Category Archives: The Farm

Sometimes Life Feels Like A Disney Movie

June 21, 2019Bunnies, Deer, Reflections, Skunks, The Farmruthsoaper

If you have been following my blog some of this will seem familiar.

Like the baby bunnies we found in the nest in our blueberry patch.

and of course the family of skunks we encountered recently.

But if you are a fan of Disney movies you may realize that while we had “Thumper(s)” and “Flower(s)” we seem to be missing Bambi.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. One day last week my husband was going to attempt to till up the front garden bed. I was talking to him on the phone when he said, “what the heck is that?” I waited for him to tell me what he saw. Then he said “oh, it’s a baby deer.” He at first thought that it was dead, but then it jumped to it’s feet and scurried off running into a tree stump before disappearing amongst high weeds and trees. I am certain it didn’t go far and momma was somewhere in the area and would return before long.

I don’t have any pictures of that baby because my husband doesn’t carry a camera, but a few days later I spotted this doe dinning on chicken scratch in the driveway. This is quite possibly momma.

“Bambi’s” or white tail deer are quite at home on our farm and in the spring it is common to see momma’s with their young, often twins or triplets.

The photo below is a set of triplets that were born last spring.

Have you every felt like your life was like a Disney movie? Which Disney movie would you want to live?

Rescue Roses and Mystery Roses

June 20, 2019Reflections, Roses, The FarmFlowers, Life, Nature, springruthsoaper

This post was originally published in July of 2017. Since our wild rose bushes are now blooming I thought I would share this.

Rescue Roses

When we bought our farm it was 7.6 acres of vacant land. It had been sitting untouched for many years and was overgrown with countless types of vegetation. It was so much fun exploring the property and discovering various trees, bushes, and wild flowers.

One of my great disappointments was when I realized that I was going to lose a beautiful wild rose bush when we dug our pond. “We will move it,” my husband said. We decided to plant it next to theses large rocks. Rocks that we had decided we would never move again.

We cut down the bushy part of the rose and dug up as much as the root as we could and replanted it next to the rocks.

We have since found 4 or 5 more rose bushes which would need to be moved so we didn’t destroy them as we developed areas of the farm. All of theses rose bushes were replanted near the rocks in what has now become our rescue rose garden.

These rose bushes thrive in their new home.

I am always excited to see these rose bushes blossom in the spring and they have a lovely fragrance.

It is gratifying to know that we were able to preserve this beautiful part of nature.

Mystery Roses

Another rose story I want to share is what my husband and I are calling the mystery rose. The yellow rose bush was a given to me as a Mother’s Day gift from my children several years ago. My oldest daughter had picked it out, and she selected yellow because I had told her that bees tend to like yellow and pink flowers but not red flowers. That was something I read when I was researching honey bees. We planted the rose in the center of our prayer garden.

Despite giving it lots of TLC, watering when needed, fertilizer, and protecting it from the deer, the rose bush struggled. Last year I pruned it way down because the top had died off and dried up. I was sad because whenever someone gives me a plant it is a reminder of that person. In this case it represented my 4 daughters.

Several weeks ago my husband asked me if I’d seen my rose bush. “It has one blossom and lots of buds.” he said. A couple days later I was baffled as I checked on my rose bush. “That was a yellow rose.” I told my husband. “Now it has red blossoms.” He didn’t really remember it being yellow, but he didn’t accuse me of being crazy. To make sure I wasn’t crazy I looked back through my pictures and found the picture above.

I decided that there were one of two explanations for this change. The first one would be that someone had replaced the dead rose bush with a live one and had put in red rather than yellow. If this had happened I’m am certain I would have seen evidence of the digging and replanting.

The other thing I thought may have happened was that the yellow rose was a grafted bush and the root stock that was used was a red rose. I wasn’t sure if roses were grafted or if this scenario was possibly so I did an internet search.

This link from the MSU Extension explains that indeed my second explanation is plausible. http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/why_are_my_roses_changing_color Apparently I had pruned the rose bush down below the point where it was grafted. The root stock that was from a red rose was strong enough to survive and seems to be thriving in our garden. I do love this beautiful red rose and it will continue to remind me of my daughters.

