Reflections 2014

Our cat, Oconee, in contemplation...

As I reflect on the past year, I am already looking to the future with hope and anticipation...to let go of any baggage of past mistakes and losses, of any weight that holds me down, both physically and mentally.  This is a way to avoid dangerous depression that afflicts some sensitive souls.  It is also a  way to set goals and expectations for the future - so that I work with focus, live with purpose, and create a life that accentuates my skills, talents, and dreams.

There is a beach lifestyle in our future... Gene and I  on the beach Christmas Day 2014.  As we approach our next quarter century with power and strength remaining - there comes a time we won't be able to do all the chores of a farm lifestyle.  I hope that the next decade on the farm will be fruitful and fabulous...and we will enjoy each day on this magical farm with animals.  Planning ahead to our later years, I hope we can live by the sea in a much warmer climate.  May we care for our animals in their sunset years - and begin planning for our own.

Year In Review:2014

Assisi
Perhaps the most beautiful creature on Earth for it's big eyes and streamlined body.
A deer fawn named Assisi:

and I have to thank Gene for helping me feed this baby on a regular basis - he was our rock, once again.

Sudden Storms:
Mother Nature always makes the greatest impact when she rears her ugly head.  Thankfully, most of the time we get the magnificent side of her.
In 2014, we fell victim of "straight line winds" topping 100 mph.

The amount of devastation on the land involved over 50 trees being uprooted.  This was in mid summer.  At years end, we are now only cleaning the debris of fallen trees and limbs.

These photos don't tell the whole story, but here they are:

Year in Review: 2013

...welcome to photos taken in 2013, plus paintings,  and photographs of memorable moments with family that remain forever in spirit.

Natural Weather: Crop Losses in the Northeast

We, as farmers, go to work each day knowing that our greatest partnership is with Nature - she decides much of our fate.  While the whole of humanity is under the same great power(s), much of our livelihood depends on it being in our favor.  The last 4 growing seasons have really been difficult for many farmers and this post is just a reminder of what has occurred in the Northeast.  So remember, everytime you get to support a farmer you are helping us overcome some of these hardships. 

We are working to form a Horse, Hound, & Farm Rescue - in addition to continue our work with adopting horses and hounds, this non profit will provide assistance to farmers with property taxes when the crop losses have made this a daunting task.

2012 Apple Losses

“Most of the trees in Maine did not fruit this year,” he said, moving over to a table with 57 heirloom apple varieties that once flourished in Maine. “We had 80 degrees in March, so the trees flowered. Then it went down to 10 degrees.” Plummeting temperatures killed the flowers, which meant no apples, though orchards in western Maine, where temperatures remained cool, did flower and fruit. - from the nytimes.com.9/30/12

2012 Corn Losses

Yield losses from a drought during pollination can be as high as 100%.

2009 Tomato Losses

In 2009, a new genotype of late blight caused by Phytophthora infestans, US22, caused a disease epidemic throughout the Northeast killing tomato and potato plants in gardens and on commercial farms in the eastern U.S.Classic symptoms are large (at least nickel-sized) olive-green to brown spots on leaves with slightly fuzzy white fungal growth on the underside when conditions have been humid (early morning or after rain). Sometimes the border of the spot is yellow or has a water-soaked appearance. Spots begin tiny, irregularly shaped and brown. Firm, brown spots develop on tomato fruit.  Late blight is the same disease that caused the Irish Potato Famine in the 1840s. It has never occurred this early and this widespread in the U.S. One of the most visible early symptoms of the disease is brown spots (lesions) on stems. - from Cornell.edu  Yield losses caused by late blight and the cost of control measures have been estimated to exceed 6.7 billion dollars annually and the disease is a major threat to food security worldwide.   -from usablight.org

The Year(s) in Photos 2011

Memorable Moments: winter 2011 Gene paves...plows the Way!

Our lives are made of of Memorable Moments... problem is we get older and forget.   I use a blog for this reason - plus it's a great publishing source - you share our memories - plus it's free!  This is Gene in the tractor with our snow blower attachment.  The greatest storm of 2011, in March, forced me to stop in our little town - I pleaded for Gene to rescue me with his snow blower.  He did it!  This is him on the road to our farm just in front of my car - a very memorable moment!

