Category: Animals

The Moth In The Waterbucket

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I know how to do it now.  I gently dip one fingertip into the bucket of water right under the insect that is floating there.

This morning it was a tiny grayish-brown moth.  As I lifted my finger It hopped on like this was exactly what the moth expected would happen. There was no hesitation or confusion about this big finger suddenly in the water bucket and why.

Still wet, I held up a dry finger to the moth and she slowly walked from one to the other.  It was a chilly morning, a thick fog making the air damp. I’m sure the moth was taking in the warmth from my finger and letting its wings dry.

It was a few minutes before she started to move, that’s when I picked up a dead leaf, brown and gray like the moth with just a touch of spotted yellow, and held it  in front of her.

The moth stepped onto the leaf and disappeared in its folds. I left the leaf by the window in the barn.

There weren’t as many insects floating in the animal’s water bucket this year as there was last year. But they all behave the same when I pull them out. If it’s a sunny day, I leave them on top of the fence post by the gate to dry in the sun.

It’s not like I’m being noble, like don’t kill bugs.  I do.

This time of year it seems there’s at least one fly in the bedroom buzzing around my reading light at night. They land on my book and sometimes divebomb my head. Jon’s good with the flyswatter and I have no trouble killing a fly when it’s buzzing around me in the house.

But no matter what kind of insect is in the water bucket, I reach in to rescue it.

The best part is watching those soggy insects shake themselves off, warm up and fly away. It feels like a little miracle that is easy to be a part of.

I guess what I’m saying is I do it as much for me as for them.

My Bedlam Farm Wool Is Ready

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I got an email from Deb at the Vermont Fiber Mill letting me know my wool is done and ready for me to pick up.

Jon and I won’t be able to get it this weekend because his daughter Emma and his granddaughter Robin are coming for a visit.  They haven’t been here in a few years because of Covid.  I do wonder what Robin will make of the farm and the animals.  I’m curious to see if she’ll be interested in any of it.

If all works out that we’ll make the trip to Brandon Vermont the weekend after.

As always, I’m excited to see the wool and what it will look like.  Even the wool I don’t dye is always different. It’s the first time I’ve made a barber pole yarn with dyed wool too.

You can see how nicely the sheep wool is growing back in this photo.  I hope I made the right decision shearing them only once a year.  I guess I’ll know for sure in the spring when I can see how long their wool gets over the winter.

My Heron Magnets Sold Out

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Thank you everyone, I just sold out of my Heron Magnets.

It’s been 24 hours since they went up for sale in my Etsy Shop.  That tells me that I should order more.

I love that my Heron will be showing up in people’s homes and lives in this way.  I hope to get my posters and postcards soon too.

More Herons are on the way.

Head Butting At Bedlam Farm

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I don’t know what was going on between Socks and Robin and Lori.   I’d guess they were working something out.

Lori may have been protecting Robin, but it seemed Robin was the initial instigator.

So much goes on between the animals that I’m unaware of.  Sometimes I get to witness it, but mostly it’s a mystery to me.

My “Heron” Magnets For Sale

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My Heron Magnet For sale in my Etsy Shop.

Fate started whining and Bud was barking.  Then I saw the UPS truck drive away from the farm and I knew my Heron Magnets had arrived.

I was excited they looked as good as I’d imagined they would.  I took some pictures and posted my Heron Magnet for sale in my Etsy Shop.

The magnet is 2″x4″ and is $7 including shipping.  You can buy it here.

Or if you don’t like using Etsy, just email me at [email protected].  I take checks, Paypal, and Venmo.  You can also just send a check and let me know you’d like a magnet my address is: Maria Wulf, PO Box 205 Cambridge NY 12816.

Full Moon Fiber Art Etsy Store

 

The Path To The Crab Apple Tree

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One of the footpaths the donkeys and sheep have made goes right to the crab apple tree.

In my Monday Morning Video yesterday you can see how the donkeys meander to get to me.  They don’t walk in straight lines and never directly up and down hills.

You can’t see it in this picture, but the path to the apple tree has its own twists and curves.

The apple tree is a destination.

Under The Lilac

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There’s a whole world for the hens in explore in the big old lilacs on the farm.  The chickens spend a lot of time sleeping safely under and around them.  The biggest lilac has deep purple flowers and branches that reach out so the hens can roost on them.

That’s either Kitty or Anne on the branch of the Lilac and White hen on the ground.

My Heron Magnets Coming Tomorrow

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My Heron magnet

I’m excited to see my Heron Magnet. According to an email from Sticker Mule, it should be delivered tomorrow.

I got a hundred of them, so there will be plenty for anyone who wants one.  As soon as I get them I’ll put them up for sale in my Etsy Shop and on my blog.

I’m also waiting for my Heron Posters and Postcards.  We’re lucky enough to have a Print Shop right in town who do a great job.  I hope to have the posters and postcards by the end of the week.

The Barred Owl Again

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The Barn Owl Potholder

Yesterday we saw the owl again.  Fate and I were on our way back during our walk in the woods when I saw the big bird fly between the tree tops.

The owl landed in a tall tree at the edge of the path just ahead of us.  She looked at me then swiveled her head to follow Fate as she circled the tree the owl sat in.

I tried to take a picture, but it wasn’t happening.   The iPhone kept switching settings, so I gave up.  I decided to just watch the owl instead.

I thought about what I’d just read about owls in the book An Immense World by Ed Yong.  How their ears are located behind their eyes, and that big round surface around each eye acts as a kind of satellite dish to take in the sound.

The ear openings are in different places so the owl can hear not only side to side, but up and down too.  One opening is positioned at 2 o’clock the other at 8 o’clock.

So as the owl moved her head I thought, she’s listening to us as well as seeing us.

Owls hunt by sound not sight.  That’s why their wings are silent when they fly, so the sound of their movement doesn’t interfere with their hearing a mouse running across the forest floor.

We stayed that way for a while. At one point I said, “hello owl.” Otherwise, I tried to be as quiet as she was.

She left first, flying across the path and into the trees.  I watched till she disappeared from my sight.

I have no doubt that the owl knows us pretty well by now. That we’re not strangers and she’s keeping an eye on us when we come into her woods. Maybe even purposely letting us know she’s there.

I didn’t go for a walk today, but when I went into my studio this morning, I was thinking about a linen dishtowel that Carolyn gave me.  I knew it had an owl on it along with some other birds.  The owl on the linen was a Barn Owl, not a Barred Owl like the one in the woods.  But I used it anyway.

Then I cut out a couple of the other birds on the linen to finish off a few more Potholders in the series I began on Friday with the little crooked houses.

I wonder if the owl will come to find us the next time I walk in the woods. I’m still thinking of the encounters I had with the ravens this summer and have an idea brewing that came to me in a dream a few nights ago.

Something’s going on with me and the birds lately.  I know that there is probably and message from the owl for me, but I haven’t looked into it.

Maybe I’m just not ready for it yet.

 

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