Farm Tour - Barnard Farm Pensacola - More Photos

Farm Tour - Barnard Farm Pensacola

We went to the Barnard farm during their open weekend. What great fun and it raised dead presidents ($) for the local Wildlife Sanctuary of Northwest Florida, which conincidentally, we had a need of just last week. A baby dove fell from the nest in the small oak in our backyard - not a very far fall, but enough so MotH took the baby, under the glaring(!) eyes of the Mama and Daddy dove off to be helped. Good News: baby will be fine and raised w/some other doves and eventually set free (to likely be eaten by a hawk because doves are stupid). Bad News: Mama and Daddy Dove still glaring at MotH - it's made him a bit paranoid, I think.


Back to the farm which is just off Blue Angel Parkway, but a nice 20 acre tract of land (I would not say it was a huge tract of land).You would never know it was there. The family purchase in 1998 and the place, by that time had been abandoned 10 years - would like to know who (wife or husband) convinced who that this would be a good idea. This place would be ideal for me if I didn't have to do the 8 - 5 thing. Purely charming... all of it, and whimsical without being twee. The only thing it really needs is a donkey (or two). 
This is the second year that the tour has happened and it is well organized and all aspects are well thought through. (Somehow we missed last year). The drive onto the property is lovely - lined with trees with slight curves in the dirt road.


We parked and wandered over to the bee hives - first how damn cool is that you're own honey. The hives were cordoned off, but I'd like to get closer to see more. Avoiding fire ant hills (Ubiquitous, I realize), we walked the short distance to the veg garden - it was simple, neat, large enough, and there were climbing roses on two of the corners of the fence. The roses were covered in flowers and also buzzing with bees. 

Just beyond the veg garden, was the chicken coop. Now I no next to nothing about chickens, but I do love the ones with little feathers on their feet. I should have asked about laying capacity, but since I can have chickens in the city limits (bit me, City of Pensacola) it doesn't  matter. The hen house was cute, but also seemed very functional and provided plenty of room for the chickens to roam. 

And then there were the goats - or goat I should say since only one was interested in being um ...zoo animals. All the ten-year olds thought the goat was preggers, but our golf cart tour guide later informed us, both the goats are girls. To give the kids credit - the goat was on the fatty side. 

We walked in the cool and shady flower garden near the entrance and the large oak trees. Just lovely. We met a man who knows the Barnards and learned that he (Mr. Barnard) would bring back interesting things from his demo jobs such as the church steeple over the pet cemetery. Sad but sweet.

The garden was nice and shady and had some neat art. This seems to be under the direction of Mrs. Barnard. Nine years in the works; there are many areas within the garden that provide different views. 
We took the golf cart tour directed by a niece of the Barnards. It was nice to get a picture of the entire place and get some details about the farm. We went by the pond and saw the mallards, and also the peacock and peafowl. The wooded area was so cool and comfy. It amazing how many oaks that are still standing on the property considering the numbers of hurricanes we've had in the past few years. 


What a great visit! I'm looking forward to next year (the Saturday before Mother's Day) and then have the nerve to introduce myself and ask questions and encourage the additions of a donkey.   

When things go badly ....

That's all you can do.

So have a post I want to post....

but I can't. It's for the MotH - I'll never make it to his birthday, but perhaps I can hold out till our anniversary. Maybe. *
Tom Petty's right - the waiting is the hardest part. 










*  Likely not. bugger.

Daylilly Day - 10 May 2010

First Daylillys of the year - at least for me. This seems really late to me, but I'll check the books and see what I have*.  They opened early this morning so they are not quite at their best at 6:00pm, but finally the first one. I have hundreds of daylilies and know not a single name - I'm not that type of gardener -- there are some plants I bother learning the botanical name, but not many - maybe that's a new project for me... Like I need another one. 
I have daylilies that sprout baby plants off their stems when they bloom - proliferations. It's a super easy way to increase your population easily. I also have decent luck planting the little black seeds and I've never needed to refrigerate them - that seems silly for a plant grown on the gulf coast.  Other things in the garden (top to bottom, duh): Stokesia, low roses (Katy Road I think), Oregano in the Herb Garden


