Pretty Polly

Bees!

Summer has hit us full force. Typical of the season, life on the farm runs ahead at top speed while we try to carve more fun time out of the daily chore schedule.  We manage to strike a balance between the two although we secretly wish for those childhood summers long ago when days were lazy and free time was plentiful.

In that spirit of sweet summer freedom, we packed the truck for a long weekend stay in our West Virginia home.  There it always feels like summer camp - the cool wooded trails, endless nights around the fire playing music and telling stories, and neverending stillness.  Things went according to plan until Brady noticed a few bees showing particular interest in the corner of the house.  Further investigation revealed the beginning of a swarm taking up residence and building comb beneath the floor.  Yikes!  After a few hours and a quick trip to find a hive box (thanks to Indian Run Apiary!) Brady secured another addition to our apiary.  Yes, we traveled back home with thousands of angry bees who probably didn't want to leave West Virginia in the first place.  :)

The garden is coming along despite the daily battle with weeds and watering.  So our minds start to wander to the fun things we thought about those long winter months.  This weekend we started our first batch of homebrewed red ale (tentatively titled Smith's Red Beagle Ale). Brady & Cody began building more hive frames using his cool new tool - a stapler attachment to the air compressor.

Cody the builder

I finished Wingspan using Knit One Crochet Too Ty-Dye sock yarn. 

Unblocked Wingspan

For years (and years and years) I've dreamed of having an art/craft/music studio space, a comfy creative place for "want to do" versus "have to do".  I think I'll set up something in Amanda's room since Brady's claimed the basement.  Hopefully I can start putting it all together within the next few days.

In West Virginia we saw more hummingbirds than flies.  But here in Ohio they are few and far between. 

Coming Up

Finish goat website, finish sock pattern (another last call), update band website, order band business cards, interview banjo players

Socks About Town

Brady's teaching a gun class, Amanda's reading, Cody's fishing and I'm knitting by the lake at Greene Co Fish & Game Club on a glorious afternoon.

Blackberry Blossom

West Virginia in bloom

Brady had a successful turkey hunting season at our West Virginia mountain home and on this cold and drizzly Mother's Day I slow-cooked the breast meat and made a (ginormous) pot of turkey & amish noodles.  Perfect comfort food for a dreary day!

The garden is half planted - we put out the tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers before running out of steam.  Brady spent the better part of the day tilling, retilling and clearing grass clods. The kids did a quick soil test and found our garden area wasn't just bad, it was pitiful!  No wonder last year's garden failed miserably.  So, two bags of fertilizer and a quick till-under later, we finally started planting until our backs and allergies got the better of us.  By the end of the weekend we'll have everything finished.

Brady leaving flooded WV

May showers bring - a blackberry bounty!!!  We should be able to gather enough between the farm and WV for cakes and canning and freezing.  :P

Yes, Brady spotted Canadian goslings on the farm last week.  :)

Spotted on the farm

There is a Time

The babies

We're still here.  Just sidelined for a few weeks.

I know I've said this many times before, but things have been super busy on the farm lately.  That's how it usually goes at springtime.  Here's a recap of everything that's taken up our time and attention since our last post (gulp) 7 weeks ago! Oh dear, has it really been that long?

DIY Chickens

The Delawares hatched out the first week of April and have taken up residency in the "starter coop" next to the GC Rangers.  By mid-May they'll be ready to move to a larger coop.  Where that coop is located is still a mystery.  :)

After the Delaware hatching came to a close Brady loaded it with Black Copper Maran hatching eggs and a few of our own eggs. They started hatching last week but only two Marans hatched. <sigh>  Back to the drawing board.

On the positive side ... all the coop construction is completed!  Well, everything except the Delawares' next home.

The Goats

The goats are enjoying the steamy sprummer (spring/summer, which I've learned is a season that exists only in Ohio).  As for the website - I have the content, I have the pictures, and I have the site.  Unfortunately they don't all exist in the same spot at the same time.  Time to get busy on that project.

