16 May Sat 2009
Bees! And Farm Day.
There was an "old-timey" Farm Day here in Scotland today and we decided a couple of weeks ago to participate in the fun. So last night and this morning found us loading up the trucks with some fencing, some posts, our farm goods, and (of course) some 5 gallon buckets.
The festivities took place at the Waldo Farm in Scotland, CT, one of the earlier homesteads in town. Many acres of fields and stone walls welcomed us as we pulled up with:
2 pigs
3 bunnies
1 calf
2 lambs
2 children
2 goslings
1 chicken coop
and a whole lot of eggs, maple syrup, and flavored vinegar.
We were lucky enough to be set up next to the stone wall (re)builder, who spent the whole day working on tightening and squaring up the old stone wall that bordered the front field. He has been working on it every Farm Day for several years--about 12 feet a year--and his work is amazing! Pictures to follow.
There were fiddlers, old tractors, hit-and-miss engines, and a buzz saw. Liev and I determined that we will be acquiring a buzz saw to attach to my Farmall Cub later this summer. The day also included some bee-keeping displays, a smelter, open-hearth cooking, and lots of Colonial hobbies to see and experience. We had a great time and met tons of new folks. Many of our friends and neighbors came out and it was fun to see everyone.
Our piglets were quite popular throughout the day. They tilled up the area that we penned them up in and we could probably go into business as an "Eco-friendly Tilling Company" based on all the inquiries about their rooting!
We'll post some photos of all this soon.
Also, as if we were not busy enough getting ready for the Farm Day Fest, we received a call from the U.S. Government (Postal Division) this morning informing us that our bees were in.
"The sooner the better," was when the good folks at the post office wanted us to pick them up.
We also have some great shots of us trying to put the bees from their shipping crate into their new hive. It is a little like Keystone Cops, and I'm sure you'll love the photos...Check back soon to see them.