Lyric Farm

26/10/2024

Marian is looking for a home. Could YOU be her forever family?

You may remember Madigan. This little sweetheart was surrendered to us from a tough situation and we transported her to Fast Friends Greyhound Adoption Center, who was kind enough to take her in for us. It broke Maddie’s owner’s heart to give her up, but it was the best thing for her. She is a small, affectionate girl who lives for cuddles and wants to have a best friend to love her forever. Maddie has gone through a lot — she was found as a stray in Texas, then transferred to Rhode Island where she was adopted and lived in a home for several months before we brought her to Fast Friends. She is worried right now and looking for comfort. Going home will be another transition for her, so she needs a quiet home with a patient adopter that can help her feel more confident. Once she settles in, she will be the most adorable little shadow and you won’t be able to imagine how you lived without her!

* Interested in having Madigan join your pack? Head over to Fast Friends Greyhound Adoption Center and check out the adoption process and complete an application*

26/10/2024

Anyone??

Good evening, friends.

Tonight, we had an elderly equestrian whose health has started to fail ask us to help find a home for their beloved Medicine Hat paint. The owner has had a bad fall and broken their hip. They no longer have funds to pay for his care.

The gelding’s name is Van and he is about 24 years old. This is the write up we received.

“Unfortunately, at this writing I have to find my best friend a new home. My horse Van is a 16 hand Tennessee Walker who has been with me for 18 years laying out trails for the fall foliage ride and enjoying hunter paces. He is 24 years old, and I have been his only rider. He has great ground manners and is not afraid of much.

I have to find a new home for him as a companion horse. He is a trail horse, can endure light riding as he needs conditioning, has not been ridden much over the past 4 years and has Cushing’s so he gets hot rapidly. But he is always willing to go.

Van is a great ride for an experienced rider with a light hand. He is a forward moving fellow. That communicates thru leg and hand cues. He is well trained and trustworthy with the right person. Loves kids, friendly dogs and animals, a curious guy with personality.

He requires a limited/special diet and a lot of grooming /shearing as his hair grows profusely. Kinda like a llama.

Van needs a good home where he can get all the attention you can give him”

If any of our followers have room for this old boy to live out his days, or would be willing to donate funds so we can arrange temporary care at a boarding facility, it would bring great peace to his current owner. He’s an awesome boy and a gorgeous Medicine Hat, just like Misty. Please let me know if you’d be willing to help in any capacity and I will arrange communication between you and the current facility and owner.

Much Love,

Diego’s Friends ❤️

06/10/2024

Live from Pet Rock Fest in Lancaster, MA!

03/10/2024

Woo-hoo!! Only 3 1/2 days until ! Come see us and our traveling ambassadors at the Lancaster Fairgrounds on this Sunday, October 6, from 12-5pm. PM us your email address if you want a $2 off adult ticket coupon!

01/10/2024

30/09/2024

Uxbridge, MA—It is with great sadness that we announce that our sweet Martin has lost his battle with squamous cell carcinoma. He let us know that he was done fighting, and we honored his decision. We helped him go to sleep on Thursday afternoon, September 26, 2024. He was 11 1/4 years old. He is survived by his twin sister, Margaux, and his other beloved sheep and goat herdmates, as well as his 5 protectors, our livestock guardian dogs. He was laid to rest on Friday, September 27, in the Lyric Farm Winter Garden, with the those who passed before him. He is greatly missed by one and all here on the farm. 💜

25/09/2024

Look where we’re going to be on Sunday, October 6! Come say hello to our traveling ambassadors! We can’t wait to see you there! Pet Rock Festival

🐾 Lest you be unaware, Pet Rock Fest promotes kindness to ALL , and supports a variety of animal-related causes and organizations! We’re pumped to welcome The Refuge at Lyric Farm, making their Pet Rock Festival debut on Oct. 6 at the Lancaster Fairgrounds with some of the most adorable farm animals in tow. 🐐🐑✨ Meet Cosmo the goat, Merry Berry & Luna D’Estata the sheep, Crystal the alpaca, and even one of their Livestock Guardian Dogs! 🐶 The Refuge is a fiscally sponsored project under the nonprofit Players Philanthropy Fund, and they’re accepting tax-deductible donations. 💚 They also welcome volunteers of all abilities, including neurodiverse individuals, to help care for their residents! 🌟 Come say hi, learn more, and discover how rewarding it can be to care for these amazing animals!

23/09/2024

UPDATE on Martin.

I’ve needed a few days to process and be able to write this post. You may recall that last week we were at Tufts Large Animal Hospital for Martin to be evaluated for additional treatment of his squamous cell carcinoma. The results of the evaluation were not what we wanted to hear: sadly the cancer has spread too far, too fast, and has advanced beyond the treatment stage. We are now keeping him comfortable, and enjoying the short time he has left with us, but an end of life decision will need to be made sooner rather than later.

