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Spring Clean for the January Queen

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Unseasonably warm weather brings out Spring behavior.  Chicken palace?  Clean.  Horses stalls?  Clean.  Goat enclosure?  Picked up.  Baryard?  Clean.


Garden Gleaning on the First of October

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The best way to garden in the Fall is apparently to go to Norway. Then when you come back, it is actually Fall and time to move wood and gather in the last of the garden.

Farm Truck

First Load of Wood

The garden is quite the disaster.

But hiding behind all of those brown corn and sunflower stalks is a bunch of good stuff: pumpkins, sweet peppers, cayene, jalapeño, habañero, carrots, beets, and watermelon. More to come too!

Mini pumpkins hide under the grass and weeds.

An entire basket of peppers with more to come.

Hotey admires the flowers while eating corn.

Fin.

Fall bounty.

Garden: Before and After

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When you ignore the garden for a week just to light a big giant bonfire there may be hell to pay.

BEFORE

So many weeds. So much grass. So few vegetables.

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AFTER

Well, this is the horses actually

Well, this is the horses actually

About 6 hours of weeding later, the garden looks better

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And what do we get for our efforts so far? One tomato (delicious), two zucchini, one summer squash, and two jalapeño peppers. Lots more to come.

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Being outside in the summer sun is an excellent break from poking plastic keys.

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On Machines and Mortality: Life and Death in the Country

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Guthrie lived with us for so long, that I really can’t recall when he first showed up. One day there were just a couple of ponies, and he was one of them. Guthrie was mostly harmless, though his escape artist tendencies were a pain in the ass. He always made a beeline to the chicken feed or the grain bin.

Guthrie was 42 or 44, which is pretty old for a pony. He did not have many teeth, so we fed him soft hay and grain every day, or rather Amy did. He seemed pretty solid this winter, but last week took an unexpected dive, kind of controlled flight into terrain.

So we had a pony to bury, and out here that calls for a machine.

Machines make short work of it

Machines make short work of it

Backhoe takes 4 minutes to dig a massive hole

Backhoe takes 4 minutes to dig a massive hole

Front end loader is helpful for moving the heavy carcass around

Front end loader is helpful for moving the heavy carcass around

Into the hole

Into the hole

Tamping down, shockingly great operator skillz

Tamping down, shockingly great operator skillz

So bye Guthrie, thanks for being part of our lives for all those years. You made your final escape.

First crocus up

First crocus up

2016 Blizzard One Week In

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Paloma presiding

Paloma presiding

The snow is still deep. We’re still cutting trails with lots of effort. Sophie is shorter than the snow is tall. But frankly, the slow melt is fantastic given our location on the Shenandoah river.

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One Week From Solstice: Where is Winter?

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Tacking Willie

Tacking Willie

Tacking Paloma

Tacking Paloma

Not coming

Not coming

What? 70 degrees on December 13th?

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Riding by the Shenandoah

Riding by the Shenandoah

Well, the solstice is coming anyway!

Solstice fire is ready

Solstice fire is ready

Apothecary shed?  Ready!

Apothecary shed? Ready!

Red shed?  Ready!

Red shed? Ready!

Muddy face

Muddy face

VA: Horse Day While the Eagle Watches

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Step 0: Get out the tack

Step 0: Get out the tack

Step 1: tack em up

Step 1: tack em up

Step 3: Tacked up

Step 3: Tacked up

Step 4: View from Willie

Step 4: View from Willie

Step 5: Into the fields

Step 5: Into the fields

Virginia in October

Virginia in October

Meanwhile overhead, an eagle watches.

Bird's eye view

Bird’s eye view

Step 6: Put away tack

Step 6: Put away tack

Step 7: Remove helmets

Step 7: Remove helmets

Yay! You're home.

Yay! You’re home.

Soupie Mama Kitty, Fleurs and Sleepy Boy

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So Pretty.

So Pretty.

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Lamb's Ear

Lamb’s Ear

Virginia Beardtongue

Virginia Beardtongue

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Horses

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It’s not all just art and music around here. In fact, there were more horses this weekend than anything else.

Willie cam

Willie cam

Riding around the garden, again?!

Riding around the garden, again?!

Willie cam.  Paloma, Puck, and Amy.

Willie cam. Paloma, Puck, and Amy.

Who's that?

Who’s that?

Paloma and Amy

Paloma and Amy

Shenandoah Valley

Shenandoah Valley

Bluebells, Dogs, and Horses

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Virginia is gorgeous in the Spring. Flowers everywhere you look, even hidden in the grass. And miles and miles of bluebells by the river. There is nowhere I would rather be.

Jonquil guards the fence

Jonquil guards the fence

Home is where the flowers are

Home is where the flowers are

Jeffersonian tulips

Jeffersonian tulips

Tulips

Tulips

Yard flowers

Yard flowers

Violets

Violets

Sophie contemplates life at bluebell level

Sophie contemplates life at bluebell level

Bluebells in Virginia

Bluebells in Virginia

Paloma's first Virginia trot day

Paloma’s first Virginia trot day

Willie says, what is that whirring noise?

Willie says, what is that whirring noise?

Paloma leads

Paloma leads

Willie goes around the tree for no apparent reason

Willie goes around the tree for no apparent reason

Willie and Paloma

Willie and Paloma

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