The Riley Factor #65

The Riley Factor May 31, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 31 -- Memorial Day Weekend -- the holiday weekend at Rock Creek Farm was wild & wacky, primarily owing to bizzaro guests Pauline, Barbara Lacroix Semanie, Ames and Debbie.  Friday night's barbecue featured prime steaks and half gallon bottles (jugs) of Western Mass local beer, all courtesy of Ames.  Saturday was spent at the Annual Amish landscaping and crafts auction.  Mohawk Valley Auction Center was abuzz (non-electric buzz, of course) with auctioneer yodeling and cries of "Sold, a bargain".  Such prized items were acquired as a child picnic table (Barbara), quilt (Barbara), giant beer stein (Pauline), personalized key chain (Pauline), lucky horse shoe (Pauline), stuff (Susan) and tiny 3-drawer cabinet full of bullets (Chris).  What a pile.  Uhhh, of treasures.  Ames won the award for Most Amish Food Consumed, by a Non-Amish Entity.  Ames and Pauline also met several of our Amish friends.  By day's end, both were asking, "Where can I get me one of those straw hats?"

On the Fowl Front -- The 50+ Jersey Giant chicks and 16 French Jumbo Guinea Hen chicks are out of their incubators and now each flock has its own coop (stall).  One chick found a way out and was found strolling the midway at 7AM when Susan and Barbara entered the asylum (barn) for Sunday morning's feedings.  The male Jersey Giant chicks (the roosters) have started separating themselves -- you know, chest bumping, smoking Lucky Strikes, driving too fast, chasing the little chiquitas.  The Herd of Five enjoyed all the extra attention over the weekend, and spent much time bumping their noses into the new and exciting visiting rear ends.

Trail Side Wanderings and Wonderings -- Barbara was maniacal, zooming around the trails on an ATV (her first time) while Susan led the way and Pauline and Chris played Rangers in the Ute (well, actually Chris drove in the role of Ranger and Pauline sipped wine in the female role reprise of Dudley Moore's Arthur).  We did see a deer a couple of times trotting along the back Deerfield Trail.  Barbara and Susan saw a pair of turkeys walking off the oats field.  During the course of an hour's ride, Barbara morphed from, "Which lever makes the ATV go and which makes it stop?" to "Can't we get some ATVs that go faster than 50 or 60 MPH on these trails?  Where can I leave my helmet -- the added weight is slowing me down."
 
Riley -- Riley's newest favorite pastime is finding huge, deep and messy mud puddles and rolling in them.  Which, of course, requires follow-up with a swim in the pond before being allowed back into the house.  Over the weekend, he was seen eating (or at least chewing on) two birds, a frog, a mole and chicken poop.  And he did carry around the yard at least one squawking chicken like a cat carrying her kitten.  No harm, no fowl foul.

The Riley Factor #64

The Riley Factor May 28, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 28 -- The extra 24 Jersey Giant Black Chicks that arrived unexpectedly (and unordered) last week are settling in to life on the farm.  Along with the 16 Jumbo French Guinea Hen chicks, and their incubators, they were were moved into their own stall in the barn to get into life with the Herd of Five, three senior turkeys and the chicks' older brethren, the egg-laying chickens.  The Keets now are each the size of an adult pidgeon, and they now occupy their own stall in the barn -- incubator life over.

Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were spent planting -- an acre each of barley, oats, buckwheat and rye are now in the ground.  And nine new acres of hay has been seeded, including The Deerfield -- timothy grass, alfalfa, clover and rye grass.  (A bit of rain would be nice -- weather has been 80 and sunny 10 consecutive days).  Riley has been out for runs and pond swimming daily.  Mowing the trails, fence lines and fields is up next on the daily routine (human not dog routine; dog routine is more lying around and doing nothing; with the occasional chasing of chickens and turkeys, only when Riley can isolate one from the pack).

Animal count -- Susan counted the animals ... 5 steer, 3 turkeys, 20 egg-laying chickens, 16 Jumbo French Guinea Hen chicks, 52 Black Jersey Giant chicks and 20 American Heritage turkey chicks expected to arrive within a month.  Add in Riley and the three cats (Stryder, Arwen and AJ) and the total is 100 on site and 20 in transit.  No red fox has been seen since the Battle of May 15.

Tales from Auctionville -- This Saturday, May 29 is the annual Amish landscaping and crafts auction, at Mohawk Valley Produce Center in Fordsbush, Fort Plain, about five miles from the house.  And for those of you who want to arrive early for the weekend and catch some early bidding action, Friday evening, May 28, 5PM, is the monthly antiques and estate auction at Premier Auction Gallery in beautiful downtown Fort Plain.  And that one comes with complimentary drinks and dinner, courtesy of the auctioneer.  Reservations are booked for Ames & Debbie, Pauline and her friend Barbara Lacroix -- trail riding, barbecues and bonfires are on the agenda.  Weather is 80s & sunny for today and the three-day weekend.

The Riley Factor #63

The Riley Factor May 22, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 22 -- Oh, oh.  Call Snerdley in Shipping.  Houston, we have a problem.  On Thursday, another box with holes in it, with the requisite peeping emanating, arrived at the main barn, courtesy of the U.S. Postal Service.  Box not ordered.  24 squawking chicks inside not ordered.  Appears to be a double shipment of the order we received a week ago.  Anyone want a couple dozen chicken dinners?  No need to keep refrigerated.  Ready to serve in three to six months.

Friday and Saturday were spent planting -- 20 rows of corn, 13 rows of soybeans, an acre of oats and an acre of rye.

Hey diddle diddle, the cat and the fiddle, the cow jumped over the moon ... you know the rest.  Well, Saturday night we went out to dinner after feeding the animals and locking them in the barn.  We left one stall door top open for fresh air in the cattle stall that holds the Herd of Five (stall doors to the outside are dutch doors).  When we returned from the Triangle Tavern in Cherry Valley, we were surprised to see Eli out in the pasture.  Expecting to find a broken stall door or latch, we found nothing amiss.  The stall door was still locked and latched from the outside.  The only possible explanation ... 500 pound Eli jujmped over the four foot high stall door bottom in a vain attempt to gain his freedom, ort least to gain a few more hours grazing the pasture grasses.  We hope Eli doesn't realize the pasture fence is only three and a half feet tall.

Tales from Auctionville -- Saturday, May 29 is the annual Amish landscaping and crafts auction, at Mohawk Valley Produce Center in Fordsbush, Fort Plain.  And for those of you who want to arrive early for the weekend and catch some early bidding action, Friday evening, May 28, 5PM, is the monthly antiques and estate auction at Premier Auction Gallery in beautiful downtown Fort Plain.  And that one comes with complimentary drinks and dinner, courtesy of the auctioneer.

And finally, farewell to Nancy -- goodbye, we hardly knew ye.  Nancy has left Rock Creek Farm after 15 months of living in Middle-of-Nowhere.  Next stop, initially, is living in West Springfield with Missy, Bob and kids, Alexis, Paul and Brady.  Also farewell to Gabby, the Belgian Tervuren Shepard, and Professor Mittens II, house cat, barn cat and all-around, very affectionate good guy cat.

The Riley Factor #62

The Riley Factor May 19, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 19 -- Life on the farm has been busy of late.  An acre in field no. 3 was planted in organic barley on Tuesday.  Of course, the planting process is multi-stage and generally requires two people and two or three tractors, or switching-around several pieces of equipment.  First comes the plowing (big tractor drags several-hundred-pound blades through planet surface creating rows of 12-to-18-inch-high furroughs), followed by a few days of resting the ground.  Then roto-tilling (or disking) the earth to chop it into fine particles and smooth it out, then large rock removal (with a rock-picking bucket on the large tractor, or alternatively, and evilly, by hand) then planting the seed (via grain drill or large funnel planter/spreader), and finally culti-packing the area a couple of times (rolling the seeded area with thousand-pound ridged rollers to drive the seed underground).  --  This year, all our culti-packing will be done with our 'new' (50+ year old) McCormick-Deering Ground Pulverizer -- what a great name for a farm implement of destruction.  --  Then nature takes its course.  We'll report back and follow this barley crop this year, through harvest and use or sale -- current plan is to use it in combination with wheat and oats for animal feed (cattle, turkeys and chickens all love to eat grains).

Over the next week or two, planting is scheduled for an acre each of oats, buckwheat, alfalfa and corn.  Potatoes and other vegetables are also in the mix.  Four acres of hard red winter wheat was planted last September, planned for harvest this summer.  It is growing well in field no.1, along with a half acre of semolina wheat.

Riley and Gabby continue with their daily runs chasing Nancy-on-the-Quad for a couple of miles once once or twice a day until they drop into one or both ponds for needed breaks and swims.  The ponds have held a pair of geese and a pair of Mallard ducks of late, and the three dozen recently added orange, white and silver pond carp are doing well in the lower pond.

The Keets (French Jumbo Guinea Fowl) have doubled in size since their early May hatchings.  The Jersey Giants (black chickens) also love life in the incubator and have doubled as well.  All the chicks are still cute, according to Susan and Nancy.

