A Visit from James:)

Hello my Darlin Dears, wonderful meadow creatures that hop around in the hay bails & you adorable Gnomes that are helping me harvest the fallen pecans,

Miss Lamb your lover of the land, and farmer of soil here,

This weekend a friend of mine, James, came out to the farm to do some filming for a very special video about Early Bird Acres... goodness gracious I can't wait to show you all!!

You shall just haft to be patient...

But, I have some stills?

I Stole them from Instagram...

Also, here s James holding one of my newborn chicks...

 

...& here is some captures I took for the baby chick art scene... think of it as newborn pics..

Anyways, I hope your Monday is going well!! It is raining here at Early Bird Acres so I am one happy peach

I send you all a kiss to your foreheads and a warm hug,

Pecan, Fiddles & what makes me happy,

Yours,

Miss Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb

Annie... Get yer Gun!:)

Hello my Darlin dears, wonderful meadow creatures that adore basking in the morning light & you wonderful Gnomes who are very busy making apple cider in the barn... & singing very loudly:)

Miss Lamb your creature of spring & girl who is a Wolf,

Here is edition 2 of "Meet My Family"...

This... Is my Great-Grandmother & my Grandma Ima Jean Fox (yes.... Ima Fox)

...& yes, that is my Great-Grandmother holding two shot guns...

I could only hope she was on the prowl for Coyotes or unruly farmers...or a highly aggressive rooster, but she was more than likely helping unload the car after my Great-Grandpa went hunting with his dogs... My Grandma was holding a cake... Her & my grandpa Harold lived across the pasture from Grandma Annie & Grandpa Jake.... They built their house there after WWII... my Grandpa Harold flew planes... he still ceases to amaze me...

When I saw this picture I fell in love... I could not only imagine Annie & Ima Jean laughing at the camera in front of them, but whom ever took this capture trying not to shale with laughter, and then enjoying the baked good Grandma Fox was carrying :)

Goodness gracious... life...

I send my love your way darlin dears,

Pecan trees, Apple Cider & knowing a love of nature,

Yours Truly,

Miss Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb

My Mini Vacation...part 1:)

Hello my Darlin Dears, Wonderful creatures of the meadow who revel in the last of the dark green fall grass & you lovely Gnomes who are begging for another pumpkin pie,

Your braided bounty of farmness and femininity here,

I recently left the love of the farm for a week for another kind of love... the love of Oregon:)

I went and visited my lovely Friend Nora and her lovely daughter Ivy:) We love Ice Cream:)

......in addition, I had the opportunity to frolic through the Fruit Loop near Mount Hood and decorate my soul in flowers...

This is my lovely Friend & Kindred Spirit Katie Daisy :)

She is a lovely illustrator and simply very talented <3 font="font">

This...is the wonderful Karen Eland..the beer painter!!:)

We have been friends since last winter and she came to my farm for a lovely Christmas Dinner:)

She is currently creating a lovely scene of Harold & I in the meadow... with a few surprises:)

Their friend Heather also came along, & I adore those Girls:)

All so wonderful:) I felt like i was in Holland again while staring at the flowers cast against the mountains:)

...........I also did some art:)

That you can check out right here:)

The ladies threw a mini party filled with amazing food and lovely times of Apples-to-Apples for me:) it was truly a lovely adventure... 

I also brewed beer, picked apples and made cider, laced lavender through every visible surface and loved the people around me with fervor:)

yayy for life ya know?:)

I look forward to sharing more about my Oregon adventure very soon, & more about the farm is right around the corner:) I love you all with my whole-heart and know that you are loved also by the Gnomes... they asked me to say that:)

Apples, Canaries & singing even if you can't,

Yours Truly,

Miss Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb

CSA or Bust my darlin dears:)

Hello my Darlin dears, wonderful meadow creatures that nestle close to the heavily wooled sheep & you adorable Gnomes that do the same,

Miss Lamb your fanciful farmer and forager of hopefully edible items here,

Fall is setting in at the farm.. some days are balmy and some days are set with chill...

A few of these are being harvested...

Yes.... Carrots:) & i eat them with the dirt still on the flesh... 

...I also got one of these Yesterday:) & a pillow from my lovely friend Oh Honey Child!!

