Guinea Eggs
We knew they laid eggs, but last year the Guineas didn’t survive long enough to mature to the point that they actually produced eggs. This year they started laying them right around the 4th of July. The flock of 18…
They are still alive
This year they are surviving. We had a little attrition after we first released them, a few evenings some of them weren’t smart (or scared) enough to come into the coop and didn’t survive the night, but we have had…
Keets
We got the keets a lot later this year, they did not arrive until mid-March. After only a few weeks of living in the house we have succesfully moved them outdoors. They are a lot more skittish this year than…
Guinea Pens
We are getting guinea hens again this year. We are optimistic they will survive, but even if they don’t they are a worthwhile investment to keep the ticks at bay. However, this year we have a better approach to raising…
Blue Heron
One animal we never expected to find in our little pond is a Blue Heron. The pond is only about as wide in diameter as the heron is tall, so he looked a little ridiculous hanging out there. He…
Baby Possum
Another creature for the menagerie. We were cleaning off the deck, and when I came around the corner I was surprised to see a little baby possum seated on our rain barrel. It was odd to see a possum out…
Cooper’s Hawk
Another new animal sighting, this time it was hard to miss. Amanda noticed a few mornings ago a young Coopers Hawk (at least that is what we think it was) perched on top of the remains of our gazebo. Its…
A tour of Crown Maple
One of the benefits of being in the country is getting back in touch with our food sources. Towards that end we went on a couple of farm tours last week, courtesy of the Oblong Land Conservancy as part of…
The Snowpocalypse
The October storm hit us pretty hard. We thought the hurricane was bad, but this was a lot worse. At least a foot of heavy wet snow, and despite shaking the trees free of snow around the house every couple…
Stop Fracking
Bill A07400, proposed by Assemblyman Robert Sweeney, Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee, would suspend hydraulic fracturing in New York State. It passed in the Assembly, however the Senate has not yet acted on this legislation. MoveOn.org has put together…