Hunt And Peck For What You Need

Take time to smell the clover. Let your grass grow tall. Feel what you feel. Move at your own pace. You deserve to do life on your terms. — Ruth Bader Ginsbird

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Here’s What’s Happening At Good Spirits Farm

• For the first few years here I struggled to grow squash due to the relentless assault of squash bugs. BUT! I have figured it out! I now plant super late (not until July!). By then, the lifecycle of the squash bugs is just about wrapped up. Unfortunately, I have now become a victim of my own success. I’ll spend the weekend making zucchini bread and squash fritters for the freezer.

• The chickens are starting their annual molt. It feels early to me, but what is time anyway? For the next few weeks, they’ll blow all their feathers and look completely pathetic. They’ll grow a full new set in time for winter. During this time, egg production goes way down, because growing feathers is hard work! Prepare for some pics of very mangey-looking birds!

• I think it’s official that Veli is a livestock guardian dog failure! She was doing so well until the Fourth of July when the fireworks seem to have really spooked her. Ever since then, she has more-or-less refused to stay out in the field with the critters. So…now she guards the porch. It’s not ideal; I’d love to have coyote protection out there. But it’s hard to stay mad at this face.

  

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  Here’s What I Loved This Week

  This Mary Oliver Poem, which I return to often when I find myself caught in a spiral of worry about the myriad things that can go wrong on a farm at any given moment.