At Least We Didn’t Get Skunked

June 11, 2019Fishing, Nature, Planting, Pond, Reflections, Skunks, spring, The Farmruthsoaper

Term “skunked” is sometimes used to define an overwhelming defeat.

If you read my post from last Thursday I am sure you remember that I was quite discouraged about all the rain that we have been having and concerned that we, like most of the farmers in the area, had not been able to get any planting done.

After a dry Friday, but with more rain in the forecast for Sunday night and the week to follow, my husband decided it was now or never – he must try to get some planting done. He hooked the rototiller to the tractor and was able to till up a portion of the garden. YEA!!!! Then while he worked on planting some cabbage and tomato plants I worked on cutting grass. What a relief it is to at least have the planting started.

The term “skunked” is also used to describe going fishing and catching nothing.

Feeling good about what we accomplished Saturday, and wanting to used some of the worms he collected while planting in the wet soil, we decided to do some fishing in the evening. We took our poles and the worm bucket out in the boat and loaded worms on our hooks. I dropped my hook in the water and seconds later had my first bite. It ended up being a 4 inch perch (although my husband remembered to bring the tape measure I neglected to bring my camera).

He caught the next fish – a 10 inch bass. It was not our intention to have bass in our pond. We originally stocked it with perch, a few walleye, a few catfish, a few pike and lots of minnows. We intentionally did not include bass. They showed up anyway. How does that happen??? Apparently water birds like ducks, geese and herons can get fish eggs stuck to their feet in one body of water and deposit them in another. Well we have had plenty of ducks, geese and herons visit so that explains it. After seeing the bass my husband said we probably needed to get more pike as they are predators that would help keep the bass population under control. We had originally only put a few pike in there and hadn’t caught one in several years.

As we continued fishing we caught a quite a few 2-3 inch perch, then we each caught a 9 inch perch. We released them this time, but one day the are going to make a nice dinner. I got the last worm of the night (a very large night crawler). Since we didn’t want it to get nibbled away by small fry my husband peddled the boat around the deeper waters. Suddenly I got a bite. I could tell it was a large fish so I let it play on the line a little and waited for it to relax a bit before reeling it in some. When it got close enough I could see that it was neither a perch or a bass. It also wasn’t a catfish. When it got close enough my husband grabbed the line as I held the fishing pole. As he lifted the fish out of the water “it’s a pike he announced”. Just as he did the fish wiggled and got off the hook. Splash! back into the water it went. We didn’t get to measure it but is was significantly larger than the 10 inch bass he caught. Now we know that the predator fish in there.

Skunked? Not even close! Our Saturday was full of wins!

The term “skunked” can also be used to describe getting sprayed by a skunk.

Sunday morning as my husband and I arrived a the farm we noticed something strange near the pond. The colors were such that, despite never seeing a skunk close up in the daylight before, I knew immediately what it was.

We had never seen skunks on the farm before, but a couple of years ago Trooper had a smelly encounter with one in the field next door.

This momma seemed to be as surprised to see us as we were to see her.

We stayed in our vehicle and watched as she tried to round up her three little ones then hurried them out of sight.

I suspect our saving grace that morning was that we didn’t have Trooper with us.

Trooper is a watch dog and would be certain announce to us that he saw something that didn’t belong there. He would do this by barking loudly and incessantly. His barking quite possibly would have made this momma feel threatened. Even if momma and baby had scampered off, Trooper, despite his prior experiences with skunks, would have certainly went looking in their direction once he got out of the van.

Though they are incredibly cute skunks might not be an animal we want inhabiting our farm. Beyond the threat of an encounter with a curious watch dog who doesn’t learn from past experiences, skunks could pose a threat to our chickens. They may not prey on our full grown birds but chicks and eggs may be at risk. Since skunks are generally nocturnal animals and our chickens are closed in a secure coop each night the risk may be low.

Skunks are also know to dine on bees – potentially even honey bees. Again since skunks are nocturnal and honey bees retreat to their hive at night the risk again is somewhat low. As a precaution against wild critters my husband places a brick on top of each bee hive so the critter would first have knock the brick off then knock the top off before being able to get into the hive.

