Food you can "nuzzle"

On these cold days at Cloud 9 Farm, the cows really look forward to a serving of warm silage, chopped fermented corn stalks with plump whole kernel corn. It steams with the composting heat in the frigid air as I shovel it in the trough. Their pleasure is evident because they bury their sensitive noses in the warmth and stir it around before taking their long tongue in a swirled scooping thrust to devour this yummy winter delight. The closest thing I can relate to the feeling would be wrapping yourself and head in a soft fleece blanket and rubbing it on your cheek. There’s little Valentine, with the white heart mark on his head.It looked more heart shaped as a new born with his smaller head. I don't usually name the calves as these are beef cattle, but he was a natural!

Bee Tree

My new friend, who is in the tree business, has a heart. He saved this chuck of tree with a bee hive in it to bring home and nurture. So here it is, propped up with stones and with a hive box on top of the hole in the tree. There is an upside down jar of sugar water with tiny pin pricks in the lid for the bees to suck out of with their straw-like tongues. I hope they make it through the winter. My beekeeper friends and I will help him put the hive in a box in the spring so they can expand and flourish. There is a way to take all the precious comb we can carefully retrieve and rubber band it into the rectangular frames for the honey bees to attach. Who knows, they may be "survivor" bees of rare genetic stock.

Hot Tub with a View

I love this time of year, when the leaves are off the trees and you can see a true view at Heavenly Hideaway cabin. In the summer you are completely secluded by forest but now you can see the distant mountains (and no houses). Very quiet! And if you were in the hot tub tonight...oooo, la, la...a full moon that would cast that second-hand sunlight into pleasing romantic tones.

Think Spring!

Spring Fling at Cloud 9 Farm

Cloud 9 Relaxation Home and Heavenly Hideaway Cabin await your INNER RENEWAL for Spring.
With any booking in March/April '09 mention "I read your blog" and you'll have a breakfast delight basket waiting for you:
Fresh ground whole wheat bread, half dozen Cloud 9 large brown chicken eggs (you can gather them yourself if you like), a chunk of hand-rolled Amish butter, and locally produced fruit preserves.

Dang it's Cold!

Goldy, the rooster, is so stoic as he waits for warmer weather up on his perch in the hen house. Got a little frostbite on those wattles, don't you old man? It did go down to 10 last night, and even though the Cloud 9 Farm Chickens protect themselves in the wind break of the hen house, a little frostbite on those tender combs is inevitable. So before another night of 10 degrees, I'll get him in a"football hold", gently under one arm, and smear it good all over where it must hurt to nsulate it. Oh, what we don't do for chickens on this conservation farm!