And shout-out to Lizzie Miller, who joined the Rock Creek Farm staff on Tuesday.  An Amish teacher during most of the year, running a school house with 27 students in grades one through eight, Lizzie will be spending a day per week this summer working in the fields and gardens with us.

The Riley Factor #61

The Riley Factor May 15, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 15 --  Today's lead is from the weekend sports page ... CELTICS 94, CAVALIERS 85 ... FLYERS 4, BRUINS 3 ... SUSAN "DEAD EYE" SLATE FUCHS 1, RED FOX 0 ... Yes, that's right, Susan met-up with for the brash red devil that had killed nine of our egg-producing chickens over the past two weeks, and had taunted us every day or two by prancing across the pasture, or a trail, or the back yard, or one day even sitting in the middle of Cherry Valley Road staring back at us,  Well, Saturday morning at about 8AM, while we were feeding the Herd of Five, turkeys and remaining chickens, the fox waltzed right into the barn as we stood there.  The fowl sounded the alarm, Susan chased the fox away and said, "I'm getting the gun".  She returned from the house with the LSI .357 magnum lever action rifle and a box of cartridges.  She stood in the center aisle and awaited the return of the fox.  It did not take long.  Ten minutes later, she saw him in the steer stall and waived him off.  He ran around the other side if the barn and entered the turkey stall where he was first seen earlier in the day.  A shot rang out and the fox dropped ... an adult, about 20 pounds, and looking well fed, although appeared to be not in the best of health, with a very mangy fur coat (and big teeth), even before his encounter with the 130 grain, full metal jacketed, .38 special missive.  Susan added, "I prayed for steady nerves and a steady hand, and the Lord gave me both."  Case closed.

Now on to the less exciting news from the simple life.

On Wednesday morning and into the afternoon, we decided to clean out the flu from the wood-burning boiler -- BIG MISTAKE.  While the big black box needed its annual cleansing, and taking the flu apart was a breeze, putting it back together was more of a hurricane.  We seem to be missing pieces, while at the same time we had more pieces than we need and also had pieces of a different shape than those we need or those we started with.  We are now waiting for Kore-to-be-in-the-House to perform his Amish plumber magic and put the molecules of the stove back together, so much like the transporter on the Star Ship Enterprise.  Beam that furnace up, Scottie.  And beam it back in one working piece.  Kirk out.

Thursday was a beautiful warm sunny day, spent relaxing and traveling locally.  Friday was similar, with some greenhouse planting and other minor around-the-yard-work shuffled in.  On Saturday morning, Susan and Nancy were all set to climb into the horseless carriage and travel toward Eastern Mass for a couple of days for Stevie's long awaited bridal shower, hosted by Stevie's many bridesmaids and two maids of honor, Liz Charette and Crystal Raymond, at Jim and Lisa Charette's house on in Hopkinton.  No doubt to be a beautiful and wonderful affair, albeit likely overdosed in estrogen.  Unfortunately, an injury to Chris' arm delayed the girly trip a day.  :-(  But at the same time provided the opportunity for this week's installment of Red Fox Safari.

The Riley Factor #60

The Riley Factor May 12, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 12 -- Sunday was spent working around the yard and in the workshop, and otherwise trying to look busy to keep CEO Susan off the backs of the laborers.  Late afternoon, in the kitchen, Riley decided to spar with Stryder ... MISTAKE.  The big (redundant) Maine Coon Cat did and does not back-down or back-up a single stride when taking-on the eight-month-old Golden Retriever.  In fact, when Riley unadvisedly gets within a pace or two of the feline, Stryder moves forward and swings that right front claw with a vengeance, claws extended, in case Riley has decided to get his long nose or big teeth too close to the senior member of the indoor menagerie.  No blood spilled, but forewarned is forearmed.

Monday morning brought a trip to Sprakers to Tri-Valley Crop Center in search of seed for hay for the six acres just plowed in the bottom of field number 3, and also for the three acres of the Deer Field.  Neither had been plowed or planted before by us, so the experiment continues.  Probably a mix of timothy, rye, clover and perhaps some alfalfa will be seeded later this week, aimed at producing harvestable hay in 2011.  Monday overnight brought (hopefully) the last hard freeze of the year, with temps down to 27.  All the outdoor plantings of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and corn had to be covered with plastic oe mulch by Susan and Nancy.

Tuesday, Susan and Nancy went to the Big City in search of quilting materials.  Journeys down Wolf Road and Central Avenue brought bright lights and civilization to the pair from Middle-of-Nowhere.  In Albany, they have the electricity, just like we do, but they also have lines painted in the middle of the roads and red and green lights stopping and starting the traffic.  And not an orange triangle in sight.

John Fischer is having difficulties repairing the hay tedder (large rake-like machine that tosses mowed hay around for drying and leaves it in neat little rows), so it remains to be seen whether or not that machine will ever function at Rock Creek Farm.

This week brought great celebration at Rock Creek Farm, one that will be long-remembered through the annals of time (well, at least we probably won't forget about it for a few days).  Following upon the grand tradition of that long-storied march in Selma, Alabama, extending beyond judging a man not by the color of his skin but on the content of his character, building on the aftermath of the Germans' bombing of Pearl Harbor (apologies to Bluto, Belushi and all the brothers of Animal House, but don't interrupt me I'm on a roll), the Rock Creek Farm hen house has become integrated. Two dozen black Jersey Giant chicks arrived via USPS Wednesday morning and are doing their workouts in their (segregated for now) incubator in the main barn.  About two weeks from now, these new arrivals, which currently look like miniature penguins marching around a tiny prison yard with high steel walls under a giant red sun, will parade out the door, around the corner, and into into chicken coop history.  Free at Last, Free at Last, Praise the Lord Almighty, We Are Free at Last.

The Riley Factor #59

The Riley Factor May 9, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 9 -- Last Friday night brought a business financial planning meeting with Aaron Miller at E&A Fence LLC.  Sales are not the fence company's problem, but receiving and reviewing reliable financial statements seem to be absent from Aaron's regular activities, primarily owing to his accountant who finds little time to meet with Aaron or to provide him with monthly financials showing how the business is doing.  I would have been more helpful if I had thought to bring along my abacus, but the meeting went well.

The 16 Jumbo French Guinea Hen chicks (the Keets) that arrived Friday morning are all doing well in their incubator in the barn.  How they have grown in their second day of life -- we remember when they were so small and frail, at just a day old.  Now at two days of age, it seems as if they have grown so much so fast; we remember them when they were half their current age; they seem so mature as they crawl all over each other and gurgle as they march through their water and feed.  Oh well, the cycle of life circles on.

Saturday's Annual Amish Equipment, Tack & Tools Auction was another hit, despite the soggy weather.  In addition to the many 'valuable' auction purchases (including some concord grape plants, work lights, tool cabinet, benches, horse-head hitching posts, decorative grasses) we also met someone who wanted to sell some laying chickens, the exact same kind that we already have.  So after the auction, we went over to Ruben Miller's and bought 12 that had just started laying eggs, so production should be back to normal with the dozen new Mrs. Cluckworthy's.  We added them to the chicken coop and the new family of 22 seemed just like they had always been together.  By night-time, they were even squabbling about who lost the remote and squawking, "She touched me ... Don't talk to me ... I hate you ." ... But, the red fox shall never triumph.

And let's talk fish ... one of the best purchases made at the Amish Auction was four buckets of goldfish, pond carp actually.  About 35-40 fish, mostly orange, with some white, black, and silver mixed, in four to five inch lengths.  With great reverence, all were ceremoniously dumped into the lower pond mid-afternoon by Susan as the thunder-clouds once again approached.  In an unrelated story, a local dining establishment, The Charter House, announced a new fish fry every Friday night.

Lastly, and rather unbelievably, Nancy reported snow flurries as she and Susan fed the Herd of Five on Sunday morning.  And this as the 300 tomato plants, 100 cucumber plants, 100 corn stalks and a few squash plants are 'enjoying' their new homes in the garden outside of the greenhouse.  And speaking of the greenhouse, there are a dozen lemons hanging on one of the two lemon trees, and both lime trees are flowering.  The two olive trees growing but not blossoming yet.

The Riley Factor #58

The Riley Factor May 7, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 7 -- Riley has become a daily swimmer and those webbed Retriever paws work like canoe paddles as he and Gabby swim around the ponds.  The pair of Mallard Ducks appears to have taken-up permanent residence in the upper pond, and can be seen paddling around the edges most afternoons.  No ducklings yet.  Although the quacks are not yet dog fans, at least they don't panic when the two pups hit the water, but they do duck for cover in the cat-and-nine-tales while the swimming canines go through their workouts.

