Digging Out

The storm is finally over. It began for us around 3:00 AM Tues morning and ended roughly 24 later. While we didn't reach blizzard status,the wind was sure whipping none the less. The heavy snow bands (at rates ranging from 2-3 inches per hour) plus the wind made for pretty poor visibility. Governor Hassan declared a state of emergency,and urged people to stay home. She did not issue a driving ban. Thankfully,most people listened and stayed off the roads. Very few people lost power. We were not among them,thankfully.

Zach of course had no school. Rick felt it was counterproductive to try and and do any snow clearing until the storm passed. He has been fighting and intestinal bug that has been going around,so his energy levels haven't been the best. I have have bouts of it off and on. Zach did go out and shovel off the steps and the deck at one point. A couple hours later,it looked like he didn't do anything at all. It was a good day to kick back.

Some areas got over 30" of snow,not including the snow drifts. The surrounding towns said the got around 15",but it sure seems like we got closer to 2 ft here,judging by the height of the snow in some areas ( not drifts). We do have drifts at least 4 feet high in some spots.

See the the big white lump on Rick's truck hood? That is actually Zach's behind the truck-it's buried in snow.

We have  good sized drifts in front of the side door to the barn.

Today is Dig Out day. School has been cancelled again because of clean up. We have paths to the sheep,turkey,the barn,the woodpile,the driveway,the mailbox,the deck,the porch,the walkway to the porch,and the roofs to shovel. We do have a snow blower to help. It's going to be a tiring day.

I'm glad that Rick filled the bird feeders before the storm-it was great seeing my feathered friends coming out in the storm-blue jays,chickadees,sparrows,juncos and huthatches.

Here's a brief video of Rick seeing how far the goats would to into the snow. For some reason,my camera clicks and the lens moves back and forth. I have no idea why. You can hear Zach telling Richie to get back in the house-he loves to sneak onto the mud room and get in the cat food!

It's lovely to see the sun shining !

Busy Bees

Thank you for the kind words regarding the loss of our dear Samson.He was a very good pup and we miss him terribly.

Things here have been busy...one thing after another,it seems. School is back in swing,and with it,Boy Scouts. The Fall is always hectic with Scouts,we start our weekly meetings again,then have various fundraising that we do for the Troop.

I had an operation right after Labor Day -nothing serious,just taking care of some <cough> feminine issues <cough> which sidelined me for a bit over a week. I am now all healed and back in action. The one thing I learned when I was recuperating is that running a house and trying to do the outdoor chores is too much for Rick. Physically,it's not an issue. Mentally,he can't keep track and gets scattered. Because of his PTSD/TBI,Rick needs a schedule. Anything that crops up-even a visitor-will throw him off,sometimes for the whole day. With me laying in an Oxycodone haze, I wasn't thinking of reminding him of things. Dishes would go unwashed for a day or two,even though he would see them and know he had to wash them-but then he would forget. Mind you, I am not complaining,just sharing what goes on when someone has to deal with these issues. What I should've done was made a list of daily chores before I had my surgery so he could follow it. That would've been  most helpful for him.

Fall is finally here,and the leaves are starting to change. The days have been quite cool,even though we are going to get some nice warm weather this weekend.We are getting a lumber delivery tomorrow for the barn. The barn has been a slow process. Rick's brother was going to help when he got laid off for the season,but there is extra work at his job that needs to be done,and he is now working 6-7 days a week,leaving at 5:00 AM and not getting home until dark. Our friend George has been kind enough to help out on Saturdays when he can.We have decided that the roof will have to wait until Spring. The hayloft floor will be laid down upstairs,and then we will just cover it and make sure we shovel it off in the winter,so basically it will look like a box for now.

My garlic came out lovely this year. I have 50 hardneck plants. There is nothing better than fresh garlic!

I can't forget the Greek Oregano!! I

Our small apple tree was laden with fruit this year-we had 13 lbs of apples off one little tree!Now if I could only remember what kind of apple tree it is...the tag has vanished off it. Our Jonathan apple tree is about ready for picking too.

