Sold Out!!!!!

SOLD OUT!!!!!

We have done it again, we have sold out of pumpkins.... ours and the neighboring farmer's, too! 

GONE!!!!!

This is what our pretty sales yard looked like Monday morning....

And this is what it looks like now:

I ran a half-price sale today (that I posted to Facebook) to find good homes for the stragglers, and the pallets are lying empty.... ready to be stacked and put away in some innocuous spot on the farm until we drag them out next summer!

BEST YEAR EVER!!!!

The pumpkins grew bigger, stronger, more diverse and robust and yielded more than ever before.  

So that's a wonderful feeling! And the work of many hands brings it all to the forefront of the farm, the hands building fairy houses, creating memorable moments, cleaning donkey shed and pens, planting, weeding, hoeing, spraying, spraying, spraying.... and fitting in home repair and family things (Covid cancelled several of those!) and bringing friends aboard whose jobs fell apart and they needed something to tide them over.

There's love on this farm. It's a palpable feeling from the playground to the repurposed chicken coops to the donkey fundraiser buckets. This year we raised money for the Golisano Children's Hospital that we've talked about before. We did it in memory of two family babies who went home to heaven too soon, Alan and Lacey.... and in honor of two wonderful kids who fought Kawasaki disease and Acute Myeloid Leukemia and who are hale and hearty and healthy now....

The Lord giveth. And the Lord taketh away. Blessed be His name.

The fairies are a huge hit, but it looks so funny to see EMPTINESS outside my kitchen window when for 2.5 months gorgeous displays of pumpkins and gourds and fall stuff filled my line of vision in every direction.

We are so blessed.

And yesterday, two naughty rabbits with a death wish began scampering around our back yard, then darted under the shed..... While dozens of birds flitted back and forth above, like a Disney scene, only real! 

Cardinals and nuthatches and blue jays, and I have no  idea if they were passing through (all three stay here throughout winter) or if I happened to have a tasty treat in the back yard, but it was alive with critters! And that's always fun to see before the quiet stillness of winter takes hold.

But those rabbits are going to meet with our very own version of Elmer Fudd!!!!!

Dave and the guys have been putting displays out back. We'll pull them back out next summer and see what needs work, what needs painting, what needs TLC.... and we'll begin again. But for now, having two writing sessions every morning is so much fun!!!!! Even on the days with my fifth graders here, I can squeeze in two writing sessions...

Oh, happy day!

On another farm note, there was a persistent scratching inside a wall.... Very Persistent Scratching. And we couldn't make him stop or get him out of the wall without going all Caddyshack on him...

Yesterday the wall fell silent.

Today there is evidence (smelly evidence!!!) that the creature will never scratch again.

#lifeinthecountry

#countrymouse

We are carving pumpkins on Friday... we have some set aside for the Jamison crew.

And we'll go trick-or-treating to all of our usual houses on Saturday and we'll wear masks...

And hey, I'm used to that!

Inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is finishing up a busy pumpkin season by writing more books! She's so excited!!!! Email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com friend her on Facebook and visit her website ruthloganherne.com. She'd love to chat with you!

On the Farm!

 Well, things have really revved up around here! 

I love this last one so much! That's Honey Bunny White Sox, curled up going full "camo" under a pile of faux leaves we're going to use for a photo op. So stinkin' cute. 

So we've been busy, and these pics are seven days old which means everything you're seeing has been increased by an exponential factor. In the end, it's all mathematical!!!

And we don't see our business as Halloween-oriented. We celebrate fall! Autumn! The change of seasons as indicated by overnight temps in the fifties, upper leaves tinging red and gold, and gorgeous long, sunny days.... and maybe decreasing humidity? We figure if you live in the north where you have three months of gray/white/coldness from January through March (December doesn't count because there is CHRISTMAS!!!! And Christmas is full of color and warmth and joy).

So we celebrate color and joy for the next two months. And we love it!!!! It makes scheduling anything tough because we're pulled in multiple directions right now, but we balance it by having plenty of helpful hands... 

Kids are getting big enough to actually join in the dance. And that's so much fun.

And so it begins.... Thursday and Friday are baking days, so a quick trip to Wegmans this morning to make sure I have everything I need on hand.... We've made strawberry rhubarb jam, strawberry jam, blackberry jam and triple berry jam... oh, and sour cherry jam! How did I forget that?

We are looking forward to a busy weekend... and happy folks. And this year, seeing people happy to be at the farm, visiting the donkeys, buying pumpkins and squash and cornstalks and hay, well... it's about the most normal thing that's happened around her in seven months.

And we thank God for that!

Multi-published, award-winning author Ruth Logan Herne is a writer by night, but by summertime day she works on the family pumpkin farm in Western New York where color and light and squash and mums rule the daylight hours! Friend Ruthy on Facebook or visit her website ruthloganherne.com and/or email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com. She'd love to hear from you!

