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in anticipation of our 60th birthday party, we performed the annual Sweeping of the Barn. This would be a more manageable task if we had fewer bats, actually swept out the barn annually, or both.

A mysterious figure gathers blackberries on the hill. What can it signify? The mysterious figure gathered no black raspberries this season, yet the Duchess County Fair impends. Stayed tuned for the jarring conclusion.

Although Sarah was still away at school, Jen received her customary breakfast in bed for Mother’s Day.

We devoted Easter morning to the annual cleaning of the barn, which involves sweeping out the prior year’s accumulated birdshit so that the Barn Swallows can enjoy tidy accommodations for the coming season. Yesterday Daisy climbed Burger Hill with her husband, Ringo. These days, Daisy finds it easier to climb the hill than to get […]

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.