week 24: around the farm
this week on the little dream farm
I had to check in with Chris to be sure…was it really only a week ago that I picked him up from the airport? It feels like there had to be two weeks packed into this past one.
Chris had a wonderful time visiting his dad in Colorado and catching up with friends at our friend’s wedding in California.
Before picking him up, I spent part of the day with the farmer of a peony farm and nursery up near Lake Champlain.
It was an incredible experience. As is true for most every farmer, he had a million and one things on his plate but he and his brother took the time out to show me around the nursery and then head over to the farm where they’re field growing peonies with views of the lake in the immediate distance. It’s quite a magical place, and the story of how the purchase of the farm and the idea for beginning a peony business came to be is the stuff of dreams…you know I was all over that!
This farmer happens to be a military officer, so we share that in common as well as many of the same personality traits and goals and dreams for making meaning and doing important and gratifying work in the world. Needless to say, I left feeling incredibly inspired and have an open invitation to visit any time to work, learn, relax, hang out, and stay whenever I’d like. I definitely see myself heading up there every now and then!
Back on the farm, we said goodbye to our sweet hen, Nellie, this week. After three weeks of treating her at first for a case of sour crop, then nutrient deficiency, we were hopeful we might be able to help her make it through after doing hours of research, giving around-the-clock care, and consulting with other chicken keepers who’ve experienced similar issues. Sadly, I believe there were some more serious underlying health issues at play for dear Nellie, and her time here with us was cut short.
Losing hens really wears on us. I don’t think either of us had any idea how much we’d come to love keeping chickens, how tricky it can be to resolve the myriad issues they seem to experience, and how much it’d hurt to lose them. This one was especially hard because we felt like we’d made it through the hardest parts of helping her get better, but sadly her poor little body gave out before her spirit ever could. I’ll miss that sweet little hen. She and I had a really special bond.
In lighter news, it has rained—a lot! There was a point in late spring where we’d gone weeks without any rain. The pastures stopped growing, the grass turned brown, and everyone around us was talking about and praying for rain. It has rained just about every day in the last week and everything is awash in green again and the gardens and pastures are loving a good drink. We’re expecting sun and warmer temps this week and I’m betting the Cut Flower Patch and Big Gardens explode with growth this coming week. Can’t wait to see!
Here’s just a few little updates from the goings on around the farm this week…
The rain sent the rugosa roses into their first gorgeous flush and the hedge smells heavenly. I’d love to learn how to propagate this rose so I can grow it in a few more places around the farm—it’s such a simple, carefree rose and it grows really well in our climate!
We thought the late frost we had in May would have set the blueberries back in addition to the apple trees but I was out checking on them the other day and the bushes are loaded! We’ll be covering them this year with netting so that we can at least get a few harvests off them before the birds get to all the rest!
This couple that’s about our age started a bakery and coffee shop in the next town over and they’ve become friends of ours from making frequent Saturday stops by the bakery after the gym to grab a coffee and a danish or croissant or their amazing bagels. This week we were able to harvest a ton of our rhubarb and drop it off to them for use in their baked goods and to make strawberry rhubarb lemonade for their customers. I also packed up a nice big box and shipped it down to Florida to David so he could make some of his famous rhubarb recipes for his new friends and neighbors. My favorite part of having gardens is sharing the bounty!
Speaking of sharing, I’ve been cutting blooms from around the farm and this week I took this bunch to a girlfriend I had coffee with earlier in the week. I don’t know the first thing about making bouquets, but I find that picking what you think looks pretty and having fun arranging it in a mason jar is the quickest way to make something beautiful for a friend! Sure, there is art and skill and craft involved in making arrangements, but there shouldn’t be any pressure…I’m learning by just adding what I think looks pleasing!
The Cut Flower Patch is getting on great! This week we went around and added t-posts to each of the rows that will become the support system for each of the types of flowers I’m growing. Some will be supported by what’s called “corralling” or using baling twine to corral all the plants within the row, and some will be supported by what’s called Hortanova netting, a horizontal netting that helps keep some mid-sized blooms growing upright without damage from rain and wind. Stay tuned for once that’s all in place but in the meantime here’s a look at how the Patch is coming along!
And finally, the pastures and hills are exploding with wildflowers! This has got to be one of my favorite times of the year and my favorite moments on the farm. Standing up on the big hill surrounded by flowers looking out over the farm is somehow still such a surreal feeling. Chris and I can’t hardly believe this farm really is ours, and even a year and a half into this we’re still regularly pinching ourselves.
That'll do it for this 24th week here on the Little Dream Farm! As always, if you’d like to share what’s going on in your world, I’d love to hear about it! It’s always fun to hear your stories, see photos of what’s going on in your life, and to hear about what you’re up to! Feel free to share in the comments if you’d like!
Could you do me a favor this week? Do you know someone who you think might like to read this Weekly Farm Note? Would you be so kind to send it their way and mention that? We’d love if you’d share it with the people you love! I’ve left a button at the bottom for you to be able to do just that. Thank you in advance if you do!
To all the papas out there—Happy Father’s Day to you! You are loved today and every day!
Lovely views of the farm!
This week - finished adding hardware cloth to the gifted chicken tractor. New floor panels and door locks come Tues. The girls should be in their trainer coop by late Weds!
Site leveling and coop construction start Now.