Category: Garden

This neck o’the woods

I could write all day about the current list of atrocities and tragedies in the news, but let’s heed the advice we’ve been giving each other here on this blog and focus on the good things in our lives, shall we?    I want to thank each of you who stop by to read my musings and join the conversations, it’s encouraging to hear from like minded people, truly. #MakeAmericaKindAgain  #MakeAmericaSaneAgain    either would do.

It’s maple sugaring season here in the Northeast, but you wouldn’t know it by the current weather trends.   We’ve had very little snow so far, the trees are tapped on our farm with a little flow, but the temps have not been cold enough overnight to get the sap flowing when the heat rises during the day.  We don’t have a sugar shack here on our farm, so we take ours to the community farm Sugar Shack in our town, where volunteers process it, bottle it and sell it to continue to support the farm.   You might wonder why pure maple syrup is so expensive compared to the fake stuff like Aunt J*mima, and the answer is there is so much work that goes into it, and so much tree sap is needed  – 40 gallons of clear tree sap boils down to one gallon of actual syrup.

Have you tried Maple Water?  I have found it in a few of the grocery stores in this area, but not all.  I absolutely love it – light, refreshing, with just a hint of maple – it’s the pure maple water(sap) that comes out of the tree, is flash pastuerized and sold in stores.  YUM! And it’s hydrating, it’s actually good for you!  I’m not getting any compensation for saying it – treat yourself to a bottle if you find it in your local stores.  Canadian runners have been using it to refuel for some time.

In my better health/better weight quest I have lost a few pounds and have gained some muscle, I’m not perfect with the food intake but I’ve made some headway.  My clothes are starting to feel better on me and that is a good beginning.   I continue to walk/hike/jog with the dogs, light weight training and all of this helps greatly with the Fibromyalgia I’ve been dealing with for the past five-six years give or take.  If you suffer from the same, in my experience, keep moving – that’s the best line of defense.  And.. eat much less sugar and dairy, much less processed foods.

 

L-R – My Sally and Frasier, K’s Gizmo on the right. Now that we live nextdoor to each other, we often take the dogs on walks together.  It motivates us both to get out there and keep moving.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

 – Henry David Thoreau

Our dear old  retired showhorse, Max, is now dealing with Glaucoma in one eye, thankfully not the painful variety.  He’s on four different meds to try to stave it off for a while and seems to be learning to live without vision on the left.  I’m glad we can give him the peace to deal with the handicap and he will not be shipped off to a kill pen like so many others, no longer useful.  Another reason to be so very grateful for what this old farm affords us.

Our son has begun the construct of his home just over the hill, the foundation is poured… and I am over the moon to have both kids so close by.  Over the years we will all benefit from this little patch of farmland not far from everything else, just the right mix of country and suburb.  He and his GF have worked hard to begin and build their careers and are very excited about the plans they’re making for their future together, it does my heart good.  🧡

That’s my mom in the red hoodie up there, the one who leaves awesome comments now and then and hates her picture to be taken but I do it anyway because – I GOTTA BE ME- .. and I love my mom.

One more update – I’m not happy about global warming so a mild winter is concerning, BUT… I do believe, because it’s been so mild… this batch of christmas trees might just actually survive.  Third time’s the charm?  Stay tuned…

I’ll close this post with something to ponder.  Why is it that men or the kids think they’re doing us a HUGE service when they lift a finger in the direction of  cleaning up after themselves  such as… oh, say… changing the toilet paper roll or washing the dinner dishes or flipping the load of laundry into the dryer or taking the trash out or putting the sneakers back in the closet instead of under the bench in the mudroom.  Aren’t they also the ones making the mess?  AmIright?  Just sayin –

Karen

 

 

 

 

Morning Commute

After 31 years of the same old grind, I still love my morning commute. Although this is our fourth small farm in those 31  years, this one in particular, of which we hope and plan to retire on,  is the most extensively “farmed”  –  we hay our fields, raise chickens for eggs, my horses adorn the fields as lawn ornaments for the most part but they do get use, sparingly. (those spoiled, spoiled horses).

