Introducing Sherry. Our USA representative on our international land tour. Sherry is a long time member of The Fellowship. She does not have a blog and she has been commenting so long I am sure you would love to learn a little more about her and her animals. PLUS she is proudly owned by Timatanga Moana’s cousin Percy. Back to the snow we go!
Us:
My husband and I live on 38 acres in east central Wisconsin, the glaciated kettle moraine area. Means nothing is flat! We share our house with Eli, a 4 year old Wirehair Pointing Griffon, John’s buddy and partner in hunting upland birds and ducks, and Macadoodle, a 5 year old schnauzer?, poodle?, yorkie? Who’s your daddy? dog, my buddy. (He likes John too, in fact he likes EVERYBODY).
The land is made up of wetland (marsh/swamp) pasture and 11 acres tilled. We trade use of the tilled area with the local dairy farmer for hay for our animals. While we raise vegetables for our own use we mostly ‘farm’ pets.
Our house is a typical Midwest farm house, the original log part was built in 1886 and one of the grandsons and one of the great grandsons of the original settlers live right down the road.
Our Critters:
We currently have Red Sally and Ember, a Rocky Mountain Mare and a Kentucky Mountain Mare respectively. They are gaited horses that give a nice smooth running walk rather than a trot which is much easier on our old – and getting older fast! – bodies.
I know everybody thinks the breed they have/like is the best but, having had a thoroughbred, quarter horses, an appaloosa, paints and arabs I have to say the mountain horses have the nicest dispositions ever.
Winston is a Sicilian mini donkey gelding. He’s a friendly guy but wary. He came from a situation where he received very little handling so everything was new to him. I would like to train him to pull a cart, another thing for my list of things that would be fun to try.
Otis is a Nigerian Dwarf wether. He’s a sweetie, adores having his head scratched between the floppy horns he’s not supposed to have as we was disbudded.
Her Majesty Fanny is a miniature fainting goat. At less than a year she is a sassy thing, she’ll follow you anywhere and will literally climb in your lap if you let her.
Portly Percival is a kunekune barrow and has the character of a pig three times his size. He’s constantly carrying on a conversation whether there’s anyone there to listen or not. He’s great friends with Fanny, even when she uses him as a step stool. He only protests when she stands on his head.
Odette, a golden laced Wyandotte, Sylvia, a black austrolorp, Berniece, an americauna and Gretchen, a barred Plymouth rock make up the ladies league and are very full of themselves. They’ve ostracized the two rouen duck hens, Betty and Geraldine who were given to my stepson by one of his misguided friends on his 30th birthday. Ergo, we got the call: daaad, you want some ducks?
Our Life:
John and I are both retired and thoroughly enjoying it. The first question of the morning is ‘what day IS it?’.We supplement the furnace heat with a woodstove in the kitchen so we do a lot of cutting, hauling and stacking wood. John, having been a heavy equipment operator has a lot of “toys” to keep him busy when he’s not hunting or fishing. I have several small looms that I like to experiment with as well as way too many ‘things I’d like to try’ to keep me occupied in the winter and several flower gardens as well as all the animals to fill up the summer. For both of us there are more books to read than we’ll finish in our lifetimes. We have a good life, with good friends and good family.
Morning chores can be raucous here in east central Wisconsin. Sally & Ember, the Mountain Horse mares, bang on their hay feeder (the equine equivalent of pounding on the table). Winston the mini donk lets loose with his foghorn bray, Otis and Her Majesty Fanny, the Nigerian Dwarf Wether and Mini Fainting goat keep up a plaintive bleating and Portly Percy, the kunekune is shrieking to feed him NOW because he’s going to keel over from hunger and make Fanny get off his head. Add to that, Odette, Sylvia, Berniece and Gretchen, the ladies league of laying hens cackling to open that door and Betty and Geraldine the Rouen duck hens shouting to ‘let us out’ it can be deafening! It’s a good thing we live out here in the country or surely we’d have neighbors complaining.
Love Sherry.
The Kitchen's Garden 
65 responses to “Deodar Farm, 1886”
I really enjoyed the tour of your little farm/ranch! What a delightful crew of critters you have. Everyone looks so woolly this time of year. Fabulous winter coats! Thank you for sharing with us Sherry. I truly enjoyed your photographs and narration. 🙂
I’m in love with your animals already! The mare is a beauty. Thanks for sharing your wonderful life with us.
Hmm, I’m positive I left a comment yesterday!? Great meeting you Sherry, and thank you for introducing your family to us. Wonderful farm and beautiful animals. Laura
I love the sight of Fanny standing on Percival’s back. We used to have a pony that would reach over and nibble the pigs’ backs.
Thank you, Sherry, for sharing your life with us. We actually have lots in common, a menagerie to care for, a farm with an old farmhouse (yours looks charming). We have land, my husband plays with big boys farm toys and if we know what day it is, we often lose track of the date. One big difference – we have very mild winters, only light the fire about 5 or 6 times on average. We are both indeed fortunate to be able to enjoy our retirement as we do. Joy
I would love to hear the morning song of all the animals. I am such a morning person anyway. Lovely blog post, lovely enough to say – you should start a blog. Monthly or weekly even!!! I’m sure that there are antics to write about!!!!
Wow! What a menagerie you have, all delightful, but the photo of Macadoodle with the snow on his face. Do you take two legged stray animals in to your hotel? Watch out, one of these days I might wander in and forget to go away! Thank you for minding the Farmy for a day!