A Wonky Week But All is Well With my Soul

I can't find my camera, my old computers are both in a major hurt cycle, my new computer has no pictures on file and this week was kind of like Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst, an old favorite story when my kids were little...

There were moments of sadness, surprise, and chagrin and there's an upcoming funeral we didn't expect. 

But while the wonkiness seemed to swirl around us, there was beauty, too.

The pumpkins are growing and thriving and we have a big sprayer this year (big for us!) and that's a huge help when fighting things like Downy Mildew and Powdery Mildew and anthracnose.

That's a big deal here this time of year.

Everyone's healthy.

That's a huge deal.

In a time when we see a rise in Covid 19 cases and my out-of-town kids can't come home for the planned time at the farm (it's rare to get all six kids and families in one place at the same time) there is joy in the health we all share, even at a distance.

There is joy in a friend's wedding and tree frogs in the trees.

There is bliss in the heat when small children take buckets of water to the dusty path and make mud volcanoes.

And a bath in Grammy's tub scrubs everyone clean later.

There is peace in the blessing of faith while unrest seems determined to take the streets of some cities.

Unrest has happened before. It will happen again. It's when we let the unrest consume us that we feel helpless. It's when we forget that God's seen this all before.... and shaken His head.... and will no doubt see it again.

So today, instead of getting caught up in the wonk, I'm determined to be my best Martha-type while praying like a Mary because I think times like this require a combo deal. I'd love for you to join me in these prayers and joy and smiles. Because no matter how wonky our days/weeks/months get, that inner core of faith is our mainstay to lift our chins and move boldly forward.

Here are some farm pics I was able to grab from my phone. We had a second Fun with Fairies day on Saturday, got rained out (much needed rain!) halfway through but we still had fun!

Painting Bug Rocks table:

Families coming to visit the fairies!

You don't have to be little to love fairies!!!!

These two lovelies volunteered to get kids started on their fairy house hunts:

Rock flowers!!!!!  And the fence post rock flowers are beautiful porch or wall additions!

A glimpse of simple summer days.... Life on the farm, life, itself.

Frog catching!

Donkey walking!!!!

And lunch with friends. :)

Through it all, God is good... and sharing the beauty of that goodness is a wonderful thing.

Multi-published, award-winning author Ruth Logan Herne lives on a pumpkin farm in Western New York and is often found dirty and disheveled this time of year but she chalks that up to real life and figures that's what you do to build a business.... that's her excuse and she's sticking to it! :) Her newest mystery "A Fallen Petal" is for sale at Guideposts.com and readers are already loving it! Email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com, visit her website ruthloganherne.com and friend her on Facebook.... She loves talking with readers!

Winding Down Pumpkin Mania!

Wind-down on the farm comes with mixed emotions.

Peeking through the trees from the side porch at the cars on the road....

Parking area... overflow!!!! Yes!!!

Folks parked out on the road... and down the road!!!

We're thrilled by a record-breaking year.

We're already making notes about next year.

We've had kids here on field trips...

We've let folks walk donkeys, we've sold tens of thousands of pumpkins and decorative corn and gourds and... oh my stars, everything...

But now when I take apart a display, we pack it away.

We keep consolidating, bringing more things from the second yard and filling the front yards... and then clean up the second yard for baseball, soccer and football-playing kids...

We're ordering a snow-blower.

The seasons are changing, even though the warm fall has let leaves linger green longer than usual.

But still the change is here.  Although this baby mouse thinks it's spring! That's Morgan Blodgett holding her... she named the mouse "tiny" because it was a tiny mouse. :) The sensibility of children should teach us so much!

We're cleaning out the garage to make room for firewood because we heat with wood.

We're putting things in basements, sheds and crawl spaces... and I haven't finished the second chicken coop yet!!! YIKES!

Step by step, sale by sale, the season closes. And that's okay.

But in the meantime, I'm playing with a beautifully stewed Silver Moon pumpkin which is going to turn into something delicious today... Along with Double Chocolate Chip Whoopie Pies for customers!

We've had more infestations of yellow jackets (yes, in the house) than ever before, so our exterminator has been kept busy!

The minute the night gets cold, the yellow jackets seek indoor facilities!

And two little blondes helping with customers...

And posing by the photo-op we've got under the big old box elder tree...

It's time to put away the porch swings and stack the firewood...

THIS WAS A FORBODING SKY!!!! 

And then, come March, when the sun tips upward once more, it's the BEST FEELING to bring those rockers and swings back out!

What's fall like in your life? In your town? In your home?

I always feel the need to nest in the fall. To fill the freezer, the cupboards, the jelly jars.

Is that silly or normal???

Please say normal!!!!

There'll be time for cooking and writing and planning in just a week or so... but as much as I appreciate that, saying goodbye to the frenetic selling season is always with some regret.

Of course once we build a barn, then we'll be open two more months, and by then I may kill my husband, but that's another blog! :)

Who retires to a busy, working farm???

