tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50746340650163034382024-03-18T15:41:30.647-07:00Alewive FarmMaine hobby farm specializing in goats, goat cheese, bees, honeyAlewive Pond Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07344992316457734387noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-60744329427908147422021-08-05T17:28:00.000-07:002021-08-05T17:28:41.758-07:00Our Friend PiperPiper checking out her new digs shortly after arriving at Alewive Pond Farm in 2012Piper, and her long-time friend, Simone were the first two goats at our farm. Several years ago, Piper, was bred and had three stillborn kids. We placed the kids in the hay beside her and she licked and nudged their still bodies, encouraging them to come to life. As time passed and none of them moved sheSteve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-69884920323881030282021-07-31T06:20:00.000-07:002021-07-31T06:20:24.949-07:00Putting Up HayThe first cut of hay is often available in late May or early June, and it arrives about the time we are mearly out from the what was put in late last fall. This year, with near drought conditions through the spring, the first delivery from a local pasture came in early July. Most of the hay comes as bales, cut, baled, and delivered in a wagon. It is then put in the hayloft above the barn Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-57135089984454849652021-07-13T14:09:00.001-07:002021-07-31T14:32:58.742-07:00Barn Acrobats Every spring the barn swallows arrive, often it is two pair, and this year it was three. Two had nests in the barn, and this nest was in the outside overhang. Once the chicks hatch the parents are constantly flying in and out from dawn until dusk feeding their chicks with insects they seem to catch in mid-air.When Homey the cat ventures out, especially when the chicks approach their first Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-60211151543442682352021-01-30T15:53:00.004-08:002021-01-30T15:53:45.544-08:00Goat Notes and Barn Cards New to the website is the shameless Goat Note and Barn Cards shopping page featuring blank note cards that are great for any occasion. As Bev so often says, "Nothing says 'love' like a goat." Most of the cards feature some of the many characters who live at Alewive Farm, and there are even a couple scenes from around Maine. All the photos are taken by Steve and copyright Steve Kelley. Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-21864175420204813952020-12-31T08:37:00.001-08:002021-01-02T17:59:39.507-08:00Is it Over Yet?
Bojangles, the retired barn cat peeking out from beneath some wrapping paper Christmas morning after getting more than his fair share of catnip made the perfect picture for the count down to the New Year, "Is it over yet?"Here's to smoother sailing and a steady breeze in 2021.Get a Goat Note from Alewive Farm at Etsy ©2020 Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-40457643851725742942020-12-25T14:15:00.001-08:002021-01-02T10:24:20.531-08:00ConjunctionTwo planets separated by thousands of miles in a rare convergence in the night sky over Bethlehem inspired the hope that with this meeting comes greater light.Get a Goat Note from Alewive Farm at Etsy ©2020Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0Australia-25.274398 133.775136-53.584631836178843 98.618886 3.035835836178844 168.931386tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-73949092229217140682020-12-19T18:05:00.003-08:002021-01-02T18:13:25.699-08:00First Snow
Even though the first significant snowfall this year didn't come until mid December, it felt to me, early, too soon, burdensome, like something more that needed to be added to the morning schedule. It wasn't until later, after the storm had passed, the wind subsided, and the snow blower put away that the season seemed to settle in. Sometimes in the late spring and summer, we go from Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-26091451997428250892020-11-25T07:35:00.004-08:002021-01-02T10:28:49.969-08:00Turning a Page Simone, the matriarch of our small herd of goats passed unexpectedly on Friday, November 20. It is like reaching the last couple of sentences in a favorite chapter. We will turn the page, but go back often to this chapter, with its pictures, notes in the margins, dog-eared pages, and warmth.Simone was one of our first goats, and came originally from Joel and Ann, who are "real farmersSteve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-79421481928703381712020-10-31T08:45:00.007-07:002021-01-02T10:30:41.092-08:00Where's my mask?
This is the year many of us have been feeling dressed up for Halloween, just to go to the corner store. Very early in the pandemic I felt very self-conscious walking into a store with a ball cap and a face mask on, thinking that at any other time I would be mistaken for someone trying to rob the store, or some other misdeed for which I wanted to hide my identity.One of our Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-62051738432504573652020-10-10T11:17:00.001-07:002021-01-02T11:29:04.877-08:00Time Passing
Each Spring, these deck chairs get stationed somewhere in the yard, and we both smile thinking how little they will get used! Several years ago, my parents were visiting and they spent some time in the chairs looking out over the pond in a shady spot, feeling the breeze.In the Fall, as the afternoons grow shorter, we dance around the day when the chairs will go into the barn, with theSteve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-31452229854765429012020-09-30T08:51:00.003-07:002021-01-02T10:32:20.641-08:00Milking Lolly
Lolly, the goat on the right in the pic, was the only goat in milk this year and it was a real treat to have fresh goat milk each day for coffee, and the cheese Bev made. The dwarf goats, like Lolly, have a milk with a bit more fat than the other breeds, like Simone, the larger goat in the pic, who is more an Alpine goat.In year's past there were enough goats to justify a milking Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-62968576915780993092019-09-20T18:19:00.002-07:002021-01-02T10:38:08.452-08:00Farewell to a Buddy
Farewell to our buddy Cody, on September 19, who was a faithful companion to Bev through some trying times. Cody had a great personality--adored Dan and Steve, and was always willing to roll with whatever was going on, so long as food was involved! You could find Cody with the hens trying to figure out if they had any connection with grilled chicken, one of his favorites, with the goats whenSteve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-81854564167294342342019-08-25T06:38:00.001-07:002021-01-02T10:41:31.955-08:00Flying Lobster
“It looks like a little flying lobster, with two eyes on it's tail,” Bev said as we looked at the flying creature hovering over the Cleome flower. It was completed undeterred by us watching it as it moved from floer to flower, hovering like a humming bird.
