Lord of the Dance

One, two, one, two, step in time - Don't fowl it up!

Goat Kids Playing in Snow

I looked out about 2:30am to see snow on the ground. When The Farmer got up to go to work, I got dressed in layers of warm clothes and went out to take pictures. I've got a bunch I'll put up later, but right now I want to feature our goat kids kicking up their heels and having fun.

The cold weather doesn't seem to bother these little guys. They're jumping and playing and running as fast as their little legs will carry them. Just check out the little video below:

These little guys sure got spunk!

Typical Scene on the Farm

It's a blustery day here on the farm. There's moisture in the air, sometimes just a light mist, other times it's wee little balls of stinging sleet. This is not my favorite time to be out and about, but the animals need hay even more on days they don't go out and graze.

The guineas don't seem to mind a little rain, running around looking for grain or perched on the fence.
I almost chickened out of my morning walk through the woods, but I figured if the guineas could hack the foul weather, so could I.

The wind was making quite a racket as it roared through the trees, and of course the creek was up a little from the bit of rain we had.

On nice days, when I let all the animals out together, it's not unusual to see all kinds of combinations of critters, with the chickens, guineas, dogs, sheep and llama.
This isn't the first time I've seen poultry perching on sheep. I think that nice thick wool must keep their feet warm, or maybe they just like being on top of things.

It's a typical scene on the farm.

A Peeling Parrot

Right now my parrot is barking. No, I’m not kidding. She hears Toby barking outside and starts mimicking him. She does a pretty good job of it, too.

A little while ago she was eating a grape. She’s funny about them. She’ll only eat one if she sees a person eating grapes and they give her one. I tried pretending to eat a grape and give her one and she wouldn’t take it. But just let Young Son walk by munching on a grape and she’s eager to pluck one out of his hand.

She has a system to eating them. She doesn’t like the juice to drip in her cage, so she either hangs out over the edge, or uses one of the papers on top as a plate. She rolls the grape around in her mouth until she gets the peel off, then eats the inside of the grape.

She does much the same with apples, carefully munching the fruit while leaving the peel behind.

What a crazy bird! I never know what she’ll do next.

Just Kidding Around!

The twin goat kids will be 1 week old tomorrow. It doesn't take them long, however, to start jumping and skipping around all over the place. This morning when I put some hay in the pen for their Mama, they decided it would be fun to crawl all over it. Making a mountain out of a molehill.... uh, hay pile.
Goat mothers must be very long-suffering, because their kids are full of antics!

Most of the time Cinnamon just keeps on eating and ignores her youngsters shenanigans.

Kids! They get into everything!

Every once in a while, they do stop long enough for a scratch or to take a nap.

Hold on a second! I've got an itch.

Whew, I'm tired. How about a little nap?

They're mighty cute little guys, and at least while they're little, they don't cause much real trouble. That comes later, when they hit the goat equivalent of teenager and adulthood. Then it's find every hole in the fence you can - or make one! Find ways to open gates at every opportunity! See if you can break into the feed room or hay storage!

That's when cute becomes incorrigible. And I'm not kidding!

Is it a mini-Hobbit hole?

After I finished this morning's critter chores, I took a short walk in the woods. There is yet another type of wildflower starting to produce blooms.

The slue is more of an algae soup right now, chock-full of vibrant green strands of algae. Along the bank I saw some creature has made a hole in the hillside. I wonder what it could be?
It's pretty round - suppose it's a miniature Hobbit hole?

As usual, since I was looking and READY, I didn't see any deer, owls, or even rabbits or squirrels. I'm afraid my leaf-crunching as I walk is a detriment to seeing much wildlife.

Back at the house, I noticed the Lenten Rose on the north side of the house has a couple of new buds. It may still be February, but there are definite signs of growth!

I can't wait for spring, all two days of it that we get in the south before the heat of summer slams into force!

Daffodils

I saw the first daffodil blooms of the year here yesterday.

Another sign that spring is coming!

Bright yellow flowers poke up towards the sky
Bringing forth hope that springtime draws nigh.
Their grace and great beauty are all sure to please
As the cheery toned flowers bob round in the breeze.

