Ohhh...the times, they are ah changin!

Man is that an understatement!  First and foremost, I have disappointed myself and probably some of the people who had been following this blog, by dropping the blog ball...I shall make no excuses, life just got in the way.  I am not sure how people like Ree Drummond ( Pioneer Woman ) do it.
Thinking back over the months I have been away from writing, had I just done a bit of it the times I was thinking of doing it, I may just have fell into something totally inspiring and wonderful.  Instead I was just day dreaming of writing, and did some other task, I felt more worthy of my time. Usually some menial, unsatisfying task.  I had a guilty nagging feeling the whole time I was gone however...Somehow something felt missing.  Mostly because I like this whole blog thing..I get to feel and act and write silly things. Who wouldn't like to do that.
So NO PROMISES!  NO CHALLENGES! I am simply going to live my life...and hope that I can sneak in a bit of time to get my thoughts and observations down.  I should roll this into the "making more time for me" list, but somehow it makes it feel more like a task I need to get done, than going with the daily flow.

As we approach the end of 2014, like most everyone else, I am taking a moment to look back over it and appreciate the moments, the friendships made, the fun times had and smile in the glow of those experiences.  I have oh so much to be thankful for, and feel lucky to be going forward to another year, with a Man I love and adore and couldn't be happier with.

You see...as the title of this blog states, the times have changed big time for us.  Our beloved farm in Casco is no longer, due to circumstances beyond our control, we had to move.  Moving is a very difficult and stressful situation for all involved, and as many times as we have moved in the last few years, this time did not come any easier.  Imagin moving the stuff in a bedroom farm house and the contents of a barn to another location an hour away in the winter...WICKED GOOD TIMES YESSA!

 Yet in all this crazyness, we have found peace.  A calm has come over us, that is different than we felt at the farm in Casco.  Our new location is a farm as well, surrounded by reaching mountains, and stretched out hay fields...it felt like home the second I saw it.

Even though there are still a few trips left to be made, and somethings that will simply have to wait till spring, we have made our home in Bethel.  It is my intention to stay for a very very very long time....

Until next time Ya'll

the friendly female farmer

Summah..In Maine....

Now I am not complaining by any means, In fact I won't even utter a word of complaint in regards to the weather this early spring and beginning of summah...We have gotten a bit of rain and a bit of heat.  I do look forward to more heat..and less rain, but still not complaining.  I am sure we will have plenty of wonderful weather days to go adventuring this lovely state.  Tomorrow we will be doing a touristy get away and will be parking our butts in the sand down at OOB.  Lets hope for a sunburn and a buzz on, both of which I am sure will happen....
Maria and I have been so far keeping a pretty low profile as she gets settled into her American home.  She has found employment while she is here and is getting to know the local way of things.  Its wonderful having her here, and I wish she could stay forever....But I will be sure to follow her to the Caribbean when she opens her livery stable.
So needless to say, we have been busy some days and others not so much.  There are some days you just need to chillax and enjoy your surroundings....

On another farm note, we have the first two baby goats of the summer on the ground last Friday.  I am always a bit nervous during kidding, I don't get much sleep, up at all hours checking the Doe's.  I love these silly little animals, they continue to put a smile on my face on a regular basis and I am happiest in there presence.  You just can't beat an animal that will come up to you, rub there face on yours and sit down beside you for a snuggle.  They are wonderful little animals.  We have one more set of kids to come and I am a mess waiting...Just hurry up about it Shana Goat and everyone will be resting easy..especially me.

The udder on both girls looks as if they will be producing plenty of milk for kids and humans alike...I am so looking forward to the first batch of fresh goats milk ice cream.

Enjoy each moment that is given to you...Be present in your life...You never know what you might miss otherwise...

thanks...and see ya'll soon.
thefriendlyfemalefarmer...

I need a holiday from my holiday weekend.....

