The week before Thanksgiving

We had a very busy day today cleaning up the yard, moving the turkey pen, tucking in the garden for a long winters nap....  Cleaning up the turkey pen and moving the flight cage was the hardest.  I really enjoyed raising those boys, they were a pleasure.  I've had more than a few people comment about what we do here, raising and slaughtering our own meats.  Many people don't understand that we do this to ensure that we are raising the animals kindly, with care and respect.  We slaughter them quickly and as efficiently as we can.  Tad even played soothing classical music during the day.  We care about these animals and we thank them for feeding us, for fertilizing our lawns, for composting our left-overs.  I cried the morning of the slaughter because even though I know we are doing the best thing we can, it is hard and it will always be a sad day.  We make the decision to raise our own meats or buy from small farms to ensure we are supporting what we feel is right.  That was me on a soap box.  Be well.

EVERYTHING FROM THE KILN $5

(unless otherwise specified :))

Lamancha Success!

I think things went well for Lamancha (Buttercup) and this spring (in 5 months) we will be proud goat grandparents!  I'm hoping for girls so I can keep them :)  Cricket and Cupcake were not as enthusiastic, so we will have to bring them back to the farm when they are feeling a little more frisky.

Today was a wet and nasty day but we got things done and now I'm going to head out to take one of my nieces and one of my nephews to west african drumming in Willimantic, CT.  It is so much fun, I can't say enough about it!

This weekend I will be going to a local farm to look into adopting some laying hens to keep the store in stock with eggs (we just got eggs in if anyone is looking).  At the end of the weekend I will head to another farm in eastern Connecticut to check out some silkies and frizzles (these are hens) for my fancy collection!

It's a good life!

Be well!

We are closing early today!

We are closing our doors at 3:30pm today in order to bring our 'girls' to a larger farm to meet the fathers of what we hope will be precious kids this spring!  We are very excited and nervous!  I will let you know how it goes!  Be well!

November 2011 on the farm

Time is flying by over here in our little quiet corner of Connecticut.  Our farm is growing, our store is growing, our lives are growing.  It amazes me as I write this how much our lives have changed the past few years.  Noone who has known me over the years would expect that I'd spend this morning feeding farm animals, mucking stalls, collecting eggs, and opening the doors of our own store - especially me.  And it is all done with a smile on my face because those are the moments, the times when I am so comfortable with where I am and what I am doing.  I am so blessed to have a partner that wants to share this crazy adventure with me.  A partner willing to work hard, embrace the conservative living, skip the Dunkin Donuts (most days), and live a life the is so full we could never be considered 'poor'.  This is the life.  Be well.

August already?!

This morning I started my day with a chai latte (my new favorite drink - thank you Emma!) and a fried duck egg sandwich. I also had a fried duck egg sandwich last night for dinner. These are from 'chicka-zee-farm - check them out on facebook. The egg sandwich was FANTASTIC! I use duck eggs for baking, especially breads because it makes them so moist (the exchange is 2 hen eggs for one duck but in banana breads I use a whole duck egg). Last night I wanted a fried egg sandwich but when I went for the hen eggs there were none in the house (they sell very fast at the store because they are delicious). So, since I was in the mood, I decided I'd try a duck egg. I will always do duck egg sandwiches from NOW ON! As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of adopting a few pekings just for eggs (and a little weeding). I will let you know how that goes.


This has been a very busy and strenuous summer for us and it has gone by like lightening!  The turkeys are plumping up, the guinea hens are getting big (3.5 wks old now), the goats are getting a little on the heavy side - they are on a diet, and the bees are very very busy making honey for our lip balms and lotion bars.  As a matter of fact, this summer has been so busy that I decided to leave my FT job and am now working a PT job as an analyst for a state school and PT for the farm and PT for the store :).  I am thrilled to be able to do this and am looking very forward to being more involved in the store again and with the farm producing more of what we need at home and raising strong healthy happy animals!

Today is my day off from analyst work and a beautiful day for enjoying the outdoors.  All the windows are open, the clothes are hanging in the sun, the rabbits are enjoying themselves in thier outdoor space and I am getting ready to get some weed wacking done!  It has been a very busy day 'off' with caring for the house and the animals.  The turkeys are so big they need feeding and watering twice a day and are even happier if I throw in some cucumbers and squash!  I will have to video tape them tonight when John brings home some cukes - hysterical!  I've brought water to the goats a few times and rewarded them for good behavior with horse treats - carrot and apple flavor!  The rabbits get to go outside to dig wholes if its nice so they've been having a blast getting filthy all morning.  Luckily they are good at cleaning up!

More great news - my sister and nieces are moving next door to us this month!  They are city girls and have decided to move out here with us!  We are thrilled!  I am hoping to encourage the girls to write you a few stories about thier adventures and impressions once they arrive.  I'm also hoping to encourage them to help me with the animals!  We will see.....

I'm so glad to be back on line with all of you and hope to resume blogging!  Be well!

reclaiming clay!

This pile is made from years of recycled clay Crissie had not yet reclaimed.  The best time to do that is in the summer, so when she has 10 minutes to spare, she'll run down to the studio, throw her shoes off, and get to work!

Lots of work to do!

Clean feet before the mess making!

Needs more water!

What a mess!  I'm glad she has a studio to do this in!

This is the red clay after 2 days soaking in the water.

It is actually very refreshing in the hot summer weather!

yuck!

Washing off the mess.

Again, I'm glad she has an art studio for the mess!

This clay will need a few more stompings, but it is looking better!