Some words on Wednesday

Thunder Sweater.

Daisey’s dislike of thunderstorms has increased to the point where little sleep is had by the rest of the house due to her pacing, fretting, barking, digging and inconsolability. S has a handsome dog named Carlos and he wears a “Thundershirt”. As far as I can tell, the basic principle is that it is a tight fitting garment that has a calming affect (neurologic?) on the 4 legged beast who doesn’t understand the booming noise. So, after Sunday night’s storm and Monday night’s fireworks (a thunder cousin) I was fretting as well as I saw the dark clouds moving in. I walked into the house from the sheep shed and past one of numerous sweaters our washing machines has shrunk …

Zip, add a little duct tape and PRESTO: Thundersweater. First of all, I couldn’t help but laugh. Daisey has never worn clothing so her awkwardness was hilarious. Whether she didn’t bark /fret/pace/dig because she was distracted by the clothes or the truly calming affect of the sweater, it doesn’t matter to this rested body. The only T-storm behavior that remained was the stead fast rule: no being more than 2 inches from our feet, but that’s sweet.

Thank you Carlos for sharing your  brave little secret.

Sleeping soundly at WPF.

Long weekend of sunshine and gratefulness.

Improvements continue at Wooden Plow Farm. It is our goal to have all farm creatures requiring food and water under the same roof. This includes the soon arriving broilers and turkey pullets during their first 4 weeks pre-feathered. We won’t repeat having them in the house again. The right hand side of the shed is slated to be our solution.

We have put in a long window (an old patio door cut down and turned sideways – the 2×6 is just a temporary brace) and insulated before wrapping in plywood. We’ll completely finish 3 sides of it, hopefully by this afternoon, and then only frame-out the forth side with the addition of a half wall. This will house the broilers and turkeys and once they’re out to the tractors in the grass, we’ll finish the coop with a door, outside nest box access (dreamy!) and introduce the layers. In theory it’s a darn good set up though only time will tell.

Hopefully in a week or two we’ll have the restoration and replacement of the current dog/sheep fence underway. We had built the fence initially for an escape artist of a dog we had temporarily and due to time constraints, did not bury any of the posts. Though the fence served its purpose, with the thawing and freezing of the soil here in Maine, not a single one of our gates hangs true for longer than a week. We use bungee cords instead of latches and that’s not farm friendly. The plan is to keep the same outline of the fence, bury the posts, use page-wire fencing and add on to the far side with the addition of 3 gates. Each gate will face a difference direction of the field and, with the help of the portable electric fence, allow us to make use of the grass-eating capacity of our sheep. Everybody wins. Currently the sheep are learning the law of electric fence, some more quickly then others, but the benefits out way the sharp shocks… at least from our prospective.

And lastly the garden, the beautiful growing garden. It’s even more enjoyable than last year though I can’t pinpoint exactly why. It just feels healthier, stronger, better planned and I understand so much more about the when/where/why of the process (thank you Mom). Also in the improvement column, my daily attacks on the weeds, pig weed mostly, that have settled into our rows. Though I’d previously read it to be true, I can now attest that a 3-pronged cultivator can quickly disrupted the surface weeds when small and shallowly rooted. What a much more efficient plan then waiting (albeit unintentionally) until the pigweed and dandelions are well-established!! Goodness.

So thats how the weekend went here. We hope you enjoyed similar productivity, unlimited lemonade and a thank you to our service men and women.

Best, The WPFers

Sprung

A shower for the peas:

I just realized that I am no longer wondering if the winter season has finally left. This past week of weather has convinced me that spring has settled. Until recently we’ve had intermittent sun, but mostly clouds and cold rain and then most recently 4 days of bright blue sky and HEAT. The soil is bursting with green goodness. Mom and I have been working weekends in the garden and it’s looking quite fine. The soil had marked improvements from last year. It drains easier, is lighter with less clay and is full of worms. I dare say I’m proud of our soil – how cool is that?

