Saturday, May 04, 2013
It froze again last night but we had protected everything adequately. We are doing the same tonight. It is a cold dry spring. I can report that the wonderful green is now mounting daily, The evening sun created green gold halos on all the trees.
Abby succeeded in getting the string collars off of the two rams. Sally was worrying about them with good reason. Abby took my sharp sewing scissors out to the paddock, put down a bit of grain, and they did not even notice when she snipped..
So far all we have done about separating the rams from the flock is make plots and plans.


Abby made a nice fork-able dinner that we could eat in front of the TV so as to watch the Kentucky Derby. She has decided not to take the job in CA.

Monday, May 06, 2013
Yesterday (Sunday, Cinco de Mayo, DD Marvia and GDD Abby Rose hosted a lunch for DD Abby and myself and DIL Mitra and her mom Marie and Shireen. Roshan was at her string group at Amy Leblanc. Marcia served an elegant version of hamburgers accompanies by roasted squished potatoes in a sauce and roasted stuffed beets sprinkled with walnuts caramelized in maple syrup. both sides were a big hit. Mitra brought a strawberry rhubarb pie. We ate outside. The weather was excellent.
And today, in response to the new grass, Fern broke the 1 ½ gallon barrier by nearly a pint.
Marcia gardened here today. She worked on digging weeds out of the asparagus patch and was rewarded by the first spear. She reported starting her day by making very successful mozzarella with milk from Mitra’s Nellie.
DD Sally called from MI where she is having a fine old time with her DS Gabe and the aunts and uncles.

Tuesday, May 07, 2013
It has been another day of perfect weather and the world is daily growing more lovely. Fern’s production continues to creep up. If only spring could be bottled for an occasional February tonic for her.
DD Marcia worked in the garden again. All her tiny vegetable seedlings are now up. The predicted low for tonight is 40F. I believe I can safely leave the tomato seedlings outside.

Wednesday, May 08, 2013
Another very fine day but rain is predicted.
SS Abby an DD Marcia took a long hike up through the woods following the spring line. They fixed a break.. It was easier this time than last because at Nancy’s suggestion they took along a thermos of hot water to soften the plastic pipe. Unfortunately it was still not possible to get any water from the spring.

Friday, May 10, 2013
The spell of fine weather had merged into light rain just enough to bring Marcia’s carrots up and not hard enough to damage the apple blossoms. They are just starting. Most years harsh winds do shake the darling buds of May and discourage the pollinators. I hope the dear old tree will bear this year.
My new edition of KFC arrived back today from my publisher, Chelsea Green, the stage which used to be known as page proofs. I am getting brain cramps as I attempt to expand my Word skills to meet the editing and proof reading requirements of the task.
Fern had a touch of mastitis this morning. I could tell as soon as she walked into her stanchion and moved to the far side. I didn’t do anything for her and there was nothing on the filter but tomorrow morning I will apply the lard and cayenne treatment. I picked a bunch of new comfrey for her breakfast also.
Davis Florists brought me a huge bouquet of flowers from “All your sons” What a treat.


DDs Marcia and Abby, signed up for a woods walk for wild edibles conducted by some woods dwelling people over in Temple near Farmington. They learned a lot. I am told.. Abby said she would not have gotten much out of it had the sponsors not passed out head nets. Black fly season has started.



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Saturday, April 27, 2013

Saturday, April 27, 2013
The sun rose on a clear and cloudless sky. The day remained cool but sunny enough for the gardeners to work in shirtsleeves. DS Martin arrived with the kids around one. DIL Amy stayed in Biddeford where she was serving as volunteer with community group giving tours of the old brick mill. It has many secret passages, relics of an elaborate hydraulic system which formerly powered the mill. At one time it was a Pepperell woolen mill. The mill now has many commercial and residential renters.
Martin helped us move the dresser out of my bed room. I have given it to granddaughter Abby Rose whose dresser stayed in CA. My tiny room will be less crowded. We later had an impromptu supper at his camp where we were joined by Marcia, Abby Rose and Violet. Henry wanted to dance so Martin put on music. The kids are enthusiastic dancers. Henry in particular was highly animated. He is just getting acquainted with his little cousin Violet who soon shed her shyness and joined in.
The lake was exceptionally beautiful. There was a flat calm reflecting opalescent cky and dark hills.



