Growing Fast

Even though our main kitchen garden is still not planted (hello 5 degrees C tonight!), other things on the farm are certainly growing fast.

The chicks have doubled in size and have been officially moved from inside the garage to the small outdoor coop (with a heat lamp for night time, of course).  Seamus was somewhat helpful in the move, though he got repeatedly distracted wanting to stroke the chicks and reassure them that they would be safe and happy in their new home.  He then twice walked right into the gate latch that was directly at his eye level.  He now has a nice bruise on his forehead.  I chalk it up to him being a clumsy kid with a loving heart.

Inside

Outside

The apples in our orchard are also growing.  The fruit tree blossoms on the farm are abundant, fragrant and full of bees (both honey and bumble).  There is no shortage of bee food around now!

Martha and Mellie are also growing.  It might be partly from all the fresh green grass they have been chowing down on but I am also hoping that their pregnancies are starting to show.  It looks to me (and I have been spending an inordinate amount of time lately out in the barnyard staring at goat butts) that they are starting to develop an udder.  Only time will tell for sure but if all went as planned, I estimate that they will be due to kid in mid-August.

Martha

Mellie

Houdini Hen is also very likely growing from all the good food she forages during her escapes from the chicken run.  All the extra attention (read: me trying to catch her to return her to the coop) has made her very interested in humans.  Here she is coming right up to Alistair (who was strapped to my chest) to peck at his hand.  I am sure he would have loved it but he was asleep.

Ride a Mini Donkey Day

Seamus and I took advantage of Charlie's especially docile mood this morning to squeeze in a quick ride.  Charlie was very obliging and gentle.  Seamus was thrilled that he is still little enough to do this.  Here's to making precious childhood memories.

Turbo Chores

Hanging out in the barnyard in the cold rain is not an ideal activity for a 4 month old.  Not wanting to crate Ava all day due to my inability to supervise her during the nasty weather, I tried pairing her with the goats and keeping the chickens and ducks separate in the inner chicken run.  She seems to do well with the goats and they are big enough to keep her in line when she transgresses into their personal space.  Unfortunately my goats do not like getting wet, so they hung out under the shelter of Ian's new dog (someday to be pig) house instead of free ranging in the meadow.  Ava did not think this was fun at all and quickly tired of being outside in the rainy barnyard "by herself".  Her solution to this inconvenient set up was to try to jump the gate leading into the backyard (and ultimately the comfy human house).  Unfortunately, she is too small  to clear the gate. She comically got herself stuck halfway over it and had to be rescued.  She subsequently got relocated to her crate until the skies cleared.  Just to convince herself that she was not missing out on all the rainy day fun, she tipped over her full bucket of water inside her crate, thoroughly soaking herself and all her bedding.  Fun times.

Ava may have had a less than optimal morning but I was incredibly productive, powering through many of my inside chores that I have been too “outside” of late to get done.  Seamus, Ali and I made bread, buttermilk, yogurt, lemon-cranberry muffins, and three homemade quiches with fresh garlic chives from the garden.  We also tidied and worked on laundry.  

In the afternoon we were able to get Ava outside for a few hours to work on no chicken licking and no duck chewing.  Training this pup is going to be a process.  Whew!  I am exhausted.  Thank goodness Ali was as good as gold today.  He is my constant companion and my giver of the best smiles in the universe (when he does not have Sophie stuffed in his mouth).

Rollin’ in the Greens

I was finally able to carve out 45 minutes today, while Seamus and Alistair napped concurrently, to do some planting.  I put in some greens that I started indoors a few weeks ago.

Before

After

We were also able to harvest some greens for a delicious supper salad comprised of spinach, arugula, endive, butter crunch and green leaf lettuce. It is amazing that my direct planted greens are already producing like this! Fabulous.  My CSA baskets do not even start for two weeks!

One Year Later

Here I sit one year since my dad passed away. As I watch over my animals and hold this beautiful baby that he never got to meet, I miss him. I just really, really miss him. The ache in my chest still throbs.