So its been 5 days since my last confession...ahem...I mean blog...
the days are all kinda jumbled together at this point, but I can tell you this...things got checked off the honey do list.
See I have these lists...usually the one for me is outrageously long...some with definition of my intention with the task, sometimes just the task itself.  This list typically consists of things I can do without a man.
Now don't get me wrong. I am sure I could do all these things, had I been trained properly from the beginning...but being a girl, and brought up in a time that girls are still doing girly things...I didn't take shop or automotive class, or touch the power tools to much when I was younger.  I have a healthy fear of power tools, so I tend now not to use them much...minus the power drill, I love that thing....if only I could screw everything together without every having to cut anything I would be set...NO man needed...well except for lifting heavy shit....but then of course I could get a bunch of girls over here and we could get that done to.
Total rant...and Take note...teach your girls how to do man stuff.....like change oil, tires, and use power tools safely...
Anyhoooooo....My dad came for the weekend to help me with my new chicken coop, we moved the girls into the barn in preparation for the winter months around here, and because my coop is to small for the amount of birds that I want.  We laughed a lot and worked our butts off, but now the girls have a groovy indoor coop...Now if they can just figure out to lay their eggs in the nesting box, we will be golden.
We drank and ate, and ate and drank and just generally had a great weekend.
The hubby and I worked on the yard on sunday afternoon in the beautiful sunshine.  We burned some brush and moved some fencing, this place is starting to come around.  Its such a beautiful spot.
Spring cleaning was next on the list for me yesterday, I moved some furniture around and dusted, swept and washed floors in 4 of the 5 bedrooms..OH didn't I mention this place is a monstrosity....
We are now 2 days away from the Irish Invasion and I am so excited I can barely stand myself...I am going to have a wicked go gal pal to adventure with and I just can't wait....You will be sure to have lots of picks and adventure stories to check out this summer to be sure....
So there you are a quick recap of the last few days...its been real...its been fun....its been real damn fun...
Have a great day peeps and see ya soon...
the friendly female farmer...

Monday and Tuesday......

SWEET....2804 Views of this crazy little blog...I am overwhelmed with excitement and gratitude for everyone who takes a moment to check it all out...

Soooooooo...what have we been doing here at the farm...MOWING...mowing and more mowing...did I mention that I have been mowing...My brain is all rattly from running that bush hog/lawn mowery type piece of equipment that we use to keep the bamboo from over coming the property...

I have this problem, with not being able to stop once I start.  I want our farm to be pretty, to be beautiful to look at, and enjoy while you are here.  Everything just looks nicer mowed, thats all there is to it...and Yes I have palpitations when I mow over the little violets and violas, I mowed down some jack in the pulpits before I figured out there was a whole patch, that I now need to dig up and move to a better, non mowing location...but because I am mowing, I am able to find these things, that can be saved and moved to a location they will be loved and cared for....

See this is what happens when old farms are not cared for and loved...do you know how many people have stopped and said, "oh did you know there used to be such and such plant here, or this used to grow on this property"....sadly, lots of plants are now gone, and some so lacking in care, such as the fruit trees, all need to come down and replaced because they were not cared for.

It takes someone special to take on a place that was once a farm.  Not only do you find treasures below the deep grasses, but you find junk as well...So we will concentrate on the good things we find, and toss the junk into the dump pile...continue to mow...and bring this place back to life...

Thanks for check me out...all the best to you on this foggy day...I'm off to dig fence posts...

Sunday and Monday...oh what fun days....

So I have to come to the realization that I need a proofing oven.  Now don't get me wrong, I love the fact that I can stoke up the wood stove and rise a little bread or the infamous cinnamon rolls...however, not only humans are clamoring to get a taste of the cinnamony goodness....The chihuahua thinks they are pretty damned good to...in fact so good, that he couldn't wait till they were finished, I literally had walked away to get a damp cloth to cover them, when I came back I caught the guilty bugger red mouthed....His sad little face said damn it all, I should have inhaled this like I do all my other food...

Oh well, the trials of a farm girl with no commercial kitchen.....Anyhoo, the batch on cinnamon rolls turned out heavenly....minus 1

Sunday was spent riding back and forth to NH for a birthday gathering for my step daughters, boyfriends birthday...good food and drink was consumed by all, and laughs were most definitely had.  Not much got done on the farm on Sunday...but hell sometimes you just need to break away from the place and enjoy your family and friends...