Monday, April 29, 2013
The weather on Sunday was warm and lovely. Abby back flushed the springline in hope of getting it running but it just gurgled. There must be a break in the line.
Fern’s production is creeping up now almost to 1 1./2 gallons again. She is finding a little grass. The chickens are ranging far and wide.
In the evening Martin went down to our cousin Leavitt’s place and he and Cousin Bill scouted the field for turkeys. The spotted a group. Today at the crack of dawn he was down there with his gun and got to big toms, about 17 pounds, the other 15. Sally dressed them off for him. It took her a long time and she said it was very interesting. They are fine birds.


I had an eye appointment today. I am no worse.
The lamb. Nadia, is growing well. Abby has seen her chewing her cud which is reassuring. She spends part of the day with her brothers.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013
We can almost say now that the fields are more green than brown. I am able to sit outside on my deck and drink my morning tea. Today while I did this I heard wild geese flying over- it was a pair. We also have barn swallows inspecting our barn. Yesterday I saw a bear cub, presumably with its mother nearby in the trees which were close, about a quarter of a mile from here. Abby says that there are many flickers in the field by her house.
Abby did a lot of work on the flower bed outside the carriage house, and elsewhere. Marcia worked on her beds and reports that she has many seedlings up already. Sally’s tomato and marigold and gloriosa daisies are looking very nice. She has been potting the tomatoes on as they were getting crowded and it isn’t time to plant out yet.
Nancy Hutchinson came over and did a lot of yard cleanup. I got out in the garden several times and picked handfuls of lovage and chives, and admired the daffodils which are coming up everywhere.
Abby has been trying to encourage the spring line the last couple of days. She has backflushed it several times, and today she walked the line for a long ways until she found a break in it, which she fixed. An hour or two later it started to run, which is always a very exciting moment.
Mitra saw her doctor today for the third time since her operation. He seemed to be quite satisfied with her progress, and said that this was the critical week in a person’s recuperation. We are all very excited for her. She is now putting on comfrey that I had in the freezer. It is pureed comfrey and a bit of water, and she puts it on the fingers where they are exposed. She says it feels very good. She also puts Uddermint on them.

Wednesday, May 01, 2013
We did get a light frost last night despite the weather report promising mid 30’s Fortunately Sally had brought in the tomatoes. I think nothing was harmed.
Sally worked mostly in the walled garden which is now divided into a geometric design. She set out a lot of pale marigold seedlings, very healthy looking plants.

Marcia’s vegetable rows are sprouting lots of things like lettuce and turnips. There will soon be asparagus. Wild dandelions are ready now and fiddleheads will be up any day. For the first time ever my forsythia is making a real show. It is blooming with the daffodils and together they are very lovely. In the distance many large trees are blooming, notably the red maple, a showy tree.

Sally and I banded the lambs’ tails.

Sad news: we went up to inspect the spring and found the cap stones around the well disastrously collapsed into the water. I don’t know if it can be rescued or not. Martin is going to see what can be done.

Friday, May 03, 2013
We h ad to say goodbye to Sally today. Alaska calls. H er sister Abby drove her to Portland where DS Martin met them and took her to their house for the night. She flies tomorrow to Chicago where she is to meet her DS Gabe who is home from Kazakhstan for a visit. They wills see relatives for a few days and she will return to Haines on the 8th.
She is greatly missed already.
It was warm and sunny all day but frost is again predicted for tonight. Abby and I brought all the potted plants and seedlings in again. Sally has Remay over the little plants in her knot garden.
Abby has a job offer in California and may leave quite soon. That will make it hard to manage the sheep because the two yearling rams are increasingly annoying. I just had this good idea that they can be put in the paddock garden by themselves. Planting that area can be delayed for a month as it is to be corn and squash. It has a good fence and half of the area (where not plowed) is good grass. Now to figure out how to get them in there without a sheep dog..




