Category Archives: Farm Diary

Hawk Calling from the Cross

Posted on September 21, 2023 by John

Refreshed. Wine and bread, blood and body. Coffee and hugs, chatting and loving. We then stepped out into dazzling light and wakening breeze to hear the shriek. And then another, and another. This dramatic shriek is the same they put … Continue reading →

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Spot and a Still Small Voice

Posted on August 28, 2023 by John

In my early days with sheep herding dogs, I thought the only way of getting through to them was through my voice….and the louder the better. You see you train dogs in a big open field; and the sheep start … Continue reading →

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Nothing Wasted

Posted on May 27, 2023 by John

I notice those two dead spruce trees. Should I cut them down. They take up space. They are untidy. But, the mourning dove is there now, cooing. And the red winged black bird trilling; and armies of ants up and … Continue reading →

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Starling Feathers

Posted on February 20, 2023 by John

On the tall maple tree on the south side of our house hangs several bird feeders. Every morning I stand at the window and watch the swarming. My eyes search for the downy woodpeckers, the chickadees, and the flashy male … Continue reading →

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Cooper’s Hawk Spices Our Day

Posted on February 1, 2023 by John

While our children and grandchildren live in warmer climates, and live lives that are filled with many adventures, life here on Heatherhope Farm, in the frigid winter months, can get quite boring–even more so now that, for the first time … Continue reading →

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Wooly Bear: Another Everyday Miracle

Posted on October 8, 2022 by John

Everybody’s favorite weather predicting caterpillar, the wooly bear, makes its way around Heatherhope Farm these beautiful autumn days. We are often disappointed to find out that its purported miraculous weather prognostication is a bust. A wide brown patch doesn’t always … Continue reading →

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Sméagol’s Death Leaves a Hole in Our Lives

Posted on September 17, 2022 by John

Sméagol the cat, lived with us almost the whole 20 years we have been at Heatherhope. Being dog people, Connie and I often thought of him as something of a bother. He woke us each up at least once or … Continue reading →

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Pentecost 11 C: God Does Not Play Phone Tag with Our Covid

Posted on August 16, 2022 by John

The lessons for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost are: Old Testament & Psalm, Option I Old Testament       Jeremiah 1:4–10 Psalm                    Psalm 71:1–6 or Old Testament & Psalm, Option II Old Testament       Isaiah 58:9b–14 Psalm                    Psalm 103:1–8 … Continue reading →

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Breakfast Guest

Posted on June 15, 2022 by John

Breakfast at Heatherhope is a reward for completion of morning chores, prayer-of-thanks time for the long chain of harvest to truck to mill to truck again to middleman to grocery to cereal bowl…and a time for coffee brain and deep … Continue reading →

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Easter 4 C: Recognizing Care

Posted on May 4, 2022 by John

The readings for the Fourth Sunday of Easter are: First Reading        Acts 9:36–43 Psalm                    Psalm 23 New Testament      Revelation 7:9–17 Gospel                   John 10:22–30 Our psalm and Gospel readings focus on shepherding. Revelation on Christ the Lamb, … Continue reading →

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