2019 – Now In The Rear-View Mirror

Scary Bridge Update

Christmas 2019. Well, the trusty (aka “scary”) bridge over Dudley Brook is still with us, for now. It’s going to need some careful and extensive “updating” if it’s going to be useable next season.

The Blue Wagon

November 2019. Here we were out gathering firewood left over on the ground from the wood cut. Roger and I made the trailer from an old axle, some funky wheels and some cedar posts, not to mention a couple of antique, cast iron shelf brackets. He’d had the blue paint left over from another job long ago and he assures me that it is very historical!

Crazy Goat Lady

September 2019. Well, it looks like both the crazy goat lady and Zippy are having fun here. Reminds me of the Paris fight scene in Team America, World Police.

Video Portrait of Heidi

September 2019. Here’s our gorgeous Nigerian Dwarf goat, Heidi, munching away on some early fall brush in the courtyard.

Sowing the Corn

June 2019. Normally Jimmy has a pair of Percheron horses pulling his somewhat ancient corn planting machine. This year Robin is pulling it with her tractor – a curious mix of the old and the new. That’s a pretty funky looking machine, but it still works well after many decades.

Digging for Gold

June 2019. What can I say? An honest day’s work. More people should do this (except, that is, the cameraman!).

Sheep Come to Coverts Corner

June 2019. With a fence all the way around the new pasture, it was time to get some grass munchers out there. Several sheep came over from Roger Crosby’s farm to take up the slack.

Nice Chicken Man

May 2019. Here is an expression of pure gratitude to one who provides the eggs for the table. Roger feeds one of his chickens personally at the same time as encouraging future laying.

A Time to Fence

April 2019. Quite a bit of woodland was cleared in our recent cut. Now it’s time to put up a fence around it to keep in the animals that will help complete the transformation of the land into pasture. This is 1300′ of field fence…a good start.

Post-Shearing Sheep

April 2019. The ladies were shorn in anticipation of lambing season. At the start you see number 5 (aka Nida, for Nose-in-the-Ass) with the round patch on her back and at the end there’s old number 5 (aka Dolores) with the tail. Both spent most of 2019 at Coverts. Next to Dolores are “The Pampered Princes”, Harry and Fuzz, a pair of neutered rams kept as pets by Roger

Felling Big Pine

February 2019. Here the amazing logger, who completed the wood cut on our land, tips over a prepared, multi-trunk white pine. The ground shook when it fell.

From House to Landing

January 2019. Here the camera is panning from looking at the side of the house through to the landing. A pile of saw logs awaits picking up.

Moving Snow

January 2019. Here Robin demonstrates her tractor and bucket prowess by clearing snow away from in front of the garage. Wonderful design how the snow collects on the roof and then dumps right there, in a compacted pile no less!

A Farewell to Bridge?

January 2019. This winter season could finally spell the end for the trusty (aka “scary”) bridge over Dudley Brook. It’s hard to believe that we were walking over it only a couple of months ago, albeit with considerable trepidation! If too much more ice builds up along it when it gets really cold again (and it will be getting down close to zero oF in a few days time) the bridge will probably be crushed and then wash away in melting season.