On Wednesday, Kore was in the house (actually mostly outside the house), and he installed a pressure tank and four outside water faucets around the greenhouse, to make for easy watering of the gardens, blueberry/raspberry patch and vineyard.  Field no. 3 was plowed this week, which took most of Wednesday and Friday to get the job done.  Beautiful weather both days, and two large black hawks and one red-tailed hawk circled Chris-on-the-Kubota in search of easy-picking food.  But mice were few and far between as the earth was moved.  Although, AJ the cat did manage to catch a full-sized (albeit small) rabbit -- he looked a bit ridiculous as he carried his catch around the yard in his mouth, like a mother cat carries her kittens.  Now if we could just teach him to catch a red fox.

On Thursday morning, we had two visitors ... two unknowns, self proclaimed 'neighbors from Sprout Brook', who dropped in to chat with Susan on farming, quilting, sewing and other rural America hot topics.  To add to the excitement, Riley showed-up at the door with snake in mouth.  It appeared as if he had caught an already dead one -- no doubt a precursor to advanced hunting activities to come.  The rest of Thursday was a day of well needed rest.

Early Friday morning, the Fort Plain post office called (yes, yes, they do have telephone, electricity and indoor plumbing there) -- the keets are in, the keets are in!  Yes, Sixteen one-day-old guinea hen chicks arrived and were put into incubation for their first month-or-so supervised growth upstairs in the main barn.  Cats and dogs no longer welcomed there.  Also, it appears that we have acquired a new barn cat.  There is a small framed adult all black cat, gold eyes, living in the old equipment shed out back.  Seems very docile, but you can't get any closer than 10 feet or so before he/she scrambles away (we think he is a male)..

On tap for this Saturday is the annual Amish equipment, tack and tools auction, at the Mohawk Produce Auction Center in Fordsbush.  No doubt a good time will be had by all, including the Yoders, Zooks, Millers and various Stoltzfus/Stoltzfoos families.  The annual Amish landscaping and flowers auction is set for May 29, same place, same time.

The Riley Factor #57

The Riley Factor May 4, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 4 -- Sunday was big sun and big heat in Middle-of-Nowhere, and Riley went for his first big swim in the upper pond -- the Golden's webbed feet worked great.  Gabby led the way into the depths, and both canines collapsed upon following Nancy back to the homestead.  And a trip on the Ute up into the back trails showed much drying has occurred and the trails are basically ready for the season's riding & hiking.

Plowing and planting are on the menu of the day for the first week or two of May.  The first field has already seen four and a half acres of wheat planted, and will also grow an acre of corn and an acre of potatoes and perhaps some soybeans.  The third field will be receiving an acre each of buckwheat, barley, oats and alfalfa.  Also, probably plowing for and planting six acres of hay (mixture of timothy, alfalfa, rye and clover).  Late last fall, the second field received its first cutting in over 25 years -- mostly brush in the six to eight feet high range was growing there.  Lloyd Van Alstine (the unofficial Mayor of Mendon) told us that he was the last person to mow that field, and it was in about 1983.  Since then, it was left uncared for and became overgrown with grass and brush, until last fall's cutting.   This spring, the field has thousands of dead four inch tall stubs and a lot of good looking grass.  A couple more mowings and a pasture should be born -- about four acres in all.  The brush stubs have been beaten to death by the bush hogs and will not regrow, destined to dissolve into the soil.  And field no. 4, the field at the top by the main entrance to the woods, is about eight acres of hay in its first full season of growth after plowing and seeding.  With any luck, we will be able to take a couple cuttings of hay from there this year.

On Monday, we planted another 18 grape vines in the vineyard area of the orchard, for a total of 30 -- trellis still in the design phase.  It normally takes until year three for grape vines to bear fruit in any real quantity.  And we installed a gateway & gate in the fence between the pasture and the orchard, so that occasionally a steer or two will be able to graze among the fruit trees -- we'll have to see how that experiment works out.

More plowing and rototilling also done on Monday & Tuesday, in spite of Tuesday afternoon thunder storms.  Only the pair of Mallard ducks swimming and floating around in the upper pond seem unaffected by heat or cold, sun or rain.  Perhaps they have a nest with eggs or ducklings in it -- a search may be done later.

The Riley Factor #56

The Riley Factor May 1, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, May 1 -- Riley & Gabby went swimming several times on Friday, well wading, in both the upper and lower ponds.  Warm temperatures and warm water made for a perfect canine beach day -- no sunscreen required.  After noon, the Holstein triplets were walked to the orchard and spent the afternoon grazing and running around their new playpen.  Surprisingly, at dinnertime they returned in an orderly fashion to their pasture, and were perfect gentlemen as they were put away in the barn for the night.  The Dexter brothers missed out on the bovine outing, as they were too ornery to allow for being walked on a lead to the orchard and back.  On Saturday afternoon, Riley made his first attempt at actually swimming, in the upper pond.  No drownings were reported.

Chris began Friday with a tractor trip down Highway 163 to Hill Top Tire, trailer in tow, to have new tires put on the hay wagon acquired at the Fort Plain Equipment Auction last Saturday -- always a treat to roam the New York State thoroughfares in a 55mph zone, crawling at 12.4 mph with flashers on and the ubiquitous red & orange triangles in full display on the tractor and the trailer.  No incidents to report, and Dave/Mork & Mindy Webb were entertaining as always.  Chris returned to the NY Compound at noon and plowed an acre of the field next to the garden shed and new barn, surrounded by the wheat crops, probably for planting of corn and potatoes -- exact layout to be determined in a few weeks by CEO Susan.

Really a routine day -- Susan and Nancy uncovered the outside tomatoes and cucumbers, and mowed the lawn and fields.  Nancy finished painting the library bookcase and filled them with books.  It remains to be seen as to whether any available time exists to actually read said books.  There is probably a hidden (or perhaps obvious) message in the four categories that we three agreed represented all the books we own ... farming, building, religion and science.

Saturday brought a new gate for insertion between the pasture and the orchard ... a new gateway for the steers to roam through.  Installation to be completion later.  Associated therewith was an hour long discussion with Aaron Miller (the "A" of E&A Fence) on the business side of the fence business ... riveting.  And Saturday also brought an afternoon with Ephraim, repairing the plow which had been compromised by a certain female farmer racing through the corn field with plow in the earth.  Guess what happens when the plow hooked to a two-ton tractor hits a thousand pound stone under the ground?

And lastly, the red fox continues to roam -- last seen at dusk Thursday, sitting in the middle of route 163 about 100 yards up from our driveway.  Mocking us.  His time will come.

The Riley Factor #55

The Riley Factor April 29, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, April 29 -- Much activity since last week's edition of The Riley Factor, although not too much of it Riley related.  The young Golden Boy has been let outside alone, unleashed, a bit to roam free.  He typically stays very close to the house and wants re-entry to the covered world in a few minutes.  He has taken to splashing in the lower pond whenever we take him near it or whenever he and Gabby wander there -- no swimming yet, just a lot of wading.  Today, Ephraim Blank is out in the back barn welding the recently acquired cultipacker and old sharpening wheel.  Aaron Miller from E&A Fence is out back around the greenhouse putting latches on the three gates that accompany the new electrified (solar) fencing installed around the greenhouse, shed and garden area.  Riley and Gabby love roaming and playing around that area, especially when Susan and Nancy are out there gardening.

Last weekend was the Fort Plain social event of the year -- the Annual Fort Plain Equipment Auction, staged only a mile from Rock Creek Farm in the large hay field at the intersection of Clinton and Cherry Valley Roads.  Susan, Nancy and Chris were there from 9AM until 7PM, and picked-up such valuables as a small hay wagon, a tractor back blade, hay rollers, the aforementioned cultipacker (heavy ridged rollers for running over planted seed to drive it into the earth) and varied and sundry other valuables for use in farming, gardening, playing and relaxing.

Tuesday was bad news day at Rock Creek Farm, as the now infamous red fox made a return.  You may recall that a week ago, on a Tuesday, the evil red demon caught and killed a chicken at 10:30AM in bright sunlight, only 30 feet from the driveway.  Nancy caught him mid-act and he dripped the chicken and ran off.  Susan chased him toward the back pasture fence and he ducked into the south circuit trails.  Well, this past Tuesday, he returned and killed six more chickens (a true tragedy of epic proportions), leaving only one fowl corpse behind.  Sad day for the egg industry.  Vice President of Eggs Nancy commented that those six Mrs. Cluckworthy's will be sorely missed.  Since all the chickens look identical, it is tough to say who survived and who headed to that great hen house in the sky.  A hunting party to be convened -- report to follow. 

This coming Friday night is antiques auction night in downtown Fort Plain, black tie optional -- way, way optional.  No doubt, another event to be remembered.  And May is chicks season -- on schedule for early May delivery are 20 New Jersey Giants (black chickens), 24 Royal Palm Turkeys (white feathers with black tips) and 15 Guinea Hens (also called Keets), which  look like gray pheasants or giant pigeons, and eat exclusively insects, with ticks being their food of choice.  All these May deliveries will be one or two day old chicks.  More on those topics and events your the next edition of The Riley Factor

The Riley Factor #54

The Riley Factor April 22, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, April 22 -- On Wednesday, beautiful weather saw Susan and Nancy planting 80-90 cucumber plants and 40 squash (zucchini, yellow summer, hubbard, butternut) in the new garden next to the greenhouse.  A few more low tunnels were created to protect the outside plantings until mid-May or so, when the last threat of hard frost is past.  And a patch for watermelon was created ... planting planned for today.

