"United we bargain, divided we beg."  Saturday, October 19, 2013
State of the Farm (Mid-Autumn)  Last week we enjoyed a long
stretch of beautiful fall weather. Temperatures reached the low
sixties on a couple of days, and it was dry enough that the
fallen leaves were crisp and crackly. Blue skies and light
breezes tempted everybody outside to get the last of the outdoor
chores done before the curtain of rain descended again, as we
all knew it must. From our hilltop, we could see several thin
columns of smoke, neighbors burning leaves and the accumulated
detritus of the old year.  Homero built an add-on to the field
shelter for the new baby cow. Our small three-sided field
shelter was not really much of a shelter, being open to the
north. The prevailing winds here are generally from the
southwest, but during the deeps of winter we get strong,
freezing north winds that sweep across the valley from Canada.
The field shelter was adequate for a couple of shaggy shetland
ponies, but not for a delicate baby dairy c