dd 11 18

Morning Carlene - 

As promised, here is a write up on our visit. Feel free to use as a Doggie Daily. I still owe you one for the newspaper - I will get it to you, I promise. Have a good day, Lisa Stevens

Carlene suggested I write up the trip my husband Bob and I recently made to the farm. Here goes…..

We arrived at the farm on a Sunday afternoon. Pulling into the driveway that first time was a surreal experience as one of the GW’s had told me it would be. Seeing firsthand what we have seen only on camera and read about in the DD made all the pieces fall into place. Bud was visiting Carlene as we entered her cabin so we started off with a bonus in meeting them both. Before long Elizabeth and Nick came in and we got a chance to meet them and make a plan for the following day. After a bit more conversation with Carlene, we wandered about the farm taking in the sights and sounds and meeting the animals. A lovely volunteer named Julie was there with her son and they had a few of the animals out for a munch on the grass by the swings.  We chatted with her and explained we were there to visit and I had been the lucky winner who named Angus. She was kind enough to bring him and Harley out for us to meet and I got a chance to give him some pats and cuddles. Later in the week I had a little talk with him about his bright future at the farm, about his name, and how special he was to so many.

The next day was Veteran’s Day and people in the community were out and about honoring America’s veterans so there was no Community Outreach job for Goldy’s Farm. We spent part of the day on the farm getting a more in depth overview from Elizabeth and then she took us to the Topsfield Co-op where we picked up some equine treats. I had been ordering Mare and Foal feed from here for Harley so it was nice to see it in person. From there she took us to Meredith for more overview, a meet and greet with the herd there and we handed out treats. We joined Carlene and Elizabeth for Mail Chat that evening and made plans to join the outreach visits for the next few days.

There were visits scheduled each day for the rest of the week and we went on 3 of 4 - each visit this week was with dogs only. We jumped right in helping pass out treats in frying pans and answering questions about the farm and the dogs. The first visit of the week also had Janine and Wanda join in. She had the crowd clapping and cheering at Wanda and Penny in the center of the circle doing roll overs.  Bob brought in the Yuppy Puppy and as Carlene got Larkey and Sizzle in a down stay, Penny operated the Yuppy Puppy (a repurposed gum ball machine mounted on a wooden frame) with her nose getting a handful of kibble with each nudge of the bone shaped handle. Larkey got a turn next and Sizzle decided she had had enough and was ready to go home. A version of this was repeated - except for the Yuppy Puppy - the next several days and at the end of the week smiles and joy had been provided to about 150 people. A job very well done!

I helped Carlene do Mail Chat the rest of the week giving Elizabeth some time to implement a new feeding program at Meredith a little earlier in the evening than if she had to be at MC too. Bob worked on finishing a wall in the new chicken house in anticipation of getting the chickens moved for winter. New, sturdy wire mesh was installed sandwiched between 2x4s top, bottom and sides along the bottom half of the outer wall. Plywood sheets are there to attach for the winter to keep snow from drifting in the bottom leaving the top exposed to air flow.  More work needs to be done before it’s ready, but we were happy to leave a permanent addition to the farm with what did get done.

The first day there I got a chance to dye monkey fists. Three pans of different dye colors were ready for me to dip, dye, then rinse and set to dry - about two dozen monkey fists in all. Another afternoon Carlene got the sous vide set up with a steak for her dinner - and one for Nick too. We settled on 130 degrees for an optimal doneness temperature and before MC that day, I did a quick sear on the steak. Carlene approved and said it was delicious! One last experience we needed to have was learning how to splice rope. After MC on Friday, Carlene tried to teach us how to splice the bits of rope left over from making monkey fists. While we didn’t quite get it, we got the idea. Carlene gave us some rope to take home and use as practice but unfortunately we left it in the cabin as we were saying our goodbyes and getting our coats on. We will find some rope at home and hopefully perfect the technique to make Carlene proud. 

 

We left the farm for the last time with hearts filled, bodies tired and with excitement for a visit again in the future as Goldy’s continues to transform into its new mission. 

Until then - Lisa and Bob Stevens