Complete Illustrated Guide To Farming - New book!

It's a busy time of the year but we wanted to take a moment to let you know of a new book that might be of interest to those of you in search of information on farming or hobby farming. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Farming written by our own Samantha Johnson and co-authored by Philip Hasheider is published by Voyageur Press www.voyageurpress.com . You might also enjoy visiting the Voyageur's Whole Home News blog for loads of great information www.wholehomenews.com .

Some of the chapters in this book cover crops, livestock, safety, harvesting, conservation and much more! Many of the photos in this book were provided by our Daniel Johnson www.foxhillphoto.com . If you're interested in getting started in farming or even just raising a few animals for your own pleasure, this book is a great kick-start with loads of information.

It's available through Voyageur Press, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, bookstores and Tractor Supply.

Today is overcast and a bit snowy and we've had several good snowstorms over the past few weeks. We love the opportunity to photograph on a snowy day, especially the ponies and cobs. Winter is flying by quickly though, so we'll have to take every chance to get outdoors in the snow while we still have a good base. 

This is one of our Welsh Cob mares, enjoying a romp during a recent snowfall, she's as sweet as can be, a real farm favorite.

Garden Dreamin'

It's that time of the year when the seed catalogs are arriving and we begin pondering over which varieties we'd like to include this year.  We always have our favorites that we put in each year, but we also like to try new vegetable varieties as well.  One of our favorite companies to order from in Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa (http://www.seedsavers.org/) We enjoy perusing their beautiful catalog and have yet to be disappointed in any seeds or plants we've purchased from them. 

We've plans to expand the kitchen garden a bit more, seems like there's never enough room for all the things we want to grow.  Each year we put in a lot of tomato plants and it seems they're taking up more and more room in the garden. 

The new farm will be getting its own garden too, maybe two...one up on top of the hill and one near the house.  There's a great little log building that will be perfect for a garden shed.  Choosing the right site is important, ideally close to a walkway or to the house, so it's convenient to weed, water and harvest when we have spare moments. 

Also this year, we're hoping to improve the fencing around the gardens...in efforts to keep out the two most difficult pests...the Whitetail Deer and the Thirteen Lined Ground Squirrels...both species are cute, but very hard on a garden.  Last year the deer ate the cucumbers and squirrels ate the peas. The squirrels were making a go at the strawberries but we trenched around the beds and buried wire to keep them from digging in...it worked pretty slick!

New Year - New Farm

The new year has started off snowy and windy after a very mild November and December.  There have been many things happening here, including the purchase of another farm just down the dirt road from Fox Hill.  It's a farm we've all admired for years...I still remember the first time I ever laid eyes on that farm many years ago.  We drove down the big hill and there it was sprawling out in front of us, land sweeping down towards a beautiful setting with the house and barn.  We never expected it to be for sale, and never expected that it might work out for us to purchase it.  But on Labor Day I was driving by and saw the realty sign and a few weeks later we'd made the offer to purchase.  We closed in late November and it's still a little hard to believe it now belongs to our family. 

A few photos of the new farm are included here, more to come when spring arrives and we can take inventory of all that encompasses our new purchase.   The numerous ponds are all frozen over right now, but in the spring, the returning geese should once again arrive to raise their little families and we'll be awaiting their arrival with cameras in hand.

Apple Update

It's that time of year again---time for picking apples! Four trees, planted in Fox Hill Farm's garden in 2009, are now growing beautiful, delicious apples. They're perfect for making that sweet, creamy delicacy we all enjoy . . . applesauce!

And in the orchard, "Duchess" (an antique Duchess of Oldenburg tree that has proven her worth many years running) continues to thrive and produce the crème de la crème.

Here's an interesting fact: in Anne of Green Gables, it is said that Anne and Marilla pick apples from their Duchess tree. (Only the best for Fox Hill Farm!) J

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This post is courtesy of Farm Girl Rosie at http://www.farmgirlrosie.blogspot.com/

18 Beautiful Birds

We’re happy to bring you this guest blog, courtesy of Farm Girl Rosie (http://farmgirlrosie.blogspot.com/), as she shares about her recent experiences in bird watching.

