Arriving 12 days early, Beaumont showed up around 1:00 a.m. last Wednesday morning, born only a few minutes before I arrived for my nightly check. With a heart as big as a wash tub, no, his forehead, he came into the world looking for a heartfelt home.

This was Miss Daisy’s first calf.

Feeling a sudden spring in your step?

Photo by Wikkie via Wikimedia Commons

Perhaps a dazzling sense of delirium?

It’s called spring fever, my friend—and none of us are immune.

Thankfully, the symptoms are generally … sensational!

“There’s more daylight, so people have more energy, sleep a little less,” Sanford Auerbach, M.D., director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Boston University, told Web MD.

Plus, levels of serotonin, an important mood-regulating hormone, soar in the springtime. The LA Times reports, “This mood-elevating neurotransmitter may be at the root of the giddiness, energy boost, and enthusiasm that characterize spring fever.”

No cure for me, thanks. I’m just fine letting the fever run its course.

If you weren’t planning on planting a garden this spring, I suspect that hearing Ron Finley’s story will inspire you to not only plant one, but to sneak seeds into every sliver of barren soil you see.

After you watch this video, Ron will be on your list of AMAZING people/super heroes.

“I think of the garden after the rain;

And hope to my heart comes singing,

At morn the cherry-blooms will be white,

And the Easter bells be ringing!”

—Edna Dean Procter

Geep.

Nope, that’s not a roadrunner misprint.

It really is “geep.”

“Geep” is what farmer Paddy Murphy in Ireland is calling a notable new baby on his farm …

Photo: Snapshot/YouTube courtesy of MNN.com

The little tyke is not merely a sheep, like his mama.

Nor is he a goat, as his dad is reputed to be.

He has become known, therefore, as a geep.

“He has been a great source of craic (gossip) for the lads in the pub,” Murphy told the Irish Farmers Journal last week. “We might even have a competition to name him.”

This post is for Winnie. (Ha, I accidently typed in Winner!) So, Winner Winnie, here’s Myrtle, the girl wearing the bling light in Sunday’s post, as well as today’s photo-of-the-day. This is a truck I used to drive, but now that I’ve turned her into a hay shed (wonderful in her hayday), she’s been officially put out to pasture.

Here she is getting her new roof framed up.

And now she’s getting covered in reused metal siding from our old barn.

A true Jersey girl!

P.S. Winnie, the yellow flower was the bloom on a kale plant in my greenhouse.

Have you heard about the new Barbie in town?

Well, she’s not really here, in town … and she’s not actually a Barbie.

So, let me try this again …

Have you heard of Lammily?

Image courtesy of Nickolay Lamm via Lammily.com

She’s a doll, isn’t she?

Touted by her creator (yes, he’s a man) as fun, fit, and healthy, Lammily is posed to give Barbie a run for her money. Much to many a thinking woman’s relief, she was modeled using the standard body proportions of an average 19-year-old gal, which—as we know—don’t include a corset-crimped waist or a Nefertiti neck.

Out with the old …

Photo of first Barbie doll, introduced in both blonde and brunette in March 1959, by Barbieologin via Wikimedia

In with the new …

Image courtesy of Nickolay Lamm via Lammily.com

“When I look at current fashion dolls, I’m reminded of my experience in high school. I’m reminded that there are some things that are just a mirage and not worth emulating,” explains Nickolay Lamm, the genius behind Lammily. “Moreover, I’m reminded that there is beauty in embracing all the aspects of who you are, and in staying true to you.”

Lamm goes on to say that Lammily (named for Lamm and his family) has a stylish, yet simple, wardrobe without a barrage of bling. She wears minimal makeup, promoting the realistic beauty standards of the everyday girl.

And her lifestyle? Forget glamorous partying and shopping-till-she-drops …

In a recent Huffington Post editorial, Nickolay Lam wrote, “I want Lammily’s accessories to be reflective of real life in miniature form. I envision her reading books that inform and playing instruments that educate on the sounds and intricacies of music. I see her constructing her own home, cultivating her own garden while learning about the wonders of plants and vegetables, and eating these nourishing and healthy foods. All of these aspects are authentic, and can be complemented with an online world where children can explore these realities in depth.”

