billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Today I added in more pink/swamp milkweed, butterfly weed, and a new variety, whorled milkweed. I have an entire strip alongside the front walkway now that will be filled with milkweed come spring. I can’t wait to see it!
The whorled milkweed is a pale pale pinkish white and it will be lovely along with the deep pink and bright orange of the other varieties. But the main thing is that it will help the butterfly larva and keep the beauties coming to November Hill.
We are moving on into autumn here and have (mostly) switched the herd to being out during the day and in at night, though Keil Bay has been asking to do his own version of this and we are letting him create his own custom turn-out this fall season.
He’s doing well, just had his acupuncture and Legend injection with his interim vet and a vet intern. These two are also young women vets who seem to really love their work and they enjoyed meeting him and hearing a few Keil Bay stories. He was a gentleman and was very appreciative of the acupuncture.
In other news, we have a new hoof trimmer, which is a long story but in a nutshell the previous trimmer exploded at Keil during his trim in September and resigned 5 days later. We need someone who is strong enough to do this hard work, can do it in a time frame so that senior horses and even younger ones are not kept standing for long periods of time, and most of all, we need someone who is cheerful, feels good, enjoys the equines here, and would never explode in a tirade of curse words at any equine, ever. I’d say that is asking for perfection, but honestly, in all the years we’ve lived with equines, I’ve never had any professional behave that way, period, so it was time for someone new.
We had a wonderful trim day with the new trimmer this week and are all very happy to be moved on. It seems none of them were getting trimmed properly, mostly just not enough toe being taken off and a lot of unneeded focus on cutting the sole. Everyone looks great and I’m very happy with how it went.
We’re still working on getting the mountain house up and running. It’s going to take another month or so I think but we’ve made a good start. We’ve met the immediate neighbors and gotten to know them a bit, and are very fortunate that they’re super nice people and eager to be helpful to us in any way they can. We never expected that but how wonderful to find it! Apparently there’s a trail through the new land that is spectacular in the springtime, so we’re aiming for a big walk together when we get through the winter and see the spring bloom up there.
For now the fall color is in full swing and I’m going to be up there soon to enjoy it.
I’m happy that I put a moratorium on myself with regards to adding anything else to my calendar this season. I have a couple of therapy workshops and my ongoing writing workshop, and I’m enjoying these things all the more now that I’m not swamped with stuff going on. This isn’t rocket science, as they say, but sometimes I really do behave as if I’m Hermione in Harry Potter, able to be in two places at once, taking care of multiple to do lists. It’s been so nice to slow down and just do things in a more laid-back manner.
I’m going to be writer-in-residence soon, which means a week away to focus on writing, and that too will be delicious and savored this year especially.
It’s a gorgeous day, with dogwoods changing color, a few other trees coming close to that, and a lovely blue sky. Horses in their pasture, or barnyard, as is the case with Keil Bay, dogs sleeping in the living room, and nothing on my schedule.
Happy autumn, everyone!
Today I’ve put in a couple of sassafras trees in an open area of Poplar Folly. Since they’re not as large as tulip poplars, oaks, and maples, they’re a good fit for the space and will create a sub-story layer on the sloping ground.
They’re good for wildlife, insects, and are larval hosts for several butterfly species, and they have interesting leaves and fall color. Win-win-win-win, right? And of course they’re NC natives.
Sassafras is what is used to flavor root beer, so gosh, maybe I’ll try that some year when I’m bored and have nothing else to do. (Small joke)
This is a smaller goldenrod that is less likely to spread, can take some shade, and supports many insects and birds, as well as other wildlife. It has a much different look to it than the usual goldenrod species, and I’ve added it to the center of my shady bed along the driveway in hopes that it will get just enough afternoon sun to keep it happy.
I’ve tried to fill in this bed this fall, as I started it a couple of years ago and then got busy with other spaces. At this point I have:
White wood aster
Common blue wood aster
Wild ginger
Oak leaf hydrangea
Cutleaf coneflower
Axillary goldenrod
There are a couple more things in my staging area that will likely join these plants in the original shade bed, so stay tuned.
I put this in the potager last spring where it gets a fair amount of sun, and it’s done well out there. In a botanical garden course this summer I learned it can tolerate shade, which made me think to try it in the shade bed for something taller and a pop of yellow, and in the bird haven for the same effect and color.
I’ve put a couple in the shade bed - the ones in the potager are quite large now - and I have four more to go in the bird haven area. If they do well they will prove themselves to be a truly versatile coneflower!
In addition to the flowers, these have very distinctive and lovely foliage, so lots to enjoy about them.
Butterflies and songbirds, especially the goldfinches, love them.