I just recently began studying which types of birds tend to gather in the area where I live. So many birds are attracted to suet feeders, and this is a compilation of the different kinds I’ve seen so far on the feeder:

1. Black-capped Chickadee
2. White-breasted Nuthatch
3. Red-winged Blackbird
4. Hairy Woodpecker
5. Pileated Woodpecker
6. Dark-eyed Junco
7. European Starling
8. American Robin

I’ve also spotted these birds in the past few weeks:

1. Canadian Geese
2. Mallard ducks
3. Bufflehead ducks
4. Red-tailed Hawks
5. Killdeer
6. Mourning Doves
7. Northern Flickers
8. American Crows
9. Eastern Meadowlarks
10. Eastern Bluebirds

I highly recommend The Backyard Birdsong Guide by Donald Kroodsma for those who are interested in identifying birds and their calls. This book also comes with a birdcall player; you press a button on the side of the book, and you can hear the call of every bird discussed in the guide. The Backyard Birdsong Guide has been so helpful to me in figuring out which birds are which!

Hairy Woodpecker	Red-winged Blackbird	Hairy Woodpecker

The 4-H Guide to Digital Photography on Kindle!

Did you know…? Dan’s book, The 4-H Guide to Digital Photography, is now available as a Kindle download! Visit Amazon.com to add this popular book to your Kindle e-reader today. Also, check out the five-star reviews! J

A Special Day for a Special Pony

We should have posted this last week, but a belated birthday greeting is better than no birthday greeting at all…

Ten years ago, on April 22, 2001, a very special foal arrived at Fox Hill Farm/Miracle Welsh. Miracle Maid to Order, a black Section A Welsh Mountain Pony filly, was born in the early hours of that Sunday morning. Sired by Gallimaufry Jaguar and out of Heritage Hall’s the Cat’s Meow, “Chocie” immediately claimed her place as a VIP (“Very Important Pony”) at Miracle Welsh. She was shown quite successfully as a filly, winning multiple championships, and placing well regionally and nationally. She is a Liberty Class winner, a leadline winner, and the dam of Miracle Minute Maid by Mt. Ridge Yellow Jacket.

And so, on her 10th birthday, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate Chocie! We ♥ her.

How to Build a Beehive

Have you checked out the latest issue of Hobby Farms magazine? The May/June 2011 issue features a how-to feature on “How to Build a Beehive,” written by Samantha and photographed by Daniel. The article explains all of the steps involved with constructing a beehive, from gathering the materials to painting the finished product. If you’ve contemplated the idea of raising bees, this article provides helpful information to get started.

We are busily preparing for the arrival of our spring bees—they are coming in sometime within the next week, so things will be buzzzzzing around here. J

Waiting on Spring

Spring is quite late in arriving this year—we had 2 inches of snow (again) on the 23rd and it just doesn’t seem to want to warm up. But the ponies are shedding, the birds have returned, and the daylilies are poking up in the garden, so spring must be on its way.
After a particularly cold night last week, we noticed an interesting sight: a sapsicle. At first glance, it appeared to be an icicle, but upon closer inspection, it was obvious that it wasn’t an ordinary icicle—it was frozen sap, dripping from a broken piece on a large branch of a Sugar Maple. It was particularly intriguing to note the amount of sap that was pouring forth from the small hole in the branch.

Farm life—especially in spring time—is always interesting! : )

News from Fox Hill Farm: Bees, Birds, Bunnies and Brrr!

Northern Wisconsin in early February is filled with lots of snow and very cold temperatures. Last weekend brought an additional eight inches and today is very cold and windy. It will be interesting to see if spring comes early again as it did last year.