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Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Tuesday, April 09, 2013
This morning Mitra tripped while carrying two gallon jugs of milk and fell forward into a pile of broken glass, milk and blood.; her left wrist was slashed. "You never saw so much blood in your life" were her words spoken from the parking lot at RiteAid folowing an ambulance ride to the ER. Fortunately a friend was present who called 911. The tendon to Mitra's left index finger is cut along with various blood vessels. They stabilized her at the Farmington ER but tomorrow morning she has to go to the hand repair center in Portland to try to get her tendon re-attached and remove more glass.. Max is pretty upset. He just started back to work today in MT - arrived in Kalispell this morning.. We will of course help her in every way we can.
Sally has been fencing non stop and has almost completed repairs to the fence on North field. It is not yet sheep proof but is cow proof. She left the gate open for them. There is nothing but last year’s dead grass of course but they like to explore anyway.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Long hiatus due to my computer being at the repair shop. It had contracted a virus called Total Dysfunction (or some such thing) (Zero Access was its name) which apparently is transmitted via Adobe updates. Fortunately my sister Barby was here to keep up my spirits.
Shortly after she came we took her to Marcia’s house on Lake Webb for tea and to admire the lake. She and I spent as much time there as possible when we were small, at our grandparents” camp which is just a few houses down from Marcia’s. She has not seen Lake Webb with ice on it in many years.
Marcia has come here several times to get going on the vegetable garden. It’s been wonderful having her here. The plan is for her to raise vegetables in my main, lower garden, and Abby to raise the corn and squash in what we call the paddock garden, up by the barn. Besides all the flower borders around the house, we also have another garden we have been working on that is in the foundation of an old barn. We call that the walled garden.
On April 14th our Suffolk ewe named Suzie presented us with three lambs. We named them Winken, Blinken, and Nadia (the first two are males). Unfortunately Suzie didn’t seem able to care for so many and Nadia has ended up as a bottle lamb. However she seems to be taking the raw cow’s milk well and is getting stronger. We nearly lost her several times.
Mitra seems to be doing quite well. Her surgery to reattach the severed parts took three and a half hours; the surgeon said he couldn’t remember a worse cut on a wrist in his thirty years of surgery. Hard to imagine how he could put so many tiny bits back together. Go Mitra! Her mother Marie should be arriving tomorrow to help out. Until now her daughters and many wonderful friends have been keeping the place going. She is not allowed to use her hand at all for three months.

Friday, April 19, 2013
A warm and balmy wind blew today. Much garden work was done by Dally, mostly tree planting. She put in two mulberries and many willows.
The two male triplets, Wy nken and Blynken, are thriving but Nod is a little weaker than they. We had to separate her from the others because Susie will not let her nurse and she quit trying. Susie just butts her and now she has a bad limp in her right front leg. Abby and Sally are bottle feeding her. She is terribly cute and we think she will live, no doubt to be a great nuisance.

It is granddaughter Abby Rose’s birthday. She and Marcia and little Violet joined us for cake at lunch time

We are having an unexpected visit from my son Bret. He arrived in Boston to attend scientific meetings (Experimental Biology 2013) and give a poster but due to the tragic bombing events, today’s schedule was cancelled. Martin and Amy and family were in Boston visiting Aunt Anita and were confined indoors for many hours as a result of the generalized lockdown., Mitra’s mom, Marie arrived today to help Mitra. Mitra feels OK so long as she keeps up her pain pills. Her damaged nerves periodically are extremely painful along with the many incisions..

