Beautiful Farm Life

Hello!  I know, I know....it's been a while since I last posted.  While many things have been going on in our lives, there weren't many photogenic moments around the farm...at least not when I had the time and the wearwithal to pull out my camera!

Grace spotted this uniquely-colored, dare I say, beautiful, toad one wet afternoon, inspiring me to grab the camera...

Oh!  I decided to start another brood of hens! 

They are a few months old now and growing splendidly! After the last fiasco, this bunch will not be "free-range" in the truest sense of the word, but rather have a fully-enclosed OUTDOOR area attached to their coop, designed to keep all predators out...including my dumb dog, Penny, who lives to chase small critters. 

I have eight girls this time, all Sapphire Plymouths, which are gorgeous once fully grown.

Abundant apples growing on our trees!  Praise the Lord!  We're excited to see how this apple harvest plays out.

And, Man!  This place grows some serious grass! (Yeah...his tractor's pretty sexy, lol!)

And, finally...the real news of the day...Sweet Beatrice had her colt around 2am this morning.  So precious!!  There's nothing more awe-inspiring and beautiful than the arrival of new life!

In about a month, Lexie will give birth as well.  Come August, there will likely be all kinds of antics around here with two young'uns romping around!

Hope you enjoyed this little glimpse of our farm life.  Watch for more as this Pennsylvania summer rolls on in!

The Tale of The Toilets

 Hey, there!  Some weird weather here yesterday and today....it is NOT supposed to be this cold this late in April!  Honestly, I am a bit worried about these apple trees, as they are just beginning to bloom.

 And, the pear trees?  Fully blooming as of this morning! 

A quick update on the ducks before we get to the real story...

The new guys, Big and Rich, have settled in nicely.  They comfortably peruse the pond and forage on the bank.  The mallard that has decided to stick around "claimed"  Reba.  The issue?  He sometimes gets rather aggressive towards Big and Rich when they move in close...or when food is involved.

STILL not finding Reba's eggs.  It is quite the mystery.  

It would be pretty fun, however, if , one day I am resting on the porch or meandering around the pond and see sweet little ducklings!

As for the cottage project...remember a few months ago when I suggested in a post that it would be completed by "end of March or early-April"??  I was wrong.

With the cost of finished lumber SO high right now, Don decided to buy rough lumber and mill it himself.  It turned out beautiful!

And, then there's the bathroom...Don wanted a specific type of toilet.  A rear discharge set-up.  These are available by order only through Home Depot.  It took SIX weeks for the first one to be delivered to our local store!

When Don arrives for pick-up, he and the store associate discover it is broken!  Oye!  Another order is placed at a 20% discount.  Well, at least we're saving a bit of money!

Two weeks later, toilet number 2 arrives....BROKEN AGAIN!  The manager places a rush order for a new one and takes 30% off this time.  

Four days later, Don gets a call that toilet number THREE is at the store.  We hold our breath in anticipation as he heads to the store for pickup...

The seat and bowl are in one piece, but the back, the tank piece, is cracked! 

(Ya just can't make this stuff up!)

 So, he takes the good piece and the store manager orders yet another toilet for us in hopes that the next deliver includes an undamaged tank.

FINALLY!  Yesterday's pick-up yielded a whole tank.  And, we ended up getting the whole unit for HALF the original cost.... albeit 9 weeks after we began this journey!

As the final stage of this not-so-little project unfolds, I will share more photos with ya'll.  As the orchard develops over the next several months, I'll be sure to share THAT too!

In the meantime, a couple of spring photos from around the farm....

New Duck Saga

Hope you all had a delightful Easter Sunday!  

I am happy to report that our orchard is awakening! It is so amazing to me!  For the last four and half months, the trees appeared dead.  A barren wasteland out there.  Then, one morning last week, as I strolled between the rows of trees with my cup of coffee and the dogs, I noticed little greenish buds.  More and more each morning since!

Aaand, our two pregnant mares are looking rather robust all of a sudden!  Only a couple of months to go now!  I'll be sure to share about the births and the antics of our young charges!

And, now, back to the pond....

Well, it seemed as though none of Reba's guests wanted to move in and share her abode, despite her genuine hospitality.  Her calls developed a sad tone whenever several days went by without friends dropping in for a swim and some tasty treats.

Curious to see if we could quickly purchase a few permanent friends of the same breed as Reba, Khaki Campbells, Grace set about searching the internet.  Low and behold, she found a Craig's list advertisement!  

Khaki Campbell ducklings.  Three days old.  Mount Joy area.  Contact Shannon....

On a Thursday, Grace made the text contact, requesting three ducklings.  Shannon's text response was, "Sure!  $5.00 each."

Grace's response..."Great!  Can we pick them up on Monday afternoon?  That's my day off."

Shannon replies, "Yes."

Sunday evening rolls around and Grace sends a message requesting Shannon's address because all we have, thus far, is GPS coordinates.

No response....

So, Monday afternoon Grace says, "Mom, let's just go on the GPS coordinates.  We'll find it."  

Ummmm, well.....it IS an hour drive.  We can leave and reach out to her again on our way, I guess.

When we arrive, there is no sign of waterfowl.  No humans are even at home.  Yet another text from Grace bears no fruit.  This "Shannon" seems to have disappeared.

So, we drive over to the neighbors.  They don't know anyone named Shannon and they are not aware of anyone owning ducks on their street...."Except, maybe, the farm down around the bend.  They definitely have chickens."  

So, we take a gander to the cute little farm about a quarter-mile down the road only to discover that that's not it either! 

Now, I am frustrated....And, DETERMINED....I just drove an HOUR and I want to go home with some cute little ducklings, Damn It!