We've spent time building some additional beehives for the upcoming season. Our bees have been successfully overwintered every year, even in our very rigorous climate. We feel the key is making candy boards in the fall and putting them on the hives. The bees love them and feed on them throughout the winter and make it to spring successfully. This eliminates having to purchase bees every year unless you're adding new hives.

Some of the ponies have started shedding their winter coats, but some won't let go of their coats until June. I have noticed that our palominos and buckskins are the first ones to shed out each year, with the roans staying furry far longer. The birds on the farm love it when the ponies start to shed and especially love it when we thin manes and tails. Then in the fall we find the abandoned nests and see which pony was the favored choice of that particular bird.

Our rabbits enjoy their winter quarters, in the former milk room of 1932 bank barn, the milk room is heated to 50 degrees and the rabbits are so happy, neither hot nor cold... and just like the three bears... they're "just right." We acquired another breed of rabbit last fall, the Harlequin, a beautiful breed with loads of friendly personality.

Photography and writing keeps us all busy as well, we've had some good snow sessions with a few breeds of dogs and plan to attend the Three-Bear Sled Dog race this upcoming weekend. Loads of dogs and sledders and hopefully it won't be so cold this year. March will bring Klondike Days with a sleigh rally, horse pulls and dog pulls. Lots of great opportunity for capturing unique images. Last year's sleigh rally was a lot of fun.
 
 

Starting out fresh again!

Happy New Year to all!  Fox Hill Farm rang in the new year with very cold temps and 30mph winds, making for a brisk day outdoors.  The ponies all cheered this afternoon when they heard us coming out to bring them back into the barn for a well deserved meal. 

The seed catalogs have been arriving and making plans for the garden is always more than a good time.  I have some ideas for expanding the garden a bit more and getting started a bit earlier, maybe with a cold frame or two.  It's always enjoyable to ponder on the things we hope to do and accomplish each year.

Have you visited us on facebook yet?  You can find Miracle Welsh Mountain Ponies at www.facebook.com/miraclewelsh  and you can find Fox Hill Photo at www.facebook.com/foxhillphoto

Have a great year!

Farm Happenings for early December

Winter has arrived and is officially here to stay, we have several inches of snow on the ground and it's snowing fairly heavily right now.  Fortunately all the winter chores got done in time and we have turned our attentions to some indoor home improvements.  Thus far, we are giving the main floor bathroom a much needed paint job and the hallway has been vastly improved with the addition of white beadboard and moldings.  It looks sooo much better now.  After seeing how nice the beadboard looks in the hall, I can picture it continued down in the laundry room and mudroom.  That's how home improvement goes...first one thing gets done and that makes everything else look tired and in need of an update.

Dan's new horse calendar is out, the 2011 Horse A Day calendar by Voyageur Press comes complete with a small Breyer model horse so it makes a great gift for just about any horse lover on your list.  You can find it at most bookstores as well as online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Qbookshop. 

In addition, if you're interested in photography, Dan's book is getting great reviews and people seem to be really enjoying it.  The title is the 4-H Guide To Digital Photography published by Voyageur Press.  It's also widely available.  Don't let the title fool you, it's not just for 4-H-ers, it's for anyone getting started in photography or who would like to learn more about photography. 

The ponies are all in their winter coats and settling into the winter routine.  We have no foals due this coming spring, but have several breedings planned for 2012 foals and are having fun matchmaking pedigrees and happily contemplating the future of our beloved pony program.  I was just outside bringing in the ponies from the snowstorm and as I was catching Buttons, I put my hands on her nose...she began nickering and the soft vibration and almost purring sound put my heart in a happy place, to be sure. 

Winter on the farm, a time for reflection, planning, fun-filled holidays and hopefully catching up on all things indoors.

We've been having a nice stretch of weather for the past few days, it's been sunny and warmer than last week.  We don't take these warm days in November for granted, each one is a gift.  The gardens are basically put to bed for the winter, but out by the barn I noticed a few leaf buds on the privets forming, are they thinking its spring again?  I wish they were right, but I'm sure the snow will soon arrive and take away all thoughts of spring for several months.

