Chloe, Queen of the Barnyard Rosie I never know what I am going to find when I go up to feed the animals.  This morning, I stopped to say hello to Chloe, our barnyard cat, then checked our garden to see what was left.  I had a few tomatoes, plenty of swiss chard, and some herbs.  The chickens were fine, although, their run was pretty muddy.  Rosie, as always, ran around checking on everyone. My next stop [...]
 Barns Hudson Valley Fresh is a dairy farmer partnership located in the Hudson Valley.  This group of farmers are "dedicated to preserving the agricultural heritage of the Hudson River Valley and promoting it as one of the premier food regions of the United States." It just so happens that my sister-in-law, Katie (Zoe) Ferris, is going to use these high quality local dairy products at Zoe's Ice Cream Barn.  She asked me to photograph some of the farms to [...]
White Lamb Our Romney ewe, Snowflake, had two beautiful lambs last Sunday.  The 'Lucky Lucky' part is that her water broke on a warm Sunday morning instead of  it happening in the middle of the coldest night of the year like it often does. Snowflake is a natural colored Romney which can be a mix of black, gray, silver and brown colors, unlike the rest of our Romney's which are all white.  From what I have been told, it [...]
Bottle Lamb in Our Kitchen If you have followed my blog about architecture for a while, you have also been introduced to my family's micro farm.  Our children are in 4H, and they raise and show sheep.  We also have 20 chickens, 2 bunnies, 2 dogs and 3 barn cats. Although the 'barn cats' seem to have missed the memo, since they end up spending an equal amount of time in the house.  Chloe, our first barn cat, had her [...]
Sheep It has been a great summer, but all good things come to an end.  Fall is here, the garden is going to seed, fortunately a few hardy plants are holding on and providing vegetables for our October dinners.  Our animals are glad to have the cooler weather, and the flies are finally giving everyone a break. (It was a bad year)  We kept two of Chloe's kittens, and every morning they greet us and expect to have their bellies [...]
Rosie and Chloe Chloe Practicing Her Mouse Catching Moves Chloe Stalking a Chicken Our affectionate barn cat, who worked her way into being a member of the family, had 6 very cute kittens. When we first got Chloe, she lived in the barn.  After about 6 months, she subtlety let us know that she would also like to be a house cat by hanging on the screen of the kitchen window until we let her [...]
Lambs and Sheep I had a wonderful experience this morning!  Our only pregnant sheep had a ram and a ewe lamb.  Even though we have had sheep for many years, this was my first time seeing the actual birth.  I usually arrive a few minutes too late.  Lamb number one came out quite a long time after the ewe's water broke.  I thought for sure it wasn't going make it, but after the mom started licking her, we heard a soft bleat.  As [...]
Rosie and Chloe Our children don't always get along, but our animals can't seem to get enough of each other.  I will say though, none of the other animals carry on a love affair like Chloe the cat and Rosie the dog.  When we walk up to feed the animals first thing in the morning, Chloe hides behind a tree so she can ambush Rosie and then they both proceed to wrestle, chase, and hug and chew on each other.  I [...]
Rosie Our Mini Aussie Rosie is still guarding our porch as well as the sheep, chickens, bunnies, and the latest addition...Chloe, the barn cat. Â Like most farms-even the tiny ones, animals multiply and newcomers are always welcome. Our garden is winding down, but some crops are still doing well. Â Kale is the hands down winner with a few tomatos still to be eaten among the peppers etc. Â Since I like to cook Thai and Vietnamese food, I tried [...]
ScareCrow Sometimes you find a product that solves a problem better than anything you have tried before.  The ScareCrow Motion-Activated Animal Deterrent fits that description in my book.  For years I have sprayed stinky products on the hosta garden to keep the deer at bay.  Sooner or later they would always get use to the smell and then make a meal of my wife's hostas. Since I am the guardian of the garden, I was distraught over the battle [...]