Chris spent the day tuning-up and preparing for the season all the small vehicles and equipment (ATVs, mowers, wood chipper (in Connecticut, called a spousal control unit, owing to its dark history of some 20-years ago in southern Connecticut)).  A trip to Zambri Polaris in Little Falls took a couple of hours and included a 30-minute course from the two owners on ATV mechanics, complete with seeing each tool for each job and inspection on the lift of each fluid-craving orifice of an ATV.  During which time, I was the only customer in the place.  Upon returning to Rock Creek Farm, Chris spent an hour dozing out back on the porch swing hanging on the garden shed.  In the evening, Susan, Chris and Riley rolled down the road to Armistad's field to view the equipment and implements on sight for Saturday's farm equipment auction.  The preview viewing was, apparently, a popular local event, as the field was filled with equipment and onlookers.  Although, we were in the minority since we were strolling with Riley and most others were strolling with Budweiser.

This morning, Susan took Riley out back on an early morning walk.  And the boys from E&A Fence were here putting the finishing touches on the new and some old back gates.

Tales of Freysbush Garage -- Leon spent Monday and Tuesday repairing the brakes, steering and horn on the old Jeep.  Full brakes all around, including the emergency brake, new power-steering hoses and a new horn restored the beast to its youthful prowess.  (Although the new horn is puny, and makes the behemoth Jeep sound like a clown car).  Best dialog of the day follows....

  Leon:  My first big job, over 40 years ago when I was just getting started in the auto repair business, was to convert an old Cadillac hearse into an ambulance, for a friend who wanted to start-up ambulance business.  Put a new engine in and all.  What a car.  He ran that business for a long time.  Eventually, he decided to add a hearse to his ambulance fleet.
  Chris:  Well, he had both outcomes pretty well covered.
  Leon:  (No laugh.  Quizzical gaze at Chris).
Tales of Hogan's Dead Stock Service --  A couple of weeks back, we had to have Ari the young Holstein calf put down due to a genetic digestion problem.  Very sad.  Ari was so cute and very lovable.  He hadn't grown any weight in a month since birth, and was not even 50 pounds.  After phoning to check, Chris took the calf's body to Hogan's, the local dead stock service (business that deals with dead farm animals, some of which can weigh over a ton).  The opening dialog....
  Chris:  (Upon arriving at Hogan's Dead Stock Service, with dead calf in the back of the Jeep).  Hi Art.  I'm Chris Fuchs.  I called about our dead calf.  You and I met a few months back, when you picked-up a dead calf at our place on route 163.   I brought the calf today in the back of the Jeep.  Where would you like it?
  Art:  (While methodically and purposely sharpening a large knife on a whetstone).  Name's not Art.
  Chris:  Oh.  I thought it was.  Aren't you the owner?
  Art:  (Still sharpening).  Yup.  Name's not Art.
  Chris:  Oh.  Sorry for the mistake.
  Art:  (Silence).  (Still sharpening).
  Chris:  So ... what is your name?
  Art:  Name's Dick
 (There, with a dead calf in my car, I resisted my initial impulse.  Here, I'll also resist my impulse to add an editorial comment).
  Chris:  So, where would you like me to put the calf?
  Dick:  Through that door with the other dead calves.  Put him anywhere.  They'll find him.
  (Scene ends as Chris slowly carries poor Ari into the den of dead stock.  It is sad to think that, at Hogan's Dead Stock Service, the calves have a room of their own).

The Riley Factor #53

The Riley Factor April 20, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

FORT PLAIN NY, April 20 -- On Monday, Susan planted 300 red onions outside in the new garden located next to the greenhouse.  And Chris planted the final five trees in the orchard, after digging yet another five perfect holes ... two walnut trees, two almond trees and one beautiful we-forgot-what-we-bought sapling.  We also created three 30-foot long low tunnels (sides of hay bales with plastic tops) for early growing of transplantings from the greenhouse that can't yet be exposed to the cold night airs.

This morning, Riley joined Susan and Chris on a trip to Leon's Freysbush Garage to have a few minor issues addressed on the old Jeep.  On the menu were front brakes, power steering and the horn (who needs those modern high-priced options anyway?  Just give me four wheels of basic transportation and I'll be fine).  The best piece of dialog from the garage follows....
 
  Chris:  Leon, the third thing I'd like you too take a look at is the horn.
  Leon:  What's wrong?
  Chris: Well, the horn never works when it is raining or freezing.  And it only works sometimes when it is sunny.  For example, yesterday it worked fine and today it isn't working at all.
  Leon:  Sounds like the horn.

You cannot get dialog like that from Hollywood.  Only in Middle-of-Nowhere.

Yesterday, Chris was in the audience (actually, Chris was the entire audience, except for a few cows hanging around the gym) for Bovine-Mania 1, the facing-off of two of the largest members of the Herd of Five, to prove who has the most testosterone remaining from those days when steers were bulls.  In the red & white corner stood Gabriel the Holstein, eight months old, 500 pounds, and 48 inches at the shoulder.  In the black corner was Michael the Dexter, one year old, 450 pounds and 40 inches at the shoulder.  As the action began, the two stared-down each other in the center of the squared circle, and Michael made the first move, a bold head-butt to the noggin' of Gabriel.  Not one to be outdone, Gabriel charged back with a head-butt full-on to Michael's cranium.  When the dust settled after about 10 minutes of rough-house, the bout was judged a draw, and Michael was scratching his forehead on Gabe's ribs.  Good thing their horns were removed when they were small calves, or the blood-letting would not have been pretty.

On tap for today, more obedience training for Riley, more planting for CEO Susan and Vice President Nancy, and more of the ubiquitous earth relocation detail for Chris.  Swing low, sweet chariot, he's coming for to carry me home ...

The Riley Factor #52

The Riley Factor April 17, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, April 17 -- A cold rain and wind blew into Middle-of-Nowhere over night on Friday, but it followed several days of nice weather and requisite early spring farming.  Riley spent Friday out in the orchard with Chris, who was re-staking, tying and fertilizing the 80 apple, peach, cherry and apricot trees, 20 of which had been planted on Thursday by Susan and Chris to replace those that died over the prior two winters.  Riley also contributed to the fertilizing of the 20 blueberry bushes and 12 raspberry bushes in the new berry patch, which has just been outlined in tall posts awaiting application of screening (walls & roof) and a door.  Nancy and Susan had planted a few new blueberry bushes and added the raspberries on Thursday.  Also on Thursday, 12 new grape vines were planted by the Three Stooges in the vineyard (actually a 40-foot square newly tilled (by Susan) patch in the northwest corner of the vineyard (vineyard trellis to be designed and built in the near future).  Susan and Nancy also fertilized the 4+ acres of semolina and hard red winter wheat in field no. 1.  After several fertilization methods were tried, Susan settled on the tried-and-true giant red funnel three-point spreader on the back of the John Deere tractor to get the job done.  Riley appears to be recuperating nicely from his Tuesday date with the veterinarian and her Scalpel of There'll-Be-No-More-Rileys.  Linda Richter arrived last night for a weekend visit, and Pauline, The Donald and Grandma are arriving mid-day today for a couple days of fun-in-the-Middle-of-Nowhere.

The Riley Factor #51

The Riley Factor April 14, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with unfit to print rumors, prognostications & bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, April 14 -- Riley spent Tuesday in the surgical suite at Glen Animal Hospital, enduring the infamous neutering procedure now ubiquitous in the civilized canine world.  He came through it unscathed, wandering relatively aimlessly in a stupor until about midnight when he awoke and had his first water and food of the day.  Today he is still a bit groggy and limited to in-house mild play while the pain subsides and anesthetic wears-off.  Riley was a big hit at the vet, and one the medical assistants ran out to the car as we were leaving to bring him home and lavished him with hugs and kisses, saying that he was a very good boy through it all.  As this edition of The Riley Factor is being penned (key-boarded on a word processor, for those of you readers not born until after 1980) Riley sleeps with his head resting on the lower wooden chair rail -- position looks completely uncomfortable, but he looks completely at peace.

Yesterday, we spent the day cleaning-up the GIANT composted hay and manure pile in the pasture near the barn, which came into existence over the winter from cleaning-out the stalls, spreading it on the new large vegetable garden and rototilling it into the soil along with quite a bit of used bedding hay -- went well and should make the soil perfect for planting in a month or so.  Susan also rode the New Holland tractor over to Ephraim & Rachel's place about two miles away, and tilled their two gardens as well.  Israel & Annie considered accepting our offer to rototill their garden, but opted instead to use a two-horse team dragging a one row plow, to be followed by a single horse dragging a harrow, to get their garden prepared for the 2010 planting.