Goat Twins

After much difficulty yesterday and today, I finally got these pictures I took yesterday soon after the goat kids were born uploaded through Blogger.

The movie is of the youngest twin trying to get up for the first time.

As you can see, he finally succeeded.

Those airplane ears kind of tickle me:

They're cute little guys, but wse sure don't need two little boys. I'm afraid when they get old enough we'll have to find them a new home!

Everyone's excited about new kids!

I went out to do morning chores, and had a GREAT surprise waiting! Cinnamon had just given birth to the second of twins.

Out little llama shows great interest in babies on the farm, no matter what sort, and Neffie, the Maremma LGD, is very protective.

More pictures later! I must go back out and finish up chores!

Snow!

It's snowing here for only the second time this year. Now everyone north of the Mason-Dixon line, don't be laughing about how excited people in the south get over such a little dab of snow!

When I went out to do chores this morning, the first thing I saw was Toby cavorting around with snow dusting his back.

A couple of the peahens were out and had even more snow on their backs.

After I finished taking care of the critters, I walked down into the woods. There was snow dusting all the leaves on the ground, and some sticking to the trees. I took a picture of the slue on one side on our property.

I didn't see any owls or deer today. They probably had the good sense to stay tucked inside some sort of shelter.

My quince bush has frozen blossoms. Right now the iced blossoms look rather pretty, but I'm sure when it warms up they'll all turn brown and die.
Back up near the house, the birds were busy at the feeders and birdbath. We always have several cardinals and woodpeckers dining at our buffet.

They take turns at the feeders, and sit on the fence posts patiently waiting their turn.

You can see what blustery weather we're having by the way the feathers of this lady Cardinal are all ruffled up. She even tucked one of her feet up in her feathers to stay warm.
We won't get any accumulation worth mentioning from this morning's snowfall, but it was still fun to see some snow for a change!

Sometimes you need to look ahead!

I’m a firm believer in multitasking. Whenever I can make or do something that accomplishes more than one thing at a time, I’m all for it. I’ve been trying to get more exercise, so about a week ago I figured once I’m already bundled up to go outside and do critter chores, that would be a good time to go for a walk and get more fresh air and some of the aforementioned exercise.

My favorite place to walk is in the woods. I always take my camera along, hoping for not only fresh air and exercise, but a chance for a good picture. (More multitasking!)

The woods are carpeted in dead leaves right now, so there is no way to move quietly. I’ve been looking for signs of spring, like new plant growth peeking up through the leaves, so most of the time my head is down and I’m looking at the ground.

That proved to be a mistake this morning. Not only were there no new signs of greenery, I missed a chance at a couple of great shots.

Mind you, I haven’t seen a single critter in the woods these past few days. It’s usually getting towards mid-morning by the time I make it back there, so I wasn’t expecting anything more than maybe a few squirrels. I’d seen signs of deer on previous walks. I also had suspicions there was an owl in there from the scat I saw every day at the bottom of a tree back near the creek.

In the space of a couple of minutes this morning, my observations were verified.

As I was walking along the creek, I heard a faint rustle above me, and looked up in time to see not one, but two owls take flight from a tree not 10 feet ahead of me. Oh to have been looking up in time to take a picture!

No sooner had I watched them fly off, then off to my right I heard leaves rustling, and saw a buck take off through the woods. Once again, it was too late for any clear shot to get a picture. He was too far away with too many trees between us for a clear photo anyway.

I didn’t expect to see any of those critters that time of day, especially the owls. I hear them at night, and sometimes have seen them at dusk, but mid-morning?

You can bet from now on I’ll be sure to look ahead and LOOK UP every once in a while!

A Sunny Sunday on the Farm

After record breaking warm temperatures earlier this week, it’s back to cold weather. Yeah, I know “cold” is a relative term, and what’s cold for us is a balmy day further north. There was a hard frost this morning, but the sun came out and it turned into a lovely day.

