Catching up down on the farm

Well it's been a while since i have visited the blog but there's so much to do around the farm that there seems to be no time for the computer. Between mowing the lawn, work , gardens, animals and all the other things we do here on the farm I have lost time but luckily I have been taking pictures all along so I can bring you all up to speed on what we've been doing.

Tracey has worked her magic on our grape vines! She pruned them back so far that they looked like stumps but now they are really taking off. This picture is a couple of months old and they look even better now with several bunches of grapes hanging.

With all the drainage issues I have talked about previously, our driveway became a rutted mess. Luckily, I have a box grater on the back of my tractor that came in real handy as I scraped the driveway to smooth out some pretty significant ruts.

Two years of brush and debris went up in smoke this spring/summer when I burned the pile in our field. It's also gonna clear the way for more pasture for the horses as I keep mowing the fields with the brush hog , also on the back of the John Deere.

There are 8 new additions to the farm this year! Tracey got some new chicks from the Amish neighbor down the street so we can really get serious about our egg production. they will join the two hens that are laying for us right now. Look for Five Point Farm Eggs in a year or two! These pictures show how much they've grown in two months.

We did manage to get a vegetable garden in this year albeit a little late. It's probably about 2-3 weeks behind but we were able to move it down by the house. We've got tomatoes, corn,red,yellow and green peppers, basil and cucumbers. The garden is looking great, now we'll just to have to keep our fingers crossed that the deer don't make it they're own. Big thanks to my mom Gail for all her help with the gardens!

This one is exciting!! We might have the largest silver maple tree in New York State in our front yard! Our friends Betsy and Shnook we're visiting recently when Betsy happened to mention the NYS Big Tree Register which lists all the biggest trees in each species in our state. I looked it up on line and when I measured our tree it beat the one on the register! It is 230" around 101' tall and has a crown that is 107'x97'. I am waiting for someone from the NYS DEC to come measure it to make it official.Keep your fingers crossed!

The blueberries did pretty well this year and we were able to put some on our cereal before the deer completely took one out. Looks like they rubbed the bark right off it and it just died. It's a shame because Tracey and my mom take such great care of them. Tracey did her thing and pruned that one back so hopefully it will come back next year. Either way we still have 4 others and it's great to have your own blue berries for your cereal!

The Gardens are in great shape as usual. My wife has a green thumb and really has an eye for landscaping so the gardens look great. We've had something blooming all summer. Right now the liilies are out and some of the hostas will be next. She really does such a great job and she even found time to paint a couple vintage lawn chairs so we can relax under our huge tree and admire our yard!

The Mason bee house project is moving along. This frame just needs a roof and one more log needs holes then I will install it equidistant between our apple trees and blueberry bushes where you can see it coming up the driveway. I'll keep you posted.

And lastly, nothing says love quite like your cats leaving a present for you on your doorstep.

Thanks guys!!