Managing laundry for a large, working farm is a huge task. It's crucial that all the necessary appliances are always in good, working order.
Several loads of laundry are done here every day - clothes and towels, horse blankets and saddle pads, cleaning rags, mats, etc. To keep up with it all, I have washers and dryers dedicated to just these essentials. Aside from the machines in my homes, I have a washer and dryer pair in my stable, and two washers and dryers in my production studio building. All of them are Speed Queen units with sizable drum capacities and special cycles specifically designed for heavy duty loads. Speed Queen washers and dryers are efficient, easy-to-use and last for many years.
Enjoy these photos.
In summer, the horses and donkeys wear protective sheets to block the sun’s strong UV rays. Here’s Bond with my female donkeys Billie and Jude “JJ” Junior after their morning in the pastures.
The sheets and sheet neck guards not only protect them from the sun, but also from the pesky bugs that bite at their coats.
These sheets have soft form-fitting micro mesh which is light and comfortable – even on the warmest of days.
Because horses and donkeys love to roll when out in the pastures, these sheets are washed regularly and frequently.
For all the heavy duty items that need to be washed around the farm, I like to use these Speed Queen washers and dryers. Speed Queen was founded in 1908 in Wisconsin by Joe Barlow and John Seelig as Barlow & Seelig Manufacturing. As young entrepreneurs, they started out by taking existing machine designs and improving them. In 1922, Speed Queen was the first company to introduce washers with nickel-copper tubs. And in 1928, they renamed the company “Speed Queen.”
As with any washable item, it is a good idea to zip, tie, or velcro any openings, so nothing gets tangled during the washing process.
Another good laundry room tip is to make sure the doors of the washer and dryer don’t block each other. Be sure to install front loading machine door hinges on the most convenient sides. This washer opens out to the left while the dryer swings open to the right. Doors are not in the way when unloading and loading.
Speed Queen’s washers take all kinds of detergents – liquid, powder, and pods. I only use the gentlest unscented liquid detergents for all the washing done here at the farm.
Speed Queen’s Pet Plus cycles are specially designed for removing hair from fabrics. It may run a little longer, but it gets the job done.
These heavy duty model machines are also at a convenient height for loading and unloading. Speed Queen makes a variety of residential and commercial products, from 25-pound capacity tumblers to 250-pound washer-extractors, and dryers. These units in my stable are models FF7 and DR7 front loading machines.
The dryer has a roomy drum capacity for larger loads. The dryer also includes anti-static capabilities. To prevent the dryer from overheating, always clean the screen or filter after every use, and regularly remove accumulated lint from behind the unit.
Once the sheets are washed, they’re dried for a short time and then hung on the rack.
Residential sized units are installed in my guest house and production building. Speed Queen offers a selection of models for various needs.
This washer is a top loader, so its door opens up. All Speed Queen washers and dryers are well known for their durability and strong performance. These models are also very quiet.
The tub capacity is usually measured in raw cubic feet. Various machines have different sizes to accommodate individual family needs.
In this load, Elvira places a number of bath towels into the sizable tub, spreading them equally around the machine’s agitator.
The liquid detergent is placed into the soap compartment. Here, it is in the center agitator.
Speed Queen’s washer panel has easy to read options and allows one to customize the cycle for specific needs and times. Always be sure to configure the correct washer settings for a load. A regular cycle is best for sturdy and dirty items, while the permanent press setting is fine for the average load. Use hot water for white loads, warm water for the average load, and cold water for bright colors.
This dryer is front loading and has a large drum capacity for a large load of towels or other clothes.
Once the load is complete, Elvira places it in the dryer and selects her settings. Most dryers have settings that allow one to choose how dry the items would be. The permanent press setting has a cool-down cycle at the end to reduce wrinkling. On air fluff, the dryer circulates air but adds no heat. Bath towels should be dried completely.
And here are the finished towels – so clean, fluffy, and well dried.
And as always recommended, the lint catcher is emptied after every load.
I am so pleased with all my Speed Queen units – they’re dependable and efficient, wash after wash.
I'm always happy to share photos of my pets - so many of you ask about them. They're all doing excellently, including my growing group of lovable cats.
Here at my farm, I have six felines. Three of them reside in my Winter House - my silver shaded Persian Magnolia, my dilute calico Persian Dahlia, and my brown Persian longhair Lilium. Down at my stable are my two young barn cats, Cinco and Mayo. And, in the greenhouse is Blackie, the only male.
Here are some of the latest photos, enjoy.
Magnolia has been with me since January of this year. She has beautiful golden-copper eyes and a friendly disposition.
She’s about three years old and so curious – roaming from room to room, upstairs and downstairs, keeping an eye on everything that goes on.
Here she is looking out the kitchen door. Perhaps she’s wondering where all the dogs went. Cats have a wider field of vision than humans, but need to be closer to see things in the same detail. Felines have much better night vision than humans too.
This beauty is Dahlia. She has captured everyone’s heart here at the farm.
Dahlia loves company and attention. She’s the youngest of the Persians at about one year old.
Dahlia plays hard and sleeps hard. Kittens six months and older, and adult cats, sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day on average. And, kittens have a similar routine to adult cats, napping throughout the day. They are usually most active at dawn and dusk.
The newest to join my Winter House clowder is Lilium. Lilium is about three years old with beautiful facial expressions and markings.
