The Farm Report

Category: farm

  • Half a day in under one minute

    http://player.vimeo.com/video/29459069

    When Tina featured this time-lapse camera, I immediately threw it on a list of things to get for Tom’s birthday. Turns out I have impeccable taste, when I walked into our kitchen a few days ago, and noticed one set up on our windowsill.

    Really, it is impossible to shop for this man.

    Anyway, little did I know it had been on since mid-afternoon. I probably wouldn’t have changed into pajamas quite so early had I known.

    I think my favorite part of the whole video is that somehow the chickens got into the house in the middle of it all. This proves, as I’ve always suspected, they live some sort of crazy secret agent life where they do unimaginable things while we’re all at work and school.

    Also, it should be noted that really our television is not on quite that much. Two of the kids were home sick that day. Really. Truly. And we should probably put away all that laundry. And it’s time to get rid of that balloon that someone hung on the fireplace.

    I can’t wait to see what else we do with this camera! I’m thinking this would be the perfect way to document the crazy of Christmas morning, don’t you?

     

  • Off to Mexico

    Off to Mexico
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    It’s been a thin year for monarchs in these parts. Today we released our last butterfly, sending it off to Mexico. This time it was one we raised at home.

    Want to know what lies ahead for this little guy? Watch the Nova special, The Incredible Journey of the Butterflies.

  • Catch the wind

    http://player.vimeo.com/video/28275361

    I’ve been tracking Irene on the news, thinking of all our friends on the east coast and hoping for the best. Although the hurricane seems to be less destructive than anticipated, we’ve been thinking of strangers who are sitting directly in the path. The inevitable gathering of scattered pieces when it is all over.

    Today Tom was outside with Ellery, moving an old tarp. It’s gorgeous and sunny today, albeit a bit windy—our little piece of Irene, perhaps. And then something magical happened with that old tarp and the wind, and lumped together with all the unrest in the world, it reminded me to be thankful for all my good fortune all over again.

    (I’m also wishing a very happy birthday to my amazing sister, Bonnie!)

  • Back

    Back

    Whew. That was quite a month.

    We passed the state inspection, the paperwork ducks are in a row, all the furniture was moved in, decorating occurred, pencils were sharpened, and the first week has come and gone.

    I’m officially a preschool teacher.

    I’m tired, but it is good. I think it will take a while to get into the groove, both at school and at home. There’s a new rhythm to be established, and routines to be learned.

    In the meantime, I’m miserably behind on blogging. I did take a few photos in the past 40 days, but it’s going to take me a while to catch up. Expect some backposting, but also moving forward. On all fronts.

     

  • First toad of the season

    First toad of the season

    It’s toad season. Neko is beside herself with excitement. Each summer we seem to catch and release the same toads, as we began recognizing certain markings. Our house is a bit like a toad day spa, with fresh water and captive meals. Last summer Leaper and Sweet Pea were our regular visitors.

    This is the first toad of the season, and she has been dubbed Philomena by the eight-year-old with an ever-maturing naming strategy.

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  • Lost and found

    Lost and found

    I know, you’re probably thinking, “That first photo? What in the world is that?”

    And, yes, my friends, you are right. It’s a horrible photo that looks like nothing. And that is the whole point of my story today. That big pile of sticks, remnants of the big wind storms, looks like absolutely nothing.

    Let me back up for a moment.

    We have this chicken named Blob. (Yes, she’s a girl. And, yes, that is her name. This is what happens when you let young boys obsessed with video games name chickens.)

    If Sarah Palin hadn’t gotten to it first, Blob could have defined “going rogue.” We have no idea when she started laying eggs last fall, because she always laid somewhere in the woods. At first I suspected she was a dud in the laying department, but when the first snow rolled around, I caught her in nesting box. It was this huge gotcha moment followed by celebration.

    So she laid in the coop all winter.

    But once spring rolled around, she went back to her old ways. One day Tom found a few eggs, laid delicately on the seat of the tractor.

    I’ve been noticing the absence of green eggs in the coop lately. It’s left me wondering.

    Then today Neko was mucking about in the yard and suddenly started screaming, frantically pointing to the big pile of sticks. And there, in the midst of the debris, lay SEVENTEEN GREEN EGGS.

    In case you don’t do chicken math, that’s nearly a month worth of eggs.

    Of course, we had throw them all away, because they don’t come stamped with an expiration date. And I suspect she doesn’t lay in a methodical left to right order.

    This is the chicken that is going to live until the age of 10. In addition to staying close enough to be tripped over, but just far enough away to slip past when I need to shuffle her into the coop, she will taunt me with her covert egg laying, scoffing at the whole cost of feed vs. cost of eggs ratio. I suspect we will grow old and cranky together.

    There’s some nugget of a sitcom here. Golden girls with a poultry twist.

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  • Merging the flocks

    Merging the flocks

    In our second year of this chicken thing, I feel like we have much of it down. Not perfect, but feeling pretty competent.

    New this year, however, is the merging of the flocks. We need to introduce the new chickens, who have been residing in the house, to the old chickens, who have staked the entire farm out as their domain.

    We’ve been letting them all share the outdoors off and on during the day. Mostly the older girls act like high school seniors, who are clearly way too cool to talk to the freshman. But every now and then, they seem to share the same space.

    I’m admittedly nervous about their first night in the coop together, and am contemplating ridiculous thoughts, like running a baby monitor out there, so I can intercede if there are any scuffles.

    Is that weird? Someone please tell me that’s not weird.

  • Last of the cattails

    Last of the cattails

  • Stalling

    Stalling

    It’s too nice outside. The kids are looking for any reason to stay awake. Like a last-minute trip to the mailbox. With bicycles. In pajamas.

  • Gathering flowers

    Gathering flowers

    With all this rain, we’re savoring the dry spells when they visit. When it finally lets up, Neko goes running for the fields. She returns with a smile on her face, and mud from head to toe.

    She gathered these flowers for me right before bedtime. We put them in a vase in the kitchen. I think it’s wild mustard, and probably an allergen.

    But we put them in the kitchen just the same. We’ll take the sunshine where we can in these parts.

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