We continue driving around the area, looking for signs advertising duck eggs...

Eureka!  A sign! "Eggs for Sale.  All Kinds."  We slowly drive by a quaint and terribly-cluttered farmette, noticing free range chickens EVERYWHERE... and a fenced area full of turkeys....and another with ducks!  Ones that look... Just. Like. Reba.  Yay!

A kind woman hesitantly greets us, but her name's not Shannon!  And, she doesn't have any ducklings for sale.  Bummer!   

HOWEVER, she DOES have a few extra male Khaki Campbells from last summer that "never made it to the butcher" and "need to go"...would I be interested???  "They are free to a good home!"

Not nearly as cute as ducklings, but a lot less work.  "Sure!  We'll take two!"  At a year old, they can go out on the pond immediately.  Reba will have permanent buddies...Tonight!  

In her knee-high muck boots and bright purple leggings, she marches out to a pen full of ducks, effortlessly scoops up two drakes, covered in dust, plunks them in a cardboard box pulled from one of the many piles of clutter on her huge farmhouse porch, and shoves the box into my back seat.  As we bid farewell, she share her phone number  "in case we want some turkeys to raise".  LOL!

All for Reba....I must be crazy!  And, ya know, I still haven't found ANY of her eggs!

Grace will be moving into her room in the cottage this weekend!  And, after much ado, the toilet (which arrived broken and had to be re-ordered!) and sink for the bathroom SHOULD arrive on Saturday.  God-willing, the bathroom will come together early next week.  Cottage Photos Coming!

This mallard swimming with my guys seems to like it here!  

The Hostess with The Mostest

 Happy Spring!  And, what a gorgeous first of spring weekend we had here in southeastern Pennsylvania!  Couldn't have asked for better.

So, what happens in early springtime in the world of ducks?  Well, for the wild ones, at least, it is migrating and mating.  

Now, let's recall Reba.  My sweet little domestic duck who's had one male leave her and another die in the last year.  Despite my efforts to keep her company from my porch and the kitchen window, she's clearly been craving the company of her own kind. 

About 3 weeks ago, I heard her usual "chattering" at about 6am.  Then...she became louder and more excited, as I noticed other "voices" approaching.  Followed by splashing!  I sat up in bed and squirmed over to the corner to peer out the window... A pair of mallards, now, gracefully swimming about the pond beside her!  Reba made some friends!  Happy quacking filled the air and I grinned and giggled as I made breakfast. 

 I went outside with a scoop of duck feed and sprinkled it around the usual spot.  She shared her meal with them!  A few hours later, the pretty pair flew off, likely heading to their summer home.

But, two days later....more! This time two pairs! This has continued almost daily for the last three weeks...

I enjoy relaxing on the porch, observing the visitors swooping in, gliding around for a few hours, and, finally, taking off.  Reba always sounds a little sad when they leave. 

On another front, things are moving forward with the cottage.  Grace's room is just about finished and Rosie's is more than halfway there.  We have heat, the electricity is ready to go, and plumbing is almost finished.  

We ordered a special kind of toilet that Don knew would work best in that space...6 weeks ago!  Things are backordered and manufacturing is slow these days, thanks to all the Covid-19 bologna.  Fingers crossed...it should arrived later this week, according to the shipping information.

The Lord willing, Grace can move into her room by this weekend! With a completed bathroom! 

Since it is time for Don and Will to return to their septic business (their busy season quickly approaches), it may take a few more weeks of evening and weekend work to complete Rosie's room and the adorable cottage kitchen we have in mind.

Pictures of the final stages to come!

In the meantime, Enjoy these photos.  And, stay tuned for something special...some adorableness...next week!

Our little Hostess, Reba

My youngest kitty, Joy.

Our old cat, Bugsy.  (Almost 14!)

Tig is lovin' the sunshine!

Spring is Close!

 

Hello, Friends!  Happy Almost Spring!  My husband and his farmer-buddies have a pish-posh attitude towards the whole daylight savings thing and it's lack of necessity in our modern era.  I, however, love it.  Love that one-hour shift in daylight.  It marks the passage of time...another dark winter behind me. It signifies the unofficial start to all things awakening, energized.  Including me!  

My attitude improves.  

My outlook on everyday life brightens a bit. 

I still have some daylight to enjoy when I get home from the salon in the evening.

 So, don't forget to "Spring Ahead" this weekend!

The cottage is coming along nicely now.  Much has been accomplished, but another week or two is required to finish the job.  

Will and Don have done a super job shoring up the old bones of this building and creating a solid palette with which to work.  Now, the girls can help out and have a bit more input on the details as they choose flooring, wall material, bathroom and kitchen elements.

Back in December we had a little problem with our chickens...fox or coyote or both raided their enclosure two nights in a row...And, regrettably, we lost four hens and rooster.  All that remains now is one hen...whom we can't catch...

She used to wait, in hiding under a porch chair, until I fed the cats on our front porch and scooted back inside to escape the cold air.  Then, quietly, join the cats in their meal...or bully our timid kitty, Joy, into abandoning her bowl!

This scruffy hen has become quite bold in the last month...not even hiding from me anymore!  And, pooping on my porch!  

I have a friend who's willing to adopt her into her own little flock.  I think she'd be much happier.  However, she's too darned quick....

Clearly, she has mad survival skills!  

So, we dubbed her "Hey-hey" after the chicken in the movie, Moana.  Seemed fitting while watching her peck furiously at a bowl of cat food, certain to get her fill before one of cats returned.  Oye!

Enjoy some sunshine this week, Folks!