Well, we're not a farm yet, but now that we have a cat, we are well on our way. About a month ago Jack found a four week old black kitten in our wood pile, and he is now our official farm cat. There's kind of an unwritten law that every farm needs a cat or two, so that means we're one step closer. And having never been cat people, it's big when I say that this cat is rad. He listens almost better than our dogs (which actually isn't saying much, but still) and he cuddles better than they do, too. He also magically knew to use the litter box within minutes of being introduced to it. Our dogs will still pee in the house after six freaking years. I'm not sure, but my forever belief that dogs are better than cats just might be on shaky ground. It's clear from the below photo that he is fitting right in.
Next update: I started working weekends at a tiny winery nearby and just had my first experience in working the vines. Well, not actually working them, but covering them. There are birds here called Starlings that send out scouts just like the monkeys in The Wizard of Oz. If these scouts see ripe grapes, they magically signal the rest of the group and within seconds half of your vineyard is toast. So as soon as our winemaker saw the first scout, we were up at sunset the next day ready to "net". It took four of us two days to net five acres of vines. And luckily for the winery, we bested the birds and saved the soon-to-be wine. Another fine win for humans. God knows we need alcohol more than birds need food.
