Madcap Monday: Sheep in 3D

Madcap Monday: Twins!

I've been writing a lot lately, just not in this space, but I should be more proactive [read: responsible] about posting updates, especially after the last few (dark, bleak) ones. I was reminded yesterday that friends and family come here to check in on me. Thank you for that.

I'm doing better. Stronger. Sitting up front, hands in the air, riding the rollercoaster of this crazy, messy, often ridiculous life. Trying to accept the downs as much as I'm loving the ups.

Still here.

So, in the spirit of spring and new beginnings and rebirth (or I guess just birth), here are a some photos from Mama's first set of twins: two little dudes born on Feb 28th, five days before I left for Nova Scotia for 2-1/2 weeks of writing, reflection, healing.

Ridiculously cute, I know. Stay tuned for updates.

Madcap Monday -- turkey sitting

Meet Mabel, the turkey sitter.

(Belated) Madcap Monday: Chicken spring fever

"Psst, Frank... it's March Break. How 'bout a road trip?"

Frank, aka The Boss *

Tommy, aka Frank's lackey *

"Run for it!"

"You get the keys, I call shotgun!"

"Hey lady, give us the keys!"

"Frank, no dice on the keys!"

"What now?"

"Don't look at me. I've been here the whole time..."

* Yes, both brutes lost part of their combs to frostbite.

Madcap Monday: You know it's cold when...

... an egg freezes in the coop!

 Ed note: No chickens were harmed in the making of this blog post.

Madcap Monday: Horse power

A growing number of ecologically-minded small farms are turning to draft animals (horses, donkeys and/or mules) to work the land instead of using tractors and other heavy machinery. We're not one of them. Our old (28ish) thoroughbred horse is retired and largely functions as barnyard eye-candy. And the donkeys? Well, they're supposed to be on predator watch, but we all know how good a job they're doing there... or not.

However, the grassy paths in the kitchen garden were looking a bit unruly last week but instead of cutting with the mower, I enlisted the help of my four-legged friends.

While they mucked up the beds a bit, they did a great job razing the grass to more manageable levels. And the natural fertilizer* they left behind can't be beat! Now if I could only get them to help me plant peas...

* Yes, I know you have to age manure before you use it in vegetable beds.

Madcap Monday -- Roll call

Animals have always played a central role in our homesteading adventure. We moved to the farm in July and by our first Christmas we were home to a motley crew of creatures including chickens, goats, donkeys, barn cats and a horse. Since then we've added more chickens, ducks, more cats and, most recently, the bees.

While I'm thinking about raising a couple of heritage breed pigs this year and one day I'd love to tend a small flock of wool sheep, for now we share our lives with:

• one horse
• two donkeys
• two colonies of bees (a bear destroyed the third one)
• three indoor cats
• four barn cats
• four goats
• five ducks
• 15 chickens
• And two dogs

Wait a minute... TWO dogs? Yes, Henry finally has a long-awaited companion -- a friend with whom he can chase wild turkeys, bark at the donkeys, roll in dead things and snooze by the fire.


This is Annie.



When we adopted her in October, the pound said she's a black lab/collie cross, approximately six months old, but we think she has a bit of greyhound in her too. The squirrels think so too.


She's ridiculous...

... and a handful...


... and Henry adores her. Even when she hogs his bed and snores like a foghorn.

She farts, too.

Madcap Monday -- duck daycare

The ducklings are getting too big for their brood cage (and my office!) so I put them outside to acclimatize while I figure out where to move them to. No sooner had I turned my back to go into the house to get their water when I heard movement behind me -- it was Henry, the Mother Hen... or is that Mother Duck?

Henry wouldn't even look at me while I tried to take his picture (I used the zoom lens to capture the first photo). I think he's trying to maintain some sense of dignity and decorum after getting caught fraternizing with the ducklings.

I don't think it's working.

Am I supposed to herd these?

Madcap Monday -- the "fresh" edition

This is can of my kids' apple juice.

Notice the band at the top:

If the "special edition" contains fresh Ontario apples,
dare I ask what's in the juice the rest of the time?

Madcap Monday -- Together again

Last April, I posted about an unlikely pair: Jemima and Betsy, a Muscovy duck and a Columbia Rock x Rhode Island chicken who had decided to co-nest on a clutch of eggs.

Looks like they're back together for a 2011 hatching!


Happy belated Mother's Day to all you wonderful mamas!

Madcap Monday -- Let sleeping ducks lie*

* A nod to James Herriot, author of "Let Sleeping Vets Lie".

Madcap Monday -- a homecoming

I don't have much farm news today as I'm just getting back into the groove after a weekend away with a great friend of mine. We passed three beautiful days exploring the nation's capital on foot, eating delicious food and talking non-stop. To top it all off, we spent Saturday night blissing out to amazing live music and kicking up our heels at a show by my favourite musicians.

Since our flight from the suburbs, I've become a total homebody. And while I truly believe the farm is where I'm meant to be -- this place gives me grounding, feeds my spirit and inspires me to be a better human being -- I've realized it's good to get away sometimes and just do something fun... for me. The trick is not feeling guilty about it -- especially when the kids are still young, finances are tight and our to-do list is years long.

I'm the kind of person who takes everything way too seriously -- growing food and raising chickens is a revolutionary act, mothering my children is an all-consuming higher calling and this "simpler living" lifestyle is nothing short of a political action. And that's fine and good and inspiring, but sometimes I've got to turn off (or tone down) this sense of uber-responsibility and simply release and just go with life's flow.