We used to have a huge vegetable garden, but with enough produce yield to feed a lost continent full of folk and a weed war we could not possibly win, we downsized eventually to a two-raised bed configuration 1/8th the size of the original, now located  in our back yard.  We also have a small young apple orchard with peach and plum trees, blueberry and raspberry bushes,  and a Christmas Tree lot in a back field. (haha..hahahaha…   I’ll ‘splain later in the post). 

So.. my morning starts with breakfast for the two of us around 5:30 a.m. for no good reason at all other than that’s when the Mr. and I religiously wake up. And we aren’t religious.  We’re just *UP*.    The dogs are let out to do their business and then fed.  If it’s chilly, like this morning, I put on my outer layer of barn attire and Miss Sally waits by the door because she knows the routine and she loves OUT.  And OUT with MOM is the stuff dreams are made of.

We head out into the frost coated everything to begin the rounds.  Sally stays within the dog fenced area, but it allows her to follow me up the driveway to the barn area where she waits around while I feed and muck.

Side note: (I’m a little ADD, I’m pretty sure of it ) Peering over to the left in the backyard, my daughter’s home is in sight.  We are absolutely loving our new neighbors 💖.  Her new family member, adopted adorable Gizmo has blended very well with their dog Rex, and all is well in their new little kingdom in the field across the way.

Back on track we go –   morning commute… The chicken coop comes first – I let the girls out into their coop yard and refresh the water and feeders, rake the chicken yard, and once a week the whole coop gets an overhaul of fresh shavings, swept out cobwebs, new hay in laying boxes, etc.   This year’s babies have already been laying for months and they’re beautiful!  The two shown here are Light Brahmas. They have feathers on their feet!    They  are part of my GOT flock. Winter and Ghost , with Arya on the right.  Cersei died early on of a deformed beak ( if only that had happened in the series! ) Sansa and  Daenerys are doing well.

Once the girls are all set for the day, I head up to the barn to feed and water the horses and turn them out for the day.

The two old boys.. Max1 and Max2.. are let out into the fields after they’ve finished their morning grain.  They’ve just started wearing their fall sheets to keep the chill off on these 30 something degree mornings.  Older horses have trouble keeping good weight on due to teeth that are ground down with time, so we give them a little help with special grains for seniors and blankets for added warmth.

The mini horses are little cherubs, chubby little cherubs.  Their weight needs to be kept reasonable and so they are not allowed on the big grassy fields with the larger horses as they’d eat themselves to oblivion. So we keep them in a smaller dirt paddock and give them the appropriate amount of  grain and hay for their size.

Once feed is done, I usually muck stalls.  On Sundays our boarder does stalls to give me a reprieve, so this morning I walked about the fields and took a few pictures instead.

Our little orchard on the hill behind the house.  The apple trees on the left are a few years old and have produced very little so far.  It takes a few years for trees to establish themselves, and we’re still learning about proper pruning and fertilization – must be enough, but not too much.   The blueberry and raspberry bushes will get a netting cover once berries appear, lest the birds and squirrels get them all.    Yep, That did happen, lesson learned.

In the field behind the horse barn is a tree lot … where for three years, we’ve planted 100 Christmas trees.   The first year we had a wicked winter and the wind chill was awful, killing most of the trees.   *ah, crap.  We replaced them with slightly bigger ones the second year… of which we lost more than half to a grub infestation. *crap again. And why does it seem so many have just planted a ton of trees and lo and behold, a tree farm was born – like, super easy.   I mean it was such the infestation that when you walked among the saplings the ground crinkled and crunched for all the grubs squirming around just below the surface.   BLEH.

We’ve planted the new little baby Christmas trees in this third year of tree farming, with a fence around lest the deer eat them up,  ( can you imagine?) the ground is  treated for grubs and we’ll cross our fingers for a not-so-terribly-cold  windy winter, shall we?

With the walk about done and checking for downed fence rails,  I walk back down to the house where Miss Sally  has joined me along the fence line and up onto the porch where she waits to be let in while I shuck off my muck boots.  We then get on with our day.

It’s a dirty business sometimes, this job of mine,  and never is it glamorous – but I wouldn’t trade it for the world and then some.

