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Mid-October is quite late to make hay, but we’ve had a very wet season. Herb Stickle and his fleet of Ford tractors (seen here with bailer, tedder and mower attached) cleared out our hayfields this week.

Herb said he made about eighty round bales.

Here is a rare image of our interior swamp, in the woods between our two northernmost hayfields. It’s looking quite pond-like these days.

Here’s Daisy at the top of the hill — literally in clover — enjoying an apple Jen picked during our walk this afternoon.

It’s remarkable how many opportunities we have to improve our roofing situation.

In this shot from the dumpster, you can see the original roof sheathing stenciled “James, R. Bourne, Rhinebeck, N.Y.” Bourne, a Democrat who lost a 1950 Congressional bid, hosted Eleanor Roosevelt in what is now our living room. Back to the cottage, the story is that when the 1916 two–story farmer’s house burned down in 1939, it was replaced by a one-story Sears kit house. The stencil is consistent with that story — you can also find it on the joists in the basement, and it’s typical of kit houses. But I haven’t been able to identify a Sears house that matches the cottage. It seems closest to a Cape Cod model, but who knows.

Today is the day to drop off culinary entries for the Dutchess County Fair. Jen, the defending champion in the marmalade category, entered four categories of jam. We are hopeful for a successful defense of her title.

This weekend we had a visit from Lauren Ballback, Babysitter Emeritus to Sarah, and now counsel to the U.S. Secret Service.

She was accompanied by Hamilton, who, on his most recent visit, dug a rather treacherous hole in the lawn. He was better behaved this time.

Jen gathered a handful of pin cherries on our walk today. Last night we had a surprise visit from Erica and Geoff, on their way from Maine back to Brooklyn, so Daisy is in especially high spirits.

Here is the first of seven concurrent severe weather/flash flooding warnings from the aptly named Dark Sky app. We seem to have storms, and power outages, quite regularly these days. Jen’s garden is a swimming pool.

Most of the birding content ends up on Instagram these days, but here’s an exclusive image for Rhinebeckfarm.com readers: a Cedar Waxwing. Like the morel, it’s something that has always been here but somehow we’ve never noticed until now.

Jen’s garden is not something that just “happens.”

Does paying Rhinebeck property taxes entitle you to send your child to the Rhinebeck High School Prom? Not really, but Sarah was able to attend as the plus-one of her pal Anna Lawson, far left. Here she is at a pre-prom, Mills Mansion photo op with the Lawson twins and, in blue, another former Fireball teammate, Maeve Szwed. The prom was held outdoors at Del’s Roadside (f/k/a Del’s Dairy Creme) on Route 9. Sarah had a great time.

Look at that smile!

After a year’s hiatus, Rhinebeck resumed its Memorial Day parade. It featured its usual assortment of hard-ass veterans, volunteer firefighters, and vintage cars, but it lacked the leavening presence of the children: soccer teams, tae kwon-do studios, cub scout troops, and the like — presumably because they are not yet vaccinated. Still, it was a welcome return to form, which we watched with the Burleigh family (and Geoff) from the Lawsons’ porch.