Monthly Archives December 2008

Ice Storm Aftermath

First off, thank you everyone for your words of concern and encouragement. It means a lot to hear from friends during difficult times. The skies were clear and the landscape crystalline the day after the ice storm. Chain saws provided the soundtrack for morning chores as every one on Patten Hill cut their way through the tangle of limbs littering yards and driveways. A curtain of ice cloaked the woodland in lace as the temperatures remained below freezing. We looked around and took stock of the damage. The pic below shows one of the impassable farm access roads. And this
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Ice Storm

Last week's troubles seem minor compared to what we've been dealing with since Friday morning when an ice storm struck New England. I went to bed Thursday evening to the sound of frozen precipitation pelting the roof and windows. A phone call from our security company alerted us to a power outage down at the farm, sometime after 12:30 am.  I woke before daylight to what sounded like artillery fire but was the sound of large trees snapping and falling, one after another. The house was running on generator, so I was able to make a strong pot of coffee
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Technical Difficulties

We're having a bit of a bad streak, mechanically speaking, both at the farm and at home. It's bad enough that we've had a week that's included single digit temperatures, negative-digit wind chill factors, sleet, rain, ice – but what really frosts me is when things stop working the way they're suppose to when you most need them. I'll say more about that in a minute. First, let me show you what happens when you carry treats and a camera in the same pocket  . . . If sharp-eyed Cocoa spies my hand reaching into my coat pocket, she's right
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Breakfast is Served

I know twelve sets of eyes are watching me when I turn on the light and look out my bedroom window each morning. My cormo guys spend summer and fall grazing the field behind my house at the top of Patten hill. This arrangement maintains a safe distance between the rams and ladies down at the farm. It also saves Mike a lot of time on the rotary mower. All but two in the group are wethers, which makes them fairly companionable and easy going. We enjoy their company all summer long, just steps from the back door. They keep
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