Fortunately the skunks should have a more than adequate food supply on our farm without having to bother our chickens, eggs or bees. There may even be some benefits to having them around according the following excerpt from https://www.nativeanimalrescue.org/got-skunks/ . “Despite their smelly reputation, skunks are beneficial to people. They are opportunistic feeders with about 70% of their diet being insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, and wasps. They eat a huge number of agricultural pests, such as army worms, potato beetles and squash bugs. One of their favorite foods is grubs, which they dig up from the soil. A hungry skunk can save people lots of money in terms of the amount of pesticides they might use if the skunk was not at work all night. Skunks will also eat spiders, snails, earthworms, carrion, berries, nuts, roots, small rodents and garbage. An easy source of food will quickly become their favorite, so avoid leaving dog and cat food out at night, which will draw skunks and other unwanted wildlife to your home. Skunks are shy, nocturnal creatures and would rather avoid you than spray you.”

After reading this it is my hope that we can have a peaceful coexistence with these critters – and again we didn’t get skunked.

Bee Day

May 10, 2019Bees, Reflections, The FarmBeekeeping, Homesteadingruthsoaper

Today is bee day at our farm. It is the day that the honey bees that we ordered have arrived and we must set them up in their new homes (hives). This year, as in the past two, we ordered our bees from Osage Bees in Avoca, MI. Osage Bees do not raise the bees here in Michigan. Instead they take orders from local customers then travel to Georgia where they pick up the bees and bring them back to Michigan. We find this to be a great option for acquiring bees, especially after our tragic mail order experience a few years back.

Our order was for five 3 pound packages of bees.

This is what three pound packages of bees looks like. There is an estimates 9000 – 12,000 bees in a three pound package.

The bees are huddled together in a ball surrounding the queen cage to keep her warm and protected.

There are a few dead bees in the bottom of each package but that is to be expected.

My husband did all the hiving today, but I wanted to be there to take some photos to share with my readers. You won’t see me in the photos, but in case you are wondering I was wearing a bee suit similar to the one my husband has on.

Before I get into todays activities I should mention that a lot of the prep work has been done over the last few weeks. That involved making sure that we had five hives ready (clean, assembled and set in place).

This morning when he went to pick up the bees I made syrup that we would use to feed the bees for the first week or so. We generally don’t like to feed sugar syrup because it does not have the nutrients that the bees would get from nectar or from honey. We try to keep enough extra honey on hand to be able to feed the bees if necessary, but this year we did not have enough honey to make that happen.

I will also say that there are many methods for hiving bees and for bee keeping. What is right or wrong is largely a matter of opinion, and what works for one bee keeper may not work for another. If you have seen things done a different way or do things differently feel free to ask why we did what we did.

Before opening the package of bees my husband opened up the hive that he would be putting the bees in. He also removed the center two frames to make room for the bees.

He next removed the small piece of wood that sealed the top of the package shut. Removing the piece of wood gave him access to the feeder can. The feeder can has syrup in it and small holes that the bees can suck the syrup out of. There is enough syrup in the can to keep these bees alive for several days. This can was still pretty full.

As he removed the can he remembered to slide the small piece of wood over the hole because he still wasn’t ready for the bees to come out of the package.

The next step was removing the queen cage. The queen cage is a very small box with screened sides that contains the queen bee and a few attendant bees. The queen is kept separate during travel to protect her. The safety of the queen is of utmost importance because a hive can not function without a queen.

You don’t get to see the actual queen cage because many worker bees were clinging to the cage. Protecting their queen is a large part of their job. Because it was chilly outside my husband held the queen cage in the hive while shaking and brushing the excess bees off.

The next thing he did is not recommended practice, but because of his schedule for the next few weeks it was necessary. He placed the queen cage in the hive and removed the screen so that the queen could get out.

Normal procedure would have been to keep the cage intact and allow the worker bees to get her out by eating the sugar candy that is used to plug one end of the cage. This process usually takes a few days but it is important to check after a few days to make sure she is out. My husband is just not going to have the time to do that check.

