everything's ducky.

we had three days of nice weather! what a pleasant surprise. i finally got a chance to weed the garden. wow! i pulled enough grass to feed our horse, llama and all 10 pigs. it was great.

the baby ducks finally graduated from the brooder. they successfully moved to the barn and are loving it. although, still a bit shy to venture out into the fields, they do enjoy the barnyard.

along with ducks, the chickens have been relocated to the barn. it is safer over there. free from four-legged predators. they seem to like their new digs as well.

the geese were miffed at the winged competition for like a minute. then decided to keep their chin (bill) up and return to their silly and entertaining ways.

the heat returned today. hot, hot, hot. and still no rain. no substantial rain in 10 day forecast, either. it's crazy. i was walking the fields today and the ground was dust. but this farm was built in 1930's during the great depression and dust bowl. if it could survive then, it will survive now.

bernie makes a friend.

bernadett was hanging out by the house again today when this lone white leghorn hen decided to befriend her. i'm sure the gossip was tasty.

harvest time...

this weekend, we harvested six cornish rocks. they were a gift from my father in law. we've had them for about a month or so. they were well old enough to harvest when we got them, but we decided to let them have some time on the open prairie enjoying a healthy dose of grass, bugs & country sunshine.

harvesting birds is not easy. it's physically and emotionally draining. it leaves me with a sick feeling. and i really feel for the people who have this as a full-time job.

but it is necessary if you eat meat. someone has to do it. so we have chosen to do it ourselves. this way we know it is done as humanely as possible. we owe it to the birds. they have given their lives in exchange for food. their death brings us life. one day of discomfort for us is a small price to pay, really.

season of the dead.

i celebrated my first halloween on the farm. i bought candy, carved a pumpkin, dressed up myself and the dogs, lit a candelabra full of long orange tapered candles, and waited for trick or treaters. i knew it would be a stretch expecting anyone to venture out to our little farm by way of our dark and practically hidden driveway on the outskirts of town. but we did manage to attract one brave family... a boy pirate and his baby pumpkin sister. they ventured up to our doorstep and i rewarded them with handfuls of chocolate. although, the pirate came unprepared. no trick. he made a last minute attempt at a joke after receiving his bounty. but it wasn't really funny. it was a tad profane, actually. leaving his mom and i bewildered. kids these days.

this weekend is also all saints day, all souls day, Día de los Muertos. as i sit with a wilting jack o'lantern and a basketful of leftover individually wrapped morsels of sugar-coated evil, i am surrounded by falling leaves, browning grass, dying crickets, spiders crawling into every crevice of our home desperately trying to stay warm, and very large, restless and hungry livestock. it occurs to me this must be why folks celebrate these holidays in autumn. it is a time to die. plants die. bugs die. and sadly... livestock die. our pigs, cows, and turkeys have grown big and strong on fresh grass, vegetables, bugs, and sunshine all summer long. the pasture is dying. their days are numbered. their purpose, in this life, is to feed our family. as a born & raised city girl, i am having a hard time with this concept. meat always just came from the store in neat little plastic-covered packages. not from my backyard.

so, by coincidence or maybe in a subconscious celebration of the day of the dead , we harvested our first animal yesterday... a rooster that my father-in-law raised and gave us to eat. i don't feel like going into great detail... but it was done in what we feel was a humane way. i cried a lot. it was a hard day for us.

at dinner jason read this quote from kahlil gibran (which is also mentioned in the book "animal, vegetable, miracle" by barbara kingsolver):

"When you kill a beast, say to him in your heart: By the same power that slays you, I too am slain, and I too shall be consumed. For the law that delivers you into my hand shall deliver me into a mightier hand. Your blood and my blood is naught but the sap that feeds the tree of heaven."

we ate dinner by candle light. curry chicken with vegetables and basmati rice which we shared with the dogs. and acknowledged a page in our lives turning.

rook farm's smallest egg.

one of our young rhode island red ladies laid her first egg the other day. it was so cute. jason fried it up and made porkchop a nice little egg sandwich.

little egg, big egg

perfect size for a beagle

friday was...

figuring out that my ball of yarn doesn't go very far. i started crocheting a scarf. didn't even make a full two rows. so i hit the cards again and started spinning more. hopefully, i'll have enough by the time snow rolls into town this winter.

whilst i was busy spinning, i heard a clatter in the kitchen. looks like del ray has figured out how to climb/jump/fly? he was on top of the kitchen table rearranging things.

spent some time with the chickens. they haven't been laying eggs for a week or so. we had to call in reinforcement last week. we moved in 20 baby female chickens. i had a talk with the older hens. explained the situation. i think we came to an understanding.

checked on stella (still pregnant). since i moved stella to the cow field, baby snakes has latched onto her like a parasitic twin. they are inseparable. for better or worse.

tended my garden. picked my first batch of sweet red peppers. looks like i'll be having grilled peppers for dinner.

sweeeeeet!

future egg-layer of america

i've got a llama on my back!

saturday was...

lots of driving/riding (jason drove & i looked out window), farm supply shopping in two different counties (hence, the all the driving) to find specific poultry medicine, administering poultry medicine, attempting to shear baby snakes (no luck), picking tomatoes (much luck), trimming goat hoofs (so yuck), & enjoying the view while jason grilled turkey-burgers.

our august landscape

freshly picked tomatoes

free range chicken

842 & marla comparing manicures

4 star poultry accommodations.

last weekend was the grand opening of the new poultry house on the rook farm. built of natural untreated pine, cedar posts, and recycled tin, this 4 star hotel is home to the finest poultry in washington county. guests include 6 partridge rock laying hens, and 7 bronze turkey poults. located on the southern farm field, hotel has an adjacent pond, several cedar trees and plenty of bugs!

birds enjoying their breakfast

sleeping quarters (roosts)

beautiful knotty pine and cedar posts

fantastic view of barn and mark twain nation forest

freedom.

today was a milestone at the rook farm. with the cross fence finished and electrified, all animals safely stepped foot on green open pasture. some, for the first time in their whole little lives. goats ate grass. pigs dug in the dirt. chickens did whatever chickens do. and the sun shined for the first time in days, if only for a few hours. it's back to rain now. thunderous rain. and muddy puppies.

daisy

bianka & bernadette

cocoa

chickens

muddy puppy feet

ten little chickens.

our flock is stable

and healthy
ten little chickens
living in harmony