First Egg!

I stayed up far too late last night watching a movie, so I had to kind of drag myself out to the barn this morning to feed and water the animals. As I was sleepwalking through my duties, not expecting any deviation from the daily routine, I stepped into the chicken coop and found this:

One of our girls had broken the ice and given us an egg! Our first! I woke up immediately, banished the rooster to the run and looked around the coop for any others that may have been left in odd spots (this one had been left right under the roost where they sleep). I didn't find any, but I praised the girls for a job well done - such good girls they are! To have given an egg, and not even twenty weeks old yet!

It just goes to show you, as I held the rather good sized egg in my hands and hurried to the house, that small moments can also make sweet memories. It is a delight to have labored over these birds, to have raised them from hatchlings, and to now see my care for them beginning to bear fruit. The satisfaction of having been (and continuing to be) connected to the process is undeniable. It is needful in some way, and too many human beings (or should I say Westerners?) have been missing moments like this one for far too long.

I thanked the Lord for the bounty of this one egg, and for the encouragement that I derived from this moment; life is not stagnant, events are unfolding, even though we cannot see what is happening behind the scenes.

It's very pretty, too, kind of a medium cream color (DH is holding it. Really, I don't have man hands).

Nice size, nice hard shell. I have no idea which one of the girls gave us the egg, but everyone gets a special treat (warm oatmeal mixed with applesauce, and yes, they love it) today!

Edited to add photos of the girls (and Stonewall) enjoying their warm oatmeal/applesauce treat this afternoon. Yum!

Well, I managed to add ONE photo. Why posting photos to this blog is so extraordinarily difficult is a mystery. I'll try to add the rest later.

Trying again:

Success! Yes, warm oatmeal certainly hits the spot.

Let's try another, shall we?

Wow. Two in a row.

And finally:

Delcie the Delaware expressing curiosity about DH's shredded work gloves. He has other sets, but seems inordinately attached to this pair.

I Hesitate To Post This...

...I mean, this one really is not very far along. The image of the cat is only a placeholder at this point; the head is barely sketched in, the body is indicated with a couple of pencil strokes and I've paid no attention to what it actually looks like - yet. The boy's clothing has no detail - right now it merely looks lumpy. The face is forming, but much is left to do.

The problem with posting (or showing anyone at all) incomplete work is that people have a tendency to look at it, see the areas that will be corrected as the drawing progresses and say "hmm, well, isn't that nice."

But it isn't finished!

This one will be, and relatively soon, so I can complete other work pending (a portrait of a German Shepherd, a mandala, and a mosaic), so if you check back in a couple of weeks, I promise it will look very different than it does today.

I should add that, like most people, I tend to be blind to some (or many) of my own shortcomings. I am, however, cognizant of the fact that I am abysmally inadequate when it comes to photographing art.

Not that anyone needed me to point that out.

So there's that.

One view.

A detail view. (By the way, it just took me nearly a half hour to upload this photo. Can you say annoying?)

Almost Finished!

While I was busy appreciating winter this morning, I managed to squeeze in a couple of shots of one of the gourds I have been working/experimenting on. It's nearing completion, which is a good thing, since I'm becoming bored with it.

I'd like to see it go to a good home.

I sort of love the snowy backdrop, despite the fact that I ordinarily detest snow. When I haven't been appreciating it, that is.

Slightly different view.

It's sitting on a piece of fabric on top of a woodpile. How's that for rustic improvisation?

Parts still under construction. I worked on this last night so it's still wet from dyes and solvents.

More updates to come.

Snow

It was -4∘F this morning when I went out to the barn to feed and water the animals. A bit chilly, you might say, but since the sun is out and the sky is blue, I thought I might shelve my uncharitable attitude toward winter, if only temporarily, and make an honest attempt to appreciate the glories of a snowy day. So - I trudged around the farm until I could no longer feel my toes, marveled at frozen stuff and snapped a bunch of photos, which I now share with you (provided my ISP & Blogger cooperate):

The ladies want no part of whatever that white stuff is lying on the ground, as evidenced by the empty run this morning.

