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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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from the archives. june 2012
June 25, 2012 – milking Daisy. This is the milking routine with Daisy. When I first started milking cows on the farm. Way back when. Good morning. I wanted to document a milking in pictures for you. This was easier said than done as I needed to bring in people unfamiliar with my camera (Our…
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the sou’wester blows warmer but the chill remains
The wind has flipped to the Sou’wester which is a warmer wind in this hemisphere. Though it is only 8 degrees. F. So warm is a relative term. And the long wall in my study is south facing so it’s a bit chillier than previous days in here today. The wind affects houses in different…
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off their trotters with horror
Ice now blankets the farm. I was moaning about the cold last week but the real cold is here now. I take all that other cold moaning back. I now long for it to rise back into the 20’s. I move carefully about the farm in an undignified shuffle. Some areas are flat and smooth…
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archives – may 2012 – daisy and me
May 29 2012. I chose this archive entry because it contains my frequently made broccoli soup recipe and heralds the beginning of the milking period and we get a mention of Sheila and a real look at Daisy and me. Reaching back and revisiting these old characters is a mixture of sad and delightful but…
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a wee warm up
We go up above freezing today. For about four hours. Then again tomorrow. Hopefully, the barn can thaw a little in this time. Then I will scoop and clean out and lay clean straw for a few hours. It will be nice to be able to stay outside longer. Here is the sunset from last…
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waiting for tima’s call to breakfast
This morning it is -6F (minus 21C) and still. The sun has come up into a clear brittle slit-eyed sky. Once again we will leave the animals unbothered for a wee while yet as it is mean to get them up out of their warm beds and into these frigid temperatures until they are ready.…
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