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The Gentleman Farmer

~ Found somewhere in a part of the country known as north Florida and south Georgia…

The Gentleman Farmer

Category Archives: Gentleman Farming

Farm Fashionable

17 Thursday Apr 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Gentleman Farming, Passages, Style, Totem Hall

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

arrow, brooks brothers, business chores, clothing, cov-ver, farm chores, filson, fishing, hay, hens, home chores, hunting, jc penny, koi fish, long leaf pine, polo ralph lauren, quarter horses, russell moccasin, sears, st. john's bay, wigwam

clothes of the trade...

clothes of the trade…

Back in the day, before the deluge of the modern mail order catalog, I eagerly used to await the latest Sears or JC Penny wish book. Once I had the catalog in my hands, I would carefully go through the pages, picking this and that for some vaguely defined executive future. Happily ensconced in the world of Sears and JC Penny, I put together many an outfit to wear to the office, on the golf course, at supper, in the garden.

Here we are now; flashed forward forty plus years, and those early dreams of an outfit here and an outfit there did not quite turn out as planned. Dress at Totem Hall is nothing but practical. Horses, chickens, pine trees, hay fields, vegetable crops, fruit trees, and koi fish demand nothing less, and those are just the living entities that want attention. I have not mentioned the pool, barn, home, fencing, drive, studio, well house, all of which have their particular care and needs.

Above, spread out over the bed, is my day. Below is my day, in detail.

the basics...

the basics…

• Underwear
Brooks Brothers and Polo Ralph Lauren
(age and, well, age means boxers instead of briefs)
(southern boys always wear crew neck tee shirts, always)

the arrow collar man...

the arrow collar man…

• Shirt
Brooks Brothers
(the ubiquitous button down, worn out, frayed, usually Brooks Brothers)

might as well have the best...

might as well have the best…

• Pants
Filson
(if there is a better pair to hunt, fish, farm, garden, chore, or spreadsheet in, show me)

these boots are made for...

these boots are made for…

• Socks & Boots
Wigwam and Russell Moccasin
(heavy-duty, warm, need to fill the boots)
(ma’am, just bury me in my boots, please)

warmth...

warmth…

• Jacket
St. John’s Bay
(goodwill find, wish it had pockets, absolutely love it and I like browns)

the finishing touch...

the finishing touch…

• Hat
Cov-Ver
(my best buddy, very floppy, much worn in, much loved)

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I’ll Work for Play

06 Sunday Apr 2014

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Gentleman Farming, Horses

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

farm chores, riding, south georgia room, tools

The problem...

The problem…

Even in our little bit of paradise, things break down, and chores must be done. Here, at Totem Hall, we do those chores; we have quite consciously made it a point not to hire staff. When, for instance, boards on our board fence break down, off I go.

Supervisor...

Supervisor…

I must admit to not being the brightest of light bulbs and I am okay with that. Consequently, it took me several years to come up with a way to handle broken down fencing on my own.

Tools of the trade...

Tools of the trade…

The first insight was using the C-clamp, rather than trying to wrestle with the board and hammer into place a new nail. Free hands are a good thing, especially when trying to leverage a 16-foot board.

1st insight...

1st insight…

My next discovery came from the contractor who built an additional paddock area for us. He used a drill and screws as opposed to a hammer and nails. In observing that method, honestly, I felt as if I had discovered fire, electricity, and the wheel. all rolled into one. I could say goodbye to the bear claw and broken off nails buried somewhere deep inside the post. I could say goodbye to smashed thumbs and bent nails.

2nd insight...

2nd insight…

I could earn extra time, which leads me to my just reward for all this work…

Pull...

Pull…

Right, off we go then...

Right, off we go then…

And trot...

And trot…

Memories...

Memories…

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Eat Like A Horse

20 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Gentleman Farming, Horses

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

animals, cinch chix, farm chores, hay, quarter horses

We keep horses, specifically quarter horses.  Growing up, my only experience on a horse was as a young boy, dressed in western gear, and led around a ring at a fair.  My wife is a most accomplished rider.  Among her many achievements, early in our marriage, she trained horses for the track at her aunt’s facility.

