By the first week of August, Gracie deer was making it clear she was ready to move little JoJo out of the confines of the deer pen and into the real world. Both Forrest and I struggled to know when the timing for such a big move would be right, since we were not yet … More Gracie’s Invitation
In the wee hours of the morning on June 26th, I woke to the sound of thunder and the wind picking up outside. Oscar had been gently pawing at the bedroom door for a couple of minutes before I decided to get up. I figured he and Lollipop were scared, so I got out of … More Beneficial Summer Rain
We took our first outing with the fawns last Saturday. The girls enjoyed their freedom and finished the day by entering the pen to eat some feed and fresh browse we cut for them. While they were eating, we shut them in for the night and, due to snowy weather, waited another day before allowing … More Sisterhood of the Traveling Hooves
I will never forget the first time I heard a co-worker exclaim, “Dad gummit!” in complete frustration over a problem we were trying to solve. At first, I thought I heard her wrong, so I asked her to repeat what she said. After a repeat of the phrase confirmed I had indeed heard what I … More Dad Gum Tree
The weather was bitter cold the day after Tukker’s release, but the sun shone brightly and a mild breeze from the south brought hope of a better day. FD and I were up early, with plans to take Tukker on another hike to the west end of the property and cover more of the orchard, … More The Fawn Who Walks With People (Tacicala Tuwe Mani Kici Oyate – Lakota Sioux)
When we took in our orphaned buck fawn, Tukker, we created a better set up for his raising than for any of the white-tail fawns we rehabilitated in the past. From Daisy to Emma and Ronnie, FD and I learned a lot along the way, and made improvements accordingly to our fenced quarters and barn … More Wide-Eyed on a Windy Day
The weather here has been cold and overcast the past few weeks, making me feel trapped in the house. But each time I did venture out to do chicken chores or put feed down for the wildlife, I was quickly ready to come back inside to the warmth! Despite the cold, I still hoped to … More Woodland Walk in Snow
The kitchen window is often the spot through which I see all sorts of wildlife passing by. Ms. Foxy trots along the neighboring fence line each morning around ten o’clock. The red-tailed hawk perches in the old hackberry tree most mornings, and the little sparrows hang out in the forsythia bush just below the kitchen … More Crash Landing
“Each of us actually believes that things should be the way we want them, instead of being the natural result of all the forces of creation.” Michael A. Singer I felt more than a little overwhelmed this spring when I realized there was no way I could continue my plan to keep the pecan orchard … More Ready to Surrender
I am not sure when I first noticed the return of the turkey vultures this spring. They are present all year long, with one or two spiraling high in the skies on warm days, but for the last three weeks a colony of more than thirty buzzards circled the skies just before sundown, and ultimately … More Lessons From a Buzzard Roost
This past winter was a strange and disappointing one for me. Temperatures were much too cold to work in the orchard, and even if I could have managed to tough out the freezing conditions, a state-wide burn ban left me without any means to burn the wood I’d manage to gather in an effort to … More A Little Show of Ice
Day by Day the Farm Girl Way... 