Lilium traveled all the way from Doha, the capital city of Qatar in the Middle East. I adopted Lilium and Magnolia through Rock ‘N Rescue, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization based in Bedford Hills, New York, not far from my farm.
She fits in so nicely with her new “sisters.” She’s independent, confident, and very friendly.
All my cats use PrettyLitter, a special odor controlling, health monitoring gel crystal formula that’s available in clumping and non clumping varieties.
Silica gel crystals absorb moisture through millions of micropores, locking in any odors. The crystals are 100-percent natural, mineral-based and safe for cats. In fact, it’s virtually dust-free, which makes it safe for those with respiratory sensitivities. And, it changes color when a cat has a potential health issue.
This is Cinco, the Calico. Here she is climbing the stone walls outside my stable.
Here’s Mayo, or as she is affectionately called, “May-May.” She will always roll over hoping for a belly rub.
Both Cinco and Mayo, stay around the stable complex under the watchful eye of my stable manager, Helen Peparo, and her crew.
Calico cats have tricolor coats. The calico cat is commonly 25 to 75-percent white with large orange and black patches. And, calicos are almost exclusively female.
Cinco and Mayo were born on March 15, 2024 and arrived here on Cinco de Mayo of the same year. Now at almost a year and a half old, these feline sisters are thriving.
Look closely, tabby cats have a distinctive coat pattern and an “M”-shaped marking on the forehead. The pattern can include stripes, dots, lines, flecks, bands, or swirls on the cat’s body, and the cat may also have stripes by its eyes and across its cheeks, back, legs, and tail.
These two are never far apart. At the end of the day, or when it is too cold outside, one can find them here in the feed room where they have many toys and beds.
And here’s Blackie, my greenhouse cat. Every day he makes his rounds, saying hi to everyone he sees. Blackie loves people and is always ready for a good scratch behind the ears.
At night he’s back indoors guarding the greenhouse from any and all small furred intruders.
Here he is taking a nap after a long, busy day on the prowl. I’m so glad all my cats are happy and healthy. I hope yours are doing well this summer too.
Here at my farm we're picking lots of wonderful and nutritious produce from the garden.
Earlier this week, my head gardener Ryan McCallister harvested a bounty of vegetables - beans, artichokes, peppers, eggplants, carrots, onions, and more. And, we also picked nearly a bushel of peaches - that's almost 50-pounds of delicious, sweet fruits. A lot goes in to growing all these foods, including selecting the right plants, preparing the soil, watering, weeding, and staking if needed. Ryan and I check the beds every day. It's so rewarding to then see all that comes out of a well-tended garden - and there's still more to come.
Enjoy these photos.
After any harvest, the freshly picked fruits and vegetables are loaded up and brought to my flower room, where they can be washed if needed, then bagged and stored in the refrigerator. It makes me so happy to be able to share all of this produce with friends and family every summer.
Here’s the season’s first big bounty of cucumbers. Cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, are great for pickling – I try to find time for pickling every year. I like them best when they are about six to eight inches in length. These will be so sweet and juicy.
There are also a lot of beans. Beans grow best in full sun and moist soil. Bush beans are among the top most popular vegetables in home gardens. Bush beans are eaten when the seeds are small. They are also called string beans because of a fibrous string running the length of the pod.
Ryan picks a few handfuls of beans, but there are still so many growing on the vines. They can continually produce throughout the season with the proper care. In general, bush beans are ready in about 45 to 50 days if the weather is right.
There are two types of green beans. Pole beans grow on climbing vines and require trellising. Bush beans like these grow on bushes up to two feet and do not need support. Bean pods can be green, yellow, purple, or even speckled with red!
Next, Ryan checks the bell pepper bed. Peppers hold up great in the heat, and we’ve had a lot of warm days, so there should be some good, flavorful peppers.
Peppers always do well in my garden. Here’s one of many just picked.
Sweet bell peppers are popular in the garden – all grassy in flavor and crunchy in texture. I love making stuffed peppers – so easy and so delicious.
My crew loves hot peppers, and I grow many of them to share. Jalapeño peppers thrive in full sun and are ready to pick when they are firm, green, and about three inches long. This one looks ready.
The globe artichoke, Cynara scolymus, is actually a flower bud, which is eaten when tender. Buds are generally harvested once they reach full size, just before the bracts begin to spread open.
When harvesting artichokes, cut off the bud along with about three inches of stem.
Artichoke harvest starts in late July or early August and continues well until frost.
It is good to pick eggplants when they are young and tender. Try to pick a little early, which will encourage the plant to grow more, and will help to extend the growing season.
I planted a lot of white, yellow and red onions. Ryan picked these, but there will be a bigger onion harvest soon.
Here are some of this year’s red onions.
We have such beautiful carrots this season. Most are familiar with the orange carrots, but they also come in red, yellow, white, and purple. I like to grow an assortment.
So many tomatoes are developing on the vines, but they’re not ready just yet. Most tomato plant varieties need between 50 and 90 days to mature. Planting can also be staggered to produce early, mid and late season tomato harvests.
And then it was a walk to the orchard. My orchard surrounds three sides of my pool. Most of the fruits are not yet ready to pick, but many of the peaches are ripe and sweet. And all the peach trees are filled with bright pink fruits.
If the peach is firm to the touch, it’s not ready. It’s ripe when there is some “give” as it is gently squeezed.
It’s always so much fun to harvest the “fruits of our labor.” I hope all your gardens are just as productive as mine.
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