Another Side note: Have you been a Downton Abbey fan?  I hadn’t paid any attention to it for all these years, how did I miss such a gem? – just got hooked on Amazon and within three weeks I’m almost done with the six seasons, looking forward to the movie!  I love it!  Fantastic actors too –   What a different world.  Living not far from Newport, I’ve toured some of the old “cottages” and saw first hand their elaborate lives preserved for all to explore.  These are not the estates of Europe, of course, but the summer colonies for some of the wealthy elite Americans of the late 1800’s early 1900’s.

Till soon, friends –

 

 

 

A Palate cleanser

After the last post I feel I need to sprinkle some happy up here in this space.    Let us not allow the *crazy* to infect every corner of our world, because truly there’s so much to appreciate and good works we can do and fun and adventure to be had,  regardless.  I find a lot of solace in the every day, in the routines, the natural beauty outside these old doors, my animals up on the hill, the family that gathers round the table and the dogs curled up under my desk.

Here on the farm the leaves are turning and beginning to blanket the stone walls and pathways.  My gardens are depleted, but there is still much color and many blooms and berries…

Zinnia still reaching for the sky…

The Dahlias – easy to grow and just so stunning….  I do need to pull the bulbs out of the ground once the frost hits if I want to use them again next year.   And I might not, because sometimes I’m lazy that way.

My New Dawn roses have made a second appearance, just a few on a very lengthy vine along the dog yard fence.

I forget the name of these hydrangea trees, their blooms are prolific this year!  My mom has been here several times collecting bunches for friends, they are great for drying.

Beautyberry – a more vivid  purple berry you have never seen.

More Dahlia….

And although the daisies were done over a month ago, because of the warm weather, a few have shot up again.

  Inside the house I’ve brought in fall – one of my favorite seasons to decorate.  Pumpkins everywhere! and..    I bring bittersweet vine in from the fields  and drape them along the fireplace mantels.  There are pumpkins on the front door steps and over the door itself on the “shelf”, too.

I’ve been holding on to a painting by  my late great grandfather in 1949 for some time now.  His writing is on the back, so it was easy to discover what this painting was of – The covered bridge in Arlington, Vermont just in front of  Normal Rockwell’s beloved home on the green.   Above as it appears in our dining room,  Below is a picture of the area now, and his painting up close.  I recently had it matted, framed and glass covered for protection as it was in rough shape –  it’s hard to get a photo of it without glare. The white house in the very background was his home.

Current….

And as my great grandfather saw it in 1949…

I hope to get up there in the near future to stand at this spot myself, with a nod to my deceased ancestor who did the very same.  He and I have a similar painting style – not too detailed but the end result is pleasing to the eye, if not very professional or precise.   Right now I’m reading Normal Rockwell’s autobiography and I look forward to the inevitable mention of his beloved home in Arlington.

11/28/1939-ORIGINAL CAPTION READS: Norman Rockwell, artist. Photo shows Rockwell painting with smoking pipe in his mouth.

Hopefully Getty Images folks own’t mind that I used their image.

I’ll leave you with a link to some scrumptious fall recipes from a favorite blogger of mine, Jane of Blondie’s Journal.   Visit her post HERE.  I’ve got the beef stew on my stove as I type this, and the other recipes will get a chance here at this old house as well.  The stew is delish! Perfect for a cool fall evening.

Till soon, friends –

 

Fresh Salt

My gardens this year have been a bit of a mystery.

For one thing, the combination of some really intense rainstorms and some really humid days throughout the summer have produced an abundance of flowers and growth on all the perennials.  I’ve also noticed  the wild flowers/blooming weeds all along the roadsides seem to have multiplied tremendously,  Queen Ann’s Lace and  what I call black eyed susans in particular.

As for the vegetable gardens… well, despite my fortification attempts in the two large raised beds here on the farm…. all my tender care and raising from seedlings the tomato, eggplant,  yellow squash, onion and yellow beans….they were a miserable lot.  Having produced only a pathetic yield,  I cannot tell you why.   The only plants that were marginally happy in my farm garden this year were parsley and basil, zinnia and new-to-me Dahlia.

The SEASIDE cottage garden, however…. Stella’s little 1′  x 5 ‘ raised garden bed crammed up against the side of the house?  The one we did almost NOTHING to coax? … has triple the yield, go figure.    I’m thinking it must be the fresh salt air, the moisture off the water, and the fact that for hundreds of years, before the “island” became a  140 summer cottage retreat, it was a New England seaside cow farm.  Lots and lots of old fertilizer makes really rich soil.

