Part One of Basic Bread 101 ended with the bread dough rising in a well-oiled bowl.  An hour and a half later, the dough has doubled, and it’s time to punch it down.   I start with a nice punch to the center, then allow the air to escape on its own for a minute or [...]

I learned about breadmaking as a child, watching grandmothers, great aunts, and my mother.  All the women in our family made bread, though some more than others.    Basic white breads were a staple, as were hot rolls, cinnamon bread, and later, honey whole wheat bread.  The recipe I first learned was a basic white bread, [...]

While I was looking through the digital photos on my hard drive, I came across a couple of photos I took on the way home from my son’s wedding.

I’d say it’s a Southern thing, but I know a few people in the Midwest who’d put the National Bird Dog Museum under the must-see column on their vacation lists [...]

A year ago today, Tiny Bottle Lamb weighed about 7 pounds. She still slept indoors in the playpen and followed me around outdoors like a puppy. She still sucked fingers when she was hungry. She hadn’t yet learned how to cross a creek, even a very little one.

Sometimes I have to get away from the house . . . the office . . .  and the phone . . . and email . . . the internet . . . and the overflowing inbox and long to-do list .   Sometimes I need more room to breathe.  To think.  To slow down the frantic [...]

This isn’t your mother’s apple pie.  This probably isn’t like any apple pie you’ve ever had.  It’s big and flat and so delectibly flavorful you’ll never want plain old apple pie again.  Probably.  And it’s definitely not low calorie.
Turn the oven on to 425 degrees to preheat while you prepare the pie.

Start with two cups [...]

The Genius Husband bought this sturdy old butcher block table some ten years ago at a school auction.  It was, he thought, an ideal place to put the 20 quart Hobart mixer I used for mixing larger batches of soap.   He sanded down the scarred top, then we sealed it with hot parafin and [...]

The passage of the seasons seems more dramatic in certain places.  One such place lies some ten miles up the road from the farm.  There, steps lead down the steep slope to a cliff’s edge.    I stop there often and follow the cliff path down to a stone bench set into the wall.  From there,  [...]

Geese are, by far, the most entertaining of the barnyard birds.  We’ve two kinds, a small flock of American Buffs and one lone white Embden that was destined for the table but hasn’t yet met her fate.  The Buffs are the gentlest geese I’ve ever known.  They’ve completely changed my opinion of geese.   Those I knew in [...]

Morning light can be harsh.

After a long night’s work on predator patrol, a dog needs his sleep.

Someone should find him a doggie sleep mask.

The turkeys have a different perspective.  This Blue Slate tom particularly likes basking in the early light, displaying his speckled fan, chortling to the hens.  Most mornings I find him perched on [...]