Little baby silkies

It is beginning to feel a lot more like spring these days. I spent the afternoon trying to identify a pen full of mixed bantams. My best guess is that these to little "ladies" are Silkies. They are ornamental chickens that are not known for their egg laying abilities. I'll be picking up the serious egg laying chicks in May.

The Blizzard

Winter continues here on the Hemingway Land Project. Last week we endured a strong blizzard that created three foot drifts across our driveway and the main road. We attempted to walk our neighbor home the morning after the storm, only to find that the drifts were so tall that we were literally forced to crawl on our hands and knees to the next farmstead.

Chelsea the Rescue Puppy

With the dreaded winter months ahead we decided to adopt a second dog from the local animal shelter. Chelsea is our newest family member, adopted the week of thanksgiving. While we were worried about adopting a border collie into our family, it turns out that Marty, our older husky lab mix, is still our hyper star, while Chelsea seems calm in comparison. Now as we sit in the house counting the weeks until spring, we have a nonstop doggie antics to entertain us.

Winter Wonderland

For someone who despises snow, I have to admit that this Christmas weather was enchanting. However, I think I'll be requesting our seed catalogues and turning my thoughts to the ever so distant spring.

Broccoli Harvest

We decided to pick all the substantial broccoli and cauliflower heads before the forecasted hard frost this weekend. It was surprising the sheer amount we were able to grow this fall compared to last year's single (inedible) yellow head of cauliflower.

Great Greens from the Fall Gardens

Last year we were so busy on the Hemingway Land Project that we never managed to put together a fall garden. This year I was able to plant lettuce, spinach, peas, cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage all in the last week in August. In the future I may skip the entire spring garden and just concentrate on the fall garden. Our plants seemed to grow twice as fast as their spring counterparts. They also competed with less weeds. The fall garden did require a great deal more watering, but I'll take watering over weeding any day. Another benefit I found was that by August all the organic seeds were 50% off in the local shops.

Papa Steve's Rose Garden

Bryan and I were so impressed by Papa Steve's rose garden that we decided to have a family picture day among the flowers. After the snow falls we can hang these pictures to remind us that the color will soon return to Iowa.