Dear Friends and Family,

During the past week I missed two very important birthdays. Madeline turned four on Saturday, the 3rd. I was in California. Paul turned thirty-eight on Wednesday. I was in bed nursing a head cold. But on Thursday I stood for two hours in the bright sunshine as two spotted lambs were born. So amazing to watch them gather their long legs under them and, after several trys, stand up. Still tottering a bit they take short steps in the general direction of mom. Eventually they find her warm udder. When the milk starts to flow their woolly little tails seem to spin with glee.

We expect several more lambs in the next few weeks. It seems so cruel that lambing season falls in this coldest time of the winter. The pastures are bare. We carry hay out to the animals every morning. The supply of hay dwindles. The search for new supplies commences. We are hauling hay from as far away as Louisville because local sources are out. A few weeks ago one of our neighbors was talking about selling his dairy herd because he couldn't find enough hay. What a joy, then, to watch him go by with a huge trailerload of hay.

We haul water by the 5-gallon bucketfulls from the house. It can be very discouraging to try to fill Blue Bell's tub when she is drinking it down as fast as I can fill it. Her calf seems to get bigger and darker by the day. She continues to explore the world with her little pink tongue and, sometimes, sports foamy milk on her lips and whiskers.

The great indoor family activity these past few weeks has been handwork. One of our summer interns, Allison, is back for a few weeks before she takes up an "advanced" internship at a huge organic farm in Hawthorne Valley, New York. She brought her trusty Kenmore Basic sewing machine and other necessities all the way from California by Greyhound bus. She patiently and graciously guided the children in mastering the machine sewing techniques, especially that light touch on the treadle. Both of them have made simple pillows, bags, pouches. Sasha can thread the machine himself.

This in addition to the knitting that Allison got them started on before she left in the Fall. Paul and Robin have both fashioned scarves for themselves and for the children. Sasha has stuck with the fingerknitting technique he learned from friends. He had several baskets full of knitting. When his aunt Jen was here she fashioned a cardboard loom so he could weave it into squares. He has 13 or 14 completed; half of what he'll need to sew them all together to make himself a quilt.

Meanwhile Robin has been reading to them from The Little House on the Prairie series. At first they were reading through a volume every few days. (One of the gifts of winter on the farm are days when nothing is pressing once chores are done). Both children love hearing the details of the "pioneer" life that seems (to me) so much like their own. Sometimes Madeline tells us she is Laura. I hadn't realized how much Laura Ingalls Wilder made of her sister Mary's golden blonde hair as opposed to her own "plain brown". We've decided Madeline's hair is brown with golden highlights. It really is, especially in the summer. I enjoy hearing the stories retold by Madeline and Sasha as they keep me up to date on what's happening with Laura.

I had a week in California vsiting with my brother Paul. Alice came out from Massachusetts for a couple of days, too. With John we visited the newly refurbished Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. The "pots" in the potted plant room are worth a visit all by themselves. The lawn in front of the building was literally covered with beds of blooming primroses. All that color was quite a shock to winter-jaded eyes.

We are looking forward to a visit from Phoebe and Rob next week. Perhaps by then it will be a bit warmer here than it is in New England. One thing is sure-the days are getting longer. I give thanks for the light. Love, Louise