I Am A Little Excited

Hey There !

Dave from McElhoes Family Farm/Belmont here.

Well, the foggy and drizzly weekend was simply a prelude to THE FIRST SNOW OF THE SEASON! I don't know if it's a thing anymore, but I remember seeing the first snow while looking out a school window. Most of the teachers - especially the more experienced ones - finished up whatever really needed done, and gave us some sort of token assignment to be completed for the rest of the day. They knew it was fruitless to try to compete as our brains drifted to thoughts of sleds and snowballs.

Usually that first snow came in mid October or early November. I remember a few Halloweens spent trudging through wet snow to "trick or treat" neighbors along our sparsely populated rural road. It didn't stick around long, and was not really enough actually sled or make anything more than a slush ball, which was universally agreed to be against snow ball etiquette to throw at anyone, although nearly at was sometimes tolerated...

I wonder if kids even notice the snow anymore. Modern schools seem to have fewer, smaller windows, and I seldom see school yards, or home yards for that matter, tracked up from childhood games. I remember reading a poem a long time ago, and I don't think I understood it then, but it sometimes comes to me in pieces. Something about when a man dies, there dies with him his first kiss, his first snow and his first fight...worlds die with him. I am sorry I don't remember anything else but the sentiment. Reckon I've been out in the cold too long...

"What if that inner, small voice we have is but the echoes of our ancestors?"

Our laying hens are now in their winter quarters, and I am, as always, busy building and modifying things. Katie is experimenting with a bit of chicken breeding, so we now have three separate flocks as well as her disparate group of malcontent biddies. Despite the new quarters, everyone seems to be adjusting to the change well. Perhaps they appreciate being in out of the snow.

Well, my bread has risen enough to go into the oven, so I guess that is enough reason to quit tying up your inbox. I do sincerely thank you for this privilege, especially when there is little "news" to report in our "Newsletter". As a kid I wanted to be a writer, kinda like Johnboy Walton, but other than flame emails and corporate drivel in an earlier version of myself, I have never allowed myself the luxury. I hope my musings don't chase you off.

If you need them, there are still a few chickens left on our website. If you prefer not to order from the website itself, you can always check it to see what is left and then just email me. We can work it out together.

Thanks for Listening,

Dave

*Paraphrased from Alfred North Whitehead "Philosophy begins in wonder. And, at the end, when philosophic thought has done its best, the wonder remains."