A 6.3 lb Bun

Our bun is still in the oven but today we got another sneak peak at him.  It is hard to believe that we first saw this baby way back in June.  Back then he looked very much like a peanut.

10 weeks (June 18, 2018)

12 weeks (July 6, 2018)

14 weeks (July 19, 2018)

16.5 weeks (August 7, 2018)

20 weeks (September 4, 2018)

34 weeks (December 11, 2018)

Now he is so big that he hardly fits on the screen - you can see his head, nose and chin.  Our baby now weighs an estimated 6.3 lbs and is in the 90th percentile (of course he is).  He is measuring almost a week ahead of our estimated due date of January 19, 2019.   He is positioned cross ways across my stomach with his head on my right side and his bum on my left side.  His arms and legs are dangling down.   The ultrasound confirmed that he is still very much a boy.  All looks to be well, though it seems I have a few weeks to go yet while he gains even more weight (yikes!).  Liam and Seamus were both 10 lb babies so I have feeling I know where all of this is headed.  Hopefully the third time is a charm!

Sunset Salutations

The farm animals were in for an early bedtime this evening so we could head out to the boys' skating lessons.  Cobalt and Charlie pass along their sunset salutations.  They were too cute not to share.

A lamb's smile.

Charlie's happy ears.

The 4:00 pm sunset on the farm.

Mucking, Minerals, Maintenance & Muffins

I have accepted that I am more of a manure person than a market person.  After the excitement of yesterday's holiday market (and an overload of socialization for this farm girl) , I was more than happy to have a quiet day on the farm and get caught up on some chores.

Our market set up.

Ian waiting to give sample honey sticks to potential customers.

We began today by mucking out our three barns.  I am well past the stage of pregnancy where I can do any actual mucking myself (I can hardly bend over to put on my farm boots, let alone scoop any poop) so Ian and Liam took the reins.  They did a stellar job of giving everyone a clean, dry place to sleep tonight. 

The goats' sleep spot.

Seamus, on the other hand, was a bit of a disaster.  His contribution to the morning chores was tipping over a full grain bin, spilling chicken food pellets all over the back yard.  For whatever reason, these pellets are extremely enticing to both the goats and the dogs but eating them makes them very, very ill.  It took me half an hour on my hands and knees to scoop most of the pellets up off the icy snow.   I was not impressed with Seamus, to say the least.

Besides damage control, my other contribution to this morning's farm chores was prophylactic.  I filled up all of the animals' mineral and salt bins.  They all get free access minerals to supplement whatever is lacking in their feed and it was time for a top up.

In addition to mucking the barns (nothing says "I love you" like scooping manure when you'd rather be doing just about anything else), Ian also fixed the coop door to the chicken run.  The door spontaneously fell off its hinges earlier this week and now it is back to being securely fastened. Happy wife equals happy life?  Or in this case, safe chickens equals happy pregnant farm girl who does not have the energy right now to deal with randomly exploding chicken coop doors.

While Ian and Liam were at swim class this afternoon, Seamus and I puttered around the kitchen.  After much debate about what to make, we decided on pumpkin cranberry muffins.  They turned out delicious, as good as MacDonald's apparently (high praise to be compared to a fast food joint, huh?).

After getting the boys to bed, I will help Ian bottle a batch of his home brew (a Belgian-style sour beer made with cherries) and we may even have enough energy left to watch a movie together.

 It has been another busy but productive day on Gael Glen Farm.

A Veggie Treasure Hunt

Hunting for vegetables in our covered box gardens is one of our new favourite activities on the farm.  We start by waiting for a warmish day and clearing the snow off of the garden covers.

Then we pull back the plastic and dig around to see what we can find.  This week's haul included: lettuce greens, swiss chard, parsley and lots of carrots.

I was able to whip these up into a pretty fine supper.

Tabbouleh.

Roasted carrots and sauteed chard.

With a side of venison steak, of course.

Straight from our December garden to our hungry tummies - it does not get much fresher, or more sustainable, than this!  

The Meticulous Sprinkler and Trusty Taste Tester

I spent the morning frequenting the physician and pharmacy again.  Apparently a second round of antibiotics is in my future.  One day I will feel better...one day...

Meanwhile, Grandma and Seamus donned their (imaginary) elf hats and did some of the Christmas baking that is on my to-do list but that I just have not felt up to doing.  Shortbread cookies were on their baking agenda this morning.  As it turns out, Ian and I have different decoration preferences for our holiday shortbread - who knew?!  At Grandma's suggestion, Seamus, who is learning the art of compromise, offered to split the dough and decorate each half differently to suit both of us.  What a sweetie.

Seamus and Grandma measured meticulously.

Mixed.

Seamus displayed intense focus when it came time to sprinkle.

Ready for the oven.

Our trusty taste tester.

Grandma and Seamus' cookies passed everyone's taste test with flying colours.  Luckily they were transferred quickly to the freezer or else there might not have been any left for Christmas!

Seamus and the Glue Gun

Seamus and I put on our crafting hats to prepare for this weekend's upcoming Holiday Market at the Covered Bridge Brewing Company.  We checked our inventory and decorated some honey jars. 

Seamus finally got to use the glue gun (supervised, of course) - this was a dream come true for him.  He has been obsessed with green painters' tape (it is even on his Christmas list) until last week when he realized that there is an even cooler tool to stick stuff to other stuff - a hot glue gun.

Now, we are all stocked and ready to go.  Grandma has agreed to watch the boys for the afternoon so Ian and I can man our table together.  This will be much more fun than doing it alone and much less exhausting than trying to do it while chasing two kids around a market during nap time.  I am excited for our first ever market experience.  Hopefully we can sell some of our honey - it is local, raw and delicious!  And the jars are beautifully decorated, if I do say so myself.

Hope to see you on Saturday so we can wish you "Happy Holidays" in person.

Covered Bridge Brewing Company's Holiday Market
Saturday December 8, 2018 noon - 4:00 pm
6-119 Iber Road Stittsville, ON K2S 1E7

A Sudden Departure

In the monotony that has been the last three weeks of being laid up with the most persistent cold ever, today was significant as we said an unexpected goodbye to our neighbour Gyongyi Suller, whom we called Ginger.  

For the better part of a decade Ginger has been our most reliable chicken sitter.  She always made herself available any time we asked for her help if we needed to be away from the farm.  I will remember Ginger as being a most generous and considerate person.  The only time that we approached her for help during a time that she was planning to be away herself, she offered to rearrange her plans in order to make herself available for us.   I was unprepared to lose Ginger.  I will miss her encouraging words and support.  I cherished knowing that she was just around the corner (and always in my corner) if I ever needed her.

I have come to a strange realization about what my boys would call the "trickiness" of death.  We all know people who consistently seem to be on death's doorstep, yet they keep on living as old or sick as they are.  Meanwhile, there are people who spend time and energy caring for these older or sicker others and it is these seemingly healthy individuals who I have seen pass away without any warning at all.  It is like they simply disappear into the afterlife leaving the rest of us behind to figure out how to keep going without them.  I find it all difficult to comprehend.

At the funeral today, Ginger's son described her as the heart and soul of her family.  I empathize with those whom she left behind.  Managing the grief that goes along with losing someone so fundamental to the fabric of one's family is a difficult thing.

Ginger, may you rest in peace.  You will be missed.