(Wild)Life on the Farm

I live in a beautiful part of the country - and in a beautiful old house (over 100 years old). It's got some cracked plaster walls, great old hardwood floors which tell stories of living, some dated wallpaper, doors that don't fit in their frames...and I love it! If you look out the windows by the chimney, you can see the Red Bank Creek and the abandoned railroad trestle.

Here's a picture of my garden, with an eight-foot fence around it to keep out the deer. Unfortunately, the fence doesn't touch the ground everywhere, so the rabbits have found some nourishment in the garden.

Here's the barn and the red garden shed. No more animals live permanently in the barn (like cows and horses), but we do have evidence of a raccoon visiting (trash cans overturned, bags ripped open). Better a raccoon than a bear which was our first thought. It now houses multiple tractors - pick your favorite color - red, green, or orange?

The railroad trestle - one of two on the property. At least this one has sides and a walkway on it - the other one is pretty scary to cross. DON'T LOOK DOWN!!!

It's a little hard to see them in this picture, but there are about 20 geese in this picture. We have four families of geese, some of them with 6 babies. They were all "grazing" in the field until they heard me approach them on our Ranger. They took off running - the babies can't fly yet but they do have cute little wings!

Okay, I tried to take pictures of some of the wildlife on the farm but they weren't very cooperative or maybe they were just camera shy. This is where a deer ran away into the woods in front of me. (Use your imagination.)

Eagle's nest high up in a pine tree - two babies this year but I didn't see any today. I don't think they're flying yet so maybe they're napping in their nest.

A little chipmunk was on the tree trunk but once again, camera shy!

There actually is an animal in this picture - a little rabbit right in the center. He too didn't stay around long enough to get a better shot.

A woodchuck took off running when he heard me approach. I asked him to stop but he ignored me. Luckily for him, the hunter wasn't with me....

Finally, some animals that didn't get scared off. These "friends" sit on my porch steps and greet any and all guests. Don't they have cute expressions?

Maybe next time I'll be able to find some more cooperative animals, but it was fun chasing them down. The weather today was sunny and cool - perfect!!

When we moved to Pennsylvania, we learned that there was a flea market on the first weekend of the month from May through October. I thought it would be a waste of time - who wants to buy someone's junk? But as I've attended the "market" for a few years now, I have found the old adage "one man's junk is another man's treasure" to be true!! We look forward to the first weekend each month.....is that a sad commentary on our life here in western PA?

This is the highlight of the day--funnel cakes!! (More pics later) Very low in calories too!!

If you fancy yourself as "Davy Crockett", here is the place for you to shop. Raccoon tails, hats, and I'm not sure what the other animals are. Send me your order.




I took this picture from a distance because this woman is carrying a rifle (fortunately in a case) under her arm. I did want to ask her where she bought her shirt, but I was a little nervous. I was just hoping she didn't hear the click of the camera.

One of a kind, sitting all by itself by the road.

I can't imagine how many sales were made by the vendor selling these polar fleece robes and blankets. I was tempted though by the Bucky Badger blanket.

As you can see, something for everyone.

For the men in your family....

.....and for the women (pink garden tools, including a hose).

These wood crafts were really "cute". Too bad I'm not into "cute" anymore (ever?).

Guess what this is?

And this is it again, only in industrial size (and costing $390). I didn't buy it.

This is it....a funnel cake covered with powdered sugar after being deep fried. Mmmm-mmm.

And here I am, showing off my treat. I think the funnel cake vendors thought I was a little strange when I asked them to take a picture of me with their product.

I saved some for dad but it definitely doesn't taste the same when it's cold. Also, I was getting pretty full and feeling pretty guilty for eating so much. At least I had exercised that morning and did a lot of walking at the market.
Back to the car, empty handed. I spent $6 at the flea market - $2 to park and $4 for the funnel cake. This flea market just didn't have anything that caught my eye. Most of it was junk, although I did see quite a few of my Currier and Ives dishes for sale. I could be rich if I ever decided to sell my collection of them. I do like to look for enamel-ware items and use them around the house for waste baskets, catch-alls, etc.

That's it for June's flea market....I was there for about an hour and then the rain came to stop the shopping/browsing. It was fun - now you know what you're missing!! Plan vacations to PA around the flea market. You may find some treasures!