Tuesday Dose of Cute: Trying to Make Friends

Saturday Dose of Cute: Sun Spots

Cats Are So Good at Finding Them

Want to see more of Smudgie?

8/20/05: Smudge Up Close and Personal

10/22/05: Smudgie Up High

3/25/06: Smudge on the Old Well House Roof

10/20/10: Anybody Up for Raking Leaves?

© FarmgirlFare.com, the rock solid foodie farm blog where the foundation of the older half of The Shack—which dates from the 1800s and includes this rotting porch off the bedroom—is made from stone, as in straight sided rocks simply stacked right there on the ground, as you can see in the bottom left of this photo. Plentiful and free, and no worries about termites. They do look pretty cool (you know how much I love rocks), if a little unprofessional.

Friday Dose of Cute: Share and Share Alike, Version Two

Gnat and Esmeralda (click here to see version one)

© FarmgirlFare.com, the nippy little foodie farm blog where Thanksgiving Day's pleasant rain turned into ice pellets by afternoon and 15 degrees this morning. After reading the weather forecast yesterday, I went over to the new house and came back with my arms full of clothes. Joe took one look at me and started laughing. He knew exactly where I'd been—into the 18 gallon storage tub (we have no closets in The Shack) labeled POLARFLEECE. I love that stuff. Meanwhile, the donkeys just deal with the drop in temperature by getting fluffier and fluffier (this photo was taken back on 10/15).

Thursday Dose of Cute: Happy Thanksgiving!

Daisy and Marta

Thankful. . .

For these two amazing guard dog girls.

For a wonderful rainy day.

For the cozy warmth of wood heat.

For plenty of bowls and buckets to stick under the ceiling leaks.

For lots of progress made on the new house during the past week (which doesn't leak!)

For so many wonderful blog readers—many of whom are now friends.

For homegrown and homemade food so good that every meal is a celebration.

To share the farm with dozens of loving, adorable, and always entertaining animals.

To be surrounded by so much natural beauty.

To see and hear the migrating geese overhead (and yesterday, thousands of songbirds, too).

To live in a state of constant, total amazement.

To call these acres home—and to be with someone who loves farm life as much as I do.

What are you thankful for today?

Thanksgivings past:

11/24/05: Happy Thanksgiving to You

11/24/05: Year Round Thankfulness

11/28/05: So You All Ate Turkey on Thanksgiving, Right?

11/23/06: Thankful to Call this Place Home

11/22/07: Enjoying a Feast

11/27/08: Gobble Gobble

11/26/09: So Much to Be Thankful For—yeah, but. . .

© FarmgirlFare.com, the polarfleeced (at last!) foodie farm blog where the sound of rain falling on an old tin roof and the barking of the big dogs is music to our ears—and everybody knows that the best thing you can do after working all night or feasting all day is curl up with someone you love and take a nice long nap. Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday Dose of Cute: It's that Time Again (at Least for Some)

Friday Dose of Cute: Donkey Ears

Thursday Dose of Cute: Roadblock

Protesting Something?

There's nothing like a ewe with an attitude. At 13½, Martha is the last of my old girls. Long since retired from breeding, she now spends her time complaining loudly over the slightest injustice, leading the rest of the flock through the woods and around fences in order to get closer to any feed buckets she might hear rustling, and sitting down wherever the heck she wants.

Contrary to what Martha may claim about being chronically treat deprived (despite getting to eat with the pregnant ewes all winter because she's old and I'm a sucker), I think she's led a pretty good life.

Want to get to know this old girl better?

(click here to see all these posts on one long page)

1/30/06: So Do You Think Martha is Pregnant?

2/21/06: It's a Boy! It's a Girl! It's a Boy! (scroll down to see Martha and her newborn twins)

2/28/06: Martha and Her Twins

3/16/06: World's Best Pillow

5/23/06: Oh, Green Grass!

12/27/09: Poring Over Old Lambing Season Photos

1/19/10: Oh, Look—More Snow (scroll down to see a thrilled Martha)

© FarmgirlFare.com, the four wheel drive foodie farm blog where bouncing around the farm in our beloved little '93 Suzuki Sidekick (nicknamed the S.U.B. by Joe, for Sport Utility Bug because it's even smaller than a Mini Cooper) always makes me feel as if I'm living in a Disneyland ride—in a good way.