In no time, we were able to find that it was, in fact, called a hummingbird moth. I was intrigued by the thought that this moth was Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-33208222678509589772019-08-18T07:10:00.001-07:002021-01-02T11:01:58.620-08:00Fork in the Road
When you come to a fork in the road, take it.,” Yogi Berra.Twilight, as August moves more quickly into September than we might want, the quiet settles in. The frogs and crickets are still in chorus, but the geese have left , and the red-winged blackbirds, who owned the pond for the whole summer.The barn swallows, who chose to raise a second brood this year are nearly ready for flying Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-28520959125230996182019-08-13T18:32:00.000-07:002019-08-13T18:32:04.733-07:00the Hay Wagon
The hay arrived, of course, just as Bev was driving to Southwest Harbor, and I had the great idea of putting it up myself...I had the conveyer, right? Five bales on the conveyer, run upstairs, unload the bales, run downstairs, 5 on the conveyer.
There is something about the whole process of neighbor Larry cutting the hay. I imagined him on his beautiful 1952 McCormick, cutting and raking Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-47417574635848788502019-07-04T19:41:00.000-07:002019-07-04T19:41:22.347-07:00Barn Swallows
This was the first flight of the five nestling barn swallows hatched and raised in the barn. Each year one or two pairs of barn swallows returns to the barn. Last year, one pair stayed and had a second brood. The parents are up and eager to be out of the barn at first light and begin collecting insects for their nestlings. They remain out until twilight, still collecting insects.
Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-30703278557351091782019-05-12T11:57:00.001-07:002019-05-12T11:57:46.882-07:00
The Geese presented 4 new goslings this morning...Happy Mother's Day!Alewive Pond Farmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07344992316457734387noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-12213640181570037922019-01-13T08:11:00.000-08:002019-01-13T08:11:06.053-08:00Jerusalem Artichokes
I developed a bit of a love affair with the Jerusalem artichoke over the past season, and it continues on into the winter. Yesterday, I made a tuna salad wrap, using a peeled Jerusalem artichoke in place of the the celery I forgot at the grocery store. This had been in the vegetable drawer easily 2 months, and it was delicious.
The Jerusalem artichoke was something new to me last year, Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-3007068495070175982018-09-07T15:12:00.000-07:002019-01-14T15:14:56.543-08:00Maine Self-Serve Veggie Stand
One of the things that is most endearing about Maine is that things that require trust in the community, still exist--like this self serve vegetable stand about 3 miles from my home. One evening, about 8:30 PM I stopped in because the "Open" flag was flying. There was no one there, and the refrigerator had kale, carrots, beets and cucumbers. A price list was on the white board. The Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-54911530239467381102017-12-25T17:37:00.000-08:002017-12-26T17:38:23.394-08:00Christmas Garden
If you take a look at the video on YouTube of this snowstorm scene you will see toward the end, two birds fly out of the birch tree, land on a sunflower stalk, and reach around to grab a seed. I was fascinated because there were several birds doing this for hours. I brought one sunflower in and roasted the seeds. They are delicious, but in the shell a great deal of work!On ChristmasSteve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-23409949676064015732017-12-23T12:46:00.001-08:002017-12-23T13:12:35.523-08:00Frosty Rain
Time races by and the summer seems like a distant but pleasant memory that slipped out of reach like a retreating tide. It is the time for opening a jar of relish made in the fall, butternut squash soup, adding another log to the wood stove, and watching the birds who have found the bowed heads of the sunflower stalks praying for Spring.
It is a time for dreaming and planningSteve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-80769484941789340712017-12-22T13:44:00.000-08:002017-12-23T13:46:00.009-08:00Kennebunkport Dock Square Snow Fall
It is the morning after Solstice and this picture was taken in Dock Square, Kennebunkport, after stopping into a local candy shop. I almost never consider shopping in Dock Square, because it feels like something only tourists do, but it felt more like the holiday yesterday morning walking around the smal shops with the snow falling. It reminded me of the first time I drove through Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-41717825111629065472017-11-12T15:38:00.000-08:002017-12-23T15:39:06.664-08:00Getting Ready for Winter
Bojangles the cat and Cody the Pug have already assumed, or resumed their Winter positions by the wood stove. Cody is the fire marshal around the farm and takes his job very seriously. Most days he will rarely leave his post except to conduct a brief bit of business outdoors, and "help" in the kitchen during meal prep.
Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-37761521478682943222017-11-04T14:31:00.000-07:002017-12-23T14:32:15.088-08:00Apple Slices
The apple harvest is nearing the end of the season. A couple cold nights seemed to have sweetened the apples that remain on the trees. To the delight of the goats the wind and time has felled enough apples that the apple trees are the first place they run, like children, during recess, when the barn door is opened for them.
Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5074634065016303438.post-12568154694426166622017-10-14T15:47:00.000-07:002017-12-23T15:49:33.223-08:00Autumn Morning
Morning light just rising above the trees lights up the foliage on the other side of the pond. It was warm enough later in the day to take the last swim of the season.
Steve Kelleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02424580355651306168noreply@blogger.com0