Anne Renee says Vaarwel

Our good friend Anne Renee came for the weekend - sadly for us, it will be awhile till we see her again at the Farm.

Exciting for her, she is moving to Geneva!

We had a good time doing the usual farm chores, milking goats, feeding goats and steer and roosters and chickens and barn kittens.

Her special chore was pulling up the last of the carrots and chopping them into bite size pieces with the machete for the goats and cow and roosters.

Of course we went for walks,ate and drank, even watch TV and played Dominoes.

How can she leave all that???

A-R also made friends with Zoe the scizoe cat.

Zoe-Zoe, is becoming more one with the family,

but she still has her moments, you never know when she may strike out, (as A-R has the scars to confirm that behavior), well usually a dog, or Felix, is around causing her stress by standing too close, but for the most part she is getting to be a pretty nice kitty.

This is her new hiding place - great just what we wanted, towels with patches of fluff!

Alas the sad moment arrived,
our Dutch Girl had to leave,

we'll miss you more than you can imagine Anne Renee.

Happy Trails!!!!

It's snowing!!

It's official:

First day of snow this winter -

November 6, 2008

which also means:

First day of Weasel Season!

Our snow fall pales in comparison to the snow our grandkids are enjoying.

click on the blue word to see the little darlings

Happy Election Day!!

The results of the election leaves me emotional...I am still teary and almost out of breath. I don't think I realized how sad I was with the state of our country, then Obama won and I feel like the great sadness is lifted from my shoulders. My daughter called last night and said it well, Barack makes you want to do better with your life.
And what a great First Woman we have in Michelle Obama!!! I stand with her and say that for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country. Proud of something we did together in my adult lifetime. A neighbor who was watching the election results with us last night, said between tears, "I feel like flying an American flag for the first time in my life!"

I listened to Toni Morrison on the news this morning. What she had to say sent me searching on the web for her exact words, which lead me to a letter she wrote when she endorsed Barack Obama - I found the letter beautiful and wanted to reprint it here :


Dear Senator Obama,
This letter represents a first for me--a public endorsement of a Presidential candidate. I feel driven to let you know why I am writing it. One reason is it may help gather other supporters; another is that this is one of those singular moments that nations ignore at their peril. I will not rehearse the multiple crises facing us, but of one thing I am certain: this opportunity for a national evolution (even revolution) will not come again soon, and I am convinced you are the person to capture it.
May I describe to you my thoughts?
I have admired Senator Clinton for years. Her knowledge always seemed to me exhaustive; her negotiation of politics expert. However I am more compelled by the quality of mind (as far as I can measure it) of a candidate. I cared little for her gender as a source of my admiration, and the little I did care was based on the fact that no liberal woman has ever ruled in America. Only conservative or "new-centrist" ones are allowed into that realm. Nor do I care very much for your race[s]. I would not support you if that was all you had to offer or because it might make me "proud."
In thinking carefully about the strengths of the candidates, I stunned myself when I came to the following conclusion: that in addition to keen intelligence, integrity and a rare authenticity, you exhibit something that has nothing to do with age, experience, race or gender and something I don't see in other candidates. That something is a creative imagination which coupled with brilliance equals wisdom. It is too bad if we associate it only with gray hair and old age. Or if we call searing vision naivete. Or if we believe cunning is insight. Or if we settle for finessing cures tailored for each ravaged tree in the forest while ignoring the poisonous landscape that feeds and surrounds it. Wisdom is a gift; you can't train for it, inherit it, learn it in a class, or earn it in the workplace--that access can foster the acquisition of knowledge, but not wisdom.
When, I wondered, was the last time this country was guided by such a leader? Someone whose moral center was un-embargoed? Someone with courage instead of mere ambition? Someone who truly thinks of his country's citizens as "we," not "they"? Someone who understands what it will take to help America realize the virtues it fancies about itself, what it desperately needs to become in the world?
Our future is ripe, outrageously rich in its possibilities. Yet unleashing the glory of that future will require a difficult labor, and some may be so frightened of its birth they will refuse to abandon their nostalgia for the womb.
There have been a few prescient leaders in our past, but you are the man for this time.
Good luck to you and to us.
Toni Morrison

and this is what she said this morning - Diane Sawyer asked her "What did you learn about Americans last night?"

"I learned that in this campaign and the winning of the oval office, it's clear that race indeed was the yard stick, but what I learned was that in this country, race is not the measure, it's larger than that and it's not just a African American who won the presidency, it's This particular man, this here African American, and I think that the large number of people who were inspired by him, of all races, felt that, felt that particularity about him."

It's the start of a Good Day in America that has been a long time coming and that I had given up on ever seeing in my lifetime.

Pretty Colours

Keith went for a walk with the camera, thought I would share some of his photos with you.

Have a Happy Weekend.

It's got to be good; there's baseball this weekend!

The week so far...

Saturday night the water tank that regulates when our pump to the well turns on sprung a leak. Water was all over the floor of the basement.

Have no fear Farmer Keith is here...at least that's what I say when something like this happens. And he did save the day...it took him all day Sunday to do it - he pulled the tank out of the garage, weld the hole, which took a while because in the process he made the hole a little bigger, then back in place the tank went with Farmer Keith saying,

"I bet as soon as I turn the water on another hole will appear"

and he was right! But it was a small hole so we still have water and after visiting four businesses and two phone calls it looks like we have a lead on a new tank. Hopefully we will get it before the small hole gets bigger!

After working all day on the tank, Keith went with me out to the field to bring the hay bales into the barn. This is a photo of the field just after it was cut.

Our last field for the season.

The helicopters are still coming around, but this isn't a black helicopter, just a fire look-out type helicopter.
It rained most of the day and night Monday which made snow in the mountains.

Care to make a guess as to when the first snow fall will be at WC Fields?

It's a Good Morning For A Shooting...

Yesterday morning, the air was crisp with a slight chill, the sky was blue, and Keith was in the vineyard. All was quiet except for a few bird and squirrel calls. All of a sudden he feels the ground shudder, and hears tree branches breaking. Keith turns around to face the hillside and sees six does rushing down running towards Frannie's Place. He looks up to the ridge line and sees hunter orange.

A little wake- me- up for Keith.

He makes sure the hunter sees him, one so he doesn't get shot (though it is not doe season) and two, so the hunter doesn't get any ideas about coming down on our property.

The Valley changes when it's Hunting Season.

In other news from the Farm,

Cinder has taken over Bandida & Spaetzle's spot on the couch...
and I bought a new winter hat, hand made by a friend in the Valley,
it's my "go to town" or "go to visit the barn kittens" hat.
Let me introduce you to our new Barn Cats, Lizzy (on the left) and Franny.
Lizzy is very graceful and proper,
while Franny is playful and very lovie.
They are named after two strong, fun-loving, wise women:
Elizabeth Leigh, who passed away last month, was a family friend in Panama, she took me under her wing when I was just a wee thing; Franny Springer, my sister-in-law's mom. loved life to it's fullest, and whom we dedicate a beautiful spot, with big trees and rocks, on the Farm.


Girly-girl came over to see what the commotion was about.

Franny & Spaetzle were getting acquainted ...



Their friends now.

Franny loves Lizzy.

Chim Chiminey

It was a beautiful Fall day yesterday.

Perfect for cleaning the chimney, Keith put in place Mr. Whitehall's special homemade roof ladder,
threw a rope over the roof and secured it to the clothesline frame,
and did his best Dick Van Dyke impersonation.