Monday Dose of Cute: Speeding Up and Snowing Down

We had our first snow of the season!

Farm Photo 10/28/07: Oh, October!

You've Gone And Done It Again

October is my favorite month on the farm. It always feels like we're being rewarded for surviving another Missouri summer. Things weren't quite so colorful in my kitchen garden this morning, though. They were more like frosty white.

Want to see more?
You'll find plenty of autumn color here, and there are all sorts of farm landscape photos here. If you'd like to see how much our scenery changes from season to season (and sometimes even from day to day) check out the Same Scene, New View photos here.

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres.

Farm Photo 10/25/07: Absolute Autumn

Now That's More Like It

We've had rainstorms and blustery afternoons and days in the 50s instead of the 80s.

It finally feels like fall.

Welcome New Visitors!
Click here for a brief introduction to this site.

Want to see more?
You'll find plenty of autumn color here, and there are all sorts of farm landscape photos here. If you'd like to see how much our scenery changes from season to season (and sometimes even from day to day) check out the Same Scene, New View photos here.

A year of Farm Photos ago:
10/17/06: Garden Life
10/18/06: My Little Girl Is Growing Up
10/19/06: High Wire Act
10/23/06: Patchy Cat On The Old Porch
10/24/06: There's That Distracting Sky Again
10/25/06: I Get This Look From Cary A Lot (And I still do. And a Cary update is coming very soon--I promise!)

Two years ago:
10/17/05: Not Everything Happens Slowly In The Country
10/18/05: Look Up, Look Down, Look All Around--Always
10/19/05: More Fall Color & That Handmade Fence
10/19/05: Rural Scenery While Out Shopping Yesterday
10/21/05: Last BLT Of The Season
10/22/05: Farmcats Rescue Themselves
10/23/05: Are You Smiling Yet?
10/24/05: Sheep, Sunlight, Shimmering Leaves
10/25/05: There's Nothing Like The Warmth Of Wood Heat

And out of the kitchen came: Chocolate Babycakes! (Made with my amazingly easy Emergency Chocolate Cake batter)

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres.

Farm Photo 10/16/07: A Beautiful Autumn Scene

That's Our Dan!

There's nothing like an October morning on the farm. Changing leaves, grazing sheep. . .and a little donkey blissfully rolling around in the dirt.

Want to see more?
You'll find lots of other Donkey Doodle Dandy photos here. And the story of how Dan came trotting into my life is here. There are more farm landscape photos (with and without a donkey in them) here.

A year of Farm Photos ago:
10/13/06:A Lucky Little Something For Friday The 13th (And she's doing just fine, by the way--all grown up and as sweet as can be.)
10/14/06: Freshly Picked Fall Color & A Green Tomato Relish Reminder (My recipe is more like a salsa, oh-so-easy-to make, and the perfect way to use up all those green tomatoes in the garden.)
10/15/06: Lucky Buddy Bear On Garden Guard Duty

Two years ago:
10/12/05: I'm Addicted To Our Walks Through The Woods
And just like this year (and last), I'd Fallen Behind
10/13/05: Autumn From A Different Angle
10/14/05: Dan & His New Charges
10/15/05: Dan's Opinion Of His New Charges
10/15/05: WCB#19 New Cat On The Car Roof
10/16/05: It's A Hard Rock Life For Us
10/16/05: WDB#5 Evening Roundup
There was also The Tail Of Uncle Dan

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres.

Farm Photo 10/11/07: Living By The Light

Tana Enjoys The Breakfast Buffet

My life in the city was ruled by the clock. Now it's ruled by the sun. Animals don't wear watches, and they don't stick to fixed timetables. The system they live by is simple: when it's light you wake up, when it's dark you go to sleep. In between you eat as much as you possibly can. Their lifestyle, in turn, determines ours, because it would probably be easier to knock the earth off its axis than convince a flock of sheep in July that it's time to go to bed at six o'clock. I spend my days acutely aware of sunrises and sunsets.

The other thing I now pay attention to is where the sun is actually shining during the different seasons. Sometimes this is for practical reasons; it's handy, for instance, to know when the laundry line is going to be in the sun or when the greenhouse will be in the shade.

Other times I'm reminded of the constantly changing angles of the sun when I come upon a scene like the one in the photo above. There are only a few misty mornings each fall when the light hits this tree in such a way that the big branch on the right appears to extend down to the ground. I captured it last year, then forgot all about it until the other day when it started happening again.

I love these comforting little reminders of how some things really do stay exactly the same from one year to the next.

Want to see more?
You'll find all kinds of farm landscape photos here and lots of other sheep photos here. (Additional photos will be added to these and other "search label" photo collections as I catch up adding Blogger labels to previous posts.)

A year of farm photos ago:
9/29/06: Perfect Landing
9/30/06: Seeing Double (Tana & Her Daughter BB)
10/1/06: Bodyguard or Nanny Bear?
10/3/06: Follow The Yellow Dirt Road
10/11/06: Glowing Glimpse Of Autumn

Two years ago:
10/3/05: Winter Food For Sheep Or Giant Dog Fort? (Sadly the barn only has about half this much hay in it this year.)
10/3/05: WDB#3 Robin Sitting Pretty
10/6/05: There Is Absolutely, Positively No Place Like Home
10/7/05: Settling In
10/9/05: Weekend, Work, Wood, Warmth (Here's another thing that doesn't change from year to year--we were just out cutting firewood this morning.)
10/9/05: Weekend Dog Blogging #4
10/10/05: Haybarn & A Hint Of Color
10/11/05: Into The Mist

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres.

Farm Photo 9/23/07: Hello Autumn!

A Hint Of Color Heading Down The Driveway

It's hot and humid and still feels like summer, but last week's cold snap hinted at the cozy days and cozy food to come, and we let out our annual Summer Sigh Of Relief. This morning I paused long enough to take a good look around and realized that the wooded walls that make up our little valley are quietly changing from green to yellow. A pleasant breeze sends lazy flurries of tiny leaves onto the grass.

The calendar says autumn is here. The farm says soon. Very soon.

Want to see more?
9/20/05: Green, Green, Green, But Not For Much Longer
9/22/05: Happy First Day Of Fall
9/27/05: Autumn Bloom
9/22/06: Morning Calm Before The Storm
9/23/06: Last Night Of Summer Spectacular Show
9/23/06: Autumn Is Here

Want to know what to do with all those green tomatoes?
Make my simple salsa-like Green Tomato Relish!

In My Kitchen Garden:
I'm wondering what to do with purple basil. Got any ideas?

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote acres.

Farm Photo: 9/18/07

A Peaceful Slice Of Life

Two years ago today I posted my 100th Daily Farm Photo, which is still one of my all time favorites. (There's just something about sunflowers . . .) I've actually lost track of where I'm at now, since I no longer put up a new photo every day, though I'd like to get back to doing it.

As I mentioned recently, it's hard to believe I've taken something like 15,000 photographs since I started this blog in June 2005. It's also hard to believe I've been blogging for over two years. It flies by so quickly, doesn't it?

When I posted the 100th Daily Farm Photo I wrote, So do you think I'll make it to number 1,000? Or will I run out of subject material long before that?

Two years, two cameras, and 15,000 photos later, I have a sneaking suspicion the answers to those questions just might be yes and no.

Want to see more?
7/31/05: Homemade Swing
9/13/05: You Can't Fence Out A Sunrise
9/23/05: Swing Shot
10/26/05: Why We Cut Firewood
3/17/06: Same Scene, New View
7/2/06: Summertime & The Swingin' Is Easy (Okay, I thought today's photo, taken yesterday, seemed really familiar, and now I finally see why. I just re-discovered this eerily similar photo taken & posted back in July 2006. Oops. Maybe I have run out of subject matter!)
11/23/06: Thankful To Call This Place Home

9/18/05: 100th Daily Farm Photo
12/26/05: 200th Daily Farm Photo
4/9/06: 300th Daily Farm Photo
7/18/06: 400th Daily Farm Photo
11/5/06: 500th Daily Farm Photo

Welcome New Visitors!
Click here for a brief introduction to this site.

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares stories & photos of her crazy country life on 240 remote Misouri acres.

Farm Photo: 7/14/07

In the hay. Be back soon.

A year of Farm Photos ago:
7/10/06: BB & Tana Are Always Together
7/11/06: Donkey Daycare For Cary Today
7/12/06: Donkey Daycare?!
7/13/06: Looking Up While Tucking In The Sheep
WCB#56: Cary & Doodle Snacking In The Living Room

Welcome new visitors!
Click here for a brief introduction to this site.

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares photos & stories of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Farm Photo 6/30/07: Stormy Weather on My Mind

But Not On My Farm

Because of the way our farm is tucked into this little valley, we never get much in the way of sunsets. Most evenings the sun simply dips below the ridgetop without so much as a wave goodbye. Sunrises can be very nice, though, and once in a while at dusk the entire sky will turn some gorgeous shade of pink or orange. On a clear night there are more stars twinkling above than many people have probably ever seen. It wasn't until I'd moved to the middle of nowhere that I finally realized why they call it The Milky Way. Out here it's one big swath of white across the sky.

We may not be on the wide open prairie where the horizon stretches on forever, but we do get some pretty big glimpses of the weather as it heads this way. The spectacular displays will often stop me in my tracks, but it isn't easy watching storm clouds blow right by, knowing they're off to shower water on someone else when we so desperately need it.

You know it's dry when a cat kicks up a cloud of dust as it trots down the driveway. The storm in this photo passed overhead without leaving a drop, but thankfully we've had a little rain lately--enough to at least settle the dust. It's probably due to the fact that despite overcast skies, humidity at 80% or higher, and not a breeze to speak of, I've been dutifully hanging laundry out on the line. This trick has worked before, and it seems to be sort of working now. By the time I hung up the last sock other day, there were raindrops tapping on my big straw hat.

Three days later, I'm afraid to break the spell by bringing all that still-slightly-damp laundry in, especially since there's an awful lot of sunshine outside considering the 60% chance of rain in the forecast. Because we have no neighbors, I don't have to worry about word getting around town that I leave my laundry hanging on the line for days at a time because I'm either lazy or crazy or both. But reputations aside, I may have to give in anyway. I'm just about out of clean socks.

Want to see more?
--Farm Photo 7/6/05: Misty Morning Sunrise
--Farm Photo 7/24/05: Quite A Sunrise
--Farm Photo 8/5/05: At Sunrise, The Possibilities Are Endless
--Farm Photo 8/6/05: A Gorgeous End To A Lovely Day
--Farm Photo 8/15/05: Sunrise On A New Week
--Farm Photo 9/13/05: You Can't Fence Out A Sunrise
--Farm Photo 11/19/05: Good Morning Sun & Goodnight Moon
--Farm Photo 12/31/05: Final Sunrise Of The Year
--Farm Photo 2/8/06: There's Something About A Sunrise
--Farm Photo 4/15/06: I Haven't Shared A Sunrise In A While
--Farm Photo 9/12/06: A Peach Of A Sunrise
--Farm Photo 9/19/05: Morning Moonset
--Farm Photo 1/11/06: I'm Constantly Distracted By The Sky
--Farm Photo 9/5/06: Another Beautifully Distracting Sky
--Farm Photo 9/23/06: Last Night Of Summer Spectacular Show
--Farm Photo 10/24/06: There's That Distracting Sky Again
--Farm Photo 11/9/06: Big Sky

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares photos & stories of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Farm Photo: 5/15/07

All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

Welcome new visitors!
Click here for a brief introduction to this site.

A year of Farm Photos ago:
5/15/06: Sheep Crossing
5/14/06: Happy Mother's Day
WDB #24: Beagle In Paradise
WCB#49: Cat Fishing?
And: A Tiny Tail For Mother's Day (Cary's debut!)

© 2007 FarmgirlFare.com, the award-winning blog where Farmgirl Susan shares photos & stories of her crazy country life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Farm Photo 1/19/07: Meandering Water and Thoughts

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.
A year or so ago I was reading yet another one of those How To Be More ________ articles that never seem to go out of style. You simply fill in the blank and are instantly on your way to helping millions of us poor slobs turn into better, more proficient people. How To Be More Organized. . . More Beautiful. . . More Wealthy. . . More Politically Correct.

While I've failed miserably over the years at becoming more organized and clutter-free, I did latch on to a small but significant concept from this particular article, whose subject was something along the lines of How To Be More Happy And Content With Your Life. After reading it, I stopped saying "I wish."

I wish I hadn't overcooked the broccoli will not improve the state of what is sitting on your plate. I wish it wasn't so hot and humid here will not change the weather. I wish I had a million dollars will never make it magically appear. I wish you weren't so far away will not bring them any closer. I wish he hadn't died is never ever going to bring him back.

On the surface, simply not saying I wish. . . doesn't seem to make much sense. I mean, of course you wish all those things were true. But I have come to realize that saying them out loud is actually a waste of time and energy, as wishing for something (rather than actually doing something) only brings about feelings of dissatisfaction and unhappiness.

After reading that article, I became aware of was just how often I found myself saying I wish, and I was surprised by the frequency. I made a conscious effort to stop saying it. It was an easier habit to break than I thought it would be, although there are still times when a wish is on the tip of my tongue, and it is all I can do to stop it from escaping.

Not wishing for things to be any other way than how they are has definitely had a positive effect on my life. There is, however, one thing I cannot help still wishing for--that our wet weather creek would run all the time.