Deer tracks! Nice to see they're about.

Ice crystals along the pond.

Snow covered log near the pond, near the woods.

Snow-covered branch, lying on the ground.

And finally, the barn in winter.

That was fun! And so is this:

Which is where I retire to regain feeling in my extremities. And no, I don't like white walls, but who has time to paint?

Long live winter! (As long as it doesn't live too long.)

EDIT: I see that I failed to mention a very intriguing experience I had the other evening as I was walking out to the barn to check on the animals (we do this before we go to sleep, it's kind of become our custom). I heard an owl! I checked with my son, who had worked with wildlife at a rehabilitation center for nearly two years, and apparently the "hoo-hoo-hoo" call I heard is characteristic of a Great Horned Owl.
So! Score two points (there is one, or more likely a pair of them in the area, and I got to hear one calling).

I had taken this photo a couple of months prior, but decided to post it here, because I like it.

ART!

Finally, eh? But I didn't do this; my friend Char, who who is a fiber/quilt artist in SK, Canada, made this and sent it to me, and what a surprise! My poor point & shoot digital camera cannot pick up the detail in the patterning or the gorgeous color in the fabrics, but I wanted to post a couple of photos nonetheless. This is a portrait of Stonewall SIR, our rooster, and he has never looked better.

If you want to take a peek at more of Char's work, Hey Dooders (under Stuff I Like) is her site.

And now for the pics:

And the detail view:

I can't wait to hang it on the wall!

We All Need To Slow Down

And my ISP has apparently taken this advice to heart, as my upload speeds have, of late, been creakingly slow. Ox-cart/wagon slow. Normally this would not be a problem, but it does prevent me from updating here with photos; by about the 10th or 12th try I'm out of patience; however, I'm tempted to post them as they appear, with all the groovy colors and distortions running through them, as an homage to technology.

Barring that, I'll have to see what can be done. Really, it shouldn't take 45 minutes to post a photo to a blog with a broadband connection.

Getting Ready!

To garden, that is. The whole enterprise is just around the corner, and I'm very glad to once again have a large plot of land in which to work. Every vegetable, every herb, every flower will be organically grown, Heirloom variety (and non-GMO).

I have ordered my seeds, and will shortly be making newspaper pots in which to germinate them. I should have some wonderful composted soil, made up of left-over cow poo mixed with veggie scraps and chicken poo, hay and straw, which has been "marinating" for some months now. I try to keep it turned and what is underneath is looking pretty good.

In case anyone is interested, my seeds are coming from the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company and Seed Savers Exchange. Both catalogs feature beautiful photographs and great tips for gardeners on not only how to grow crops, but how to save seed.

Chicken Update

The girls are doing so well - growing rapidly, putting on weight and feathering out nicely. Their feathers are soft, glossy and colorful. The Black Australorps, like the one shown above, are starting to exhibit their signature iridescent green-blue sheen; they are truly beautiful birds.

DH and I cleaned out the coop today - we took advantage of the (once again) mild but RAINY (ugh) day to pitch out used straw, line the floor with sawdust and food grade diatomaceous earth, over which we spread a thick layer of fresh straw and another layer of sawdust under the roosts. We cleaned out the nesting boxes and relined them with wood shavings and straw.

The coop never smells; I remove "bad spots" and clean out the area under the roosts frequently, but I was glad we were able to fit in one more thorough cleaning ahead of the coming cold snap. All in all, we've had an extremely mild autumn and winter so far, thank the Lord. I can cool off much more efficiently than I can warm up, so I tend not to like cold weather much (actually, I don't like it at all). What little cold weather we have had hasn't affected the chickens; however, keeping humidity down inside the coop has been a bit of an issue, so even though the coop is vented above the roosts, I try to leave the screened windows open on mild, breezy days to increase airflow.