I think about all the occasions over the past year that would have been enriched by his presence, all of the meals that he would have loved, and all of the projects where I could have used his help.  He would have been there for the birth of my lambs, the birth of my son, my doctoral graduation, Liam's and Seamus' birthdays, Alistair's baptism, family Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, fence repair, picking up Granby, shearing our sheep, planting my garden, making fudge for the holidays, testing out my homemade bread, March Break at the cottage, summer vacation, rebuilding my box gardens....so many things.  I miss our almost daily FaceTime chats, being able to call him for advice, and my kids’ smiles after spending time with their trickster Grandpa.

I have always vaguely wondered if I could survive the passing either of my parents, they both are/have been such an integral part of my life.  Now I know that I can; it just is not easy.  In some moments it feels like he has been gone forever and in others like I just spoke to him a minute ago.  I am blessed to be surrounded by people and animals to love and who love me but, make no mistake about it, there remains a dad-sized sore spot in my heart.  

Rest in peace Dad and know that you remain so loved and very greatly missed.

Slackin' & Misbehavin'

The animals get up to no good when my barnyard co-supervisor falls asleep on the job.

The chickens ignore our "one hen to a nest" policy.

The honey bees gorge themselves on the sea of dandelions that is our back yard.

Seamus tries to milk his own leg using Martha and Mellie's milking stand.

Beemster falls asleep mid-way through trying to mount a chicken.  Job not complete.

And, as always, the Houdini Hen escapes the chicken run (in spite of me fixing the gap under the gate) to scratch up my box garden even more.

The only one not misbehaving too badly is the one we are supposed to be watching.  When she is not too busy lunging at ducks or eating any chicken eggs laid on the coop floor, Ava keeps a close eye on the multitude of barnyard shenanigans going on around her.

Alistair, on the other hand, is perfectly content to ignore all of this to catch some z's.

Lions, Tigers & Bears?

Close...apples, plums and pears! Oh my!

Two Tiered Bonding

We spent more time outside today with the barnyard crew.  Ava and the goats are getting along fine.  Martha gave Ava two "I'm in charge here" head butts and that seemed to work things out between them.

Everything with the big animals is going swimmingly; the chickens, on the other hand, are being a pain in the neck.  They are escaping the chicken run each time I go in and out from the barnyard and have begun turning my box and pallet gardens into their own personal day spa.  They have dug up my row of garland, Seamus' carrots and Liam's lettuce and radishes.  

I am going to have to lug a few wheelbarrow loads of gravel back to fill in under the gate and fence where they keep squeezing through.  

Ugh!

Ladies of Leisure & Chuck the Duck

Today on Gael Glen Farm we welcomed home our very own Livestock Guardian Dog.  Ava is a Great Pyrenees - Maremma cross and she is three months old.  She will grow up to be a wonderful protector and companion for our goats, sheep, chickens, ducks and hopefully Charlie too.

Alistair and I spent a large portion of the day outside in the barnyard supervising Ava and the animals' introduction.

Ava was born on a working sheep farm just down the road and has been living with ewes, lambs, goats and the odd chicken her whole life.  For the time being she will be living with Martha, Mellie, Beemster and the hens and ducks.

After Ava's epic vomit-fest in the trunk of the van when we brought her home, I was a bit apprehensive about how today would go.  I should not have been so worried - she is pretty chill.  The goats and chickens were totally not bothered by her, nor her them.  Everyone just lounged around all day.  Ladies of leisure, indeed.

The only catch was at bed time when the ducks refused walk past Ava's crate to get into the coop.

Ducks: "Ummm, human?  There's a dog in there."
Me: "Yep, I know.  Go in the coop, please."
Ducks: "Nope."
Me: "Don't make me chuck you in one by one."
Ducks: "Sorry, if you want us in there than that is the way it is going to have to be."
Me: "So be it."
What followed next was a ridiculous escapade of catch the fleeing runner duck and chuck her into the coop.

Outcome?
Krystal: 5
Ducks: 0
Ava: Just sitting calmly in her crate, wondering what the heck she has gotten into.