The Farm Ashburn

09/15/2026

09/14/2026

With cool weather in the long range forecast, this will be the last week for the pool (AKA Caber’s giant water bowl 🤣).

09/12/2026

Cut and set for another week with help from Kaitlyn (Finish Line K9)!

Please note that this will be the last week for the tunnel to let the grass fully recover before winter.

Equipment will be going into storage for the winter on October 3 😢

08/31/2026

Bright yellow. Blooming right now. Getting blamed for your allergies. And completely innocent.
GOLDENROD VS. RAGWEED:
→ GOLDENROD: bright yellow, showy flowers. Pollen is heavy and sticky. Carried by BEES, not wind. Doesn't enter your nose.
→ RAGWEED: green, inconspicuous flowers. Pollen is microscopic and wind-carried. One plant produces 1 BILLION pollen grains per season.
→ They bloom at the SAME TIME (August–September)
→ You see goldenrod. You don't see ragweed. You blame the wrong one.
THE ALLERGIST'S PERSPECTIVE:
→ Ragweed is the #1 fall allergy trigger in the US
→ Affects 23 million Americans
→ Ragweed pollen can travel 400+ miles on wind
→ Peak ragweed: mid-August through first frost
→ Goldenrod pollen: almost never appears in allergy test results
WHY GOLDENROD MATTERS:
→ Critical late-season nectar source for pollinators
→ Native bees, monarch butterflies, migrating insects depend on it
→ Blooms when most other flowers are done
→ Provides the LAST fuel before winter and migration
→ 100+ species of native goldenrod in North America
THE IRONY:
→ People pull goldenrod from their yards (thinking it causes allergies)
→ This removes critical pollinator food
→ While ragweed thrives in disturbed soil they create
→ You're removing the beneficial plant and helping the allergenic one
WHAT TO DO:
→ Leave goldenrod alone (or plant it! Pollinators need it NOW)
→ Pull ragweed if you can identify it (before it flowers in August)
→ Take allergy meds and blame the right plant
→ Goldenrod deserves an apology. And a place in your garden.
200 years of wrong accusations.
She's feeding monarchs. She's feeding bees.
She's not making you sneeze. Ragweed is.

08/31/2026

08/29/2026

08/18/2026

THE POOL IS OPEN AGAIN

After multiple uses without the skimmer filter set properly, the pool needed major maintenance to get it usable again. This included hours of my time hand skimming, vacuuming and rinsing filter balls in addition to giving the filter pump the opportunity to do some of the work, but almost overheating it with the amount of hair that it accumulated. That much hair should never make it past the skimmer.

PLEASE MAKE SURE THE SKIMMER IS SET AS SHOWN IN THE VIDEO AND THE PUMP IS RUNNING.

It should be floating just at the water surface and collecting all of the hair and debris on the surface before it sinks. **If it is not in the correct position, please let me know ASAP so I can fix it.**

If this happens again, I will not be sacrificing my walks or training time with my dogs to clean it. The pool will be emptied and closed for the season.

08/15/2026

The pool is closed until further notice.