Yes, the pillow does say "I'm Your Huckleberry" & yes I am a Daisy:)

The stove is simply a blessing.... the very first winter I lived in my little farm house I was Frozen in for 3 weeks until I was rescued, but I will save that for another post:)

I was very deep into contemplation last night... I put on Gene Autry... poured myself a glass of wine & fired up the stove for the first time... Heaven upon Heaven upon Wine:) I also strode outside in the dark and dug my hands into a patch of rich soil and pulled forth a nice and supple carrot... I found a comfy niche inside my reading chair and settled in with my dirt carrot, and alternately ate carrot & drank wine, while wiggling my toes in front of the wood burning stove... the house smelt of burning pecan and mesquite :)

What was I thinking about you might ask?

I was contemplating early spring and how heavy I want to dive in:)

At the beginning of every spring I am faced with a decision... How much do I want to plant? Because I shall be the only person to tend those veggies and harvest the bounty... How many milk cows can I handle, because I will be the only milkmaid to tend to those full utters? How many pigs should I raise this time, because I will be their only care giver?

My eventual dream is to carry on with my art, but be successful in providing at least 10 families in a complete CSA ... Dairy, Honey, Veggies, meat & some kind of fruit:)

CSA is a abbreviation for Community Supported Agriculture...

I have the community, but my darlin dears, I am only one person..

I am only 27...

I am a single farmer with scarce help and even scarcer love life:)

Hahahahaha.....oh goodness gracious... I sat there with my wine and carrot and annotated thoughts in the air with my carrot while swishing around my wine... then let Harold have a bite of the Carrot:) very classy Sam Lamb..

Never have I been afraid of hard work, but gosh... I treasure those solo trips to the city to see my friends (who should really come see me more often:) & those sparse times I have art shows out of state and I get to gaunt away, but I live in a whole-hearted world of give and take...

Cows do not wait for anyone:)

But, I am here to say, next spring I hope to start a small scale CSA for my community of it runs me ragged.... Why you ask? Well, the hard work is very attractive to me & in those moments of repose where my back aches and my wrists hurt so bad from milking 4 gallons of milk I am unable to open my front door or get stuck in the bathroom because my wrist will not turn to open the dang door (it has happened), I look towards the mountains and know that I am in the place that makes me happy beyond reason, & every day it grows... I often wear a vial of wildflower seeds around my neck to remind me of that very thing:)

I invite you to join me on this comical adventure, and feel free to visit me at Early Bird Acres any time you wish to shovel manure build fence and love on some hilarious animals... I promise to make you a nice dinner, and you two are welcome to eat Carrots covered in dirt my loves...

Also, before I forget, I am hosting a Radio show on thespyfm.com that you can stream from your computer at 8am central time on Sundays or tune into KOSU at 7pm on Sundays :) 91.7 OKC or 107.5 Tulsa :) you can also stream that online at KOSU.org :)

It is called "Songs From The Plains" & I think you will like it:)

I hope you all have a lovely Week and I send love & balmy indian summer your way,

Butternut Squash, Stone & wood burning stoves,

Yours Truly,

Miss Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb

Meet... My Family:)

Hello my Darlin Dears, wonderful meadow creatures that are making homes inside of the trees for the winter & you adorable Gnomes who are making wreathes of Acorns for my head,

Miss Lamb your lady of the land, lover of wine and soil & your devoted Farmer here,

I wanted to start a new addition to the Early Bird Acres blog:)

No often do I talk about my Human family... I chit chat about the animals all the time, but not the loving family of present day and past:)

As of late, I have been going on an meadow meandering of what my house used to look like. Being my  farm is over 100 years old, it is a great opportunity :)

I shall be introducing a capture at a time and telling you about the people in the capture....


Here we go <3 p="p">

The Tractors name is Smoothie... & the lovely folks in the capture are my great Grandparents Annie & Jake :)

They were plowing this day in late summer... just east of the house...

My Great Grandparents built the house I live in, and I am thrilled to carry on the farming tradition <3 p="p">

We of course still have this tractor... & plan on getting it restored soon:)

I wish you all a lovely day, and do not forget to hop skip over to my Photography site and see some new captures !!