The Bees

We opened the hives sometime in late March/early April and found only three that didn't survive the winter.  We forgot a major step in the winterizing process - venting the hive top - which created a damp, moldy mess.  Fortunately we have several super-strong hives full of honey left!  Brady has been busy busy busy with animal control calls for bee swarms so our little apiary is starting to grow again.  Maybe this fall we will have our first honey harvest.  :)

The Band

Massie Creek had a performance in Bellbrook last week which went well despite the stormy weather.  We have a few more appearances coming up in the next few months.  Sadly, our banjo player Ron has left the band to move back to Canada and we're on the hunt for a replacement.  If you or someone you know is interested in joining Massie Creek, drop Brady a note at brady712@yahoo.com. Serious inquiries only. 

Knitting

Yep, still waiting for the sock picture for my pattern.  "Coming soon".  With everything going on the knitting projects are down to basic mindless socks - something I can set aside and pick up later without losing my place. 

So, what's been taking up all of our time you ask?  Chickens, band practice, doing taxes, chickens again, more band practice, turkey season (special heart-felt shout out to Christie for bravely volunteering to be a farm hand while Brady & I were away in our West Virginia mountain home), more chickens, and more animal jobs than you can imagine. 

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately.  It's on my list of things to work on.  That and getting on a regular blog posting schedule.  Just need the time to sit down and make it happen, lol.

Coming Up

Finish goat website, finish sock pattern (last call), update band website, order band business cards, interview banjo players, plant garden, put out hummingbird feeders (what a list!)

What's Blooming

Goldenrod (achoo!), Dame's rocket, Roses, Black Locust, Peonies (budding)

Winter's Come & Gone

We keep holding our breath, waiting for this faux spring to go away and plunge us back into the late Ohio winter we all know & dread.  But as the month of March progresses, it looks like we lucked out this year.  Actually, this feels more like the Kentucky winters I'm accustomed to.  Now the kids know why we didn't do much sledding nor ice skating. 

Most of the building is completed on the farm.  We should have the pen fences up soon and the barnyard cleared of all the scrap wood - I think a spring bonfire is in order.  :) 

Last weekend the goats had their glamor shots taken for the website. They're munching on grass in most of the pictures.  The new grass in the pasture was just to tempting to ignore! 

Brady's planning to open the beehives for their first check of the season very soon.  They're probably low on food supplies so I made up a batch of bee syrup for their feeders.  In unrelated news, area retailers report a spike in the sales of 5 lb bags of sugar.

I was just thinking the other day that I need to put out the hummingbird feeders for the season.  And get a better bird feeder - the lid pops off the old one whenever a strong wind comes along.  Or, rather, when any kind of breeze comes along.  I think it's manufactured by a bird seed company.

However - I'm planning to do very little this weekend.  It's March Madness!  I can't believe I live with a bunch of yankees who don't get into college basketball.  That sort of thing would never happen in Kentucky - they would be driven across the river and out of the state ... to Ohio.  :) 

Next weekend (March 24th to be exact) marks the first anniversary of this blog.  Wow!  A lot has changed on the farm in the past year.  Maybe I'll take some pictures to show all the changes. 

Coming Up

Finish coop fence, work on goat website, finish sock pattern, taxes (ugh)

What's Blooming

Daffodils!

Up This Hill And Down

Ellie Mae & Tootsie

Just a quick entry while there's a peaceful moment on the farm.  We added a second doe to the flock - Ellie Mae.  She and Tootsie are having a difficult time learning to share their feed but we've seen a lot of progress over the past few days.

So much going on with chickens the past couple weeks!  The basement chicks have taken up residence in the smaller coop which means we can turn the basement back into a family area again (after a thorough cleaning - dust everyhwere!) We have hatching eggs for Delaware chicks in the incubator (a heritage breed, also a key ingredient in the making of Golden Comets apparently).  And we are providing our Cuckoo Maran rooster for stud service the next week or so.  :)  Everyone's busy on the farm!

The geese are back!  We've noticed several already paired up and looking for a nesting spot.  Hopefully they'll have better luck than our pair last year. 

The goats' website is under contruction, just awaiting beauty shots (scheduled for this weekend).

Brady's Steelers Hat didn't pass the cuff test, so back to the drawing board.  Oh and I should be able to finish the sock pattern this weekend and get that published next week.


Sleeping Katy & Sock

Coming Up

Finish coop fence, photo shoot, work on goat website, finish sock pattern