Cedar Writes

Author: cedarlili

  • Ducks and the Farmstand Opening

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    cedarlili
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    I’d been trying to figure out why the ducks were so messy, and realized that they spray water out the back of their bills while they drink. While this is ideal for filtering water weeds to eat, not so much in the brooder. We are moving these messy guys outside! We put up a little…

  • We’ve been Working in the Greenhouse

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    cedarlili
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    Last season we planted in ground in the greenhouse and by the end of the season it was a jungle in there… difficult to get around without a machete. This year Dad wanted to create defined growing beds, and to get the infrastructure in place for aquaculture. Yesterday we finished decking the center path, which…

  • Spring is the Time for Babies

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    cedarlili
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    We finally have some sun! It’s been a long and rainy couple of weeks, so it was delightful to wake up to sunshine this morning. Johann and I made the rounds of the farm, checking on critters and harvesting from the garden. A well-established perennial garden means you can begin harvesting in mid-May, not July.…

  • Serendipity

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    cedarlili
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    We were in Maine yesterday, Johann and Glady and Cedar. I had a face painting gig in Kittery, and took the kids so we could have some fun afterward. About 11:15 am, when I was done with the even, we piled in the truck and headed for Fort McClary on Kittery Point to let the…

  • Bees and Bunnies

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    cedarlili
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    Because it is still rainy – although not cool, at the moment it’s like a sauna out there! I have been feeding the bees sugar water. We use quail waterers to give the hives a solution of one-to-one sugar and water. I did notice that the bees were flying today, which is a good thing,…

  • More Dirt

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    cedarlili
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    It’s still raining, and I’m still not getting anything done outside, although I have been spring-cleaning and working at the library. Dad’s still up at Toad Hall eating bon-bons. He’s gotten the all clear from the doctors – they got all the cancer and he won’t have to get any follow up treatment. That was…

  • Rainy Day Activities

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    cedarlili
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    It’s been raining since Sunday, three days now. Which has put a cramp in my plans, a bit. But it has allowed us to get some things done inside that needed doing. Like going through all the seeds and sorting out what needed to be planted now, and what will be planted later in the…

  • Making the Farm Beautiful

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    cedarlili
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    Landscaping the front of the farm has been the lowest priority for the last few years. This year I was determined to make it, not into a showpiece, but at least neat and pretty. Showpiece will have to wait a year or two until new plants mature! Saturday we picked up two loads of mulch.…

  • Kids and Critters

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    cedarlili
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    I came home from running errands with Dad yesterday and Glady was sitting on the front step waiting for me. As soon as I put the truck into park she came running over shrieking “Mama, mama, come and see something!” As fun as it is to see my almost teenager getting that excited, I followed…

  • The Villain of the Piece

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    cedarlili
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    Black bears may look fluffy and cuddly, but they are still wild animals. They can move much faster than you would think, and are amazingly powerful. The bear in the pictures is a second year cub that has been appearing regularly at my grandparent’s bird feeders since his mother brought him as a bouncing ball…

  • Walking in the Woods

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    cedarlili
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    Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) is one of the first berries to ripen, in mid June, because it is one of the first to bloom. Distantly related to apples and roses, the Serviceberry trees look like puffy white clouds as you drive down the road in early May. I have several here on the Farm, and I…

  • Wildcrafting Fiddleheads

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    cedarlili
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    I have lived in New Hampshire for twenty years now, and have only gotten around to looking for fiddleheads this year. I’m not sure why – I certainly wildcraft enough with other things, both obvious and obscure. Partly I believe it is because they are only available for a few weeks, if not days, in early…