We ggave Bret a nice duck dinner. It was a duck that Martin shot last fall.

The cows and sheep eat hay in the morning before going out to try their luck with grazing of which there is really none but they keep hoping.

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

See www.real-food.com for the pictures!!!

Saturday, March 30, 2013

The milking machine worked like a champ this morning and Fern gave about 2 cups more than yesterday.

                The barn is filling  up with setting henss. Of those we can find, each had two eggs. No doubt there are more somewhere sitteing  on a rafat of eggs.

                 Little Hannah – well soon to be 7 – found a natural spring .  Maartin writes:

It's in the woods behind our house, maybe 5-600 yards away.  I haven't tried the water yet but I have a filter and will run it through and give it a try.  It runs beautifully.

Somebody just shot off their rifle several times down in the field below the river, out front.  What does one shoot at night?   Sally just walked by & told me how she and all the kids when they were very young, were walking up towards some little tiny lakelet near their house in Haines AK & shots were fired up through the trees at them.  She had the kids hide behind trees & went barreling down the hill screaming obscenities --  two guys & a small child were down there and froze with terror when they saw this She-Bear coming out of the trees, bawling in outrage at them --  Sally at her finest! (Written by Abby)

That’s my girl!

I went through some water damaged books today that were stored in thhe carriage house attic, looking for a missing volume. They were terribly moldy and it gave me quite a reaction. I am  not ordinarily especially sensitive to mold but these were baad.  My face got painful and Sally said I turned red. I am still walking around with handfuls of tissues.. 

Marcia and Barby were approaching Memphis TN at noon.

Monday, April 01, 2013

Yesterday was Easter. \We started the proceedings by getting the sheep sheared. Max has to leave soon for work in Montana. We took advantage of the only day both he and Mark Phillips, the shearer, could make it.They got started about 10:30 in the morning after eating hot cross buns that Sally made early in the morning.  He took around fifteen minutes per sheep and it all went very well, with the sheep being cooperative and then happy to pop out the back door into the sunshine.  Once they were sheared it was possible to see that at least two- the older females, Agnes and Susie, are definitely pregnant but we don’t think they will be ready to lamb for a few weeks yet.  We aren’t sure if the two younger ewes (now one year old) are expecting, but think they probably are. but they are well behind.

   It was a fine warm day, and all the sheep and cows went out to see if they could find some grazing.  Sally is working on the fences so that they will soon be able to go out into the North field which is usually the best in the early spring.

   We had an early Easter dinner, with Max’s family and Mark Phillips.  Mitra had brought ham and chicken from their own farm, which was delicious.  Abby cooked vegetable dishes including an outstanding corn pudding.  For dessert there was an apple pie Sally made using the last of some Northern Spy apples that I had bought last fall.They were still in nearly perfect shape.  They are a particularly delicious apple .

Today Sally and Abby took a load of stuff to camp. These are preliminary furnishings for Marcia to use while she awaits the arrival of her pod. We expect Marcia and Barby on Wednesday.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

It has turned pretty cold again. The lasat several day have started out  in the low twenties and a howling wind. We have been keeping the shorn sheep in until noon at which  point they are mad to get out for some exersize. There are at least 2 dozen eggs every day  now. Only Fern is not doing too well. She is giving less than 1 ½ gallons. She will improve when we get some grazing. So far I have not seen one trace of new green.

            The travelers arrived about 6:30pm. They look very well indeed. I made chicken soup and Sally made a blueberry  pie. Abby made cookies and is taking great care of Marcia’s four chihuahuas. 

   Our two little families of baby chicks are doing fine.  We have another two or three hens who are about to hatch out more, if all goes well.  We think the sheep will wait another couple weeks before their babies appear.

Friday, April 5

It was twenty degrees in the morning and it felt colder.  We got about a gallon and a quarter of milk, and about a dozen and a half of eggs.   We think that the hens have found a place to hide their eggs.

