Stay at The Oaks

08/13/2024

nothing beats learning from the masters at Polyface Farm

08/04/2024

https://markoshinskie8de.substack.com/p/the-green-revolution-and-the-covid?utm_source=substack&publication_id=441698&post_id=125614265&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&utm_campaign=email-share&triggerShare=true&isFreemail=true&r=634q5&triedRedirect=true

If, as on Family Feud, you asked a hundred people who know me to identify one of my characteristics, most might say that I talk too much about the Scamdemic.

07/15/2024

the sheep on highway 52 north take a break from munching the front lawn before getting back to work. meanwhile in the back pasture, the cows move to a fresh paddock where they are intently fixated on mowing the lawn for us.
we wired up another length of perimeter fence today. it should have been easy but for a neighbor's tree which had fallen over our fence and was blocking the path of our wires. JP's chainsaw was back in charleston but with pruners, hedge clippers and the odd power tool, we managed to cut a tunnel under the fallen tree, clearing the fence so we could run our wire. it will take some big guns to get that tree dispatched properly!
we were completely drenched but a dip in the pool solved that problem.

05/20/2024

we came back from the two day Rogue Food Conference at Polyface Farm with 4 of their laying hens to add to our survivors. the cows have been mowing the lawns and we need more chickens to clean up after them! they got right to work, laying eggs and scratching through cow patties. we'll be transitioning our tenant's chickens to mobile coops so we can cover more ground and start to repair the blasted heath where the chickens have been stationary for too long.

10/03/2023

our first big event- a wedding rehearsal dinner with caterer and florist. everyone was pleased. had they known about us, they would have had the actual wedding there too. here's to the first of many joyous events celebrated at The Oaks

05/17/2023

happy chickens

05/17/2023

we spent 2 glorious days at the 2023 Rogue Food Conference at Polyface Farm in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. there was an Amish business showing their wares, beautiful chicken coops specifically made for moving your chickens every morning to a fresh patch of land. i wanted the smallest one but someone beat me to it. John wanted the larger size which is right for the amount of chickens we currently have.
they didn't take plastic and we didn't bring our checkbooks but, being Amish, they trusted us to take this very deluxe coop with a handshake! we did give them a deposit but they didn't require it.
they helped us take it apart and John, the master packer, got it on our luggage rack.
we drove it to the Oaks and assembled it, not a minute too soon as the chickens were out growing their garage enclosure and the dogs were bothering them. now they are safe and enjoying the outdoors, munching the grass and devouring bugs, scratching the cow patties and helping to make our soil better.
when the girls start laying, there are roosting bars and a nesting box. all in all, a very well designed and made moveable coop!

05/16/2023

why did the snake cross the road?

05/02/2023

more new residents at the Oaks- 32 Rhode Island Red chickens getting a bit bigger under heat lamps in the garage until they're ready to start their job of cleaning up after the cows

03/24/2023

the newest residents at the Oaks! seven Dexter cows. Clara is the boss. Pie is my favorite. they're just waiting for us slow pokes to move the fences around so they can have fresh pasture. the lot they're on in the picture is pretty picked over

01/01/2023

preparing for our Christmas concert. all the living room furniture got moved to the back porch and the powered washed folding chairs were arranged in rows around our 1906 steinway. work shop, long house and barn in the background

01/01/2023

The Oaks all dressed up for the holidays