5th Anniversary Sweet Gum

In honor of our 5th wedding anniversary, Lance and I planted a native sweet gum tree on the knoll beside the horse barn. As it grows, it will shade the graves of the animals that we have loved and lost and hopefully provide an ideal spot for a summer picnic.

The Dalai Ollie

If you happen to visit the farm and see a black cat dashing from woods to barn, don't be alarmed: it's not Poe's ghost (though his spirit is very much alive at Walnut Grove). We actually have a new addition to our menagerie. Oliver ("Ollie") came to us via one of my friends at the English Department. At first, we were reluctant to adopt another cat since Poe's death was so fresh in our memory, but as soon as we met Ollie, we knew he belonged on the farm. Strangely enough, he looks and acts very much like Poe, and we like to think that Poe has come back to us in another form--like the Buddha of Compassion who embodies each new Dalai Lama. Unlike Poe, though, who ruled the farm with a reserved wisdom, Ollie takes a more aggressive, even pompous, approach: "herding" the chickens and horses, strong "pawing" Pippin, our other barn cat, and perching on my shoulder while I do my chores. He even does an inspection of Mike's work at the end of the day!

All in the Details

Not much has changed on the exterior of the house since our last post, but Mike and crew have been working diligently to install kitchen cabinets, interior doors, and window hardware. As soon as the masons finish the massive stone chimney, Mike will smooth out the landscape around the house, plant grass, and install our new cistern.

P.S. Apparently, the Ghost of Kitchen Past is keeping an eagle eye on the project (see orb in photo of ovens). She's no doubt wondering where we're going to put the wood stove.