Despite that wicked heat and thunder storms, we’ve had some beautiful weather this summer.  The family has been enjoying our little Stella by the Sea in between work and volunteer and farm obligations, and that brings me great joy.

As does a really good pound cake -Like this one found on the internet I’ll share  below.  I hope you’re having a good summer!  I’m trying to look away from  the ugly and look for more of the good.  It is out there, we need to underline it, highlight it… celebrate what is beautiful, choose kindness and spread that shit like fairy dust wherever we can.

Old School Butter Pound Cake

 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c cake flour
1 1/2 c all-purpose flour
3 stick butter, unsalted (softened at room temp)
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
3 1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp salt
6 large eggs

Directions

1. Beat butter and cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until mixture comes together.

2. Add sugar and extracts; beat until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, alternating with flours 1/2 cup at a time until all eggs and flours are used.
4. Transfer to a buttered, oiled and floured, 10-cup shaped pan such as bundt pan.
5. Place in cold oven. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake until an inserted tester comes out clean about 1 1/2 hours.
6. Remove cake from pan. Let cool on wire rack.

Heavy and Light

New England just experienced an awful heatwave, just like much of the country.  We spent part of it at a week-long  horse show. When the temps hit 100 we opted to give ourselves and more importantly our horse a much needed reprieve from the heat.

I must confess I am conflicted about our involvement in horse showing.  In any sport that involves animals, there is some cruelty in the mix. If you’re an animal lover as I and my daughter are, there is no denying it.  My experience is in the quarter horse industry, but the abuses are present in all disciplines.  I cringe when I see folks celebrating a Kentucky Derby race – if you’re truly aware of what is involved in the horse racing industry, I don’t know how the conscience allows the support of it.  What I can say, and what let’s me support my daughter’s involvement in showing, is we are surrounded by people who genuinely give a damn about their horse. Our show barn family are a decent, caring lot, for the horses in their care, and toward each other.

I’m pretty certain if there is a God, when the time comes, he or she will swing the gates wide open for horse show moms, no questions asked. …..Practice, patience, practice, patience, dirt, heat, cold, rain, laughs, tears, cheers, Dirt, more dirt, and  a few curse words sprinkled in….

Speaking of K – the home we are building next door is coming along beautifully. Because this is what we do for a living, it’s truly a family affair – my husband and son are building it, a labor of love for our daughter and her guy.  That makes it extra special for K, who  has been saving her money responsibly since she was a waitress at a retirement community in HS, and the past ten years as a secretary at a Bank.  She is now seeing the rewards of hard work and thrilled to see it unfold.   And so are we – truly feeling so blessed to be able to help her achieve this monumental goal of her own home with her partner in life.

 

We’ve been enjoying a little relaxation time at the cottage, where the gardens including the tomatoes are insanely happy, despite our doing not one thing to encourage it. Go figure.  I’m thinking it must be the sea air…

It’s not often I get him to sit and relax for 15 minutes.  I think on this day it may have been 20.

Here on the farm, my vegetable garden is anemic despite my efforts in the fertilization and watering department. I have no idea why.  We’re getting small amounts of produce, but nothing like past years yield.  The flowers, however, are prolific.

Regarding our country and it’s current “climate” – Whether we like it or not, the mobs chanting : send her back, send her back, send her back, are our fellow Americans.  The current P0TUS is nothing more than a ringleader of hate. I never thought I’d see anything like this in America.

And if you’re still condoning this level of hatred, I have no use for what’s in your heart. I am so done with any defense of that assh0le. It’s an American Tragedy on several levels, some of it has nothing to do with politics. Hate and division destroys nations. Wake. the Fuck. Up.

– heartbroken

 

 

Pretty in Pink

We woke up yesterday morning to a  soft rosy glow blanketing just about everything.  It had rained during the night and the rising sun was trying to burn through the mist, and most plants in bloom in my gardens right now are pinkish.  It was just so peaceful.

See the rainbow?