My girls are very social and friendly to people; when I show up, even with the camera (and without treats, which is rare), they come running, almost as though they want to be photographed, so I had some fun snapping photos today. Inquisitive, curious, with personalities as individual as they are, chickens add so much to a home. I don't think we will ever be without them, Lord willing.

Stonewall, or SIR, as I refer to the rooster, is more a little more skeptical. He is usually fine with me in the coop; every so often he will try to assert himself and I respond by picking him up and taking him for a walk. Nothing he hates more than to be separated from his ladies! After what amounts to time out, he usually calms down for awhile. I really can't find fault with the fellow for doing what he is hard-wired to do, as long as he shows some manners to his humans.

More pictures:

Hello!

My "walking flowers" in the run today.

"Hey chooks!"

Two of our Buff Orpingtons looking over the refurbished coop.

SIR with his ladies. He's been a pretty good guy.

Edit: I just came in from feeding the animals and shutting them all in the barn for the night. It is very blustery this evening! The wind through the pine trees sounds like the roaring of the sea. I am so grateful the barn cats, horses and chickens have been blessed with a cozy shelter on a night like tonight. I am grateful we have been as well.

Fly Away

I saw a huge flock of geese fly over this morning, heading south, I presume. I had just finished feeding the chickens, and had opened the door to their run, when the sound of honking filled the sky. Over the barn they came! The chickens ran to the side of the run that afforded the best view, and tilted their heads to look up into the sky at their airborne feathered kin - and I stood still as well to watch as they flew over, amazed as always at how they, and other migratory birds, always know when, and where to go, following the same route every year.

I wished them well on their journey, and I hope I see them upon their return in the spring.

A Little Late To The Ball

However, we pulled it off. Everyone at the farm, human and animal alike, had a nice Christmas, although the entire event came down to the wire and ended up being somewhat hastily assembled at nearly the last minute. I attribute this to utter exhaustion on our part and a sort of bleary-eyed surprise at how quickly the Christmas season overtook us yet again. It seems as though I JUST took down last year's tree, packed away the decorations and vacuumed up the last of the pine needles, went to sleep, woke up and had to drag everything out again.

It is perhaps telling that DH and I abandoned our annual dialogue about whether bulbous multicolored lights or tiny, sparkling white lights should adorn the tree (DH, paying tribute to his childhood memories, advocates for the former; I tend to want the tree to reflect our own taste; white lights, glass ornaments, careful touches of color, ribbons, etc.). No one cared this year - as long as the tree was placed upright in the stand and arranged in a somewhat pleasing fashion.

I was also too tired to suggest, as I do each year, that rather than cut one down, we simply go buy an artificial tree (an idea that DH has steadfastly resisted lo, these nearly ten years of marriage). DH, on the other hand, was happy with the first tree he encountered - a rather slender, slightly sparse 6 ft. pine that would have been scorned in other, less frenetic years.

Hah, no, this wasn't it. Cute, though, eh? Our own Charlie Brown Christmas tree, compliments of my BIL, who bought it for us last year. I love it. Too adorable.

We had a lovely dinner, which took the greater part of two days to prepare (including the baking, which is done ahead of time). We actually celebrated on Christmas Eve, which was when family members could make it here to be with us. Once everyone had departed, and the animals were snuggled away for the night, I pulled out my big fluffy comforter, claimed the couch and watched the 1951 film adaptation of A Christmas Carol with DH. And then drifted off to sleep.

Although my posts would seem to indicate otherwise, I have been productive in my studio. I just have to brave the (now-cold) weather, drag everything outside, keep it from blowing away and try to snap a few photos.

Soon!

The Saga Of Mud

Or:

How I Spent My Christmas Vacation.

Well, folks, the story this year has been rain, and lots of it, and in an area where there is little concrete or other hardscape, the predictable outcome is mud. Mud, wonderful mud. Anyone know of any practical use for mud? Just wondering, because I happen to have a surplus on hand at the moment.

But I digress.

