The farm is silhouetted by this beautiful line of tall pines that catch snow, and sunlight perfectly.

I didn’t mean not to write all winter. When I first started this, I really thought I would write weekly but as it turns out I am not that disciplined in this area. I have been writing off the cuff of an idea, and when your idea is that winter is way too long, and you’re angsty about other things in your life, well it just doesn’t feel very inspiring. All that aside, I hope everyone had a great winter and found joy in it. Though it is our longest, and most tedious season here in Maine, we are a hearty bunch and usually do find our way through it with some pleasantries. We mostly got by this winter and welcomed the changes it brought, sometimes reluctantly but the blessings shone through, nonetheless.

Bone-in Ribeye, Ninja Foodi’ed to perfection.

Starting around October our family really started eating mostly meat, and we’re on the journey to quit sugar. After exposing our kids to sweet treats, we are still on the slope of not totally depriving them of their wants, but also redirecting them to better alternatives for enjoyment as well as health. This newfound way of eating really made me look at the families business in a whole new light. If the grocery stores all closed tomorrow, we have a pasture full of the perfect food for the human species that can convert grass into protein, and fat. The bioavailable nutrient profile on grass fed beef is quite impressive. If you’re interested, compare it to your favorite vegetable(s) to see how they measure up to each other. I may come back to this topic another time, but for now, onto other happenings.

Sunsets are always a peaceful time of day, all else goes quiet for a moment.

The cows fared well this winter, grandpa got back in his tractor, in his trusty John Deere’s, and back to his trips to Vermont in his trusty old Mack to ensure his herd was fed well, along with other folks’ animals in the area. Grandpa has spent much of his life toiling away at one thing or another, and it is quite a hard habit to quit, so on he goes, here and there, checking things off of his mental to do list. He got elastics, (a way of turning a bull into a steer if you know what I mean), on the oversized bull calves as they were weaned from their mothers, in preparation for another season of calving. There is always a few days to a week long stretch even when the mothers and babies are wailing back and forth to each other. As a nursing mother with a nursling currently, I can sympathize quite well with their troubles. But after all they are cows, God has given us as man dominion over his creation of animals, to steward them well, and weaning is just a part of that.

Though she wasn’t much into farming so maybe it’s strange to mention it here but, my great grandmother went to her heavenly home just before she was to turn 102, the day before to be exact. She lived here on the farm for 6 or 7 years, I believe in my grandparents (mostly Mimi’s), loving and comprehensive, full time care. So, her passing quite changed the family dynamic, she was loved and cherished up to the very last moment she was here on earth, and her going on was certainly a celebration of life. As Mimi, Grandpa David’s wife, is an integral part of grandpa’s life, and supporting his farming, it surely feels appropriate to give credit where it is due and include her in the picture I have been painting of Whites farm on the hill. Anyway, my grandparents now have their home, and their marriage back to themselves and are finding new ways to enjoy that togetherness as they go on about their work as homemaker and farmer in retirement.

My mother has caught a bug, its quite contagious I hear, it’s called “IfellinlovewithawildmustangandI’mneverlookingback”. So along with her daily chicken chores, selling meat, and hay, being a grandmother, and playing golf with her rather needy blue heeler Millie, she has another hat to wear, of horse trainer. I’m looking forward to watching that play out this summer. She also had to say goodbye to a longtime friend of hers, her old morgan horse Dakota. After 25 years caring for an animal, it is quite stark facing the world the day after they are gone, but she handled it all with grace. My dad continues his endeavor’s, of semi-pro-amateur league golfing whenever the weather will cooperate and he doesn’t have a project for Kara due, as well as being dedicated to his work at the PSNY.

Empathy, and a hand written note from a small person just hits ya differently.

As for my family and our little portion of this hill, well I suppose that will be for another post… Thank you for reading this if you’ve made it to the end. Thank you for supporting our small family farm. As with most things the unknown of the going-ons of others can be quite mysterious, but at the end of the day we are all much more alike than we know, no matter the work we are doing.

Be Blessed,

Lorin