Willet Ponds Farm

24/04/2023

Betty was the heart of our farm, and we will miss her more than we can possibly say.

Betty Miller Conway, 60, joined her ancestors on April 22, 2023. She passed peacefully at her home in Todd, NC, with her family by her side and an army of beloved creatures outside her window.

27/03/2023

We all have certain snacks that remind us of our childhoods. For me, that's celery sticks with peanut butter and raisins (or Cheez Whiz), digestive cookies, and of course, saltine crackers. Especially when you're not feeling well, there's nothing more comforting (and edible) as basic saltine cracker...

23/03/2023

Waiting and watching for spring…

23/03/2023

24/01/2023

https://delishably.com/dairy/Bloom-on-Fresh-Eggs-Interesting-Facts?fbclid=IwAR1dlTclq8PfW6TDl0ZU59-_y3AV6l4hQyWaE73IQy4pVWPoPm09fYXsCL4&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Fresh, organic eggs are different than their factory-farmed counterparts. A protective layer called the "bloom" has been washed off, leaving the egg vulnerable to bacteria and leading to a shorter shelf life. This article is a short introduction. Get to know your eggs!

16/10/2022

The beauty is overwhelming....

27/09/2022

Frogs and Toads

I almost stepped on it during a misty walk with Piper the other night. Big as a dessert plate with brown and black mottling and bulging eyes, the toad was peacefully sitting on our rock sidewalk. His colors blended into the stone so artfully that at first, I thought that he was a stone. He blinked

27/09/2022

Frogs and Toads...

http://www.willetpondsfarm.com/blog/2022/9/18/frogs-and-toads

I almost stepped on it during a misty walk with Piper the other night. Big as a dessert plate with brown and black mottling and bulging eyes, the toad was peacefully sitting on our rock sidewalk. His colors blended into the stone so artfully that at first, I thought that he was a stone. He blinked

14/09/2022

Sunrise at the Willet Nest.

22/08/2022

The katydids are hollering, so that means the big yellow school buses will soon be on the road!

http://www.willetpondsfarm.com/blog/2022/8/21/big-yellow-school-buses

The line of traffic stretches all the way down King Street as hordes of SUV’s, many with luggage carriers, snake their way towards campus. It is a warm August day, and everyone has their windows rolled up to optimize the refrigerated air in their cars. But occasionally, I see an open window defyin...

07/07/2022

Summer sunsets in the mountains are amazing!

03/07/2022

Well, we USED to have a tidy row of lilies bordering both sides of our porch until Josephine apparently decided that lilies make comfy bedding for a pig intent on an afternoon snooze!

22/06/2022

Piper has a lot to look after here on the farm!

30/05/2022

Happy Birthday Moonshine! It's been exactly a year since Midnight gave birth to Moonshine right here on the farm. Moonshine is almost as big as his mother and looks just like her. (Other than size, the best way to tell them apart is Moonshine's cute fuzzy little mane) Fun to see them grazing peacefully in the pasture a year later.

23/04/2022

The dogwoods are starting to bloom....

09/04/2022

An April snow on the farm today! It's so cold and windy--a fitting time to share some thoughts on spring and doorknobs!
http://www.willetpondsfarm.com/blog/2022/4/9/doorknobs

My youngest left for a new job in Idaho last week. I put my winter coat over my flannel pajamas and followed her to the barn as she said goodbye to Josephine the pig and gave the donkey a quick pat. Her dad handed her a can of corn, and she dutifully threw it to the chickens, the kernels making an o

21/03/2022

Moonshine (just under one year) is super excited over spring and the coming green grass, "Uncle" Pito (just under 30 years) is not impressed; in fact, sometimes he is downright grumpy. (I know this is not a quality video, but I am so happy to share spring on the farm)

13/03/2022

*Article originally published March 11, 2013.* March 12-14 marks the anniversary of the “Storm of the Century,” the Blizzard of 1993. Anyone that was in the High Country during that time, or the East Coast for the matter, has a story to tell. Snowfall totals ranged from 3 inches in Alabama to 54...

31/01/2022

My dad in March 1993 snow. Walton in 2022 snow. Different technology. Same big snow and coveralls.

30/01/2022

Inspired by all of our recent winter weather!
http://www.willetpondsfarm.com/blog/2022/1/27/the-weather-woman

The wind is howling, and the snow is whirling around my windows trying to get in. The forecast is ominous: a foot or more of snow and ice for the North Carolina mountains! But I am prepared. I have filled all the bathtubs with water, bought enough provisions for a winter in Alaska, charged all the p

23/01/2022

Nice footage of "downtown Todd" in the snow. ( But how we miss the Todd General Store which burned down last year)

To learn more about Todd, NC and its interesting history, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Todd,_North_CarolinaProduced by Appalachian Memory Keepers (...

17/01/2022

It has been such a cold, windy weekend that we have been enjoying the snow from the windows at the cozy banya!

03/01/2022

Winter finally arrived! Happy New Year!

03/01/2022

Winter finally arrived! Happy New Year!

19/12/2021

The year that my dad UPS-ed a Christmas tree to Texas!
http://www.willetpondsfarm.com/blog/2021/12/19/oh-christmas-tree

I could see it from the parking lot—a large skinny box precariously leaned up against my apartment door blocking the peep hole. ‘What on earth?” I wondered as I took my canvas bag filled with student papers out of the car and trudged toward my apartment. It was a gray December day in South Tex...

11/12/2021

A beautiful morning on the farm!

29/11/2021

About the playhouse :)

http://www.willetpondsfarm.com/blog/2021/11/28/the-playhouse

My father built the little plank house in our garage. My basset hound, Oscar, and I supervised the construction carefully. Oscar wiggled his entire long body with excitement as my dad, whistling as he worked, occasionally asked me to hand him a nail, hammer, or some other tool. I felt very important

25/10/2021

One more golden day before the wind and rain....

21/10/2021

How grateful we are for neighbors!

http://www.willetpondsfarm.com/blog/2021/10/20/neighbors

The rain was coming down in sheets, and the windshield wipers were struggling as I turned out of the hospital parking lot and headed toward home. To be honest, I was struggling, too. I had been keeping watch over my sick mother-in-law all day, and I was tired and worried. The heavy rain and wind, co

17/10/2021

Beauty abounds....