Blog
The Calm After the Storm
November 25, 2022
Having an empty house after the holidays is not unlike recovering from a bad case of vertigo. The gratitude, at least, that washes over me once the room stops spinning is the same gratitude I feel when I can put my feet up and drink a cup of coffee without the fear of wearing it.
I love our grandchildren (all 2,800 of them), and I would throw myself in front of a moving train if I thought it would spare them a moment’s sadness - but lord have mercy I also love my peace and quiet.
Pumpkin Chucking
November 18, 2022
There are many reasons we love our connection to Hill-Stead Museum. Initially, we just offered to buy them three sheep to bring “some life back” to their farm complex. The museum’s director, at the time, was quick to point out that it wasn’t just the cost of the sheep but the labor (and expense) of maintaining them every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. So, we took that on as well.
Hill-Stead’s founder, Theodate Pope Riddle, was as involved with her farm’s operations as s
Hooligan Houseguests
November 11, 2022
Even before I heard their distinctive call, I knew it wasn’t just a flock of crows. The way a raven soars seems effortless, and certainly more graceful, than the purpose driven flapping of a crow. While crows always appear to be in a great hurry, these ravens looked like they didn’t have a care in the world.
They showed up not long after sunrise and spent the morning riding thermals, and gliding along the treetops, just below our ridgeline. When they finally got bored with that, they spent some
It's Pumpkin Time!
November 4, 2022
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Every year after Halloween, we collect several tons of left-over pumpkins. The pumpkins make excellent livestock feed, and with their tough outer shell, they keep fairly well. The seeds are extremely high in protein and the pumpkin “flesh” is wonderful filler. The pigs, sheep, and chickens all love pumpkins and will spend the next month eating to their heart’s content.
Overeating can be a real problem for sheep but there’s enough fiber and water in the pumpkins that they feel full long before
The Taste of Autumn
October 28, 2022
As the days become shorter, trees (like the rest of us) prepare for winter. They begin to seal off the veins that transport nutrients to and from the leaves. Like battening down the hatch on a submarine, they cut the leaves off from the rest of the tree. If they didn’t, the moisture in the leaves would freeze and leave the tree vulnerable to injury.
The leaves have pigmented enzymes which help the tree turn sunshine into sugar - a process known as photosynthesis. The green color of leaves comes
For the Birds
October 21, 2022
Just before my dad passed away, I asked him what kind of tree he wanted his ashes scattered beneath. He didn’t hesitate – he wanted us to plant an oak tree. Specifically, he wanted a “northern red oak” planted in our ravine. It seemed an odd request - to plant an oak tree in a forest filled with oaks, but he was very definitive, so I was happy to oblige. Technically, I could have swiped an acorn from an unsuspecting squirrel, dug a hole in the ground and called it a day. But finding the perfect
Dancing with Bees
October 14, 2022
When a forager honeybee returns to the hive, she is unpacked by worker bees. The enthusiasm displayed when she is greeted and the speed with which she is unpacked gives the forager feedback as to the desirability of whatever it is she found. If she is enthusiastically received, she will likely go back to the exact same spot and return with more. If the reception is lukewarm, she might look for something else.
Once unpacked the forager will proceed to the “dance floor” to perform a dance that
Ready or Not!
October 7, 2022
We sheared all our sheep and are now tasked with getting the wool out the door and on its way to becoming something more. Before anyone can do anything with it, it needs to be skirted. “Skirting” is the laborious process of hand picking out all the bits of non-wool “thingies” that get embedded in the sheep’s fleece, and removing any wool that is too soiled to be of any value.
Once skirted, we send all the wool to the spinnery for processing. There it gets washed, carded, and spun into yarn.
And God Laughs
September 30, 2022
We are simultaneously preparing for the fall shearing and the beginning of sheep breeding season. Shearing needs to happen before the weather turns much colder, and sheep breeding starts to “take place” when the days get shorter, and the ewes come into heat.
We have sheep in three different locations and need to trailer them all to Hill-Stead for next week’s shearing. We’ll try to keep the breeding ram away from the young ram lambs (to reduce fighting). We also need to keep the rams and the ewes
Planet Puffball
September 23, 2022
What a year it’s been for puffballs! The large ball-shaped mushrooms are popping up all over. Their preference for “well fertilized” fields means that, though they look totally out of place in our pasture, they are very much at home.
As a “giant puffball” matures, the inside of it turns from pure white to off white, to tan, to black. The ones that are still pristine white on the inside are edible - and delectable. Our favorite recipe uses thick puffball slices grilled and topped with tomato
