Pumpkin Patch

We're heading out to the pumpkin patch at Klein's Dairy Farm today to bring home some for pumpkin soup. We are going to be joining up with the EcoMoms playgroup for a farm tour, hayride, and corn maze (IF my foot holds up long enough! - I broke my heel bone last month).

WooHoo!

Link to Website

I linked this Blog to the Misty Forest Farm website but I forgot to add the website link here. So I stuck it over there to the right under "Links", and here:

www.mistyforestfarm.com

What is this tree?

This is the unusual tree that broke last night from the heavy snow. It has huge leaves, and it's the only one of its kind around here. Does anyone know what it is?

Snowy Blooms

Cleome

The Morning Glories on the porch refuse to wither.

Snow!

...in October! There are so many trees down and broken branches all over this mountain from the heavy snow being on the leaves. There was a tree across the road that had to be cut, and many others snapped along the road and on the farm property, including a rare one with huge leaves. AND I got stuck in the snow coming up the mountain, with a van full of hay. There wasn't any snow on the road at all until I was mid-way up, then it was too late to turn around. I couldn't make it to the top so Tim had to come to the rescue. Of course he was able to drive the van, and I felt much safer in my Jeep with 4wd!

Angora Goats!

Here are the newest members of the farm, Violet and Emma. I love the ringlets that Emma has. She is about 6 months old, and Violet is about a year older, and is possibly pregnant. Their eyes are brown, but I couldn't edit these photos.

Wind Damage

This morning I awoke to horses in the front yard. The wind knocked a tree down into their fence line last night, in the back. They must have walked through the woods, down the road, down the driveway, through my deer fencing (!) and into the yard. There are hoof prints showing their path. It's a good thing that they were waiting to be fed breakfast, or they might have wandered away.

There is also a tree across the road to the right of the driveway, and the wind knocked down the arbor which holds up the huge trumpet vine in the front yard. The arbor is destroyed, but I hope I can save the vine!

Back to the Blog I go....again.

Once again I say, "I will try to post more often."

I am very excited to be picking up an Angora goat or two this coming weekend. Hopefully I will learn how to spin the mohair into wonderful yarn to knit with in the years to come. In the meantime I will shear them and save it.

We have begun preparing for winter by putting up a pen for the chickens. I guess they will only have free range during the warmer months since there won't be anything for them to eat out there in the snow, and it will stay cleaner for Macrae to play in. (Yes, I am already hoping for some snow! Sorry to those of you who don't like it.)

I have set up a new goat pen (to be) attached to the back of the garage. A door will be made so that the goats will have access to the indoor pen there, instead of being out by the chickens in that run-in.

My re-seeding of the horse pasture was successful. The roots should be secure enough to let the horses on it again, and if we don't have too much rain this Autumn they can stay out there full-time. They were out there (and loving it) all winter last year, but the Spring rains came, and they tore up most of the grass. Now I have to work on rock-removal of the newer pasture.

Crowing and Clucking

The chicks are all grown up now and starting to crow...at 5:30 in the morning! These are pictures from the Spring so they look much different now. Joe brought 4 older laying hens last weekend and we had our first FRESH omelets on Weds. morning (with garden tomatoes and basil...YUM!)

This was taken on Thanksgiving, but I forgot to post it and it is such a nice pic of the goats. So here it is:

First Brood

I guess we are not awaiting the chickens from Joe so patiently. Amy and Sara wanted them sooner, so we now have 4 white ones which we picked up at the farmers' market. Hopefully the others will be arriving on Easter.

Apartment - Finished Living Space

Take a look at the older "apartment" posts to remember what it looked like in the beginning. It was just a shell, no insulation, nothing.

I will be tiling the space under the counter (the blue area) and maybe the 3/4 wall. I already have some really cool tiles for it.

What's behind the 3/4 wall (a new full size bed to be made to look like a day bed coming soon) (and trim still to be added on top of 3/4 wall):

Apartment - Finished Living Space

Ok, so it's not finished. We still need to replace the missing cabinet door, stain the cabinets, and add trim to the wall that the water heater is hiding behind....and the chains should be cut from the ceiling light....

Apartment - Finished Bathroom

Bathroom = finished, finished, FINISHED....I think.

: )

These holders are what I got for working a day at my friends store (and other stuff...I never come home with a paycheck from there!)

Apartment - screen room

Chickens are Coming

Yes! My brother, Joe is donating 6 chickens. They will be free-range, but I am thinking of starting them out in the goat pen with nest boxes and roosts in the shelter. Then I can open the gate during the day to let them (and the goats) graze. Or make a "chicken door" in the back of the shelter for the days that I want to keep the goats in.

I am ready for some FRESH eggs!

Wood Frogs

This one was spotted heading toward the frog party going on in the back pond. They have been quite noisy lately, but it sounds like SPRING! Hurray!

(and I just heard the first Peeper last night. I love that sound.)

Oh, and I know that Macrae's boots are on the wrong feet, but he is in the "I can put shoes on all by myself" stage.

Gobble gobble, cluck cluck, yelp yelp.

Daily visitors:

One day I was amazed at how many were in the front yard. I counted about 20, then I walked into the kitchen and noticed more out back. I counted 50 but that didn't include those that scampered off into the woods.

Arrival of 5 Blue Dart Frogs

Apartment Flooring

The kitchen flooring has been chosen.