Henrietta
Henrietta is the loudest opinion in the chicken yard, and also the warmest lap. She has decided that Little Sister is the most important pig on the farm. Little Sister has not contradicted her.
The Farm & The Animals
The pigs are not the only ones who live here.
Meet the rest of the family — feathered, furred, four-hoofed, and otherwise.
Our Smaller Cousins
Reginald
Reginald wakes the farm. Most days. He is solemn about his work, except when he isn't, and on those days the whole house gets a soft surprise.
Mable
Mable lays the brown eggs with the freckles. She is the philosopher of the henhouse and considers most things, including breakfast, to be matters of deep contemplation.
Clover
Clover is patient the way old rivers are patient. She lets Big Sister braid her mane. She lets Little Sister climb on her like a stepstool. She has, somewhere in there, the gentlest opinion of everyone.
Buster
Buster is responsible for everything, in his own opinion. He herds the cows. He herds the chickens. He has been known to herd the wind. The dog is, mostly, in charge.
Marigold
Marigold is a small ginger sun. She turns up where she is least expected and stays as long as she likes. She is loved by all and acknowledges this only with a slow blink.
Biscuit
Biscuit lives almost entirely in the hayloft. Big Sister has, on several occasions, found him asleep on her open book. He apologizes for nothing, ever.
Bess
Bess wears a small bell and considers it her crown. She gives the morning's milk in exchange for being told she is a very good girl. She is, in fact, a very good girl.
The Land
Some of these places have been here longer than any of us. We are, mostly, just paying attention.
The Big Red Barn
Tall and warm and a little dusty, the barn is where the horses sleep and the cats nap and Big Sister sometimes hides from the world. The hayloft window looks out at the back field, and on summer evenings it catches the gold.
The Back Field
Past the orchard, past the fence, past the dip where the foxes used to live, is the back field. In summer it is corn. In autumn it is pumpkins. In winter it is a quiet white sea.
The Pond
A small round pond fringed with cattails and lily pads. Two ducks paddle in lazy circles. On hot days the dog takes a swim. On cool nights it fills up with stars.
The Big Oak Tree
It is older than anyone, including the barn. Big Brother's rope swing hangs from one of its low branches. Mama says the tree was here first and we are, all of us, its guests. Nobody has argued.
The Orchard
Apples first, then pears, then plums, in their proper turn. In the spring it is a mass of pink and white. In the fall the windfalls go in pies. The bees consider it their kingdom.
The Kitchen Garden
Tomatoes, basil, beans up the trellis, mint making a quiet bid for empire. Mama keeps it running. Little Sister keeps it interesting. The bees keep it honest.