LS

PUEBLO

this is a link to the essay "Frank Sinatra has a Cold" published by Esquire
1965, writer Gay Talese

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a638/esq1003-oct-sinatra-rev/

BUCKEYE

Dionysus

Pawnee

Poseidon

Blue Cloud

we miss you Gullah!

The Twins: Apollo and Meander

I can't tell these boys apart!  Withers.

Cheyenne

Robin

Oconee

Gaia

Bucky

L.S. Quinarius

Hera

Mojave

Pearl

Buckeye "DJ"

sitting on pasture watching the goats graze

Starburst

Clover

Dancer

THE HUNT: OPENING DAY

I have several parts of the farm designated as wildlife refuges.  Wild animals are constantly being bombarded with threats of our modern society - mainly from human encroachment.

The parts of our land that house these creatures are untouched old growth forests, brush, apple trees, and marsh land.

One time a neighbor with 200 acres was spotted hunting on the farm here - "what are you doing", I asked.  "Hunting on your land", he responded.  "Why?" "Because the deer are hiding in your brush."

I was baffled that someone would come onto someone's land to hunt - right near my house - without notice of any kind.  It happened more than once.  Another incident, a neighbor with posted signs littered on the fenced in borders of his land - caught hunting on ours - the reason it was okay - according to him - we had no posted signs.

I hate those signs - they are an eyesore to the environment - and not required to keep others off your own land.  They must ask permission before they hunt on someone else's land.  There are many rules in hunting.

http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/8371.html

Q. Must I post to keep people off my property?

A. No. Trespassing is illegal even on unposted property.  At any time, anyone asked to leave the premises, posted or not, by the landowner, occupant or other authorized person, must do so immediately.

This is a hunting lookout that another person built on 200 acres - elaborate...

My feelings on those that eat meat are they do the animals a service when they are humanely shot in the field rather than put through a factory farming life.  That said, there are rules of fair play and human decency that should be followed.  Men that are hunters are often compassionate people and hunt to the rule of law.

This is a photo of some of our reserved land for wildlife.

I love this view from our upper pasture. The goats, dogs, cats, and I walk every so often to take in the view.   Mt Markham, the flat faced mountain,  is 1700 feet above sea level.  The valley view is nice too.  There was a time they were going to dam up the valley for water and flood control as part of the Susquehanna River basin. 

Animal Memories: Further

2009-2015

Further, our first goat, just passed.  She, along with her sister Sorrelina, were purchased from a dairy farm near Syracuse.  Gene named her Further for the distance we drove to purchase her.

.........details vary as to the life expectancy of a goat. For sure, the dairy business kills their ladies not long after their 6th year - if that long.  It is a fact, most dairy animals have short lifespans.

However, our goats are treated like pets - they are not over bred, given a variety of pasture, hay, and feed.  Yet, some of them have succumbed to scours  - it is very difficult to overcome.  At times, our goat, Further,  perked up, but once she was unable to steady herself on her own four legs - we knew she was not much longer for this world.

I wonder if the goat people who sold these goats had this problem in the herd? Many people report a 6 year lifespan for their goats, yet science reports a lifespan into 18 years of age. As caregivers, we want to give them the best possible life - which includes - quality, comfort, and time!  We'll keep trying and report back on successes and failures...

The Human-ess of Mammals

photo from Washington Post

New Camera

This photo was taken with my old camera - on my phone which is the old style flip phone!



My new camera is a Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS40, 18.1 megapixels.
"The Panasonic ZS40 will also shoot movies at up to Full HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixel; 1080p) resolution. You can also opt for HD (1,280 x 720 pixel; 720p) capture or below, and have a choice of either 60 or 30 frames-per-second capture rates at both high-def resolutions. Movies include stereo audio from a built-in microphone, allow zooming during capture, and have a 2GB file size limit."
http://www.imaging-resource.com

A New Horse Adopted: Moon Dancer

Moon "Dancer", a recent adoptee, is from a nearby farm relocating to Florida.  As part of the move, they are unable to take their horses.  Two went to another farm.  Dancer came to us.  She is Arabian/Saddlebred mix.  Approx 18 years old.  Dancer is somewhere in the middle of our horses by age - the Mustangs being the youngest (12) and June Royal being the oldest (32).

Dancer and our pony, Starburst, became fast friends - within days they were grazing next to each other on pasture.  Now, Starburst does not like to be without her.  That is a problem since Dancer is skinny and Starburst is fat - requiring two separate feeding schedules.

Dancer seems to like grain/feed, a lot.  And she is easy to handle.  Her coloring is almost identical to the pony but it is easy to tell them apart...tall and skinny....short and fat!!!

As with any animal we adopt, we hope to do justice to previous owners for all the care they put into their animals, and for the animals - to give them all the freedom, space, food, and shelter we can provide for comfort and longevity.  As the previous owner stated, "Our horses seem to be very happy."  We feel their happiness - and believe Dancer will be very happy here too!

The Nina Prize: Seed Savers

 Every year when the Nobel Prize is awarded in many categories, I am reminded to give my own prize to people, organizations, and efforts that command my admiration.

This year, I decided to give a prize to all the seed houses, farmers, and gardeners that save seed from heritage/heirloom plants so that future generations share in the biodiversity that was Planet Earth.  I have been a grower of heirloom plants for over 25 years.  Most of my seeds are purchased from rareseeds.com, growitalian.com.  There are other organizations that promote and sell heirloom seeds. The prominent ones in this country are seedsaversexchange.com and  sustainableseedco.com. and d landreth seed company, and seedsofchange.com and the cooks garden and wild seeds farm.

The list goes on and on.  

Our diet is expanded to include thousands of varieties of vegetables.  The possible natural health medicines and remedies and protectors...are endless because of this work.

To all seed houses, and the many farmers, and household gardeners that preserve seed from their ancestry and the wild from one year to the next, Congratulations!!!  Hard work well done to make a difference in the World.

Also, those people that have help preserve heritage animals, many thanks to you as well.

The Jagged Edge: Part II

Happy for what I have gained...

my dreams
my health
my important relationships, few, but key
the animals in my care
the peace of my farm

...sad for what I've Lost

"The Jagged Edge"

The Jagged Edge: Part I

The Jagged Edge: Part I

Living on the jagged edge -  a catch 22 - a double edged sword.

Freedom is undervalued, a priceless commodity.  Freedom comes with a price - the jagged edge.   Sometimes - it costs everything - a life.

Martin Luther King, Gandhi, Dianne Fossey...the list goes on.  People that paid their life in exchange for freedom.  The freedom of African Americans, Indians of every Caste, The Mountain Gorilla.

Every person fights each day to preserve it.

The Jagged Edge is the story of how that fight often results in tragedy.

in memory of Auntie and the work she did and the gifts of love she gave.  She introduced us to theater.

Geese signal fall, than winter

The first day of movement for the geese - signaling fall than winter

dogs still swim in the water...soon it will be cold ...temps dipping into the 40s at night already!

goats start to get the yellow and brown hues to their faces - it's "rutting" season - now thru December

pumpkins will go from green to orange in time for Halloween...

tomatoes abundant in need of harvesting along with basil, kale , and other herbs, and greens!

soon we can ride - for the hot summer days are past...and the coolness lends itself to other activities.