Early to bed...means early to rise and today didn't start out all that bad.  Have been puttering in the yard, picking up brush piles and moving them closer to the fire pit...mowed a bit of the lawn out back before the rain got heavy..I have a mowing fetish, once I start, I have a hard time stopping...more often then not, mowing till it runs out of gas...I just love the look of freshly mowed grass...then I took a much needed nap...but I'm still tired from the weather being dreary....Now its a waiting game for the chicken cluck clucks to go to bed, so I can close up their cage for the evening.

Food today has been simple, fresh sausage pattie for breakfast, and a delish lunch of couscous and veggies with a whole avocado on the side...yummy yummy...
I need to find a thermostat  for the fridge though, its freezing my outragously expensive organic veggies...can't be having that now can we....

Oh and tick count is 2 so far this year...One was eating me, the other was just taking a stroll...I burnt him in the ash tray.....

Thanks Ya'll for checking out my blog....views are up to 2775, I am more than thrilled to know that people out there well beyond my circle of friends are reading my crazyness...

10 days till the Irish Invasion....Can't wait....

Thanks my peeps...Have a wonderful rainy night...see ya on the flip side..

Day 3/4 rolling along....

Lets just say that the weather this morning is WET....that's the only nice word I can think of right now.   I have been up since 5 getting cinnabuns ready to go with me to a horse clinic that my wonderful farmy and horsey friend Colleen Winslow is putting on for us.  She is most definately right at the top of the list of inspirational horse women.  She is kind enough to take the time to show me and others about the Parelli way...and I am learning and taking in so much on each visit to the camp.  I am thrilled to be going this morning, as we will be discussing horsenality..."horse personality"...Very Interesting stuff...

Yesterday was a day for horses as well....Working with horses on the ground is giving your horse confidence in you...and you confidence in your horse...Its a very good opportunity to be present with your animal...and being aware of your situation and surroundings.  I couldn't help but notice the birds singing....the breeze lifting my hair when I noticed I was getting a little warm...the bugs bothering...every little thing needs a bit of consideration in your day, in my humble opinion.

So you haven't missed much in the life of this crazy farm girl...The wet will call for a fire this afternoon and couch time with the dog, as I read through my Elliot Coleman book, and look at companion planting charts...oh and design a new chicken coop.....I am looking for an old hutch, or cabinet for the laying boxes...a cute idea I saw on Pinterest.

So my faithful followers and friends...Have a wonderful day...and hopefully there will be an update for ya later on this evening....I passed out last night before I got a chance to get on the computer...not to mention service was spotty at best...Kinda like now...

As my niece used to say when she was little....really fast and jumbled all together

.................loveyouseeyalaterbye............

the friendly female farmer....

Day 2 not so tough....Ya right....

As you all know, when you start a to do list, it never seems to get shorter....Imagine my surprise, as I went outside to start one project..mowing the lawn with the giant antique lawn mower that my dad got from my uncle in SC....first 3 or 4 passes were great, then it stalled....and I couldn't get it started again...so on to the next thing...which turned into weeding a whole section of the front of house, finding out the soil beneath is terrific and with a little amenitizing we should be good for veggie/herbs and flowers...possibly even a good sight for a cold frame....which will require a bit of work as well...
I boned the chicken we had for dinner last night...made a killer chicken salad for lunch...and fed my hubby a nice healthy lunch, that he didn't have to buy at the local fast food joint...
I cleaned stalls, and did my regular chores...drove all the way to oxford for the farmers market, only to remember that it opens at 2pm on Thursday...4 hours early is a little to long to wait for the doors to open....
I played with my chickens, they follow me everywhere...so there excitement over freshly turned ground crawling with worms...made me happy in return.  More often than not the animals make me happy, and I find myself smiling and wondering what they are thinking.
I rode Gunner this afternoon, which was terrific..just a short trip out around the fields to see how he felt.  Only a single buck was hiding under the surface when I asked for the canter...nothing threatening or intimidating...just a little bad boy attitude to test me...
Took the time to sit on the deck and reflect on my accomplishments and mentally check off things on my list....Even thought it keeps getting longer...I always feel good crossing stuff off...
Finishing off the day with chicken tortillas, with cilantro, tomato, garlic and green onion...yummy...
and possible a little ice cream...we shall see how long I can stay awake after I post this blog.
So you see...its just a regular old life around here on the farm...some days are not as exciting as others....
But I am sticking to my guns...and continuing on my challenge...I found I was more present in the moment today, as I was thinking about the challenge I set for myself...

