I arrived at the barn, yesterday morning, just as the sun began to tickle the horizon -
and found these four cheeseburgers nestled together under a heat lamp.
I opened the gate to the front pasture for the equines and got busy on morning chores, happy that I had arrived early enough to see the pastel sunrise. Each morning is different - a surprise gift to begin each and every day.
Next, I freed the ducks and guineas... and of they all went to "work" on all of the far corners of the farm.
It amazes me how much animals are creatures of habit. Each morning the guineas head for the tractor garage, where they bask in the light of the rising sun for several minutes before going on about their day's work. They do this every sunny morning.
The early morning hours had delivered a hard frost
and ice crystals clung to everything.
Despite the frigid morning temperature, this fellow took a dip in the pond when we stopped by to feed the ducks.
I gathered some of the autumn pumpkins and cracked them open for the chickens.
What a feast!! And pumpkins are a natural de-wormer for chickens. The rest of the pumpkins went into the compost pile to hopefully provide for new pumpkin plants next summer.
I spent this weekend alone on the farm as Jack had headed to Pittsburgh to see family....
and then see the Steelers/Ravens NFL game. Having grown up in Pittsburgh, Hubbs, of course, is a big Steelers fan. (They won.)
I stayed home with the dogs and to do farm chores. But when I say that I was alone... I wasn't really. A friend visited on Saturday afternoon and had dinner with me. Saturday gave me the opportunity to do a little housecleaning and make a batch of soap... wild heather and thyme.
I rose early on Sunday morning, baked three loaves of sourdough bread (that I had mixed up the night before),
then, as the sun rose, did morning barn chores (as above), and then made a second batch of soap - Tuscan juniper and myrtle. I'll be slicing these loaves this morning and placing them in the basement pantry to cure for a few weeks. These smell heavenly.
Then on Sunday, this crew came up to spend the afternoon on the farm. Mack brought a friend along, as well.
I believe that one of the best parts about being a child on the farm is having the ability to run free. And believe me, they did run. When given freedom in the great outdoors, kids don't need toys.
Their imaginations come to life and a simple stick becomes all manner of magical objects. No one cares how loud they are - they just have the freedom to be wild.
We hiked in the woods - tiring out both the kids and the dogs.
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