Bippity Boppity Boo

"Bippity Boppity Boo" - a Quinceannera we did in Brockton, MA, July 6th with Diesel and Diamond on the Cinderella Carriage made the front page of the city's newspaper with HAPPY news! Happy Sweet 15, Jailene!

April is almost complete, and May is fast on its heels. We have already reported on Ron Guck's garden - the UConn Plow Match was a pretty big success, too! Diesel and Diamond, along with Michael and our love bug, Lincoln, took home numerous red ribbons from a field of about 13 teams and teamsters (we took second in every class we entered, including the multiple hitch). Boy, that Diamond sure is proving his salt! He is such a willing worker, keeps up with Diesel, pulls his own weight and has plenty of willingness to spare at the end of the day. And he sure is a good looking horse. Diesel actually seems very happy to work along side Diamond. We have been remarking, how much like our Duke Diamond is! Next week, Diamond and Diesel will do their first wedding together- then we will see how he fares in a more urban environment.

Photos: Thank you friend Posey Clements

Spring Plowing is Here

Terry with Diesel and Diamond (photo courtesy friend Posey Clements)

The strong backs of our Percheron work horses, Diesel and Dolly

Spring is here, and so is plowing season. We have already plowed the ground of a two acre garden in Hampton, including the lower plot which offered up a bumpy ride this year (a lot of rocks came to the surface). Diesel, Diamond and Dolly worked hard, sweated a bit, and got the job done. Terry did all the  teamster work this year - I shot photos and video. Just did not have it in me to get bucked off the plow in that rocky field. It has been known to happen to the best of us, you know.

Competition plowing is coming up, as will the preparation of community gardens, and our own little garden, for planting. See you there!

Cedar Knoll and the Month of March

ST. Patrick's Day Parade, Hartford.

The Pony Train - Annual Easter Egg Hunt at Ray of Light Farm.

Waiting patiently for wedding season...

March came in like a lion and is, at this point, going out like...a lion. Well, we have one more week to go and things can certainly change. This is, after all, New England. But we have had an unusual succession of snow storms, rain, and chilly, breezy days this March.

Plowing will start first week of April for us, IF things dry out a bit. We still have a considerable amount of slush in the shady areas, but those lands where the wind can rush over uninhibited is drying out. Meanwhile, March remains one of those months that we can't wait to see go. The occasional parade, bridal show and Easter egg hunts get us out and about in public. The common discussion always seems to be, "Just can't wait for warmer weather already!"

Cedar Knoll Music Videos

Lately, I have been implementing a new medium for getting our "draft horse way of life" message across to the masses...music videos! Our most recent is "Heavy Horses" by Jethro Tull. Click on this link to watch it to watch it: http://youtu.be/_lL71D5suwk. This video was particularly fun for me to do. I must say, Jethro Tull's magnificent tribute to our beloved work horses was an inspiration for me as a youngster, undoubtably helping to sway my allegiance towards horses in harness.

Another recent video is "Snow" by Loreena McKennitt. As the title would imply, this video is of our horses put to sleighs, as well as dreamy romps in freshly fallen snow. You can see this video here: http://youtu.be/wx4wi6WOdH8 Feel free to leave a comment...we would love to read them.

There are still others. Be sure to follow cedarknollfarm on Youtube! Hope you enjoy these animated visions of our horses!

A New Year

Christmas was white at Cedar Knoll Farm. New Year's was white, also.

All that snow leads to sleigh rides!

Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year, Everyone!

Hurricane Sandy

One of the problems with maintaining a blog is the time it takes to do it. Not since August have I done any updating, yet the busiest time of the year - Autumn - has come and gone, without the slightest detail of what we have done. Autumn is flying out of here at hurricane speeds (literally) as I write this. We are hunkered down with Hurricane Sandy (tropical storm of epic proportions? nor'easter?) battering about outside. We are lucky to be inland. Our family in Niantic will be dealing with what the news is calling, "flooding of epic proportions" on this October day with a full moon hiding above these raging clouds.

Here at the farm, horses are snug in the barn after a morning braving the winds and light rain, now that the winds are reaching 50+ mph and climbing. At 4 P.M. in our little corner of Connecticut, the storm hasn't technically hit us yet. Highways and bridges have been shut down, towns are evacuated along the coast, and I eagerly wait for updates from my son in New York and my daughter at her fiance's house for news from those locals. The newsman says that a tall ship has sunk off the coast of North Carolina, in seas burdened by waves above 26 feet. Our trucks, trailers and other vehicles were strategically placed last night, to offer some wind resistance to the barn doors, and to remain out of reach of big trees, should one fall. While moving bird houses and feeders from the garden I found, to my surprise, violets growing. It has been an odd season, with irises blooming is September, and now violets for Hallow'e'en. What is becoming of our seasons? Will our winter be mild again, or miserable? Last year at this time we were staring into almost a foot of snow in places. This year, a Monster Storm that is affecting pretty much the entire eastern seaboard has given us pause. It feels good, however, to be as ready as we can be. If worse comes to worse, we will hook up a team and drag away any downed trees, seasoning the wood for next year's fuel.