PEEK-A-Boo! I love how hens get all their chicks nestled underneath them. This proud lady has 9 newly hatched chicks underneath her! Because this is a tame hen, her chicks aren’t afraid of us. So when I enter the shed, the little ones come running, practically swarming over my feet. If you have a fear […]
Hammock Time August 10 is a pathetic date to be setting up one’s hammock. Up here in Minnesota, by August 10 the summer is nearly over. But at least I set it up…last year the hammock never saw the sun. After setting it up, I approached with my arms full—a pillow, a book, a bag […]
Testosterone Not all farm stories have happy endings. A few weekends ago I was visiting my mom in Wisconsin when Melissa called. Duncan, our big, black-faced ram, was dying. Melissa has seen enough dying animals to know when there’s the possibility a vet might save the animal, and when there isn’t. Remember that sheep hide […]
Then, and Now Here’s a photo of Chachi then. Here’s a photo of Chachi now! Yup, it’s true. He’s naked. In fact, all the llamas are naked. Annie, who reads this blog and lives nearby AND knows how to shear llamas, introduced herself in an email and volunteered to shear our llamas. We took her […]
Farm Woman Invents New Pie I’ve always admired the Farm Woman Icon—a woman able to raise her own vegetables, milk the cow and make her own cheese, and whip up a hearty meal when twenty people suddenly drop by. If you’ve read any of my books, you know I am none of the above. My […]
The Feral Chicken Last fall the residents of a house about 3/4 of a mile away moved out. We didn’t realize it at the time, but they just left their small flock of chickens and geese to fend for themselves. (Don’t get me started on how cruel people can be when it comes to animals.) […]
Whew, We Made It Again In one of our shortest lambing seasons ever, all but five ewes have given birth in just two weeks. So other than these few stragglers, we’re done! As usual, I’m delighted, and Melissa’s face grows longer and longer as reality sets in. She loves finding new baby lambs on the […]
A Farm Play in One Act Setting: Small barn on Rising Moon FarmCharacters: Lamb, Calf Lamb: “What are you in for?” Calf: “I think it’s for being too cute. I keep hearing them say, “You are just too cute.” Lamb: “Bummer. So, how do we get outta this joint?” Calf: “We have to stop being […]
What? This morning after we finished feeding the calves, I went inside to start cleaning the house, and Melissa did a few more chores. Thirty minutes later she came inside, beaming. “Guess what?” she asked. “No! It’s too early! I haven’t cleaned the house or bought groceries or anything.” And we hadn’t moved the sheep […]
Cavorting Calves We’ve had the calves about 2 1/2 weeks now. Each has gotten sick, and Melissa has nursed each one back to health. We’ve trained three of the four to drink from a bucket. This involves letting the calf suck on your fingers, then immersing your hand in the milk and trying to keep […]