a visit to a farm

 We visited our dear friend Monica on a farm in Vermont. That's Monica, with one of the many goats and 5 dogs who live on the farm. Monica is 80, and she's on the go all day long.

We saw the whole goat cheese making operation that begins with the milk from these ladies, pictured with my son Luke, and another of the dogs. 

The farm belongs to a couple who moved there when they were first married--they bought the land, lived in a tent, and built everything themselves--cabin, house, outbuildings, gardens...and had two children who are now 10 and 13. Monica was the father's nanny when he was a child---she came over from England to live with his family. We got to know her when my children were young and she lived with a neighbor-- she became like a grandmother to my boys. She loves animals, and has visited the farm most springs to help when the kids (baby goats) are born. This year she's been there for several months, and is getting ready to retire and return to England. She has kept in touch--returning to London almost every year for a visit, and is looking forward to drinking tea and playing cards with her friends, and taking busses everywhere. 

What I found most interesting about the farm was the way all the animals mingled. Here's a cat keeping pace with a dog.

A dog hanging out with the chickens, who are truly free range.

Chicken in the herb garden.

Dog and chicken in the shade.

Chicken and dog visit baby pigs. 

It was all very Charlotte's Web.