So, horses are a big part of our life here at the farm.  Horses eat.  In fact, horses eat quite a bit.  One of our main challenges is keeping them fed, especially in the winter, especially in the wake of a nasty multi-year drought, which plays havoc on our non-irrigated pastures.

The boys await...

The boys await…

Traditionally, we fed our boys (all our horses are geldings) square bale hay.  Of course, this meant one of us had to make a run to the barn at least twice a day, sometimes more.  Now, there is nothing wrong with strolling out to the barn, other than it does start to consume a day away.

As a result, over time, we started using round bales, which allow the horses to eat when ready, pretty much all the time.  The downside to the round bale is the waste.  Horses eat.  Horses eat and pee.  Horses eat and poop.  Horses do not mind doing this on and around the hay bale that they have hoofed apart in search of the most succulent grasses.

Dinner on a trailer...

Dinner on a trailer…

I hate waste and I love the internet, at least for conducting obscure research.  Someone out there actually did a study and found the best way to feed a horse with minimal waste is to use a cinch net, which is what we now do.

See how little waste...

See how little waste…

Bale on site...

Bale on site…

Cutting away the twine....

Cutting away the twine….

Net is on...

Net is on…

Cinching tight...

Cinching tight…

My job is done...

My job is done…

Time to eat...

Time to eat…

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Fare Thee Well

20 Thursday Dec 2012

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Gentleman Farming, Passages, time

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

animals, boon companion, hens, nature

A young Goldie faces the future...

a young goldie faces the future…

Goldie Hen died just the other day.  She was somewhere in the seven plus range, a good age for a hen.  Goldie represented our next to last link with our old home, 4601.  Now, all we have left representing the old guard is Clarabelle Poodle.  Oh well, it reminds of that last soldier standing bit.  You know the fellow who gets the bottle of whiskey when the last of his comrades receive his final marching orders.

Goldie probably died of a crop infection, which adversely affected her gizzard, which caused her to go septic.  If I was any better of a gentleman farmer, I could have figured such a thing out before her systems went all haywire.

Her passing makes me think of course of my own.  Such a short time we have, who knew?  Enjoy the moment and keep looking for the unusual, I guess.

Finally, my wife is an insanely avid photographer, 20,000 or so, and counting.  All those photos and I could just find a couple of our little hen.  She was a great friend and a boon companion.  She leaves behind some mates, of course.  Gallus will have to take the reins of lead hen.  I am sure she is up to the job.

Exit Goldie Hen...

exit goldie hen…

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The Gentleman Farmer

08 Sunday Jun 2008

Posted by thegentlemanfarmer in Gentleman Farming, Totem Hall

≈ 2 Comments

Merriam – Webster defines a gentleman farmer as a man who farms mainly for pleasure rather than for profit.  Since I live on a piece of land too big to mow and too small to farm, that is a definition I am not prepared to quibble over, not yet anyway.

Totem Hall

totem hall…

I am enclosing a picture of Totem Hall from sometime in the Fall of 2007.  We had just laid down the slate for the walkway.

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Newer posts →

Recent Background Noise

Perhaps my ennui stems from David Bowie's death. I read somewhere that we should consider ourselves lucky to have lived at the same time he did. I do. Many years ago, there was a girl in my secondary school, Debbie P., who was very hip, very groovy, and very pretty. Now I attended Catholic schools and so, as you might imagine, we had to wear uniforms, except, of course, for after-school activity, and that's where I get to the point of the story. Our school was putting on its big play of the year, I had a small part, Debbie was working backstage. One evening during rehearsal she showed up wearing a Ziggy Stardust tee-shirt. I was young, naive, not hip, not groovy, and not knowing who the ambiguous Ziggy might be. During the weekend that followed that rehearsal, I went to a record store and discovered just what David Bowie was all about. It was a transforming experience. Now some forty years later, I farm, David is dead, and Debbie is into Christian rock bands. Did I say ennui...

Recent Bedside Read

Granny's Wonderful Chair is still my bedside read for reasons discussed nearby...

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