This is Delightful, or Delight. She is the best cow I have ever seen. When we first entered her pen, she walked up to us (Mom, Dad, Joseph, Joshy, and I with the owners) and licked us. She loves to be scratched and stroked. Formerly named Delilah, Daddy felt so overjoyed with her sweetness that he wanted to name her Joy, but it didn't quite fit. Since Delightful and Delilah sound similar, we thought her new name for her new home could be Delightful.
She will be easy to hand milk. Her heifer calf needs some more people training, though. The wonderful owners have generously offered to bring her two hours to Garfield for us in 2 weeks (from the 22nd)! She and her calf will be the first animals on the farm!

What a difference a flushing toilet, clothing washer, sink, and fridge can make. When we're staying in Garfield, we now have these basics covered. Our five gallon bucket potty was filling surprisingly fast, and females were genuinely disadvantaged. With a septic permit in hand, plumbing the toilet and sink were fairly easy. A few 12 gauge extension cords in temporary outlets (perfectly legal I confirmed) add a remarkable level of comfort. For the next two months, overnight visits lack only a shower, and that is readily accessible at the city pool. See Ashleigh's post about the trampoline as superior to individual cots for sleeping.

Pictured in the lower right image, we dug a 3' deep, 16" wide, 24" long footer under the north eastern corner of the porch (south eastern corner of the 1950's portion), which has sunk about 3" since the porch was poured in the 1970's.
The other three images show completion of the footing poured with the help of friends and family last summer. It now wraps fully around the southern wall of the 1890's portion of the house and comes underneath the porch.
The house is level, though we are leaving the porch out of level. We may complete the foundation on the eastern wall of the 1950's portion, but for now, having it level and stable before doing interior work is the primary goal.

Living 400 feet from the pool (straight line distance door to door) from the Garfield pool has at least three serious advantages. First, it's recreational. Second, it's great exercise; the kids have swim team practice or meets 5 times a week through July. Third, it's practical; we have no shower, so after long days of manual labor, we can get well rinsed seven days a week up until 8:00 in the evening!

As my age and neurosis increase, my sense that roofs should have no holes intensifies. While a very fine job was done repairing the roof a few years ago, Isaiah and I were were disappointed to find leaks in both the chimney and sewer vents (attic vents on 12/12 pitch near peak were perfect). These leaks were not the result of faulty installation, but faulty design, and more generally a faulty notion that it is a good idea to have holes in roofs. Last fall we removed a chimney, and so, for the first time in this roof's history, it has no holes. It is worth noting that the interior of the roof still shows char from former chimney fire(s). We will install sewer vents through gable ends, but it is our earnest hope that the roof shall have no holes.

Lay two blankets on the floor of the trampoline, one for a pillow, four for a covering, and will you be cozy, or cold? The answer is both. First night was cozy and not very cold. The next was cold and not very cozy! Mom is recalling to us her childhood of looking at the stars with her brothers on a trampoline. Joshy, second from the left, woke up in the night and kicked me out of the bed. It was a very cold night, with the only cozy before we fell asleep! But don't worry, we will be getting sleeping bags soon, and then we will be all cozy, and very little cold. We are pretending to be asleep in this picture.