Wet, Wet, Wet

Judging by my 5-gallon bucket, today we got over 4 inches of rain. (And it is still raining tonight.) Our little pond, downhill from the pasture, is burgeoning out of its banks and has risen over a foot. See that little marsh marigold in the center of the photo?  It was high and dry along the edge yesterday.
Our  water issues are not even a drop in the bucket compared to what poor Texas and Oklahoma are going through, but I will still complain just a little.

The poultry are soggy and seem a bit cranky (except for the ducks.)

We have been working like crazy to complete the commercial kitchen.  Because of all the construction our grass is gone and the entire area in front of the barn is a mucky mess (even though much of it has already been tracked inside.)  So dismaying when we are trying to get everything beautiful for PetalFest in two days!
We got sopping wet  dealing with gutter and downspout issues on the barn during the  heaviest rain. Our clothes were plastered to us - so we peeled them off and took a shower. Funny that showering seemed the appropriate response to being soaking wet.
Todays’s deluge created a river through the garden and washed away much of the lovely mulching work the WWOOFers completed in the tomatoes yesterday. We still haven't been able to plant a large portion of the garden because it is too wet. The potatoes - see left of the  tomato fences - look great, though.

The peonies are on the verge of popping open. I am happy they weren’t open before this rain or they would have been totally flattened.

Irises seem delicate, but they still look pretty good despite the downpour.

My friend Virginia stopped over yesterday afternoon to  help spruce up the gardens before PetalFest.  Last weekend, a dozen more friends spent a morning gardening, painting trim and sealing tiles. We are so  blessed by generous, helpful friends!

 I was too embarrassed by the weeds to take a before photo, but thanks to our wonderful WWOOFers’ weeding, Virginia’s planting and Jerry’s painting, the farm store now looks beautiful and inviting for PetalFest guests.

Aquaponics technician Ruth and I  plumbed the fish gazebo with irrigation driplines this week and hung eight towers above the drain-and-fill growing beds. They are filled with nasturtiums, strawberries and marigolds and make a magical green wall that also conveniently screens the view of the compost bins.

We have our fingers crossed for a sunny, dry weekend so our first PetalFest will be a success!  A plethora of wonderful  musicians, artisans, gardeners and food are lined up for Sunday, May 31. Please join us if you are in the vicinity!

Welcome to the Squash Blossom Holiday Fair

The fire is already blazing in the wood stove in the store this morning, warming it up for the  last day of the Holiday Fair. It should be much easier to make the building cozy today, as the temperature outside is about 30 degrees  windchill factor warmer than the past few days.

Afraid I haven’t  had enough time to keep the blog up -to-date lately.  This week, my main focus was getting the store ready - packing up summer and fall items and  displaying wintery, gifty, Christmasy items. (I know, some people would have tackled this much earlier, when it was still warm outside, but other things intruded.) I managed to pull it together by Friday noon, but at midnight  Thursday it still looked like a cyclone had come through.

Santa and Mrs. Santa relax by the cookies and hot cider.  I have found some delightful Christmas decor like these dolls that I will happily keep if they don’t find a good home.

Chicken egg/ornament basket.

Fun and fancy dishes, from antique to vintage to artisan-made.

My biggest seller has been my “Warm Heart, Warm Hands, Warm Mittens.” They are sewn from repurposed wool sweaters, washed in hot water to shrink, to be dense and warm.   Many have fun embroidery, applique' or braid trim, contrasting cuffs or button embellishments. Each pair is one-of-a kind.  A garden trellis is serving as a pretty effective mitten display.

A vintage dress form  I got for Cadence last year is  currently employed as a display for  brooches and a fun mink neck-warmer.

People have been requesting these for a long time, and I now finally have notecards featuring my farm photos.  Here are a few of the cards currently available,  $1.50 each or 4 cards for $5.

Antique ceramic cardinal bookends and a gorgeous silk Chinese embroidery in an elaborately  carved display frame.

When Rog came into the store yesterday he asked, “Did you see the pretty frost on your plants in the mosaic panel by the door?” I almost didn’t tell him that I had replaced the old dormant sedums with artificial frosted plants.

I would be so happy if you stopped by the store today!  I have hot pear cider and cookies waiting for you. You will probably be greeted by three enthusiastic pooches and a couple of friendly cows over the fence. Yesterday, Zinnie  proudly and generously offered her prize quarry, a frozen  squirrel, to a young guest who was not as appreciative of it as she intended, but don't worry,  I will make sure  that squirrel is no where in sight today. We will be open noon to 5 p.m.

