Friday, May 28, 2010
Building Day One
Kevin and Rory really move right along. Here's the front wall of the studio. You can see where the windows and doors will be. That's one enormous pile of lumber, isn't it?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Taking a Leap......
We're taking a leap of faith here and hoping the old saying "build it and they will come......" will hold true.
Last month, our house looked like this..... Do you see the porch at the lower right side of the house?
After a bit of red tape, a lot of waiting and a special permit..... it looked like this....
Late last week, my brother-in-law David sent over a "boom truck" loaded with lots of materials.....
That's our friend Kevin our contractor and his assistant Rory, unloading the supplies. Phoebe and Nessie helped, of course.
You'll have to bear with me for awhile because it's all about the new studio here at the farm. I'll be chronicling the progress and if you want, you can come along for the ride. I'll try to include some other more normal bits now and then but life is really busy with Farmer's Markets and getting ready for Classes at the Farm this summer.
Stay tuned - more tomorrow on the progress.
Last month, our house looked like this..... Do you see the porch at the lower right side of the house?
After a bit of red tape, a lot of waiting and a special permit..... it looked like this....
Late last week, my brother-in-law David sent over a "boom truck" loaded with lots of materials.....
That's our friend Kevin our contractor and his assistant Rory, unloading the supplies. Phoebe and Nessie helped, of course.
You'll have to bear with me for awhile because it's all about the new studio here at the farm. I'll be chronicling the progress and if you want, you can come along for the ride. I'll try to include some other more normal bits now and then but life is really busy with Farmer's Markets and getting ready for Classes at the Farm this summer.
Stay tuned - more tomorrow on the progress.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
One Morning......
.....in May at our farmhouse.....
I should get up early every morning! It was magical....
I should get up early every morning! It was magical....
Friday, May 21, 2010
Listen to Fave Radio Crafts this Sunday
I'll be on Fave Radio Crafts this Sunday 5/23. Check it out here. I think you can call in and ask questions.
Crazy Chicken
Some of you may remember "Crazy Chicken". Recently she moved from the mudroom just beyond the kitchen door into the chicken pen. It was my choice actually -- I moved her back with the rest of the chickens. I was expecting company and getting tired of chicken droppings all over the place. Crazy seemed content enough with the rest of the hens and didn't try to re-invade her former abode. Surprising considering she always used to try and escape when I was feeding them. And then she went missing.
The other day, she appeared again. With a surprise. Actually 8 of them. I guess she never really had much of a chance to have a brood before because she was never involved with any roosters. But this year, her life changed. She sat and sat and sat....
.... and out popped the chicks. Eight of them! Saturday afternoon, she was happily squiring them around the farmyard, proud as punch.
A couple days later she is down to five chicks but these guys seem pretty strong. Crazy is teaching them how to scratch and pick and survive. So sweet. Fingers crossed.
The other day, she appeared again. With a surprise. Actually 8 of them. I guess she never really had much of a chance to have a brood before because she was never involved with any roosters. But this year, her life changed. She sat and sat and sat....
.... and out popped the chicks. Eight of them! Saturday afternoon, she was happily squiring them around the farmyard, proud as punch.
A couple days later she is down to five chicks but these guys seem pretty strong. Crazy is teaching them how to scratch and pick and survive. So sweet. Fingers crossed.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Sheep Art?
I'm wondering if My Farmer would do this? I'm pretty sure I have the answer but it's quite a hoot to watch anyway.
Here's Olympia and a sheep friend out in the pasture....
She's doing great becoming a sheep although she still follows us around in the evening.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Seen on Our Road
Pretty little weed blooming someday soon.
Tree root surrounded by newly sprouted undergrowth...
Ferns unfurling.... soon to be standing tall.....
Blooming weeds near a decaying shed.....
Signs of times gone by at an abandoned farmhouse.... wagon wheels and tulips still blooming. When were they planted? Most likely decades ago. Who says tulips don't re-bloom. Some do.
