Planting Season Has Begun!

At the last minute, I added one more rose to my order from High Country Roses. This time it was a climbing, continuous bloom, hardy, shade tolerant rose called Darlow's Enigma:

And I began cleaning up the mesh from the outsides of hay bales which had been too frozen to separate out during the winter. I'll clean up the moldy hay later:

But despite our warmer weather, there was still ice beneath many clumps of hay which still clung to the mesh. We will need more warming before I can get it all:

  Remember the old fashioned rose which I found trying to grow in the middle of the lawn? I let it grow and it had become a giant bush, with many canes too woody to produce flowers:

So it got the same treatment as the Rugosa roses. It will now have plenty of room to grow and flower:

I bought a healthy looking pink Hydrangea:

And planted it beside the Magnolia and red Hydrangea:

  Alas, right after planting, we got several days of rain and more very cold temperatures. The poor little Hydrangea wasn't prepared for such rigors and now looks dead. But it is a hardy variety and I won't give up hope yet:

The cows and horses are happy and relaxed, enjoying the sunshine and freedom from flies:

They are still getting hay, though I'm almost out:

Life is good:

The Daffodils are up and buds are swelling. We are later than most places, but such is life in the north country:

Spring Surprises

Spring has been full of surprises so far, including two early lambs at the neighbors' farm:

And of course snow melting off the roof of the barn, then freezing into long, crystalline icicles:

I started opening the pigeons' window to let in fresh air on days when it's not too cold:

And the little hens are beginning to lay more eggs:

The farm gets covered with snow, then it melts:

Even the snow piles beside the driveway are almost gone:

And the melting snow revealed these amazing plants by the back door. This is not new growth, but Bouncing Bet, wildflowers in the Pink family, which stayed green all winter beneath the snow:

And then, just as I was feeling all the glories of spring, we got buried once again:

I found the cattle's backs covered with snow and icicles hanging off their sides:

I had to drive through deep snow to bring out a new hay bale:

And I had to plow and shovel snow once again. You can see how the piles alongside the driveway grew overnight:

And inside the barn, the snow which had blown through gaps in the wall revealed animal tracks which went up into the hayloft. I suspect they are cats from across the road, and I think they are hunting my infestation of English Sparrows, for which I am grateful:

The Red Poll Ladies

Our previously mild winter turned frigid and severe, but the Red Poll girls handled it all with aplomb:

Amy continues to come into heat, inspiring some of her herd mates to mount her, but I can't allow her to get pregnant because her udder problems require her calves be hand fed, a mighty job which costs far, far more than the calf would sell for. I also don't think her genes should be perpetuated:

The bale feeder and consequently the herd are permanently on the east side of the barn until the weather warms up. This protects them from westerly winds, which is primarily what we get:

And I continue to move the bale feeder each time I bring them a new hay bale. This not only saves the feeder from ruin (as I learned the hard way) from becoming frozen in waste hay, but gives the cows some hay to sleep on:

I am amazed at how much protection the barn provides on windy days:

The cows (and horses too) are so well insulated that the snow builds up on their backs without melting:

Sometimes on mild days, they do a bit of exploring, but they don't go far. Their life in the winter centers around the bale feeder:

We had a freezing rain which covered the herd with ice. They didn't seem to mind:

They looked as if they had crystalline threads all over their bodies:

I wish I could say that they knew enough to get out of the way of the tractor, but they don't. I have to be very careful:

Moving the bale feeder before putting in a new bale helps, as the animals are still concentrating on the former site:

Jasmine is often the first cow to the bale feeder:

The Red Poll Girls

Life continues in relaxed summer mode for the cattle and the horses. Everyone made it through the big heat wave and now life is easy again - except, perhaps, for the summertime flies:

Scarlett's udder became swollen and sore after her calf, Rocket, went to his new home but she quickly adapted and has already been artificially inseminated again for next year. Scarlett is a good mother and very fertile. That's Rosella, her first calf born here, next to her. They still hang out together:

The grass has been kept eaten down to a reasonable height since I bush hogged the field, though there are thistles growing up again which I will try to use the weed-whacker on:

Jasmine, once obese, infertile and lame, has rebounded to a healthy, happy, beautiful cow. She is also the most affectionate of them all. I believe I saw her in heat this summer and am hoping she will be able to get pregnant again - not only for my sake, but also because it will be healthy for her:

Grass eating sessions are interspersed with cut chewing/sleep sessions. Life is good:

Lucky certainly enjoys a good nap, here seen with Rosella and Scarlett, his mother and grandmother:

Gracie is the one cow who has not slimmed down this summer. She's still quite tubby. I can sympathize with her:

Gracie again. A full figured lady needs time to rest and recuperate:

I cleaned the barn floor and the next morning, Amy and Scarlett stayed inside after their grain so they could eat that nice, new hay. I had to push them out the door before they covered all that clean hay with manure:

The east side of the barn is shady in the afternoons, and also where the compost piles and a couple of Box Elders are located. On a hot day, the herd often moves here to relax:

On hot mornings, they crowd together beneath the small Box Elder on the south side of the barn. It offers a small amount of shade and their closeness allows them to rub against each other to get rid of the bothersome flies:

Lucky is reaching the age where he might be ready for his new home. He is growing at an amazing rate:

Summertime On The Farm

It's midsummer and life on the pasture is relaxed and comfortable:

I saw windfall cherries all over the ground beneath the cherry tree and thought this year's crop was lost:

 But then I looked up and saw lots of baby cherries still on the tree:

 There are many green baby pears on the pear tree:

And a few red baby pears also. I don't know why some are turning red so early, but I'm pretty sure this happens every year:

 The plum tree is loaded with baby plums:

 And the unmowed places near the road are filled with Northern Bedstraw, Mullein and Butter-And-Eggs:

 A close-up of Butter-And-Eggs:

 My favorites were this Deptford Pink, surrounded by Northern Bedstraw:

 The apple trees in the grove are mostly without fruit, but the two trees on the other side of the house have lots of baby apples:

 I saw this patch of Lesser Stitchwort, a kind of Chickweed, in a spot next to the barn door where I couldn't mow:

 Lesser Stitchwort, up close, is really quite attractive: