Caught between rain showers tonight ~
Autumn Joy Sedum with deepening hues,
Black Futsu Heirloom Squash,
Miss Harley Spooky Cat,
Fallen Walnuts,
Beginnings of the Winter Woodpile,
Ornamental Grass Seed Head,
Baby Pumpkin,
Freshly Painted Old Chair,
Wood Fungus (hey! fungus can be pretty too),
Rusty Old Hinge on Blacksmith Shop.
Autumn is off to a beautiful start.
Hope your week is going well!
If you’ve been following our farm adventures since last Spring, you may recall we’ve traveled far and wide searching for a Brown Chinese Gander for our goose Greta. Well, big news… Greta now has a boyfriend. His name is Grady and hails from Shawnee, Oklahoma. He just flew in to join our family. Well.. not exactly…
A local auction company hosts an “exotic animal auction” at least 4 times a year. During these week-long events, there are also Bird Swaps. You will find guineas, ducks, chickens, geese, and all kinds of feathered friends. I attended the July Bird Swap in search of a Brown Chinese Gander, to no avail. I did however meet someone from Oklahoma who said he had a Brown Chinese gander back at home, running around with his flock of 65 geese. He also offered to bring him for the September event if I didn’t find a gander before then. Well, I didn’t find a gander, so I contacted him and he brought this guy on Monday. I was thrilled to say the least!
Grady is slightly imperfect, but he’s perfect in my eyes. He has a condition called “Angel Wing” and sadly, he will never fly. However, since he’ll be in a protected area here, I think Grady was meant to come join our group of pampered pets. In every other way, he’s perfectly fine. Greta seems less than thrilled so far. Maybe she was enjoying her single life, I don’t know. But at least she has some company now. No fighting, no big issues… just a little bit of nibbling from Greta if Grady gets out of line. They goose-talk a lot, which is funny to hear.
Now ~ at long last…. Meet Grady!
Here’s the Happy(??) Honking Couple…
It is a gorgeous almost-Fall evening here. One of those evenings you just don’t want to come back inside. Just a little hint of chill in the air. Tonight I kept snapping, and snapping.
Here we have Ghostly White Gourds, Pie Pumpkin, Birdhouse Gourd, Autumnal Dogwood Leaves & Oak Leaves, Wagon Load of Gourds, and Little Pears
And, because I kept snapping and snapping, I have more pictures.
Here is an old wheel that Mr. W fixed up for the birdfeeders (I love it and so do the birds!), Vintage Dr. Pepper (see below for an explanation of the Bottle Tree), Purple Petunias, Bluebird Bathing Beauties.
After I posted the first photo of the Bottle Tree in one of my walkabouts, I had a couple of requests to tell more. On my 49th birthday this year, I decided it was the day to begin this unusual tree. Our son helped us plant this Crimson Maple when he was very small. We always called it his tree. Last year, some evil bugs came in and killed the tree. I refused to cut it down because of its special meaning. Since watching the movie Ray, chronicling the extraordinary life and times of Ray Charles, I’d been obsessed with having a bottle tree of my own. Upon further investigation, legend has it that Bottle Trees remove evil spirits from the home and trap them in the bottles. Not that I’m worried about evil spirits, but I just thought it was a novel idea. And it’s pretty (at least in my eyes). Our Bottle Tree, thus far, has only vintage soda bottles. I plan to “branch out” with other varieties soon.
So, there ya have it, folks! Hope your week is going well. And YES, tomorrow is finally Friday!!
We had a nice, but rushed weekend. Firstly, did I mention that Mr. W has a new job? His job of about thirty years was sent offshore late last year. After being unemployed for 10 months, finally a job! Can I get a Hallelujah? It’s a totally new line of work for him (retail) but he is really enjoying it so far.
Saturday, Mr. W had a not so blessed brush with some ground bees while woodcutting. He was stung about 15 times before he managed to get away from the vicious swarm that came sneakily out of the ground. He’s fine, but we were concerned for a little bit. Shortly after a good dose of Benadryl and baking soda, and we decided he was going to be just fine… we had special guests from Osage Bluff, Patti and BT. It was a short but nice visit! I’ve decided they should move closer so we can visit more often (I’m selfish that way).
The guys (the Blacksmith & Fiddler) picked up a nice used fridge from my sister’s old house today. This will be used in the Barn/Cottage. Afterwards, we went to DS & BIL’s new farm to celebrate her birthday with gifts and cake and ice cream. I should have taken pictures of her flock of Toulouse geese who were so comically parading through the yard. Or her beautiful sheep. We were too busy touring and visiting. Alas… next time.
My homemade gift for Sis was a grain sack style pillow. I stenciled her farm name, “Little Flower Farm” and Sheep Feed in French to add a little French Country flair. Now, friend Andrea, could you please tell me if I came anywhere near what I intended to say in French? Don’t hold back. Show me no merci (hehe!).
On our way back from the birthday celebration, we took a quick detour to a local small town so I could capture photos of this. Isn’t it très cool? Someone made a huge effort here, and I, for one, appreciate it.
How did you spend this September weekend? Hope it was a pleasant one!
Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow…
Hope you’re enjoying September… it’s speeding on by way too fast. Catch it while you can!
RIP Oliver
a/k/a Olli Bear, Olly Olly (Oxen Free)
1992-2009
A sweet, docile kitty left this world peacefully at home yesterday morning. Oliver was a part of a litter of newborns that my sister rescued from the Humane Society 17 years ago (their mother had just been euthanized). My requests: We wanted a Garfield (check). I also asked for the most lovable, sweet, docile, easy to get along with kitten (check, check, check, check). Oliver was the only cat we’ve ever owned (or who owned us) who didn’t mind a bath now and then. An unforgettable furball part of our family.
Rest in peace, dear sweet Oliver.
Look at what I found hiding in my pumpkin & squash patch yesterday. I don’t know how I missed it. Jaune Gros de Paris weighs 24.6 pounds.
I planted a patch of heirloom squash and pumpkins early this Summer. We’ve had a few green & yellow zucchini, one spaghetti squash, and a couple little patty pans. I’ve checked it every day, hoping to find a pumpkin, or at least a baby pumpkin. The fruits have been few and far between, however the blossoms have been plentiful. (I think we need more bees around here.) So I can’t tell you how excited I was to find this big gem yesterday.
This is my first year planting anything heirloom. We had several heirloom tomato varieties that did well until the blight/fungus thing hit. The pumpkin seeds came from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds in Mansfield, Missouri. Here is Baker Creek’s description of Jaune Gros de Paris:
“The beautiful giant pumpkin of historic Paris, the big pinkish-yellow fruit can grow to over 100 lbs. They are round, flattened and have light ribbing. They are good keepers and are still popular in France. Good in pies, soups and baked. A winner for farm markets!”
Hmmm, pumpkin pie? Pumpkin soup? I’ll think on it while I sit back and admire Jaune. And, next year I’ll shoot for more than one pumpkin.