There is something so profoundly soothing about the sight and sound of that crystal clear water ambling over the rocks. It is an immediate stress reliever. This morning was crisp and bright, blue sky and a pleasant 38 degrees. I stood in the front field with the sheep and deeply breathed in the day, while listening to nothing but the high-pitched cry of a hawk overhead, the rhythmic munching of my flock, and the babbling of the creek as it meandered its way along the edge of the field.

It's rare for the creek to be flowing on a hot summer day, but once in a while it is. That is when we finish our chores up early, slip into flip-flops (which are totally unsuitable farm footwear except for this one instance), grab a couple of ratty towels, and make our way down to one of the two little swimming holes in front of the house that were conveniently formed a few years back during a flood.

With the sun still beating down on you with all of its might, just looking into that cool water and anticipating how it will feel on your hot, sweaty skin is almost refreshing enough. At this moment, all of the world's problems have been reduced to one pressing question: Should you take it one toe at a time, or go ahead and splash right in?

Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a stream.

A year of Farm Photos ago:
1/19/07: Those Leaves Didn't Just Land On His Back
1/18/07: Tree Sock?
And Meme's The Word, Part One

Farm Photo: 1/15/07

Our Wet Weather Creek Started Running This Morning

Shhhqwit! Shhhqwit! Shhhqwit!
From what I've heard, we've been very lucky so far. That predicted freezing rain and other nasty stuff ended up coming down as regular old rain instead, but boy did we get plenty of it. The creek is running. The overflow from the spring box--which is often not more than a trickle--looks like a baby Niagra Falls. And there's mud. Lots and lots of mud. The barnyard turned into a mushy, yucky mess.

Shhhqwit! Shhhqwit! Shhhqwit!
In my beloved rubber boots and thick woolen socks, I can slog through the barnyard just fine--even with my hay cart in tow (no sense in feeding those bales that are safely in the barn just yet). I cannot believe I survived the first 26 years of my life without rubber boots. They are so liberating! Today I marched right through a puddle that came halfway up to my knees.

As for the sheep. . . well, they avoid puddles whenever possible. And I can't think of anything they despise more than having to walk in the mud. You don't know what pure disgust is until you've seen it staring back at you on 56 faces at once.

By choice, the sheep and their guard donkey spent the day plodding around in the wet and nibbling on low hanging branches of cedar trees rather than munching on hay in the muck. It is obvious they blame me not only for the mud, but all of the bad weather as well. So when I tucked them in for the night, I consoled them with their favorite treats and the comforting news that this would all be frozen solid by morning. Which is good--because I hate to think how much it would cost to buy 112 pairs of little rubber boots.

As for us, we are hunkered down and awaiting zero degrees. The fire in the woodstove is crackling, there is freshly baked bread in the kitchen, and the two raised beds of my special high dollar garlic have been mulched with a thick layer of manure hay from the barn. I even managed to install a makeshift plastic tarp drop ceiling in the greenhouse to help hold in the heat from the space heater. There is nothing more to do but curl up, get some sleep, and hope there's running water in the morning.

A year of photos ago:
1/14/06: Patience Is Not One Of Their Virtues
And WCB #32: Posted Patchy Cat
1/15/06: Nice Green Hay On A Very Cold Day
And WDB #17: Robin & Leopold

Farm Photo: 1/13/07

The Ice Is On Its Way

A whole new weather vocabulary opened up to me when I moved from California to the country: Flash Flood Watch, Tornado Alert, Severe Thunderstorm Warning, Heat Advisory, Ponding. (Yes, Ponding.) Today they are calling for Freezing Rain and Ice Accumulation, with temperatures turning "very cold" by Monday--lows 7 to 11 above. Chance of precipitation 100 percent. Ice Pellets and Light Sleet were mentioned.

And so the ritual begins. Forget the little hay cart. Instead toss a dozen bales of hay in the truck and drive them down to the barn. Hook up the hose and fill the sheep's water trough before the freezeless hydrant freezes and you'll have to haul buckets of water from the spring. Plug in the tank de-icer. Give the sheep and Donkey Doodle Dandy plenty of grain to keep their bodies warm overnight. Harvest as much bounty as you can in the greenhouse and set up the little heater to help protect what is left. Check the timers and heat lamps and heaters scattered around the farm--in the henhouse, in the old well house, in the new well house.