The return to cold weather hasn't obliterated all signs of a coming spring either. After doing the critter care chores, I went for a short walk in the woods. I noticed the redbud trees have - what else? - red buds appearing.

I noticed other signs of growth in a slue towards the back of our wooded area that is filled with water again, thanks to the recent rains. The algae is bright green there. The moss in the woods also continues to green up, and there are a few plant leaves poking up here and there.

In my flower garden, the plant my Granny used to call "Live Forever" is already showing new growth for this season.
This particular variety is officially known as Sedum 'Matrona'. It has lovely pink flower heads that the butterflies and bees dearly love.

The animals enjoy the sunshine too, and I noticed a bunch of the guineas in the front yard, headed down towards the pond.

All in all, it's just nice to enjoy a sunny Sunday here on the farm.

Of high water & a fallen tree...

Yesterday morning we awoke to the sound of flood waters. It had rained over an inch for the second day in a row, and the creek along side our property had flooded over its’ banks.

Sometime during the night it got up over the road, though by the time I went out and took pictures, it had already mostly went back down.


There was more water over the road between our place and the neighbors on past us. This is where the creek actually passes through a culvert under the road.

Debris usually blocks some of the culvert and the swollen creek waters cannot pass through, so the creek overflows the banks. You can see and hear the water rushing and roaring as it comes out of the culvert.

This morning the creek has subsided a great deal. Here it is rushing over a fallen log.

Still, the water is running pretty fast, as you can see the way it is rushing over this limb dipping in the water.
I also noticed earlier this week, with the rain and strong winds we've been having, a tree has fallen along the edge of the woods by the bottom pasture.
Fortunately, we didn't get the tornadoes people in other partsof the state had, so we really didn't have much else but a few branches down.

A creek running high with excess water beats drought conditions any day!

Book Collector's Anonymous

bib·li·o·phile (ˈbi-blē-ə-ˌfī(-ə)l) noun
1. A lover of books.
2. A collector of books.

I am a self-confessed bibliophile. I probably should be in some sort of 12-step program for bookaholics. As in:

Step 1 - I admit I’m powerless over my addiction.

Well, maybe it’s not that bad, but I do admit I have a lot of books. After all, I’ve been collecting them since I was a kid. (And NO, I don’t have any on stone tablets, papyrus scrolls or even parchment!)

There are shelves on walls of two rooms in our house that are cover to cover filled with books. There are several individual bookcases in different rooms jammed full of books. There are stacks of books by my computer. There are piles of books by my leisure station (the living room couch). A book here, a book there, I’ve got books everywhere! And in the words of my sassy parrot, “Sooooo??????” You can never have too many books!!!

Books are knowledge. They tell you things you want to know. Like when you can’t get a vet to the farm and you have to figure out what to do with a sick sheep or goat! Gardening tips, how to build things, on and on it goes. “How to” books can be a lifesaver!

Books are entertainment. They take you places you might otherwise never go. They can introduce you to new ideas, people and places. Books are just flat out good company.

Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~ Charles W. Eliot

My books are loved and well read. So it’s always a thrill to get new books, and I have 10 on the way for my birthday. Oh boy! That’s a big batch of books! It’s a book bonanza! A bountiful blessing of books! A… well, you get the idea.

Half of them are new cookbooks. A cookbook club made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, with 5 books for less than the price of one, and I only have to buy one more book at club prices to fulfill my obligation. How could I say no??? (What was that number for the bookaholics 12-step program?)

I’m really excited about these. I’ve been working on improving our diet, and regularly cooking much more than I have the last few years. Here’s a list of the books bouncing through the postal system to get here:

BEST DIABETES SLOW COOKER RECIPES
by Judith Finlayson with Barbara Selley, BA, RD

CORNBREAD GOSPELS
by Crescent Dragonwagon

HOW TO COOK EVERYTHING VEGETARIAN
by Mark Bittman

MEDITERRANEAN HARVEST
by Martha Rose Shulman

VEGETARIAN COOKING FOR EVERYONE, 10th ANNIVERSARY EDITION
by Deborah Madison

I can’t wait to get my hands on them and check out the new recipes!