Until Next time...

the friendly female farmer...

Its a challenge...to myself....

Day 1
The challenge....its actually a number of things really....
One of the things is to do some kind of art every day...whether it be photograph, or a small drawing, or the start of a big one.  Taking the time to sit and relax and create something thoughtful.
The other thing is to blog everyday.  Hey listen if the Pioneer Woman can do it, why can't I? Hell I ain't feeding all those people on a regular basis, I am just starting out..
You know you might not want to read every single one of my blogs, but you might read one, that gets you to come and visit, or ask for a recipe, or for me to make a meal or dessert for ya..
So tonight, a fresh chicken got roasted, very simply seasoned, but laying on a whole clove of garlic, a few carrots, some onion and leeks....to go with that pan gravy.  Sides are Colcannon and Glazed Carrots...simple and delish...I can't wait the house smells great.
On a sad note we lost one of our little cluck cluck's today...she had to be one of the giant egg layers to be sure...this however is all part of farming...I will have to find a replacement for her...the fresh eggs are unsurpassed by anything bought at the grocery store..
So here is you insight into the farm as we go forward...a little bit everyday....hope you will stay tuned and share...Its been a slow start, but its our intention to keep chugging along...

OH and you don't want to miss out on our adventures with a lovely Irish Lassie by the name of Maria....

Take Care Ya'll

the friendly female farmer....

Noticeably Absent.....

So I have been noticeably absent.  I have been hiding under any large, heavy, warmth providing blanket, snuggy and afghan I can find.  I don't hate winter, when its mild I actually enjoy it very much.  This winter however, I have a bone to pick with MOTHER NATURE!  At this point, I am sick of calling the wood delivery fairy, and tired of hearing the smoke flap on our wood stoves bang up against the door as we are throwing chunks of wood into the never satisfied hopper..
So like just about every other Mainer out there, I have bitched about the winter being to long and to damned cold...so now its time to move on to something a bit more inspiring and uplifting....
SPRING...........its coming ya know.  Its actually only 10 days away, and I am so looking forward to it.  This weekend, I had big fat Robins in the apple trees.  I could actually hear birds singing.  The chickens have started to lay eggs,  the horse went off adventuring for drops under the trees.  The goats are clamoring to get out of their stalls....sounds and smells like spring to me. 
Seed order will be taking place soon and seedling starting will be on the agenda for the weekends. 
When thinking about all the things that I need to get done this summer, I stick with visualization for help.  I sit down in the evening, and visualize the project done.  I see cucumbers growing on the vines, and tomatoes ready to be picked.  It helps me not to be to overwhelmed by the length of my TO DO LIST. 
One of the things on that list is to blog more.  We have started the process of talking about our dreams and aspirations for this farm.  I have come up with a very neat and innovative idea, that we hope to talk about soon.  Teaser....Farm Culinary School!!! Details are in the works. 
We also hope to launch our website late this spring.  Which will also keep you up to date on our adventures and give you an opportunity to donate to our FARM REFURBISHMENT FUND. 

I can't even tell you as the years are passing, how each one brings new excitement for the future.  We have a TON of work that needs to be done, before we can ever have guests at the Inn, but working towards it,  is rewarding and fulfilling in a way that I didn't think was possible.  When you do the work yourself, when you cut your finger on the sheet rock knife and your blood stains the old wood boards, don't clean it up...chalk it up to just a little of the blood,  sweat and tears that will go into your labor of love.....

The Joys of Spring are almost upon us.  Take a moment, reflect on the winter and the joys and struggles.  Put it behind you and step out into the sunshine and rejoice...you have made it through and have a wonderful new season to experience. 