We have new member of the family. Her name is Meadow.When we first saw her,her eyes were a lovely green color which reminded me of a meadow (hence the name). It must've been the way the sun light was hitting them,because I have not been able to see that color in them since. She is a rescue dog that came up here to NH from TN. She is part Hound and part something else. She is a lovely little girl and is very smart. She is almost 3 months old. She will never take Samson's place,of course...and some folks may wonder at the fact that we got another dog so soon. Well, all I can say is that she has brightened our household--we really needed it.

How are things in your neck of the woods??

Happy Mother's Day!!!

I can't believe it's been so long since I have posted.Between Boy Scouts,Dr appts,reading up on "how to" do this and that, running errands,and taking care of the animals,it seems like time has gone by in the blink of an eye.

We are finally out of the throes of winter,the snow is gone,and the leaves are now coming out on the trees,the forsythia is blooming,and the weather is getting pleasant-thank goodness! It was a long,snowy winter,and we are finally to my favorite season-Spring.

The Girls are now laying on a regular basis,and we are letting them free range once again. I love the way they scratch at the ground and eat the bugs they find-their fluffy bottoms are quite cute ( am I the only one who thinks that? )

The goats are doing very well. Scout,Rick's wether,is on his last week of bottle feeding. We are down to one bottle feed a day for him. On Friday,Blizzard,my wether,goes down to one bottle feeding a day. By the end of the month,all the goats will be off the bottle. We have not found another doeling yet.

The Ladies are doing great.I went to a sheep shearing demonstration at the NH Farm Museum a couple weeks ago,and chatted with Tim,who was doing the demonstration. Come to find out,he and his wife,Lisa live only about 5 minutes from us. His wife is also a veteran,and he offered to to shear our sheep for us for free so he could show us how to to do it so we wouldn't have to attempt it by ourselves at first. I thought that was pretty nice of him!

Last week we had a bit of rain and a rainbow appeared-it started not far from our house. I have never been so close to a rainbow before.It was really cool. It started a few doors down from us,then went over the edge of our yard and across the street!

Today we are going down to my sisters house for Mother's Day dinner. Since she and my Mom are moving down to TN in early Fall,this may be the last Mother's Day we have together. Aside from that and the basic dishes and sweeping,I am not doing a darn thing all day! Today I am Queen!

I hope all you Mom's out there get spoiled like you deserve! I got a lovely breakfast served to me on the deck this AM,and a back massage coming this evening from my hubby :)

Mud Season

I love when he weather starts getting warmer and the snow melts. We have had it with the snow and cold.This week,temperatures are in the  upper 50's-low 60's.That's practically tropical!!

The downfall to the snow melt and the showers that April bring,is the mud. Yes,mud season is upon us.

Mud everywhere! Deep puddles of water,several inches of mud. One has to have Muck-Muck boots to walk around the yard. The other day,everything was wet and there must've been a hundred birds in the yard singing. It was very early,I was still in my nightgown,but I had to be outside to enjoy the beautiful chorus-of course,when the Ladies heard me close to the door to the deck,they started bleating-breakfast time!

Muck-Muck boots don't have to be Plain Janes. They can be very pretty and fun!!!

I'm sure the birds enjoyed them....and the Ladies heartily approved!

Ice,Ice,Baby......

Yesterday it rained all day,which was great for getting rid of some of the snow we have. Of course,we still have 2-3 feet,but it's a start!

This morning we have freezing rain. I am surprised that there wasn't at least a two hour delay for school,but it started on time. Our local channel is calling for some ice accumulation. All I have to do look outside-no one had to tell me that!

Ice hanging off the branches:

The deck is a wee bit slippery:

Ice everywhere!

You can hear the freezing rain hitting the roof and deck outside.The salt truck has been going back and forth. It's a good day to look over my seed stock and make some more laundry soap. Guess I will wait until tomorrow to go grocery shopping!

Finds I Love!

I am a huge history fan.I read a lot of historical nonfiction and biography-the Middle Ages and the Tudor period are my main loves. I do enjoy some fiction- I love the styles and manners  of the Regency period thanks to Jane Austen,and love the Victorian Era as well.

It seems to me that we could learn a lot about being polite from these times,but I digress.

