Oct. 3, ’09-Hawken and I are back from Grandpa and Grandma’s house. Greg and Tom had ample opportunity to visit, re-charge and immerse themselves in duck hunting opener spent in the backwaters. Greg shot 2 Wood Ducks. Tom heads to the living room bookshelf and reaches up to select a Pie Cook Book that he found @ [...]
Oct. 3, ’09-Filling the pets water buckets I stooped over and picked up the woolly bear caterpillar. It wrapped it’s hold tighter around my pointer finger and I admired the orange and black. I gently placed the creature under the canopied protection of one of Tom’s giant hosta leaves. I chose the striped hosta to shelter the caterpillar. [...]
Sept. 29, ’09-YooHoo chicken greets me as I step off the porch. The door on Poultry Palace stayed open last night! I hope the 3 new Barred Rock Pullets survived. They’ve been laying the rich brown toned eggs that Hawken loves to gather. YooHoo is eyeing me up and follows me to the geese pen. I let [...]
Nov. 1, ’09-The excitement of checking traps on the first morning has been shared with son Greg many times over the years. After a bit of Happy Halloweening the night before, Greg(alias Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle) drove up from college @ UW La Crosse, to join me again. He exchanges his cape and mask for [...]
Aug. ’09-Last August, Ed Patzner told us to mark our calender for the following years Midwest Bio-Ag Field Day down by Lone Rock, WI. It’s close to Madison and was a 3 hour drive for our crew. My brother Tim has raved about Gary’s exuberant speaking skills. He had seen Gary many years ago and [...]
Oct. 31, ’09-At long last the opening of muskrat trapping has arrived. I feel energized in every cell in my body.Today we would be setting out for muskrats in our backwaters on Welcome Home Farm. The day is cold with a strong northwest wind which serves to heighten the feeling of aliveness. I enlist our [...]
Oct.31st, 09- Happy Halloween! I stepped outside and was smacked in the face with gusty wind. I rejoiced to hear the splendid swans surrendering to the change of seasons. To be more like the migrating bird that survive on instinct and being one with nature. I search the darkness and simply hear their sweet whistling song. [...]
Sept. 25, ’09-I walked into night fog, so I would not feel. Travel on my journey, knowing how to heal. The Killdeer reminds me of the approach of fall, I hear sweet melodies in its sing-song call. I see the fire in the sky and I feel the fire in my soul. I went further [...]
Sept.21, ’09- I see the bear/deer star formation in the sky. It’s 46 degrees and a heavy dew. A light fog floats above our cornfields. The bats are rampant in the lower barn as I feed sheep. I trod down the lane. Shuffle, shuffle world-it’s me!! I smash alfalfa and delight in the Killdeer calls. [...]
Sept. 23, ’09- In the early morning dew, I head towards Wild Rice Slough. Slumbering frogs are jostled awake from my pattering footsteps. They leap off the backwaters banks and plunge in for a warm bath. I do the ancient song and out of the fog, 7 ducks take flight from First Pond. The mosquitos [...]