Rumsfield the gentle ram (he is terrified of Rose), preening. A neighbor suggested I change his name to Spitzer,
but I declined.

March 14, 2008 – Raining, some ice. Interesting mail tonight. Mike Huggins took about two hours to identify the farmscape (“Mike Huggins did it”). He said he was puzzled at first, too little geology in the picture, but it was the cornrows that led him to Cottrell Road farm in Greenwich, one of few spots in the area with that particular terrain. Just to rub itin, he sent along an aerial photo. I will try again over the weekend.

  Michelle Poirier of Ottowa sent me to a strange website – run by Carolyn Clark – where there is information about training chickens. I’m not sure I’m ready for that, but will check it out. She says Ottowa is still buried in snow.

  And I got a beautiful message from Brooke Quandt, a librarian, who showed dairy cattle in agricultural fairs during college and “the best part was hiking up to the barns in the eveing after the cows were milked, giving my cow a good brushing then settling in with her to do my homework for the evening. I’d lean against her massive body and all around were cows contentedly chewing. She was warm against my back and the barn was a peaceful bit of heaven on a large, bustling, college campus. I called her Tess and she was a Brown Swiss, like Elvis.”
  Glad it’s not just me.

  I’ve been urged to have a quiet weekend, and I will try. I have been asked to take photos of the music group “The Widgets” in Glens Falls tomorrow night and I am excited about that. A paying gig, perhaps.