I wanted some old fashioned style Christmas cards this year,and something that was Victorian would fit the bill. I stumbled across a website, The Victorian Trading Company.They have all sorts of lovely things,from clothing,to inkwells,to calling cards. They also had some lovely Christmas cards. These were the ones I finally decided upon:

If you love the Victorian Era,I suggest you check out their website-you will fall in love!

The Polar Vortex

A good portion of the US is in what is being referred to as the "Polar Vortex" right now. Some parts of the country are seeing temperatures down to -75 degrees. That is weather I have never seen before,nor do I ever. Compared to those temperatures,we are down right balmy- 12 degrees,maybe closer to 0 with the wind chill. We did have have a bit of a reprieve for a couple of days where the temps got above freezing,but it didn't last very long.

According to Accuweather,a polar vortex is a large pocket of very cold air,usually the coldest in the Northern Hemisphere,which stays around the polar region in wintertime. The pocket was pushed south,down to the US.The pocket is not usually pushed as far south.

Seasons are no longer the same as they were when I was young. We no longer see much of a spring here,and nice fall weather doesn't last long.Storms are getting stronger. Some folks don't believe in climate change,but I sure do.

All we have been doing here,as we have been,is making sure the sheep and chickens are doing well,and keeping the wood stove going. I have been working on some Scouting tasks,going through my books to see which ones I want to donate,and working on my home management binders. I have also been trying to get caught up on sleep-I have not slept well for four days,and it's beginning to take it's toll. I am someone who needs her sleep-some folks are lucky and don't need much,but I always have. I feel like a walking zombie. Maybe today I can catch a nap. It seems like when ever I try,the phone doesn't stop ringing,or I just can relax enough to get those extra zzzzzz's.

To my friends in the US and Canada,please stay safe and warm!!!

Baby,It's Cold Outside!

A winter storm is winding down now here in NH.It began snowing about 4:00 AM on Thursday morning,and right now,at 7:50 AM on Friday,it's still flurrying. School was cancelled yesterday and today. It's hard to tell how much snow we have,because the wind has picked up and is blowing the snow all over the place,but as of last night before the wind started we had over 6" and were in line to get up to a foot or more.The temperatures have dropped considerably,with the wind chill it's about 20 below zero right now,which makes road treatment pretty much useless. It could go down to 35 below tonight,and the weathermen are telling everyone to stay inside. They are saying it's going to be the coldest weather we have had since the 1990's,but it is going to improve starting tomorrow.

Rick has been checking on the animals to make sure they have plenty of feed  so they have enough calories to help keep them warm,and bedding. The sheep are pretty resilient,but the chickens are always more of a concern. Their house is closed up right now. He also has been taking the dogs out to do their business,and has been doing snow removal. Zach has been helping as well. Rick won't let me go outside to help because of the cold-he is like that.

I just took this photo a few minutes ago,and it looks like no shoveling has been done,but it was shoveled three times yesterday:

Looks like my car is in a bit of a drift! I took this through our bedroom window:

Our furnace still has not been installed,so we have been feeding the wood stove quite a bit. Overnight,however,it had a bit of a rest,so when Rick woke up the house was down to 53 degrees. It's slowly warming up,and right now it's 58 degrees.

It's a good day to read "The Long Winter!"

If you are having cold temperatures,stay warm!!!

Looking Back...And Foward

The clock is ticking away on 2013,and I must say,overall,it was a very good year for us.

The most wonderful that happened this year is that Rick finally got his assistance dog,Richie. Not only that,but he got it from the best training facility in the US,NEADS. While Rick's PTSD/TBI will not go away,Richie offers him great support in situations and helps to calm him down .

We also finally set our little farm in motion,buying three Romney ewes and being put on the top of the list for three Nigerian Dwarf Dairy does for this coming Spring. Through this we also met lovely people who are more than willing to share their knowledge with us whenever we have a question or situation arise. It's like becoming part of a small farming family!  