Thank you all for your prayers for him (and us!). 🙏🏻

Pics of the handsome boy at the hospital.

16/09/2024

This handsome fellow is Martin (pronounced approximately like Mar-TAN, the French way). He is named after the great hockey goalie Martin Brodeur, and he has been fighting squamous cell carcinoma (a type of skin cancer) as fiercely as Monsier Brodeur defended the goal on the ice.

Today Martin (the sheep) is at the Hospital for Large Animals at Tufts University to be evaluated for treatment that is not available on the farm. We have been working closely with Dr. Caitlin Eaton of EquidDoc Veterinary Services, LLC, and have made the joint decision that this is the best next step for him.

I solicit your prayers for Martin, his medical team, and me as we all make the important decisions. We are hopeful that treatment will be helpful. 🙏🏻

Thank you ! May your day be blessed!

11/09/2024

Our sweet Sally Girl made the perfect picture laying down and basking in the sunshine ☀️😍, but the moment I pulled out the camera 📸 to capture it, she jumped up and came walking over to see me. 😆🥰 (She was probably just looking for a treat, but let’s pretend she loves me! 😜)

02/09/2024

Had a great time at the We Are Uniquely Uxbridge Day on the town common today! Thanks to everyone who came by!

23/08/2024

Our rescued residents Crystal the alpaca, Cosmo the goat, and Merry Berry the sheep, along with Trixie the Americana chicken and Myrtle the silkie chicken brought joy to residents, family members, and staff at Wyndemere Woods Independent and Assisted Living Center on Wednesday. 😍

Would YOU like a visit? Let us know!

(Please like, comment, and share this post with your friends; it will help us to be seen.)

14/08/2024

Wesley knows how to smile for a selfie. 💙

13/08/2024

Sanctuary residents (L-R) Nicholas, the one-horned sheep, Stuart, the llama, and Sally, the Boer goat, enjoy relaxing in the sun after filling their bellies.

09/08/2024

Crystal the alpaca prepares for a back-scratching roll in the sand. Isn’t she adorable? 😍

Please like and/or comment on and/or share our posts for the algorithm if you see them. Thanks! 😊

06/08/2024

Resident mules Hope & Glory observe the goings on from the door of their stall. 🧐

26/07/2024

Our sanctuary residents love attention! Here they are snuggling with volunteer Lauren. ☺️ If you, too, would like to snuggle a resident, contact us; we always have volunteer openings!

05/03/2023

This is what being a sanctuary is all about. ❤️

05/03/2023

Some fun on a snowy day on the farm with LF volunteers Blake and Kiley! ❄️☃️🐮 (Captions under each picture.)

We still have some volunteer openings throughout the week. If you’re interested, please email us at [email protected].

07/02/2023

MY LITTLE FARM ❤
“Farm work doesn’t make you stronger. It doesn’t make you anything. It reveals you.
There’s gym strong and then there’s farm strong. They’re mutually exclusive. The toughest women you’ll ever meet spend their days on a farm.
There are more uses for twine than you can possibly imagine. You can tie up a hole in a slow feeder, fashion a tail strap for a horse’s blanket, mend a broken fence and use it as a belt.
“Well that certainly didn’t go as planned,” is one thing you’ll say quite a bit.
Control is a mere illusion. The thought that you have any, at any given time, is utterly false.
Sometimes sleep is a luxury. So are lunch and dinner. And brushing your hair.
If you’ve never felt your obliques contract, then you’ve never tried stopping an overly full wheelbarrow of horse manure from tipping over sideways. Trust me, you’ll find muscles that you never knew existed on the human skeleton to prevent this from happening.
When one of the animals is ill, you’ll go to heroic lengths to minimize their discomfort.
Their needs come first. In summer heat and coldest winter days. Clean water, clean bed, and plenty of feed. Before you have your first meal, they all eat.
When you lose one of them, even though you know that day is inevitable, you still feel sadness, angst and emotional pain from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. And it’s a heaviness that lingers even though you must regroup and press on.
You’ll cry a lot. But you’ll never live more fully. You’ll remain present no matter what because you must. There is no other option.
You’ll ask for so many miracles and hold out hope until the very last.
You will, at least once, face-plant in the manure pile. You’ll find yourself saying things like, “we have maybe twenty minutes of daylight left to git ‘er done” whilst gazing up at a nonspecific place in the sky.
You’ll become weirdly obsessive about the weather.
You’ll go out in public wearing filthy clothes and smelling of dirt, sweat and p**p. People will look at you sideways and krinkle their noses but you won’t care.
Your entire day can derail within ten seconds of the rising sun.
You can wash your coveralls. They won’t look any cleaner, but they will smell much nicer.
Farm work is difficult in its simplicity.
You’ll always notice just how beautiful sunrises and sunsets really are.
Should you ever have the opportunity to work on a farm, take the chance! You will never do anything more satisfying in your entire life.”