After the queen was in the hive my husband emptied the rest of the bees into the hive. In past years when we have done this we have found that when the package is open many bees are eager to get out and bees begin flying out and around the area. Our experience today was different. Presumably because of the cool, cloudy weather the majority of the bees stayed in a ball – huddled tightly together.

Shaking the package

and smacking it on the bottom is what needs to be done in order to get the bees out of the package.

There are usually a few bees left in the package so he sets the package on the ground next to the hive so they will find their way in.

Since we don’t like to open our hives often and disturb the bees he adds a queen excluder and a honey super (the third box). He then put the feeder on top and puts sugar syrup in it, before placing the top on the hive.

This one is finding it’s new home.

As I was taking pictures I felt something tickling my hand. I looked down and found this girl checking me out.

She seemed to be tasting my skin but certainly had no ill intentions. One of the precautions we take when working with the bees is to not wear anything scented (perfumes, deodorant, hair care products) as the bees might be attracted to it.

So maybe I am just that sweet. LOL!!!

I only stayed around for the first hive but my husband repeated this with each of the other four hives.

He then reported to me late this afternoon that all of the hives were active and after the sun came out there were busy bees all over the dandelions.

This was a good day!

A Blessed Weekend

May 7, 2019Reflections, spring, The FarmHomesteadingruthsoaper

Before we get to the weekend I have to tell you what happened Thursday. I was standing on our deck when I saw this family of geese walking down the sidewalk in front of our house. I was caught a bit off guard. I have seen geese walk through our neighborhood on a couple of occasions and it always seems strange. This is the first time I have seen them with a gosling. As soon as I saw them I ran in the house for my camera, but by the time I returned they were nearly out of sight. They were headed for a ditch that runs through our community. I pointed my camera, pushed the zoom button to the max and clicked in their direction. I am surprised that I got a decent shot of them.

Looks like a fun family outing.

IMG_4963 (2)

Saturday was the craft sale at Special Dreams Farm and what a great day it was. Like all outdoor events weather is always a concern but this day was blessed. The weather was variable, sweat shirt weather for sure – sometimes cloudy and sometimes sunny, sometimes calm and sometimes windy but not a drop of rain fell on us and considering how many rainy days we have had this spring we were most thankful for a dry day.

Even better than the weather was the company. I was set up between my cousin Abbey and my sister Kathy. My sister Jamie and my cousin Laurie, Abbey’s Mom, were also there. I guess we could call it a family affair.

This was Abbey’s first craft sale. In fact I believe it is the first time she has sold any of her art work. Some of her pieces were painted, some were done in pencil and others were done with a wood burner.

I think she is very talented

and judging from how many pieces she sold I would say that shoppers agreed.

Like Abbey, I had a good day for sales. My dehydrated Garlic Granules and Garlic Dill Dip Mix were both big hits.

Kathy sells memory bears that are custom made. Customers provide the garments, usually shirts, that she makes into bears. Often these are done in memory of a loved one who has passed away and the clothing would be something that was worn by that person, other times they may commemorate a special place or event.

There was a steady stream of shoppers throughout the day, some of which included more family members and friends, and many who were there to support this wonderful organization.

I received a follow up email from the Director of Special Dreams Farm thanking me for attending and saying that they are planning to hold this event again next year. I will definitely plan on being there.

Sunday we had glorious weather and the icing on the cake was that my husband had the day off from work. We spent the day together just catching up on things that needed to be done. We potted some more of the plants that he had brought home and made sure all of the plants had water. He got the small lawn mower going and I cut the grass at the house, while he cleaned the chicken coop. He also got the riding mower going at the farm, but the grass there was too wet (muddy) to cut. It’s hard to say when I will be able to start cutting the grass at the farm because today brought more rain.

I didn’t take many pictures of our Sunday activities. In fact I only have this one to share.

Our cherry tree has begun to blossom, and while I enjoy the beautiful blossoms I will be praying for a good cherry crop this year.

Thanks for reading and I hope your weekend was blessed as well.

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