A day on the farm in CA

We Prepared 10 Acres of land with the help of volunteers, never using herbicides, they weeded and hoes with their hands. The Malbec grape saplings are finally in.

I couldn't resist walking out into the garden on such an early misty morning.

Taking baby brother out for a pony ride.

"Gitane", pronounced with a j, means gypsy in French, the name we've given to this beautiful long maned Haflinger Pony.


Those little Radio Flyer carts are one of those simple “why is this SO good?”children's play things.

They’re basically a blank canvas with wheels. To an adult it’s just a cart, but to kids it turns into whatever the day needs: a baby stroller for teddy bears, a dump truck for leaves, a moving van for every toy they own, a walker when they’re figuring out balance, and a tiny vehicle when they want to sit in it and get pushed like royalty.

That’s why they get used for years and across siblings. They grow with the kids. At first it’s support and stability where they can hold on, toddling behind it, then it’s pretend play loading/unloading, delivery, construction, then it’s teamwork and roughhousing pushing each other, taking turns, and finally it becomes this little symbol of childhood freedom“I can move my world from here to there.”

And there’s something satisfying about the work of it: filling it, hauling it, dumping it out, doing it again. Kids love real tasks that feel important, especially outdoors leaves, sticks, toys, treasures. It’s not flashy, but it’s endlessly useful, and that’s exactly why it becomes one of the greatest fun items in a family.