We have had 24 hours of rain on the farm. I think the last vestiges of Summer are over except the the first frost in November. Our nights are moving into the 40's and you can even think about jacket or sweater early in the morning on the porch having coffee. More and more color is appearing in the forest. What a wonderful time of the year.

We had our first calf of the season Sunday, a girl! That is good for our farm as replacement females are the backbone of our cattle herd. It is always better to "grow your own" than purchase from outside so long as you diversify your genetic base on the male side. We have two herd bulls currently; one we raised and one we got from Montana that brings a different set of genetics. Our yearling bull is also from Montana. You need one bull for every 30 cows that need to be bred.

Soon we will have baby goats. It looks like every female is ready to give birth. Unlike our cattle where we have select three month periods when the cows are exposed to the bull, we have a billy goat with our female goats year round. This fall we need to buy a ram for our sheep. It is time for them to breed.

If you live in an urban area, have you ever noticed how much noise there is. 24/7 there is no end to it. As I write this I am in my study, with the French doors open, looking out across the lawn into the forest. The only sound is that of birds and insects. A crow is calling and calling. I hear so many natural sounds. It is a chorus forming its own music. Since early morning I think only two vehicles have passed and one of those was a tractor.

If you over by the cabins you do not even hear the vehicles; just the occasional train passing in the distance. I wish I had more time to go over there and sit on a porch in a rocker and just do nothing, or read a good book. Many of our cabin guests say that is the best part of being here. They enjoy the down time from what they are normally doing, they like the privacy and the silence.

It's Thursday and it feels like the fall on a farm.