Fall, Falling & Foundling Cottage Children (Such as I),

Miss Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb

Pumpkin Pecan Perfection:)

Hello my Darlin Dears, wonderful meadow creatures that nestle down in the brush weed and you adorable Gnomes who will not stop lifting up the hens and checking on the eggs wondering when they shall hatch,

Miss Lamb your Blue Ribbon baker and trying my darndest farmer here,

I treasure the moments of Loveliness here at Early Bird Acres

From time to time, a Hen begins to lay her eggs and they are simply comically oversized

I watch baby kitties grow up into big kitties..

Sometimes you get to go on picnics with lovely friends:)

… & Sometimes you win a Blue Ribbon at the Fall Festival (lovingly called the Pumpkin Palooza by the natives of Hobart)

As promised to all. I shall give you the Recipe for my Pumpkin Pecan Perfection.

First of all, to understand the pie you must know the pie… this particular pie is basically a pumpkin pie with Pecan Pie swirled in…

Here are the ingredients you shall need:

Your favorite pie crust Recipe….make enough for three shells

Pumpkin Pie Portion:

*8oz of Cream cheese (1 package if you are buying it in the store)

*3 Cups of Pumpkin

*3/4 cup of Cream

*1 Cup of Brown Sugar

*3 eggs

*1/4 cup of butter

*1 ½ teaspoon of Vanilla

*1 ½ Tablespoons of Cinnamon

*2 Teaspoons of Nutmeg

*1 Teaspoon of Ginger

(..& Whatever other spices you like in your pumpkin pie…season to taste)

Pecan Pie Portion:

*1 Cup of Light Brown Sugar

*1/4 cup of white Sugar

*1/2 cup of butter

*3 eggs

*1 tabelspoon of all Pourpase Flour

*1 Tabelspoon of Flour

*1 tabelspoon of cream or milk (I use cream strait from Ohio’s udder)

*1 ½ Teaspoon of Vanilla

*1 cup of chopped Pecan

As far as your dishes go, you have two choices. You can use either a huge Casserole dish as I have done in my picture… lovely stone wear… or you can make two 9-inch deep-dish pie pans. The choice is yours my love.

Directions for the pie:

Preheat your oven to 350 and butter your baking dishes darlin dears. Set those aside…

Pumpkin Pie Portion:

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add sugar and salt and beat until in is nice and smooth. Add the eggs mixed with the cream and melted butter, and beat until it is lovingly combined. With a little dance in your step, add the vanilla and then the cinnamon and the ginger (& any other spices you like)

Pour them into your dish or dishes and then move onto your next portion

Pecan Pie Portion:

In a large bowl, beat eggs until foamy, and stir in melted butter. Stir in the brown sugar, white sugar and the flour; Mix well. Last add your cream or milk, vanilla and then nuts.

Swirl the pecan pie portion into the pumpkin pie. I usually just make two circles around the pie with a knife.

Once swirled, you are welcome to add heart shaped crust cutouts to your crust, but only if you feel so inclined…then sprinkle lovingly with sugar

Bake your pie at 350 for 55 minutes or until you notice significant browning of the top.

Enjoy<3 p="p">

Let me know if you bake this pie and how your family enjoys it.

I sure as the day love you,

Lavender, Love & late nights with wine,

Yours truly,

Miss Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb

Apples do not stifle Crying :)

Hello my Darlin Dears, Acorn collecting meadow creatures and you adorable Gnomes who keeping showing up with random pumpkins to feed to the pigs,

Miss Lamb your lady of the plains and comical farmer here,

I know… I know.. it has been a while ehh?:)

Well, there has been a reason for that. The Lovely Blog is now going to specialize in farming adventures, stories, antics, moments and of course Recipes J

All of my new artwork shall be featured over on my store blog:

Right here:)

I look forward to introducing you also to a few of my favorite farming magazines and articles. In addition, my favorite group of young farmers over at the National Young Farmers Coalition <3 font="font">

……………..

Well, lets get right into it ehh?:)

Fall seems to be coming a bit early here on the Plains. Of course I fear for my fall plants being threatened with just too much frost, but with our random Oklahoma Weather, I bet we will get a few more heat waves…. It being as cold as it is so darn fast, It allows you to appreciate those lovely cottage days of slight warmth and abundant sunshine… The day that I got back from my Oregon Fishing/camping/harvesting/cider making/flower picking/river wading and picnicking vacation, it was very cold… & my day simply went into the compost pile….All I could hope for is that it would grow into something lovely, green, flowering and fruiting..

