Our Farm Intern

 This year we tried something new...  a farm intern.  They are unpaid help (that term used loosely) just learning a little more about farm life with each passing day.   Meet our intern:

He's especially adept at finding piles of manure in the pasture when we are out with the intention of cleaning them up.  In fact, he takes his job so seriously that we almost have to fight him for the piles.

Chester looks on with disdain.

The thing about horse poop (for those who have not had the pleasure)... is... it is very different from the excrement of predatory animals (dogs, cats...ourselves included). Horse poop contains a large amount of undigested fiber.  It does not have the typical odor of poop... and some of you, like me, might agree that it smells almost pleasant.  Young Forrest would agree.  He steals a bite whenever he can...pig poop as well.  I often laugh to myself when I watch Ginger... Forrest's walking Pez dispenser. (Sorry)

 Hubbs shared with me that he read that scientists theorize that one of the reasons why dogs eat horse poop is to improve their own microbiome (the microbial world of their intestinal tract).  Curiously, dogs will only consume the feces of animals who are less efficient at digesting their food than themselves.  (In case you were wondering!)

Of course, no trip to the front pasture is complete without a visit from Ginger.  She loves company... both human and animal.  She's become so very much like her sister, MaryAnn, was - quite outgoing.

On close inspection, I see she's been into the poke berries.  Yes, Ginger, you look fabulous in purple!  What pig doesn't?

While combing the front pasture, we see a few new mushroom species that have popped up in the last couple of days. 

 It's not only the woods where we see fungi - it's present all over the farm.

After cleaning the front pasture, we do afternoon barn chores... feeding critters a snack and refilling water buckets.  Forrest, the water dog that he is, loves his drinks straight from the hose.

It's so much more efficient this way.

And... it's fun!

His hose skills are unmatched.

This week's extra chore is bulb-planting.  Yesterday I planted these giant allium in the cottage garden outside Maven Haven.

And for naturalizing around the farm, I have 50 narcissus to plant.

As you can see, I have a helper...

my intern loves to play keep-away!

To answer a question from yesterday about the sage wreath.  I used a wire wreath form and green wire - simply placing the sage where I wanted it (overlapping) and wrapping with wire. 

 I have a couple of these metal wreath rings for fashioning homemade wreaths that I use over and over.    The wreath will dry out over the coming days, but, even dry, it should still look nice.  Come winter, I will simply strip off the wire and the sage, and start again with evergreen boughs.

My sweater is off the needles... next job is to find some buttons for it and then wet block it to remove all of the wonkiness.