Scenes From December

As per usual, December has flown by and here we are just days away from Christmas.  I thought I'd share a few seasonal photos from the month, it's been a busy one!  One of the highlights was Grace coming home.  This shot makes me smile, it was taken before she ever even went inside the house.  Almost all of the animals were there to welcome her!

We went and got our tree early since we kept hearing that there was a shortage and sure enough, they didn't have any tall ones left.  We still found a beauty though!  We waited until Grace was home to trim it and while I'm sure she was exhausted from her long flight, it made this mommas heart very happy!

Before Grace came home, she and friends went to the Highlands to scope out reindeer!  She said it was one of her favorite days ever.

We also went into the city to see the Nutcracker.  Grace's flatmate, Emma, was with us as well.

Currently, we have a fire going in the library, cookies chilling in the fridge and rain and wind outside the window.  It feels cozy and happy inside. 

The Guinea Hens

Back in September, we got Guinea Hens in an effort to try to control the tick population.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, the ticks are enemy number one around here.  Bryce and Harris have both had Lyme disease and it's not something that we would like to repeat.  I absolutely HATE the fact that ticks stop us from being able to enjoy the woods on our property during certain times of the year.  

Enter Guinea Hens.  I've wanted them for some time but have been put off by so many of the negative comments about them.  They are loud, they are wild, they are ugly and they are not worth the trouble is a general consensus around the internet.  But, and here is the key, they are phenomenal tick control.  It's estimated that they can eat up to 1,000 ticks a day!  I'm willing to put up with a lot of noise and commotion for that sort of service.

We got Lavender Guineas because I read somewhere that they were a little more tolerant of people and while I'm not sure if that's true, our guineas seem to like to be around us (we don't pick them up) so maybe it is?  As it turns out, I love the guineas!  They make an extraordinary amount of noise but I enjoy watching them and their weird and wacky ways.

After they got out of the brooder we made their permanent home in the corn crib section of the barn.  Bryce made it smaller with a door and put up roosting bars.  We kept them confined to this area for quite a while in the hopes that they would consider it home instead of roosting in trees. So far it's worked and they are safe and sound at night.

Heartbreakingly, we have lost a few to fox and two to a hawk during the day.  I'm worried that this means we just won't be able to keep guineas because we cannot possibly be out with them all day and protect them.  It's important for them to be able to free range, not just for the ticks but because they need about a five acres area to wander.  Every day when I put them away for the night and they are all still there, I'm so thankful!  

Christmas Market in the Barn

Last weekend, Gretchen and I hosted our 2nd Christmas Market in the barn.  All week I watched the chance of rain creep up and up until finally it was at 100%.  Sure enough, we woke to raindrops on the windows!  It was really a horrible weather day (though I guess it always could have been worse!) but inside the barn it was cozy and festive!  

The best part of the barn sale is the people who come out for it and this years attendees were particularly wonderful for braving the elements!  I love connecting with friends that I don't often see, strangers from our community and close friends who are always supportive.  

Gretchen and I decorated the flower cart for the day!  Normally, we would have put out our cookies and hot chocolate on the cart but they had to be moved inside due to the rain.  

The barn, while certainly rustic, looks so festive with wreaths and twinkly lights! Each vendor had a table  lined up on the sides of the barn and we put a tree on the "stage".  

Holle was in town and was so super helpful with the sale!

At the very end of the day, right as we finished clean-up, the sun tried to make an appearance!  The farm lane may never be the same but I was glad that we forged ahead and made the sale happen.  It reminded me that special things are worth the effort!  

Harris Goes to Scotland

Before Thanksgiving, since Harris had the whole week off, he went over to Scotland to visit Grace for a few days.  I don't know much of what transpired during those few days except walks were taken, banangrams was played and pubs were attended.  According to both children it was a really great couple of days and well worth the long plane ride for Harris.  I think it was good bonding time and I'm really glad we sent him alone. 

Friendsgiving

We also hosted Friendsgiving in the barn again this year.  I didn't get any pictures of the friends but I did get a few of the table.  Cleaning out the barn was a real lift this year!  It's always nice to do it, especially with our barn sale being so soon afterwards.  

I made a potpie using leftover turkey and I have to say that I was very smitten with the top of it!  I loved the addition of herbs to the crust!

For appetizers, we had the usual plus I made a butter board to serve with our sourdough.  The butter board was so tasty! I used cranberries and pecans on top. 

A wonderful night with wonderful friends!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because it's all about people you love and food.  This year we hosted at the farm and it was a really lovely day.  The only caveat to all that loveliness was that we were really missing Grace this year.  Only one more Thanksgiving until she is home celebrating the day with us!  Here are some photos of the day...

A Pizza Oven

Over 2 years ago, during Covid, Bryce started a project that we both thought was a great idea but clearly had no idea what we would be getting ourselves into!  That project is finally finished and Bryce can breathe a sigh of relief.  It all starts with an outdoor hearth...

When we moved to the farm, there was already an outdoor fireplace that, while not close to the house, also isn't too far away.  It was probably an addition to the property somewhere in the 50's or 60's when they seemed to be a popular addition to yards.  

We never really used it as a grill or fireplace and many stones were loose, mortar missing and the terra cotta chimney lining was breaking up. Bryce would use it to burn twigs and scrap wood and it did see some use the first few times we made maple syrup!  While that worked okay, it was awkward and far from ideal. Still, it was a really interesting structure and clearly made by hand from local stone.

During lockdown, Bryce had the idea to convert the fireplace to a pizza oven!  We loved the idea of using the stone again and using the base of the fireplace.  So Bryce, with absolutely no masonry skills, began taking the fireplace apart in order to build it back up!

Clearly, this was a much bigger project than either of us imagined as he has worked on this oven on and off for over 2 years!  There have been large chunks of time where nothing has happened due to weather, his consulting work or just being busy with other parts of the farm. But this summer he dedicated his time to complete it so that he could move on to other things!

In total, he removed all the loose stones, reinforced the base walls on the inside with cinder block, poured a concrete slab to support the oven, installed and insulated the oven dome (he ordered the dome and cooking surface, puzzled stones together to rebuild the base structure and cover the oven dome, built a chimney with cap stone and probably many other things I'm not even aware of.  It was a big job!  If we had known the job it was going to be, we probably would have started from scratch and built it by the patio but now it's a good story and at least partially original to the property.  It's a great spot to build a super hot fire, have a beer with a friend...and it bakes a mean pizza!