The cows gather beneath the big apple tree down at the far corner of the field. They’d eat themselves sick if I let them, so I run a short line of fence to keep them in check. The apples are amazing this year, which is supposed to mean it will be hard winter, but may just mean that the apples are amazing this year. Part of me hopes for the former; another part would be fine if it were merely the latter. Neither part has much choice in the matter.
The morning fire routine has begun, a small one in the small kitchen stove, just enough to take the chill off, boil water for coffee, cook eggs. Dark outside, hoar frost on the ground. The cows down the field under the apple tree, maybe thinking about the drops on the wrong side of the fence.
Probably thinking about nothing at all.
Ben Hewitt 
I am always glad to see a post in my inbox. They never disappoint.
Thanks for the picture. Glad for the progress and hope it’s going well for you.
Thank you for the musings Ben. Am enjoying them very much. It’s a very different life you lead and I like your perspective.
As always…good words 🙂
Good words, better photo!
Certainly – sitting on top of the world.
Just yesterday, to my co-worker as we wheelbarrowed 5 yards of just-delivered soil off of the street, I asked the following question:
” What would be the impact of our being able to know animals thoughts?”
We had a bumper crop on our tree too – you have happy cows, we have half-drunk groundhogs from the fermented apple drops.
A couple years ago we had a mast year. That means we had bumper crop of blue and valley oak acorns. Some people said “that means we’re going to have a hard winter!” I thought how does a tree know these things? And then we had the mildest winter we’ve ever had.
Is that you on the roof or a mini -me?
We’ve also had a bumper year for apples here in Sussex in England..and pears too. We have a huge pear tree and a few plum trees right outside the livingroom window. A couple of months back, I was sitting with a hot chocolate at 6 in the morning and a little fox with a limp came right up outside the window and started to eat the fallen plums. He had such a look of pleasure on his face as he smacked his little lips together. Today when I went to pick up the fallen pears I could see little fox-sixed bites out of the early morning fallers and it made me smile to think of him picking over the latest juicy harvest.
Are you doing a cat’s cradle up there?
Love the contrail. Makes me think of James McMurtry’s “Leveland”. You sound good.
Love that song. Love most of his songs.
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Sometimes, I think it would be nice to think about nothing. The cows might be on to something. Nice looking roof and I bet the view is pretty good, too. Thanks for the words!
I think the earth does whatever the hell it wants and we are always 500 steps behind it. Hasn’t that Farmer’s Almanac sham gone out of business yet?
I really hope you take some photos of the finished products, your new home and barn(s). I’d love to see what you’ve created. Thanks for the new words.
Nothing beats a good hoar and the first fire or two of the season…
Glad to hear that you are all getting settled into your new homestead in Stannard. Wishing you all nothing but the best, hope that you are all well in body and mind and filled with The Holy Spirit!
But where are the Fall foliage pictures? Vermont’s best season, at least aesthetically.
There’s nothing quite like a sweet roof wedgie.
At least she does not become so identified with her thinking that she becomes confused about what she is. If such were the case, she might think she was just a cow. I think therefore I am is such a crock.