Ruffled Feathers and Spilled Milk

Farming with ducks and dairy goats, chickens and children.

The Big Hay

I know it’s not a big deal to most farmers.  With their hundreds of acres and farm machinery worth thousands of dollars.  But around here we work our 4 acres by hand.  And we buy our hay in the squares bales that fit in the back of the Suburban.  Or on a big load, in […]

Seeds

I bet you’re wondering if I ever finished that fence.  Guessing whether I gave up and threw all my tools into the pond with a flurry of curses or if I’m hopelessly trapped in blackberry canes and a roll of barbed wire.  Trying to figure out if I got tired of complaining or just finally […]

We Didn’t Farm Yesterday

Not a bit.  Even though my mom gave me a bag of shredded papers for the brooder room that is still sitting on the deck.  And there is a gap in the chicken wire on the duckling pasture.  And hay needs to be moved from the kidding barn to the goat barn.  And someone needs […]

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Some people say the phrase “Blood, sweat, and tears” originated with Winston Churchill.  That may be true because it certainly wasn’t stated by a farmer.  Any farmer worth her vegetable patch would have defined her tasks as “Blood, curses, sweat, and tears.”  Statesmen may have to be politically correct, but out here in the country, […]

Frenemies

I love the fence. I hate the fence. The fence allows the goats to wander around, pooping outside of the barn where I don’t have to clean up.  The fence leads the pony and the sheep to the pond to graze so I don’t have to mow the grass on the tractor-tipping slope of the […]

“My goat is down and he can’t get up”….and other interesting excuses.

“Hi, um, I won’t be there for Girl Scout cookie pick-up.  My goat is down and he can’t get up.  I’ll call you later.” If you know me, then you’ve heard these sort of excuses. You may even have been talking to me on the phone when I screamed “Big, get the hoe!” and then […]

Primordial Ooze

Snow is a fleeting beauty.  Tree limbs iced with fluff.  Pristine stretches of white in the meadow.  Delicate flakes against the windowpane.  Intricate ice designs on the pond. But then they cancel school.  Sigh.  And the hose to the automatic waterer in the barn freezes.  Sigh.  And the chickens refuse to come out of the […]

A Year in the Life of Tomatoes

December–This is the month for flipping through seed catalogs and choosing from incredible tomato varieties like Green Zebra and Cherokee Purple.  No store bought tomato plants for me.  The neighbors will be in awe and the children filled with wonder by our unique and amazing tomatoes.  Imagine the sweet, juicy taste of a tomato, fresh […]

Reflections on a Cold Winter Morning

You know what a morning like this needs?  A nice crackling fire in the wood stove.  A gentle glow and a cocoon of warmth right there on the hearth rug where the kids can get dressed before school.  They may even have time for a relaxing cup of hot chocolate.  Imagine mother and children cuddling […]

Numbnuts

There’s no remedy for stupid.  You can’t change it, you just have to work around it.  If you’re lucky you will have one smarty pants in the flock that all the numbnuts will follow.  If you’re unlucky you will have one numbnuts and all the smarty pants will be blinded by his charisma and will […]

« go back — keep looking »

  • Archives

  • Tags

    barn beach bucks butcher cat chicken chickens chicks coop corn dog dogs duck ducklings ducks eggs fence flowers garden goat goats grass greenhouse guinea guineas keets kidding kids lettuce livestock guardian milking parade pig pony potatoes river rocks seedlings seeds snow straw bales tomatoes tractor transplants weeds
  • December 2025
    M T W T F S S
    1234567
    891011121314
    15161718192021
    22232425262728
    293031  

  • Meta

  • Humor & Funny Blogs - BlogCatalog Blog Directory
  • Best Green Blogs
  • Blogs Directory