Hey You Glisten To Me

You are beautiful. You are a vision of radiance standing in the autumn sun. Your presence on this planet makes the whole place a little brighter. — The one American Bresse rooster that survived this fall’s predator attack and now needs a name. Suggestions?

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Here’s What’s Happening At Good Spirits Farm

• Winter prep continues! This weekend I’ll put compost and straw on the strawberry patch and get those plants tucked in for a long winter’s nap. I need to get cover crop seed laid out in all the fallow garden beds, too. Over the winter I try to grow wheat, peas, and something called a “tillage radish” which is actually a cousin to daikon. The winter wheat grows quickly and holds soil in place. The peas add nitrogen, and the radishes, which can stretch more than a foot deep into the soil, help break things up, so water can easily slip through to roots. I should have gotten to this a month ago but…better late than never?

• Since I am moving to fall calving next year, it’s time for me to think about breeding Julia and Gimlet. This will be Gimlet’s first baby, and because she carries the gene for dwarfism, I’ve waited extra long before breeding her to give her body time to grow. (This is why I am not calving next spring and am instead waiting for the fall). Still: I need to be careful about which bull I use, because I do not want one known for producing large calves. I use artificial insemination, so I have a cold storage tank with straws from a few bulls in it, but none of them are quite right for Gimlet, so I’m going to have to ship in new straws. It’s surprisingly expensive to ship frozen bull semen across the country! Still, making sure she’ll have the easiest delivery possible is worth every penny.

  

  (Gimlet says, “mom, upload my photo to E-Har-Mooooooo-ny! That’s where the good bulls are!”)

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Here’s What I Loved This Week

Being officially at the age where I am 100 percent invested in doing whatever seems fun to me, even if everyone else thinks I’m weird. I am fairly sure I’m going to wear this hot pink tutu while racing my bike tomorrow. Why? Because it seems fun. Will I look ridiculous? Yes. Will it make me laugh? Also yes. I hope you do something just for your own personal amusement this weekend.