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While investigating the secret garden, Jen and I heard a wobbly sound overhead.  It turned out to be our former swans, Frank and Susan, returning for a visit to the pond. We spent much of the weekend harvesting (tomatoes, basil, peppers), cooking (hot sauce, pesto), and eating.

Jen, Sarah and Erica cooled off in the pond on Labor Day. Jen was industrious over the weekend, hanging aluminum pie tins in the garden to scare off the birds that had been eating our tomatoes.  So far, it seems effective, although it’s not clear whether the clanging is worth it.

Jen began her birthday with breakfast in bed. It looked like it might be a washout, but the rain stopped in the afternoon to allow a birthday barbecue feast with salmon, London broil, and ribs (surf & turf & sty).

Jen returned from a writer’s retreat this morning, just in time for a Mother’s Day brunch at Le Petit Bistro.  This afternoon, Jen and Sarah met horses and riders visiting our trails, including Rich Contini, past president of the Landsman Kill Trail Association.  Sarah has in fact ridden this horse before. We had a chilly […]

Daisy thinks every year is the year of the dog, and she’s probably right.  Still, there was an extra spring in her step this weekend. We celebrated the Chinese new year with a dumpling feast, taking full advantage of Sarah’s (and Jen’s) Montessori-derived fine motor skills. We also had a turnip cake, courtesy of Sue […]

Somehow, improbably, Sarah turned 14 on Saturday.  She celebrated with dinner at Aroi (Rhinebeck’s Thai restaurant) with the Lawson twins, followed by a movie and a sleepover.  Jen made a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake for the occasion. Earlier on Saturday, Daisy and Ringo surmounted Burger Hill and mauled each other.

Here is Jen’s beautiful picture of a sliver of moon above a lovely Saturday evening sunset. I remained inside, stymied trying to make turnip cakes, a dim sum treat Sarah has enjoyed at the Nom Wah Tea Parlor on Doyers Street in New York.  Sadly, despite having assembled a long list of ingredients (including dried […]

We celebrated Thanksgiving with our highest pie/people ratio yet: 3:5, or .6 pies per person.  That’s a lot of pie! Stacey lit the festive candles. Sarah and Jen led a game of Celebrity. Julie seemed to enjoy it too.

In June, we talked to local haymaker Herbie Stickle about haying our fields.  He showed up today, having finishing up haying at Burger Hill.  We were very glad to see him — it’s about three full days’ work to clear the fields with our little tractor.

While the farm brooded like Heathcliff, we ourselves had a happy Labor Day weekend.  Erica & Geoff visited, and John Harris flew in from Los Angeles to join me at Pete Townshend’s Classic Quadrophenia at Tanglewood.  On Sunday, Geoff and I squared off for an amiable Iron Chef-style pizza-making challenge. Today we climbed the fire tower […]