Oot and Aboot at the Farm

We've recently had a number of big Visual Improvement Days at the farm which spurred the farmer to go out with the camera.  We do like to share pictures of the farm (within reason), but we also like to have these pictures to help us with our own record-keeping and decision-making.  After all, we fully realize that our memories are fallible.  At the very least, these pictures can help us when we feel like we are making no progress at all!

So, let us take you on a walkaboot the farm!  (and no, I don't have any pictures of boots, though it crossed my mind to take one just for the blog)

We walk certain paths and areas of the farm more often than others.  The picture above is actually a view I could see more than once a day as I walk from the chicken yard, the turkey pasture, the henlet area, Mount Evermess... etc etc.  Eden is our older high tunnel building and, come late September/early October, it won't be there.  It will be about 90 feet West of this point.  I can't tell you how hard that is for us to get used to!

At left is the granary and at right is the Poultry Pavilion (in case you wanted to know).

Then, there are viewpoints we don't see all that often.  This is taken from the North end of the turkey pasture looking from the North to the Poultry Pavilion.  As you can see, Tammy is explaining Thanksgiving Dinner to the turkeys.  In the foreground is Minnie the Mighty Oak.  Well, we hope Minnie will become mighty.

Every year, we work to improve this pasture area and we're getting better at it.  But, like all things farm, there are priority levels and this one doesn't often get to the top until the turkeys really need the pasture!

I think this inspired me to take pictures from different perspectives from those that I usually take with the camera.

 For example, I often walk by the flowers at the end of the onion beds as I go from here to there, but I don't usually think to inspect the marigolds.  Don't get me wrong, I love the marigolds.  But, for some reason I don't stop and focus the camera at marigold flowers like I do other flowers.  And, frankly, this one may not do them justice either.  But, at least I stopped this time!

We've been throwing marigolds into more nooks and crannies this year and generally like the results.  I wonder what we'll do next year?

 Then, there is the Xerces annual pollinator mix trial we are doing.  For the most part, it looks like buckwheat.  Why?  Because that's pretty much what's in there right now.  It seems that the buckwheat level was sufficient to pretty much suppress most of the other flowering plants.  Hm.  Well, that's why we call it a trial.

The view from the East field back towards Valhalla is one I just don't look up for much as I go from here to there on the farm.   The Ninebark hedge continues to grow and look healthy.  In fact, it keeps getting wider as can be shown by the path that is no longer as clearly evident as it was earlier this season.

Yes, there is a path to get to Valhalla... I think I see a small maintenance project that needs doing.

We see the old barn every day as we leave the house, or as we work around the other buildings in the barn 'proper.'  But, when we're in the East veggie fields (aka the Eastfarthing) we don't often look up to see the barn.  I don't know what it is about humans, but we are very good at looking without seeing.  This is why I like taking Oot and Aboot walks on the farm with the camera.  It encourages me to look and see just a bit more.  This view reminds me that the barn had several good qualities, which is why it wasn't as easy a choice as you might think to let it go.  Sometimes we look at this side and wonder if we could still fix up part of it.