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It was frosty yesterday morning but by afternoon it had warmed up enough for Sarah and Daisy to enjoy the sun in the backyard.

Still, signs of spring abound, including this unusual assortment of ducks (two Mallard males and a female; one Ring-necked Duck). The snowdrops were up, as were a few crocuses. The Canada Geese are returning. And Jen gave Sarah a spring haircut.

Here is Sarah, on Valentine’s Day, under the blanket she is crocheting. When not making face masks, bucket hats, or blankets, she has been creating stuffed animals. Sarah made a gift of a crocheted octopus to outdoor visitor Hugh Anthony, 18 months. It was missing a leg — making it a septapus — but Hugh […]

Even with two feet of snow forecast in New York, Brearley declared a day of remote learning rather than a proper snow day. Still, Sarah seemed to have a pretty light schedule. She received what are known as “asynchronous” assignments, such as go outside and play with your dog.

New Year’s Eve was, inevitably, a quiet affair. Jen made a lovely dinner of salmon in a mustard sauce, while I made, for consumption New Year’s Day, Hopping John. We stayed up until midnight listening to music and, in Sarah’s case, crocheting. We are all hoping that 2021 will bring better times.

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 […]

I was very quiet in the back seat.

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, […]

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.

It is unquestionably fully summertime, with temperatures in the nineties, full-scale jam operations underway, and lazy afternoons in the pond.