Maria dug up a small amount of grass and sod that grew this summer over the slate rocks that go from the farmhouse to the headless statue of St. Joseph. We think the stone path once led to an outhouse. The donkeys get treats once or twice a day, but only one of the treats – alfalfa blocks – are purchased.

Our farm now has a system where only the dogs and cats get store-bought treats. The donkeys love anything with green grass in it, we dump the sod over the fence, and they feast on it. They will also eat vegetables and fruit that we don’t get to or stale.

Almost anything else we can’t or don’t eat goes to our Imperious Hens, who will eat just about anything we don’t.

I also throw dead or dying flowers over the fence for them and the sheep to nibble on.

Anything they won’t eat goes to our composting pile next to the vegetable garden. Chipmunks and mice also crawl under the box and help themselves. Every year, we reduce the amount of grass cut, plant wildflowers,, and let the grass grow tall; the bees and birds are pleased out there.

Grass is an old habit that makes little sense to us in 2023. We want to give nature and wildlife every chance to grow and thrive. In addition, we have our solar panels in the South Pasture. Since we installed it, our biggest electric bill has been $14.30, even in the winter.

We took out a credit union loan to help pay for the installation. We have purchased a composting toilet that will go upstairs and needs no water or electricity.

This evolution has been a gradual but steady process for us. We are committed to doing everything we can to help Mother Earth recover from the greed and ignorance of humanity.