My morning has been a bit disoriented.
I already spent some time herding the bovine matron above. She decided the grass was greener on the other side of her fence so she left the Meserve Preserve and came visiting.
From our upstairs bathroom window, I saw something black and white and big making its way along the west fenceline of the hay field.
We've had elk and coyotes and alpacas show up down in that area, and I couldn't quite make out what this species was.
Curiosity got the best of me, so I went outside, fired up the 4-wheeler and headed that direction.
Soon, I came upon her, a contented cow, munching on the tall green grass at the edge of our woods.
I drove on to see if she had any friends with her.
Nope, she was a lone cow who thought she'd found Heaven.
When I turned around, she was following the newly groomed trails through the woods, casually making her way toward the house.
She was still out in the woods when I left her. Her owners will be down soon to round her up.
Just another morning on the farm.
Yesterday on the farm, my friend Chris and her granddaughter Nadia came out with buckets for berry picking.
Twas a good time visiting and picking. Even Bill joined us. Within a few minutes the team had cleared the bushes of all ripe blueberries, almost filling a gallon freezer bag.
There's more picking to come as some bushes are still loaded down with green or ripening berries.
What a year!
We also visited while walking down the lane so Nadia could reconnect with CB. A few years ago, she had come out and brushed him.
CB and Lefty, on the other side of the fence, fought over who was gonna get the most attention. It was pretty much a draw.
Chris's visit followed an exciting time for us as Annie had just left the house in Manistee, Mich., where her Grandmother Tibbs spent part of her childhood.
Annie was in Michigan searching for some key geocaches near Manistee. So, she set out on a mission to spend some time in Manistee visiting spots around town where my mother's Aunt and Uncle Anna Halter and William Douglas played a major role in the town's early history.
She visited the cemetery where Halter family graves and that of William Douglas, an esteemed lumber baron and railroad man in the early 1900s.
She visited Douglas Park, named in honor of Anna Douglas, a local businesswoman and philanthropist.
And, she visited the Douglas Mansion and sat on the same winding staircase our mother used to tell us about when reflecting upon her childhood with Aunt Anna as her guardian.
Inside the home, she also saw a painting Mother had done in 1992 of the stately mansion in a winter scene specifically for Suzanne Picardat, the present owner.
Suzanne, a consummate and meticulous historian, has folders full of information about the house and its inhabitants.
Her family purchased the home in the 1940s. Meanwhile, Suzanne, her husband and seven children lived the military life before returning to Manistee and moving to the mansion.
Suzanne told me over the phone a while back that she has lived there since 1976. She and her family have done everything possible to maintain the integrity of the house and its history, including that of the families who lived there.
Sue took Annie on the grand tour and even pulled out some letters written to her over the years by our mother and her cousin Dorothy who also lived in the home.
Annie's gesture of taking time to explore her family roots was not only a meaningful gift for her but also for the entire family---especially those of us who heard Mother's stories of times in that home but never saw its interior until Annie's pictures taken yesterday.
It was a special day to see snippets of family history come alive through photography and technology.
I'm sure Mother was proud of her granddaughter for taking this interest as are Bill and I.
Thank you, Annie.
And, thank you, Sue, for all you've done to preserve this history for your family and ours. Your gracious hospitality with Annie is much appreciated.
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