Life on an 1800s Farm in Effingham New Hampshire
Farming was deep in my roots on both sides of my family. “It'll be easy”, I thought. “You just plant some seeds, and watch them grow.” Was I in for a big surprise. No one ever told me about bugs, and pests, and plant diseases. No one ever told me about the weeds, and how weeding will cause you to go gray before your time. Oh, and the animals. Other than a dog, I had never … [Read more...]
Lemon balm herb, also called Melissa, has been used by herbalists, and herbal healers for thousands of years. It is equally popular today as it was during medieval times. The name Melissa comes from the Latin name Melissa Officinalis. Lemon balm is a member of the mint family of plants, and is easily grown in any garden. Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus, better known as … [Read more...]
The redo project started in April. It was originally planned as a three month, three stage project. We are now working on six months, and are up to stage seven....and we still aren't quite done. We wanted to go with all historical colors, so we chose to use California Paints. California Paints carries a line of Historic Colors of America that we just fell in love with. They … [Read more...]
Meet Barkley! Barkley is the newest member of the family. Barkely is a Cocker, and we all know how much we love Cocker Spaniels here at the farm. His former owner was moving, and sadly couldn't take him. We had been thinking about getting a friend for Lucy, and wanted a cocker! I happened across a post about him on a facebook group I belong to. When I saw him, I knew it was … [Read more...]
I do classes and workshops on why people should grow organic and why they should grow heirloom veggies. People are always intrigued on what an heirloom vegetable is. At one workshop I did, someone asked me how I got into farming. I quickly responded ,"Genetics!" While working in the gardens one day, I actually had thought of this. "Why would one chose to farm", when in … [Read more...]
As she does every night, when settling in, Amelia has a routine. She puts on one of her favorite powder blue dressing gowns, grabs a cup of warm milk and her favorite book and heads to bed. When her eyes start to get heavy, she puts down the book, turns out the light, and drifts off to sleep. Before retiring, her routine includes placing her hearing aids into a little … [Read more...]
Autumn is my favorite season of the year. The leaves in New England start to turn vibrant red, yellow and orange. The bugs have gone away, and you can spend hours outdoors. Autumn is also my favorite granddaughter. Actually, right now she is my only grandchild, so I guess saying she is my favorite is rather silly. Being the first, she will always have a special place in … [Read more...]