The other half of the books are health/medical books. That’s another area I’m trying to improve in our lives, and these are supposed to contain news on the latest breakthroughs in alternative and conventional medicine, in addition to some reference works. (My little brain is fermenting with ideas of different uses for that information.)

Books, books, books! I love to collect them! I love to read them!
Forget Book Collectors Anonymous --
I’ll proudly proclaim I love to collect books!!!

Signs of Spring

When I went outside to do chores this morning I was pleased to see signs of spring. Yes, I know it’s still February, and we have more winter weather to come. Today, however, with 70+ F. temperatures and blossoms starting to appear, it reminds me of spring.

The first bright spot of color I noticed was a dandelion. Come summer, they’ll pollute the place, but for now, it’s nice to see that splash of sunny color in an otherwise cheerless landscape.

The landscape is also pretty in pink as down by the pond, as there is a quince bush starting to bloom. It’s the first bush I notice blooming here in the spring, and is extra special because it came from my dad’s farm in West Virginia. Some of the buds got frost bitten, but others bravely hung on and are opening up.

In the woods I noticed the patches of moss are starting to take on a vibrant green hue in sharp contrast to the drab brown leaves.

But splashes of color aren’t the only signs of spring. There’s also the sounds.. First thing I noticed when I went outside this morning was the spring peepers song. It’s the first day I’ve heard them, and they will get progressively louder. Some nights they make it hard to sleep!

It's not the picture here that matters - it's just the boggy area of our bottom pasture, where a spring in the hillside seeps out and the water collects in this low lying area. Nothing much to see, but you can HEAR the spring peepers doing their thing. (Ignore the ever present noise of guineas in the background now and then.)

I know we’ll have more wintry weather, but today is an encouragement I can hold onto. Cause peepers and posies, they’re both a promise of the spring to come.

Our Pond Runneth Over...

When we first dug the pond, it only took two months for it to fill up. It’s spring fed, so that made a difference. I'm sure it would have taken a lot longer if rain falling in the pond was the only source of water.

Then came the drought. Months and months of little or no rain, and the water in the pond went down, down, down, until it looked more like an overlarge mud puddle.

Lately we’ve been getting more rain and the pond slowly started filling back up. When I went outside this morning, I was thrilled to see it is totally FULL again.The water is right up to the overflow pipe. Who'd have thought it would be so exciting to see water running out a pipe?

Ahhhhh, the lovely sound of running water....

Hooray! Here’s hope we don’t see such low water levels again!

Seven Things Tag!

Robin of Seasons Eating Farm has tagged me. If not replying causes dire consequences, I guess I’d better not risk it. I can foresee vet bills, frozen buckets of water, and gadzooks, even MORE guineas wandering around. (The Farmer is trying to see how many we can raise…. don’t even ask how much feed they’re consuming!)

The idea is to post seven little known weird facts about yourself. Hey, everything about me is weird! How am I supposed to choose a measly seven????

Okay, here are the first things that come to mind:

1. Hyperfocusing is my modus operandi. Thank A.D.D. for that.
2. My parrot thinks I’m her mate or her mother, Im not sure which.
3. I like to watch anime and play VGA Planets (blame my boys).
4. When I was a little kid I used to have a pet turkey that followed me around.
5. My living room has items in it from not only the US, but stuff friends have sent me from Canada, China, Japan, Kuwait, England, and various counties in Africa. My favorites are an original painting of a Tuareg dwelling in the desert (the Tuareg are a nomadic people in northern Africa) and a picture worked in leather of a shepherdess and sheep in Mongolia.
6. I used to work in greenhouses in Pennsylvania, raising Poinsettias. During the day I helped with the plants. At night I stoked the furances with coal.
7. I once sewed up a tuxedo with tails, using black denim to make a working outfit for a chimney sweep. The top hat was bought seperately however!

I’ll even throw in a bonus fact – I am hopelessly geographically challenged and directionally impaired. As the saying goes, I couldn’t find my way out of a paper bag.

If there's anyone out there reading this that hasn't been tagged already, "Tag! You're it!"