Renovation

Monday 24 Nov 2014

Playing in the Mud

This morning's pasture view included, way off behind the trees, the red and yellow shapes of heavy machines sent to demolish the old swimming pool. Beneath the plastic liner, the READ MORE →

Sunday 02 Nov 2014

Operation Pool House

On The Farm, Renovation

Sledge hammers, construction hats, and an excavator: weekend fun on the farm. Last Saturday we demolished the so-called pool house—a glorified shed, foundationless, with fluorescent READ MORE →

Friday 10 Oct 2014

So, About That Junk In The Woods…

Renovation

Phase one of junk-metal removal has begun: so far, a giant dumpster-full, plus this rusted steel piled in the manure bunker. Other treats in the woods include cans and broken glass, READ MORE →

Thursday 25 Sep 2014

Rebuilding the Walls

On The Farm, Renovation

The fortresses of vine-tangle are gone. Now our fields are bordered by meandering piles of rocks, with occasional rusted-metal debris. The good news: there are plenty of rocks to READ MORE →

Monday 22 Sep 2014

Recent Radio Silence

Horses, Renovation

It's because we've had an eventful and Internet-free past few days. Philip and Firefly jumped in the Central Park Horse Show, then we moved into our new house. We are now the proud READ MORE →

Monday 18 Aug 2014

The Mezzanine

On The Farm, Renovation

That's what Emily calls the antique barn's cavelike lower level: dark stalls, lead paint cracking like alligator skin, low asbestos ceiling, rusted nails, dripping water, cobwebs. READ MORE →

Thursday 14 Aug 2014

Someday Riding Trails

On The Farm, Horses, Renovation

In our farm's east woods there are stone walls and an old logging road. It's another world back there—shaded and lush; quiet; home to a lot of deer that don't seem as concerned as READ MORE →

Wednesday 23 Jul 2014

Tackling The Vines

On The Farm, Renovation

A poison-ivy-immune six-man crew from Westchester Tree Life has blazed through the borders of our northeast fields, felling dead trees and eviscerating all those tree-killing vines. I READ MORE →

Thursday 10 Jul 2014

“Look, I Fixed It!”

Renovation

Seriously. This is the actual fencing inherited from our farm's previous regime. Splintered boards cobbled together; rubber strips replacing post-and-rail; baling twine and wire; READ MORE →