  Fern was restless during milking; she waved her foot around and got it caught in the machine, kicking it off.  I got it put back ok but I think I got less milk because of it.

   We didn’t put the sheep out right away because of the cold.  They went out about noon.  We’ve been letting them run with the cows later in the day so they can go and see if there is anything to eat in the pasture.

   Sally has been working on the fences on the north field.  Abby has been doing a lot of housework.

   Martin and the kids came over about 7 pm.  He worked a long time on my computer.

Yesterday (Thursday) Marcia drove to Auburn and picked up her DD Abby Rose and baby Violet. They had been visiting friends and Abby Rose’  sister Caiti in VA./

My sister Barby and I took a stroll around the garden and she spotter the first tip of a daffodil poking up.Everything is still brown.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Fern gave a skimpy 1 ½ gallons. We have stopped counting the eggs, there are so many.

The weather is stuck in a holding pattern around 25 to 35 F with some sun.

                Last night I went with Martin and family joined by Max and family to hear the Franklin County Fiddlers, a high school age group that Max’s girls are in.  They performed at the Grange Hall in Weld with about 200 people present.  They did a rousing job with mostly Cape Breton style fiddling.  Roshann and Shireen play viola and cello.  Afterwards we stopped over at Martin and Amy’s camp and walked around on the frozen lake under a brilliant moon.  The stars were vexceptionally clear and you could see every one, I think.  Orion was right in front of us.

   Before going to the concert  Martin and family joined us for a chicken and rabbit casserole..  I made it with a rabbit that Martin shot (not a cottontail) and a farm chicken.  Everybody seemed to like it.

   Abby and Sally separated the two rams from the pregnant ewes as lambing is coming up.  They have the rams in a little side pen in with the cows, next to the ewes’ room.  There was a lot of complaining but eventually everyone settled down.

Monday, March 25, 2013

    We only got about a gallon and a quarter of milk,  and about 20 eggs.   We have three or four setting hens now, each with two eggs.  The young chicks are doing well.

   When Sally went to the barn the rams had escaped their pen in the beefer pen and were standing on the cow hay.   She managed to get them into the sheep yard but later when we put the ewes out the rams squeezed out the gate and rejoined the flock.  They are starting to try to butt everyone who comes near and are generally so annoying as to have caused us to decide that we will have to make terminal arrangements.  It is sad as we are really very fond of them, alas. They are terribly cute.

   Martin and Amy came to lunch.  They said they went yesterday to Bowley Brook Maple Syrup Farm.   Bowley Brook makes particularly fine maple syrup.   Abby cooked them a nice lunch of hamburgers  and then they left for Biddeford.  We had our hamburgers for dinner later on, and found them excellent.

   It was a very fine grey sort of day, well above freezing.  The snow is disappearing fast.

    My daughter Marcia is moving back from California, we are excited to report.  She and my sister Barby started driving today.  She will be opening up her camp at Weld.  We think they may arrive in a week or so.

  Son Bret sent a picture of his daughter Maia in her prom gown.  She is the prom queen.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Yesterday Abby and Sally went to Rumford her eye appointment but it turned out that her insurance had not kecked in. Abby had already dropped her off and driven away when she discovered this but she knew where Abby was shopping and pelted down the hill for several blocks and caught her. She was at the What Not Shop (thrift store) and they both found treasures..

Fern’s production is dropping and I know one reason is the inflations on the milking machine need replacing. I will do that before I go to bed tonight.

Sally and Abby took a carload of stuff to Marcia’s camp today so that she and Abby Rose and little Violet won’t be sitting on the floor until their stuff arrives. They drove through New Mexico today.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Yesterday’s milking was a struggle. I could hear a whistling air leak somewhere. We put   in new inflations but it was worse than ever.  I found a couple of little apertures in the central casting of the claw and got it to function be holding my fingers over them, Afterwards we discovered that the metal     loop by which the claw hangs when not in use had fallen off leaving these little holes. Clearly, it had been getting loose for a while. Sally jammed it back together. We’ll see how I  t goes tomorrow.  It it still leaks I will cover the holes with duct tape.

