Feathered Friends on Friday
The duckies taking a morning snooze in the shade. A close-up of our bantam ameracauna rooster, Pepper. Or Dr. Pepper as we've taken to calling him.
Hannah’s Edible Poster
Hannah decided to run for student council at school. She said that all of the candidates bring some kind of treat in for the class, but she was concerned that this treat sharing constituted a bribe. I commended her on her viewpoint, but suggested...
The Cost of Chicken Math
Back in July, I explained how chicken math works. We went to town for chicken wire and came home with four baby bantam chickens from the end of season chick sale. These cuties cost us all of $4. Or so we thought. The trouble started when we...
The Turkey Dudes Move Out
The Turkey Dudes moved out of the garage today! Hooray! Paul mucked out the meat chicken run and got it set up for the Turkey Dudes with a little shelter and a roost. They were cautious as they explored their new surroundings. We watched them for a...
Downeast Thunder Farm Apple Crisp
Since Maine Apple Sunday, I’ve tried three different apple crisp recipes and finally have one that I think is good enough to share. This is crispy and just a little tart – not too sweet. Our apples are from old, wild, overgrown trees. My guess is...
A Day at the Common Ground Fair
We celebrated the first day of autumn with a visit to the Common Ground Fair put on by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association. We waffled about going because of the weather forecast. Was it going to rain? How much would it rain?...
The Coming of Fall
Hannah's latest English class poem seems appropriate on this last day of summer. The Coming of Fall As the last day of summer was coming to an end, I said goodbye to a silent friend. As I was walking home, My mind began to roam. I saw...
You Can’t Beat the Calendar
The air has turned decidedly cooler this last week. The windows that remained open all summer are now closed. We've pulled out the fuzzy sheets and extra blankets for the beds. Right now I'm snuggled on the sofa with a sweater and down blanket....
A Visit to Redbird Farm
Farmer friends in Harrington called today to let us know that they were butchering meat chickens and we were welcome to come over and see their Whizbang Chicken Plucker in action. After reluctantly learning how to pluck chickens I needed to see...
A little enthusiasm, please!
I was lying in bed this morning, just as the sun was showing itself. My mind was working on ideas for a duck house remodel - their current house originally built as a meat chicken run. Paul was awake so I told him about this thought for giving the...
Late Summer Porch Soup Luncheon
Hannah was on a mission today. Unbeknownst to me, she had a plan for lunch. While I was outside working, Hannah was busy in the kitchen. Here's what I found when I popped inside for a moment. She made a white bread dough using the bread machine and...
I’m rubbing off…
On Hannah. She was home from school today with a terrible headache - one that started last night that she hadn't been able to shake by this morning. When I returned home from work she greeted me from the dark cave of her room with my camera. She...
Full Moon Over the Coop
The September full moon over the Banty B & B chicken coop.
September Sunday Snapshots
Beautiful weather gave us the opportunity to work on all kinds of outdoor projects. Paul focused on getting wood cut and stacked for the winter while I worked on garden and turkey projects! And you wonder why we don't let the ducks and chickens run...
Maine Apple Sunday at Downeast Thunder Farm
There are a number of old apple trees on our property. Some trees are sparse and short and the deer eat most of the apples. Others are so big that we cannot reach the apples - even with ladders. None of the trees are in easy access locations. We...
The Bantys Have Checked In to the Banty B & B
At long last my mudroom is empty of all livestock! Today we finished the bantam chicken coop we started last weekend. Clover, Pepper, Salt, and Shadow have checked into the Banty B & B (click here to see the coop going together). I imagine...
Sunday Snapshots on Monday
The three day weekend gave us lots of time to work on home projects. It's a bit scary that summer will soon be over!
A Dinner by Chef Hannah
Hannah cooked us a truly wonderful dinner last night. The menu consisted of a chicken / broccoli ziti dish with garlic (of course) roasted red peppers and cream. Yummy. Dessert was a chocolate mousse made from scratch with homemade whipped cream;...
