Mo Helping Me Feed the Sheep For a few days, it was just me, the dogs, and the sheep holding down the fort while most of my family were at the Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck, New York. It is a yearly event at the Dutchess County Fairgrounds that celebrates all things wool. My wife and two of my 'children' set up a booth in the Breed Tent to educate the public about Romney Sheep, which originated [...]
Mo, Our New Puppy My family's story reminds me of a book published in 1948 titled 'Cheaper by the Dozen,' which was made into several movies of the same name about the lovely chaotic family of twelve.  I have lost count of the number of animals we have, so when a friend in the sheep business let us know she had one puppy left from a litter of Bernese Mountain Dogs, we couldn't say no since one more [...]
Cut Grass in the Morning To paraphrase Robert Duvall in Apocalypse Now, 'I love the smell of cut grass in the morning!'. I also enjoy cutting the grass since it is one task that has a definite beginning and end as-well-as the immediate gratification of a tidy lawn. Charlie and Spot The lambs are growing quickly. Spot is a lamb we borrowed from a friend to keep Charlie (the black one) company. Market Lambs Out [...]
Sun Room in the Snow Something magical happens to a home with the first snowfall of the season.  Around my house, the kids and the animals are even more excited than I am as we run and throw snowballs. Rosie, our mini Aussie, tracks in the snow, which melts on the floor, while I start a fire and my wife makes hot cocoa. The timing doesn’t always work, but when we can coordinate a photo shoot of one [...]
Dixie Enjoying the Snow  I love snow!  Growing up in Galveston, Texas, and Pumpkin Center, Louisiana, snow was precious.  Even a few flakes would mean school was out and we would do our best to put together a snowball to throw at each other. My first winter in NYC was magical because of a very snowy season.  There is nothing like New York City after a heavy snow.  When I moved north, it got even better. Two snow [...]
Chloe, Queen of the Barnyard Rosie I never know what I am going to find when I go up to feed the animals.  This morning, I stopped to say hello to Chloe, our barnyard cat, then checked our garden to see what was left.  I had a few tomatoes, plenty of swiss chard, and some herbs.  The chickens were fine, although, their run was pretty muddy.  Rosie, as always, ran around checking on everyone. My next stop [...]
Bottle Lamb in Our Kitchen If you have followed my blog about architecture for a while, you have also been introduced to my family's micro farm.  Our children are in 4H, and they raise and show sheep.  We also have 20 chickens, 2 bunnies, 2 dogs and 3 barn cats. Although the 'barn cats' seem to have missed the memo, since they end up spending an equal amount of time in the house.  Chloe, our first barn cat, had her [...]
Rosie and Chloe Our children don't always get along, but our animals can't seem to get enough of each other.  I will say though, none of the other animals carry on a love affair like Chloe the cat and Rosie the dog.  When we walk up to feed the animals first thing in the morning, Chloe hides behind a tree so she can ambush Rosie and then they both proceed to wrestle, chase, and hug and chew on each other.  I [...]
Rosie Our Mini Aussie Rosie is still guarding our porch as well as the sheep, chickens, bunnies, and the latest addition...Chloe, the barn cat. Â Like most farms-even the tiny ones, animals multiply and newcomers are always welcome. Our garden is winding down, but some crops are still doing well. Â Kale is the hands down winner with a few tomatos still to be eaten among the peppers etc. Â Since I like to cook Thai and Vietnamese food, I tried [...]
