A lot of bad shit has happened this week, just about everywhere. So, we are going to willfully ignore it all in this post and talk about the good stuff instead. And since we could all use some good news during this crazy pandemic – we are asking everyone to contribute to this article by sharing in the comments one positive moment or idea (or more) that you have had this past week. Or something you are looking forward to the coming week. Or a great memory. Whatever. Just something to help us put on some rosy glasses for a minute and ignore all the rest of it, if only for a moment. Let’s create a moment’s respite on this page, where we can all walk down the sunny side of the street together.
Our brightest spot this past week was a little calf who survived and is doing well after we found him lying in the mud, exhausted, soaked and shivering, his hoof stuck in the crotch of a fallen tree branch. We brought him back to the house and covered him in blankets and a hot pad, fed him a bit, and a few hours later he was up and walking. Over the past few days he has been in the lot near the house with his mama-cow so we can keep an eye on him and make sure he is eating and healing. We are hopeful he will be just fine.
Another amazing thing that happened this week is that the drywall on the house is done and we are in the process of painting! The tile is also complete in the bathrooms, and it is easy now to imagine living in it. We are hoping we will be fully in the house by May 1st – so please, when this solitary confinement is over, come visit!
ALSO, THIS JUST IN!!! Both momma cats are pregnant (one exceedingly so) and so we will be expecting – you guessed it – KITTENS! Another season of freakishly cute critters is almost upon us, so be ready for an upcoming onslaught of cat photos and videos. Not to leave the dog lovers out, John's sister's family just got a new puppy (Eddie), and we will be following his journey into farm dogdom.
It is a bit cold today, (Old Man Winter shaking an angry fist as he is escorted from the room) but spring has fully sprung and all of the grass is green if not yet growing. John built a small greenhouse to sprout seeds, and we already have a bunch that have come up. It is fun to see these earliest bits of life pop out of the ground, to have something come from just a tiny seed with so much doom and gloom in the world.
John also just finished seeding the south pastures with only hours to spare as a rain front rode in from the southwest. It is the beginning of a process to reshape our pastures into something more sustainable. This year, we have oats, spring triticale and Austrian peas in the mix, a placeholder forage blend to help kill out the old sod of shallow rooted bluegrass and fescue. We will replace everything with a blend of deep-rooted legumes, forbs and native grasses during frost seeding season this coming winter. But right now, we are just waiting for everything to sprout.
And speaking of being at the beginning, Beth is now about six months into taking guitar lessons. It’s an interesting thing to do, to start something you will be terrible at for months (years?) as an adult. Beth tries to simply practice and not worry about how it sounds, but honestly can’t recall ever signing up for something without having any expectation of ever being good at it.
That's about it for now. A bit of an old-school, just checking-in, letter, but hopefully it served to distract you from whatever news feed you have worming its way into your psyche.
Stay safe, dear readers. But also stay sane.
[And if you like our blog, would you think of sharing it with some friends? We'd love to expand our readership. Thanks, Beth and John]
Hi y'all! Good to hear and see some of your news and rosy colored glass views! I am excited to see more cute kittens! A couple of nice highlights have been connecting with my 90 year old uncle via phone and playing virtual dice with Wendy! I am enjoying learning how to use technology in ways I haven't previously (workouts, work/telehealth). Shad and I (mostly Shad) has been making delicious food including lots of yummy greens from our garden. Love and miss ya'll! Lets zoom soon!
My sunshine spot this week was putting together a shed for our garden tools (so we don't have to keep dragging them downstairs from the garage) and cleaning up the yard. While you're killing fescue, we're growing it and it's coming in nicely! More rain on the way, which will be good for the radish, squash, cucumber, cilantro, and onion plots planted last month. We are doing alright over here and Winston is adjusting to not seeing his doggy friends.
Thank you for this ray of sunshine. I am bunkered down in east harlem with my partner and two pets. We are doing okay, compared to basically every news story we're reading. One day at a time.