IF YOUR DREAMS DON'T SCARE YOU, THEY AREN'T BIG ENOUGH...............

Cheers,

thefriendlyfemalefarmer.....

Our adventure is beginning....

So we have collectively come to the conclusion, that the grocery store just has to go.  We are making a friendly seperation from its hold on us.  We are in search of  local and fresh ingredients, until the time when our gardens start to produce their bounty.  Our animals are ready to slaughter and the root cellar is filled.   Don't get me wrong, I can most definately see myself sneaking in, totally incognito of course, to grab limes ( my whiskey just isn't the same without one )  and lemons, and a few other ingredients I may or may not find at the health food stores.  My growing frustration with the grocery bill has forced us to make a drastic change.  One that I am actually really excited about.  Cooking, and putting away food, is a totally relaxing task for me.  I have on occasion talked about how I love to go out and watch the little green sprouts of spinach or lettuce break through the dark, rich soil.  Its a cathartic experience, one I enjoy so much...I am actually getting a little antsy about it, because I know its still months away.  I will get a small fix, starting some seedlings in the living room windows though...be not afraid. We will be putting in a very large garden, to produce enough food this summer for our root cellar in the fall.  We will purchase things like apples, and berries from local producers for the freezers.  Frank is a big fan of blueberry pancakes...any time of year.  In our decision to change our eating habits, its made us look at our goals for the farm in terms of animals as well.  Last spring was our first kidding season, and since the first kid dropped I was stressed about where the little bundles of cuteness would go.  After you get up in the middle of the night to make bottles for 15 goat babies, you tend to be a little territorial about where they go to live out there adult lives.  So to releave this stress, we will raise the babies and butcher them for meat for our freezer.  This will be our red meat in the freezers.  Our friend Aimee, is going to raise us a bunch of rabbits for meat, and we will be raising meat chickens for the freezer as well.  Now if I can just get someone to raise me some trout and salmon that would be great.  We will have fresh raw goats milk in a month, and cheese and ice cream.  I will be learning how to make yogurt, and have developed a connection for raw cow milk, so I can make our own butter.  Its such an exciting time for me and food.  I will know where 99% of our food is coming from, most of it right out of our own garden.  I really can't stop smiling about it, I am so excited.  This is one of the steps toward our long term goals for the farm...and everytime I look at the seed cataloge or look at a homesteading website I get really giddy...and when you are giddy about working your ass off, its a good thing...
Thank You all for checking out my blog.  I really really appreciate it...Check out our Facebook page.
Smiling Goat Farm on Facebook.  We are on a mission to up our likes and comments.
Best Wishes from your Friendly Female Farmer