The weather today was moderately warm and very moist.

Abby and Sally assembled items to furnish camp and Abby did a lot more cleaning. Sally checked fences. A man called Sally to see if he might access the river across her field so that he could trap beavers. She said no. They aren’t doing much harm.

                Marcia and Barby have passed Amarillo TX.

Friday, March 29, 2013

Fern gave less than 1 ¼ gallons this morning.  I held the hanging loop in position to prevent vacuum loss. Sally was hoping this would do it so that we don’t have to relinquish thee loop but tomorrow I am going to tape it over. I will contrive a loop from wire or cord. When we get green grass her production will rise but that is at least 6 weeks away.

                I made a grand garden tour and admired all the manuring Sally has done around the fruit trees and berry bushes. She was not able to do all of them because so much of the snow has melted that she can’t use the sled.

   Abby has been spending many hours doing spring cleaning.  Today she made a banana cream pie which was a big success.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Saturday, March 16, 2013
Today it was about twenty degrees. We got a gallon and a half of milk and about 18 eggs. The milking machine worked much better . I took it apart in the house and looked at it and put it back together. Maybe I got it tighter.
One more sheep seems to be starting to bag up. We called the shearer the other day but are not sure what his plan is.
Nancy Hutchinson came over about 11 am. We had coffee with Abby’s molasses cookies, and then she helped Sally with a project we have going, making a raised bed in the walled garden by the carriage house. That area has a lot of issues with water in the spring and we hope to find that this is effective. I look forward to finally seeing flowers there after years of neglect. Sally is using some of the original 150-year-old maple beams from the carriage house that collapsed a few years ago. The beams were all hand adzed and about 10”x10”. It was interesting to speculate about what the world was like when those trees sprouted.
Sally is about to plant seeds for cream colored marigolds for that area, as well as other flowers. Our mixed heirloom tomato seeds are up and we have sweet peas about to come up too. Abby kept busy cleaning things but she says she didn’t actually do anything. I disagree.
In the afternoon Abby saw a hawk sitting on a ledge above the big barn door, inspecting the chickens. He flew off when he saw her, before he got one.

Sunday, March 17, 2013
Fern gave a gallon and a half of milk, and I found 20 eggs. We found another new nest and Abby pointed out another setting hen that she had permitted two eggs. We don’t want too many baby chicks this early in the year.
I made sourdough waffles this morning. We had them with sour cream that I had set to culture last night along with various home-made jams and local maple syrup.
Max came over after lunch. He brought us a round bale. He had to work a long time chopping ice and digging with the tractor to get the barn door open as there was so much snow frozen in front of it. Abby raced around organizing the trash which he took to the dump for us. He also cut us a couple more beams for the walled garden.
It was quite cold again today, about ten degrees early in the morning though it warmed up some later, and a bitter wind.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Got nearly a gallon and a half, and about eighteen eggs. Maybe they are hiding a nest. Our Banty hen Tiny (daughter of a hen we got from Bernd Heinrich’s mother Hilda) hatched out four tiny eggs today. The babies are colored some black and some orange. Sally tried to give one to the hen who has been sitting for about five weeks, hoping her eggs would hatch at last. She was happy with it but when Sally tried to move her down to a safe house she got confused and pecked the baby, so we had to put it back with Tiny. Later we moved Tiny and her chicks and they are all doing very well.
The cows aren’t that thrilled with their new round bale. Other bales from the same source have been greeted with more enthusiasm. However, they are eating it.
The sheep are doing fine. One called Suzy is definitely bagging up. I was able to feel her udder last night. It isn’t tight by any means but it felt heavier.
Sally hauled manure down to the fruit trees for awhile today. It was snowing so conditions were just right for the sled. After awhile it started snowing and blowing harder and she had to stop. Abby made a run into town for grain for the livestock and movies for us. She said the driving conditions were scary. I was supposed to have gone for an eye appointment today but they called and cancelled as this storm is expected to be quite bad. I am rescheduled for tomorrow but I’m not sure I’ll be able to go then either.
Yesterday Abby made a delicious meal of home reared pork with a cream sauce, served over curly pasta. Today we had it as leftovers with various vegetables added. Sally made a faux mincemeat pie of apples with cranberries and chopped dry fruit. We had it with homemade sour, a great success.

