July arrives with loads, and loads of flowers! We hosted a bouquet making workshop at in the new Carriage House at Susannah’s Watch with our friends at Sunnyside Florals, Sheepfield Farms, Grazygirls, and Xella Winery and Vineyard! The turnout was great! Erin from Xella poured the sangria, Shelley led the bouquet instruction, and the ladies…

We tend to jump into the deep end when embarking on new adventures, and farming is no different. When we moved back to the States from living overseas for years, I was literally Googling “how to be a farmer” on the flight to Maryland. We got the B&B up and running in 2020, and this…

Summer has arrived, and the flowers are blooming in the greenhouse!

After a long COVID winter lull, the temps are warming, the guests have returned to the B&B, we have flowers in the field, and our first two weddings are in the books. Wine Grapes & Lavender Grape Vines Arrived! After two years of soil preparation, and lots of help from the Dixon brothers, the grapevines…

At last, we have a day with no ice, wind, rain, snow, and the sun is out! We have been waiting for this glorious sunny day for a long while, and it’s beautiful out. Big things going on at the Dixon Family Farm this week. My little greenhouse is at max capacity with germinating flowers…

Zimmerman’s is our local Amish greenhouse supply store. A fun place to go any day, but on this particular Tuesday, it was SUPER fun. What could be so amazing about a trip to get some pots and vermiculite you ask? When we turned down the dirt road to Zimmerman’s, we see a sign for “Sheltie…

It’s cold and gray. Winter is quite chilly in our old farmhouse, so we bundle up in sweatshirts and spend lots of time by the wood stove in the evenings. I have also spent lots of time buying flower seeds for next spring. Soooo many flower seeds! Talking to Jeff, drinking a bottle of our…

We had to do one of those difficult things tonight. They are a cross between pets and livestock, our chicken friends. I’ve heard that we shouldn’t name them, because the favorites always die. Her name was Sleepy, actually Sleepy II. The first sleepy was a sleek black Americana chicken who earned her name because she…

Last spring we lost our Collie, Buddy. He was everyone’s best friend, except people on bicycles. He did not enjoy bicycle riders. When we were settled in Maryland Buddy slowed way down. He napped about 23 out of 24 hours a day. He would go to work with Jeff on the farm, and nap on…

We moved home in late October 2019, and the barn and farm were in rough shape. Here are some before and after pics. Hard to believe we started out with this mess. Before After In November we finally got the permits from the county to clear our first acre of brush, very exciting!

Postponed from March, there was an opportunity between COVID surges to throw a wedding on the farm. Not just any wedding, but a Dixon Family wedding! It was our honor to provide the bride and groom a place to get ready, and take some beautiful photos before the ceremony. A few photos of the beautiful…

It’s official, Susannah’s Watch B&B has finally opened! Kind of. COVID is still lingering, so we decided to open at 50% capacity for as long as it takes to keep our guests comfortable, and safe. So far, so good! In the first few weeks we had a couple casualties, broken tiles, trashed towels, and a…

The end of July brings us to the end of the construction, painting, fixing, cleaning, hanging art, and landscaping! The end of Phase One anyway. It’s time to take professional pictures of this beautiful place in its new role as a Bed and Breakfast. Our designer Kera, of Chesapeake Staging and Interiors, suggested Beth Graeme Photography in Leonardtown….

Spring 2020 won’t soon be forgotten, the global pandemic that stopped the entire world in its tracks. We hunkered down at home, donned masks, washed our hands, and got to know our UPS and FedEx drivers really well. We continued working on the B&B installing fireplaces, assembling furniture, and painted miles and miles of wood…

Late March brings us to a screeching halt, along with the rest of the world with a Pandemic. The 2019 Coronavirus has made its way to Maryland, and all non-essential businesses have closed. Social distancing is enforced, and everyone is on edge. It’s not too difficult to stay isolated on the farm, we feel very…

It’s early March, and Construction in Susannah’s suite is in full swing. A bathroom renovation is underway, and we have plumbers and electricians coming and going all day. We need more people in the house, let’s add a professional wallpaper installer and a crew of landscapers!

We knew Susannah (Bennett) Lowe’s gravestone was in the front yard of the B&B, she has been there since 1714. I had spent several months looking into the family history of Susannah (Bennett) Lowe and had connected the land records up to the present. The land has been in Jeff’s family since the early 1700’s….

Around December we started seeing a lone ring necked pheasant hanging round the farm, then our house. Jeff started throwing sunflower seeds for our new pet pheasant we named “Lost Boy”. Every morning around 830 he would emerge from the woods and peck around where the last breakfast was served outside the living room window….

We closed on the sale of “Aunt Joan’s House” in late December. With keys in hand, we started to figure out how to turn this gorgeous family home into a B&B with four guest rooms. We started with plants for the sun room and the pool table assembly. The pool table has an interesting history….

After months of disappointing, low pressure, “fart showers” the long awaited well drilling rig rolled into our driveway on a cold February morning. Two days of drilling and digging, we have a new 250 foot artesian well that provides a glorious hot shower that does not stink. Thank you Watson Pump and Well of St….