Tuesday Dose of Cute: Farmgirl Fare on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter

Don't let anything stand between you and your farm fix!

Farmgirl Fare on Facebook

Farmgirl Fare on Pinterest

New posts are (mostly) announced on Twitter

See you there!

Attention Farmgirl Fare Facebook fans: If you follow the Farmgirl Fare Facebook Fan Page and are no longer seeing my new post announcements, it's because Facebook recently made changes to get people to pay to promote their posts. It's easy fix: to continue seeing all my new posts on Facebook, go to the top of the Farmgirl Fare Facebook page and under "Liked" click "Add to Interest List." Please share that info. Thanks!

© FarmgirlFare.com, where this photo of Daisy and Marta, our awesome livestock guardian dogs, was taken outside the sheep barn back in March. Need a bigger dose of little lamb cute? You'll find lots more lambing season photos here.)

Monday Dose of Cute: Donkey Guard Dog Duty

Lots more photos below. . .

Tail End of the Week: Get Your Friday Farm Fix #24

Welcome to the Friday Farm Fix, where I share a random sampling of what's been happening around the farm during the past week (mostly on Fridays). Just joining us? You'll find all the Friday Farm Fix posts here and here.

The sheep barn surrounded by a blast of autumn color.

What's this? A new Friday Farm Fix after a ten week hiatus? Yes! (Although I didn't want to give you too much of a shock by actually posting it on Friday.) I've missed this series. Missed being able to look back and see what we've been doing each week, missed keeping on top of all my photos. I don't know if these posts be weekly again yet, but I'm hoping to get back in the groove. (Did I just date myself with that phrase?)

It's been a busy, beautiful autumn. Lots of work, lots of up and down crazy weather (80s and muggy one day, 50s and blustery the next), lots of gorgeous fall color. October is my favorite month on the farm. Enjoy.

12 more farm photos below. Hover over each image for a description. . .

Wednesday Dose of Cute: A Peaceful Scene (and The Whole Picture)

More below. . .

Monday Farm Photo: Falling Into a New Week

Don't forget to breathe.

More hayfield photos? Here.

More farm landscapes? Here.

© FarmgirlFare.com, fueled by good food, colored by Mother Nature. (And run by Beagle Bert.)

Sunday Dose of Cute: Creature Comforts

The Coolaroo elevated pet bed: sleek, stylish. . .

and comes with four conveniently located ear openings.

More Coolaroo puppy pics? Here and here.

Beagle Bert off the Coolaroo? Here and here.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where four-footed comfort is king—and that large size Coolaroo, which is probably big enough to hold four beagles, was the best pet purchase ever (although the Furminator is a close second—and more critters get to use it).

Growing (and Using!) Your Own Fresh Herbs: My Six Favorite Varieties (Chives, Basil, Greek Oregano, Lemon Thyme, Italian Parsley, and Lemon Balm)

Portable pots of lemon balm and Greek oregano are surrounded by easy to grow Swiss chard in the inexpensive unheated, homemade greenhouse.

Gardeners are gamblers. Every year we scatter seeds, stock up on seedlings, amend our soil, water faithfully, cross our green thumbs, close our eyes, and pray for something out there to survive—all the while knowing that Mother Nature has totally stacked the cards against us. Why? Because we've tasted that delicious homegrown pay out, and we crave more.

And besides, even if we lose everything this year, we know there's always a chance we can win it all back, and then some, next season.

There are no sure things when it comes to coaxing food out of the garden, but just like at casinos and the horse races, some bets have better odds than others. And after 18 years of growing everything from arugula to zucchini in my large organic kitchen garden, I've figured out how to consistently walk away with the biggest payouts: by planting herbs.

Homegrown herbs are easy to grow, cheap to keep, don't require lots of space or attention, and aren't usually bothered by diseases and pests, making them perfect for the organic garden. They're pretty to look at, bursting with flavor, and far fresher than anything you can buy at the store.

In comparison, store bought fresh herbs are notoriously pricey, often come packaged in non-recyclable plastic containers, and are sometimes sprayed with really scary chemicals. The selection is limited, and a lot of times the fresh herbs aren't actually all that fresh.

More below. . .

Monday Dose of Cute: A Brand New Week?

Let's roll.

Six more photos below. . .

Thursday Dose of Cute: Beagle Bert, Junior Stock Dog

More photos below. . .

Sunday Farm Photos: One Fine Fall Day

All photos taken last Thursday.

Seven more below. . .

Thursday Dose of Cute: The Donkey Treat Death Stare

More photos below. . .

Wordless Wednesday Night Dose of Cute

More wordless cute? Here and here.

More chickens? Here.

More hunky farmguy? Here.

© FarmgirlFare.com, where we're mowing the grass for the first time since early spring—and no hens were harmed in the process.

Tuesday Dose of Random Critter Cute

Now that the months of devastating heat and drought have finally come to an end (and I'm not quite as under the weather as I was all summer), I've started carrying around my camera and seeing pictures again.

I'm hoping to get back to posting the weekly Friday Farm Fix soon so I can better share what's been happening around here (and better keep track for us of what happens when). This is my favorite time of year on the farm. And the photos, along with the leaves, are thankfully starting to pile up.

More photos below. . .