The road crew will be returning today or tomorrow to give a final grading to the new road out to the new barn and the trails.  Muddy conditions around the property are much improved and fairly dried-out, except for the worst places (i.e., the quick sand area, where Brooksie was nearly lost, low those many months ago, is still a place the natives avoid).  The actual grass trails are still a bit on the soggy side, but heading in the right direction.  Plantings in the green house are thriving, with some already bearing vegetables.  Sunny day temps in the greenhouse are now always over 100 degrees, with a record high reading of 116 seen on a warm day last week, before the doors were opened late morning for ventilation.

The Riley Factor #50

The Riley Factor April 3, 2010
(All the Rock Creek Farm news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, April 3 --  Riley sailed through his NY physical examination today with flying colors.  Neutering surgery scheduled for April 13.  If you guessed Riley's current wright at 62 pounds ... you win!

On a much sadder note, of digestive disorder ...

Ari the Holstein
March 2, 2010 - April 3, 2010
Rest In Peace

The Riley Factor #49

The Riley Factor March 31, 2010
(All the news from Rock Creek Farm that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, March 31 --  As Good Friday and Easter approach, Riley prepares for his first NY dog physical examination, scheduled for this coming Saturday morning at Glen Animal Hospital, located about a half hour drive from Middle-of-Nowhere to Further-Out-There-in-the-

Middle-of-Nowhere.  Assuming a flying-colors passing grade from the doc, the wily Golden Retriever is scheduled for his first surgery, the infamous neutering procedure, in the week following.  Riley is approaching his seven-month birthday, and the time is right.  Riley spent yesterday afternoon out in the pouring rain digging a tunnel (presumably) to China.  After a half hour of toiling, you couldn't tell dog from dirt -- he was covered head to tail in mud, necessitating a hosing-off down in the barn, which Susan eagerly accommodated.  The Herd of Six has been spending most days out in the pasture, grazing as the grass and clover green-up, and has had its grain feeding adjusted to a 50/50 mix of commercially available 12% protein all stock animal feed and cracked wheat, grown right here at Rock Creek Farm -- they love it.  Only young Ari remains on liquid feed, as Zeke graduated to the hay & grain regimen earlier this week.  Ari is on a 50/50 mix of warm raw milk and milk replacer, which he alternately takes eagerly or ignores.  Occasionally, Ari also takes a quart or two of electrolyte solution -- he is still rather small and very cute, probably weighing-in at 75 pounds or so (born March 2).  Susan and Nancy kiss Ari and Zeke good night -- those two calves both love as much attention as they can get.  Inside the farm house, the week has been spent on various maintenance projects, including Nancy & Kore working on the joint compound in the large bedroom in the brick house.  Israel has been on site all week building bookshelves for the library room -- scheduled to be completed today -- so far they look great.  Out in the greenhouse, Susan has hundreds of plants started from seed, including several varieties of tomatoes and peppers, squash, navy beans, green beans, cucumbers, asparagus, onions, melons, corn, all sorts of herbs, and even some tobacco.

The Riley Factor #48

The Riley Factor March 24, 2010
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, March 24 --  Riley is healthy and happy again, and scheduled for his first veterinarian physical examination.  Apparently already tipped-off to looming unpleasantries by one of his dog or cat friends, Riley is already shying-away from anyone wearing rubber gloves.  No doubt, his wariness will increase as his April 3 date-with-the-doctor approaches.  Riley spent part of yesterday watching Ephram load and unload the outdoor wood furnace on and off the giant steel-wheeled fork lift -- project to be completed another day.  On Monday, Susan spread two and a half tri-axle dump truck loads of crusher-run on the existing roads, widening several of them, and extended the road all the way back to the new barn.  The project will require at least another 5 loads to further extend the road past the new barn and install a stone floor in that barn and also into the old existing equipment shed.  In addition, recent work done to the septic tank, which is underneath the driveway to the horse barn, and also recent work done to the horse barn drainage system, will require some stone to cover everything back to its pristine state.  Ahhh ... fun in the sun in rural America.

The Riley Factor #47

The Riley Factor March 13, 2010
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, March 13 --  With the snow gently falling, the week closes, a week where Riley spent most of his time battling diarrhea (with all the pleasantries, and about an 80% success rate).  Other than that, he has been happy and active.  Every day this week was sunny, dry and warm, here in Middle-of-Nowhere.  New bull calf Ari, born March 2, is in the process of being converted from bottle feeding to pail feeding, which is much less labor intensive.  Ari is amazingly cute and friendly, as is Zeke, born February 2.  Both are red & white Holsteins, but clearly from different blood lines, evidenced by variations in red coloring and head shape.  Gabe, Eli, Michael & Raphael as all fine, growing (especially the two Holsteins) and happy.  They regularly eat their hay and grain allotments, and frequently top off their evening meals with an apple.  The walls in the room over the garage are about three-quarters complete, with decorating to follow.  The greenhouse is in full bloom, with many trays of vegetables and flowers sprouting.  Cucumbers, tomatoes, squash and melons lead the pack, with herbs and lettuces running close behind.  The three hardware-cloth tables are nearly full of planted pots and trays, all grown from seed, and the lemon, lime, almond and olive trees are flourishing.  There is still six inches of two-week-old snow on the ground, but all is mushy and melting.  Roads and driveway are clear and dry (excepting today's rain and now snow).  Mailbox had been decapitated by the famous state wing plows, and has been replaced with a newer version.  Nancy is weekending in Western Massachusetts, while Susan and Chris hold down the fort.  All in all, a good week was had by everyone.

The Riley Factor #46

The Riley Factor -- EXTRA EDITION March 8, 2010
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, March 8 --  EXTRA EDITION --  The Herd of Five has become the Herd of Six, with today's noontime addition of Ari, a very cute red & white six-day-old Holstein bull, who was born March 2, 2010.  Delivered by Phil, who works for Lloyd's son-in-law, Steve, the newcomer weighs-in at about 50 pounds and is sharing a room (stall) with three-week old Zeke, who already dwarfs the newbie.  Susan commented that, "Ari is adorable, a real hot ticket.  He likes to jump around and kick up his heels.  Now, Zeke has a playmate".  Zeke had spent much of the morning being head-butted around the stalls by Michael, his 300-plus-pound mentor and leader of the pack of bovines, and should fare better with a mate of similar size and demeanor, much like the manner in which Gabe and Eli pal around.  Riley already spent a half hour in stall with Ari, getting to know the new bull calf.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The Riley Factor March 8, 2010
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, March 8 --  Over the weekend and today, Riley suffered and is suffering with a bout of diarrhea, having to visit the little dogs room every hour or two, and making it outside about 80% of the time.  He seems a bit lethargic, but otherwise well.  Yesterday, in between naps, he enjoyed a couple of walks with Nancy and Gabby around The Boulevard trails.  Rock Creek began flowing over the weekend, after a winter of frozen-solid (and recently snow-covered) state, as warm temperatures have melted the snow-pack from about two feet a week ago to about a foot currently remaining.  With full sun and temperatures in the upper 40s forecast for this entire coming week, snow may be a memory on Rock Creek Farm by next weekend.  Riley and Gabby still love playing as often as possible in the soft deep snow, but it is an exercise of love, since they finish their workouts breathing hard, tired and content.  On site visitors today include Ephrain Blank, with his welding machine, to work on the trailer plow and PTO rototiller.

The Riley Factor #45

The Riley Factor -- March 5, 2010
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, March 5 --  "Riley is a bad boy," commented CEO Susan Fuchs, as she danced around the kitchen with Riley after he had jumped-up on her.  Riley spent much of yesterday playing outside with Gabby near the greenhouse, as Susan and Nancy plotted, potted and planted.  There are now three 8'x3' hardware cloth tables in the greenhouse, to be used for holding and watering trays and pots of planted materials.  High temperature in the greenhouse in yesterday's brilliant sunlight and moderate nearly 40 degree outside temperature was 110 degrees.  Susan and Nancy had to work with the greenhouse doors open and ventilation louvers open with fans on.  Both Riley and Gabby turned-in early after the day's play.

A fond farewell today for 'Uncle' Vinny Bongiorni, who passed away last Sunday at the age of 94.  A great guy, always in good humor, laughing and telling stories, who will be missed by all who knew him.  No doubt, he is now resting in peace.

The Riley Factor #44

The Riley Factor -- March 3, 2010
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, March 3 -- Well, the blizzards have blown and the snow has fallen, and playing in the deep snow is Riley's current favorite pastime.  Yesterday, he spent much time in the greenhouse with Susan and Nancy and also outside the glass menagerie running around in the snow with Gabby (40 degrees outside and a high of 90 degrees inside).  His house-training is about 98% a fait accompli.  Yesterday, Riley observed the Snyder Propane delivery truck and its 10,000 gallons of cargo get stuck on one of the roads out back en route to filling the Rock Creek Farm tank.  And he was witness to the large Kubota tractor reportedly putting a new 'gate' in the fence along the road between the cold cellar and the pasture during the rescue mission.  But, ever the loyal mascot, he is not talking and all witness accounts are being managed by Chris, and no evidence of the supposed fence breech exists so it may just be a rumor.

