Last weekend, a colony of bees swarmed on the farm. Coincidently, a colony was lost over the weekend. Jumping on the opportunity, the farmers suited up, scooped up the new colony and placed it in an empty bee hive. That's a win-win for everybody.
running with the big dogs
At the farm, there is a goat named Zach. You can see his head in the center of the image, barely above the grass. And, there in lies Zach's problem.
You see, Zack doesn't realize that he is not a Percheron like the rest of the draft horses. He thinks he is a big horse. Zach even bucks like them. And they in turn accept Zach as part of the herd. Just wait until the farmer tries to hook Zack up to the plow. Then we will really know what he is made of.
barn swallows
You know that Spring is making it's transition into Summer when the barn swallows begin nesting on the farm. The eggs are laid and some have even hatched. Soon, there will be hungry mouths for the parents to feed. I'll check regularly and try to bring you a picture.
yes sir, yes sir, three bags full
sheep sheering
Saturday was sheering day on the farm. All of the sheep were collected and given their summer hair cuts. The wool will be sent off to be processed and then spun into yarn. I am always amazed at how docile the sheep become when you sit them up and start cutting their fleece.
spring pig
The weather has been warm enough that the pigs have been moved out of the barn. Plenty of rooting and rolling going on.
the roundup
If you had been there to witness The Great Chicken Roundup of 2012, you would have been in stitches.
spring plowing
While I was out at the farm on Saturday, Lee and Luke hitched Belle and Duke to the plow. The unusually warm weather meant that it was time to start the spring plowing a little earlier than was usual.
There is nothing quite like the beauty of a horse team in action. The soil was wet and heavy and the horses really worked to turn it over.
Seeing the team pulling across the field, it was all to easy to let my mind slip 120 years into the past. Although rare today, this sight was all to common to our great grand parents.
lunch on the farm
When I arrived at the farm on Saturday, Debbie was just finishing preparations for lunch. I caught her in the kitchen window, peeling and slicing onions.
The hands needed a hearty lunch and Debbie was cooking up a great big skillet of fried potatoes and onions.
The wood stove was plenty hot and the skillet saw constant motion to keep everything from burning.
When the potatoes and onions were just about finished, Debbie scrambled up some eggs and added them to the skillet. In the oven they went until the hands arrived for lunch.
The meal also included pickled beets, pickled green beans, corn relish, and for desert, brandied cherries. When the men went back to work, there wasn't a whole lot left to put away. The table looked like locusts had had there way with the meal.
farm rockets
They look like squat silver rockets itching to lift off and leave the ground. Sometimes, you just need to use that imagination that life has tried to beat out of you.
tim mcmurdo 