We’ve just returned from a four day horseshow – and if that sounds like fun, well it is sometimes.  And it’s also a whole heck of a lot of work, dirty Heavy Sweaty work.  At one point the wind was kicking dust around so bad, we were all covered in about five pounds of dirt/dust/sand after a half hour practice.  When I got into the shower that night, I swear the dirt ringing around the drain could have potted a plant.

K and Miss Leah had some real competition, they made some mistakes and they had some triumphs.   This little horse is just a wonderful guide – she’s patient and calm, the perfect match for K.  In turn, K takes great care with her and is gentle even in her riding style.  It’s great to watch them develop real teamwork.

We’ve met some wonderful people too – competitors helping each other, consoling each other, laughing together. In this sometimes ugly world,  being even a small part of that camaraderie is like a balm for the soul.   If you are as weary as I am of all the crap out there, I recommend you seek  out that camaraderie and nurture it, whatever your interests.

We’ve got the foundation poured for K’s house next door – it’s getting real now!  That’s our home in the background, just a hop, skip and jump.

I hope all is well in your world – and thank you so much for the kind words regarding Ben –    …….. Till soon

 

 

Scategories

So much to cover here!  But first, an observation.  I love having my own blog, meaning I truly own it, and it can’t disappear someday when Google decides to get rid of blogger.  The downside is, it appears many friends who used to stop in regularly either haven’t found the space or are no longer interested in reading it.  While it’s never been my goal to accumulate a large number of readers, more a journal for me to keep, I have truly enjoyed getting to know the folks who stop in here.  It sort of feels like some good neighbors have moved away and didn’t keep in touch.

So, we’ve been busy around here!  And… I haven’t paid much attention to the goings on in Washington, it’s been blissful!  Although oddly, it also feels irresponsible, which of course it isn’t.

My daughter K and I were at a horse show for a few days, and she and Miss Leah had a great show!  She grabbed her first Blue Ribbon in Western Pleasure with Leah and two 2nd’s.   At the risk of embarassing her here,  I’m so proud of K for her courage and determination. She shows me every day what it means to tackle and overcome some of the hard things life can throw at you, and these pictures are the proof.

I think they should bring back the Tired Grooms class, just sayin.   That morning I was truly running on Dunkin.

The farm this show was held on is beautiful – looks like it goes on for miles.

We spent Sunday and Monday at the cottage,  had a cookout with family and the weather was glorious! I got my first paddle in around the cove, even brought my co-pilot.

This little “island” community of approximately 140 cottages sits on a 360-ish acre shorefront farm owned by the same family since the 1600’s.  They still farm a portion of that property, and often we are greeted by the cows as we drive down the narrow lane to the waterfront.  These cows also have lush fields not visible in the picture, but they often wander down into the marsh to cool off.

Lilacs here on the farm and on island are just about done, Iris are in full bloom and the poppies are gorgeous –  I need to plant more of those, they are so cheery, uplifting , a real splash of bold color.  My vegetable gardens are planted, too – a tiny one at Stella and two raised beds of a good size in the backyard.  My seedlings looked anemic this year, I’m hoping now that they’re in the ground they’ll flourish. The Phlox are gorgeous!

My Spring Chicks are almost as big as the grown girls – notice the mesh that separates them from the adults – soon they’ll be big enough to incorporate into the flock and I can take down this make-shift nursery, which they are indeed outgrowing rapidly.

 

I mentioned my blog neighbors above, well the best news of all is we’re getting new neighbors right next door.  When we bought this old house and farm and resurrected her,  we also had the idea in our heads that if the children chose to live in this area once they graduated and started their adult lives, they could have a lot on the farm and build a house for themselves if it worked for them.  I’m very very happy to report that both have decided to do just that, and have been saving their hard earned money while living in apartments with their significant others (who we also love.) Yesterday we poured the footings for K’s house foundation – So… once again here on this blog you can follow along on a house build.  She’s chosen a charming cape style house that will blend with the old homes in this neighborhood as if it’s been here for 200 years, just like our “Grace”.  The upstairs will remain unfinished to keep the mortgage down, until they have a need for the two bedrooms and bath that will eventually go upstairs.  The master will be on the first floor.   Stay tuned!

