Fowl ART

I recently had lunch with a good friend. 

She had remodeled her home and added some of my favorite kind of art to her new dining room.

Everywhere I looked there were chicken themed napkin holders, plates, cups, picnic egg plates plus rooster salt and pepper shakers.

The hen center piece she made!

The hens in and on her hutch she made too!

She had painted her walls a very happy yellow color.

I felt like I was inside an egg!

 

These two hens are my favorite.

 

She has a way of using simple things to make fabulous decorations.

A 44 quart milk can never looked so good!

Which piece was your favorite ?

Have you got themed dinner plates and wall paper ?
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Covered Bridge Repairs

Hurricane Irene left her mark on Vermont when she left a trail of total destruction in August 2011.

Many historic covered bridges vanished in the rivers they used to watch over.

Recently I traveled to Woodstock Vermont and have seen one bridge that was torn apart, but still left
standing, being stripped and repaired.  It has been going on for over a year, so far.

This bridge is between Queechee and Woodstock.

There is nowhere to pull over so I did a slow drive by.

 Click on the photos to see them larger and view the details.

Its a long, arduous process to repair these old bridges in a way that will allow them to stand strong for another 200+ years.

I will continue to photograph this particular bridge every time I head that way over Route 4.
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More Barns

  

 

 

 

 

 

Peace at Sunset.

PARSNIPS !!

I wish  this was a "scratch and sniff" computer so you could actually smell how wonderful these freshly dug parsnips smell!

First ones of the season.

I finally saw a little green coming up through the garden soil and went and got my shovel.

 

There are plenty more where these came from. 

I am going to cook these up with a little butter and some water in a frying pan for lunch.

Yummy yummy.

Got any favorite recipes for parsnips?

We made parsnip bread last year and it was delicious!
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Mud, Hay & Fences

With only a few rolls of hay left, more squares have been purchased.

Rain is predicted and I suspect that the barnyard will get muddy so the cows will have to be moved.

Feeding the square bales is very time consuming. 

 There is lots of waste because the cows step on it and grind it into the mud....or the snow.

The herd was moved to a far field to keep them high and dry.

Now we had to haul square bales out there to feed them.

We do not want to drive over the fields to get to the cows because it would cause compaction of the soil this early in the spring and that would damage our hay crop.

So the hay is carefully stacked under the 4 giant pine trees and then thrown over the fence to the cows.

The cows see me throwing bales over the fence to feed them.

 

It gets a bit nutty as I throw bales over the fence...the herd gangs up and starts ripping up the square bales and then I jump the fence to drag the bales away from them to the field to spread them out so the entire herd has plenty of room to eat.

I give myself credit for unplugging the electric fence down at the barn before jumping over it to feed the cows.

Sometimes I forgets...

 

Mavis got enough courage to follow me out to the field........ and then Glennie chased Mavis out of the field.

 

After an hour or so the herd is fed and the water tub is full.

 I do love the sounds and smells of the herd eating good hay.

Another successful morning.

How was yours?
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Emu Nest

I went to visit my favorite emu farmer and got a tour of all the male & female pairs of emus that were laying eggs.

They all have names.  I think this one is Franklin.

A few of the pairs have turned into same sex pairs.
Its hard to tell the sex of an emu so most farmers have to rely on the noise they make to distinguish them apart.

I totally sympathize, as my 2 female ducks turned into males last July.  It happens.

I was shown a sparrow nest up near the ceiling of the barn that was made by a very industrial little bird.
It was made of straw and Lots of emu feathers.  Great insulating materials.

Must be very warm indeed!

Not only is emu oil great for arthritis and skin problems, but emu meat is full of iron and and low in fat.
I raise beef, but I really prefer to cook and enjoy fresh emu.
I cooked up one of their eggs at work and it fed a small army. delicious.
Now I am going to collect feathers and make a feather pillow or comforter!
The more I meet these birds the more I learn.

Ever use emu products ?
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Deer Day

Lots of visitors in the fields across the road.

 

Always a sure sign of spring... coming....

The deer see and hear me as I do chores and they do not move away.

 

 I might have to start naming them if they keep returning every evening.

Of course the coyotes are in hot pursuit of these deer and are sitting on the edge of the field watching them.
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Icy Morning

Rain, snow, sleet, ice and hail greeted me Friday morning as I went to the farm to feed the herd.

 

 Snow and ice make a unique art on the landscape.

  

 

 Brave cowdog Mavis watched me feed the cows, from a safe distance, of course.

She has a big flight zone.....

Eventually I got her to trot on up a little closer.

Fed cows are happy cows, regardless of the bizarre April weather.

 

The grass is trying to grow,

The ice keeps coming.

Have you got some unusual weather where you are ?
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