New Beginnings

New Beginnings



The charred timbers are gone. The smell of burn is only in our minds. And the major disconnect we felt after the fire is dissipating. However, that means that the memories become sharper, clearer, more alarming.


Kids' paintings and letters

Last week we poured the slab for the new barn and the cement is curing in readiness for the timbers, which are being cut.

My old dye shed, attached to the barn, was destroyed by the fire. My dye books, dyes, thermometers, mordants, pots, everything I needed to dye the wool from our sheep. The Wednesday spinners are gathering up materials and supplies to replace what we lost and my son, Tom, is going to rebuild the shed as soon as the timbers have been erected.


After a long road trip - happy to be here !

The biggest news on the farm so far is that our new team of Haflinger draft horses arrived yesterday. They are a perfectly matched team in looks and in temperament, are well trained, beautiful, and today Bill will take them out with the wagon. Our grandchild, Susie, came over yesterday with her friends, and took many pictures while Bill exercised them in the round pen.


Welcome to Darthia Farm !!

Last week the local school held a fundraiser for the barn because all of the kids in the school have been here for field trips and they know the animals. They painted pictures, wrote letters, raised money, and thanked us for all we've done. We thank them. The money they collected went directly to buy our new team. And we brought the chick, Lucky, the lone survivor of the fire, to meet them.


Happy days...

Please take a ride up and see our new horses and watch the progress. Thanks to the generosity of our friends, neighbors, and strangers who want to help, we should have a rebuilt barn stocked with animals by the end of the summer.