Observing Nature on cloud 9 Farm

It was quite a snow we had yesterday, making everything so beautiful on Cloud 9 Farm here on the southern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains. About 5 inches. Too bad you’re not on vacation and getting snowed in! Here are the chicken girls trying to decide whether to come out of the coop or not. It was so funny watching them cautiously looking [ MORE » ]

On these cold days at Cloud 9 Farm, the cows really look forward to a serving of warm silage, chopped fermented corn stalks with plump whole kernel corn. It steams with the composting heat in the frigid air as I shovel it in the trough. Their pleasure is evident because they bury their sensitive noses in the warmth and stir it around before taking [ MORE » ]

My new friend, who is in the tree business, has a heart. He saved this chuck of tree with a bee hive in it to bring home and nurture. So here it is, propped up with stones and with a hive box on top of the hole in the tree. There is an upside down jar of sugar water with tiny pin pricks in [ MORE » ]

Goldy, the rooster, is so stoic as he waits for warmer weather up on his perch in the hen house. Got a little frostbite on those wattles, don’t you old man? It did go down to 10 last night, and even though the Cloud 9 Farm Chickens protect themselves in the wind break of the hen house, a little frostbite on those tender combs [ MORE » ]

When I say neighbors, I mean the neighbors a 1/2 mile away on the other mountain down the road, because Cloud 9, for a vacation rental is a very private spot. But the other day, an alert renter couple who were hiking to Buzzard’s Roost, noticed this cute beagle joined them. Waiting to meet another hiker they just kept walking and the dog excitedly [ MORE » ]

Wildlife is abundant here on Cloud 9 Farm even in the winter. The wild turkeys are starting to gather in preparation for mating season in late February and March which is a spectacle to see. The fanning of the tom turkey’s tail, his head change color from pink to bright red to purple…oh, so handsome. That would be a great time to vacation here. [ MORE » ]

Here’s the view at suset on a winter’s eve enjoying the fire pit at Cloud 9 Relaxation Home. We provide the wood, starter mix and log seats. You provide the kindling from the nearby woods (make it a family project), the marshmallows, chocolate and graham crackers. Smores anyone?

It’s mid October and there are still bursts of interesting and beautiful fungi growing out of oak tree roots. Here’s a beautiful pinkish orange. It grows bigger by the day! The closest Ican come to identifying it in my Mushrooms of North America book is Polyporus Sulphureus but they say it should be sulphur-yellow. “Growing on a wide variety of hardwoods commonly in late [ MORE » ]

Walk the mountain trails on Cloud 9 properties and hunt for the rare Lady’s Slippers. This is my favorite time of year to find these gems in the shaded woods!

Dear Dad, I haven’t seen you in a while so I thought I’d take a photo of how great the blueberry patch looks…all weeded, newly mulched plants in their prime loaded with green berries this May, newly planted 2 year old plants on the upper rows, everything mowed…just the way you’d like it. I love working outside just as you did for something to [ MORE » ]