The Riley Factor #43

The Riley Factor -- February 22
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, February 22 -- Riley is getting along swimmingly with Zeke II, the new calf in the barn.  Zeke has his own stall and Riley will go in and lie right next to the 75-pound Holstein.  Both are perfectly comfortable with each other.  The other members of the Herd of Five are ever interested and stare constantly at the new arrival and whoever happens to be in there with him.  Yesterday, when Chris was in the main stall with the Four Alphabetical Others installing some new feeder hooks, Gabe jumped up and landed his prominent left hoof along with half of his considerable weight on Chris' left shoulder -- "Now it's a party".  (credit Vince Vaughn, Couples Retreat, for that line, soon to be regarded as a classic).  Monday morning is 35 and sunny with full blue sky and not a breath of breeze.  Nancy took Riley & Gabby out back for a morning romp on the trails, and later to the bone store for a ride and some dog treats.  Snow to some degree is forecast for Tuesday through Saturday in Middle-of-Nowhere.  Teri the Vet arrived early Monday to administer antibiotics, IV fluids and a general pick-me-up shot in the butt to Zeke, who has been acting a bit lethargic since arriving Saturday at noon.  He was running a mild fever (104, where normal is 100.5 to 102.5 for a calf) and had a bit of scours (mild diarrhea) and mild dehydration.   Zeke should be feeling better right away and up and about feeling normal in three days.

The Riley Factor #42

The Riley Factor -- February 19
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, February 19 -- The Opening Question: Is snow falling if the wind is blowing so hard that the snow is carrying horizontally and never actually reaches the ground?  'Wind' is the weather word in Middle-of-Nowhere, NY, on this bright blustery Friday, luckily with temperatures near 30.  In a related story, Montgomery County Sheriff Department officers reported seeing a dog-kite flying near Rock Creek Farm on the Fort Plain-Canajoharie town line, a golden colored aircraft with a blue collar-like stripe and none of the required markings for ultra-light flying machines.  The vehicle made squealing-like noises and bore a tail that said 'Riley Was Here'.  Back on earth, Riley and Susan set-out on an early Friday morning stroll to the greenhouse to inspect plantings, add to the indoor crops and pick-up a few pieces of firewood for the kitchen stove.  On Thursday afternoon, Riley was sequestered in the kitchen as Susan and Lena met in the library and used captured lightning to accent and amplify various sewing projects aimed at benefiting the local community.  Carpentry work in the pantry and on the cellar stairs landing continued on into the night, with men's and women's curling at the Vancouver Olympics playing-on via television in the background, with both U.S. men's and women's curling teams proving again that they couldn't toss a curling stone into the ocean if they were standing on the deck of the ship, as their records slipped cumulatively to winless in seven games.

The Riley Factor #41

The Riley Factor -- February 16
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, February 16 -- After a brilliantly sunny, warm and breeze-less President's Day Monday, today looks like a possible snow day in Middle-of-Nowhere.  Weather forecasts are a bit spotty with no one really taking a stand on quantity of the white stuff, as Tuesday predictions range from two inches to eight inches.  Yesterday afternoon, Riley and Gabby walked and ran around the back trails for an hour with Susan and Chris in the perfect February winter weather.  Dogs collapsed upon returning, while the humans carried on.  Snow began falling gently Tuesday morning, but has not yet managed the inertia to accumulate in earnest.  Susan and Riley are out in the greenhouse planting and digging, while Gabby plays on the deck.  Riley continues his quest to become the fastest growing Golden retriever of Modern Times, as he approaches 45 pounds at age five-and-a-half months, but maintains his ever-happy disposition.  His favorite activity? ... chasing cats AJ and The Professor every waking moment when they are in the house, and occasionally when he can get his considerable paws on them outside.  Stryder and Arwen will have none of that dog nonsense, each hissing and swinging the famous Maine Coon Cat paw whenever Riley's nose gets into close proximity.  In a related story, the NY house was full of guests all the long weekend -- Pauline with The Donald, Grandma Babs, Linda of Richter and Stevie.  Spectacular feasts were enjoyed by all on Friday and Saturday nights, and Sunday afternoon.  In other news, the annual Mohawk Valley Produce Growers Auction Organizational Meeting takes place all day tomorrow in Little Falls, which should be a grand event for both the Rock Creek Farm CEO and Earth Transportation Engineer to attend.

The Riley Factor #40

The Riley Factor -- February 11
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, February 11 -- Sunny, breezy, lemon peezy is today's weather forecast.  Linguini, bikini, pannini, martini.  Stop having a boring tuna, stop having a boring life.  Riley is busily chewing one or another dog toy like it's his job -- well, it actually might be his job, since I can't see that he really does anything else, except eat, sleep and chase the cats to within an inch of their lives.  At the crack of dawn, Riley & Gabby were out by the patio rolling in the snow in the 20+ degree temps.  Work on the pantry is progressing and much will be done by the arrival of this weekend's guests (Pauline, The Donald, Grandma Babs and Linda from Richter).  Yesterday, Craig Stevens called Susan just to check in, and when he learned that Eli's twin brother Zeke died a week after arriving at Rock Creek Farm, Craig promised to deliver a replacement bull calf in the next month or so when one is born -- he has several cows planning to give birth soon.  So the Herd of Four is soon to become again a Herd of Five.

The Riley Factor #39

The Riley Factor -- February 7
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, February 7 -- Excellent weekend weather got Riley outside for some time on both Saturday & Sunday.  Both days sunny, Saturday was by far the better day -- 25ish and zero wind.  Sunday was a bit colder and fairly breezy.  Riley the Retriever mad his first foray into the upstairs workshop with Chris on Sunday afternoon -- explored every inch and chewed on almost every available stick.  Previous attempts have left the pup a bit overmatched by the 20 step stairway, but canine courage finally prevailed.  Also, for the first time, Riley has ventured into the vehicles without having to be lifted.  Once inside, he enjoys the rides -- very manageable -- no Wild Jack for sure.  After a trip to the grocery store with Nancy, Susan and Gabby, the Golden One is headed for the greenhouse with Susan later this afternoon.

The Riley Factor #38

The Riley Factor -- February 1
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, February 1 -- Sunny, cool and breezy weather greeted Riley this first day of February.  Much better than the zero degree temperature of Saturday night.  Riley spent some early morning time out on the deck with Gabby and then wished Susan a fond farewell as she embarked on a trip for a few days in Hopkinton.  Riley is growing quickly, probably weighing-in at near 40 pounds as he approaches his five-month birthday.  His house-training continues with most days now being accident-free.  Yesterday, Riley joined Susan and Chris on an inspection tour of the new barn/equipment shed.  Construction was completed late last week, with the exception of the final grading, floor and drive-ups, which need to wait a month or so until the upstate NY stone quarries open for the year.  The building was built along-side of the road that goes out back to the trails.  It has 14'x14' sliding doors front and rear with a drive-through design and the ability to store in one side of the building while leaving the drive-through operational.  A 16-foot ceiling should accommodate any and all hay wagons and other equipment.  A loft may be added later.  The south wall has sky lights along the top two feet the length of the wall to provide lighting.

The Riley Factor #37

The Riley Factor -- January 25
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 25 -- Smart bettors among readers are happy with Riley's two-for-two predictions on yesterday's NFL Conference Championship games, as the Colts covered the Jets plus seven-and-a-half and the Vikings covered (or pushed) the Saints (depending on whether you got the three-and-a-half points offered by some, or settled for the three points offered by others).  Although, in one dog's opinion, the best two teams in the NFL are not headed for this year's Superbowl, those being the Vikings and the Packers.  Riley woke this Monday morning to gentle rain falling all across Middle-of-Nowhere, and spent a half hour in the barn with Nancy and Gabby as the Herd gobbled its curds-and-whey, while Susan baked cranberry orange scones back in the bunkhouse.  Builders may or may not surface in today's precipitation to commence the building of the new back equipment shed.  Wind gusts equal today's temperatures -- both in the 50s.

The Riley Factor #36

The Riley Factor -- Weekend Edition -- January 23
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 23 -- Brilliant sunlight and frost on the trees greeted Riley on this gorgeous Saturday morning in Middle-of-Nowhere.  A nice walk around the back yard was a good start to the day.  Riley's newest favorite pastime is spending time out on the second story deck with Gabby -- great sunshine and views.  He did several half-hour tours of duty there yesterday, and did another early this morning just after sunrise.  House-break training is going very well, with Riley putting-up another 'accident'-free day on Friday.  Out to the greenhouse at noon on Saturday with Susan to check on this week's plantings.  Greenhouse temp was 90 degrees in the 100% sunlight day, while it was only 30 degrees outside.  "Now,where did I put my Speedo?" asked Riley, before basking for a half-hour under the glass roof as Susan toiled planting (tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, peppers, onions, and believe it or not, some luffa gourds -- can you say, "Honey, would you luffa my stretch marks?").  Next, off to an afternoon ride in the countryside in the Great White North, while listening to opera from the Met (no, no, not Oprah from Chicago) on NPR.

