Apple Cider Festival 2013 Poster

Apple Cider Festival 2013 Poster, a photo by paynehollow on Flickr.

We celebrated the 2nd Semi Biennial Apple Cider Festival & Highwater Hootenanny this last weekend and a good time was had by all!

Tree of Heaven

farm_03, a photo by paynehollow on Flickr.

Yesterday, a group of unnamed farmers traipsed through the early fall forest in search of Trees of Heaven, in order to mark them for destruction.

Tree of Heaven - ailanthus - you see, is an invasive species. Part of our forestry plan included the process of getting rid of these trees in the woods around the homestead. And the thing is, you can't just cut them down. When you do that, the trees go into defensive mode and send out roots all around the cut-down tree, so instead of one Tree of Heaven, you end up with three or four.

So, we had to mark the trees while the leaves were still on (so as to be more easily identified) to be chemically removed later on in the fall.

There were a goodly number of these invaders. Certainly dozens were identified before I left, and they were still working on it beyond that.

And so, if you were to visit the woods at the Unnamed Farm in the next few weeks, you would see tree after tree marked "Danger" and "Caution."

And that's the news this week.

(I will add, editorially, that it seems wrong, somehow, to mark a plant called "Tree of Heaven" for destruction... Perhaps they should have called them "Trees of Perdition...")

Classified Forest

DSC_0004, a photo by paynehollow on Flickr.

It's official!

Howl at the Moon Housewarming and Hootenanny

Farm Families, a photo by paynehollow on Flickr.

After years and years of planning, work and preparation (and planning and work), the Brown Kinloch and Thomas families have joined the Lori/Togami family living together in community.

God bless them all as they begin this adventure together!

A Housewarming Limerick

The families, Brown Kinloch, Thomas and Lori
And Togamis all dreamed a great story
That once 'pon a time
A community sublime
Could be built with hard work, to great glory

And so they sat and began to plan
And they planned and they planned and they planned
They planned a bit more
Then planned a bit more
And they planned and they planned and they planned

And AFTER all that hard preparation
And applying for permits and probations
And moving huge logs
Bringing chickens and dogs
The families moved in with jubilation

Happy Moving In Day!

Morning Walk

Glistening Grass, a photo by paynehollow on Flickr.

by Michelle

Gentle rain shower, fresh and cool
Long blades of green, green, green in the muted daylight
Walking down my familiar wooded lane
Noticing again the beauty in the simple
yet find myself focusing on the complexity of the unknown future


Young mules trot to the barbed wire to take in the wonder of Iglook
Curiosity guides their moments
Older horse trots to an opening in the wire, boldly stepping out to the street
I tighten my grip on his leash as Iglook instinctively charges, less forcefully now, he's older too


Turkey trots across the lane, into the woods
Box Turtle stretches one foot, shell glides to follow it
I pick him up and move him to safety
Pick-up trucks come by consistently, I've waved to three already


I notice humanity's inventory of winter rubbish strikingly white and red on the roadside
I note to bring a trash bag on my next dry walk
Refocusing my eyes and ears, I see the green, green, green again
I hear the calls of the cardinals
*
*
Back in my kitchen I look out onto new mown field
A large rabbit hops quickly into higher grass
I realize I'm no longer focused on the uncertain future
Just enjoying the gift of the present

Moving Day!

Thomas Family, a photo by paynehollow on Flickr.

After many months and much effort, the Thomas family has moved in to the new home being built on the farm, bringing the number of community member families living on site to TWO. It's been a long time coming, thank God it's here at last!