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas: Vegetable Side Dishes & Salads

These six favorite recipes are the second installment in a series of Thanksgiving recipe inspiration from the Farmgirl Fare archives. Part one was Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas for Appetizers and Snacks. Click on the 'read more' link below to see the other five, and just click on each title to go to the recipe. Enjoy!

Quick Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Lemon and Parmesan (or slightly gussied up with garbanzos and dijon—or if you're lucky enough to have any leftovers, tossed with bowtie pasta, bacon, and pan fried breadcrumbs)

Monday Dose of Cute: The Other End of the Laundry Line

So a few weeks back when I was snapping pictures of my vintage blankets blowing in the breeze on the laundry line. . .

Thanksgiving Recipe Ideas for Appetizers and Snacks

I'm hoping to post a few favorite recipes soon that would be perfect for the Thanksgiving table, but since you never know what's going to happen around here (there's nothing like a ram who decides ten girlfriends aren't enough and breaks through eleven strands of barbed wire in order to reach all the ewes you really didn't want to breed this year—that would be yesterday's excitement) for now I thought I'd offer up a few tasty ideas from the Farmgirl Fare archives. Just click on each title to go to the recipe. Recipe roundups for Thanksgiving vegetable side dishes, breads and rolls, dessert, and more will follow. Enjoy!

Artichoke and Rosemary White Bean Dip with (or without) Kalamata Olives

Thursday Dose of Cute: A Little Retraction

When I said 'equal treats for all' the other day. . .

Wednesday Dose of Cute: Scratching an Itch?

Or Holding up the Tree?

You never know with baby donkeys!

© 2010 FarmgirlFare.com, the resourceful foodie farm blog where little Gnat is very cute, but he still won't let us pet him. Meanwhile, rapidly growing Gus (I can't believe how big these boys are!) is in the running for friendliest donkey ever. That guy loves being snuggled and brushed.

Monday Dose of Cute: A Guard Dog's Life

12:59 PM

Sunday Dose of Cute: Good Dog, Bear

And the National English Shepherd Rescue Cookbook!

Thursday Dose of Cute: That Gnat

Wednesday Dose of Cute: Feeding Two Species at Once

Tuesday Dose of Cute: Off to Vote

See you at the polls!

Want to get to know our feathered farmyard friends better? You'll find links to all sorts of chicken photos here. And we keep links to the baby chick photos here.

© 2010 FarmgirlFare.com, the equal treats for all foodie farm blog where we know that every vote really does matter. Way out here in the country, many elections are literally decided by three or four votes. The most important thing isn't who or what you vote for—it's that you exercise your precious right to cast yours. Just please don't let Cheeky know that, except for barnyard ballots, chicken votes still don't count.

Monday Dose of Cute: Well, Look at That

It's a Whole New Week


I love the black sheep, which sun bleach to brown or grey, the best—except for my baby Cary, of course:
11/18/05: Frosted Snugglebunny
4/8/06: BB and Her Newborn Baby
4/28/06: Snugglebunny's Twin Girls Always Stay Together
6/27/06: Snugglebunny's Twin Girls Heading Out for Breakfast
7/10/06: BB and Her Mother Tana Are Always Together
9/30/06: Seeing Double


2/9/07: I Love Black Sheep! (Sheep Shearing Photos)
3/14/07: Tana and Her Baby Boy, First Morning Outside
3/20/07: All Booked Up at the Bonding Suite Inn!
5/13/07: The Tail of Two Mothers: A Mother's Day Story from the Farm
10/11/07: Living by the Light
12/5/07: Spy Sheep


4/4/08: Anybody Need an Experienced Sheep Dryer?
4/20/08: Raa Raa Black Sheep! Another Black Baby Lamb
10/2/08: Gossip Central
4/3/09: Black Babes for Black Beauty
4/14/09: Too Cute for Words?
6/9/09: Stop, Look, and Listen
7/15/09: Getting Ahead. . .
3/7/10: Sunshine and Snuggling Up

© 2010 FarmgirlFare.com, the can't believe it's already November (November!) foodie farm blog where this is the time of year when the sheep start looking extra snuggly—and suddenly need a lot more square footage per critter at the treat troughs. But at least now when they slam into you, it's padded!