Fourteen Wonderful Years!

Bailey Creek Falls 1999!

Chicago White Sox Park 2013

~Happy Anniversary and Happy Days~

Raspberries Part 1

One of the local farmers offers a U-Pick Raspberry Patch and we were lucky enough to hit it early in the morning while it was still cool and the berries were abundant! There is a little table that says "honor system" put your money in the box! Flats are provided, pint sized boxes that fit inside of the flats are provided and even buckets with strings are available for use.

Between the two of us, we picked three flats of raspberries. There are plenty of berries now for freezing, jamming, baking, and eating fresh!

Three flats totaled just under 20 pounds of berries and they are full of the best flavor. Raspberries keep best will cooled in the refrigerator immediately and stored in shallow containers.

After picking we drove over to Jacksonville on the way home. We stumbled across The C Street Bistro which is a little restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating and all foods purchased from local farmers. They offer brunch all day long and strong delicious coffee!

We arrived fresh from the fields complete with stained fingers and barn boots! It doesn't matter as the usual dress code for restaurants in Southern Oregon is "come dressed"!

We sat outside and enjoyed fresh scrambled eggs with house made sausage and herb roasted potatoes. The food was really amazing and the potatoes were seasoned with a BBQ rub and rosemary that really made a delicious combination.

After our brunch, we were revitalized for the drive home through the Applegate Valley where we saw the Paraglider World Chamionships! It was picturesque to see the hang gliders circling over the tops of mountains at about 5,000 feet in the many different colors. There is always a treat to see around every country corner. Remember to get off the interstate!

Fine Dining on the Farm

We currently have 15 hens on the farm. Yesterday, we very nearly had 14! While feeding the goats some leftover goods from the garden, the hens and I were watching them gobble up some leftover cabbage. Suddenly and out of nowhere, the hens were in complete and utter chaos. Our two farm dogs were there, watching. The goats ran from their cabbage patch. The hens continued in their hysterics and frenzy like never before. I stood right there. Watching and not seeing what swept in so fast. Standing among the hens, on the ground to the surprise of the dogs, goats, chickens and myself was a beautifully marked, Chicken Hawk. Actually, I think the hawk was astonished also! The hens all ran for cover. The dogs inched forward. I watched the hawk from only 15 feet away. Then it flew off to a low branch on one of the walnut trees. The hens were frozen statues of themselves under trailers, in the barn, under the truck, anywhere they could find cover and safety.

The hens were immediately invited back in to the security of the coop for a few days recovery. Normally, they roost in the coop and venture out of the coop and barn for most of the day as they have a full two acres to roam and forage.

Once the coop was made ready for full time occupancy, they were all called in for dinner. Slowly they came. First from the barn. Then from under vehicles and trailers. Finally, the last of the girls made it into the coop with a heavy limp. She was the one that took the full flying force of the hawk in the leg. There was no blood and no broken bone, but the fluff of her feathers told the story of fear. With the young juvenile hawk finally leaving the farm, but hovering close by, the hens will be dining in for a few days.

Today they dined on organic grain, cabbage leaves, kitchen scraps, and seeds served in very nicely scooped out spaghetti squash dishes! The girls really like to know they are given the best dishes around!

We will continue the regimen of grains and fresh vegetation for the next few days. Once the hens have settled into their coop and built their nesting holes in the fresh straw, they are ready to roam again.

In the meantime, fine dining from squash skins, cool fresh water, safety in the coop, and sides of grass hay will help their recovery.

Here is is the oldest hen in the bunch. She is a Buff Orpington, called Beauty.

Here is the one that got away! The Black Beauty with blue green legs, which are the same color of the shell of the eggs that she lays. Lucky, as we will now call her, is an Americana. Life on the farm...