(Morning everyone from sunny California. Wasn’t yesterday great with our first UN-Blogger post from Sally who has been part of the Fellowship for Ages. And now let me pass the day to Di who has been a Member of the Fellowship of the Farmy since DAY ONE! Over to you Di…)
After 12 years of teaching overseas my husband, Jack, and I decided to embark on a new adventure. That adventure involved finding a piece of land in a beautiful, out of the way place back in the USA and starting a subsistence farm. We found our land in North Central Arkansas and are working on the subsistence farm part of our dream. I learned of our Dear Celi just as she was beginning her blog 2 ½ years ago from Chrissy Hellyer, a dear friend of both of ours whom Celi and I have taught with at different times in life.
Following Celi’s blog daily is such a joy, as The Farmy Fellowship knows, and I am excited to be a part of it today! Jack and I decided to take you all with us for the morning feeding, which, of course, revolves around the barn, a circa 1952, smallish, all wood building, that we hope lasts another 61 years! Please excuse the building materials. A new floor for the goats is going in soon. The right side, most of which we replaced with new wood, we converted into the henhouse.
First thing in the morning our dogs and cats greet us. Our precious cats, Boo Bop and Sweet Pea.
Dolly is our Blue Heeler, like Boo Nanny, super smart, the perfect farm dog, peering into the house at dawn. You’ll see her in many of the pictures, just as we see Ton Ton so many of Celi’s shots.
Our other precious pooch is Daphne, a German Shorthair Pointer. She must remain on a long leash when we feed, as she would tear off, following her instincts racing like a deer through the woods chasing birds, rabbits, and squirrels totally heedless of our shouts to COME, DAPHNE, COME!!!
Chickens, ducks, guineas, rabbits, goats and pigs all need to be fed. And Taylor, the goat must be milked. 
We have two mamas and one baby, all Lamancha goats, tiny ears, so friendly, great milkers, and all absolutely adorable! Cricket is still nursing Betty Boop (black baby) and will dry off naturally. We are drying off Taylor (as her babies left in the spring) and then a suitor will arrive soon to spend a month here on the farm with them and next spring, we should have 4 more babies! Very, very exciting! Our goats are providers, like Daisy is to Celi’s farmy. (Note the hammocks in the background. Hard to find time to hang in them, but most important to do it!)
We have started milking every other day for a week to begin the drying off process, and then every three days for a week. In the spring after the babies are weaned we milk twice a day. Thereafter, all activities revolve around milking/ feeding times.
Oink, oink, or shall I say SQUEAL, SQEAL? Yes, we are coming piggies! They line up waiting, jostling and squealing. Roxie, our big mama on the left, is mama to the three on the right. She, and the two babies beside her are Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, a heritage breed originally from England. GOS hogs are gentle, hardy, gorgeous critters; producers of wonderful pork and lots of lard.
Happy when eating and being scratched, these pigs, too, are absolutely adorable!
To close this post we’ll show you the very cool greenhouse that Jack built this summer. We’ll be moving plants into it soon, as cold weather is on it’s way.
We so hope you have enjoyed the visit to our farm. What a treat for me to share with you all. It’s wonderful to be one of the Fellowship of the Farmy and to share in Celi’s adventures and in the responses of all of you daily as well!
Wishing you all a fabulous day from Little Ditty Farm!
The Kitchen's Garden 
74 responses to “Welcome to Jack and Diane’s Little Ditty Farm”
Hello Diane and Jack from a late evening and still hot Down Under. What a pleasure to visit Little Ditty Farm . . . in some ways so similar to the farmy we all love so much! Believe this is the first time I have ‘been’ to Arkansas: my many trips to the US have usually led me to the two Coasts. Have to read up on Lamancha goats and definitely find out more on Chrissy Hellyer . . . but going to have my beauty sleep in about five minutes I’ll very much remember Boo Bop and Sweet Pea: wish I was there to give them some big rubs . . .
Hi Eha! I will give the cats a big hug from you! Arkansas is beautiful and we are so fortunate to have found a piece of paradise between beautiful Bull Shoals Lake and the White River, which is famous for great trout fishing. Arkansas is called The Natural State. Come and visit sometime!
Thank you: perhaps once upon a time miracles will happen 🙂 !