Tree root surrounded by newly sprouted undergrowth...
Ferns unfurling.... soon to be standing tall.....
Blooming weeds near a decaying shed.....
Signs of times gone by at an abandoned farmhouse.... wagon wheels and tulips still blooming. When were they planted? Most likely decades ago. Who says tulips don't re-bloom. Some do.
Monday, May 17, 2010
In The Loop This Saturday May 22nd
I just heard that my classes at "In The Loop" in Norfolk, MA have enough students to run. Fabulous. It's always hard to fill a class in New England when the weather gets warm. All the knitters are gardening and going to baseball games, I think.
There is still some room in the afternoon CREATIVE EMBROIDERY class. Here's the link for further information. You can call 774 847 7977 if you want to speak to someone.
Do you want to learn to do this? I will teach you and you will have a great time. Hope to see some of you on Saturday......
There is still some room in the afternoon CREATIVE EMBROIDERY class. Here's the link for further information. You can call 774 847 7977 if you want to speak to someone.
Do you want to learn to do this? I will teach you and you will have a great time. Hope to see some of you on Saturday......
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Barbed Wire Thoughts
Barbed wire is a common sight along the dirt roads in New England and beyond. It is nasty stuff that does its job keeping cows inside the field they are supposed to reside in. Cows don't have long and fluffy coats to protect them from the nasty pointed prongs that really are weapons along a piece of wire.
Upon closer inspection, can you see the spider web that has been woven through the wire? Boy, I think some handspinners and yarn factories could spin a pretty amazing yarn if they looked into the technology of making barbed wire, don't you?
Barbed wire won't keep a flock of sheep in. Sheep have just enough wool cover to slipping through a barbed wired fence an easy thing to do. For our sheep we use 4 foot woven wire or electrified netting. But, as with everything in farming, the sheep somehow escape. This morning our neighbor called to say that some of our lambs were on her lawn. We're still scratching our head about where they escaped from.
I'm always amazed that one or two floating strands of wire will keep 2000 pound cows in.
There's an interesting museum and website devoted to barbed wire. It's called The Devil's Rope Museum and you can check it out here.
Upon closer inspection, can you see the spider web that has been woven through the wire? Boy, I think some handspinners and yarn factories could spin a pretty amazing yarn if they looked into the technology of making barbed wire, don't you?
Barbed wire won't keep a flock of sheep in. Sheep have just enough wool cover to slipping through a barbed wired fence an easy thing to do. For our sheep we use 4 foot woven wire or electrified netting. But, as with everything in farming, the sheep somehow escape. This morning our neighbor called to say that some of our lambs were on her lawn. We're still scratching our head about where they escaped from.
I'm always amazed that one or two floating strands of wire will keep 2000 pound cows in.
There's an interesting museum and website devoted to barbed wire. It's called The Devil's Rope Museum and you can check it out here.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Lawn or Hayfield and Dandelions
When I was growing up in Dover, NJ, my Dad was outside in the yard when the weather was good or bad for the better part of every day during the growing season when he wasn’t working. I can’t say I really blame him now. It was peaceful and green and there was lots for him to work on in his garden and lawn. I still remember him walking around in his khaki pants with a green hooded plastic poncho on when it was pouring out. Rain coming down didn’t stop him - he was still gardening – trying to get something done in the hours when he didn’t have to be at his office.
My parents’ marriage was a pretty traditional 1950’s old-fashioned marriage. My Dad’s job was to work hard, “bring home the bacon” and provide for us. My Mom’s job was to take care of their five little girls. Her life centered around us, making sure everyone was okay, fed, somewhat happy, got to school, and stayed out of trouble. I can remember her saying to us if we were bickering (which was a full-time job for my sisters and I), “Wait until your father gets home.” We knew that we had better not be fighting, have all our disputes finished with, and relationships temporarily mended before the next flare-up when Daddy arrived home for dinner at around 6:30.