Us.

And it's crazy fun to see just how far we can take this dream... I think Farmer Dave needs a rest.

But I see that gleam in his eye when he talks about "next year"...

And maybe that's a secret to staying young. To plan ahead and hang onto the dream!

Multi-published author Ruthy Logan Herne loves to write sweet books, tell stories, pretend to be other people, and snuggle little kids whenever she gets the chance which is fairly often... and she's okay with that! Visit her website ruthloganherne.com, friend her on facebook or follow her on Twitter... and mostly, she'd love to hear about the things that make your life special... or challenging!

Pumpkins, Pumpkins, Pumpkins!

"Down Time": A time of reduced activity or productivity.

There's no such thing on the farm this time of year! I remember years ago reading a Cherry Ames book  where the nursing motto was "Don't stand if you can sit, and don't sit if you can lie down."

Books from my older sisters Ronnie and Sweet Grass... then mine were the newer style. I loved Cherry Ames!

I thought that was funny back then, the flurry of nursing students running back and forth from classes, trying to get clinical time in, personal life and study....

Then I grew up and realized the truth, that some jobs, especially seasonal ones, are Go! Go! Go! during the season... and then you gear up during the quiet time for the next season!

Hi. I'm Ruthy and We Started A Farm.

Very few people do that these days... As my husband says, "If you have a quarter million, are you going to invest it in the market? Or in equipment that depreciates faster than your average car?"

So we went about this the old-fashioned way: Sweat Equity. Small tools. Roto-tillers. Back-pack sprayers. Hand-planted fields. When you watch those old movies with the family out there working the land?

Yup.

That's us. 

WHY DID YOU DO THIS? you ask?

Dave had a dream... Farmer Dave, the guy I married a long time ago... A dream of developing a farm where families could come and have fun and not spend their retirement income trying to get in the door. So the dream was like so many of those Holy Spirit nudges... our daughter said something a few years ago, about how folks love, love, love fall places... and we live in one of the prettiest fall climates of all, the lakeshores of Western New York...

And Dave knew he was ready to retire...

And God had blessed us with multiple book contracts so we would not starve. :)

And so it began with this:

And this:

And then a customer suggested THIS:

Novelty pumpkins... stacking pumpkins... at a reasonable price...

And that's how it began... We adopted the slogan "Home of the $5 Pumpkin" and pledged that no pumpkin will be more than $5. Families won't have to break the bank to have fun. By October 10th, 2016, WE SOLD OUT OF PUMPKINS... that was God's message to us that we'd hit our stride and found our niche...

We keep overhead low. We don't rent space to sell. Folks come right here, to the farm, and they breathe... and walk around... and get ideas for cooking and baking and babies and now...

We've got this:

And this!

And this...

And don't forget these!

And then, new to us two weeks ago are these new friends... just here for folks to love....

Alexis the miniature donkey, maybe expecting a baby donkey in summer 2018....

And this little girl came to us the same day, because I could not resist her!!!

We've got "Name that Donkey" contest going to give this pretty baby her formal name... She's six months old and precious... friendly... and so sweet. We can walk the donkeys... turn them out on grass... brush them... and people just like to pet them. It's Donkey Love time on the farm.

We organized a playground....

We rebuilt chicken coops and turned the old coop into the Donkey Shed...

And in between it all we bake breads and cakes and cookies and Whoopie Pies.... 

Because every good business begins with a dream... a goal... an approach. And wherever this takes us, I'm so glad to include all of you on the fun of following us on the farm!

A farm where kids will see crops and animals and meet nice people and play and climb. 

Eli helping cut asparagus....

Where they'll see that eggs come from chickens and not a cooler... where food comes out of the field... 

Our grandkids and their sweet mother Karen helping pick the pumpkins! 

...where frogs hop and play in the water gardens, and kids race barefoot across cool, green grass.

A place to be normal. A place where we have a six-week-old kitten ruling the house, and a solemn funeral for Big Green Frog, one of the bullfrogs that met its fate at the paws of a farm cat...

There aren't many fancy or even quick recipes going on here right now, but there's always bread for sandwiches... pots of soup... Quick burgers on the grill, and don't forget the Zweigle's hot dogs, our favorite!

Because during the season, customers come first... and showing people what we've got, what we've done, sharing our dream... well then they hop on over to facebook and they tell folks about us.

And the word spreads faster than water on a mountain creek... 

And then, in the dark of night, when all sleep deep, I creep downstairs and write sweet stories to make folks laugh... and sometimes cry.

And then the day begins all over again!

Multi-published, bestselling author Ruthy Logan Herne loves writing great books, laughing and praying with folks on facebook and sharing the crazy and fun life of being on Blodgett Family Farm... where today's excitement included saving the lives of bullhead guppies before the weather turns... we'll deliver them to the big farm pond out back.. and then get back to work, knowing we saved a few fish... which we might just eat in a year or two! :)