New Dogs at the Farm

Meet the new farm residents! Oliver and Jonathan were rescued from a nearby animal control shelter on behalf of Shih Tzu & Furbaby Rescue and are sojourning with us until everything is set for their adoption by some loving home. We really love them and are delighted to be sharing our home and hearts with these little loving fellows. It's inspiring to work with animal rescue groups - even though the need is so huge that it is often depressing to hear the sad, sad stories, it is a good feeling to give some help. I am convinced that every individual who gets involved moves us one step closer to the "tipping point" when animal abuse and abandonment will never be "just an ordinary part of things...."

And if we can move enough dog lovers to stop paying absurd prices to unscrupulous breeders and pet stores for "designer" dogs - purebred or otherwise - the puppy mills will be shut down naturally for lack of income, rather than as a reluctant response to the horrible conditions uncovered and battled by investigators.

The fall has been moving along so fast that I haven't bothered to keep up with my little observation blog. Fall came late; we still had temperatures in the mid-80's through October and the warm temperatures and severe dry conditions kept us feeling that we were trapped somehow in an endless summer. Finally, the weather broke and we went straight to late fall. Frosts came in at the end of October. We pulled all the remaining tomatoes and peppers, beans and annuals... making room in the raised beds for the winter greens and salads, onions, garlic and a few fava beans (this year's experiment). The marvelous Jaclyn raspberries continued to produce a small berry harvest right into the severe frosts. Italian Golden Honey figs were still ripening, as were the always-late, black Violette figs. Now we are busy with farm upkeep and repairs, painting and such. November will be time, hopefully with more rain, for planting the few pots of plants that remain from the greenhouses - all of which are now moving out to new homes. Strange to see the empty spaces where so much used to go on! Retirement has its odd moments....