When Daddy got home, he would fix himself a scotch on the rocks and go outside and look at his lawn and garden. I can still hear the clink, clink, clink of the ice cubes hitting his tumbler with the University of Pennsylvania seal on it. I can remember him at dinner talking about how beautiful the lawn was with nary a weed in it. He worked hard on that. I never paid much attention to it. I just expected the lush, green, pretty lawn that my sisters and I would lie in and look up into the sky and watch the clouds move by on a summer day as we dreamed about what we would become when we grew up. I’m sure now that green lawn had to be obtained by spreading umpteen crabgrass treatments and weed killers on it to make sure only the little blades of thin blue grass thrived. I’m still alive but what havoc it wreaked, I’m not sure. There was never a dandelion to be seen. Dandelions were a sign in the suburbs of an umkempt lawn and of homeowners who didn’t take pride in their surroundings.
It wasn’t until I met The Farmer and started learning about farming, hay, pasture and the things animals eat that I started understanding something about grasses. A hayfield is different than a green lawn because the idea is to grow a variety of grasses and legumes that animals will eat either during grazing season or in the winter. Different grasses have different protein and energy (or carbohydrate) values. Timothy, clover, blue grass, perennial rye grass, orchard grass, and brome grow in our hayfields and pastures. We also grow legumes including bird’s foot trefoil, alfalfa, and red and white clover. Different types of grasses do better in different parts of the country, just like trees and flowers and shrubs.
If you are interested in learning more about pasture and hayland grasses, check out King’s Agriseed website link here. This is where we have purchased our seed for our hayfields and pastures over the past few years. It's so interesting to see all that is out there.
I have learned that like a suburban lawn, it takes a real lot of work to grow a good hayfield and that it has to be maintained by constant mowing to keep it growing. When you are seeding a hayfield it has to be plowed. The rocks have to be picked. Talk about a back-braking job – I know – we did it a couple years ago on a field that is about 8 acres. Then the plowed field has to be harrowed which breaks down the plowed chunks of earth. Lastly, a mechanical seeder is used to plant the grass seeds. We either have to rent or borrow all of these pieces of equipment because we don’t own any of them.
And then you wait. The next part of the process is totally out of the farmer’s hands. You hope that the rain will come out of the sky to water the grass seed. (It’s not like a giant lawn sprinkler can help it along. Irrigation is one thing in California but it’s not something hay farmers do around here.) You hope the heat will come to help the seed germinate. And then you hope the grass grows.
At our farm, our fields are a major topic on conversation. They are either too wet or too dry… too full of thistles or nettles… the soil is too claylike…. there isn’t enough organic matter….. not enough fertility….. You get the picture. Nothing is ever perfect and everything is a work in progress. Developing a good hayfield takes years and years and years.
Harvesting the hay is a job that will be starting up soon, anyday now, in fact. The Farmer will be listening to the weather radio to try to find a good stretch of 3 days for cutting, drying, and baling. He is always in a panic to get it all done before the weather changes. Whoever thinks that farming is a no stress occupation might want to think about that assumption again! The goal is to cut the hay before it goes to seed. This provides the animals who will eat it next winter with optimal nutritional value. Once the hay goes to seed, the protein and carbohydrates decrease and it won’t be as nutritional feed.
So now when I look at a lawn, I notice other things. I notice the variety of grasses growing, the number of broadleaf plants like clover and dandelions. What actually is growing in the vast expanse of green? I must admit, the lawn around our house is a giant disaster. It’s not as important as our hayfields and pastures. It is full of all kinds of weeds but I wouldn’t even think about putting something nasty on it because our sheep and chickens frequently graze it. We’re going to be eating those eggs and that meat and I can’t even think about having them eat some kind of chemical laden grass that would later turn into food for my family and our customers.
I’ve also learned to love a field full of dandelions. After all, they have great nutritional value and they sure are cheerful and sunny looking. Gone are my days of suburban grasses. Now I think of it all differently and appreciate all the little plants for what they really are.