The Great Puja Post

Yesterday was the  2nd Annual Cow Puja and Farm Fair, and it was a rip-roaring success! This will be a pictorial post, with photographs taken mostly by daughter, Cadence.

Bethany and Brendan, last summer's intrepid interns, arrived Friday night to help with the event. Saturday morning, we gave them SBF Puja t-shirts and sent them to the Farmers Market to see their old market friends and spread the word about the puja. They didn't mind this task!

My dear parents also came to help!  My mom has a wonderful eye for display, so she helped me spruce up the farm store merchandising. My dad gave all of the outdoor tables and chairs a fresh coat of paint.

The morning of the Cow Puja and Farm Fair, the first order of business was to paint the cows. I attempted to do this while they were busy eating breakfast. Lindy, mellow fellow, didn't mind being a canvas at all.

Jitterbug cooperated quite well, too. Her mom, Lariat was more of a challenge. She would not stand still and had to be painted in many fast, sneaky swipes.

LaFonda was a calm canvas, but more of a design challenge with her spotted pattern. I opted for polka dots and hearts, using livestock markers. They are nontoxic,  and brighter and longer-lasting than the face paints I used last year.

My mom  folded and sorted by size the t-shirts for sale.

Bethany and Brendan decorated the big molasses Cow Puja cookies they had baked Saturday afternoon. The cookies were offered at the Puja in exchange for a suggested donation to Heifer International.

We rolled the Willys truck out of the barn, Rog power washed it, and we filled it with snake gourds and pumpkins.

The artists and atisans  arrived and set up their wares in the yard- a view from the upstairs window.

So many fun and creative things! Little felted songbirds...

Beaded and Maille jewelry...

Karuna's unusual plants...

Handpoured, scented candles...

Handcrafted, fair trade items from India, Bali, Indonesia and other exotic locations, discovered by Kim Hammer during her travels...

recycled art, photography, hats, paintings, encaustic art, silhouette art, antiques...and much more.

Paul and Ann kicked off the music.

The Nodding Wild Onions played some awesome original cow songs. (Sorry, I don't have a photo with the entire group.)

The Volunteer Tomatoes did not disappoint - not a single tomato was thrown.

Children met the farm critters - they especially loved the huge gentle turkeys.

The focus of the afternoon was the Blessing of the Cows. Sister Joy, who hand-milked 5 cows every day before school when she was a young girl, led a Franciscan blessing.  She got a little assistance preparing from two helpers.

The  crowd  joined in a bit of singing and sprinkling water on the cows with a blessing from the Sisters.

Our cows were doubly blessed! After the Franciscan blessing, Rahul Kashyap described and conducted a traditional Hindu Puja. Here he is pointing out the "jaggery," a molasses-y sweet made from cane sugar that is given to the cows during a puja. Rahul explained that actually, we are the ones being blessed by the cows, not that we are blessing them.

Rahul's  colleagues prepared the incense and the jaggery.

All of the cows eagerly approached Rahul for the ceremony.  Our cows may be the only herd that has received both a Franciscan blessing and a Hindu puja on the same afternoon!

Happy bovines.

Bethany had prepared a beautiful tray of favorite treats for the cows - marigolds, molasses cookies, apples, corn, and greens. Everyone was invited to offer the cows a treat.

All in all, it was a marvelous day. The weather could not have been more perfect.  We are so grateful for  the wonderful turnout of  guests, the talented musicians and artists, and all of the help we received. We could not have  done this without help from our friends and neighbors who  so kindly volunteered.

Rog and I want to express heartfelt thanks to neighbors Nancy and Katrina, for selling the t-shirts and snacks...

and Betsy and Hannah, for behind the scenes work making everything go more smoothly and with more fun,

and to my Mom and friends Anne and Maureen for operating the farm store...

and to Bethany and Brendan, for cleaning the coop, baking cow cookies,  and so much more...

and to still others for who we don't have a good photo (that means you, Judy, Virginia, Don, Jim and Carla),

and most especially to my Mom and Dad for their  unwavering support and to our hardworking, talented daughter Cadence.

I don't know if it really is because of the cows, but we are truly blessed.