Meeting Donn Fendler

Last night the kids and I had the pleasure to meet Donn Fendler at a casting call for an upcoming movie.  The documentary,  Lost on a Mountain in Maine is based on a book that is well known to many Mainers.  It is true story about Donn Fendler who becomes lost on Mount Katahdin in 1939 when he was 12 years old.  He survives for 9 days without food, clean drinking water, or proper clothing.

He took his time talking with each child finding out what their interests and were and where they live.  Conversation came easy when CB expressed his love for fishing to him, something that is dear to his heart as well.  Donn talked of a recent fishing trip up to Kokajo which is just a couple miles beyond CB’s grandfather’s home.  One of CB’s favorite fishing destinations!

There were well over 100 children that came to audition.  Some were looking to play the role of Donn’s siblings but many of the young boys hoping to play Donn Fendler including CB.  FG would like to be Donn Fendler’s sister naturally.

Over the last couple weeks I have had several people mention to me that CB would be the “perfect fit” for this character (Donn Fendler).  It was the very last phone call I received that I  finally acted on.  He said “this movie has CB written all over it, you have to bring him.”

CB is not an actor but he truly fits the character of Donn Fendler and even resembles him as a child!  He is a county boy at heart (hence his cyber name), his comfort zone is in the woods.   He is passionate about hunting, fishing, and survivalism as many of you have read about in my blog over the last 4 years.

What a great experience it would be for him to reenact one of his childhood heros!

Greenhouse update

Someone recently asked that I post more about the greenhouse.  Here are a few pictures I took tonight.  Maine Man recently took the sides off for the summer to allow for better airflow.

This is a 48 ft unheated greenhouse that we have had since 2009. We bought 96 ft greenhouse but MM assembled the rest as a storage building for our boat.  I have wrote about it several times in the past so if you are interested in a little history here are some links you can refer back to.

:: Here is a post of when we were preparing to buy the greenhouse

:: This post is when we put it up.  I must admit has been kinda fun digging through my archives.  Makes me realize how much the kids have grown.  Also, it is amazing how much one forgets.  Lastly, I had some good laughs at some of the comments I wrote about our shenanigans.  Some things never change…..

:: What it looked like in March 2010, July 2010,  August 2010 (you have to check out the tomato plants) October 2010, January 2011,  May 2011, June 2011

Take a moment and click back, you won’t be disappointed.  There where several other posts but I will leave you with these easy readings for now.  Night, Night

{This Moment}

{this moment} – A NEW weekly ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

:: Picture courtesy of County Boy who sacrificed life & limb to take this photo

:: Inspired by Soule Mamma

Goats & Hay

Dolly, the best goat ever! She’s about to have kid(s)…..we are patiently awaiting. We’ve recently welcomed four Toggenburg goats to the farm. Two are in milk so we are back to milking and cheese making. The kids are in love with them and have been very active in their care. It has been a big help! In addition to those 5 I’ve talked of we also have 2 of my farmer friend’s goats. Crazy, yes! Just a little over a year ago I swore I’d never own another goat again. Never say never! Here is a link with a how-to for the cheese I have been making. It is by far the easiest cheese you’ll ever make. We eat it mostly sprinkled on salads or straight up out of the container. I have successfully made mozzarella in the past and failed miserably at making feta cheese (way too salty). This summer I hope to make chevre but I need to pick up some cultures which are not sold locally. I will have to mail order the cultures or wait until my travels bring me closer to a resource. If anyone has a how-to link or resource on making chevre that is tried and true I would love to have.

This summer marks our 6th summer at the farm but our first summer haying here. When we bought this place the previous owner requested that he’d take the hay from our field for the first 5 years. On a handshake we agreed and stuck to our deal.

The first day Maine Man climbed upon his tractor he said “I’ve been dreaming of this day since we moved here.” There is still lots of work to be had to enhance the quality of the hay but now all of our efforts will directly benefit our livestock. We so look forward to having our own supply of feed for our animals!

Got Milk?

Pictures from the weekend

 

Falcon

The weekend was absolutely gorgeous!  2 days in a row of SUNSHINE!  The abundance of rain in Maine as of lately has made us appreciate a clear blue sky.

Fisher

The kids, their cousin & I went on a road trip.  Our first stop…Maine Wildlife Park.

Mountain Lion

The funny thing is, the state of Maine does not recognize that they exist regardless of repeated sightings.  I’ve seen some very convincing photos.

I often think of these big cats when I’m out on the back forty….it makes me run a little faster!

White Tail Deer

When we paid to get in the park the gentleman helping us asked if I had written a book about frugal living. LOL, I wish!  A couple months back I was approached by someone in Mardens.  They recognized me as a blogger for Bangor Daily News.  What next?  ;)

We then made our way to Sebago Lake State Park.

We won’t mention my sketchy navigation skills   Let’s just say I am thankful for corner stores, cell phones, friends who have bailed me out out more than one occasion, oh yeah….I almost forgot, the map I struggle to read in the absence of Maine Man.

Regardless, it was well worth the trip and we will definitely return!  I don’t know about you, but I absolutely love the state parks in Maine.  Someday I’d like to say I visited most or all of them.

One day of play and two of work, right?  Today the kids were wiped as I expected but I had a very productive day.  The fruits of our labor have been blessing our kitchen table.  It is very rewarding to prepare and eat food that we’ve raised ourselves.  Second best is from your friends garden or the farmers market.

Don’t get me wrong we are supermarket dependent like everybody else.  However, if the tough ever gets going I think we’d last a while.  That’s not the main reason we do what we do although it is not a bad reason in this economy .  We do it because we love it and it enriches our family life.

With the fresh broccoli and cabbage I made us a superfantabulous salad.  Off course now that I am attempting to recall the recipe I can not.  It goes something like this….

• 2 cups chopped cabbage
• 2 cups chopped broccoli (small bunches)
• 1/2 cup green onions
• 2 cups grapes (green & red) sliced in half
• 1 cup toasted  nuts (I used sesame seeds cooked lightly in some olive oil) next time I’ll add slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup of mayo
• 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
• 1/3 cup of sugar (next time I am going to try using maple syrup instead)

Chill for a couple hours then serve.

Salad , soup, then scones.  My second attempt at making them.  They are much easier to make then I had imagined.  These are one of Country Boy’s favorite treats and my farmer friend loves them too!