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The last two days of the 166th Dutchess Country Fair were canceled because of Hurricane Irene.  We were all immensely disappointed not to be able to attend this year.  We had high hopes for ribbons and looked forward to meeting bunnies, drinking 4H milkshakes, going on midway rides, and enjoying the various other pleasures of the […]

The Rose of Sharon was in full bloom as we began our summer vacation at the end of July.  We had a wonderful time with wonderful people and wonderful food. Sarah was thrilled to have a visit from her Grandpa, who taught her how to play golf. We were all delighted to have a visit […]

We arrived this weekend to find a full moon, the Rose of Sharon in bloom (and also some lilies, far right), and the fence nearly completed. Early Saturday morning the fence was occupied by these turkeys, who seemed to approve of the construction. I think if you played the first four turkeys it would sound […]

Work continues apace at the farm, as we (or, more specifically, Chuck Kelsoe and his nephew) dismantled the fence, which we are replacing.  Del Wolcott told me he that built this fence from locust trees that he cleared to build the house on the hill on the other side of what is now Wolcott drive, […]

I was not a friend to the deer this weekend, having spent hours and hours mowing acres and acres of the high grass in which they like to make their beds.  I was, however, a Hero of the Barn Swallows: they love it when someone mows because it turns into a feast.  They swoop around […]

The grass is rising high and the fences are sinking low at the farm these days. This weekend, we celebrated Memorial Day.  Rhinebeck has a real small-town parade, which Sarah was eligible to march in by virtue of her membership on the softball team. All people in uniform are welcome. Sarah was thrilled to have […]

On Saturday, we visited the Northern Dutchess Botanical Gardens to buy a few plants for the garden. We got the essentials: peppers (bell and poblano); lettuce (oak leaf, red sails, and red romaine); arugula; peas (snow and sugar-snap); soybeans; broccoli; strawberries (everbearing, Junebearing and all-star); herbs (green and purple basil, Italian parsley, and lemon verbena); flowers (coneflowers […]

On Saturday, Sarah played first base in her first softball game, against Red Hook. Rhinebeck could have fielded 15 players, but the Red Hook coaches — rather churlishly, in my opinion — allowed only nine of them on the field at a time. Some of the Red Hook girls seemed quite a bit older. In […]

We had a great Mothers’ Day weekend at the farm, with lots of lilacs starting to bloom, and plenty of gardening by Jen. If the house appears a little odd … … it’s because we’re having it painted, and it looks a bit naked without its shutters. In addition to lilacs, we gathered lots of […]

  We had plenty of sunshine this weekend, enjoyed by what we can only hope is a large proportion of our pond’s turtles. The squirrels — all of whom are as fat as house cats — checked out the new growth. The birds also seemed to enjoy the fine spring weather.  Here is a mourning […]