If you want to learn more about grasses, I suggest the book Grass Productivity by Andre Voisin. It is one of The Farmer's agricultural bibles which he turns to again and again.
My parents’ marriage was a pretty traditional 1950’s old-fashioned marriage. My Dad’s job was to work hard, “bring home the bacon” and provide for us. My Mom’s job was to take care of their five little girls. Her life centered around us, making sure everyone was okay, fed, somewhat happy, got to school, and stayed out of trouble. I can remember her saying to us if we were bickering (which was a full-time job for my sisters and I), “Wait until your father gets home.” We knew that we had better not be fighting, have all our disputes finished with, and relationships temporarily mended before the next flare-up when Daddy arrived home for dinner at around 6:30.
When Daddy got home, he would fix himself a scotch on the rocks and go outside and look at his lawn and garden. I can still hear the clink, clink, clink of the ice cubes hitting his tumbler with the University of Pennsylvania seal on it. I can remember him at dinner talking about how beautiful the lawn was with nary a weed in it. He worked hard on that. I never paid much attention to it. I just expected the lush, green, pretty lawn that my sisters and I would lie in and look up into the sky and watch the clouds move by on a summer day as we dreamed about what we would become when we grew up. I’m sure now that green lawn had to be obtained by spreading umpteen crabgrass treatments and weed killers on it to make sure only the little blades of thin blue grass thrived. I’m still alive but what havoc it wreaked, I’m not sure. There was never a dandelion to be seen. Dandelions were a sign in the suburbs of an umkempt lawn and of homeowners who didn’t take pride in their surroundings.
It wasn’t until I met The Farmer and started learning about farming, hay, pasture and the things animals eat that I started understanding something about grasses. A hayfield is different than a green lawn because the idea is to grow a variety of grasses and legumes that animals will eat either during grazing season or in the winter. Different grasses have different protein and energy (or carbohydrate) values. Timothy, clover, blue grass, perennial rye grass, orchard grass, and brome grow in our hayfields and pastures. We also grow legumes including bird’s foot trefoil, alfalfa, and red and white clover. Different types of grasses do better in different parts of the country, just like trees and flowers and shrubs.
If you are interested in learning more about pasture and hayland grasses, check out King’s Agriseed website link here. This is where we have purchased our seed for our hayfields and pastures over the past few years. It's so interesting to see all that is out there.
I have learned that like a suburban lawn, it takes a real lot of work to grow a good hayfield and that it has to be maintained by constant mowing to keep it growing. When you are seeding a hayfield it has to be plowed. The rocks have to be picked. Talk about a back-braking job – I know – we did it a couple years ago on a field that is about 8 acres. Then the plowed field has to be harrowed which breaks down the plowed chunks of earth. Lastly, a mechanical seeder is used to plant the grass seeds. We either have to rent or borrow all of these pieces of equipment because we don’t own any of them.
And then you wait. The next part of the process is totally out of the farmer’s hands. You hope that the rain will come out of the sky to water the grass seed. (It’s not like a giant lawn sprinkler can help it along. Irrigation is one thing in California but it’s not something hay farmers do around here.) You hope the heat will come to help the seed germinate. And then you hope the grass grows.
At our farm, our fields are a major topic on conversation. They are either too wet or too dry… too full of thistles or nettles… the soil is too claylike…. there isn’t enough organic matter….. not enough fertility….. You get the picture. Nothing is ever perfect and everything is a work in progress. Developing a good hayfield takes years and years and years.
Harvesting the hay is a job that will be starting up soon, anyday now, in fact. The Farmer will be listening to the weather radio to try to find a good stretch of 3 days for cutting, drying, and baling. He is always in a panic to get it all done before the weather changes. Whoever thinks that farming is a no stress occupation might want to think about that assumption again! The goal is to cut the hay before it goes to seed. This provides the animals who will eat it next winter with optimal nutritional value. Once the hay goes to seed, the protein and carbohydrates decrease and it won’t be as nutritional feed.
