Haze, and Vista, and the Far Horizon...

...Fading Away. 

Lit Chicks hit the road this past weekend to visit the small farm of a longtime friend. Maureen has had my admiration for years. The mother of eight  in addition to raising and home-schooling the children, works hand-in-hand with her husband Kevin, to run Hearthside Farm. They raise chickens, ducks, goats, sheep, Corgis and have four horses, two of which are Great Dane dogs. The Great Danes seemed like horses to this city gal but then I also mistook a small dog with large black and brown spots, foraging off the side of the road, as a small farm animal. Hey, I was excited to see livestock.

The minute the car turned onto the lane, we were enchanted. One of the children was picking purple flowers for the garland she would create. Maureen, with Corgis trailing closely behind, greeted us warmly at the gate by the house and welcomed us into her log home. Our tour had started at last.

 

The great room was warm, impeccably clean and rustic. A sweet fragrance drew you to the table where handmade goats-milk soaps awaited wrapping for their trip to market. Tables of seedlings flanked the room. Jars, filled with last year’s harvest and grains, lined the shelves. Absolutely everything in the room drew us in. I felt like I was in Oz. Baby chicks chirped happily in the brooder beside the wood stove. There were Australorpes, Buff Orpingtons, Speckled Sussex, New Hampshire Reds, Buff Brahmas, Delawares and Rhode Island Reds. Maureen explained that how they had arrived by post and were languishing in the house until they were old enough to join the mature birds that roam, free-range, about the barn. They were soft, sweet and reminded me of the Easter chicks I had when I was six. Back then, the five-and-dime sold them in soft pastel colors.

On our way to the barn to see the kids/baby goats, we passed Wickham, a small brown horse in a coral with his pony companion. Wickham, like his literary namesake, can be mischievous we were told. The nanny goats were in one barn, the billies in the other. Many of the goats also have literary names. Tasha (the second) is named for the children’s author that inspired Maureen to pursue the life she now leads. The kids were being weaned and were off to one side of the barn in their own pen. We were surprised how soft and friendly they were.  However, they did like to nibble Nicole’s fingers and shirt.

Kathryn held one of the golden hens and we felt how soft its waddle was. It was like stroking a flower petal. Maureen explained how the hens take turns laying their one-egg-a-day in a crate in the milking pen. Others randomly lay in special spots around the barn. She pointed out the different varieties of chickens we’d seen in the house as peeps. We collected one blue and two brown eggs from the box. One was still warm.

The goats made a rush for the pen as we readied for our opportunity to try our hand at milking. Seems everyone was happy to be taking their turn. Two barn cats perched at the ready to lick up any errant splash of milk. In turn, we all got to try. Maureen demonstrated the technique which is grasping the teat between the thumb and pointer and working the fingers, squeezing in a downward motion. I kept repeating "pointer, middle, ring, pinky" as I squeezed. "Pointer, middle, ring, pinky." It was harder than it looked and when nine year old Gwen took a turn and she made it seem easy.

 
As we left the barn to continue our tour, we passed a freshly plowed field awaiting planting. The Andersons seasonally sustain their family, eating the food they grow organically and game that is hunted on their property. Back at the house we’d been shown the heirloom seeds that are soon to be sewn. They included a Trail-of-Tears variety of string beans, golden radishes and other exotic looking vegetables. The Andersons offer Community Supported Agriculture, which last year, supplied 80 families with a weekly basket of fresh produce for shares they had purchased. The sheep grazed nearby. They too, with the wool shares that are sold, are part of the circle that sustains life on the farm.

By the end of our visit we all wished to be adopted by the Andersons and spend our days there. Our expressions were like signs: Will work for serenity! Once again back in the house, as we sipped our Earl Grey tea and tasted fresh goats milk I realized we’d been given the greatest gift. Maureen and had given so generously of her time to host us for the afternoon. Even if I could type a marathon there wouldn’t be words to thank her enough!

Hugs,

Phyllis

Post visit to the farm I decided to read Still Life with Chickens: Starting Over in a House by the Sea by Catherine Goldhammer. Maureen’s favorite author is Nathaniel Hawthorne. She also suggested A Very Small Farm by William Paul Winchester. I requested a copy for our library.  

If you'd like to learn more about the Farm, please visit Maureen's blog and website.