*4/15/2008; 4/8/2009

Beer Garden: Magic Hat Summer Wacko

Billed as a crisp summer beer, I had great hopes for Magic Hat Summer Wacko. There was also only one six pack left so I had to buy it even though it was Cinco de Mayo and save it for a few days. It was certainly cold enough, but the finish was just too sweet for me. "Big malty aroma," I get it and "a subdued hop bite" (as described on the website), but, "slightly sweet finish?" How about overly sweet finish - almost like maple syrup.  And for the love of pete, did it have to be pink?*
Okay maybe the over the top packaging should have given it away but different often times is better, but I was going for the "crisp summer beer" that I went for and I just don't think it was there. The front was nice, but it was the finish that did me in. 
Never know until you try - who knows when you'll find something that pleasantly surprises you. 


* I did not know it was pink until I was um, pouring the last bit out - so it has no impact on my thought. Besides, I rather like pink. 

Currently Blooming

Rose from my next door neighbor who took a cutting from her grandmother - how cool is that? MotH dug this up as it was a runner that had rooted itself. Lovely purple.
Top = Apple Blossom Amaryllis; next Easter Lily and last purple Clematis (whose name I never remember)

Cinco de Mayo

Excellent excuse for a cerveza hecho en Mexico. That is the extent of my Spanish and it's probably wrong.  
I've been keeping up with the different beers we've been trying - actually writing them down and making notes, so I plan to put them here w/photos to help me remember better. 
I'm a fan of Tecate - it's simple, smooth and easy to drink - a good beer for warm weather - it's inexpensive too, which isn't bad either. No it is not complex, not fancy, but it works for us. A great choice for 5 May 2010. 
Our local paper started a column today with a local review of beers - finally, but I notice it's never on the front page of the food section where the wine is.... hm. 

My Georgette Heyer Thing

Jane Austen has one serious flaw - only one, but it's kind of bad - Only 6 complete novels. Now I read them all, once a year or so and occasionally watch a BBC version, but that's not much when you really get down to it. So this past year (2009), I found and began reading and buying Georgette Heyer novels. Most are Regency romances and truth be told they are formulaic, but still engaging. The majority of her heroines know how to speak their mind - very 21st century of them.  Her knowledge of the period makes me wonder about time travel and or reincarnation - was she really alive during the Regency era? She has a sharpness of wit and a flourish of style in her writing that I enjoy. Her ability to describe a scene or a dandy or the ton is spectacular.


So far, I've read, Why Shoot the Butler?, The Toll Gate, The Corinthian, Black Moth, The Reluctant Widow, False Colours, The Convenient Marriage, The Grande Sophy, and Frederica. So I haven't yet made a dent. Additionally, I have a small stock waiting for me to read. Obviously she's not Jane, but with 50 novels including a few murder mysteries (oh goodie) and some historical fiction, it's a pretty good deal.

Hedgehog - He's mine, mine I tell you.

I've taken too long to post this but ... this is my new friend. You'll find him hanging around in my kitchen. He's the best and his name is Spike. Dimdi's etsy site is great - she's amazingly talented and I plan to order more. 

I love hedgehogs. They are so very cute, but not the least bit cuddly. There was a little family of hedgehogs that lived near our cottage in England. If you were out in the evening you would see them about. Mama and little babies. So cute. I never tried to pick them up, though they didn't seem phased by me being there. Either used to people to some degree or just didn't give a damn because they have, um.... spines. This watercolor is just the damn cutest thing ever. 
I just think Etsy is a great idea. How cool is it that people from all over the world can sell their original art to others in a simple fashion. My watercolor came from Italy - a tiny town that, though I studied art history and had a good sense of Italy, I have never heard of ... and used google maps to find.* No hedgehogs on the gulf coast, but we do have ... bunnies, almost as cute, but not quite (no spikes - too bad).


* What would we do if we didn't have google? Scary to think how dependent on it everyone is.