A Goodbye to a Good Trailer

We say Goodbye to our horse trailer that brought Gene's horses to the farm, and adopted our mustangs, Blackfoot and Blossom.  A total of 1500 miles logged on a $15,000 machine.  Not much bang for the buck.   Now, if we need horse transport, we'll have to hire it.
These are photos bid Adieu.

And away they go!  Looking good...Best wishes to the new owners.  We hope they make good use of it too!

Renovation: Studio Space

One of several projects this summer - the studio at The Artist Colony - was newly renovated - formerly a garage - the ceiling were lined with metal roofing for a clean finish.

This is a newly laid blue stone/slate entry.

Rainbows

working on the new goat pasture - a rainbow appeared at the end of the day!

Second Cutting

The last of this season's hay - "2nd cutting"  - softest greenest hay - used to feed cattle a burst of nutrition- also used to maintain the diet of an older horse.  Our eldest horses - first Smokey Boots into  her 30s.  Now June Royal,  is showing the later signs of aging.

The gray on her face - the thin body - she's holding her weight pretty, but the ribs are starting to show.  She gets extra senior feed.  June, susceptible to laminitis from too much grass - from pastures plush and large - can stay on pasture all the time now.  In the winter, it is the 2nd cutting that will keep her in good stead.

Restoration Project: Columns

Columns reproduced

to restore an old house.

 Gene's barn woodshop is a large open space that accomodates work on larger projects.

The Amish Way of Making Hay

Time is set back at the farm.  The setting is some time in the 1950s.  For the Amish, it may be back in the pioneer days.  Hay is a difficult undertaking, and for the Amish, horses provide "horsepower", not tractors.

they work together for many of their undertakings - "manpower"

They gather the hay and haul it like this - "horsepower"

than bring it into the barn  - but first it is baled by a stationary setup using a small gas powered motor for baling.

we use this 30 h.p. New Holland tractor just for the tedding and row making parts of the job.

This is the cutter, the initial part of the job.

SOW - Pigs not Pork

I think these faces are lovable and HOPE people consider less pork and more pigs as pets, they are cute and useful compost eaters and makers for the backyard gardener.  Enjoy the photos, taken from local farmers as they humanely raise pig for pork - raising animals in a way that makes them feel special - killing them as painlessly as possible - these are what we can hope for our animal brethren.  Here one is napping in the sun, seemingly quite content!

as you may know already, pigs like the forest floor as a home and forage spot.