feeding the shadows

At the beginning of the week we lost one of our two bucks, the Doctor. He was 17 pounds, part Flemish Giant, handsome and friendly. He produced great litters that grew big and fast. I don't know how old he was, and I don't know why he died. This is a sad part of life on a farm. In an early morning haste, with town jobs to get to, there was no time for a proper burial. I put him in the compost pile, and planned to come bury him better that evening. When we walked out that night the body was gone, only a tuft of fur remained. It couldn't have been our dogs, because we would have seen them, they would have been right in the front yard. I hate this part of the farm, but I am glad that his body went to nourish some other woodland creature, maybe a fox or coyote. The true circle of life. But that doesn't make it any less sad, we will miss him.

Until next time,

Angela Kelly

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real snow - the morning chores

When I woke up at 7 this morning it was still dark outside, but I could see that it was only a dusting on the driveway. Sigh. I fixed a cup of coffee, turned on the little heater in the bathroom, and got ready for work. Twenty minutes later when I came back into the bedroom it was a bit brighter outside, with a lot more snow. It was coming down hard too. We went outside and took care of the animals. The rabbits seem just fine in their new fixed up cages. The ducks, always impervious, swam and splashed about in their water bowl for a solid thirty minutes before retreating to the fresh hay in their crate to warm their feet. Not for long though, I can see them back out there now. Since I moved the fence yesterday I can see them perfectly from my bedroom window. It makes me smile. I'm glad that it snowed enough, early enough, that we could call into work. Snow day! The dogs are a trip to watch in the snow. Playful as ever, they run around kicking it up, eating it o...

the good, the bad, and the embarrassing

Our first week and a half on the farm have not been uneventful by any means. In fact, tonight on the ride home I said to the Universe (or more accurately Jonathan, since that's who heard me) "thanks for all the tests you've been throwing at us lately, but that's enough for now, please?" We expected some hard times and lots of hard work, but we weren't ready for random mishaps and accidents that would set us back so soon in the change. Bad things that have happened since we arrived: Jonathan gets a tick and the head is stuck in his back. It's been a week now and I think it's all worked out, but I was really scared. We get locked out of the Jeep, and it's $120 for a locksmith to come unlock it. We have snatched Zaphod (our kitty) off of upstairs windowsills about five times. I smacked myself in the forehead with a knife (apparently I missed the day in class when they tought you basic knife-holding skills.) It was just a little cut, mainly my ego ...

may showers

Finally, a post! I have been thinking constantly of ways to encourage myself to put words to paper during the busy busy days of a farmer. Obviously, thinking is about as far as I have gotten. It has been another long week, though thankfully not as hectic as the previous one. We drove home last weekend to visit for my baby sister's birthday, and enjoyed the company of family, as well as way too much good food. Unfortunately I didn't have any money to buy her a gift, but I crafted a few things (which I forgot to photograph, typical.) I did get some of the mini bird cage lanterns, although the quality of the shots leaves much to be desired. I also made four hand sewn coffee bags (with heart tags) and a card. I hope she liked them. Tuesday we went to a market in downtown Richmond, which had the most interesting assortment of customers (from older family types to younger college hipsters.) When we were leaving we realized the tire was flat. Then we realized the 6 wrenches we had w...

luna acres

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