Florence Walrath loved her farm, but she lived to be more than 100 years old,and it was difficult for her to keep the farm the way she might have wished. It was always clean and well cared for, she and her family saw to that, but there were many things she never could get to. We are maintaining the farm in her spirit and style, but we are also bringing it back to life in a number of ways, and we have worked hard on this on this weekend. If you notice something different in the photo, the tires are gone. Ben Osterhaudt showed up today and we both decided to get rid of the tires and take them to the dump. Many people have been warning me about mosquitoes, West Nile virus and Encephalitis, among other things.

Some of you know the best way to get me to do something is to warn me against it, so I was determined to keep the tire stack, it was a kind of farm art to me. I did not consider it dangerous, but the space wanted to be opened up, the farm wanted to be opened up, so we loaded the tires – some of them quite heavy – onto Ben’s truck and we took them to the dump. We like the new look. We also drove to Mandy’s Nursery in Granville, N.Y. and bought two lilacs. We will honor Easter tomorrow by helping the farm return to vibrant life and we will plant the lilacs out in front of the house, where they will hopefully grow full and tall. We thank Walt Whitman for reminding us of the rich history and meaning of lilacs, especially around old farmhouses.

There is little that is more satisfying to Maria and I than bringing color and life to this farm.