Piper's Puppies!

We are so excited to welcome Piper's puppies to the world.  This plan took a couple decades to make happen but we are finally in the right place at the right time with the right dog. 

Piper, now 3.5, has grown up to be a truly outstanding dog. She gets along with everyone, be them adult, child, dog, cat, alpaca, or chicken. She is calm, friendly, and gentle, with a natural gift for putting people and animals at ease. She is also a classically beautiful and healthy English Lab, reflecting her own high quality breeding which includes a number of show champions in her pedigree.  And very importantly, she has passed all of her health clearances and genetic screenings.

We are thrilled to announce that Piper gave birth to 9 healthy puppies on April 26, and mama and babies are all doing fantastic. All the pups are black, which was a fun surprise since both Piper and the sire, Hardy, carry yellow. There are 4 girls and 5 boys and they all were nicely sized at a pound, plus or minus 2 ounces. Piper is an amazing mama so far and whelping super star. We are all pretty exhausted but very happy.

For more information on Piper's puppies and a lots and lots of cute pictures, check out our public Facebook Page (no Facebook account is needed to view it):

https://www.facebook.com/CornerCrestLabs

Springtime is Here

The air is warmer, it smells like flowers, and spring has arrived here at our farm.

The first crocus of the year:

Enjoying walks together, Al comes along and gets treats too:

Piper wants a treat:

Piper is also happy to relax and keep us company when we are out doing chores:

A butterfly visiting our curry plant:

Ember also wants treats:

Cherry blossoms in bloom:

Chickens out and about on one of the first warmer days:

Ember rolling around after playing in the stream:

Blooms near the edge of the woods:

It was a sunny day so this cucumber beetle made an unusually early appearance:

Boo!  He is a lovable mush of a cat, but rather lazy about his job as rodent patrol (probably because he does not consider it his job, and his favored hobby is napping):

Hello tiny mason bee!  Almost all of them emerged all together on the same day:

The pack, heading down the trail:

Down at the creek:

Blue skies, but not many leaves yet:

All the dogs want treats!

Last year was a very good year for preying mantises and we have found many ootheca in the fields which we move to safe spots for hatching:

Even Hazel came down to the stream:

Al photobomb:

Treats all around:

We are so happy that it seems that our honeybee hive wintered successfully as they are emerging with purpose on days when it’s warm enough:

Tiny blooms on the forest floor:

Daffodil:

Piper shining down by the creek:

Ember trying to be patient:

Trillium in bloom:

I found this bee on a cold day on the ground looking, well, cold:

So I helped it up to a better place where it wouldn't get step on and would catch some sun... sometimes we all need a hand:

Winter

We had a wonderful tree season to wrap up a most unusual year.  It was really a delightful surprise to meet so many new people who decided they wanted some fresh air and a new experience for their 2020 holiday season, and were seeking their first real tree here at our farm.  We were definitely ready for 2021, but also were feeling very fortunate to be where we are and live where we do.

And then 2021 brought a much needed breath of fresh air, along with a winter with real snow.  We were thankfully spared the major ice storms that affected the surrounding areas.  It was beautiful and snowy, enough for the blissful combination of exciting sledding and peaceful stillness.  

Sunset and clouds as the cold rolled in:

First flakes falling:

Snow starting to stick (to the dogs, at least):

We were very happy for the snow!

Al does not understand snow.  He does not like snow.  But he stays toasty warm:

It was a long fast sled ride down, and a quiet crunchy hike back up:

Piper looking out over the snow-covered field:

Cold:

It was our first time experiencing a proper snow with Hazel and we were very surprised with how much she loved it:

Everything lined with white:

The field and trees all covered in snow:

The very steep slopes of the forest also had a blanket of white:

Ember charging Piper:

Piper contemplating going swimming:

Al requesting apples:

And the sunset, slowly climbing back northwards on the horizon as winter reaches its end: