The Stillness of an Autumn Afternoon

An autumn quiet has fallen upon the farm.
Afternoons are almost completely silent now...
 just the faint chirping of a few crickets are all that I hear as I make my way 
on afternoon rounds.


Hubbs was gone the past two days... visiting his parents up North...
making the farm even quieter.


In case you haven't noticed, I am a big fan of Autumn.
Next to Hubbs, he's my favorite.


(Spring and Summer are definitely "she's"... And winter is a "he"?
After all, no one has ever referred to it as Ole Woman Winter, right?
So, doesn't that mean that Winter's younger sibling is a "he" as well?)

While up north, Hubbs visited a fish hatchery and brought home
several thousand minnows.
They will serve as food for the bigger fish over the coming months.
Sad... yes, I know.


There is a process for acclimating new fish to the pond.
It involves sitting the bags of fish in the pond to help bring the water temperature down
to that of the pond.
Then pond water is slowly introduced into the bag... once... twice...
and after sitting for a spell in this mixture, they are eventually dumped into the pond.


As we emptied the fish into the pond,
there seemed to be an awful lot of them belly-up...
which worried us.
Happily, within a few seconds, most of them righted themselves and started swimming.

Hopefully they will have some time to grow before being swallowed up by the bigger fish.
Sad... yes, I know.
It stinks to be at the bottom of the food chain.

A little higher up the food chain...


Every morning, one or more of the Muscovy ducks makes her way up to the barn to hang out for about an hour.
She (they) grabs a meal and visits with the runners,
- which is funny
because the runners don't exactly appreciate their company and run away as fast as they can.


She then flies to the top of the fence, or the roof of the barn...
and then takes off...
flying back to the pond.




The apple orchard is barren now,
except for a couple apples hanging high in the trees.
I was able to grab one yesterday and split it between these two.


These two are completely spoiled.
It's no wonder they come running whenever they see us.
The thing is... they are completely worth spoiling.
If you were here... you'd always have snacks in your pockets!!
And the girls would love YOU too!!

Comments

littlemancat said…
Enjoyed this very much - always,always a sweet benediction to start the day.
Many thanks.
Mary
What a lovely life you have created for the 100 plus souls that cohabitate with you on the farm - always a pleasure to visit your blog.

ninergirl04 said…
Thank you for the daily respite from what is often times the madness going on in the rest of the world. Your posts soothe my soul. Thank you ~
This N That said…
Peaceful pictures...Did your minnows not get enough oxygen somewhere in that process??
Carine said…
It is always a delight to read your daily life! ALl the animals are lovely and specially this cute little frog! thank you for your nice stories. Carine from France
Lynne said…
Love your farm life . . .
And your wonderful care . . .
You and hubs “team it up” beautifully . . .