NFL Musings from Riley >>> Favre/Manning would make for a good Superbowl.  May come to pass.  Take the Vikes with the points (+3 1/2 )over New Orleans and Indy to cover the Jets (+8)

The Riley Factor #35

The Riley Factor -- January 22
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 22 -- Yesterday, Riley recorded his third-ever 'accident'-free day, as house-training marches-on with improvement.  Several times, Riley has requested to be let out to conduct his business.  Today, Riley and Gabby have been relegated to indoor activities, owing to too much activity going on outside.  It's early morning, with brilliant sun and warm temperatures, and much of the material for the new equipment shed arrived from Pennsylvania.  The 28'x52' building is being located out behind the garden shed, on the road to the back trails.  Susan spent the early hours watching the building pieces be delivered on an 18-wheeler and chatting-up the driver, who left Lancaster County at 4AM, expecting a six-hour trip, but made it by 8:30AM.  Elmer the Builder arrived in a GIANT forklift (think four five-feet in diameter tires and a boom able to lift a dozen 30-foot roof trusses at a time and carry them 20 feet off the ground at 20 mph, and you'll have the idea).  He unloaded the flat-bed and carried the materials back to the building site.  Later in the morning, a smaller truck arrived with the steel for the building roof, sides, doors, etc.  Riley napped on the kitchen floor while Gabby, tied outside to the pine tree, barked at the moon (or sun or workers or something).

The Riley Factor #34

The Riley Factor -- January 21
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 21 -- Riley and Gabriel, the Holstein, are becoming friends.  Yesterday, Riley spent several minutes in Gabriel's stall without his leash attached, and both enjoyed the time.  Riley and the Dexter Brothers still thrust and parry whenever in close proximity, with the bovine objective being with a flip of the noggin to air-mail the canine into next week.  Eli continues to be a bit unsure when confronted by the little Golden Retriever.  On this morning's run with Nancy and Gabby, in the brilliant sun and balmy breezes, Riley retired after a single lap, turning left and heading homeward when Nancy and Gabby had already made their right turns onto lap no. 2 on The Boulevard Trails.  They had to retreat and rescue The Riles from wandering aimlessly in search of the homestead.  Favorable progress continues on Project House Break, with Riley now occasionally asking to be let out to conduct his business.  Temps are rising, with upper 40s forecast for the upcoming Monday in Middle-of-Nowhere.  Construction on the new equipment shed should be commencing soon.

The Riley Factor #33

The Riley Factor -- January 20
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 20 -- Several mornings of runs through The Boulevard Trails have recently greeted Riley, followed by dog napping and usually afternoon runs as well.  Muscles are developing and house-break training is ongoing and improving.  Frequently, Riley is taken outside without his lifeline leash.  Occasionally, he asks to go out.  So-called in-home 'accidents' are generally down to about once per day.  He loves to romp in the snow, the deeper the better.  And leading the runs on an ATV generally lengthens the route.  Gabby and Riley wrestle all along the runs, with Gabby always the winner, owing to her age, experience and 30 pound weight advantage.  But Riley never fails to run back in search of being tossed to the ground yet again.  They both love to be taken further and further from the house, out to the back of the trails and fields, with an occasional brief diversion into the woods.  Riley has yet been tempted to chase a rabbit or squirrel, but that time is sure to come soon, especially since Gabby eagerly takes the bait and runs after the wildlife, only to come up empty.  It remains to be seen what would occur if she actually caught some small animal prey.

The Riley Factor #32

The Riley Factor -- Weekend Edition
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 16 -- Day broke this January 16 with Riley & Company bidding a fond farewell to CJ, who was visiting Middle-of-Nowhere to help celebrate the completion of his first quarter century of life on this third rock from the sun.  It was at 11:59AM 25 years ago today that CJ was welcomed into the world at St. Francis Hospital in Hartford.  Quickly following the bon voyage was a brisk walk around The Boulevard Trails for Riley with Nancy, Susan, Chris and Gabby.  Next, the obligatory dog-nap.  Riley sprung to life at the door knock to greet Hank Burton with all the enthusiasm normally reserved for a dog's master returning home from some five-minute trip to the store or five-month journey around the world.  Hank is the man who did all the excavating for our buildings and fields in 2007, and stops-in every week or two or three when he is on one of his periodic goodwill journeys around the area.

Saturday afternoon was the second perfect day in a row for running the ATVs around the trails on the snow.  After CJ and Chris did the test driving late Friday, everyone got into the act on Saturday.  Much speeding and sliding around with only the very occasional need to assist a stuck vehicle.  Even the dogs were running around the trails while the ATVs were motoring.  Beautiful warm sunny day with fairly firm snow and frozen ground -- perfect.  Eventually, Riley pooped-out and was driven back-in by Susan on the back of the Polaris 500.  Susan, Chris and Riley all sat out back on the Dodge City porch and swing and watched the sun drift over the hills beyond the pond late in the day.

The Riley Factor #31

The Riley Factor
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 14 -- Riley slept-in until 8:30 this morning with Chris, and then bounded down the stairs, including a face-plant emanating from the final three steps.  Then it was outside into the pleasant 25 degree temps for his morning constitutional.  After a breakfast of kibble, Riley joined Susan, Chris and Gabby on a long walk through the trails up to the top of the property and back.  It is good to see that Gabby has recovered from last night's bout with the Dog Flu -- H1K9.  Reminiscent of Jack, Riley stopped every 20-30 feet and looked back to see that he had not been abandoned, that the human guides had not mysteriously vanished from his proximity.  On the entire hour long stroll, Jack and Gabby stayed within 100 feet of the human pack leaders, and mostly were within 20 feet or so.  On the trails, there is a good mix of firm packed snow and eight to 15 inch fluffy drifts and areas, which make for good dog snooping, sniffing and lying about.  With no flowing water to be seen, the dogs were forced to eat snow for their fluid intake.  Near the end of the walk, Riley and Gabby engaged in some serious rough-house play, accompanied with much growling, rolling in the snow and even a few minor barks.  Neither canine seemed very worried about the other, but Gabby is currently clearly the dominant alpha dog.  Riley's strength lies in provoking, at which he excels.  Both Riley and Gabby fell into deep naps upon their returns to the warmth of the hearth.  Riley eagerly awaits tonight's visit from CJ, commenting, "It will be good to see CJ again.  I have fond memories of him rescuing me from that Bay State pet jail in which I was so unjustly confined after my trip east from South Dakota.  Free the man, errr, the dog!  QA.  Woof."

The Riley Factor #30

The Riley Factor
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 13 -- High 15, low 15, everywhere, every hour, 15, 15, 15 degrees today in Middle-of-Nowhere for Riley & Company.  Perfect weather though for digging the Ute out of an over-sized snow drift almost as far as possible from home while still being on the property.  Nothing that the big tractor and a big chain couldn't handle with help from Chris, Ephram & Riley.  Actually, all Riley did was stay home with Susan and Nancy and kept the fires warm.  Riley is well on his way to putting-on his winter 10, becoming a virtual Gold's Gym workout for some lucky soul each time he needs hoisting up on to one venue or another built for humans but love by canines.  But he barked that "it's all muscle" as he sat on Professor Mittens in one of the rocking chairs next to the wood stove.  Shockingly, The Professor didn't move a whisker as Riley's generously proportioned hind quarters plopped on the sleeping Professor's back porch to create a genetically mismatched pile of fur and claws in the middle of the rocker -- both rested comfortably for several minutes.

The Riley Factor #29

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 12 -- "Too damn cold", mooed Michael and Raphael this morning when let out into the pasture.  After a brief jaunt outside the barn doors on the edge of the pasture, they ran back into the warmth of the barn.  "We love Susan and Nancy and would rather be inside with them than running around the pasture freezing our moos off," added Gabriel.  "I'm too little", added Eli, "I just follow the big moos around".  After challenging the Dexter brothers once or twice in the large cattle stall, only to suffer the force of the now-famous Dexter charge and head-butt, Riley joined Susan on his morning constitutional around the back yard.  Twenty-five and cloudy with some snow showers, followed by temps near 40 later in the week.  Gabby and Riley joined Susan and Chris for this afternoon's running of the bulls.  No casualties reported.

The Riley Factor #28

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 11 -- A beautiful morning greeted Riley to start his work week, with warmer temperatures and snow showers expected throughout the day.  Riley slept-in until 7:30AM on Monday, and then took a brief walk around the back yard.  Then, Susan cuddled with Riley in the rocking chair next to the fire -- a true Norman Rockwell moment.

Yesterday, after spending the afternoon in the greenhouse with Susan, in balmy 65 degree temps, Riley settled-in to watch the Packers/Cardinals NFL Playoff game.  In summary ...

Ode to the NFL's Smallest Market Team
The vaunted young team from Green Bay
Went out to the desert that day.
When the teams had both met
And the footballs were let
The defenses had forgotten to play.

