Happy Fourth of July!
A promised trip to the beach for the Fourth of July proved the resiliency of youth. While mom sat bundled up. Thank goodness for the emegency Pooh car blanket. The 63 degree foggy weather ensured us a bit of solitude. Happy Fourth of July from...
The Cornish Rocks Get Evicted
Today was the big day for the Cornish Rock meat birds. They were evicted from the brooder in my mudroom. With only three to four more weeks before they see the freezer, they deserve a chance to enjoy the great outdoors. http://youtu.be/GqkhCJ8ocnk
Working For Your Garlic
I put my garlic loving Hannah to work today snipping the scapes off the garlic. She helped to plant this batch of garlic in the fall. I seem to recall plantint 97 cloves, but came up with only 91 scapes.
Asparagus – finally!
I planted my one year old asparagus crowns a month ago. When nothing happened right away I despaired that they would never sprout (they sat in the box for three weeks before the asparagus bed was ready). In fact, I was gearing up to plant some...
Chicks at Week Four
We've had the baby chicks for four weeks now. This has been quite an exciting experience for our family. We've all fallen in love with "The Girls." The meat chickens are not quite so lovable. At least to me. And it has to stay that way if these...
Digging Ditches
Today's project on the "farm" was digging ditches. Not my idea of fun, but I think Paul enjoyed himself. Boys and their toys. I am forever running three garden hoses strung together down to the raised bed gardens near the chicken coop - 150' away...
Paul has been busy…
Thursday was a dry day. We haven't had many of those lately and Paul said that he was going to work on the chicken coop doors. I inquired about how he was going to do this. He said that he was going to use the siding the he'd cut out for the door...
Week Three With the Chicks
It's been three weeks since the Peepsters came into our lives. "Peepsters" is my name for them or "The Girls." They're looking a bit scraggly at this point. They're in this sort of adolescent stage. We're pretty certain we've figured out who the...
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...