It all started when I got off the Plane…. My forehead and my neck were feeling very sore, & not often do I feel acheing… Well, when I looked in the mirror inside the airport bathroom, a glorious rash that looked like blisters had set in on my forehead and my entire neck, and trailed down my back… Then upon further investigation, I used Cat Shampoo by accident...

Just Lovely…

My dadio was picking me up at the airport and wanted to take me to the emergency room, since I have never in my whole life had an allergic reaction to anything, but I said lets wait and see what it looks like in the morning..

It was worse in the morn..

We went to the doctor and he gave me a potent shot and prescribed me Steroids..

“Steroids…what will Steroids do to me Doctor?”

“Well miss Lamb, you might feel a bit flushed…”

Hhahahahahahahahahah…

HAHA..

Ha……

A bit flushed ehh doctor? I finally arrived home to lovely EBA early in the morn because I was supposed to wait on the sheep shearer and I just could not wait to see my animals… I had missed them soooooo much… Especially my Harold Of course <3 font="font">

The shearer was a no show and no call…. But I was still ok, because I got to give kisses to all of my animals. After unloading my car though, I began to feel very hot… Oh, this is what he must of meant by me feeling flushed… I braced myself upon the wooden counter and felt as if I was swimming in heat…

…& I began to feel a bit feisty…

I described it as feeling every emotion these Foxes by Dima Rebus felt…

I wanted to dance but also wanted to sleep….

I honestly wanted to kiss somebody for no particular reason…

(I know..I know… Cool your spurs Sam Lamb)

After working for a strait 10 hours in the art studio and then doing some more farm work, I crashed very hard into my comforters…

But, the worst thought in this sweet old world is waking up at 3am as the wind is howling and cold rain is spitting down your windowpanes….

Did I tie that wire around that gate to the corral?

I scrambled out of bed in my flannel shirt and tossed on my rain boots while flying out the door… Sure enough, no I had not…

My milk cows are on the loose!!!

…& it is raining and it is cold and I am on steroids and baby Coriander is probably out there cold and could be lost and I let my cousins cow out and I am crying so hard that I feel natious… So I threw up… Then I jumped in my pickup and went looking for the cows… no show.. no show… no sight…For all I know they could be miles away and baby Cor is not even tagged!!

So, I did what I thought was responsible and drove into town to ask around.. it was early morn and the Kozy Diner should be full of farmers and so would the Farm & Garden…

Mind you, I am on Steroids at this point and still have a rash because of the dang cat Shampoo.. I am very emotional… and sensitive…

I first walk into the Farm & Garden, and no sooner do I try to speak do I start sobbing… it is hard to get the words out of my mouth… I tried to cover up the sobbing with an Apple, but that did not work… poor guys did not know what to say, but they sure were kind to me and said that they would tell everyone to keep an eye out for Ohio..

Next, I went to the Kozy diner.. I was happier than a peach to see the old men, but yet again, I could not stop crying… I explained to the waitress what I needed to say, and she helped me relay it to the old men.. Of course they made me feel better with their kind words  and some of them even jumped right into their pickups and went to look for my lost Ohio…

I made the trip back to the farm with my tear stained face and half eaten apple… I could not help but imagine the worst case scenarios for my sweet girl, but I had hope beyond hope that she was aok.. as sure as the day… not two miles away from my farm in a black angus field, there she was with her baby… Standing next to a huge Black Angus bull… I jumped out of my truck and began to dance around in circles and then cried a bit and then pointed at Ohio and then at the Black Angus bull and yelled “Really Ohio!! This guy!!” …. The hotwire she had jumped over was down because of the storm and her and Cor were just hanging out… eating grass….

I walked Ohio home with her lead…. I passed three of the farmers who had gone out to find her on my way homeJ they had big smiles and shaking heads of oh dear as if they were fall trees shedding their leaves… I had the opportunity to tell Ohio about my trip and the other cows I met, about the other farmers I met… I told her how much I loved her and how much I missed her… and how I hoped beyond hope that she was not knocked up by that dang Black Angus…

Just another day at EBA…

Stay tuned my loves for more adventures from the farm and know that I sure do love you..

Cheers, Beards & Banjos

Yours Truly,

Samantha Joelle Honey Lamb