My favorite sprouts to spot (it’s the Mainer in me):

The next project is retrofitting the other side of the shed to hold the meat birds and turkeys who arrive the end of the month. Simultaneously the sheep fence needs to be created/repaired. BUT I SWEAR that is the last of the major outside  projects, minus the planting of the garden. We’re going to try and stay reasonable and realistic this year. Any bets on our success with that? If I know me/us, we’ll just change our standards as needed.

Lastly, the sheep, taking advantage of the shade:

That’s all from WPF. Have a lovely week, enjoy the sunshine and come visit!

Biting off the perfect amount

Nana keeps saying we’re wrong, but what would a woman of 94 years experience know?

We’re sorry to have been gone for so long but we’re back and re-invested for so many reasons. Bones as our witness, we’re gnawing with gusto. B has partnered to open a new Bike & Ski shop in Rockland, Maine (check out www.sidecountrysports.com), the broccoli, onion and leek seedlings are in, peas, kale, potatoes, lettuces and beets sown, meat birds and turkeys arrive the end of the month, the sheep are sheared with freshly carded wool returning by June and we’re pecking away at our home remodeling. Did I mention we wouldn’t survive a day without our supportive families (near and far)? So you’ll find us again on Monday mornings and hopefully on Wednesday evenings as well. Thanks for your patience, polite prodding and for reminding us how wonderful it feels to stay connected with those we love.
Our best,
c & b

ps: HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

Portable Pillow

Evening Preperations

Weekend

Saturday was the 8th Annual Grazing Conference in Pittsfield, Maine. It was a “boys club” for sure, but well worth the time and I came away with some great marketing ideas (for future products), more information on grazing and field management, and lastly that I have no interest in becoming a large scale farmer. The last class I took was on pork butchering from Cole Ward, The Gourmet Butcher. It was phenomenal.

We had friends over for dinner on Saturday evening. Luckily they were willing to rehash the topics of the conference with me. This quickly lead to politics, farm aid, how and where we get our food, health care and it was a good thing we’re all friends because there is no simple solution. What we all could agree on is that the day to day, what is found in our cupboards, and how often we hike the local mountain is all we have control over.

Today was a gorgeous day, near 60 with bright sunshine and B and I took advantage of the last day of our local mountain to hit the slopes. My brother joined us, in full costume, kudos to him.

The red onions have sprouted, the worm box is pumping out dreamy handfuls of side-dressing and there are only small patches of snow left. Can it be true – is it Spring?

I’ll check again tomorrow.

c

Wednesday photo

It’s rarely wordless.
Tonight: the new home for a large established vermicomposting box (aka worm bin) is our mudroom.

c

OMG!

The first night of Farm School was above my expectations… and I had high expectations. Tonight, to the left of the presentation screen it read: “Do or Do not. There is no Try.” -yoda

So I am home now and completely excited, buzzing, bouncing and regretting the late night coffee (it was an attempt at social normalcy that backfired).  Currently I am trying to focus on paperwork (from that day job) and sleep. My only hope is that the former will lead to the latter.

I wish I had hours to explain about the class, which is a perfect lead in to this great article I read. Read this article. Especially the last paragraph. It turns my previous statement into “Explaining the information to you right now is not a priority… because I need sleep more”. Ouch, yet truthful.

GOODNIGHT and GOODDREAMS!!

c

Here’s where it starts

“I had always been attracted to the empty, sparkly grab bag of instant gratification, and I was beginning to learn something about the peace you can find inside an infinite challenge.” The Dirty Life, by Kristin Kimball

It’s amazing for me to think that a season of warmth and new life is around the corner.

I get so fixed with surviving (enjoying) and barreling through the fierce winter I forget about the soft season to follow. Just the mention of Spring is intensely overwhelming and delightful in a single deep breath. So in the corner of the house, beneath the recently trimmed window (thanks dad) and the sheetrock begging for paint, are the seedlings under light; lettuce and red onion. Mom has been keeping a journal of when she starts/plants each vegetable for the last 20+ years as well as a note on their success, the weather and what she might do differently. It’s priceless insight, especially to a new gardener and I’ve started my own book this year. There are more flats waiting and seed packets lined up. Lots more good information in the near future, the Beginning Farmers Series starts Tuesday and the 8th Annual Maine Grazers Conference is Saturday.

