Around the Farm

It has been a while since I posted the goings on around the farm. The summer was busy and this school year is even more so. We are facing a move in the next year and to be honest, I have avoided posting about the farm because it makes me sad to think we will be leaving so much behind. We have worked so hard to make the property what it is and we have experienced so many blessings. It will be difficult to go but I know there is a new adventure waiting for us.

This was one of the Copper Maran chicks I got just a few months ago. She is big and beautiful and just started laying.

This is the reason these hens are so sought after. On the right is a normal brown egg from one of my Rhode Island Red hens. On the left, the Copper Maran's egg. They are a deep chocolate brown and only get darker as the hen matures. It makes a normal brown egg look white.

This is the sweetest horse that has ever lived. How can you not fall in love with those deep brown eyes?

Miss Prissy is feeling much better. She gave up on her golf ball hatching and is back to her old prissy self. Except she stopped laying eggs. I think she just resigned herself to being an old maid.

The herbs are going to seed and getting ready to go dormant for the winter.

The scarecrow is not doing his job at all. The deer and chicken have devoured what was left of the garden. I am thinking of demoting him to a yard decoration. He is lazy and just stands around all day anyway.

It is very quiet in the pigpen since we took the last hog to the butcher. I miss the squealing and snorting. Also, all kinds of plants have started to grow in there. At first sight it looks like weeds but a closer inspection revealed tons of tomato plants, cucumber vines and squash plants. They are doing better than the plants I started inside, babied and fretted over all season. Next spring, I am just going to throw seeds everywhere and ignore the plants.

I hope you all are enjoying the cooler weather and have a great weekend.

McWane Science Museum

Our homeschool group took a field trip to the McWane Science Museum last week. We have been here several times but it is always fun and the kids really enjoy all the activities here.



This is a screen that displays butterflies flying around. If you are very still, the butterflies will land on you and won't move until you do. Or until your brother comes and scares them off which results in stories I do not wish to repeat.




I seriously need one of these in my home. I think it would curb scenarios like those mentioned
above.



Help! I'm being eaten by a giant trout.



This was a really neat touch tank that had sharks and stingrays.


Brandon was cracking me up with this giant pin impression.
You may have to turn your head sideways as I always forget to orient the screen right or it comes out sideways.

Lake Martin Hike

We went on a hike at Lake Martin a few weeks back. This hike was a bit rougher than our last one in that the terrain was much steeper and it was a bit longer. The trail was really slippery because tons of pine needles fell and covered the path. I never knew how slick pine needles could be until I tried to walk uphill on 2 inches of those suckers. We are lucky no one broke anything.


The trail started right by the lake and wound up and down the hills surrounding the lake. It was really beautiful.
It was also very steep. My glutes cried for days after.

We spotted this Fence Lizard toward the end of the trail. Lee caught it and let the kids examine
it before letting it go. When Lee did let it go, it crawled up his pants leg then ran around his belly and up and down his back before jumping in the leaves. I have not laughed that hard in a long time.


Brandon was convinced that his dad was going to throw the lizard at him. That is why the hat is in front of his face. I don't know where he would get such an idea.


The kids liked wading around in the lake after the hike to cool off.

It was a beautiful day for a hike and we all enjoyed spending some quality time together.

Cheaha Falls, Talladega National Forest, Alabama

Just to make sure we are on the same page, the Alaska posts are done. We have gone back to our real lives in Alabama.

One thing we like to do as a family is go on hikes. This is not something easily done during the summer in Alabama but fall is the perfect time. We have lows in the mid 40's during the night and highs of only 75-80 or so during the day. Much better than the 113 degree sweltering days of summer. Last weekend, we visited Cheaha Falls in the Talladega National Forest. It was so beautiful. We have had a pretty bad drought this summer so the falls were really more of a trickle but it was beautiful nonetheless. Besides, the lack of water gave us a chance to explore further than we would have been able to if the water was more plentiful.



There were many pools of water going down the hillside. Little fish and jumping water spiders were everywhere.

What a sweet little monkey. His brown eyes are hypnotizing even from a distance. Little stinker.


The drips of water over many of the rocks formed holes and beautiful markings.


This one was not so much beautiful as it was gross. It was a large hole that went all the way through the boulder. The children nicknamed it the "toilet". Lovely.


This was kind of cool, a tree whose roots had grown through the crevasses of the rock and hung suspended from the bottom.

What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday.

Denali

During the four years we lived in Alaska, we only had a clear view of Denali once. Usually, the mountain is covered with thick clouds and getting a nice view of the mountain is pretty difficult. That was the case on our trip up to Fairbanks. It was rainy and foggy and cloudy. We did not see much of anything. On the way back to Anchorage, it was raining in Fairbanks so I was a little doubtful that we would get to see the mountain on the way home. As you can see, it cleared up beautifully and we had the best view of Denali yet. What a blessing. Once again, I'll just show the beauty of Alaska without my words mucking it up.





Nenana River

Fairbanks, AK

We drove up to Fairbanks just in time to see fall creep in. Every season in Alaska is beautiful, but fall is just spectacular. The landscape comes alive with golds, reds, purples and blues. The colors are so vibrant, they just take my breath away.

I love birch trees. The trees in Alabama are okay but they pale in comparison to the birch.
I wish I could fill my whole property with them.


We met up with some friends at Creamers Field Migratory Wildlife Refuge. This used to be the site of Creamer's Dairy, which closed in 1966 due to changes of shipping and outside competition shortly after WW ll. Creamers Field is now a bird haven. It is a popular spot to watch many different kinds of birds on their annual pass through Fairbanks. Geese, ducks, cranes and songbirds make up most of the bird population. Sometimes, a moose can be seen lumbering over the field.
There are 2 miles of walking trails at creamers field. They are maintained carefully and beautifully.
My sweet little monkey is always careful to pick a flower *with* the roots attached so I can transplant his sweet gift.


While in Fairbanks, we went to North Pole to visit our church family. It was so wonderful to see
them and this part of the trip meant the world to me. They really are part of our family and I miss them terribly.


I was able to see a few friends who are very special to me. My friend Stephanie is such a caring, sweet and precious person. It was so nice to see her. I also saw a good friend who used to live across the street from me at Eielson but dang it, I forgot my camera and did not get a shot of us together. I guess I'll just have to force myself to go all the way back to AK to get one. Besides, I've been back in the Alabama heat for a week now and I'm ready to get out of here.



The drive back to Anchorage was just as beautiful as the drive up. Next stop, Denali.