So now when I look at a lawn, I notice other things. I notice the variety of grasses growing, the number of broadleaf plants like clover and dandelions. What actually is growing in the vast expanse of green? I must admit, the lawn around our house is a giant disaster. It’s not as important as our hayfields and pastures. It is full of all kinds of weeds but I wouldn’t even think about putting something nasty on it because our sheep and chickens frequently graze it. We’re going to be eating those eggs and that meat and I can’t even think about having them eat some kind of chemical laden grass that would later turn into food for my family and our customers.
I’ve also learned to love a field full of dandelions. After all, they have great nutritional value and they sure are cheerful and sunny looking. Gone are my days of suburban grasses. Now I think of it all differently and appreciate all the little plants for what they really are.
If you want to learn more about grasses, I suggest the book Grass Productivity by Andre Voisin. It is one of The Farmer's agricultural bibles which he turns to again and again.Monday, May 10, 2010
Little Flower
I love these miniature light lilac daisy-like flowers that pop up in our lawn at this time of year. They don't look like much when you look at them from afar.
But when you get close, they are little works of art.
The light purple color almost glows at sunset.
But when you get close, they are little works of art.
The light purple color almost glows at sunset.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Beautiful Green
The beautiful sight of lambs grazing during the day. The apple orchard is in bloom and on the hill behind you can see the varying shades of green as the leaves emerge.
Spring is so beautiful, isn't it?
Spring is so beautiful, isn't it?
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Creativity in Minneapolis in September! at The Creative Connection
In September, I'm going to Minnesota to teach at "The Creative Connection." I've never taught at such an event. It's because there really hasn't been any event quite like this out there. Here's how the organizers Nancy Soriano and Jo Packham write about it on their website:
THE CREATIVE CONNECTION will bring together women who are passionate about being creative in their lives as artists, business owners, bloggers, and more! Come learn, network, market, and create! Because the time is NOW. If you are a crafter, DIY person, or artisanal entrepreneur, whether you come for one day or all three, THE CREATIVE CONNECTION is going to be the place to launch your creativity and your dreams in Fall 2010.
I just found out that there are two speakers coming that will be really interesting to listen to:
Hope I get to see those presentations!
Check out the Creative Connection website here. Here's the list of teachers including me! It looks to be a really great few days. I can't wait!
The event is being sponsored by some real powerhouses in the craft and media world. Do you know Stampington and Company? They publish quite a few great magazines including one I really enjoy called Artful Blogging.
Do you know the magazine Where Women Create? It's a fabulous magazine devoted to artists and designers studios and homes. Check out the website here. It is edited by Jo Packham who is co-organizing the Creative Connection. I love this magazine too!
Tiffany Windsor, daughter of the famous Aleene (of Aleene's Tacky Glue fame) is sponsoring the show and is interviewing many of the teachers on her Fave Crafts Radio. I'll be interviewed on May 23rd. I'll give you a heads-up reminder closer to the day.
So many great things are happening in the world of crafts, women, and creativity! Wow!
THE CREATIVE CONNECTION will bring together women who are passionate about being creative in their lives as artists, business owners, bloggers, and more! Come learn, network, market, and create! Because the time is NOW. If you are a crafter, DIY person, or artisanal entrepreneur, whether you come for one day or all three, THE CREATIVE CONNECTION is going to be the place to launch your creativity and your dreams in Fall 2010.
I just found out that there are two speakers coming that will be really interesting to listen to:
Hope I get to see those presentations!
Check out the Creative Connection website here. Here's the list of teachers including me! It looks to be a really great few days. I can't wait!
The event is being sponsored by some real powerhouses in the craft and media world. Do you know Stampington and Company? They publish quite a few great magazines including one I really enjoy called Artful Blogging.
