Greetings Dear Friends,
Here we are almost mid-June! Soon spring will introduce us to summer! Ready or not, here she comes!
This is a very busy time of year for the Farm indeed! There are plenty of fallen trees to clear out after the storms of December and early April (We wood chip the branches, using the chips for mulch in the garden, so it’s quite a chore). We still have some shingles to repair on the garage but the list of “to do” is getting smaller daily. There’s always something to tackle but progress is being made!
The early April snow was challenging. Some parts of the road and barnyard had to be plowed, and the ground was thawing so mud was the product of that endeavor. Clay (predominately our ground here at the Farm) can suck your boot off your foot when you get stuck in it. The horses made deep ruts with their hooves so we couldn’t access the upper fields and pastures for a bit. So out of necessity, we had a new road dug with gravel and covered with jaw fine (which is easier on the horse’s legs). It’s wonderful to walk to the upper fields now without getting stuck in the mud. Whew!
Part of the goat fence was also damaged during the storm, and we will also be repairing the solar fencing in the fields.
We still have parts of the barnyard to do, hopefully in the fall. We are always investigating the possibility of a new, larger barn in the upper field. It would allow us to expand our programming and provide housing for new animals and storage. (We need approximately 400 bales of hay per year. We will need more with an addition of a new horse.) However, building materials are very expensive, but we live in hope, and are trying to be inventive in what we need and can afford, including working and speaking to area craftsmen and ground development experts to come up with new ideas and explore possibilities!
We are also getting a delivery of sand to spruce up the arena so we can begin programming and training and on-ground therapeutic horsemanship. The horses, Bodyke (Bodie) and Diamond (Dee) have had their physicals. Teeth, heart and lungs are all looking good according to Dr.Bonney of Annabessacook Veterinary office. Their second round of inoculations will be done this Thursday. Our goats, Gus and Shadow, are also doing well. They had their rabies vaccines and seem chipper! Always wonderful on the Farm when your animals are healthy and happy.
Our free range chickens are laying continuously and we are selling our eggs to our loyal friends.
Another bit of news…we now have a bee hive. One of our friends is managing it for us. It’s fantastic to see them buzzing about! It will help with pollination of our garden and we may get a bit of honey!!
We will also be getting a batch of baby chicks, guinea hens (for tick control) and turkey poults (a fall fundraiser for us).
We are currently still getting vegetable plantings into the garden and very thrilled to say that we have purchased a Troy built tiller to help us deal with our tough clay soil! We are excitedly putting in various types of flower seedlings for a Fall Wedding, we have been commissioned by the Bride to provide organic flowers for her celebration! We have snapdragons, sunflowers, amaranth, cosmos, dahlias, and gladiolus (so far!). Hopefully every blossom will bring lots of joy to a wonderful family and create beautiful memories for all who attend so pray for a wonderful growing season! We will continue to update you throughout the season of our successes and failures (though hopefully not too many of those).
I will close for now and keep everyone updated regarding potential new programming, working with the Unified Sports Initiative. Of course we welcome back our from friends from Skills Inc. and their various programs this summer as well. It is always wonderful to have friends and neighbors come by and take in the beautiful farmland of Ephphatha.
Thank you all for your continuous love and support! We wouldn’t be here without you.
