Spring is Springing !
Yes, Spring is Springing! I can not yet say Spring has Sprung! We are still having some freezing nights that make heavy ice on the water and cover the vehicles with snow like frost. Yet, the lilac buds are swelling, the rhubarb is peeking though and the daylilies are announcing their forth coming beauty. Spring is in the air and that is energizing.
The incubator has been humming beside me now for 4 weeks and we are having excellent hatching rates! Even the first hatch, which I wondered about because of the horribly cold winter conditions during egg collection, came off in the high 90s for hatch percentage. These were intended for us to raise here at Fayrehale. Once grown out, some will be sold as older sexed pullets to customers who do not want to raise straight run chicks and some will sustain us in 2015:) This hatch had Chanteclers, Icelandics and Vermont Farm Flock eggs in it. They have been moved to a brooder in the first hoop house. We had to install the shade clothes on all the hoop houses for these sunny 70 degree days as the other two are still housing the Chantecler & Icelandic breeding flocks.
The second hatch occurred last night and this morning and it had an equally good hatch rate. Three orders were mailed out this afternoon. Two boxes of Chanteclers and a box that was half Chanteclers and half Icelandics. They should arrive at their new homes tomorrow and Wednesday. This will now be a weekly happening as we fill our prepaid orders and keep receiving new orders. The incubator will hum away as long as there are orders to fill. It is exciting to finally having people discover and appreciate this great Canadian heritage breed that was developed for cold climates.
The end of May is careening towards us! So much yet to do and yet I know that with better weather allowing for long days and nights, we can be ready for a soft opening the end of May! Grand Opening will most likely be the 4th of July! This weekend, with Tom’s help, we got half the floor area thoroughly cleaned and stained. Even though this area will be covered with an Oriental rug and will not show, it needed to be cleaned and sealed. We used a Cabot solid color deck stain that covers everything! OH! if only this old barn floor could talk! What where the carriage horses that walked across it and wore down the boards on their way to their stalls in the back of the barn?? Were they Morgans? I like to think so… this being Vermont and I having been a breeder of Morgan Horses in years past.
F A Y R E H A L E
Fayrehale has a 14th century connection to the Verrill (Varrall) family and I have used “Fayrehale” all my adult life as a name for my property, a prefix for animal registries and now for Shops at Fayrehale.
Today was a beautiful 70 degree day and I took the opportunity to work on painting the wooden letters that will spell “Fayrehale” on the front of the barn over the shop entrance. So much easier outside than when I started them in the kitchen! Looks like back side will take 2 coats and front side 3 coats. Want them well sealed before they go up. It would be nice to not have to repaint then:)
Another brain storm! I learned many years ago that when ever I procrastinate and something is not done when I, or others!, think it should be done there is a good reason! These three units were cleared from the barn last fall and covered with a tarp for later removal. Winter hit and they stayed put! A GOOD thing!
This unit was being discarded as it had no glass in one side and no way to remove door and replace glass (even had someone else more skilled than I look at it) Thus no use in the shop! NOW, the glass will be removed from the other side, the entire unit will be painted the same green as the shutters on the house and “Fayrehale” on the barn and it will be used outside some where along the lilac hedge on the side of the driveway. NOW, use your imagination. Side pieces and a cross piece will be added so that a 6 pane window sash can be hung above it. This section will be white. The bottom of the base unit will have a window box w/ flowers (inside) and there will be two clay pots on either edge of the top (framing the hanging window sash) An outside display unit to be used when we are open. Three shelves for what ever and 6 panes for ornaments.
The other two units are old Borders fixtures that have slatwall backs, The backs will be removed and the slat wall used in the very back of the barn near the pellet stove. If the sides can be saved, they will be filled with soil and become raised beds. Not accomplishing something when initially intended can be very good.
Earlier this month and after my last posting, I celebrated the 66th anniversary of my birth.
Tom and I spent a nice day in the Upper Valley and had a celebratory dinner at Worthy Kitchen in Woodstock. Tom gave me an iPad. We need it to take credit cards when Shops at Fayrehale opens. This gives me an opportunity to become familiar with it and the finger swiping moves that are not my natural style!
You may have heard about the third eye and someone may have told you that two heads are better than one!
I do like the camera on the iPad. It will serve its major purpose of taking credit cards while providing a portable way to quickly check e-mail.
Time to call it a day. Have a carpenter coming tomorrow to help me in the Shop. Best get some sleep.
HAPPY SPRING