…why is this one eating my kid’s shoelace?

I mentioned in my last post that we visited the babies (they literally cry like babies) at Edgwick Farm in Cornwall, NY.  I had a blast, Thomas was standoffish and quiet.  He claimed later that he didn’t like all the poop in the yard.  He’s not so far off, at 8, from his early years in diapers, so I don’t get it, but perhaps he just had an off day.  We all have ’em.

But how can you when you’re getting to cuddle with THESE?!?!?!?!  I think I counted 9 doelings climbing out from underneath this toddler slide thingy.  It was like a clown car.

This cutie pie was the first baby out of the clown car… and she wouldn’t leave me alone.  Just like her namesake.  Love you, Mom!

Thomas snapped this photo of lovely Talitha making feta through the window in the gallery.  If you time your visit right, you can see cloth bags of chevre hanging over buckets to catch the whey.  You can sample and purchase their cheese and raw goat’s milk at the farm, so be sure to take the kids – even the ones who have a ‘tude – and visit them.

And the most-viewed pic of the trip as posted to Facebook, Dan the Goat Man.  Isn’t he handsome?

In other news, I found out this weekend (thanks to the wonders of technology and cell phone cameras) that a mutual friend is hosting a fundraiser.   This friend was instrumental (along with others, of course) in getting Bialas Farms to anchor the Ringwood Farmers Market at its creation.

In 2011, when we were completely surrounded by flood waters, Teri was my link to the outside world and without our conversations, an entire network of Ringwood customers (friends) would know nothing of our plight.  It was with her assistance that a fund was created to aid our farm following the year’s disasters.

This fall, Teri was the bridge between all of the donations we collected at our farm Open House and the people who felt Sandy’s wrath the most.  A more selfless individual would be hard to find.

I knew her son Sean had surgery this past fall, and I knew it was a condition they’d known about from infancy.  I just didn’t think about the cost of surgery upon surgery.  Not that I didn’t think about it, exactly, but when the best surgeon for the job is out-of-network, do you choose the one IN-network or not?

What price do you put on your child’s health and well-being?  I think the answer is clear to any parent – you put your child first and come up with the money later.

Hence,this fundraiser.  If you are unable to attend but would still like to donate,  there’s a link at the bottom of the page.  Any amount helps, so please don’t feel like you need to give a fortune for it to make a difference.

I know I will see Sean’s smiling face when I click that PayPal button, and my own sweet child will be thrilled to be able to run and play and do typical boy stuff with him the next time the Powers family visits the farm.

I’d be ever so grateful if you shared the fundraiser link with friends.  Thank you!!!

Update 2/5/13 pm: the event is sold out!  You can still click here to donate to the Sean Powers Fund.  The family thanks you for your generosity 🙂