Photos From Around The Farm

I had to find a bigger bin to use as a chick brooder:

The chicks were growing like weeds and feathering out nicely:

Outdoors, the Lamium was spreading and blooming profusely:

The iris stopped blooming, but the Asiatic Lilies began. Notice the hen scratching beneath the flowers:

The chickens love grass clippings, and run to the lawn mower as soon as I shut if off:

I have a very old fanning mill in my barn's hay loft. I took a photo of it and sent an email to the Power and Equipment Museum, offering to donate it. They declined the offer, saying they already had several fanning mills:

And one morning, I walked into the bathroom and found Georgette harassing a bat. I shooed her out of the room, closed the door, opened the window screens and endeavored to get the bat out the window. At first it tried hiding under the bathroom scales:

And then it tried hanging from my Mexican moon:

It landed on a bath mat and I eventually got it out the window. With bats dying of white nose syndrome, it's more important than ever to be spare them and help them:

The wild elderberries which live in my old silo base began to bloom:

Their blossoms are really quite attractive and soon will be berries, feeding the wild birds:

I took a photo of the baby fantail pigeons at one week of age and was shocked that only one had lived. But it was growing at an astounding rate, its eyes were open and I think we're going to have a new fantail pigeon to share the barn:

St. Lawrence Power And Equipment Museum, The Off-Season

On Sunday morning I drove to the town of Madrid (pronounced MAD-red) to attend a swap meet and tailgate sale of small animals. I drove to Potsdam and then turned northwest to Madrid:

I took this photo of what appeared to be an interesting farm as I crossed the town line:

And then I noticed, on the barn, a sign proclaiming this the St. Lawrence Power And Equipment Museum:

I'd already been planning a visit, but knew they wouldn't be open until summertime:

I then noticed that all the gravel roads were open and there were no signs telling me not to enter, so I decided to drive in and take a look:

There were old fashioned buildings and old fashioned equipment, though the most elaborate and expensive antique equipment was locked inside a warehouse. Some old machinery, such as this unidentified contraption, sat outside:

I didn't know what any of the machinery was, but I plan to learn more when I return in the summer:

They had rebuilt historic buildings which would certainly add to the experience. There was a gas station:

And a shoe shop:

There were lots of unidentified machinery. I snapped some photos and looked forward to seeing everything this summer when they were open. But I was on my way to the swap meet, so I continued on my way: