We finally received some significant rain mid-week last week, which slowed down some of the work here at the farm, but was wonderfully beneficial to all the garden and pasture areas, as well as to the newly planted/transplanted trees.
Some highlights from the end of the week:
Bobby and his crew continued their work on the Grigg barn, having begun replacing the siding on the west face after work on the cupola and the roof.
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| Beginning... (Photo by Stephen) |
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| Sunday afternoon (Photo by Susan) |
Painters were here on Friday and are here today, repairing/repainting where needed.
Mike and his crew were here Friday and Saturday putting in the posts and support rails for the picket fence to surround the new vegetable garden. Planting has been on hold now for two weeks, awaiting completion of the fence. We are hoping to have plants in the ground by the end of this week, but the weather may have an effect on whether our intentions are realized.
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| (Photo by Susan) |
Donnie's crew has begun cutting the first hay of the year. As of yesterday, they had mowed the southwest field, the small field just beyond the gate, and part of the northwest field. The weather today and tomorrow looks perfect for baling, so we expect to see them here again soon.
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| Southwest field |
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| Mid-way field (just past the gate at the end of Farm Lane) (Photos by Susan) |
Stephen acquired a load of wood to replenish the supply for the fireplaces, and Geo, who was between jobs, came on Friday and did the splitting and stacking.
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| (Photos by Stephen) |
Kyle is mowing, trimming weeds and grass edges, watering on days when it hasn't rained, and helping maintain newly cleared areas in the woods, among other sundry tasks. Stephen is maintaining mowing to be done with the big JD tractor--the new paddock and all the paths through and around the fields and the woods. It is like keeping your house clean--by the time you've gotten everything done, it's time to start over. But the results are beautiful.
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| View north from the south end of the new paddock (Photo by Susan) |
Sherry completed cleaning and laundry for the Cottage and the Estate House last week.
We hosted a birthday party for our younger son, Lindsay, and about 25 of his friends, on Saturday afternoon on the lawn of the Farmhouse. We had a perfect day, weather-wise, and everyone enjoyed seeing the estate and learning about its history. Ramsay won many new fans.
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Lindsay and his friend Jess, whose birthday is the day after Lindsay's, with
her 3-month old daughter, Kiera Grace. |
The hens have adapted quite well to their temporary "aviary" in the former dog pen. They spend most of their day stepping around and scratching in the grassy, dappled shade of the pen, and reliably put themselves to bed around 8:45 or 9 PM. We are still shutting the doors of the coop once they are inside for the night, to protect them from intruders. They require less daily maintenance now, since their new space accommodates a larger water tank and feeder, so fewer refills are required and they can't walk on them or turn them over. "The girls" are producing a reliable four eggs per day.
The garden area in the greenhouse beds is burgeoning with annuals which have appeared in a rain-forest-like profusion. Since this is my first spring/summer of being on the property full time, I don't recognize some of these plants, but will discover the answers as they bloom, I suppose. Here are a couple of new inhabitants I saw yesterday while I was deadheading marigolds in the neighboring bed.
After some cloudiness mid-afternoon yesterday, the sun re-appeared, resulting in some beautiful views around the property.
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| View north from beside the Carriage House |
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| Toby and North Star |
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| In the grass near the barn...our lucky day! |
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