The Packers, they scored 45.
The Cardinals remained still alive.
With the overtime ready,
And both offenses steady,
Arizona stood tall and survived.

The coin, it was tossed, and was tails.
Green Bay's offense was riding on rails.
The ball, it was snapped.
Rodgers face, it was zapped.
And Cardinals danced like a bunch of females.

A Final Thought >>> It is never good when the game is over and the team you were playing against has thrown more touchdown passes than incomplete passes.

The Riley Factor #27

The Riley Factor
(All the news that's fit to print, along with some unfit to print rumors, prognostications and bloviations.)

Fort Plain, NY, January 10 -- An early morning walk around The Boulevard Trails with Nancy and Gabby welcome Riley to Wild Card Sunday morning in Middle-of-Nowhere.  Even with no breeze, the minus 1 degree temperature was a frosty beginning to the day.  He and Gabby fared well in the cold, as Nancy shivered her way back home after two laps.  By that time, the fires were burning and breakfast was imminent.  With the Patriots playing the Ravens in Foxborough at 1PM and the Packers marching into the desert to face the Cardinals at 4:40PM, non-football viewing activities are scheduled to be completed early in the day.  A pre-game nap-fest was held by Susan, Nancy, Riley & Gabby.

On today's NFL schedule playoff contests, Riley advised, "For those of you who are inclined to wager a bit, take the Patriots -3 and the pick-'em Packers.  Those of you who followed my Saturday picks fared one-and-one, as the Jets and Cowboys moved on.  I'd say 'NFL' truly is going to mean 'Not-For-Long' for several Eagles coaches and players.  But today's picks are much better bets."

Today's NFL Trivia Question -- What NFL quarterback has the highest career post-season passing completion percentage?  That's right, it is the Packers' Bart Starr (1956-1971, 1977 Hall of Fame inductee).  Bonus question -- Which team has won the most NFL titles?  Those Green Bay Packers, with 12 NFL championship trophies.

The Riley Factor #26

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 9 -- A beautiful day in Middle-of-Nowhere greeted Riley upon his awakening at 7AM -- bright sun, blue sky with puffy white clouds, slight breeze and five degrees temperature -- oh well, three out of four isn't bad.  Riley spent some time in the garage while we were on a hunt for just that right piece of sheet-rock for neighbor Steve Bartlett's bathroom wall repair job.  He then retreated for that ever-present morning nap in the dog-bed by the kitchen stove.  When asked about his afternoon plans, Riley commented that, "This is NFL Wildcard Playoff Weekend!  The Jets will have a tougher time in Cincinnati than they had beating the daylights out of the Bengals (37-0) in New Jersey last Sunday but should prevail, and that the Eagles just don't seem like a three-and-a-half point underdog in Dallas, in spite of dropping a 24-0 decision there last weekend -- take the Jets +1 and Philly +3.5, if you must bet.  But the smarter play is to wait until tomorrow and pounce on those Patriots -3 and Packers (pick-'em) for the big bucks."

In related news, according to the AP ... "Peyton Manning has become the first player to win The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award four times.  The Indianapolis Colts' sensational quarterback romps to the award Saturday in balloting by 50 sports writers and broadcasters who cover the league. He gets 39 1/2 votes to 7 1/2 for  Drew Brees as only quarterbacks received any backing."  "That is the problem with letting these humans drink on election day," quipped Riley.  "How do 50 sportswriters at a keg party get the authorization to vote for NFL MVP -- Who invented that approach?  Where were the votes for Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers, caught-up in some hanging-chad controversy in West Palm Beach?  Where were the election supervisors and observers -- at the sports head injury clinic in Cleveland having their dosages adjusted?"

"Where's my bone?," grumbled an obviously agitated Riley.  "And send one of those cats in here for a chase around the room".

The Riley Factor #25

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 8 -- "Wired" was the one-word best description for Riley as dawn broke today.  He ran around like a madman until Nancy and Susan took Riley and Gabby on a two-lap stroll around The Boulevard trails.  Then, Riley collapsed into a morning nap.  Later, he joined Susan and Chris on a surveying exercise aimed at locating the next new barn, 'needed' for equipment and other storage, after which a trip into the Town of Fort Plain (don't miss this tourist attraction) to visit the hardware store (I am shooting for the title of Fort Plain True Value Customer of the Week, having been there every day this week, including three shopping visits yesterday).  Right now, as the sun sets, Riley is digging into the large potted plant searching for stones to chew and leave lying around the house, while concurrently tormenting Stryder in a one-way effort to effect so-called 'playing' with a cat.  Arwyn threw-in her two cents with a one-handed (one-pawed) swipe across Riley's nose as she strolled by the fracas.  Medical report to follow.

The Riley Factor #24

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 7 -- Riley did two circuits on the trails this morning with Nancy, Susan and Gabby.  Much running and nose-plowing into the snow transpired.  As expected, his favorite activity is running in the deep drifts.  He also sniffs long and low into tracks and trails encountered -- the great hunter in training.  After his morning exercise, Riley rode into Dodge with Marshall Fuchs, for the obligatory visits to the post office and hardware store.

The Riley Factor #23

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 6 -- Wednesday marked a lazy day for Riley and company.  Early in the morning, Nancy took Gabby and Riley for a walk around The Boulevard, which was followed by much canine napping.  Mild temperatures in the upper 20s with little breeze made a perfect setting for the day.  Riley continues with his house training activities, and at mid-day, he had none of his proverbial 'accidents'.  Should he make it all the way through to 8PM, he will have accomplished a 24-hour error free day, for only his second time since joining the Upstate New York menagerie.  Annie and Ephram are in the house (and around the grounds) today, working at various tasks and offering more than the usual set of distractions for the four month old Retriever.

The Riley Factor #22

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 5 -- Cold and windy were the weather words of the day, which was mostly cloudy with gentle snow falling much of the time.  But 25 and windy is no way to go through life son.  Riley the Retriever spent the day running around inside and out, with two or three trips down to the barn to play with the Herd of Four.  He also had a play date outside with Gabby, under the watchful supervision of Queen Nancy.  Riley and Gabby 'fought' over custody of the one remaining dog bone, with Gabby capturing the flag, much to the dismay of the pup.  When the rough-housing was done for the evening, Riley commented, "Happy Birthday, Stevie".  And continued on under his breath, "Can't a dog get a decent bone around this Middle-of-Nowhere dog pound?"  Oh well, on go the trials and tribulations of a dog's life.

The Riley Factor #21

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 3 -- Nine degree temperatures, minus 11 degrees wind chill and blowing snow greeted Riley on the first Sunday of the new year.  "It's as cold as I have ever seen it around here", barked Riley, after his icy cold speed-walk to and from the barn for the morning feeding of the Herd of Four, chickens and turkeys.  Barn temperatures were balmy in the low 30s (bovine heated) while outside were near white-out conditions.  "It's a little chilly", commented Susan, "but it is going to warm up.  And the winds are expected to die down".  Even the felines, afraid of becoming catsicles, were content to remain inside in the confines near the kitchen stove.  AJ and Stryer slapfested themselves silly as Riley and Susan refereed -- championship belt goes to Stryder.  Professor Mittens and Arwyn were happily cuddling-up and snoring on one chair or another.

The Riley Factor #20

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 2 -- A brisk 20 degrees with 20 mph breezes and light snow showers greeted Riley on this first Saturday of the new year.  After an early morning foray into the barn to visit the Herd of Four, Riley spent some time outside playing with Gabby on a walk out onto the lower pond and into the orchard.  Ponds are frozen rock solid.  Next up was a long Ute ride and walk with Susan and Chris, including a several hundred yard walking detour on one of the logging roads in the woods.  Very peaceful.  Many fresh tracks were investigated, including those left by deer, turkeys, rabbits, canines of some sort, and various and sundry other members of the non-domesticated wild life family.  Riley entered the house shivering, but settled nicely into a nap in the Riley-bed next to the kitchen wood stove, while Chris and Susan investigated the bottoms of their emptying hot chocolate mugs.

The Riley Factor #19

The Riley Factor

Fort Plain, NY, January 1, 2010 -- Riley went on his first ever morning run, traversing from the upper fields (field no. 3) down to the canine's main lodge, early on New Year's Day with Susan, Nancy and Gabby.  After riding up to the top of the freshly snow covered property in the Ute, he and Susan exited to make the return trip on foot.  Later, Riley spent a half hour wandering the orchard and pasture with Susan, playing Charge-the-Bull/Get-Charged-

by-the-Bull with the Herd of Four, Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Eli.  Giving-up over a hundred pounds to even the smallest bovine competitor, Riley relies on his quickness and small size to avoid tumbling like an on-side kick after undesirable contact with the head or hoof of one of the challenging steers.  Oh what fun!  By 9AM, Riley was comatose under the dining table, recovering from his early morning antics.  Today's Fort Plain weather update: 35-40 degrees with snow showers.  Today's Hockey Update: Bruins/Flyers game on tap today, Fenway Park, 1PM.  Today's NFL Headline: Packers Continue to Rule; next NFL update: Sunday 1PM.