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Here’s Jen out in the woods, stalking the elusive Barred Owl. We had a glimpse of the owl, but we got a much closer look at these ferocious creatures of the forest, who appear to have wandered over from the Vlei Marsh trail.

We had a quiet Christmas holiday, with just the three of us and Jen’s parents. Sarah ably performed her elfly duties, and Daisy found a soup bone in her stocking. Sarah gave Jen these beautiful pressed ginkgo leaves from Strasbourg. She gave her grandfather a pen and notebook, where he can record his inner thoughts. […]

Here are Jen and Daisy planning for the coming Thanksgiving holiday. Just off camera is Sarah, knitting companionably. There are many chores to be completed, including the annual Storage of the Tubers. Jen has collected about 250 dahlia tubers, so next year should be a colorful one.

After a relatively brief visit to the farm this weekend, Jen collected a large number (but a small percentage) of her dahlias to bring back to New York. On Friday, we traveled to Colgate to have dinner with Sarah and, on Saturday, to watch her race against Hamilton College at the Head of the Moraine, […]

We received this tulip tree as a gift from Erica and Geoff, of EvilPea Acres. Planted yesterday, it stands majestic, with its future before it. Jen and I took turns at the shovel. We were reminded of the many large rocks lurking within our verdant fields.

Perhaps we were too hasty in reflexively blaming the deer.

A cold and rainy day did not dissuade us from visiting the Duchess County Fair. Jen and Sarah enjoyed copious amounts of fair fare. We saw cows, sheep, goats, and, yes, these piglets. Jen was triumphant, winning not only her customary blue ribbon for her splendid peach lemon marmalade, but also a blue ribbon and […]

A few peaches are ripening in our under-producing nano-orchard. Jen parked her tractor beneath the tree to make the birds think she might return at any moment.

Here is Jen out and about with her new fanny pack, equally useful for storing foraging bags and embarrassing her daughter.

The black raspberries — black caps — are having a great year. Jen is gathering great bowlfuls to be made into jam. The mulberries are also ripe at this time, which is why we can often find a deer grazing at the end of the driveway.