 

Last night we took Mom out for a Birthday celebration Lobster dinner, the food was divine and the laughter around the table priceless.  Happy Birthday, Mom – we all love you very much. May we celebrate many more birthdays together, and may the laughter and love  continue to flow around the table as easily as it did last night.

 

Till soon, friends – thank you for stopping by –

When there’s no sun, find some light

New England is still wearing her dingy grey cloak, refusing to take it off in order to properly herald Spring. So what’s a Yankee to do? … head to the garden center to purchase some cheer!  Mom joined the Mr. and I  on a jaunt across the  CT river , where we bought some bright red geraniums which I’ll plant in the big pots down at Stella-by-the-Sea in the coming days.

On the way we stopped for lunch across from the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam…

So many charming centuries old homes in this part of town…   tulips and flowering trees everywhere!

On to Balleks,  a family owned farm/garden center/greenhouse that’s been in the Ballek family since the 1660’s – how’s that for history. Some of the Ballek family in their 90’s still roam the isles helping customers, it’s a lovely thing to see.

They have SO many unique plants inside the large greenhouse and two big old silos that have some tales to tell, I’m sure.

 

The “pods” below are large – you could put your reading glasses in there.

Meanwhile.. back on the farm – I’ve moved the chicks to the big coop, creating a temporary nursery out there inside the covered enclosed chicken yard, complete with their heat lamp.  They got too big for the chick condo on the porch and it was beginning to look like a pig pen out there with shavings and hay and chick food and chick dander littering every surface from ground to ceiling.  Bleh.   I did scrub the porch once everything was out – we’ll actually be able to sit out there again once it dries.

The new girls in their temporary coop nursery

Which is basically a sectioned off area in the big covered coop “yard” separated with bird mesh and a tarp, wrapped on the outside with a plastic drop cloth to keep the wind off them.

The big girls on the other side of the tarp.

So much work to integrate five little chicks into the fold!  But the reward of fresh eggs and a flock of chickens in the yard is well worth the effort.

 

More rain for tomorrow – I’ll most likely be at my desk catching up on the editorial stuff that earns me a paycheck.  I suppose the upside to all the rain and a steady string of grey days is all the inside work I get done when the sun isn’t calling to me.

I hope all is well in your world – may we all have many sunny days ahead.

 

 

 

Birds of a Feather

Allow me to  introduce you to  purple finch mama and papa bird, and their three little eggs – all sitting about five feet from me on the lantern right outside my office window as I type this post.    If I have the species wrong, feel free to correct me.  They come back every year, a sure sign that Spring has arrived, regardless of whether the weather concurs.

 

Meanwhile.. out on the back porch – the chicks look more like chickens now… and will soon be moved out to a sectioned off part of the coop I’ve arranged for them until they are full grown and can be turned out with the rest of the flock.   They are quickly growing out of their two-box condo.

This past weekend we also put our first Horse show of the season in the books – It was a cold and mostly wet windy rainy weekend but K and Miss Leah did very well with their trail patterns which are no easy feat to memorize, let alone complete,  and although they didn’t place in their other classes, they completed them without major errors and Leah was so well behaved, I just love this good minded mare.  Proud of K for learning a new discipline so quickly and enjoying the process  and her horse regardless of the placing.  That’s what it’s all about.

One of the four days we saw the sun and with it, smiles everywhere…

 

Yesterday I brought the dogs down to Stella to plant some Zinnia in the tiny cottage garden and put the trash out for pick-up.  Grass cutting didn’t happen, too wet.   After chores  we went for a long walk exploring the “island”.   Although the skies were grey, there was plenty of Spring color…

Frasier is always the first of the season to go for a swim.

Meanwhile – back at Winterfell (if you’re a GOT fan but haven’t seen it yet, turn away)…. Holy cow – Season 8 Episode 3 – Winter finally arrived! And what a murky, epic battle – what we could see of it anyway.  All my favorites are still standing (Sigh of relief!) and  still so many questions – and more to come.   All I want to say about that.. is this…

 

More grey skies for the coming week – not sure we’ve ever seen so many rainy days strung together in a row.   The following picture is of our senior boys, Max 1 and Max 2, out grazing in the pasture this morning.  Time to go bring them back in.

 

I hope all is well in your world – and thank you for stopping in …