In My Lavender Today
My lavender is on the cusp of blooming. Some other creatures are enjoying the lavender too - like this stripped ladybug. These baby grasshoppers. I thought this was a leaf and was trying to pluck it out of the lavender. I pulled the leaves aside...
Chicken Coop Progress
Today we finished the sheathing of the chicken coop. We're pooped! Paul has to build the doors windows (and cut the holes out for the windows), the nesting box. Then comes the steel roof (left over from the house project) and painting. We've got...
I Spy…
I spy... a crazy lady with a camera. 175 shots later and she felt compelled to post these six pics. The baby hens at two weeks old. Funny looking little things, aren't they?
Lobster
Our neighbor, Art, brought lobsters over last night. We attempted to cook them up in a pot that simply would NOT allow the water to boil. After an hour of watching the proverbial pot, we got a new pot and were dining on these tasty sea bugs within...
Chicken Coop Construction is Underway
Paul spent a good bit of this last week pre-building the walls for the chicken coop. He did this in the garage where he could be out of the elements, had a flat surface and was close to his tools. We took advantage of the beautiful day and started...
Butterfly Amongst the Lilacs
I became sidetracked during coop construction today when I saw this beautiful butterfly fluttering about my lilacs. Turns out that it is a Canadian Tiger Swallowtail. The lupine I planted last fall is in bloom; it's the most beautiful peachy-pink...
Chicks – Week One at Downeast Thunder Farm
We have had the baby chicks for one week today. It's amazing how much they've grown in this short time! They're developing their wing feathers and have just sprouted the beginnings of their tail feathers. What is really wild is how much bigger the...
Time for a Prius Pickup?
Between gas prices and a truck that needs a bit of work, we took the Prius to Ellsworth for our Sunday Home Depot trip. Do you think it's time for a Prius pickup? We did our shopping in two rounds. Round one included 24 2x3x8' studs. Paul said, "I...
Our Resident Squirrel Family
Do you see the eye peering out of the bird house below? Nope, not a bird. It's our resident squirrel and family. Paul and I sat on the porch today during a chicken coop building break and watched three squirrels scurry in and out of this little...
Baby Chicks – Day 3 at Downeast Thunder Farm
The baby chicks seem to have settled in and are feeling their oats! http://youtu.be/mQgDJAWYH2c
Chicken Coop Redesign
Since the introduction of our chicken coop design last week we made a trip to Home Depot. Said trip inspired us to make a few modifications (cost saving measures) to the coop plan. 1) Rather than purchasing shingles we're going to use green steel...
Mail Order Baby Chicks are Here!
We received notice on Tuesday that our baby chicks had been shipped. Today is Thursday and the telephone rang at 6:45 a.m. It was the post office calling to say that we had chicks waiting and to come on down and get them. Only in a small town will...
Hybrid Raised Garden Bed
Today's project was building a hybrid raised bed for my garden. A couple of years ago Paul made a cold frame out of pvc for me. Using the last bit of our miscellaneous wood, we built a raised bed the perfect size to go with that cold frame....
The asparagus bed is in!
It's been a very productive weekend here. Last week, Paul finished fixing the tractor. This is a project that started in the fall - it needed a new clutch. The whole thing had to be split in two - twice! Of course things are never as simple as they...
Chicken Coop Dilemma
Paul and I have finally settled on a chicken coop design and layout. This resolution did not come without a bit of frustration. We each had our own idea of how it ought to be built and where it should go. Turns out that we were pretty much on the...
Unexpected Sights
I took a wrong turn today. What I thought would lead to a shortcut turned out to be anything but that. However, the sights along the way made the detour worthwhile. I didn't see any busy beavers around this dam today. A very pastoral scene tucked...
Little Red Schoolhouse
The back road to Machias takes you through Whitneyville, Maine where this little red schoolhouse sits up on the rise. There's something very charming about this school built in 1868 that now serves as the town's library. In my mind's eye I can see...
Sunshine and Hummingbirds
Today is Paul's birthday. I told him that I was gifting him with a sunny day. The overcast morning did not show a lot of promise of obliging me. However, living along the Maine coast means a lot of fog, so I was hopeful. I puttered in the garden a...
Angelique Tulips
My garden has only one cluster of tulips - these lovely Angeliques by the front door. They opened only a couple of days ago and are almost spent with this incessant rain we've had. Still, they are the most amazing delicate pink color. Worthy of a...
Spring Rains
It seems that we have been inundated with rain lately. Despite the wet weather, the early spring veggies we planted a couple of weeks ago are doing okay - and the snow peas are thriving! I think our raised beds might help - their feet don't sit in...
Chicks on Order!
For about three years we have threatened to start a backyard flock of chickens. Paul took a class two summers ago where he learned how to butcher a chicken. It turns out that this is the year! Paul is finishing up a chick brooder and I have just...
Big Bumble Bee
I found this BIG bumble bee in my violas this morning. "A bee is never as busy as it seems; it's just that it can't buzz any slower." ~Kin Hubbard
Indoor Starts
Last Sunday, on April 24 I started three trays of seedlings in my little Burpee greenhouse. Each tray has twelve cells. Burpee Pepper Carnival Mix Burpee's Big boy Hybrid Tomato Burpee Tomato Roma This morning, the tomato sprouts were just breaking...
A Garden Beginning
May 1st seemed like a good time to start my outdoors vegetable garden. I'm really not certain what "early spring" means when it comes to planting - especially for Maine. I guess we'll find out in a few weeks when we see how what I've started today...
May First
Today is May 1st and it's a glorious spring day with temperatures in the upper 50s. My hyacinths and daffodils are in full bloom. I've got a volunteer viola that's taken root. The wild flower seed I threw over my septic field last summer has some...