Thursday, March 21, 2013
It snowed hard all day Tuesday. The whole state closed down and my eye appointment was postponed until Wednesday. The driving on Wednesday was OK. Abby drove me. What with nearly an hour and a half each way and 1 ½ hours for the appointment, the day is always consumed. My eyes seem to be in a steady state. I got another shot of Lucentis. I am still tired but this is partly because I have handed over my edited book to Max to work up for the picture insertions. Now I have the blahs.
Sally hauled more manure down to the fruit trees with the cargo sled. She must have hauled 20 loads. Each tree now has a ring of manure around it. Willie trots along behind each load.

I made an interesting observation two days ago on the Spring Equinox. This house is exactly aligned to face the eastern sun on this dry. Upstairs on the first landing the hall banister along the open stair well runs directly back from the east facing window which is above the east facing front door. The sun shines directly in that east window and the bean is exactly along the hand rail. The builders in the early 19th Century when this house was built ofen aligned houses to match the points of the compass. They must have had a good compass or else awaited the Equinox in order to get this one so perfect.

A weasel took two of the Luick pullets. Max wrote:

I feel considerably more relaxed now that I don't have weasel stress. Those animals are such mean killing machines. I had to bend considerable time and resources to the priority of stopping it. As with the previous weasel episode, getting a successful shot off was a matter of timing. I happened to be looking out the upstairs window and saw him humping along in his weasely way through the woods and I ran out with my shotgun. The shot was rather long and he instantly disappeared. I discovered he had gone into one of a series of tunnels he had made through the snow to approach the first coop. I began crushing the tunnel by stamping the snow down until the only place left was under a dead spruce partly buried in the snow. I started pulling the tree up until I glimpsed brown fur and fired through the snow and got him. When I examined his rather fat body I saw the only pellet that hit him from the initial shot went through his lower jaw, so even if had somehow escaped he was done for. “
Now we are waiting for Martin and Amy and the kids to get here. They are on the way to camp. I invited them to stop in for chili but we don’t know when to expect them. The rest of us have eaten. I can vouch for this chili.



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Saturday, March 02, 2013

Saturday, March 02, 2013
About thirty degrees when we got up. No sign of mastitis today and Fern behaved well. We got about sixteen eggs.
All of the setting hens are doing fine. They get up and eat breakfast when Sally comes out and does the early chores, or she goes and gets them. They eat and hurry back.
There is a new nursery in Maine that is selling willows. We are thinking of getting some for streambank reinforcement, and so that we have more available for the animals to eat. We read a research report a few years ago showing that willows are an antihelminthic (they kill internal parasites). It’s in Liberty, Maine, and is called Frost Family Farm.
Abby came back from her job as her patient is in the hospital. He proved to be sicker than had been understood. He is in the hospital for a few days’ observation. She may have to go back but for now we are very pleased to have her.
Roshan is thrilled with her new cello which they went and picked up today. I can’t wait to hear her play it.
I made a beef and vegetable soup using the bones and scraps from a beef roast we had a few days ago. We also had strawberries and whipped cream using berries I had frozen last summer and Nellie’s cream. Max brought the cream yesterday. We never have much cream from Fern with only 1 ½ gallons a day.