I discovered yoga,and though I have been remiss these last few weeks,I am going to begin my classes again. I had to find a way to calm my anxiety. Sometimes living with someone with PTSD/TBI can be very trying,and even though I love my husband more than life it's self,he can frustrate me. He has to do things in certain ways,even if it's more difficult or make no sense  -it's just the way his brain works now. The job gets done,but not in a timely manner. The barn is an example. I kept telling him that we needed to start on it-but he kept saying we had time. Well,the holes are dug,and that is as far as it got before the ground froze up. Rick has no sense/concept of time anymore,and even though I tell him there won't be enough time to accomplish something,he won't listen to me. Yoga helps me  greatly- it centers me,and I do find calm and inner peace. Plus I have some me time,which is very important for my own well being. Yoga has been a huge positive this year.

The scariest thing that happened this year is when Zach got struck by lightening at National Youth Leadership Training at  Camp Bell,in Gilmanton. Those of you here in the States may remember hearing about 23 Scouts getting struck by lightening this past summer in NH. The charge went through Zach's heel,and he has a tiny scar left,but that is all.Some of the boys minor suffered burns,one boy had his heart beat turn irregular for a while,but no one was killed,thankfully. Now,after "10 years of red tape" a storm shelter is going to be built up on the mountain. It only took 23 boys almost getting killed to make it happen. It seems like tragedies or near tragedies have to happen before things can move forward in many cases!

2014 looks like it's going to be a great year-our barn will be finished,we will have our goats,and we are currently deciding exactly what to grow in the garden. We had to pull up our square beds to make room for the barn area,so I will need to decide where the beds are going to go,and what we are going to continue to grow. There are a few things we have not had great luck on,such as corn and pumpkins,so I would rather focus on what grows well for the time being. I want to grow a dye garden (plants and flowers that I can use to dye the sheep's wool with) and we do want to plant plenty of clover for the sheep and goats to nibble on.

I am working on a new home management binder-our old one was too heavy. I have actually created two new binders out of the one large one-one for household information,the other for farming. This time of year it's easier to take the time to be more creative and do more organizing,so I enjoy it more!

Thanks to all of you who have continued to follow me from my old blog,Little Cottage In the Country. I am still hopeful that some of the other followers will find their way here,and I look forward to getting new readers!!

Have a lovely New Years!!

A Snowy Day At The Farm

As I mentioned,we got a few inches of snow yesterday. It was very pretty watching the snow fall,so I decided to take a few photos to share with you.

This was the view from the kitchen window over the sink:

I had to visit the ladies,of course.Being new sheep owners,we still get a chuckle out of the fact that they don't mind the snow or rain because their wool is so thick:

 Violet,as always,is quite the proper lady,never any hay on her face,and always looks calm,cool,and collected:

Starlight is like her twin,Woolsey. They are more tomboyish,always have hay on their faces,and tend to be more skittish. Notice how she is giving me the woolly eyeball!

This truck is not on our property,it is on our next door neighbors,but I loved the way it looked in the field:

 

Our door bell-an actual bell with a chicken on the top:

Today I am taking down a some of the Christmas decorations. I do leave up the tree until after New Years,but the Santa's,etc,have come down.

Enjoy your day!

The Christmas Spirit Is Here!

We are gearing up for Christmas. Our house is filled with the Christmas Spirit-the happiness,love,and general good feeling that this time of the year is about. While I try to maintain that year round,this time of year it seems to be more on the forefront. There is nothing like a warm fire and Christmas carols playing while you decorate your house,and the fun of picking out the right Christmas cards to send. I love wishing folks a "Merry Christmas"-to me,it's about wishing them happiness more than anything else. Folks can wish me "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Holidays"-to me the sentiment is the same.

One thing we do as a family each year is go to a local tree farm and get a Christmas tree. Some years we haven't had money to buy a tree and have gone out to the woods to get a tree. We have been fortunate the last few years that we can buy a tree from a farm. It costs a bit more than getting one from a box store,but I like supporting local folks and I know that the trees aren't a few months old. The family that runs this tree farm has been farmers in the area for over 200 years.

It was Richie's first Christmas Tree excursion!