Well, it’s about time, don’t you think?

You can’t run to the store to find Lammily just yet. She’s in the works as we speak. But you can pre-order a first-edition doll at Lammily.com with an expected ship date of November 2014.

In the meantime, here’s a little more about Lammily:

Let there be light!

Ever since early humans stumbled onto the miraculous power of fire to hold the night at bay, we’ve been hooked.

Photo by ltfhenry via Wikimedia Commons

Candles …

Photo by Bangin via Wikimedia Commons

Streetlights …

Photo by Tony Hisgett via Wikimedia Commons

Tiffany table lamps …

Photo by Piotrus via Wikimedia Commons

Fiberoptics …

Photo by Oliver Deisenroth via Wikimedia Commons

Fruit?

No, it’s not an optical illusion—you are seeing a glowing orange!

This is the work of Caleb Charland, whose artistic creations play upon a marvelous middle school science fair concept: the potato battery.

Or, in the case of the photo below, an entire potato field battery …

Potato Power, LaJoie Growers LLC, Van Buren, Maine 2012 by Caleb Charland

“By inserting a galvanized nail into one side of a potato and a copper wire in the other side, a small electrical current is generated. The utter simplicity of this electrical phenomenon is endlessly fascinating for me,” explains Charland. “Many people have had the experience of drawing power from fruit in the classroom, and it never ceases to bring a smile to the face or a thought to the mind. This work speaks to a common curiosity we all have for how the world works, as well as a global concern for the future of earth’s energy sources.”

The farm pictured above, LaJoie Growers in Maine, was the site of Charland’s first commercial farm “studio.”

“There is a lot of preproduction for the outdoor installations,” Charland told Modern Farmer. “For the potato shot specifically, it was two or three days of work because I dug up all of the potatoes and wired them and got the voltage right, and then buried them back in the ground because I wanted the wires to be coming out of the ground. When the setup is all done, I spend one or two nights shooting the scene. I’ll have two or three cameras set up, and the exposures will be set anywhere from four to eight hours long and I usually camp out there, start the exposure, set an alarm clock, and then finish the exposure.”

Charland says that it’s possible to elicit electricity from practically any produce. You just need a galvanized nail, wires, and the know-how to put it all together. The electrolytes in the produce cause the chemical reaction to occur that results in light.

Fruit Battery Still Life (Citrus) 2012 by Caleb Charland

In the age of social media,

revolution happens in images

and stories

that grab us—sometimes in just 140 characters—and make us care enough to act.

That’s the goal of a group of young ag enthusiasts from rural Alberta, Canada, who founded the FarmOn Foundation.

“With Canada losing 60 percent of their young agricultural producers in the last 15 years, leaving only 9.1 percent of farmers under the age of 35, it was mission critical to form an organization that existed solely for the benefit of young farmers and seeing them succeed,” FarmOn declares.

Photo by Woodley Wonder Works via Wikimedia Commons

Rich in youth and vigor, this dedicated crew is out to inspire young farmers to action by equipping them with the tools, knowledge, and hands-on skills needed to increase the profitability of their agricultural businesses.

Last year, they launched a movement called #FarmVoices in conjunction with Earth Day to celebrate farmers, while giving them a chance to tell their stories and share images of the work they love.

Genius idea, right?

“Young people have been at the forefront of every important social movement in history,” the founders say. “#FarmVoices is raising the profile of farmers by sharing their stories with the world, one image at a time.”

According to FarmOn member Tom Fesnoux, Earth Day 2013 was a huge success, with over 2,000 stories and photos being shared by farmers from 23 countries around the globe. “Now we are preparing to launch and share our newest #FarmVoices video for this year’s Earth Day celebration. We would love to invite you to join the movement and consider coming on board to help support more farmers.”

Yes—you!

Here are three simple steps you can take to become involved:

1.  Share the #FarmVoices Earth Day video:

2.  Invite other farmers or groups you know to participate in the day.

3.  Share your own story at #FarmVoices.