Morning Farm Sounds
The sun is just rising. It's not exactly Revile. It sounds a little rusty. Pepper, our little bantam rooster, is acquiring his cockadoodledoo. Rooster Wake Up Call What do you suppose those ducks are saying to him?
Crimson Blueberry Barrens
Two months ago, the wild blueberry barrens so prevalent in Downeast Maine, were seas of blue. Today they are crimson in the autumn light.
The Cow and the Porcelain Sink?
As I was tooling along one of Maine's back roads I spied a lone cow grazing in a field. No fences of any sort. So I figured that he got loose from an area farm, but I didn't see any farmhouse in the vicinity. On my return trip, the cow was still...
Raising the Roof on the Duck House
We raised the roof on the duck house! Literally. Once a flat roofed chicken house and run, the structure needed a little remodel for the ducks. So we raised the roof (so the snow will slide off this winter), added a door for cleaning and egg...
Blustery Weekend Snapshots
It was a blustery October weekend here. Windy enough to strip the autumn colors from the trees and make me appreciate how quickly autumn is passing. Feeling the pressure, we packed a lot of projects into the last two days. Although it was just...
Chez Roo is Open
For the weekend, anyway. My Hannah (12 years-old) has turned into quite the little chef. She’s taken to watching cooking shows rather than cartoons and is particularly taken with Food Network’s Chopped and The Next Iron Chef. Come weekend time she...
Our Little Patch of Waterfront Property
I often talk about our little patch of woods. What you might not know is that we have waterfront property on a tidal river. This little patch of waterfront property is separated from the rest of our land by the old route U.S. 1. The picture below...
Enjoying the Morning Sun
Miss Cinder enjoying some late autumn sunshine yesterday.
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...