We get some hot chocolate and walk around looking for the tree that will best fit in our space. It can't be too tall ( our ceilings are only 8 ft) and it can't be too wide ( it goes in a corner next to our couch). When we finally find it,we motion to the folks on on the four wheelers, and one of them rides over,cuts down the tree,puts in the trailer in the back of the four wheeler,and zips it up to the parking lot. We are usually in and out of there within half an hour.

We let the tree sit in the house for a couple of days to acclimate ,then we decorate it. Since last night and tonight we  are busy with Scout meetings,we will decorate it tomorrow night.

The weather here has turned quite chilly-down into the teens. I am thankful for the wood stove,because we don't have our furnace installed yet. Our neighbor is going to do it for us,as he used to do this for a living.We just have to wait for him to be able to do it,which is suppose to be by Sunday. No problem,we have plenty of wood!

The chickens don't seem to mind the snow too much,but I know they are not fans of real cold weather:

The ewes have no issue with the cold,rain,or snow.Their fleece is so very thick that they will stand in the rain or in the falling snow and not be bothered.

I have finally named the white sheep. I named her Lady Violet after Dame Maggie Smith's character on Downton Abbey. She has her attitude,is very ladylike and does things her way. I haven't come up with a good name for the other one,though. She is tomboyish and shy.

We spend time in the pen with them to help them get used to us. Yesterday we were putting more straw down for their bedding. They pack it down,and we add a bit more so they will have a good bed under them to help keep them warm. We muck out the areas of poop if it's really bad and put it in our compost pile,and make sure they have feed hay and fresh water each day.

One of the ways we try and get them used to us is get them to eat out of our hand. Lady Violet is more brave than her sister:

In the outdoor enclosed area,we do throw down a bit straw and put out some feed hay so they can eat outside.

We have certainly seen their flock mentality in action. If one bolts from us,the other bolts from us. They stick together. The one thing I haven't heard is them talk. No bleating so far. I have spoken  and have bleated to them,but they have not responded yet. Maybe it will just take some time.

Snow and Sheep

We had a lovely Thanksgiving.My brother Dennis and his wife Lynette came out from Wisconsin for a visit,so I was able to spend time with them on Thanksgiving day.

Today we are having a bit of snow. We are scheduled to 2"-4",with maybe a touch of freezing rain later in the day. It sure feel good to have the wood stove going today! We are finally going to get our new furnace installed this week. We burn K1,because our tank is outside,and while wood is our main source,we do like to have a back up source to run during the night. when the temperatures get really bitter. We use it a little as possible because K1 is more expensive than regular oil,and I hate using it,anyway.

Barn news: we haven't moved much further than my last update. Our weather turned colder than normal,and the dirt piles froze,then we had rain,which defrosted the dirt but made it heavy to lift because of the rain. Rick had managed to fill the holes to where they sonitubes should be stable,and he hopes to at least get the holes filled the rest of the way and the foundation beam in,but I don't think it's going to even get to that point. I have tried to explain that to him,but he is determined to do what he can. Now that we have snow on the ground and the temperatures are going to be quite cold this week, think any barn building will have to be postponed until Spring. I knew we had started late,and it probably wouldn't get far,but the way Rick's brain works now it can be difficult to for him to see the reality of a situation,especially since his concept of time is not the way we see it. He has finally agreed with me,however. 

Thankfully,we do have a shelter that we can use for the sheep-the green hoop house we kept the boat in. We moved it to the back corner where we used to keep the turkeys,built a pen in it,and placed Richie's metal exercise pen against it,removing one of the panels so the when the sheep pen's door is open,they can walk out into the metal enclosed area, ,and we can get access it via the panel with the entrance door. Sheep really only need shelter,since their wool is so thick,so this works out quite well. We put plenty of hay and straw down for their bedding,and put their feed hey on the outside of their pen,so when they are inside they can just reach through the slots and eat the hay without wasting it.

We picked the girls up the Saturday after Thanksgiving,and we built a temporary crate to haul them back in. They bleated a bit,but really didn't seem to mind. It took a bit trying to get them from the crate across the yard into their pen. The black one is a bit shy,and we had one person at the head,and one pushing lightly on her bottom. The white one was much easier,as she could smell where the black one went,so she was quite eager to be reunited!

