thefemfarmer

The Bee Bath

There is a colony of honeybees that currently reside in an exterior brick column of the farmhouse. It could have gone unnoticed for months, but for two things. First and foremost, my dad spied the bee activity from inside the house one afternoon. Leave it to my former law enforcement father to make such anContinue reading “The Bee Bath”

Mother Nature

I grew up in Mississippi, so I am well versed in severe thunderstorms and tornado weather. My hometown had civil defense sirens throughout the city. Any time there was an official tornado warning, they would go off, alerting everyone of the potential danger. Our farm is situated outside the limits of a much smaller city,Continue reading “Mother Nature”

Ducks on the Lake

It has been a delight to watch the farm and property awaken to spring. The light yellow winter pastures have morphed into blankets of vivid, almost neon green; and the sounds of birds and insects and amphibians are often loud in your ear. The flying acrobatics and distinctive cries of the barn swallows are nowContinue reading “Ducks on the Lake”

Chickiepoos

In my last update, the chickens were fluffballs and only two weeks old. It is a month plus since, and the formerly tiny chicks are now much larger pullets and cockerels, almost 7 weeks old. The flock is still 19 strong — eleven Welsumers (9 pullets, 2 cockerels) and eight Andalusians (7 pullets, 1 cockerel).Continue reading “Chickiepoos”

Swallows at Sunset

We are blessed by the farm’s natural beauty. The long sides of the property run east to west, and the elevation is such that both the east and west ends of the property are the high points of the property, at about 500 feet above sea level; and the pasture slopes down to the middleContinue reading “Swallows at Sunset”

LED Light Bulbs Anyone?

I have completed or near completed a number of non-trivial farmhouse tasks since moving in on Friday, January 8th. I have a mailbox. I have a backyard fence. I changed out the HVAC air filters. I have started my flock of chickens. At present, my ongoing farmhouse-specific project is turning out to be bigger thanContinue reading “LED Light Bulbs Anyone?”

I Love My New Chicks

Having survived my Trial by Fire, I am finally getting to enjoy the new chicks. My first ever flock currently has 19 members. Eight of them are Andalusian chicks and eleven of them are Welsummer chicks. If you are curious why I picked those two breeds, you can read this earlier post. Prior to theContinue reading “I Love My New Chicks”

Trial by Fire

I should have better prepared. I know myself. I am an empath. And if that is too new age for you, then just label me a “highly sensitive person,” or HSP, as it is often shortened in the media. Blame it on highly active mirror neurons or some shit like that. I knew some ofContinue reading “Trial by Fire”

Final Prep for the Chicks

I have visited the downtown post office twice in the last two days. On both occasions, I learned that live chicks arrive first thing in the morning, and that I can arrive as early as 7am to pick them up, assuming I drive around back and ring the bell. It sounds like a secret clubContinue reading “Final Prep for the Chicks”

The Chickens Are Coming!

So isn’t that Featured Image photo ADORABLE?!? Normally I put photo credits at the end of a post, but in this case, I am moving it up to the top to say many thanks to Hannah Oliver on Unsplash for her wonderful and truly adorable Featured Image photo. Now on to other things…. It is hard toContinue reading “The Chickens Are Coming!”