I can usually find at least one piece of seaglass on each walk. This one was a very pale blue, my favorite color.
Middle aged musings from farm & hearth
I can usually find at least one piece of seaglass on each walk. This one was a very pale blue, my favorite color.
All around this area at this time of year are the ads for feed stores and especially Tractor Supply announcing their Chick Days. I had written a post a while back describing my plans to build a bigger coop this Spring and I even ordered 16 new chicks of different varieties to raise and increase my current flock of 14 aging chickens. Well – the boyz got busy doing other things, work related things that actually pay the bills, and so we decided to hold off a year or two on the new coop. I cancelled my chick order with Cackle Hatchery, a little bummed, because I had picked out some beautiful breeds.
Frasier’s wondering why mama won’t let him sample the chicken nuggets out on the porch.
Bailey, Frasier and Sally love these walks – I leave our cardiac patient, my Dane, Ben – inside on these cold days. There’s another shot of the big window from afar.
Use it or lose it…
That gorgeous zinnia row to the left is courtesy dear friend Hilary
of Crazy As a Loom. She sent seeds from her garden
last year and they flourished.
As always – thank you for stopping by.
Fiona says Good Morning! (actually, she’s clucking ” It’s cold – where’s my F-ing oatmeal” . Yep, she swears – I’m a bad influence, I know it. )
This succulent-like type plant grows prolifically on our seawall – anyone know what it is? It now has white flowers and is just beautiful.
The boys have been clamming – A little info – Did you know you should never clam right after a rain storm? The storm kicks up all the muck and pollution and the clams are busy filtering it out right after the storm. So they’re “full of it”… and you don’t want to eat a mucky clam.
Our new float (bottom right in picture) is holding up well so far, even with a make-shift patch to the hole we put in it trying to heave it over the cedar fence sea wall.
Little darling, it feels like years since it’s been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It’s all right
I was never overly fond of the Bush Family, but I have certainly admired Barbara Bush for her strength and tenacity, dedication to literacy of our children, her devotion to her family and to the grace and dignity she brought to her position over the years. May she rest in peace –
Let me tell ya – we can laugh about the following little ditty… but it’s absolutely true up here in this house.
Lacey is aging well, but Coady has cushings disease. He requires a daily pill to help manage the symptoms.
When I was much younger I believed I should have been born down South because the thought of -always Summer- was magical to me. As I have matured I have come to truly cherish the change in seasons and now I won’t give it up. While it’s true Winter in New England can drag on with more grey cold days than I’d like, it has it’s merits. Living on a farm means spending much of your daylight hours outside tending livestock and gardens and hay fields, etc. When winter sets in we’re in the house earlier, hunkered down by the fire most evenings, reading and catching up on the news. It’s a time to allow ourselves to be together quietly, to recharge and even hibernate just a little, to not be so busy out and about. My dogs seem to recharge too – they sit in my lap and around my feet near the fire in the mancave or at my desk as I work, and they soak in sunspots on the floor of the kitchen.
Speaking of dogs… Miss Sally has blended very well with our family – at seven months she’s a bit rambunctious at times but Ben, Bailey and Frasier tell her what they think of the new kid on the block without bloodshed and she has slowly been accepted into the pack.
The light in a New England Autumn is just so warm and inviting. The skies bluest of blue.
And that moon! Did you happen to glimpse the full moon last night? It was amazing… I need to buy a zoom lens. My phone and canon with regular zoom did not catch it’s magnificence.
**Skip this section if you are avoiding unpleasant current events – and I don’t blame you. Scroll on down to the recipes…
In the midst of enjoying all this fall beauty, we are constantly reminded of all the horrors occurring out there in the world. Sometimes I just want to ignore it all, shut it all out… and yet that seems irresponsible. The horror of what has happened yet again, this time in Vegas.. Well, to sound cliche-ish – what is our world coming to. And how can you stop a madman from an act such as this.
