http://www.tallcloverfarm.com Homeward bound on Puget Sound. Putting in a good day on Vashon Island time. Wed, 16 May 2012 17:03:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6103/the-art-of-dogouflage http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6103/the-art-of-dogouflage#comments Thu, 03 May 2012 17:24:52 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=6103 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Prompted by the day’s drizzle and cool temps, Boz and Gracie practice the art of indoor dogouflage, becoming one with the sofa, pillows and throws, willingly changing fur tone and posture to blend indistinguishably from their comfy throne. If not for the snoring, I’d have thought they disappeared. Talented dogs, indeed.

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/6103/the-art-of-dogouflage/feed 22 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5703/and-this-is-why-its-called-a-captains-chair http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5703/and-this-is-why-its-called-a-captains-chair#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 18:07:14 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5703 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Boz prefers a perch, even if it takes several minutes to reach the summit. Once there, comfort is a work in progress.This is his Whistler’s Mother pose: part playing possum; and part keeping an eye on the diner and his plate.

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5703/and-this-is-why-its-called-a-captains-chair/feed 16 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5583/snow-days-and-the-power-of-the-outage http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5583/snow-days-and-the-power-of-the-outage#comments Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:21:49 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5583 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Every year I plan on being prepared for the torrent of Pacific winter storms that buffet coast, home and hearth with unapologetic bravado, but somehow between spring, summer, and autumn I fail to take action. Even this week when our local network anchors were practically convulsing over the opportunity to report on an approaching, and [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5583/snow-days-and-the-power-of-the-outage/feed 34 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5562/shaved-ice-boz-takes-a-bite-out-of-frosty http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5562/shaved-ice-boz-takes-a-bite-out-of-frosty#comments Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:00:07 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5562 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Yesterday Vashon received a primer of snow, and my buddy Jon took advantage of its fine packing ability (and my inability to locate our fencing tools) to build an impromptu snowman. Boz busted through the dog door to inspect the trepasser. Let’s just say his reception was chilly. The forecast calls for more snow, serious [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5562/shaved-ice-boz-takes-a-bite-out-of-frosty/feed 17 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5506/the-snapshot-that-cost-me-my-lunch http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5506/the-snapshot-that-cost-me-my-lunch#comments Sat, 07 Jan 2012 04:56:07 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5506 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } I had to take a trip “off-island” for some special wire fencing that was nowhere to be found “on-island.” After adding a quart of oil to Old Grey, and rounding up the mutts, we headed to the ferry dock to embark on our retail adventure. An hour later, this friend of the slow lane and [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5506/the-snapshot-that-cost-me-my-lunch/feed 14 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5461/boz-and-the-bobblehead-bulldog http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5461/boz-and-the-bobblehead-bulldog#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 18:12:53 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5461 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Boz vs. the bobblehead: showdown at the Tall Clover corral Boz was a pretty good pooch this year. Sure there were some mishaps,  encounters with oriental rugs that needed shampooing anyway, coffee table climbing expeditions for unattended hors d’oeuvres, and foraging safaris to find fresh chew toys in the form of young corn stalks and [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5461/boz-and-the-bobblehead-bulldog/feed 12 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5131/postcards-from-the-edge-of-autumn http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5131/postcards-from-the-edge-of-autumn#comments Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:34:52 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=5131 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Fall colors fade fast in the Pacific Northwest, but I can always count on my Glenora grape leaves to stick around. (The grapes are another story.) With Autumn storms come fallen branches, a sure sign that my madrona branch fence will grow in the weeks to come. (Boz caught in the act of eating baby [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/5131/postcards-from-the-edge-of-autumn/feed 22 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/4707/homegrown-postcard-dahlias-by-the-bucketful http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/4707/homegrown-postcard-dahlias-by-the-bucketful#comments Sun, 04 Sep 2011 17:17:37 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=4707 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Not much to say today; I’m heading out the door to secure a hearty hug from the final days of summer. The breeze is light, the sun determined and the garden is offering an encore performance at every turn. I title this shot: Beauty and the Beast.

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/4707/homegrown-postcard-dahlias-by-the-bucketful/feed 7 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/4396/summer-photos-a-gallery-of-firsts http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/4396/summer-photos-a-gallery-of-firsts#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 17:18:18 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=4396 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Utah Giant cherry: first of the season, first for the tree While the rest of the country smolders under the debilitating heat of summer, the Pacific Northwest chills out with unseasonably cool days and generous cloud cover. In fact, this year Seattle meteorologists have only recorded two times, for a total of 78 minutes, when [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/4396/summer-photos-a-gallery-of-firsts/feed 24 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/4337/my-strawberry-cake-is-going-to-the-dogs http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/4337/my-strawberry-cake-is-going-to-the-dogs#comments Fri, 15 Jul 2011 20:24:54 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=4337 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } This weekend all roads on the island lead to the Vashon Strawberry Festival as we celebrate 102 years of bringing together friends, family, fried foods and fun. Somewhere in the mix you’ll find a strawberry or two, as islanders also honor the berry that put Vashon on the map, that is before K2 skis and [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/4337/my-strawberry-cake-is-going-to-the-dogs/feed 24 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/3708/vashon-island-one-day-i-drifted-ashore http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/3708/vashon-island-one-day-i-drifted-ashore#comments Sat, 02 Jul 2011 17:15:14 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=3708 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } A Washington State ferry plying the protected waters of Puget Sound. Journeys rarely make sense and mine is no exception. Lucky for me, I drifted ashore on Vashon Island, a sweet spot moored in the middle of Puget Sound, home to the quirky, the kind, and the unabashedly laid back. A stunning ferry ride from West Seattle or Tacoma, [...]

]]> http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/3708/vashon-island-one-day-i-drifted-ashore/feed 36 http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/3807/whos-been-sleeping-in-my-hammock http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/3807/whos-been-sleeping-in-my-hammock#comments Tue, 26 Apr 2011 16:45:51 +0000 Tom http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/?p=3807 #leftcontainerBox { float:left; position: fixed; top: 60%; left: 70px; } #leftcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; clear:both; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; padding-bottom:2px; } #bottomcontainerBox { height: 30px; width:50%; padding-top:1px; } #bottomcontainerBox .buttons { float:left; height: 30px; margin:4px 4px 4px 4px; } Last Saturday, we received our one allotted day of partly sunny weather for the week, so I feverishly begin tackling the chores reserved for outdoor duty. By mid-morning, I was ready to take a break. I thought a little respite on the hammock would work wonders in restoring my enthusiasm (and back) for more weeding, [...]

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