Back inside, clomp up the narrow, uneven staircase to retrieve sleeping bags for covering up the picture windows in the living room. Dig out the insulated winter suits and hang them near the woodstove. Throw another quilt on the bed. Stack firewood high on the porch. Give extra food to the dogs and cats and make sure everyone has a wool bed to curl up on. Set the shower faucet at a drip to help keep the pipes from freezing, but fill up every empty water container you can find because they probably will anyway. Cross your fingers that the power stays on. Dream of thick hearty soup and freshly baked bread and cozying up with a good book or a favorite movie. Wonder what you are forgetting.

Do all of this before the Ice Storm Warning goes into effect.

Realize that rain has started pounding on the old tin roof above your head. Check the online weather forecast. Too late. Take a deep breath, bundle up, and head outside--knowing in your heart that everything will be okay.

A year of Daily Photos ago:
1/13/06: Defrosting
1/12/06: Donkey Doodle Dandy Soaks Up Some Morning Sun

Welcome new visitors!
Click here for a brief introduction to this site.

Farm Photo: 1/1/07

Two Trees Dancing Under The Morning Mist

A year of Daily Photos ago: Best Wishes For The New Year
And WDB#15: Looking. . .

Daily Farm Photo: 12/28/06

Warning: Guard Donkey On Duty

Daily Farm Photo: 12/21/06

Sunshine, Blue Skies--It Was A Beautiful First Day Of Winter

And it's nearly the last day to order from the Menu For Hope III. You could win A Little Lamb To Call Your Own! Click here to read more about this food bloggers' fundraiser. Click here for the complete list of dozens and dozens of truly amazing prizes being raffled off. And click here for a handy dandy list of all the prizes that can be shipped anywhere in the world, free of charge to our raffle donors. We have already raised over $40,000 for the UN World Food Programme which provides hunger relief for needy people worldwide. Many thanks to all of you for your generous support.

A year of Daily Photos ago: Happy First Day Of Winter

Daily Farm Photo: 12/13/06

Breakfast In The Front Field Back In Late October

A year of Daily Photos ago: Yo! So I'm Not Good Enough To Donate?
And out of the kitchen came: Chocolate Biscotti For Beginners
(Which would make a light & lovely end to any holiday dinner, as it goes deliciously with everything from red wine, port, and brandy to coffee or champagne.)

Daily Farm Photo: 12/5/06

Same Scene, New View

This Was My Favorite Hayfield Landscape In Mid-June




This Was Mid-October




And This Is Now

Click here to see more Same Scene, New View photos.
A year of Daily Photos ago: Help! These Guys Are Driving Me Nuts!

Daily Farm Photo 12/2/06: Snowstorms & Snowfall

Hello, December

So we got a little snow. But first we had enough rain in just one day to start the wet weather creek flowing, then an inch or two of some frozen substance that made it look and feel as if the farm had turned into a giant snowcone. There was lots of howling wind, too--the kind that makes you want to dive under a heavy quilt when you hear it--along with temperatures that dipped into the single digits. And somewhere in the midst of it all the power blinked off--and it didn't blink back on for 21 hours.

Twenty-one hours without lights in the house or lights in the barn. No oven, no radio, no computer, no fans to circulate the warmth from the ancient woodstove (our main source of heat) through the frigid house—and no running water, because no power means no way to pump the water up from the well. Then the phone line went dead. Twenty-one hours to think about just how much I heart electricity.

The important thing is that all of the critters are fine. Not exactly happy with the ice and mud and slush and freezing cold, but fine. (And no, Cary didn't get to sleep in the house curled up by the woodstove--but Robin did.) The sun is shining brightly today, and the sheep and their guard donkey are roaming the fields, hungrily pawing at the snow to reach the grass they know is underneath. It's supposed to get even colder tonight, but we're ready for it.

There are strategically placed electric heaters and heat lamps to keep the pipes from freezing, the firewood is piled high on the porch, and the oven is is sending the scent of freshly baked butter cookies wafting through the house as it heats up the kitchen. And there are buckets and bottles and glasses and pitchers of fresh water everywhere just in case.

Autumn was so very, very nice, but it is quickly becoming a distant, defrosted memory. The calendar may say it lasts another three weeks, but the temperatures and the landscape have declared that winter on the farm has officially begun.

A year of Daily Photos ago: Baa Baa Babsie
A year and a day of Daily Photos ago: Warm Wash, Cool Dry
And out of the kitchen came: Onion Flakes & Things For Cakes

© Copyright FarmgirlFare.com, the foodie farm blog where Farmgirl Susan shares recipes, stories, and photos from her crazy—and mostly electrified—life on 240 remote Missouri acres.

Daily Farm Photo: 11/28/06

Cary Considers The Flock

A year of Daily Photos ago:
So You All Ate Turkey On Thanksgiving, Right?