Category Archives: Farming

Enough already

August 8, 2019Farming, fun, Weather, Wisconsinsusanmanzke

Yesterday I blogged about all the water down our lane. Well, you can double that and more.

If I hadn’t dumped out our rain gauge, the water would have flowed over the top.

We will not be able to get down our lane for quite a while. Unless Bob goes with the tractor to rescue it, we will not be able to check our critter cam.

Of course, just like the last storm, we ended our day with a rainbow.

Just before dark.

In between bouts of rain, I had to rush out to save 2 hens. The door had shut with a gust of wind. All the others had made it inside, except these two old girls. They were soaked, but managed to join the others after I opened the door for them. Poor things. I then had to wait for the rain to slow again before I could get back to the house.

We’ve already doubled our average rain for August and it’s only the 8th. Ugh!

Lane closures

August 7, 2019Farming, fun, naturesusanmanzke

Bob and I knew what we were going to find in our farm lane, but we decided to take a ride anyway.

We had over two and a half inches of rain over the last few days. All that rain couldn’t soak in so it had to go somewhere. One place it ended up was across our lane.

Bob was able to drive our two-wheel-drive cart around this puddle but not the next one.

This looked to be a hazardous drive. Bob thought he could get through once, but he couldn’t guarantee we’d be able to return. We turned around.

Maybe after some more soaking-in time, we’ll be able to get back to where our critter camera is set up for nature photos. All we can do now is wait and watch.

Growing flock

August 1, 2019Chickens, Farming, food, petssusanmanzke

Our chicks were hatched six weeks ago and have been growing fast ever since.

Feathers are still coming in. They are no longer those cute balls of fluff.

These birds are on their own now. Mother isn’t needed. As ‘teenagers’ they think they know everything and are often the last to go in to roost. We just hope that doesn’t make them dinner for local preditors.

Morning encounter

July 30, 2019Farming, fun, photography, wildlifesusanmanzke

Bob and I took a ride down our farm lane before 8 this morning. It was cool out and buggy. We never expected to see deer. The crops and grasses are getting tall and making it harder to see whitetail.

We saw this doe at the far end of our lane. She watched us for a while, even coming closer.

Eventually, she turned and ran.

Sunny was riding with us and enjoyed the deer sighting, too. It was a good start to our day. Now we are getting ready for another Farmer’s Market in Seymour. Hope to see you there.

An extra summer treat

July 3, 2019Farming, food, petssusanmanzke

It is a season for melons. Most are coming from the south, as they started growing earlier than here in Wisconsin. Today, I was thumping some watermelon at the grocery store looking for a tasty one.

After bringing the melon home, I sliced it into bits for Bob and me.

The extra treat came when I took the rind out for our chickens.

The melon was seedless, so there were no seeds to spit, yet it was enjoyed by all.

Susan Manzke

Writer, Speaker, All-Around Good Person