What we've been up to

It's been a little while since we've updated our family blog. So, what have we been up to lately? Well, here are a few photos...

We went to the dairy farm in November for where Jessica is staying now to take care of a friend's grandparents.
We had a really good time! One of their relatives has a farm where they raise bison for meat. They also have miniature donkeys, an emu, a pot-bellied pig and more. Here's Mom posing with a few of the animals.


Dad has been busy with his outdoor projects at home. We needed to have our greywater tank replaced, and he recently finished grading and seeding it.
He's also working on preparing the soil for an apple orchard that we hope to get planted this upcoming Spring.

So, not much has changed. We have less daylight now, and the weather is slowly getting colder and colder. We got our first snow a couple weeks ago!

We only got about an inch, though!

Well, that's all for now. Not much is new. Though I (Julia) did get a new camera, so you will certainly be seeing more photos! :-)

Julia's blog

Julia now has a blog of her own. You can find it here:
http://jraesupp.blogspot.com

What's at the end of the rainbow?

You might've heard that there's a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. But we've discovered that there's something very different there...

COWS! :-)

Here's a couple more pictures from around the farm.

Robby

Stacking wood

We're back home in Maine right now, but Jessica will be returning to the farm in a few days. :-)

Down on the dairy farm!

On the 11th Jessica and I (Julia) went to our friend's uncle's dairy farm in New Hampshire! We have now been here for the last week, and will be here for another week. We're helping to take care of our friend's grandparents, and we're also keeping house somewhat.

Just today we went on a hike with some friends on Mount Monadnock. We had gorgeous weather! It was a little windy at the top, but otherwise it was very nice!

Here are some photos from around the farm.

Cows in the field

Kittens in a box

There's the momma cat!

The momma cat is very friendly, and likes to climb up on your shoulders and lick your face.

One of the kittens (which we might end up taking as a barn cat!)

The two pigs

More cows

"Cud you please wait 'til I'm done chewing?" (Do you see the heart shape on her head?)

The farmhouse and barn roof

Zwingli

Luther (the batch that he and Zwingli came from were named after reformers)

That's all from the farm for now!

New York: Friends, guns and relatives

Recently we took a trip to New York. We went there for a relative's wedding and also so we could visit some friends and relatives of ours. We had a great time, as you may be able to tell from the photos...

Here we are, all dressed up for the wedding.

Our friends let us use their guns for target practice after they showed us how to use them.

About half way through our shooting, the sheriff from the next county came. As he was walking toward us, he said "NOW I've found them!". :-) Turns out one of the neighbors from across the town line had contacted the station letting them know that there was a lot of shooting going on nearby. They had a lot of trouble with poachers (people that hunt out of season) in the area. But we were doing everything above board, so the sheriff was reassured, and chatted with us for a little while. Then we went back to our shooting.

We were in the countryside of New York, and there were farms all around us. The view from our friend's yard is very nice. There was also a lot of haying going on!

We took a walk around our friend's property.

Mom and Dad found one of their deer hunting stands!

When we got back to the house, we had a nice bonfire, and Jessica and I played our instruments around it. It was a nice ending to a wonderful visit. :-)

Fall is sneaking up on us!

Lately we have mostly been settling in here at Green Gambrels! Now that we have moved up here permanently (with all our stuff!) we have begun to organize it. I (Julia) personally think you never know how much stuff you have until you have to move it all. :-)

We've gotten a dose of Fall weather during the last few days. Today has been the coldest one we have had so far; the temperature says 52 degrees! I guess we'll have to start getting out the winter clothes. :-)

Fall is the perfect time of year for campfires. A few days ago we ate out in back at the picnic table by the fire pit with our friends. It was cool enough for a fire, but not too cold. A plus is that there aren't as many mosquitos out and about!

The garden is looking good. Mrs. H has been digging up potatoes, which we've eaten with several meals so far. Speaking of that, we went fishing the other day with Mr. H and Joshua. We caught about 6 fish altogether, with Mr. H and Joshua catching some very large bass! I caught two fish, and when we got back to the house we had a filleting party. :-) Mom baked my fish for supper (which we ate with some of Mrs. H's potatoes!), and it was delicious! Yes, I did share some. :-)

Speaking of the garden, here are a few photos.

Mom's tomato plant (courtesy of Mrs. H!):

Flowers:

Two frogs on a bump:

Ellie and Daisy (Remington went to a new home last week):

Wales:

Molly:

Stay tuned for a video of the animals! :-)

Poison and Opinions

This is a short movie made by some of the attendees of BUCKIT Week '09.