Our farm has a very small pond on it, and it has slowly grown smaller and smaller over many, many years and my hopes are to have it re-dug in the spring.  I can just picture it all finished and full to the top...a place for the birds and animals to enjoy along with me.  Perhaps a nice gazebo next to it, a place to sit and dream.  I think I will pond(er) on this idea.  :-)

Sumac goes un-noticed all year until late fall, when it's deep crimson leaves add to the beauty of the season. 

I love the seed pods on the Milkweed, each one bursts open and sends off it's fluffy seeds to the wind.  Every year I'm fascinated by the various plants, how they grow, how they flower, how they fruit and how they propagate.  Works of art, each one. 

Birds, birds, birds

For your viewing enjoyment...

a collection of recent photos depicting the birds that frequent our garden in the late autumn...

Here comes November!!

From Puff Ball Mushrooms to Albino deer!

It's been a beautiful fall, lots of nice weather though it appears to be finally coming to an end. We're supposed to have rain now for the next several days, so that means wet feet and muddy trails on the farm. We had our driveway regraveled and so now there are no more pot-holes to surprise the Fedex and UPS delivery guys. The pot-holes worked well as a sort of speed bump, helping to remind the drivers to slow down. We also had the entrance to the barn regraveled and it's sooo much nicer now, though of course most of the ponies had to look twice to make sure it was ok. :-) The ponies are now covered in their heavy winter coats and so I guess they know some colder weather will soon be approaching. There were snow flurries in the air yesterday, but thankfully only a few. Here are a few photos from around the farm and one from a recent visit to a friend's home.

This giant mushroom was at least a foot in diameter, it started out white and then turned this brown color once the weather changed.  It's a type of Puff-ball mushroom, biggest one we've seen here on the farm.



 Leaves!  We've had plenty of leaves to add to our garden and it's always appreciated when one of the family members pitches on the raking duty.

 Due to the warmer weather, a bewildered daisy thought is was summer again and rose from the depths of the fallen leaves to show her lovely face to us.  I miss you Daisy, can't wait to see you again next year!

 Another spectacular sunrise on the farm.

 My beautiful Myferdog, my constant companion for the past 11 years.  When I first saw this photo, it brought tears to my eyes....because that's me she's looking up at...how do you not love someone who so obviously devoted to you?  I don't know how much longer my sweet Myf will be by my side as she has some major health issues, but I cherish each day with her.

The last shot for this post is a photo Dan captured while we were on a photo shoot earlier this week.  This albino doe walked into the yard and it was a real treat to see her.

Visitors on the hill.... and giveaway winner!

Look who came for a visit!

These photos were taken on the hill behind our house--we watched them from the dining room windows. :-)

Quite an attractive little group, aren't they?!

In other news... the winner of our book giveaway is Jenna, who says that her favorite season is spring. (We agree!)

Congratulations to Jenna!!

Book Giveaway! "The Quotable Farm Animal"

To celebrate the arrival of Autumn, we've decided to have a book giveaway. :-)

This week, we're offering a free copy of The Quotable Farm Animal. This 96-page hardback book features full-color photographs and inspirational quotes. A fun treat for anyone who loves cows, chickens, or goats!

To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post and answer this question:

What's your favorite season?

For an extra entry, mention this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, and leave an extra comment here to say that you did. :-) Spread the news of the giveaway and earn an extra chance to win!

The winner will be randomly selected from all entries and will be announced on Thursday. Check back then to see if you're a winner!

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Enjoy!

Apples, Apples, and more Apples!

Sometimes we like to let the pictures speak for themselves. . . :-) Suffice to say that it's apple season in Wisconsin. :-)

(Check back tomorrow for a book giveaway!!)

Autumn Colors

To usher in the month of October, we thought we would post a few pictures that illustrate the beauty of Northern Wisconsin at this time of year.

The autumn colors are particularly vibrant this year--positively breathtaking.