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After a long flirtation with spring, the weather returned to arctic bluster.  A windstorm last week knocked over this elm tree from our hedgerow, but, on the bright side, it was already dead, and it would have had come down in any event. We saw a pair of Canada geese and a mallard on the […]

We rode out the end of the year at the farm.  While we didn’t have a white Christmas, the holiday was bookended by dustings that produced a little more snow than advertised.  Pictured is “less than an inch.” We had a fine tree with many presents beneath it. Sarah performed her customary ceremonial duties as […]

Sarah kept smiling through her first weekend with braces. It was hard to remain altogether cheerful during today’s 8-1 drubbing by the Cornwall Copa.  However, we were all smiles when a throw-in by Sarah led to the Ravens’ only goal, near the end of the second half. Our new Star Magnolia is more of a Cameo Magnolia […]

Soon it will be Thanksgiving, which means it will be time for Hickory Nut Pie. We will have to take them on the road, as we’ll be spending Thanksgiving in Scottsdale, Arizona. I suppose people have traveled farther. Now that the leaves are down, you can see all sorts of interesting things up in the trees, […]

We had a very beautiful weekend, with pleasant days and changing trees. If this was not the peak weekend for fall foliage, it wasn’t far off. Well, you get the picture.  On Friday night, though, we had our first frost of the year.  Jen and I had to pick all remaining vegetables from the garden, using […]

We continue to find old apple and pear trees from the farm’s former life as an orchard.  The fruit they produce is not beautiful — and, in fact, not always tasty — but there is some high quality fruit out there. Jen is now able to reach such fruit thanks to our new Flexrake LRB190 Fruit Picker. Jen also tends […]

Sarah had her first soccer game of the season on Saturday.  The Ravens (f/k/a Fireballs) played the Red Hook Storm.  Sarah played defense with gusto, élan, and vigor.  The Ravens fell to the Storm 2-1, but there wasn’t a moment when we doubted that the Ravens could win. Sarah and her friend Anna congratulated each […]

We just finished a two-week vacation at the farm.  (Or, rather, I finished it.  Sarah and Jen continue to vacation.)  Here’s Sarah having a sip of water after hiking through Ferncliff Forest, just outside the village of Rhinebeck. It’s part of the old Astor estate.  Jen and I climbed the fire tower, which gives spectacular […]

We had a splendid Memorial Day weekend, with all of Jen’s family visiting. Sarah marched in the parade with the Rhinebeck Soccer league. The locusts were blooming. And we celebrated Lew Burleigh’s 75th birthday.  Happy birthday, Lew!

We celebrated Mothers Day in customary fashion, with breakfast in bed for mom. This year, we decided not to burden Jen with another tree she would need to plant — although the Redbud, Jen’s 2009 Mothers Day present, is now thriving.  Here it is in 2011. On Saturday, Sarah, for reasons best known to herself, […]