Missing Willow Farm

We were over in our trailer, aka our pottery studio this morning when a little fox wandered into the back yard.  We’ve seen it in the woods hanging with our sheep and also in our pasture.  Thankfully, I had my iPod in my pocket and it didn’t notice me sneaking out onto the back deck to grab some photos before it wandered off.   It looked to be about the size of a cat and was very pretty.   I’ve now got photos of a coyote, raccoon, possum and fox on our property.  Maybe a wolf is next… or a werewolf.   😀

We finally finished harvesting the rest of our potatoes this morning.  Seriously, so many!  While digging, Brian came across an ‘oddly shaped rock’ in our potato bed.   An obsidian egg!  Either the faeries left it for us or it was in the commercial compost that we buy by the ton.  They collect cafeteria waste from many places including public schools.  I prefer to think it’s a present from the faeries.

Lizzie is getting big.   She has started napping with sheep under a stand of trees instead of chasing them like crazy to play. We no longer have to stand over her while she eats to keep Beatrice away from her food.  She’s become very protective of her dish.  Good progress!

Brian is out fishing from our dock while I’m in the kitchen canning dill pickles and cherry amaretto jam.  A typical summer day.

We try growing zucchini every year with no success.  We grow without chemical pesticides so some dang bug always gets to them.  We evidently fooled them this year because we’ve just started harvesting squash along with our daily haul of cucumbers.

From Missing Willow Farm.

Our cucumbers are making their way from the garden into jars, with garlic, dill, hot pepper, mustard seeds and pickling spices.  They’re ready to be stored away for picnics, hamburgers, hot dogs (and our daughters who love them).

We grew a half bed of shallots this season.  They yielded so well that we’ve got enough to save and plant next year.

We spent our weekend roasting lamb at a music and food festival with a friend.  The event actually started Friday evening with a s’mores party for the festival crowd.   They had several firepits going down by the lake beach.  Besides the traditional bagged marshmallows, Hershey chocolate and graham crackers, the pastry chef baked cookies, made assorted chocolate melts and three kinds of marshmallows.  I’m so going to try this at home some day!

People still occasionally drive up our driveway or hop the locked fence to see what’s behind the gate and the keep out signs.   It’s pretty obvious that 1. it’s someone’s home and 2. no, you’re not welcome to come snoop.  We had someone selling meat stop by yesterday.  Did you not see the pasture full of animals and the no trespassing sign?   If you’re making a delivery or have been invited, come on.  Otherwise, not so much.  I think we need one of those “Trespassers will be shot, survivors will be shot twice” signs.