Sunday, March 3
The weather continues mild and damp, right around freezing. The roads area good but the driveway is treacherous. Wee are getting about 1 ½ gallons from Fern. We are beginning to lose track of the number of eggs. The hens are laying with enthusiasm.
Today was the Maine Youth Orchestra concert at Nordica auditorium in Farmington, in which Shireen plays viola. Max came over and picked me up so that I would not have to drive. They played a number of audience friendly pieces including the William Tell Overture. Afterwards we went up to their house and I got to hear Roshan play her new cello. It sounds lovely. I don’t often get the opportunity to hear her play and was impressed by how much she has advanced.
When I got home, Sally was thrilled to announce that the first chick of the season had hatched. The little hen had only been sitting on two eggs, one of which disappeared last week.

Monday, March 04, 2013
We got a gallon and a half of milk. There was a new nest with fifteen eggs, plus a whole lot more (fourteen). We moved the mother hen with her one chick down into the chick pen. She was very angry and pecked me on the nose. However, she soon settled down with her chick in the new pen and was quite hungry. She got chicken food, clabber and water. The other hen’s eggs haven’t hatched yet.
Abby and Sally went in to Rumford. They got groceries and visited the What-Not Shop and got various second hand things, always fun. They also visited a second hand bookshop that opened about a year ago and has now moved to main street. They got a lot of books mostly to send to Kazakhstan to Gabe.
Mark, Annie and Hailey came today. They are staying for two nights at Martin’s camp. Tonight they are having dinner with Max and Mitra and the girls.

Wednesday, March 06, 2013
Last night Sally, Abby and I were invited up to camp to join Mark, Annie and Hailey for a lovely meal. Shireen and Roshan drove over from New Sharon to join the party. Mark and Annie cooked a big Luick chicken. They had to cook by candle light as a breaker popped and has to be replaced. But everything was delicious except Sally had made a raspberry pie which we somehow failed to bring. Today on their way out of town they stopped in and ate it.
The weather continues the same. It hangs around the freezing point with occasional snow showers and occasional sun.
Sally’s daughter Rosemary called, she is on her way to Antarctica to be a cook again. She will be there for the Antarctic winter and will return in September.
At the evening barn chores Abby was able to catch one of the two last roosters which we were very pleased about. Sally dressed him off. Young roosters are very pesky. They give the hens no rest. They tear off the hens’ back feathers so they can’t stay warm and they don’t dare come out of the rafter for fear of being molested. Consequently they lay few eggs. Now with the declining number of young roosters we are getting a coupe of dozen eggs a day. The three beautiful mature roosters have more dignity and cause no trouble.
The other setting hen still has not hatched out her two eggs. Sally is worrying that she may have moved them during their last two days, which one is not supposed to do.

Thursday, March 07, 2013
Fern gave 1 ¾ gallons this morning and we got lots of eggs. My little Spangle bantam given me several years ago by Hilda Heinrich died last night in her sleep. She was a pretty old little hen.
It was quite a bit colder today with a brisk wind. Nobody spent much time outdoors.
Abby made more cookies. Sally made bread and a corn and cheese pudding which we had forr supper.

Friday, March 08, 2013
Less than 1 ½ gallons of milk today and only one dozen eggs. Undoubtedly there was a nest I did not find.
The ewes are looking wider all the time. I felt the udders on two of them but there was no bagging up.
Abby and Sally went to town on errands. I stayed home to edit. I need to spend every spare moment on task. They brought home clothes from the free store.
DS John in Australia sent a picture of his son Tom’s new dune buggy. Tom is still wheelchair bound. The buggy has hand controls. He and his mate will be able to go out in the countryside in it, they hope. The thing looks like a moon landing vehicle.
We had some delicious leftovers for dinner and then a banana cream pie that Abby made; it was excellent.
We pulled down a huge wasp nest that was built over the front door this last summer. The door is rarely used and clearly had not been used at all last year. Inside it was a three-tiered pagoda of nest cells, each one bigger than the last- really a quite extraordinary construction.

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