In the year of 2017…
…we decided to “document” some of the things we get up to at Coverts Corner. We hope you enjoy the videos.
Just In Time For Thanksgiving
November 2017. This is the largest “rafter” of turkeys we have ever seen – here at Coverts or anywhere. There must have been more than 35 hens (and later a few toms were spotted close by). Tyrone is clearly interested, but seems to feel safe in his “cage”.
Picking Corn – Sky View
October 2017. This time the view is from the sky above. You can just about make out the orange of the tractor in the oblong of the corn patch. Nearly all picked! Many thanks to my neighbour for the ride in his plane and wonderful view of the fall colours.
Picking Corn
October 2017. The corn crop is really nice this year compared to 2016. It has one thing in common with last year, though…it doesn’t pick itself!
Wasps and Wasp Eaters
September 2017. Earlier this year there were a few wasps coming and going from a small hole in the ground. No big deal – “There’s only a few of them. They’ll leave you alone”. Eventually it became dangerous to work in this area (same as in the woodchuck video below). Then one night someone came along for a snack. No, not a bear, thankfully!
The Chain Gang of Coverts Corner
August 2017. After a long day of eating lovely brush and poison ivy, what more could a little goat want than…to eat some more?! This is (left->right) Jodi, Heidi and Zippy on their way back to their pen.
Tyrone Time
August 2017. OK, so another cat video on the site. Who can resist the likes of Tyrone? He was born in a barn, fostered in our house (along with 10 other kittens – note the hardware cloth on the screens), nearly adopted out, but we just had to keep him in the end.
Groundhog Day
August 2017. This little fellow decided to eat Robin’s tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. He (she?) then decided it was a good idea to set up home under the dry stone wall, right next to the house where the water pipe from the well enters! That’s not a good idea on so many levels. Anyway, he’s now living a couple of miles away…
Big Bales
August 2017. We’re done making the “square” bales of hay, for now. Perhaps there’ll be more from a “second cut”. We’ve been bringing in big bales recently, each of which has the equivalent of 18 or so square bales. As such, they’re pretty heavy!
Here Be Chickens
August 2017. This one is for people who just like watching chickens milling around. In the much earlier days of the Mac computer, I used to have a screen saver of fish in an aquarium (a classic). This is much better!
Elevating the Hay
July 2017. It’s all very well cutting, teddering, raking and baling, but you’ve still got to get it up into the hay loft. On a sunny day (the kind when you’re haying) it gets pretty hot up there. It’s all part of making a stock of “Green Summer Fields on a Cold Winter Day”.
Make Hay While the Sun Shines
July 2017. Last year we had a drought and managed only one cut of hay. This year it’s a lot wetter, but harder to get the hay in. Here’s Robin “manning” the big Massey to pull the baler. Nice job Lady!
Zippy’s “Parade”
July 2017. For the second year in a row we tried to get Zippy to follow along at the end of our 4th of July parade. He did better this year but, as you can see, he’s still not really into it!
Snapping Turtle
June 2017. This somewhat scary lady crawled up out of the brook, presumably to lay her yearly clutch of eggs. You certainly don’t want to be bitten by one of these things. Picking her up for careful relocation wasn’t easy given her 20 lb weight and concern for our fingers!
Sparring Goats
June 2017. Here Heidi and Jodi go at it, probably just for some sisterly fun. If you ask me, it looks like Robin started it with Zippy!
Siciliano
May 2017. Here’s a bit of “culture” from Coverts Corner. It’s a solo piano arrangement of the “Siciliano” (second movement) of a J. S. Bach flute and keyboard sonata. I recorded it to be played at the funeral of my dear Aunt Dorothy, who passed away recently. May she rest in peace with her loving husband, Roy.
The Wren
May 2017. This cheeky little fellow decided to make the nesting box his home for the breeding season 2017. We say “fellow” and “his” but he could be the wife. Anyway, what a beautiful song as the wren tries to warn off the videographer!
Bruce
May 2017. Bruce is the first rooster we kept, probably because we made the mistake of giving him a name. He’s been really good; mellow, protective when required and generally OK. He was not well at the end of 2016 and nearly died. Robin nursed him back to health and he spent the winter in our mudroom. He looks happy to be back outside now, if a little reticent to try the broccoli!
P.S. He’s not quite “all there” anymore, but we love him just the same.
Tom-Tom
May 2017.This handsome fellow used to be quite scary and also run away from us. Now look at him! (guess what happened….)
It’s Lambing Season!
April 2017. This happy little fellow was born in the latter part of April. He bounces around like Tigger from Winnie the Poo (well, except not using his tail).