Observe:

Ordinarily a photograph of a muddy rut wouldn't qualify as remotely informative or interesting, but there is more to tell. Our neighbor's Kubota became mired in this spot on Thursday afternoon and absolutely could not, would not be moved; every attempt to pull out of the slop only resulted in a more stubbornly planted machine.

So, after a few jokes about how our neighbor might have to swim for it, we trudged up to his place to get his truck (although ours is also a 4 X 4, his has more towing capacity). Said truck was positioned in front of the Kubota, which was then chained to the truck hitch, and the fun began. Several minutes (of spinning tires and flying muck) later, not only was the Kubota still sunk in the mud, but so was the truck.

Quick time out for a few chuckles all around. Ah, fun.

After consulting with one another on the matter, and engaging in a bit of experimentation, we arrived at an improvisational method of successively shortening the chain and tightening it as a brace against the motionless pick-up truck, which allowed the Kubota to crawl a couple of feet out of the pit - enough so that DH could lower the struts and use them to lift the machine up and sidle it out onto drier ground.

But still, there was this:

And this:

So, our truck was called into service for a first attempt (that's my neighbor waving - wave back!):

Nope, didn't work, and the concern was that we were going to leap-frog across the field with bogged-down vehicles all afternoon, so in came the sidelined Kubota for one more play:

Voila! Finally.

All the spinning of tires and lurching around of large machines startled a small unidentifiable field creature, and it ran terrified around the vehicles, trying to escape. It wasn't a mouse. I'm not sure what it was - it was rather tiny, brown, with large, dark eyes. I felt sorry for it, so I picked it up by its tail, carried it some distance away and gave it a gentle toss into the brush.

The tiny thing was frightened. I have received mercy on so many occasions in my life; who am I to be hard-hearted, even toward a creature of the fields?

Still. I've come a long way!

In other news: The horses had a good time outside in the mild weather. They rolled around on the wet ground and undid the good brushing out we had given them the night before, as horses will do, turning themselves into great muddy yaks, but it was gratifying to see them enjoying themselves.

Grooming horses is good exercise, so I suspect we'll do it all over again.

And YES. It's raining. STILL.

Long Nights

I snapped this photo through the bamboo, toward the great fir and pine trees that are only a stone's throw from our house. The days are short now - which makes it seem as though I am constantly in the barn, trying to stay ahead of nightfall. The lack of sunshine has always been problematic for me; although I am not one to sleep for long stretches at a time, once winter rolls around I find I wish I was of a species that could hibernate. I would love nothing better than to roll up in a couple of warm quilts and emerge when the outlook is brighter, warmer and sunnier (although it was very warm today - a rainy 58F). Like the bears who have probably taken to their dens for the season, I like the idea of finding a place to hunker down while the snow piles up outside.

Meh.

I'm off to make a pot of the best lentil soup you'll ever hope to taste. I may also put some of my sprouted grain flour to good use and bake a couple of types of bread. I do need to start a sourdough and keep it going so we have some really good stuff to nibble on through the cold months.

Hint to DH: I am hoping to score a hand-operated grain mill *cough* soon. Or a food dehydrator. Or both.

It also is nearly time to order seed catalogues. Anyone else planning on growing Heirloom or Heritage vegetables? Saving seed?

More Progress...

...but of a different kind.
I think it was 16F this morning when I got up and went out to the barn to feed the horses, cats and chickens. I didn't even bother opening the door to the run for the ladies (and our suddenly self-important rooster, now known informally by the acronym SIR) until later in the day; I just turned on their light and let them stay snuggled inside. Their coop is actually quite cozy; aside from the fact that the structure itself is fully insulated, the chickens themselves put out quite a bit of body heat, more than you'd expect.

The temperature is supposed to moderate later in the week; still, I can't complain - it is December, after all, so every day that isn't miserably overcast and bearing a malevolent wind or laced with snow or freezing rain is a blessing.