This is what the pen looked like before we placed the metal fenced in area against it.

This is the white sheep. She is larger of the two,and is a bit more inquisitive and outgoing. She is also a bit more dainty,and never has hay all over her face.

This is the smaller one,who is mostly black but some great variations in her wool. She is more shy of the two,and as you can see,she tends to be a bit messy. I think of her as the tomboy.

They seem to have settled in nicely. When Rick goes out to check on their food and water,he usually has music playing from is Ipod,and the white one comes running up to the front of the fence,so we know she likes music. She checks me out as well,but is still a bit reserved. The black faced one tends to stay behind.It will take a while for them to get used to us,so we go into their pen,get down to their level,hold hay out for them,and talk to them.The other day they were standing out in the rain,not a care in the world. I suppose since their wood is so thick they don't even get wet!

Time to go out and see how they are doing this morning.I wonder if I could get Santa hats on their heads for a picture....

Happy Thanksgiving

Today here in the States it's Thanksgiving Day,when we count our blessings and enjoy a wonderful feast with family and friends.

As I have gotten older ( I just had my 46th birthday) I find myself being grateful for things not just one day,but everyday. I know what it's like living paycheck to paycheck,deciding which bill to pay so I can have food that week. I know what it's like to have to swallow my pride and go down to the food pantry,or live on Ramen noodles and baloney( both of which I can no longer stomach to eat).

I am so very grateful for a warm house,clothes on my back,and food on my plate. I am very grateful that I have a husband who loves me,a son who is wonderful,loving family and friends,and that I can wake up everyday and feel like the richest woman on Earth.

Happy Thanksgiving,and Happy Hanukkah!

Changes In The Weather

The weather has been a tad funky the last few days.We were able to pour the concrete into the sonitubes and instead of hurricane straps we used large bolts:

Rick filling up the tubes:

Then, we had to wait for the concrete to cure. As soon as it cured,we had a heavy rainstorm and the rain lasted into the next day,when the lumber to build the barn was delivered. Then,the temperatures took a huge nose dive,going down into the single digits with the windchill factor. The wind was howling all day yesterday,and last night it was so bad that hundreds of people in our town and the surrounding areas lost power,and many trees came down. A couple of the streets in our town were blocked because of fallen trees and electrical wires. We have kept our power,but we did lose a big tree.

During Hurricane Irene we lost the top of one of the big pine trees in the front yard,and it came very close to smashing into the front of the house. This big wind storm decided to take the rest of it down.Rick and Brother B heard a big noise and went outside to investigate. Suddenly they came rushing in,with Rick yelling: "Move out of the room! Get back!" We all ran back into the kitchen. Apparently when the tree started to fall,it looked like it was going to come through the roof in the living room. The wind must've moved it a bit further back. Our deck was even saved! I took some photos this AM because all this happened after the sun went down:

We had another near miss! It was amazing the way the tree landed-branches were around the bird feeder stand and the bird bath-neither were hit. You can see them in this photo:

You can't tell in this photo,but our outdoor grill in under all that,and it wasn't hit,nor was the hammock. 

It just grazed the steps:

On the way down,it took off the top of another pine tree,and split the top of one of our maples.

Today on the agenda is tree removal and filling the holes where the sonitubes are. Even if the temps are going to be in the single digits.

Stay warm!

The End Of A 381 Year Era

One of the wonderful things about living in NH is that we are part of a rich historical heritage. It's amazing to think that our little state was part of the beginning of the US.Even more amazing is knowing that my son gets to claim some of this heritage as his own-Rick's 10th great grandfather Rev Stephen Bachiler was the founder of Hampton,NH,and his 10th great grandfather Edward Hilton founded the town of Dover,as well as some various cousins who founded the towns of Deerfield and Loudon. His 10th great grandfather Joshua Pratt came over on the Anne,the third ship after the Mayflower. Needless to say, NH roots run deep in Rick's ( and now Zach's) family. 1620 something makes for mighty long roots.

I cannot claim such a lineage,since my ancestors arrived here from Canada starting in the 1870's,and I am a third generation America on both sides of the family. However,I have always had a deep love of NH and it's history. We were born here,and here we will die.