Do you know the magazine Where Women Create? It's a fabulous magazine devoted to artists and designers studios and homes. Check out the website here. It is edited by Jo Packham who is co-organizing the Creative Connection. I love this magazine too!
Tiffany Windsor, daughter of the famous Aleene (of Aleene's Tacky Glue fame) is sponsoring the show and is interviewing many of the teachers on her Fave Crafts Radio. I'll be interviewed on May 23rd. I'll give you a heads-up reminder closer to the day.
So many great things are happening in the world of crafts, women, and creativity! Wow!
Evening Rituals
Every evening just before dusk, The Farmer brings the lambs into the front fenced-in pasture for the night. All day long, the lambs have been grazing our overgrown orchard which isn't properly fenced in yet. There's plenty of good grass there but we haven't been able to patch together enough money to properly fence it in. Good permanent fencing is incredibly expensive and our goal is to someday have good fences, someday.
Sheep and lambs are creatures of habit. They know that when the sun is starting to get low in the sky then it's time for their little snack of the day. Some of the lambs come in early from the orchard, anticipating a bit of grain. Others wait until they hear the truck arrive home for the evening, knowing that there will be a few buckets of grain for the 100 lambs.
We feed a bit of grain to the lambs to help supplement the grass that they eat all day and night. Feeding a few buckets of grain is about the only way to coerce the lambs into the properly fenced front field or when they escape a unlatched gate. Grain helps to keep the lambs a bit tame. Growing lambs need a bit of extra protein which is available in grain. Grass has protein but not enough to really make a young animal grow quickly. Remember, the lambs are no longer getting any protein from their mama's milk because they have been weaned. Feeding a little grain to grazing sheep is nothing like grain fed to animals living in CAFO's (concentrated animal feeding operation).
If you buy meat from the grocery store, chances are the animal you are eating has been fed in a CAFO. We eat meat here too on our farm that I purchase at the local grocery store. My Farmer loves his protein and honestly we like to enjoy chicken, pork and beef along with our homegrown lamb. It's just the way it is in America -- A whole lot of people to feed who have come to expect some kind of protein on their dinner plate. I know I did when I was growing up and I honestly never even thought about where it came from. I know now and all of you do too. Until a few years ago, noone even thought about CAFO's and where their food came from. It's a good thing to know - even if you don't agree with all of America's industrialized food production systems.
What will be on your plate tonight? Just some food for thought today.....
Sheep and lambs are creatures of habit. They know that when the sun is starting to get low in the sky then it's time for their little snack of the day. Some of the lambs come in early from the orchard, anticipating a bit of grain. Others wait until they hear the truck arrive home for the evening, knowing that there will be a few buckets of grain for the 100 lambs.
We feed a bit of grain to the lambs to help supplement the grass that they eat all day and night. Feeding a few buckets of grain is about the only way to coerce the lambs into the properly fenced front field or when they escape a unlatched gate. Grain helps to keep the lambs a bit tame. Growing lambs need a bit of extra protein which is available in grain. Grass has protein but not enough to really make a young animal grow quickly. Remember, the lambs are no longer getting any protein from their mama's milk because they have been weaned. Feeding a little grain to grazing sheep is nothing like grain fed to animals living in CAFO's (concentrated animal feeding operation).
If you buy meat from the grocery store, chances are the animal you are eating has been fed in a CAFO. We eat meat here too on our farm that I purchase at the local grocery store. My Farmer loves his protein and honestly we like to enjoy chicken, pork and beef along with our homegrown lamb. It's just the way it is in America -- A whole lot of people to feed who have come to expect some kind of protein on their dinner plate. I know I did when I was growing up and I honestly never even thought about where it came from. I know now and all of you do too. Until a few years ago, noone even thought about CAFO's and where their food came from. It's a good thing to know - even if you don't agree with all of America's industrialized food production systems.What will be on your plate tonight? Just some food for thought today.....
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