Farm, writing

Light in Winter, Season 2

Five days left to subscribe to illustrated stories from the farm and rural life. It’s like a cuppa wrapped in … Continue reading Light in Winter, Season 2

Agricultural Communication, Farm, nature, Photography, writing

Sylvan Sundays

Refresh your week with your free subscription to Sylvan Sundays, arriving with a beautiful farm or nature photograph and some … Continue reading Sylvan Sundays

Adventure, Farm, Home, Photo Essay, Photography

Fave Photos From the Past Week

It’s been a big week for several reasons, including lambing and sugaring season. Our first lamb arrived on Monday, and so far, we’ve collected 65 gallons of sap! That’s about a gallon and a half of syrup.

So without further ado, here are the week’s top photos:

Farm, Home

Happy November!

It’s been chilly the past few days, but the sun has still been shining beautifully. I just became an aunt … Continue reading Happy November!

Farm

All Toby, All the Time

It’s been two-and-a-half months since Toby, our black Labrador retriever, died. The house seems empty; “not enough fur to vacuum up,” as Jeff says. I especially noticed it when Jeff was at work during the day and there was no fuzzy companion lying next to my chair as I wrote or licking the bowl after I was finished with my ice cream.

Toby was a black lab with gray–no, silver–on his paws and nose. His thick tail wagged frantically and his eyes brightened when his human walked in the door. At night, he would keep all the monsters away with his hoarse, baritone bark; if there were 100 dogs talking in a park, you’d easily be able to pick out Toby.

Adventure, Farm, nature, Photography

Virginia Springbeauty in Woods

The morning bird chorus, Virginia springbeauty weaving in and out of the waves of the wind, a cow from far away. This is a suspended moment in time from the woods. New life growing out of decaying sugar maple leaves.

Agricultural Communication, Farm

See Our “Small Town Big Deal” Episode

Here it is! Our “Small Town Big Deal” episode! It’s a fun episode, and it was so exciting to watch … Continue reading See Our “Small Town Big Deal” Episode

Farm

The Start of Lambing Season

Calving season has continued to have its bumps, but there are 11 calves on the ground.

And now, lambing season has begun!

*Spain’s ram lamb was the first of the year.*

Farm

The Start of Calving Season

The rain pours today. Sheep hunker down, round balls of wool with faces. Cattle munch on hay. Horses enthusiastically chomp on grain. The dog curls up on straw piles in the barn, tail wrapping around ears.

Calving season started last week, two weeks early. Four calves have been born; only two have lived. Most of the mothers have been heifers, first-timers.

I ride a quad bike through the cow pasture, counting to 31 to see that everyone is present.

The number was 32 for a little while.

But when I made my rounds Thursday night, looking for signs of new or about-to-be-born calves, I found a heifer lying to the side. She wasn’t breathing hard, but she didn’t move when I approached, either.

Farm, Home, Photo Essay

“Small Town, Big Deal” Episode Filmed Here Showing Next Week

*The crew from* Small Town, Big Deal films an interview on the farm.

Last October, a film crew from Small Town, Big Deal visited Parke County to tape an episode about our covered bridges and rural attractions. I was interviewed at the bridge where Jeff proposed to me, and the show hosts, Rodney Miller and Jann Carl, talked to my great-aunt on the farm. I couldn’t hear all of that interview because I was working with the horses in the background, so the first time I’ll really hear it is on TV.