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Showing posts from 2019

Fryeburg Fair 2019

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                 Another summer blasted by and here we are in October. Autumn means fair season, and locally, we have the Fryeburg fair. It is a large agricutural based fair, with lots of farm animals, exhibits and a midway for the kids. It is huge event for our small western Maine area, drawing tens of thousands of people every year.          This makes the second year Cam and Cliff have worked there, and they both enjoy it. It is a long 8 days, as they have to report early and stay late. They are provided three hot meals a day, which is good, as it gets pretty cold at this time of year. The wind seems to just blow through the fairgrounds all the time, since it is nestled nicely in the white mountains. Cliff came home fairly frozen last night, and Cam, who works security, wasn't even going to get home until midnight or after. I am sure he was ready to get inside by that time.           They are joined by Nolan this year, who wanted to earn some money, even though it meant m

The Blessing

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          This is a very different blog today, as I share something that happened to me this past Sunday. It is something I still am trying to wrap my mind around, so please bear with me as I try to find just the right words. It was amazing, moving, wonderful, and awe inspiring all at the same time, and to be honest, I am still in the process of understanding it. Here is my best description, as I recall it.   Early morning cleaning and mowing..My grandparents stone in the back corner            Sunday was a warm, partly sunny day, and drier then it has been, so I decided to mow the lawns. My mother's mower was in the shop, so I decided to start in the family cemetery..Homeland Cemetery, located in the back of our hay field. I rode over on the mower, and started mowing, saying hello to all the relatives that are buried there. As I mowed, I noticed the deer had been munching on the geraniums we had planted on Memorial weekend. Several plants had just stalks sticking up, and

A Day in the Life at Homeland Farm, Part two

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SUMMER BEAUTY  (Computers, man....Grrr) 4PM...A drive around the farm checking out the pretty stuff... Pole Beans! Acres of clover! " "Look Vance! The Tiger lillies are in bloom again..." 4 PM....Pea shelling time! Supper is cooking, and smelling good! 430...Cocktails on the glider! Couple of tired farmers 5 PM...SUPPER TIME Chicken and Dumplings, fresh peas and cukes, homemade biscuits and strawberry jam! YUM TIME TO WRAP IT UP FROM HOMELAND FARM! hOPE EVERYONE HAD A GREAT WEEKEND! SEE YOU SOON!

Ahhhh! Glorious Summer time! (or as we say here in Maine..A wicked nice Summah!)

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          Good Afternoon from Beautiful Bridgton, Maine! After a terrible, wet and cold and LONG Spring, we are finally enjoying a warm, sunny stretch of summer weather. The flowers are blossoming, butterflies are flitting about and the garden is in. Time to get out and enjoy the season, although we have plenty to do here at Homeland Farm.            Today, I am doing a blog post called A DAY IN THE LIFE AT HOMELAND FARM. It could easily be called "A day in the life of Carmie and Cliffy," or "Watch Carmie and Cliffy work", but I will go with my original title.           Anddddd Here we GO! PS..Doing this in two parts since my computer is being a pain!                          A DAY IN THE LIFE AT HOMELAND FARM      6AM...wake up to the Peke snoring on my head.      7AM... Coffee and we make plans for the day. The dogs are clearly awaiting instructions.         9 AM....It is time to start making strawberry jam. Three batches later, we wer

"Spring has Sprung..Fooled ya!" says Mother Nature

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            Before the new snow...         One thing I love about a Maine Spring is that you never know what to expect. For example, Cliffy and I had been watching the snow recede at a fairly quick rate over the last couple weeks. Watching and waiting and smiling. Spring was here and that old ground hog was right...winter was leaving and an early spring was right on our doorstep.        Heck, we even commenced to raking last weekend, it was so nice. Yep, we were out raking in just tee shirts, it was so warm. We got almost half the front lawn done,and we also started on the lawn where the pine trees are located. Then we sat on the glider, and soaked up the warm rays. Ahhh spring..We love ya!         BAM! Ole Mother Nature pulled a fast one. Three days of snow. Wet, heavy spring snow that once again has turned our driveway into a wet bog, and caused accidents for lots of folks who clearly forgot how to drive in the stuff. On the trip to Auburn on Monday, we saw 4 cars off th

My Uncle was right..It's hell to get old!

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          Don't even get me started on the gray hair..            My Uncle Billy used to lament about getting old. I thought he was being over dramatic or whiny. I thought Geez, how bad can it be?? But, then I hit my 50's!            Everyday I wake up and think WHEW! Made it! Another night of restful sleep...ummm maybe not. It seems my dreams get crazier and more detailed all the time. Sometimes they are scary, and I wake up with my heart racing. Crazy CRAZY I tell you! Snakes..roses..earthquakes..weird houses..some of which I think oh yeah..saw that on Facebook. BUT..most make no sense at all.            I roll over and cuddle next to Cliffy, who I figure probably wants to wake up and hear all about it. Well...maybe in the morning. At least I can cuddle with him until I get the nonsense outta my brain and doze back off. Or not, and I just lay there..changing positions 50 times..leg in..leg out...blankets on, blankets off..window up..window down..electric blanket on, we

What do you think? A potential book? Or just things the author would find amusing...

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    Homeland Farm                I have kept a diary for 25 years. Yes, for almost half my life,  I have kept a diary of the life and times of a crazy, Maine farm gal. I have chronicled the good, bad and ugly, mostly with a sense of humor which managed to help me get through the aforementioned "ugly." Every now and then, I get the urge to go back through and read them again, and let me tell you, they are pretty darn interesting. Oh, and often very amusing. I have read Cliffy a bit here and there, and he seems to think..and I quote..." THERE'S A BOOK IN THERE SOMEWHERE!" Perhaps, or maybe it is just funny to those that know me. SO, I am conducting a poll. Yay, or Nay...a book in this foolishness?? Here are a couple examples of true stories from 1995, written as I wrote it in my dairy.             February 8, 1995...                  I took some birthday money and went to Waterford to buy two calves. One was a black whitehead and the other was a Jersey

Batten Down the Hatches!!

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    Snow fall a few years ago           THERE'S A STORM A' BREWIN'! Or, so they say. We have been busy today, doing all the usual last minute storm preparations. I did some cooking, making homemade raspberry turnovers and an apple strudel. Cliffy put extra fuel in the tanks, and we hauled some furniture to the booth at the 207 Trading Co. We parked the car inside the barn, and closed up the doors. Good to go!           Then, Cameron and I went to fight the throngs of folks stocking up on booze, milk, toilet paper, and Allens Coffee Brandy. Here in New England, you just can NOT have a good nor'easter without the aforementioned items. And a good, one it is shaping up to be.            So far, this winter has been wicked odd. (said in a deep Maine accent.)(In my mind..)(I'll stop now).We had very early snow and quite a bit of it, back in November. So this year, we had not only a white Christmas, but a white Thanksgiving. Then it has frozen and thawed, icy then b