DAM!

Back some time this winter, I started to notice some water collecting on the far side of the hay field across the road from us.  There is a stream that runs through there and I assumed that something had frozen and that little pond that was accumulating would disappear once the weather warmed and everything thawed.  The pond continued to grow noticeably larger.  The weather warmed somewhat and I began to grow curious about why the water had not yet receded.  Then, one foggy morning as I was driving to work, I had to swerve in order to avoid hitting an animal that was seated in the middle of the road just uphill from our house.  I couldn't be sure what I had just narrowly missed but perhaps it was a beaver?  Now I was very suspicious about the pond.  A day after my near collision, we to the opportunity to investigate.  This is what we found:

 

Beavers!

 

No doubt about it.  There were beaver chewed trees all over the place and a tidy little damn that had created the pond that I had been watching.  No sign of the critters, themselves, or their lodge but they were certainly busy in the area.  Unfortunately, there was some heavy machinery and excavation in the area of the dam this past weekend.  There is no indication of what the fate of the beavers is but we are actually hoping that they are undeterred.  Even if they have vacated, we just located and identified a very interesting tree in the woods up the hill from us.  There are most certainly interesting critters living in there.  More to follow once I have photographic proof. 

 

In other news, all of the fruit trees and berries are prepped and ready for the upcoming growing season.  Everyone had been pruned a few weeks ago.  Today, I was able to amend and compost everything to help with a strong growing season.  More composting and amending the vegetable plots to follow.  Lastly, it is somewhat of an end of an era.  We are fishless.  The two remaining inhabitants of our aquarium were relocated on Monday.  No matter, it is looking more and more like Lola is going to kid in early May.  We'll have plenty to keep ourselves busy without having the fish around.

Out in the Pasture

The boys made it out into the pasture this weekend.  Flash took a little frolic and a victory lap, before joining us.  Ringo, however, turned into the Energizer Bunny!  That cow ran...and ran...and ran!  We weren't sure if he was going to stop on his own or simply fall over dead from over exertion. When he finally stopped, he was panting like crazy and foam was billowing out of his mouth.  

The goats in their usual form, were once again bullying the cows!

 After calming down a little, the boys discovered the local "water fountain".

Then they discovered Eric in the field.

And then, they began practicing their poses for the upcoming 2016 "barnyard selfies." 

Ringo and Flash

We have two cows on buckets now!  Flash is also munching on hay and a little grain.  Ringo seems to be lagging behind slightly, but then again, he is a week younger than Flash.  

 The boys are enjoying exploring their world, when given the opportunity.  We can't wait until their first day in the pasture...nothing is better than watching a baby calf frolic!  

Piper, as usual, loves her baby animals.  

Nap-time for kids = nap-time for animals.

After a few days with our niece and two nephews, the animals have been officially exhausted!

The boys.

Here's a promised photo of the boys.  

Little Ringo is so small he keeps slipping out of his jacket. Even with the straps tightened as far as they can go it's still too big for him!  They are both doing well and we hope to get Flash drinking his milk from a bucket this weekend.

So it begins...

The "Critter Hauler" was called in to action for the second time yesterday and two new friends came bumping home over muddy, rutted roads.  We welcome Flash and Ringo, this year's Jersey bull calves, to Silver Hill Farm.  Two and one week old, respectively, they already seem to be fitting right in to our barn.  Being our second go around with these critters certainly seems to make things a bit easier and we are back in action carrying full four pint calf bottles back and forth to the barn.  Even naming the boys took far less consideration.  In case you are wondering, Flash was named for his white spots and uncanny ability to evade capture during loading in the truck.  The name given by the farm kids, Wind Rider, fit well but is a bit unwieldy and hard to remember.  Though a week younger and much smaller than Flash, Ringo has already shown his exuberant personality.  He just is a Ringo.  Pictures in their designer calf blankets to follow.

 

Happy first day of Spring.

 



Grow Lights

So far our onion experiment seems to be working well, with the help of a grow light.  We also recently started some lettuce and spinach in the basement.  If all goes well, we may build a greenhouse next year.  This would allow us to start seeds inside earlier, moving the transplants to a greenhouse in the spring, before planting the final garden at the end of May.  The slow pace of winter tends to bring up such projects!

And speaking of slow pace...winter is definitely ENDING.  This means that Silver Hill Farm will awaken once again and the chaos of springtime will soon be upon us.  So, get out the baby bottles because starting this weekend, two more baby bull calves arrive!  

Here we go...