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I am Cecilia. A New Zealander who farms in Illinois.
My farms are organic and regenerative and full of stories. I have been writing here about environmentally sustainable farming and food and travel since 2011.
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LATEST POSTS
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Cows Love Snow
I did take lots of incidental pictures of the snow yesterday, from the porch, from the barn, in the fields, but none of them SAID anything. And if a photograph does not tell you a story or open a memory, or offer a challenge – it is worthless. Perfect, pretty, technically correct photographs are not always…
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The dark-en deepen-eth
The nights are coming so early and the clouds have been so thick and low lately that it seems to me I have to start evening chores straight after lunch or I won’t be done by dark. Sunset is at 4.24pm. Luckily Our John has taken to the milking and is doing very well, so…
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I know it’s the 3rd!
The third of December. Not the best day for a retrospective of November. But yesterday was over come with Christmas stuff so poor old Camera House sat on the table. No pictures! So, lets look back at November. I don’t do this often but it is fun. Like a night off but with pictures. November seems…
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Tane goes for a walk
I locked up all the feed and opened the gates for Tima and Tane to go for a walk yesterday. Tima and Tane are an old married couple (both kunekune pigs) who have lived together for years. He has bad legs and she is a nosy fat Mama. Tima took off like a shot and…
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Duck for Cover
When young pigs get a fright they do this very sensible thing. They duck for cover. Very low. Very still. Heads down, looking small sometimes with their bottoms in the air as they protect their heads by getting them right down. In the instant of that stillness their eyes move rapidly searching and their big…
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Gotcha
Gotcha. He said, just as I was about to repeat my instructions. Oh, I said. Well. Good. Gotcha no longer means “Tricked you.” It now means Yup. Roger that. Now, let’s move. I have heard this expression more and more lately and as a rule I don’t like this kind of short-cut language. Slang. My…
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