Think Positive...cold nights, days in the 40's

We want to say Thank You to Nel Bernard, the stained glass artist that created this beautiful window that is on the door to our new sugar house. Maine Maple Weekend will be March 24th and 25th.  We will be open both days and start off with a pancake breakfast at 8am.  We will serve our own maple syrup and maple sausage.

We have over 200 taps in, about the same time as usual, the first week in March.  An the weather NEEDS to be below freezing at night and in the 40's during the day.  Usually that kind of weather lasts for about 3 weeks.  The new evaporator is in place and has been tested with water...ready to go.  So far we have about 35 gallons of sap and we need at least 100 gallons to begin boiling.

There is snow on the ground and our draft horse, Bubba has been out with the pung making a trail for collecting sap. Most of the taps are the smaller diameter kind, better for the health of the trees, and the sap runs just as well. We have taps on trees around the new fields out back and 55 gallon buckets to hold sap carried from tree to tree using 5 gallon buckets.  Willing workers have been joyfully assisting with tapping and we hope we will have lots of sap to carry.

We have ewes in the barn, almost as big as the barn, and expect lambs any day now.

And we have a stinky skunk or two that we are hoping to relocate as we catch them.

We are open Sundays and Mondays 12-4 and welcome the opportunity for children to learn about maple syrup production and adults to remember their childhood experiences from this time of year.
Please come for a visit.

Yarn and Yoga Retreat with Wendy Youmans

Last weekend we had a group of wonderful women gathered to share in yoga sessions and yarn projects.  We began with a yoga session with Wendy who offers gentle yoga for everyone.  She offers an approach to yoga that is sensitive to the beginners needs, yet challenging enough for experienced participants.

Then we enjoyed our first meal together (mostly vegetarian) followed by spinning and knitting by the wood stove.  We shared some stories and began to get to know one another.


Early risers on Saturday enjoyed helping with chores including feeding the sheep, draft horse, and chickens, and collecting fresh eggs. After a breakfast of pancakes, maple syrup and maple sausage from the farm, we enjoyed more knitting and spinning.  Yoga before lunch, and a group settled in to try out needle felting after that.

One learned to spin, and ply, while another created a design for a tam using hand dyed yarn from Timmy and Twilight, (two of our ewes). Show and tell was dispersed throughout the weekend with kudos for each creation. Several enjoyed spinning blended batts and some were learned to knit.  After supper we enjoyed a story read by Bonnie about bizarre things that happened on a cold snowy night.  Marty and Mary Ann shared about how they met, how they chose to come to Maine to live, and how they began farming.  There was laughter, openess, and a developing sense of community.

Sunday am,  chores again, more gentle yoga followed by a delicious brunch with farm fresh eggs, biscuits, and fresh fruit.  As preparations were made to go back to their homes, everyone expressed a sense of renewal and regeneration that exceeded their expectations. Several became members of our Fiber CSA, which provided yarn for future projects and a connection that will bring them back to the farm throughout the year.  Here are some highlights from feedback we have received since their return home ....

"I'll always remember my weekend with you as one of the best of my time in Maine. Truly magical!"

" I agree that it was a wonderful weekend. The yoga, the companionship of such talented and creative women, the food, the fiber, and the sheep! Oh those lovely sheep."

"Many thanks for hosting a truly fantastic weekend! It was just what I needed-to hang out with a group of amazing women, eat great food, enjoy a beautiful location, relax by the fire and knit, and do lots of yoga! The two of you have created such a welcoming space, both in your home and in the Tesseract. I am inspired by your lives, full of intention and purpose. Something I am striving to create.Yoga was lovely and I would not change a thing. Wendy is a gifted yoga teacher who can met people wherever they are."

We are planning to have more weekend yoga opportunities.  The next one is a Mother Daughter sleepover with  needle felting to be held Saturday/Sunday April 21-22, 2012.  

And we are thinking about a fall Yoga and Yarn Retreat. 

Let us know if you are interested.

Winter Chores

Chores must happen sleet, snow or sunshine, which,  by the way, comes later in the morning and leaves earlier in the evening this time of year in Maine.  Though I am often up by 5:30 am I rarely do chores until after 8am as one thing leads to another and I suddenly realize it is light outside.

  We begin with the chickens, who have had a light bulb on since 3am...and find we are getting a dozen eggs now.  A couple of weeks ago they were molting and we were getting an egg a day from our 2 dozen hens.  They get grain and water too, and when their grain has been low they push hard to find a place at the feeder..

Next the lambs, now almost a year old.  We have 3 groups of them. Two groups of 4 for market lambs, separating the boys from the girls.  One group that is with Brother Augustus, supposedly a Finn ram lamb we traded for last summer.  Brother Augustus has horns now, so we suspect he is not really pure Finn. His 5 ewe lambs are the healthiest of last year's girls, and we hope they will have lambs in the spring. These girls have the shelter of the back of the barn, while the other lambs have the shelter on the north of the pole barn or a chiclen tractor covered with a tarp.  They all scramble for the grain and hay I give them. The water in their buckets has been frozen in the am lately, so I carry the frozen bucket inside where it is warm to thaw and put out fresh water. As I enter the doorway they push to get inside where the hay is stored.  You would think they had not eaten for a week.

Then to the adult ewes, of which many are expected to lamb in late March or early April.  Most, but not all,  had a fall shearing. They have access to the feeder in the pole barn where it is easy to drop hay down from the loft.  I walk through the feeder putting hand mixed grain in the trays on both sides as the ewes eagerly jockey for as much as they can get. Then I drop down 3 bales of hay, break open the bales and place the hay where they can enjoy it.  I watch to make sure everyone is getting a chance to eat, and hand feed the two that are not as aggressive for food.

Next we tend to Bubba, the draft horse accompanied by the two boys...Lester, our Border Leicester Ram, (who hopefully has done a good job), and Timmy, our Romney wether.  They all get grain and hay too.  Water for them and the adult ewes is in an automatic waterer that does not freeze.

Finally we tend to Hattie, who is isolated as she recovers from an abscess, now healing nicely.  She is really eager, standing with both feet on the fence that keeps her well away from the rest of the sheep. Hattie is a favorite, a big Romney with gorgeous huge colored fleeces twice a year.

Not done yet....now shoveling the poop.  Before the ground froze it was easier to pick up the large clumps with a manure fork. Each day it was easy to fill two wheel barrows full and dump it in the pile at the back of the pole barn.  The pile is already pretty big.  With freezing temperatures the poop is often frozen to the ground and an occasional fresh one. Here is a picture of the pile...impressive isn't it.When the sheep hear us coming they begin to baa eagerly, letting us know they are  hungry.


Believe it or not, this is the first year we have picked up the sheep manure daily and we anticipate a much cleaner barnyard come spring for the little time it takes every morning. Standing back I survey the barnyard, make sure the electric fence is back on, and think about getting those 4 coats on some sheep soon to protect their fleeces for the hay and chaff they seem to easily accumulate in their necks. Then off to the Tesseract to wash a couple of fleeces and spread them out to dry, best done on sunny days when the sun heats the water on the roof to 136 degrees.

I'll be back around 4pm to do it all over again. Twice a day, every day, except when we travel and our generous friends come to care for them.  Great friends indeed.