What a lovely visit to Little Ditty Farm (and now I’ll be humming Jack and Diane all day!). Is the Lamancha goat anything to do with La Mancha in Spain – am intrigued by the name!
Hi Chica! We do love John Cougar Mellancamp’s song ‘Jack and Diane’! Jack tells people he wrote it about us! 🙂 I don’t think Lamancha goat has anything to do with the La Mancha in Spain. They are absolutely adorable though, have the sweetest dispositions and are great milkers.
So strange … I had you pegged as being in NZ and not USA. Thank you for the tour, you may call it Little Ditty Farm but it sure looks like it can be quite busy with all those animals. I have a Weimaraner (cousin to GSP) and he too seems to be deaf to COME PADDY Come when running free down at the river, I have learnt to just turn around and walk quickly in the other direction, he soon catches up 🙂 Let us know when you start blogging. Laura
It can be so frustrating when ours won’t come! And shouting COME over and over does no good. We are working her on a leash and seem to be getting some results. But just when we think she’s trained and we let her go, she’d gone! And it’s back to the training for us all. 😦
What a lovely post! Your farm looks wonderful with all the animals having lots of space to run around. Oh and I love your barn! It is such a pleasure to have people on this blog that appreciate the animals and all they can give to us. You and Jack seem to making a wonderful corner of Arkansas into the perfect little farm.
Hi Lyn! We feel so fortunate to have found this little piece of paradise! Our fingers are crossed that our ‘good ole barn’ lasts a while longer. It sure does have character! We are working on sustainability, like Celi and Our John, but it’s easier said than done, that’s for sure!
Thank you for your lovely post from Arkansas this morning. It was a treat to see your Little Ditty Farm & meet your “fambly” of beautiful creatures. I once lived with a German Short Hair Pointer, Gudrun. She was an Unforgettable Character & did many really naughty things & ran her own show. I have a beautiful Calico Cat myself named by my son after one of his favorite characters from childhood, Little My (from The Moomintrolls). I used to have Toggenburgs, a wonderful goat breed too, so full of fun & adventure. They were descended from Mrs. Carl Sandburg’s goats, here in North Carolina. Tell Jack I think Piet Mondrian would covet his glorrious greenhouse! Have a wonderful winter.
Thank you for the tour! Your animals look very happy indeed. Love that greenhouse. It will look wonderful with some greenery inside. Enjoy your day
You are very welcome Carla! It was fun to write the post! The greenhouse will be fabulous when it’s full of plants to take to the farmers markets! We are really excited about it!
Morning, Diane and Jack
Wonderful blog and grand tour of your farmy……I don’t believe I’ve ever seen spotted pigs before….they’re very cute! 🙂 I grew up on a farm and all our piggies were pink….and such a beautiful barn…must be many hidden stories there. Thanks for writing and have a wonderful weekend….don’t forget to turn the clocks back too..:)
Hi Nancy! I always have to write myself notes to remember to turn the clocks back. 🙂 We just love our pigs! I must admit that we didn’t know anything about pigs before we moved here. But they are so sweet and wonderful! If you scratch their bellies they roll over at your feet begging for more. It’s wild!
Interesting! I would like to read more… 😉
Maybe a follow up when Celi goes away again….:)
G’Day Jack and Diane, from Down Under! How nice to read about your little farmy and what you are doing. Love the piggies! That greenhouse is nice and bright and is going to come in useful with your winter coming on.
Thanks for helping Celi out and being our second guest blogger – I hope we hear more from you and your farm in the near future!
Hi Barb! It was fun getting the blog post together! I always want to take pictures when I’m out, but forget my camera, or bring it and then don’t use it. So it was great to take pictures during feeding time. Of course it helped to have two people to share the picture taking too! 🙂
I loved having a look at your beautiful Arkansas farm. The green house is delightful!
Thank you so much! We are excited about the green house and everything we will grow in there! Have a wonderful weekend!
