We had a small but mighty Christmas, with a perfectly sized tree-for-three, which Sarah named Leroy. We had many presents, a Zoom call with the Burleighs, and a cassoulet dinner.
The night before, Sarah made gingerbread cookies.
When it came time to decorate them, everyone got involved.
Daisy had a particularly successful holiday, receiving, in addition to these matching Xmas pajamas, a treat-finding game, a yellow slicker, and this antler, which is no longer with us.
We had an intimate Thanksgiving for three this year in our lugubrious dining room, with a relatively svelte (12 lb.) turkey from Kesicke Farm and all or most of the fixings. We had Zoom calls with Jen’s family and with mine, with Erica & Geoff participating in both.
Sarah took charge of the apple pie, as has become customary, as well as the sweet potatoes.
Jen helped with the lattice crust.
It was, in a word, magnificent.
Equally magnificent was this hickory nut pie. Everyone pitched in to crack the nuts, and Jen’s and Sarah’s Montessori educations paid off handsomely as all shell shards were painstakingly removed prior to baking.
Daisy got her own Thanksgiving treat, a bully stick, about which the less said the better. Look at that tail go!
I was wandering around the North Woods in Central Park late Saturday morning when I heard a rising cheer from every direction. I knew at once the election had been called for Joe Biden. That’s a nice thing about living in New York: you can find out if, say, the Yankees have won the pennant without watching the game. Your neighbors will let you know.
After Sarah’s dance rehearsal we drove up to Rhinebeck and enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a glass of Champagne on the back porch with the Lawsons.
Lately we have been spending Friday nights in the city because Sarah has mid-day Saturday dance practice, where she is gunning for a big role in the Nutcracker. Here’s one of our more photogenic maples shortly after we arrived late Saturday afternoon. We hurried over to Southlands for their annual fundraising gala, held this year in drive-in format. They showed a short film about Southlands’ past and present, in which Sarah spoke rather touchingly about what riding can teach us about goal-setting and the value of persistence. Then we watched a documentary, Harry & Snowman, about a man whose devotion to horse jumping destroys his family. Finally, we hurried home for another documentary, shown on the side of our barn, likely the last of our drive-ins for the season.
Herb Stickle made round bales this year. They looked very handsome standing in the field. Sarah, our resident equestrian, described the difference between square bales and round bales: “Square bales are single-serve; round bales are a buffet.”
It is very late in the season to be making hay. I was starting to get more than a little nervous that Herb Stickle wouldn’t show up this year, leaving me to mow umpteen acres of high grass. But Jen and I heard the roar of the mower over the hill while out walking. It was a great relief!
We were more than a bit wistful Sunday evening when it was time to head back to New York after six months (for me, to the day) at the farm. Sarah stared at the hazy sky while Daisy ran over to see what she was doing.
Daisy wasn’t thrilled about heading back to town either.
