Self-taught farmers confidently raising chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Our focus is on practices that are environmentally harmonious and respectful to our livestock. We appreciate the beauty around us, clean eating, fermenting, and responsibly utilizing the bounty of the land. If you like thinking for yourself, continuous learning, and connecting with the homesteader lifestyle, check us out.
Having read Richard Adams’s novel as a child, I was eager to watch the adaption of the novel on Netflix. Despite some critical reviews, I found it very engaging…and, clearly, its themes have withstood the test of time.
It’s Friday night, and just a few days before Christmas – time for some libations! And, in honor of the season (and the winter solstice, of course), we’re having a creamy, dreamy, very festive milk punch.
Continue reading “Holiday Tipples: Brennan’s Caribbean Milk Punch”
This is the time of year when we’re supposed to spend the holidays with families and be surrounded by the warmth and magic of the season, right? When people are kinder and full of good will…except that reality doesn’t match that vision. Maybe it’s aspirational. And some of us either either can’t or don’t want to spend the holidays with family. I maintain that there’s nothing weird about it, and suspect that many more people would choose not to subject themselves to the “traditional” holiday merrymaking if they were truly honest with themselves about what they would enjoy doing.
I suspect that our dogs may enjoy crisp fall-on-the-cusp-of-winter weather as much as we do. One is a puppy, so it’s all new to her: frost on the grass, crunchy leaves, the seed pods that have fallen from the tulip poplar (that she persistently attempts to eat). Since she’s just a youngster, she also has an astonishing amount of energy, and we try to help her burn some of it off by chasing a rope tug toy with her older “sister”. It lifts my spirits to see the dogs running through the leaves, hear the crackly swooshing sound the leaves make, and watch the leaves flying as the dogs skid to a stop when they’ve grabbed the toy.
Once grabbed, the dog with the rope runs off, hoping the other will give chase. Our older dog is really fast – when she turns on the “turbo”, you can almost feel the power: those muscular legs propel explosive sprints and agile turns. She runs like a greyhound, and for the sheer joy of it. I envy the dogs those flexible spines, too – they can turn on a dime and reverse direction in a split second, moves that only well-trained human athletes could safely attempt.
The dogs play rough, as dogs do: once, when our puppy was just a small fry (not that long ago), her sister barrelled into her and bounced her off a tree trunk (and she didn’t even whimper!). Aghast, we ran over to check on her and make sure there were no cracked ribs or other injuries; to our surprise, she was just fine and the game went on. I can only imagine how much convalescing I would have required after bouncing off a tree trunk – and the game would definitely have been over.
Hooray for this cold, crisp, dry weather that allows the dogs to go out and play in the leaves – and for the time to watch them, throw those toys, and hear the sounds of nature around me. These are the moments – fleeting and precious – for which I consciously try to be present. One day soon, our frisky puppy will be a mature (sedate?) dog, and these leafy antics will just be a fond memory…or maybe they’ll enjoy this kind of horseplay for years to come!
When I was a kid, a “stray” black cat adopted my family (it turned out that she actually belonged to neighbors). She was a wonderful cat, with a warm, affectionate personality, and when she had kittens, the neighbors said that I could have one, a little brown tabby. Before I could claim that kitten, though, the neighbors moved away with the kittens…and left mama cat behind. So she really did become ours, and she was a truly special girl. I don’t have any photos of her, but I will always remember her as a gentle, understanding friend.
Continue reading “Haiku: An Ode To Amazing Black Cats”
It’s been a year since our dog, Xena, died. She was loved, and we learned so much about raising dogs from her. We remember her in gratitude for the time that she was a part of our family and in sorrow because we miss her every day. To honor her, we wanted to share a few memories of a smart, athletic, and always-surprising dog who made us better pet parents.
Continue reading “In Memoriam: A Companion Gone, But Not Forgotten”