Sunset at Walnut Hill Farm....

…arrived in the mail as a gift from my grandson, Jack, to celebrate Grandparents’ Day! The budding artist is three years old.

Is there anything more wonderful...

than harvesting a few frames of honey? Well, yes…eating it!

New guys in town...

Meet our new Operations Manager for rodent control. He and his partner are keeping the barn safe for our chickens. But, in his down time, he loves to relax in the Gator! Many thanks to the Naperville Humane Society and Kaia Kennedy for helping us adopt such handsome barn cats!

Greenhouse lights are out....

…and the plants are hardening off and going into the ground. Weather looks good for the next 10 days…fingers crossed!

Happy Earth Day!

National Gardening Day....

and the nasturtiums, calendulas, marigolds and zinnias can’t wait to get into the garden. But they’re going to have to be patient….it’s a few more weeks!

Science experiment?

No, just trying to prime some spinach seeds. They always seem to present a challenge in germinating! The greenhouse is already too warm. Temps are finally spring-like!

Christmas eve sunrise....

really seemed to shout…A King has been born! Merry Christmas!

Winter Solstice...

makes everyone celebrate in Wisconsin! The days will become longer, egg production will get into full gear, and we can all anticipate the growing season ahead. It may be time to start studying those seed catalogs. Even my amaryllis knows today is something to celebrate!

More eggsciting news....

one of our pullets laid her first egg! She (and 11 others) arrived as a 2-day old chick on July 18. The books say they start to lay at 5 months. The books got that right….almost to the day! It may not be as big as the others…but it surely is just as lovely.

Exciting news...

as we are finally beginning to look at the nutrient density of the foods we eat. Not all food is created equal…in fact, not all home grown food. What if there were a metric to know which carrots were more nutritious. I think the Bionutrient Institute is trying to do just that…on a scale of 1 to 100.

Old Man Frost....

has arrived! 28 degrees here this morning and sparkling silver frost crystals on everything. I still need to plant my garlic!

The totals are in...

and it was a bountiful harvest! Now begins the work of planning for next year. Asparagus and rhubarb were added this summer and I look forward to seeing their yields in the coming year.

Glorious fall day...

and absolutely perfect for walking Wally along the Sugar River Trail.

New greenhouse manager?

He seems to have found a home among the lettuce leaves of my hydroponic system. I think it’s a Cope’s gray treefrog, common in southern Wisconsin. Isn’t he a cutie?