Regarding gun laws – I believe in our right to own a gun responsibly. I also think not enough safety precautions are in place – not enough restrictions, regulations. Thorough background checks, mental health history checks (oh yes, I know that violates rights, but still… ).. why is it harder to get a drivers license than a handgun? Why are civilians allowed to buy semi-automatic assault weapons? Silencers, $50 accessories that make a gun fire more rapidly? And you know, while it may be true that the bad guys will find a way to get their weapon of choice, why not put up roadblocks regardless? Any life that might be saved, any deterrent that might stop the progress of an attack such as the Vegas horror show, why ever not? I don’t agree with those who believe all gun owners are evil and no one should own one except law enforcement. We don’t live in a Utopian world, we have to be prepared for the real world, the madness of which you and I are fully aware. Gun ownership is not all about angry white men, as a friend of mine would have you believe. However, the lack of restrictions and regulations in this country is appalling. Slippery slope, this issue. But doing nothing seems criminal.
It continues to amaze me that 45 still has his seat in the Oval office, and the support of his base as well. I’m no snowflake – I just believe in truth and maturity and a general sense that our President is here for all of us, not the some-of-us who like his brand of… I can’t even call it leadership. How we can all see the same behavior and either applaud it or be horrified and embarrassed by it is beyond my scope of understanding. I had a conversation with a family member last night about this very thing. I asked what exactly was it about this POTUS that felt inspirational. Because that was the word the person used. The explanation was that what 45 says in rallies makes that person feel pride in being American… it says “screw the establishment, it hasn’t been working for the people, we’re finding our own way”. Well… what can I say to that – that is my cherished person’s truth. What I see is the complete opposite. How did this come to be? Clearly, I couldn’t tell ya. I haven’t been happy with the government corruption and obstructionism among parties, lobbyists, etc. for a long time, so I get that sentiment. It is a small comfort to see some of the GOP putting their party loyalty aside and standing up for integrity, truths, calling a spade a spade. Right now it seems our divides in this country and abroad are growing wider. Where this will all lead is a mystery to just about all of us, no matter what our beliefs.. but chaos is an undeniable part of it and that’s a scary deal for all.
None of these recipes are mine, all credit goes to the links provided. It’s my goal to make all of these throughout the season though, and hopefully not eat most of each. Luckily my grown kids stop in frequently and clear out the glass covered cake dish I try to keep full on the kitchen island. I’m not ashamed to admit I use a little bribery to lure them in for visits and I love every one, even when they’re just drive-bys or bathroom stops or complaint filings. 🙂
I bought this apron, it’s now hanging in my kitchen. One of our vendors makes aprons out of vintage feed and flour sacks among other things – I love them!
Mom and my Aunt, her sister. While the circumstances behind my aunt’s relocation are very sad ( her husband recently passed) , I love that they live next door to each other now and get to spend quality time together. If there is a heaven, my grandmother Elsie is smiling big.
Not only does my family support my farm market efforts by attending market and buying from local farmers and artisans… mom treated me to this recycled dress by one of my favorite vendors. Marylynne of BH Upcycle Designs uses old sweaters, t-shirts, sweatshirts to make new pieces of clothing like skirts, dresses, shirts, etc. This is one of those..
Speaking of Markets.. our September market will include an installment of The Kindness Rocks Project.. have you heard of it? I believe it’s happening in areas all over the country – but it’s in full swing for sure on our shoreline. People are painting rocks with words of inspiration or kindness and pretty designs and placing them in random spots where others will find them. They are showing up in places like post office drop boxes, town hall steps, benches in parks, on hiking trails, in doorways to shops, etc… My market partner, Linda, and I will host a rock party at the market – I’ve gathered smooth rocks from Stellas waterfront and painted them an undercoat. We’ll provide the paints and brushes for whomever wants to show up and create their own “kindness” and place it somewhere in the world for another to find. It’s the little ripples that fan out into the sea, creating change, right? Rock on..
These are a few that I have already sent out …. message on back, design on front.
Till soon, friends –