I’ve been thinking about the cows all day today.  Early this morning during chores they let out a chorus of moos expressing their desire for some yummy hay.  The ground was covered with snow and they couldn’t forage around the pasture looking for that previously overlooked patch of dried alfalfa.  So they all started walking towards the area where the hay bales get served up.  I watched them get into their single file line and walk their cow path to their breakfast.  Creatures of habit, they walked with their heads down following each other and sometimes nudging each other forward.  Vocal and eager for something to eat they marched passed me intently all the while calling out to each other, summoning the other cows to join them on their march to food.

I am not a winter gal.  I’ll take sun and surf over skis and snow any day of the year, except maybe Christmas.  And even then I’m tempted.  There was something familiar about the cows and their marching in line today that reminded me that I can become a little monotonous in the winter.  Get up, make tea, get dressed, work, make dinner, knit, go to bed.  Do it again the next day.  Sometimes I throw in “go to yoga” or “dinner with friends” if I really want to spice it up.  So I’m particularly excited that we have an event coming up on February 3.    We have teamed up with Morning Glory Farm to show the film American Meat at the Morning Glory Farm Stand.  A local meat dinner prepared by chef Chris Fischer of Beetlebung Farm will be available for purchase starting at 6 pm with hot drinks provided by Chilmark Coffee Co.  The film will start at 7 pm.  I hope you can make it.  It will be nice to see our farm friends in the cozy and welcoming environment of the MoGlo farm stand. 

Lambs are being born every few days.  Their cuteness overwhelms me.  Stop by for a visit—they’re worth the trip out to Katama.  Couple it with a sunny late afternoon and enjoy one of the finest sunset vistas on the island.  There’s something special about the space and the air out here in Katama.  Some days it’s like a being in a fishbowl of color. 

It’s almost time to start onions and leeks.  Meredith and I have been harvesting beets, carrots, tatsoi, lettuce, chard and salad mix from the greenhouse for the Falmouth Farmer’s Market each Saturday and for MV Produce Connection which delivers our greens to island schools.  Our new garden manager, Rebecca, will be joining us in the next few weeks and the cycle will start all over again.  Come by and see the greenhouses in action and say hello to Rebecca—we’re really glad she’s making the move from western Mass to join us out here on the rock. 

Stay warm and enjoy the lengthening of days.