This past weekend I finally went to a garden that I’ve had on my “to-do” list for years and years. My husband and I visited the Green Animals Topiary Garden. It’s sited on an historic estate along the beautiful Rhode Island coast.

Some of the topiary were started in 1920. There’s something regal and yet silly about big animals sculpted out of bushes. Here is the centerpiece:

Look who’s living at her base!

Rhode Island is justifiably proud of being the home of the Rhode Island Red. Of course, there was a rooster topiary.

New to the garden is this handsome fellow, who has been installed, along with a few girlfriends, in what had been an unused greenhouse.

Isn’t he gorgeous? Notice how securely fenced in he is. If I had gardens like these, I’d keep out the chickens, too!

The wooly bear caterpillars are looking for homes under fallen leaves.

They’re not the only wooly things around. Candy has shed her summer coat and her winter pelt is dense and soft. She stays outside all winter and it will keep her quite warm. To keep her extra-comfortable, we’ll remove the shade tarp so that she can bask in early morning sun. She’ll have extra hay to burrow in. We’ll staple black plastic on two sides of the hutch to stop the wind. If a snow storm is predicted, we’ll cover the hutch with a shower curtain. But, Candy loves the snow. You’ll see. She tunnels. She hops. She plays. I just have to make sure that her ears don’t get dry or frozen. I’ve got special lotion for that.

The goats are getting wooly. It’s been cold in the morning and they look like fuzz balls. Here Caper is chewing his cud. He would like to convince me that he needs to get fat for the winter. More grain, please. I don’t cave in, despite how hungry he looks. (Goats are always hungry!) When it storms this winter, the goat boys will be snug in their stall. I’ll keep them out of ice and wet weather, but I hear they like snow. They’re certainly getting dressed for it. We’ll see.

Some of the chickens are molting. They lose their old feathers and grow new ones. Like wild birds, chickens use their feathers for insulation. When it is cold, they fluff up and the trapped air keeps them warm. You do NOT need to heat your coop! But it must be dry and draft-free. The hens will be fed a higher energy ration in the winter (more corn) so that they can keep their body heat up. The goats will be jealous.

The molt does not happen all at one time, and not all chickens molt alike. Some lose all of their feathers. Some go naked just around their necks. Some go into a sulk. Some don’t care. Betsy lost her tail feathers. I think she’s a tad embarrassed. A white leghorn should have an elegant long tail like this:

This is what Betsy looked like today:

Don’t worry, Betsy, it’ll grow in soon.

We had company this morning.

Mason and Caper were hoping for a picnic.

They promised to share. Honest.

Yesterday we went for our annual apple picking foray. There are some outings that are like touchtones in one’s life. This is one for me. My family albums show photos of babies in backpacks reaching for apples, of toddlers climbing ladders, and now, of boys taller than me filling the bag. It was good to go to the orchard with friends, so that once again I have photos of a toddler tightly gripping an apple almost too large for his hands.

Here in New England, it’s been a good year for apples.

Some years I go too early, and some years too late. But yesterday, all of my favorite apples were ripe and available. Macouns for eating, and cortlands and macintoshes for baking and applesauce. My husband likes honeycrisp, so we got a few of those. Even pears and peaches are in season!

It’s a rainy, chilly day today, and so I’ve spent the morning in the kitchen. Already, I’ve made a big pot of applesauce, apple bread pudding, and two apple crisps to freeze. Coring, peeling and slicing apples is easy with this old-fashioned gadget. I’ve just replaced my old and rusted one with this beauty. The blades are so sharp! Apple joy!

PS HenCam was mentioned in the September 28 issue of The New Yorker. Susan Orlean wrote a piece titled, “The It Bird” about the return of backyard chicken keeping. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of talking to her for an hour and half when she was doing the research. In the article she mentions that goats are the next trendy animal. I am so far ahead of the curve!!

The trees are changing colors and leaves are fluttering to the ground. The goats are amazed at their good fortune – a favorite treat, wilted leaves, is appearing miraculously at their hooves. They trot back and forth, watching as the leaves come down and then snarfing them up.

Here is Caper doing a good job of keeping the lawn tidy.

Pip and Caper are much quieter and cuter than a leaf blower. However, leaf blowers don’t do this:

Pip likes his salad with green leaves mixed in. Oh well, I suppose it’s back to the lawn guys and their machines.