This brings me to the story behind my post today. One of the oldest families in NH,the Tuttles,arrived in Dover sometime in the late 1620's-early 30's.John Tuttle arrived in this country with a land grant from King Charles II and in 1632 began the oldest continuously operated family farm in America ( this has been challenged,but I stand by the Tuttles). I have driven by the Tuttle farm many times,seen it's large corn field green and waving in the breeze,stopped at the farm stand and purchased delicious fresh produce. It is a wonderful part of our state heritage,and a great example of the family farm.

Sadly,three years ago the family decided to put it up for sale. I cannot imagine that this was an easy decision to make. It would've been up to the new generation of Tuttles to run the farm,and it would've required all hands on deck. A farm of this scale ( now 197 acres,at peak 240) is a massive undertaking and if all hearts are not into it,it would not work. I personally don't know if I could have borne the thought of selling something that was in the family for 10 or so generations,and all the sweat and hard work that each generation put into that land.The very thought makes me sick to my stomach and I am sure that they have had many,many sleepless nights.I don't envy having to make such a decision. 

The farm has been sold to a gentleman from MA who has run a successful farm for about 30 years and who wishes to keep it a farm. I was very happy and grateful to hear that the land cannot be broken up and sold off into condos,etc,which was what I automatically thought of when I first started reading about the sale. It seems like many family farms tend to be sold off and then dismantled,which I find incredibly sad. I am very glad that if the Tuttles had to sell it,at least they sold it to someone who understands the importance and value of this farm to the community.

You can read more about the Tuttle Farm here. It's a quick Wikipedia article but it's current and the facts are indeed correct.( If you wish to read more articles,just type in Tuttles Farm,Dover NH into your search box.)

Do you have any local farms that have been sold? Have they been kept going,or have they been put aside for "progress?"

Freezing Rain

I finally made a batch of soap with my new soap mold:

I don't think I let it sit long enough in the mold,even though 24 hours was the suggested time frame on the directions the company sent. When I tried to pull the sides and dividers out,it was a bit sticky,even though I put the mold into the oven at 170 degrees for 10 minutes as was suggested "because some soap recipes are stickier than others." I was able to get my soap out,but some of the edges came off with the dividers. Next time I will let it sit for 48 hours. I use essential oils from Edens' Garden ( you can find their website here) and in this case, I used their Stress Relief oil,which is a combo of Bergamot,Blood Orange,Grapefruit,Patchouli, and Yling Ylang. The smell is very soothing. I have the bars on a cooling rack in the closet in our bedroom,curing.

Yesterday Rick wanted to go for drive down an area where he has gone hunting. He asked if I wanted to go,and I jumped at the the chance. I haven't been driving down an unfamiliar dirt road in a long time,and it was a pretty day,even though the wind was quite chilly. I always enjoy exploring with Rick.He brought his rifle in case we saw any game that is in season.

I thought they way the sun was coming through this patch of trees was pretty:

I would love to live way out these woods:

Some of the brilliance of our foliage:

Light at the end of the tunnel!

I love birch trees,even if they are pretty bare:

Gorgeous!

Fairly fresh deer tracks:

The sky started clouding up as we were on our way home.  As we were pulling back onto the main road,I commented to Rick,"It looks like snow." This time of year,when the air is chilly and the dark clouds roll in,the sky just has a look. The look of snow. Those of you who live in snowy area know what I mean. I stepped out on the front deck to take a picture of sky and...it didn't start snowing,but it did start freezing rain.

Thankfully,our wood stove was going and the house was nice and warm. I worked a bit more on the pair of mittens that I had started knitting,and ran a few errands for our Boys Scout Halloween party on Monday.  I picked up some treats for the boys,some decorations,and the ingredients for Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and a couple mixes for some gluten free brownies.

I have to leave you with one more photo:

Last night we had ham for dinner,and this AM Rick made eggs and ham for breakfast. He was cutting pieces up and I noticed the dogs were all standing in back of him. I told him that he had an audience,and he turned around with the piece of ham and said,"Is this what you want? You're not getting it!"

Enjoy your day!