Morning Diane and Jack, from rainy Vancouver BC Canada, where there is a distinct lack of farmy activity, 🙂 But that doesn’t stop me from dreaming and hoping. I loved seeing your farmy and especially your cats and dogs. Those kitties are juts adorable to the max. Are they both females? I have one just like them in England but he’s a make and I hear that it’s very unusual for calico cats to be males. But then he’s an unusual cat. Love your Dolly and Daphne; one day, when our lives settle down, we would like to get a German pointer like Daphne. I saw one lady hiking with her GP the other day and I swear the dog was mad as a hatter. He would run up ahead till he felt too far away, run back to her, run back ahead, back to her…etc. I’m sure he hiked three times as far as she did…and this was a fair uphill trek. I love the energy those dogs have and love their sleek look. It’s lovely that you have old English pigs. Where I live in Oxfordshire in England there are Oxford Sandy and Blacks. They are just as cute and gentle as the GOS, aren’t they? In my next life, where I have an organic farmy, those are the pigs I’d love to have. 🙂 Have a lovely day and see you in the lounge. It’s wonderful to get to know you a little. 🙂
Hi Veronica! I was in Vancouver for a week once and just loved it! But, you’re right, very different from the farmy. All our animals on the farm right now are females except for Jethro, our new GOS boar. He will be the father of our next generations of pigs! He is still growing up, about 7 months old now. We must be very careful about breeding as there are so few GOS in the states, and the breed must be kept pure. They really are sweet pigs! And our Daphne! Sometimes I just want to scream when she won’t come back! In fact, I do scream COME over and over, but she returns when she’s ready. We are still in the training phase. I would love to have her like the woman’s dog you wrote about! Dolly, our Blue Heeler, is like that, thank goodness. She stays with us always. But of course they are different breeds, bred for different purposes. I must always remember that and not compare. Thank you for your comments! And for sure I’ll see you in the lounge soon! 🙂
Hi Jack and Diane, your barn is so pretty, love the flags and the chook pen off the side. Your milking goat is very pretty too, she looks almost blue, do you make goats cheese? I adore your GOS piggies are they docile? When I was visiting the UK earlier this year I went to the farmers market in Bath and brought a GOS loin for roasting. I was suprised at the layer of fat around the roast (loin is considered a lean cut here) but the taste was amazing. Have fun being guest bloggers for a day, Cheers Sal
HI red box gal! Thank you! The flags are Prayer Flags from Tibet. They keep good vibrations flapping out over the farm. 🙂 And of course we think our goats are adorable. We do make cheese from the milk, and it is delicious! But…. that will slow down as we are dying them off, getting ready to breed them again. So we’ll have more fresh milk in the spring after they kid. That is really an exciting time! And the pigs….we love them too! And you are right, GOS are famous for their delicious meat. They are a pig with more fat, and they go back to the time when people wanted and used more fat from the meat. These pigs are very sweet and lovable! And cute as can be too! 🙂
Oh more info about the cheese making please! What kind do you make? How much milk a day do you get from your goat? Is she like a cow do you have to milk twice a day? Simple question I know but I know so little about goats. Thanks
Well welcome!!! It was great to read all about you guys and see your pictures. I must admit I have a special fondness for Boo Bop and Sweet Pea….very cute pictures of all of your lovelies. Thanks for sharing with us today.
I love your old barn and they are great photos of your animal family, a lovely looking bunch. I stumbled across Celi’s blog about the time of celery soup but we have only just sorted out our computer to be able to make comments (Some protection thingy had to be diabled?!!) Anyway got here at last! Thank you for sharing your photos, Love the name Little ditty farm too!
Have a great day,
Kim
Thank you Kim! Yes, we certainly do have a treat each day with Celi’s blog, that’s for sure! I have made so many of her recipes and they are always wonderful! I will see you in the comments lounge! xo
Oh well done..and thank you so much for that wonderful peep into the goings-on at your farm. Boo Bop and Sweet Pea are truly adoreable, but having said that it is the same with all animals..big or small..everyone has someone to love them…
I hope that you also will have a lovely day and Jack’s greenhouse is super-duper.
Stay warm and much love from Patrecia in Bulgaria
Hi Patrecia! Wow! Bulgaria! How wonderful! I always wanted to visit there! Much harder to get away now, but it is still on my wish list. I am layering up my clothing now as winter is on its way. I’m not crazy about being cold, but being out in the beautiful fall foliage now makes it worth it! Happy Weekend! 🙂