Why Farming

Right now, while its near to or below zero degrees in most, if not all of Maine, I am seriously questioning my decision to farm.  Its only a passing thought though, especially as I am perusing the seed catalog cozied up to the wood stove in the dining room at night.  All kinds of people have asked me why farming? and it has gotten me to thinking about my decision to farm.  Farming doesn't make you a lot of money, it does however pay you in so many other forms
.  In regards to my farming choice, I have to say it goes back to being a kid.  Some of my earliest memories are of farming experiences.  For example, my parents and my uncle used to raise chickens for meat.  I can remember going over to their house, and while my dad and uncle were in the basement doing chores, the kids would lay on the floor upstairs and stare down through the big black grate in the floor at the peeping chicks.  Their little fuzzy bodies milling around in the what seemed like a giant homemade pen.  I can still recall the sound of the peeping down in the basement.  I can remember raising meat rabbits in the basement of our apartment building, and turkeys.  I recall, one ill fated chicken slaughter day.  My dad and his brother had raised some meat birds together, my mother and aunt did the cleaning of the hens in the kitchen, and the kids ran the headless chickens up from the coop to the house and shoved them through the window.  On this day, I saw my first headless chicken run around the yard, after being dropped by one of the kids hauling it to the house.  I am pretty sure I screamed.  Seeing a headless chicken run is quite a scene.  I remember the call to Dad, to see if he wanted to bottle feed a baby piglet.  The runt of the litter was being pushed out, and Dad having a reputation as a softie when it came to animals in need, set out to bring the piggie home.  I can remember the box in the living room with the little piglet in it.  These reasons and many others like it are why I want to farm.  There is something to be said about raising your own food, working the land and seeing your root cellar full to the brim with a bounty that you had a hand in producing.  I feel like being a farmer will continue to mold me into a more caring and understanding human being.  When you have a farm and raise animals, on a everyday basis you deal with a range of emotions and situations.  During kidding you have real highs, and super duper lows, the key is to take the experience for what it is and move on.  Don't dwell on the sadness of a death, or live birth.  Be thankful that you have more good than bad.  You have the highs of the first bits of spinach poking out of the dirt, and the first cherry tomato coming ripe.  The lows of a drought or an onset of disease or bugs.  The circle goes round and round, but in the end its probably one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.  I think I am really appreciating it more and more, especially this winter.  My husband has challenged me to put away most, if not all of the food we will need to get through the winter next year.  My heart is a flutter at the challenge, as I know its a daunting one, but it is my intention to come through with my end of the deal.  The thought of potato bins and boxes of apples, canned meat and veggies in the root cellar, frozen goodies and cold frames for the freshest of produce when we want it.  I am beyond excited to get started. So for me, this has been part of my makeup since I can remember, I continue to daydream about the picture perfect little farm in hopes that someday I will see a photo spread and write up of my farm in Hobby Farming Magazine.  I am practicing the art of being thankful, and feeling abundant and those feelings come so much more often in the midst of a farm and growing and producing your own food.  So folks, be thankful, for even the tiniest of moments in your life, you never know where it might bring you, or what feelings or passions it may bring to the surface.  Never forget where your food comes from, buy fresh and buy local.  You could be getting your food from...............
the friendly female farmer...

Thanks so much for reading, and I will chat with you again soon.

Blogging is harder than it looks....

Really, seriously...this is harder than it looks, or sounds, or seems...however you look upon this endeavor I have undertaken, its not a really easy task.  First off, It is not my intention to try an influence anybody who reads this blog.  For example, I don't write about politics or religion.  My beliefs are my beliefs, and I honestly feel as though that you my readers are not affected by what I do or believe.  I don't want to offend people or upset them, so I have really been  sticking to positive, upbeat and comical type blogs simply as entertainment.  It would be my intention to make people as happy as I can by reading this silly little missive.  This is also the place that I talk about my dreams for the future, and where I discuss options for the farm, and how we will proceed with our goals. This blog is about who I am, and what I intend to do with my future as a farmer, as a chef, as a wife and hopefully someday soon a mother.
This is my first blog since arriving home from Ireland.  That experience has touched me in a way that is hard to explain.  I will not deny my homesickness while I was there.  I honestly wanted to come home early and just say hell with it.  I am so glad that I didn't, because I got to have some incredible adventures, meet some fascinating people and friends I will have for life to be sure.  I in all honesty am now homesick for Ireland.  I could go back and never leave.  Its a wonderful country, one I will not soon forget.  While I have been home, lots of things have happened.  Mostly lots of thinking about my recent past experiences, and how I am going to move into the future as a farmer and a chef.  I know you have heard me talk about this subject before, and by all means if you are bored...move onto another blog...however, I have been told that if you want to see your dreams come to be a reality, you have to talk about it.  To as many people who will listen to you.  To think about your goals in a positive way, to think as if these dreams are currently reality.  So this is my intent.  To talk about what it is that I am passionate about, what makes me tick and how I intent to make these dreams come true for me and my husband, and our little piece of heaven in Casco.  So as things begin to move forward, I will share all the excitement.  My first really exciting step toward acquiring the title of Chef, will be partnering with a local bed and breakfast to do intimate dinners and small parties.  I am so excited to step forward into this new role, that will most definitely bring me closer to the dream of having a little gathering place at the farm...Please stick with me folks.  I am so proud to say that over 2300 people have viewed my blog and I am thrilled that the interest seems to keep going up.  Please share with your friends and family and please by all means post comments.  I would love to hear your feedback.
In positivity....Your friend....
the friendly female farmer.