Looking Forward to a New Year - Unloading our Burdens - Accepting the Good with the Bad

The Year 2010

Year in REVEIW
Hello New YEAR!
~ we enjoyed our year of agritourism - Featherdown 2010!
The company was featured in the following publications:
nytimes.com
thenydailynews.com
country living magazine
nycitymama.com
http://www.allaboutyou.com
http://www.facebook.com
http://www.springwise.com
wellandgoodnyc.com
www.farmstayus.com
www.shelterpop.com
thefamilytravelfiles.com
www.tripadvisor.com
www.concierge.com/
tastingtable.com
www.youtube.com/
sleepinthehay.com
blogs.villagevoice.com
wholelivingdaily.wholeliving.com
www.americantowns.com
nymag.com
traveltips.usatoday.com
www.redbookmag.com
lancasterfarming.blogspot.com
artful4home.info
farmstays.blogspot.com


Well -  that's not the whole story!  We met people from NYC, Wahington DC, Brittany, France, Amsterdam, Dutchess County, New Jersey North and Long Island, Connecticut, Texas, and all over the USA, and abroad!  Our farm is naturally home to many people, especially children.  Why?  Have you ever shown a child a running stream? running horses? Jumping goats? Happy hound dogs? Fresh food?  Fresh eggs?  Home made Brick oven Pizza.  We are a unique farm stay!
That is life on the farm!  Children just love it and we do too!


The Year 2009
Last Year in Review, Goodbye 2009, Hello New Year!

We welcomed featherdownfarmdays as part of our farm life, which includes being gracious hosts, making new friends, enjoying children, children enjoying our farm animals, and making brick oven pizza for everyone! This idea from Luite Moraal, his brilliant agritourism concept and facilities make camping and farm stays so much better! Thank you Luite!

We also welcomed 2 new goats, Sorrelina and Further, white Saneen breed from Switzerland. I can't say enough about what a wonderful addition these goats have been to Ambrosia Farms - they complete Ambrosia Farms.

We became part of The Bounty - an online farmers market for CNY - another introduction to your local farmers!

We adopted a dog. a black Chow Chow from a friend in need, renamed Magic, and 3 kittens from an adopted cat, renamed Blue Cloud. Caring for animals comes easiest to us, and sharing this great farm, and free animals into such a great and vast nature reserve, is rewarding. We try to live together in harmony with the peace and quiet of rural America, and the wildlife around us!

I started a new job to supplement our farm income - in health care - and I highly recommend anyone that needs more work - or is looking for a new occupation - consider joining the many dedicated professionals needed to care for the sick, post surgical patients, trauma patients, and the elderly - in a world where much of the work we do is frivolous - this industry is anything but!

Gene began his retirement from carpentry and framing, to farming full time! He is a master haymaker - of square bales and many customers feel that their horses only eat ours. The truth is that Gene's hay has much of the nutrients preserved and it is always green as the day it was cut. Gene is a wood turner and artisan - and I will show a seperate blog with some of the things he made this year and in the future available for sale. These include wood bowls - some for salads - and one of the biggest 48 inches round - I will post the photo of these when we get a camera...cupula, chicken coop, gate to FDF, cat loft. and much more!

Farmers Frozen Foods gets 2 more articles published! This is a company that will flourish in the years ahead, protect more farmland from development and drilling, and provide great food locally grown in the winter. I hope you support it at
http://www.natlnutrients.blogspot.com/
Thanks to those that already have joined our CSA membership.

Lastly, we have had numerous setbacks and personal losses. As we all have had over the years. As my cousin reports, we can be mush, like the carrot in boiling water; hard, like the egg in boiling water; or transforming, like the coffee bean in boiling water. So rather than lament the bad, let us try and show forebearance, compassion, and truthfulness in the New Year.

Best wishes to Everyone!

Year of Crop Losses 2009

The Northeast summer rainstorms have brought our haymaking to a halt - one day of sunshine and it is off to the clouds again and again. Hay is not only important as a source of income for our farm, but it is integral to keeping cattle and horses in these parts. When the snow comes there is nothing else for these animals to eat except hay. I am feeling real stressed right now at the thought of these animals lacking for food this winter. I had the unfortunate exposure just last week to a pony who had been starved by some real cruel people, and the animal had to be put down by it's new owners. Starvation is a scary thing. With the recession on, people are abandoning horses regularly because they can't afford the upkeep any longer. Add to that the shortage of hay because of this summer of rain, and we could end up with a very bad situation. It is unfortunate that in our capitalist society people with hay will likely up the price for those without. Paying through the nose for items where supply is less than demand really takes advantage of a bad situation. We saw that with the price of oil and the rising profits of oil companies during the same period.

Second to our hay shortage in the Northeast is the tomato late blight that has swept across here. We grow thousands of heirloom tomato plants with wonderful harvests every year, so to have this crop fail is another surprise setback. Just last week we saw the first signs of it devastate healthy plants more rapidly than anything I've ever seen. We are not likely to get any tomatoes. Since this is one of the loveliest of fruits, it is hard to believe still. And yet even with all the greenhouse and labor costs and my own 2 months of nonstop work into it, the thousands of stakes pounded into the ground, and resulting bursitis - even with this major setback it is nothing in the scheme of things. No one will starve because we don't have tomatoes this year. It's not the same as the potato famine because we have so much else to eat these days. But certainly we will remember the summer of 2009 without the sweat flavor of our pomme amore!