So while I'm thrilled to be home again, having left the concrete and noise and urban buzz behind, and feel so utterly grateful to have a loving family and this beautiful place to come back to, it felt great clearing my head and simply reconnecting -- briefly -- with my worry-free 20-year-old self who was silly and racy and spontaneous.

I'm not a big shopper, nor am I a fashionista by any stretch of the imagination, but I do love great thrift store finds. While I'm not one for souvenirs, these are my new-to-me shoes that I picked up for $6 on my way into Ottawa:


We live in a scary time filled with a host of seemingly insurmoutable problems and I often worry about the world my children will inherit. But you can't live your life in fear and sometimes you just need to kick up your heels once in a while. And how can you not when you're wearing shoes like these?

Madcap Monday -- Cold frame update

Today's outdoor temperature at 12 p.m. : 6 degrees Celsius/42.8 degrees Fahrenheit

Today's temperature inside the new cold frames: 19 degrees Celsius/66.2 degrees Fahrenheit

Bring on the four-season growing! Now if I could only get my compost pile to thaw out...

Ed. update: As of 9:30 p.m., the outside temperature has dropped to minus 2 degrees Celsius, but it's only 1 degree in the cold frames -- a three degree difference, versus today's 13 degree differential. So once the sun sets, it looks like the frames are losing heat like a sieve. Tomorrow I'll try snugging some straw bales around each frame for some external insulation. Stay tuned!

Madcap Monday -- the Spring (?) edition

I heard them before I could see them. And then there they were -- three massive V formations that spanned the width of the bright azure sky. The Canadian geese were back. With a hearty 'whoop' I called out to Ella and we welcomed our friends home. It was a perfect way to usher in the Spring Solstice. That was yesterday.

This is today.

While yesterday the snow seemed to recede before our eyes and the kids played baseball in sneakers and sweaters, today they bundled into their snowsuits before heading down the driveway to catch the bus.

I was feeling discouraged and down by the unexpected snowfall, but then Ella turned to me and said, "Mama, it's so beautiful." Then Jack said, "It's so quiet, too." They were right.

We lifted our heads and caught snowflakes on the tips of our tongues. After the children boarded the bus, I turned and walked towards the barn and I could feel the ground soften and squelch beneath my feet. Now back at my desk, I can hear the birds singing.

The changing of the seasons is an exercise in respect, patience and in letting go. Despite all the control we humans try to exert on her, Mother Nature is a much greater force than any of us. Spring will arrive when she is ready, not according to a date on the calendar.

Spring is a time for new beginnings. For me, that means cultivating a greater sense of acceptance and patience in my everyday.

So on that note, I wish you all a happy (belated) Spring Equinox and a day filled with peace, light and abundance!

Madcap Monday -- Adventures with round bales

Since we first brought animals to the farm, we've always fed them with small square bales of hay.

Measuring approximately 3.5 ' wide by 2' by 2' and weighing between 40 to 50 lbs, they're easy to move around and use as we simply break open the bale and peel away the number of flakes needed. We've also found the hay stays fresher longer and there's less waste.

Last fall we thought 215 bales would be enough to get us through the winter, as the equines ate less than that in 2009. What we didn't anticipate was that as we were buying hay this year (versus using our own that we hired a farmer friend to cut and bale for us) the bales themselves would be much, much smaller, or at least less densely packed. And we have equines who love to eat. All the time. Total gluttons.

So there we were, nearing the end of February and rationing the last of the hay. Our hay guy was sold out of small bales for the season. We needed to take drastic action.


We needed to get a 600 lbs round bale.

Yes, we have a tractor now! Meet Rollin, a 1975 135 Massey Ferguson. More on him soon...

Having not experienced a round bale on our farm, the equines weren't sure what to make of it.


When they realized it was food, their instincts kicked in.

Cinder got this crazed look in her eyes and started chewing along the top like it was a cob of corn.

Lee rubbed up his head against the side of the bale while making these deep guttural, ecstasy-induced sounds.

Gall, usually the most respectable one of the bunch, shoved his whole head into it.

But alas, a day after bringing the bale into the barnyard, we discovered there was a big rainstorm coming. We didn't want to leave the bale uncovered as we knew it would get ruined in the rain, especially as it was tipped onto its side.

Lucas moved it into the barn's first run-in, hoping we could salvage most of it. The equines had other plans.

The barn now has a lovely communal bed/snack bar/depository of poop/duck roost.


And I'm shopping for more hay... and a cheap used round bale feeder. Or maybe we'll just go back to small bales.

Madcap Monday -- Goat silliness

Goats are extremely intelligent creatures. At least that's what my goat-raising books tell me. Goat kids also love squeezing into tight spaces.

So last year when our Rosie started crawling into the feeder to eat (and even sleep), I didn't think much of it. The chickens didn't seem to mind either.

I think mama Lucy was a bit curious as to her babe's latest antics. Or maybe she was just jealous -- knowing Lucy's eating habits, I'm sure she'd love to immerse herself in her food.


I figured Rosie would simply grow out of it -- the feeder and the behaviour.


Fast forward a year later: she's still eating in the feeder. How she squeezes her pygmy-goat girth through the opening is beyond me.



I think she's laughing at me, don't you?

Madcap Monday

What do you do if your pond is frozen over and it's -30 degrees Celsius out? Take a paddle in the horse's heated water bucket, of course.

It's hot tubbing, duck style!

To all of you who have left comments over the last few months or sent emails checking in to make sure we're ok (no, the giant mushroom didn't do us all in!): thank you. You rock my world...