17/01/2023

UPDATE: Thank you to all of you who have contacted me regarding volunteering or employment! The number of responses has been a thrill to see! That being said, it’s taking me a little bit of time to process all your inquiries. Please do not interpret the delay in my response to be disinterest! Thank you!

BARN HELP WANTED - Uxbridge, MA

Do you love animals? Do you like to be outdoors in all kinds of weather? Are you looking for functional, gym-free activity that will increase your strength and endurance?

We need you! We are a small farm animal rescue with an immediate opening for help with feeding our residents and some minor cleaning on Sat, Sun, Mon, & Tue afternoons. Daily chores take about 2-1/2 to 3 hrs—possibly less, once training is complete and depending on the day. (Additional tasks or projects available on a weekly basis, not included in the daily time calculation.)

Qualifications:
• Comfortable with all kinds of animals, including dogs
• Ability to follow directions
• Attention to detail (a must for everyone’s health and safety)
• Ability to lift and carry 50-lb bags of feed or full buckets of water (although we can talk about this one)
• Ability to work independently after training is complete
• Have transportation
• Are reliable and will show up
• At least 12 years old
• Can bend low and/or kneel
• Doesn’t mind getting dirty

Will consider applicants who can only do one or some of the above days, teams of two if friends want to work together, and a “special projects only” helper.

If this sounds like a good fit for you and/or someone you know, for more information please contact me through a PM.

Volunteers are also welcomed and encouraged to apply!

07/09/2021

FOUND ON THE FARM
Friends!
Maggie and Scarlett are friends and neighbors to the farm and each other who come to visit the farm. They’ve recently become enamored with the chickens and duck, and spend time cuddling with them. They also help collect the eggs, and feed the chickens and other animals. Then they go home with fresh eggs!

Would you like to make friends with a chicken? Or perhaps another farm animal? Are you interested in feeding them? Or perhaps you just want eggs! We always need volunteers, so if you have an hour (or more) a week to spare and you’d like to help out, just shoot us a message.

Check out our other FOUND ON THE FARM posts to see what other fun things we find on the farm!

07/09/2021

FOUND ON THE FARM: Fungi!!
I have been fascinated to find so many different types of fungi around the farm—a fabulous variety. It’s been quite wet at times this year—we’ve had TWO tropical storms roll through in rapid succession this summer—and we have some wetlands on the property, but the shade patterns of the trees make a difference in the areas that are not considered wetlands, which is where all of these different types of fungi have been found. Admittedly, a couple of them were found in the manure pit, so were not a surprise, but many of them were found in places I was not expecting.

As much as I’d like to tell you about each one, I do not actually know anything about them, other than being able to identify them as fungi. If you are in the know, please share your knowledge with us by leaving a comment beneath the photo(s) you know about!

03/09/2021

FOUND ON THE FARM
Pumpkins! Well, technically only two small pumpkins (so far, only one of which is pictured), and numerous blossoms which will hopefully become pumpkins (or squash, or gourds).

Last fall, we benefited from some of the leftover pumpkins from our friends at George Hill Orchards, and a few locals who donated their porch pumpkins at the end of the season. The animals like to eat them, and we like to let them. 😋 In fact, our local field mouse contingency enjoyed them immensely, as well, and left a bit of a mess for us to clean up. The scraps ended up in our compost pile/manure pit. I truly did not believe any of the seeds had survived the mice over the winter (a situation with which I was okay since the mice seemed to prefer the pumpkins to my stored critter feed), so I was quite delighted when I discovered all these vigorous volunteer pumpkin plants! (In gardening, a “volunteer” plant is one that grows on its own without being planted by deliberate action by the gardener/farmer.)

One of the dreams I’ve had for our new property is to grow stuff—flowers, fruits, vegetables, herbs, you name it. Unfortunately, the time to actually cultivate any type of garden or beds has eluded us so far. When I first discovered a couple itty bitty plants, I didn’t realize how large and beautiful they would become, or how numerous they actually were. Some were incognito, and did not reveal their presence until they were rather large. They are now huge ranging plants with ginormous leaves on long, thick vines, populated with multiple brilliantly-colored and bold-sized blossoms.

And I am, well, delighted still! I enjoy observing them and noting their changes on an almost daily basis, and find it so exciting to see the plants flourishing, even though I’ve done nothing to make or help that happen. What a wonderful gift from God! It is like He is encouraging me by giving me a head start on my dream. And it’s a nice reminder that He can bring life and beauty from what most others see as garbage, refuse, or something to be discarded—even our own lives. What a wonderful lesson!

Stay tuned for more updates on the pumpkins as they continue to grow and mature as the season progresses! By the way, we were given several different varieties of pumpkins, gourds, and the occasional squash—and several of those (at least) were hybrids—so I have absolutely no idea exactly what type of fruits God is growing for us. We’ll just have to wait and see what wonderful surprises He has in store!

Please check the other posts on our page for more FOUND ON THE FARM snippets of farm life.