Delicious!

c

Evening High Line walk, Chelsea New York

Setting sun stroll in Chelsea. Beautiful, but it sure is great to be home.

Quick trip

Saturday early morning light out the bedroom window.

A snowy slow drive to the airport and a 50 minute flight and the bedroom window view is strikingly different.

Hello Chelsea, New York. The March grass is beautiful, I even saw three daffodil shoots testing the 40 degree air. I think what people like about big cities is the feeling of being surrounded by life, a never static environment that demands attention and rides along with you like a passenger throughout your day. Maybe in that way, the hustle and bustle of city life pulls on people the same way Wooden Plow does for us. I can certainly respect that.
Goodnight from the big apple and thanks to our family for keeping the feed, water, walk cycle going back home.
c & b

Tonight’s reading

Chapter 1: Mainely Local Food

Many of us want to convert our fears about contaminated food, peak oil, global warming, and American overuse of global resources into hope for an alternative, sustainable future. We know we must make changes in life style. Yet we don’t know how to maneuver outside the roles of “breadwinner” and “consumer” into which global corporations have boxed us. We can’t seem to “afford” the changes we know we need to make. - From Bringing Food Home: The Maine Example, by Merry Stetson Hall.

We did our weekly grocery shop tonight. According to the posted sign at the Belfast Co-op the current tally is $10,259 dollars worth of local goods (Month of February) and $659,000 in the past year added to the local economy. Imagine if EVERYONE did one grocery shop a month at a co-op supporting local farms/families!

A quick glance will tell you this isn’t a photo from Maine because it’s at times like these we ache for those Rocky Mountain winters. B, try as he might, continues to get turned around on the windy midcoast roads. Maybe this is because his brain continues to store the routes to his favorite snowfields. Tonight, at first sight of the photo he proclaimed “that’s the route to Durango”.

Sweet snowy dreams.  c

Timed post

Evening. This is a timed post.  I’m hitting PUBLISH before 1030pm and ensuring myself 8 hours of well deserved rest. Yesterday, before a lively dinner celebrating the birthdays of two uncles and my dad, I started with Tango’s hooves. I was able to flip him easily though I don’t think he enjoyed the process. He was caught of guard and my afternoon success may have been a one time gift. As far as my amateur eyes could tell, Tangos hooves weren’t infected or causing him any pain but certainly in need of trimming. As he sat rocked back against my legs, protesting in small grunts, I quickly realized that my current hoof trimmers were not sharp enough. Every 10 seconds or so he would flail a leg and I had to be quick and precise with my cuts in between the jerking motion. My current trimmers (given to me with the sheep) seemed to slowly chew through the rough foot “leather” that surrounded the pad. Thus, I added a new pair of hoof trimmers to yesterdays order. I certainly couldn’t have figured this out without the help of many posted videos and photos ( Greener Pasture Farms or University of Maine Cooperative Extension – How to Prevent Sheep Foot Rot) as I don’t seem to absorb as much from written instructions. I can’t say that the videos take the place of a knowledgeable neighbor, but they sure are a great Plan B.

Once the 6 pairs of hooves are under control I am turning my attention to 3 things: starting the seedlings, chickens (meat bird purchasing, chicken tractor adaptations) and planning for the new fence. In addition to the thoughts of the growing season, there is a rumor we’re going to get a large dumping of snow this Thursday. I can’t say that I’d mind it as the landscape is looking worn out. This season-limbo is my least favorite quality of this great State of Maine. I want winter or give me spring. I don’t even mind the 2 weeks of buggy mud season – just get end this half-frozen from a partial thaw, uncovered, bare brown season that doesn’t have a name.
So here’s to the 4 defined seasons and small surprises from the coop.

“If you tickle the earth with a hoe she laughs with a harvest.”
- Douglas William Jerrold

Our best for your week ahead. c & b