Life at Homeland Farm

     Happy Fourth of July! It has been a while since I have written, but it has been a very busy month and a half. I will try and get back to writing more frequently now that things have settled down a bit.       First off, we had a busy month with finding homes for horses, and also getting in more horses. We now have a total of 17 horses, ponies, mules and donkeys. We also have cows and pigs..and MORE pigs, namely a litter of little piggies that were a surprise arrival the other day. Not much cuter then a mess of piglets in a rainbow of color. We had to bring them into the barn when once again it started to poor and turn nasty..the babies were shivering.. Awww.. Petunia and her babies Grandma Bro and Great Granny drying them off (wait..isn't that MY laundry basket????) How cute...all stacked up like cord wood as Grampy Daigle says        Warming up the mess o' piggies.. ...

     I can remember my childhood Saturday nights like they were last week. I can almost smell the sweet scent of pea beans baking in my grandmother's kitchen, and see the pan of hot yeast rolls, tops rubbed with butter, cooling on the shelf. There would be horseradish and sliced cukes in vinegar on the table along side the yellow dairy butter and extra spoons. My grandmother never wanted to be without an extra spoon. She put extra spoons on the table for every meal.       My grandfather sat with his back to the wall, and I sat next to him on a red, wooden stool. My grandmother sat next to me, and my uncle was across the table from my grandfather. We would all eat and eat, and inevitably my Uncle Billy would comment about something..like the rolls weren't quite as good as they usually were, or the beans could have used a mite more salt. They were always perfect, and I always argued that they were just right.      ...

Spring at the Farm      Spring has sprung, and a young mans thoughts turn to love. I took my youngest and a friend down to watch the girls play softball, and as they walked across the field, I had a flash back. Ahhhh...thirteen. Can it really be so long ago that I was age thirteen?       I remember when I was in junior high like it was yesterday. The drama of which girl liked which boy, who was going to sit with who on the bus to the high school, and are you going to go to "The Dance"?       The word dance is used very lightly here. I believe it should have actually been called "The Stand Around." Yes, at Bridgton Junior High, we girls would line up on one side of the room, while the boys lined up on the other. Once in awhile, there would be an occasional couple dancing, but for the most part, it was a stare down across the cafeteria. I remember walking nonchalantly down past the boys, and a fella named Andy jum...

    Once again, I find myself awake at night, with nothing but a poem floating around in my head. I know many of you are probably saying.."well, there are worse things then poems." Perhaps you think it is a Robert Frost poem or some famous, lovely poem by a lady dressed in a long flowing gown. Well, that is almost true. It is one of MY poems, and that long flowing gown? Yep, a flannel granny nightgown. So, without further ado, my poem du jour.                  Amazing Sleep (sung to the tune of Amazing Grace, of course..) Ahem...       Amazing Sleep,       how sweet the sound,       of Cliffy sawing ZZZZZZZ's.          I once was asleep, but now       I'm  not,       Am awake, and now I see...       It's three a.m. ...

     I love watching "The Waltons". For one thing, it takes me back to my youth..I miss all the older folks in our family that were alive and kicking during the years the "Waltons" were on television. I can still remember my Uncle Billy asking.."Did you see 'The Waltons' last night? It was an awful good show..Ole Grampa got into the recipe.." Most likely I had seen it, as I liked to watch that show myself. Now they play it in reruns every day so I can almost always get a daily dose of feel good television.        In today's world, especially after this past weeks events, feel good television is a welcome distraction from the harsh reality of life today as we know it. So much carnage and misery and violence on television every day, all day. A simple show about a close family is what we need more then ever. And I DO NOT mean "The Kardashians". Or the "Honey Boo Boo" family. Yikes.         Yes, I thi...

      Life is different today it seems. People are so busy that families don't even have time to eat supper together any more. I know some families where the kids eat at different times then their parents, or in different rooms. Some kids eat in their bedrooms, living room or standing. Some people eat in the car on their way to or from an after school activity. Now I am not saying that we haven't all done one of things at one time or  another. But here on the farm, we almost always sit down at the kitchen table and eat together.        I think that is one thing my children will remember as they get older and go off on their own. I bet when they have families of their own someday, they will try and do that every night with their kids. It is a good time for families to talk about their day, about up coming plans and life in general. I am always amazed at the topics of conversation that flow around the table at supper. It is ...

       In case you haven't heard of it, the "Harlem Shake" is a dance craze floating around on the internet where costume wearing people boogie around like they have lost their minds. Which is why I knew we Homeland Farm folks had to try our hand at making a video ourselves.        In the video, one person starts dancing while the others surrounding them act normal and go about their business, until they all join in and dance together. Naturally, I opted to be the one that starts the madness, and of course, since my "granny night gown" blog is so popular on here, that is what I decided to wear. I really bust a move, so be prepared. Just think what I could have done, if it weren't for my bad ankle!         So, without further ado, watch the video and ENJOY! (or not.............)