Oct. 4th, ’09-It’s 6:15 PM and I have Jake the goat breathing heavy in my ear. He’s wanting re-assurance that I relish his company even though he’s decided my perennial flower bed is a smorgasboard. He tugs @ the frozen zinnias, up-roots phlox and prances about the yard taunting Billie Goat and me. He smiles as [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Long sweet days on Welcome Home Farm. A blurry fog fills my lungs as I step off the cedar porch. Immediately I search for the deer/bear formation in the sky. Easily I spot the formation and look @ the space between the stars. I feebly fumble for my mini maglit flashlight. Sheep beg for their [...]

Oct. 2, ’09-Walking towards the duck and geese kennel, I find my eyes drawn up-ward. In the darkness I see so much light shining from the stars. I think of my brother Tim Salwey, and observe the deer formation formed by 12 stars. Many moons ago, Tim took me aside and showed me the outline [...]