There were some long-awaited preparations going on Sunday afternoon as we got Rose ready for her second ballet recital. We are not used to make-up!  Especially not stage make-up.  But it turned out pretty good thanks to my amazing mother-in-law, Griselda. Clothilde even “sat” through most of the show (we did everyone a favor and…

The piglets are quickly growing up.  They have abandoned their nest and roam around after Star now. They stay together in a little herd and play together or try to root like big pigs.

 Over the weekend, Ethan went out to do the chores early in the morning so we could go to the Folk Festival.  The evening time out there is beautiful because of the sunsets and fireflies, but in the early mornings are all silvery with dew. When he arrived one day he noticed something interesting in…

We are all so tired from the Folk Festival.  This year the “Florida Remembered” area that we participate in was not in the usual nice, central spot under an oak tree by the Folk Life stage.  Instead there was a guy with chainsaw carvings.  They put us WAY far away beyond the dumpsters and portapotties. …

  We’re enjoying the Florida Folk Festival again today!  Mirin is really one of the Barefoot Boys this year, working with his own ax to hew a beam.  

We’re headed to the Florida Folk Festival this weekend, where we hope Mirin can help Willie build his usual chickie with wood and palmetto fronds. Here’s a short clip of Star nursing her piglets – so much cuteness!  They always fight over the bottom nipples for some reason.

 These are jumping spiders, but we like to call them “Florida Tarantulas” because they look so ferocious.   Notice the iridescent green fangs?  It was living on the same post as the matriarch roach that I wrote about a bit ago.  Incidentally, I haven’t seen them lately! This is one of our pecan trees that  has…

We finally got the Dudley Farm dent corn in! I’m not sure if I’ve talked very much about my plans for this corn this year.  Dudley Farm is an old homestead that was turned into a park.  Ethan’s grandfather actually helped work with Sally Morrison before it was a park.  Ethan worked there for a…

Over the weekend we had Rose’s daisy scout troop out for a farm tour.  The girls had a blast playing in the pit and on the hammock.  We’ve had an unusual coldish snap lately, and it was beautifully, unseasonably cool and pleasant on Saturday.  The weather was perfect and dry, not unlike southern California.They got…

A couple of weeks ago, Ethan thought he had noticed Star and Bee in heat, and he thought maybe we should get feeder pigs again this year for next year’s pork.  But on Friday when Ethan went to feed the pigs, Star did not show up to eat.  He went looking for her, thinking that…

  Can you see Mirin in the tree? Isla didn’t actually tree him – he was climbing it anyway. Yesterday we had torrential rains, and this morning was very cool –  especially for May!  Rose had to look around for a jacket for school.  It was only 55 F, but after 89 degree weather, it…

The first sunflower is blooming!  The garden is finally looking like a garden, not like a pile of hay with bits of grass sticking out.  It is always encouraging when it gets to this point.  The marigolds are blooming, too, so there’s a little color out there. The garden is going in bit by bit. …