In bloom

Look what's blooming in our front yard-
In honor of this bush, I bought a dress to match :)

Spring Break - farm style

Some people spend their Spring Breaks lounging on beaches. But, why do that when we could get so much work done on the farm?

The following also appears on a yellow legal pad on the kitchen table - the difference is the items are crossed off!

-weed raspberries
-trim brush around rhododendron
-pick up all the cat "gifts"
-clean screen doors
-laundry
-trim suckers from Sweet Gum tree by cabin
-weed rhubarb patch
-trim bushes around house
-clean floors in house
-wipe down walls and cabinets (after a long winter of heating with wood)
-power-wash porches
-clean porch furniture and set it up
-mulch around house
-mend cattle fences
-paint cattle gate on lane
-call company for beef labels
-clear brush around cattle fence
-cut and split fenceposts (72!)
-clear brush from hayfield
-burn brush

We had help with a lot of this from both our families. One thing is for sure, Farmer John and I couldn't run this place all by ourselves.

Signs of Spring

The peach trees are blooming

and so are the apple trees.

We've had a lot of rain recently so the hay fields are swampy, but getting lush.

Spring ephemerals are up in the woods.



And most importantly, asparagus is up and ready to eat.

I took the above photo and then this happened...

wild-eyed farmers are also a sign of Spring.

You might live on a farm if....

...you find this in the dryer after doing laundry.

Whew!

I've had a busy week at my "real job". We put on a big event for students and their families; over 300 people attended! So, I haven't really been focused on the farm.

But today is Friday and Spring Break starts at 3:25pm! We'll be working hard around the farm in the coming days - we even have some special farm-hands coming all the way from Rockford to help out.

I'll leave you with a picture of the chickens on their new pasture.

Bulls

These guys aren't going to be with us much longer. They will be our first beef sold in the early summer.

Do you think this is where the term "bull-headed" came from?

Happy Birthday

It's our future farm-hand's 60th birthday! (But, I don't think he's celebrating by riding four-wheelers today.)

Happy Friday!

We work hard around here. It's good to take a break every now and then.

If the weather holds, we'll get some more projects done soon. Enjoy your weekend!

New life

I’ll admit it, I’m not hopelessly in love with Spring. I tend to be more interested in the changing of each season. However, there is something pretty fun about this Spring season we’re entering – babies! (And no, I don’t mean that kind.)

At the sheep farm just down the road from us there are lots of black lambs frolicking in the field. Last month our first calf was born. He’s healthy and growing by the day.

Adorable! Have I mentioned how we couldn’t possibly raise this breed for veal?!

On Saturday another calf was born! We’re really excited about this because last year we didn’t have any calves. Our newest addition seems to be doing well.

She looked good on Saturday when we went to feed the cows. I was able to get pretty close to her while her Mom was off eating hay. Then Mom noticed what I was up to, and came charging over and told me to knock it off.

On Sunday, Farmer John took hay up to the pasture to feed everyone. He noticed that the newest calf wasn’t nursing. Mom seemed to kick and back away whenever the calf came up close to her. He came back to the house, did some research on the subject, and had a cup of tea. (Farmer John is a little under the weather.)

Then we hiked up the hill together to check on the calf. At first all the cows were in a group around the hay. But, when we got closer Mom and the calf walked away from the group. We just kept an eye on them for a while and the calf started to nurse. We’ll keep checking in on the calf, but maybe they just wanted some privacy.

Hanging out with the cows last night reminded me why I love our farm. The weather was just perfect – cool, no wind, clear sky. The sun was setting over the hill, and the cows were munching away on their hay. It is a truly peaceful feeling to be surrounded by the herd as they eat, and seem content to have their farmers nearby.