Welcome to the Friday Farm Fix, a new series on Farmgirl Fare where I share a random sampling of what's been happening around the farm during the past week. Just joining us? You'll find all the Friday Farm Fix posts here.
Twelve year old (!) Whitey the Chicken enjoyed a brief foray into the great outdoors this week. She hasn't ventured back out since, (and neither have the three much younger hens in her coop), but the newly named Rooster Andy has been strutting all over the place.
Lots more photos below. . .
The homemade greenhouse is full of Swiss chard and lemon balm. You'll find a first day of spring greenhouse tour on my kitchen garden blog.
Ava and her newborn baby girl yesterday morning—she's the only lamb born in the last 10 days. Four more pregnant ewes to go! Catch up with all the lambing season posts here.
This beautiful Dwarf Siberian kale was direct seeded in my kitchen garden last fall and has been the star of many salads. The seeds planted on either side of it didn't sprout (I was using up a bunch of old seed packets), but on Monday and Tuesday (fertile days in the first quarter) I'll be sowing new seeds there, as well as in several other 4'x8' raised beds.
Yep, the lilacs are already blooming—two to three weeks earlier than usual.
Wishing you a beauty filled spring weekend!
© FarmgirlFare.com, where a couple of months ago, after lugging around my unused camera for a couple of days, I complained to Joe that after nearly 7 years of blogging I'd finally run out of things to take pictures of. That phase is thankfully so over—at least this week.
My gosh, it seems impossible that nearly 5 years have passed since I fell in love with Whitey and her multi-colored brood of chicks! I suspect that's why she has managed to live so long, motherhood at the age when she was already old made her feel invincible!
ReplyDeleteLinda in Dayton Oh
Absolutely adore your Friday Farm snaps. All the lambs and of course Marta Beast? I think that is the one and Spring is indeed popping up everywhere, even here, today, where it was snowing and 31 degrees two days ago. But... that is the Pacific Northwest; weather is so finicky. No winter this year until late March.
ReplyDeleteI found your blog in early January when I was searching for a recipe for Lemon Scones. I have added you to my RSS feed and follow every day. I am smitten with your donkeys and your Jersey cow. Of course, liking the chickens and the dogs goes without saying! The sheep, well, I'm glad their your problem! And the quilts, ooooooh I love 'em. When my vision was better I used to make them. My mother-in-law taught me how to make them years ago (the old-fashioned way, no yarn ties or sewing machine short-cuts). Nowadays I crochet mostly for my two grandbabies and the one which is on the way.
ReplyDeleteI hope you will keep up the blog because I find it refreshing after a day of reading papers on nutrition and health! Thanks for all of your effort. It's much appreciated.
I have directed a few people here just to see your photos, but I like your written posts, as well.
Am soooo lovin' your Friday posts! Thank you! The lambs are adorable. And the donkeys. And the dogs. And the chickens. And I LOVE kale!!!!
ReplyDeleteLisa S.
Oh just look at those lilacs! Gorgeous. Happy early ass Spring :)
ReplyDeleteLove your new Friday blog! Everything softens with Spring and the color after the drabness of winter is so welcome. The violets were most appreciated. Spring has come early here in Maine - it was 86 degrees on Thursday. There's a lot of hard work in farming but the rewards make it one of the best jobs in the world. Can you imagine a more beautiful place to spend your days? Love all your animals and their distinctive personalities. Thanks for making my day. Sharon from Maine
ReplyDeleteFridays will never be the same. Love Friday Farm Fix! Gorgeous picture! Wonderful life!
ReplyDeleteI cannot tell you how much I love your pictures of your farm life! And your Rooster Andy is just sooo handsome! How do you guys keep the coyotes (do you have coyotes in Missouri?) away from your livestock? I'm in the Sierra Nevada mountain range and I've given up on any sort of livestock at all - either the bears get the beehives, the coyotes or bobcats get the chickens and the ground squirrels and rabbits (aarrghhh!!!!) get my garden. It seems that I've tried everything to keep the varmints away without success.
ReplyDeleteHi Tina,
DeleteLiving in the wilderness does have its challenges, doesn't it? ;) The coyotes are very thick around here, and we used to have a real problem with them killing sheep (you can read more about it here).
But - knock on wool! - now that we have Daisy and Marta, our livestock guardian dogs, we haven't lost a sheep to the coyotes in nearly four years. We've also been able to do things like let the ewes and their babies sleep in the barnyard at night rather than having to lock them all up in the barn during lambing season. Those girls really do an awesome job protecting all of us. :)
I always love your photos. Wish I could visit your farm sometime. The sheep,lambs, donkeys, chickens and cats all look so happy to live there.
ReplyDeleteHi Everybody,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for all the fun comments and feedback. I'm thrilled that the Friday Farm Fix is such a hit! :)
Love the Friday Farm Fix posts! It is a very busy time of year, I'm glad you found the time, and inspiration, for some great photos! :)
ReplyDeleteChalk me up as another reader that loves the Friday Farm Fix! Thanks for all of the effort!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE these Friday posts. So much beauty. The variety of images reminds me how varied life on the farm is. You have a great eye!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post! i am so glad to run into your blog today while googling how the grow swiss chard from seed.
ReplyDeleteBest regards :-)
lien
This is my first visit to your blog, I moved on a 40 acre farm last September, we just finished building our coop.. I dreamed of chickens, goats and livestock for years! Looking forward to reading more! Aprils Lifestyle Show
ReplyDelete