Shortly after the morning caffeine revival (I have never been more exquisitely thankful for coffee than I have been since moving here) we assembled our tools and headed out to one of the many projects we are currently working on.

We took down two old paddocks and have been putting up new ones. This is the largest one. It was a cold day when this photo was taken (obviously).

Today's quota of work. The remaining second and the entire third row of boards should be on this week. There is still much to do, but it's coming along. We have pasture for the horses, but the goal is to have a couple of large, well-constructed paddocks as well. This is the (almost) end result of the preliminary work posted in the earlier photos of the Horse Fencing post - one large paddock.

Ben, in one of the spare stalls, waiting while his stall is cleaned and new bedding laid down (and his feed and hay are brought in). This big guy is all heart. He and Sally joined our family nearly eight years ago, and with our family they will remain, Lord willing, until the end of their days, hopefully many years hence.

Wind & Cold

...some weak sunshine, yes, but I think the wind chill is something like, oh, 12F. We're continuing to put in fences. It's (what's the word I'm after)...bracing. Yes, it's bracing, to say the least.

The chicks venture out into the run and just as quickly retreat into the coop. The horses, clothed in thick winter hair coats, are unfazed while they scarf down as much hay as they can recycle, and the cats are glad of the warm tack room to retreat to when the wind carries just a bit too much sting.

Life. is. good.

Progress

The colors are deepening gradually - the use of pigments in binders as a transparent glaze over the dye base seems to be working. There are some areas that haven't dried yet - the drawback is that the process takes longer, so progress is slow.

I wish I had a camera better suited to photographing detail, with less of a tendency to blur any image shot at close range, but this will have to do. A new camera is not a part of my immediate future. Alas.

The old doors pictured a few posts back are nearly stripped of their old finish. Will post an update as soon as possible.

I will also try to post a picture of a portrait I'm currently working on later today; hopefully I can make it outside to photograph it in natural light. It's a balmy 28 degrees outside and I have stalls to do and horses to groom. It's a glad task, however. I may even ride this weekend, if time and weather permit.

More to come...

They're Here!

DH and our neighbor, to whom the rig belongs, and who so kindly consented to haul our horses from boarding, arrived with them in tow this morning. Unfortunately, the driveway had been narrowed by a previous owner and the trailer couldn't make the turn, so the rig had to be parked off-site. We made certain no vehicles were approaching before unloading Sally and Ben (not that we live in a congested area...it's the country, after all). Thankfully, our horses are well-behaved and came off the trailer without any fuss or feathers.

Ben carefully backing out of the trailer. Yep, those are burrs in his tail. He seems to attract them...or go looking for them. Not sure which it is, but at any rate, he is in for a good grooming. In fact, an equine spa day may be just around the corner (feet, manes, tails...the works).

Sally, led by our neighbor. She grows such a remarkable hair coat every winter that she truly resembles a plush toy.

Ben at home. Ben is an ex-racing Standardbred, and, at 17.1 hh, is a pretty big boy, tall for the breed. He is extremely gentle, however, and very good on the trails.

Sally, her nose in hay. What else matters? Not much, unless it's Triple Crown Senior Feed - that usually gets her attention. Sally is an "older" horse (just how old, she won't say), but still in great shape!

This is the lower right side of the barn - home to our four barn cats and now Ben and Sally. It is pretty. The other side features an additional two stalls and the tack room.

Awesome neighbor Heidi - a woman with tremendous energy and enthusiasm. We've really enjoyed getting to know our neighbors.

Did someone mention barn cats? I think I may have done, a few paragraphs prior...which leads me to introduce Shadow, one of four kitties who call the barn (and a warm tack room where they sleep and eat) home. Shadow is technically a feral cat; however, I can pet her and she is a most loyal companion, following me as I make my rounds. She is a registered TNR cat (Trap, Neuter, Return) and to show that she is part of a managed colony, her left ear is tipped.

She's well-fed, vaccinated, spayed and very healthy, not to mention a very pretty girl. Yup, she's family.