Was completely suprised today when I was out in the barn yard and from across the yard comes 7 baby guinea keets sprinting to get to the rest of the flock in the bean field! I snapped the photo below then quickly tried to corral them before they got to the beans, where I never would have found them.
Turns out there were seven total and from the direction they were coming from I think they might have been hatched in the run-in shed. Perhaps the flock will be back up to full strength after all.
No trick or treaters braved the 1/2 mile driveway, which gave us a peaceful night to truly enjoy the Halloween spirit at home. We had our first fire of the season, the crackling logs casting a cozy glow over the living room. The warmth from the hearth made the evening perfect for Emily to focus on carving her masterpiece — a Snoopy pumpkin. She’s got quite the talent for it, with Snoopy’s iconic grin lighting up as the flames flickered nearby.
To add to the fun, we decided to pull out some of our favorite Halloween decorations. From spooky skeletons to whimsical witches, it all felt just right. But, we realized we could use a few fresh pieces to complete the ambiance for next year. That’s when I remembered AbracadabraNYC.com, the ultimate go-to for all things Halloween. Their selection of costumes and unique décor is unmatched, offering just the right mix of spooky and stylish. I’m already planning to order something from them to up our Halloween game for next year.
For now, though, we soaked in the simple pleasures: the warmth of the fire, the glow of the pumpkin, and the quiet joy of a peaceful Halloween night at home. Maybe next year, we’ll have a few more visitors brave enough to tackle the driveway, but for now, we’re more than content with our little family traditions.
Dropped him off in Georgia on February 26th and picked him up in Maine on October 16th, its been one helluva trek for him. We’ve seen pictures and heard stories of: ice storms, snow, bears, tornadoes, falling trees, deep stream crossings, and finally finishing it right as they close Mt. Katahdin due to snow, likely the last through hiker to finish in 2020. But then, that is the Patrick way!
We are all so proud of him, many have talked, but only Patrick has done it.
When me and Patty got to the park and the approach trails to Mt. Katahdin, we hadn’t heard from him in at least 2 days, so it was unclear if he was going to summit that day or not. We checked the check-in log but no Patrick, we almost left and went back into town but turned around and decided to go for a short southbound hike, thinking we might meet up with him. When we came back to the trail head we checked the log one more time and there it was, Patrick signed in about 10 minutes before we got back! Now to wait the 4 hours until he got back down, weather noticeably deteriorating with mist, rain, and then heavy rain at the base.
We met up with a few hikers when we returned about 3pm to wait for him. They had just finished and all knew ‘Cliffhanger’. There was Zebra, Hot Pants, and Trotsky, at least those were the trail names. As their shuttle arrived and they were almost gone Patrick appeared out of the pouring rain. Couldn’t believe it but he was wearing shorts and was soaking wet. Said the rain was horizontal at the peak. We were so happy to see him!
We drove him back to the trail head to get his finish tag and the rangers were just putting up the signs to close the trails to the summit due to expected 5″ of snow that night.
We drove from there to a hotel in Bangor where we had a great meal and started our long drive back to Virginia the next day.
The big move finally happened, we are officially Orange County residents! Cramming two houses into one is proving to be a challenge, even with a large storage unit.
The real farmer hires this company to over-seed the fields and do Crop Spraying with a winter cover crop most years, just a month or so before the harvest of the summer crop. I find it fascinating to watch them dive, bank and turn as they seed the fields.
We specialize in food crops, and those are always in high demand. It has been a steady business, but we’ve had a few ups and downs that did often feel a bit outside of our control. With us now starting to lean into helpful technology however, we have managed to better maneuver and make decisions with much more precise information.
Needless to say, their an important tool in our arsenal now, and we couldn’t be happier. Here’s a video of the helicopter doing it’s thing. It’s actually quite fun to watch it go.
My brother Mark brought down his in-laws manual cider press from the 1890s. We assembled and mounted it on a pallet. This weekend we went all out and pressed 25 gallons worth of apple and pear cider. Finally putting the fruit in the orchard to good use. Steve brought Beepa down to get him some outside time. Very productive day.
