Recently in bentley farm Category
Here's some pretty exciting news (for me and my herding dogs, anyway): My Quaker friends of more than 20 years, the Angells, are getting sheep! Woo-hoo!
add some sheep to the mix sometime this spring. 
I came across this picture on the "Bentley Gazette", a web site maintained by my friends who live on a farm in upstate NY.
That's Bentley, their faithful border collie, and one of the farm cats, name unknown, sharing a bowl of fresh milk.
I spotted an online article from the UK this morning about how kids are losing touch with the natural world.
A poll done by the BBC Wildlife Magazine found that "playing in the countryside was children's least popular way of spending their spare time." Instead, kids said they'd "rather see friends (indoors, presumably) or play on their computer than go for a walk or play outdoors."
And this from the same article:
"Experts blamed the widening gulf between children and nature on over-protective parents and the hostility to children among some conservationists, who fear that they will damage the environment. They said that this lack of exposure to outdoor play in natural environments was vital for children's social and emotional development."
Sad.
But now for the antidote.
After reading that, I checked in on the "Bentley Farm Gazette," the family web page of my friends Tom & Janet Angell & their 8 kids who grew up on Bentley Farm in the Hudson Valley, New York.
Sarah, the oldest, now teaches science and has a recent post about the joys of A Day of Farming:
"Let's hear it for the hard-working folks (cows, family and friends alike) that keep this country fed!"
The photos she posted give you a feel for what growing up on a farm has meant to their family. Family farms once were a common setting for kids growing up. I grew up as an outdoor-loving California suburban kid, but I still remember the fun my cousins and I had on visits to my uncle's farm in Iowa.
A series of great photos go with Sarah's post. But since this is a "pets" blog, I'll share this one of Sarah's brother Isaac. Isaac is home on a "working" summer break from his studies at Cornell Veterinary school and enjoying some special time with his faithful dog of many years, Bentley, a border collie (nach!).
I've posted more pictures from the Bentley Farm work day on the jump.
Related posts: What dogs can teach kids; and Prevent allergies -- get a dog.
About the Bloggers
Daily Breeze reporter Donna Littlejohn has shared her homes with a succession of wonderful, funny, and occasionally difficult canines -- Muffin, Fritz, Ellie, Mercy, Pilgrim and now Cowboy, an Australian shepherd-border collie, and Tess, a border collie. From strong-willed terriers to weirdly obsessed Australian shepherds, they've invaded her world with boundless energy, wet noses, muddy paws and soggy tennis balls. But they've really brought so much more than that -- like laughter and joy, some unexpected life lessons, and more than a few tears along the way.
E-mail Donna at donna.littlejohn@dailybreeze.com.
Josh Grossberg grew up with the usual array of animals: goldfish, dogs, hamsters, parakeets and turtles. He now owns the loudest dog in the South Bay(Video: Rocket the Dog) and is the least popular person on his block. He spends his free time in dog parks, pet shops and always has an extra plastic bag in his pocket just in case. He also has a cat.
E-mail Josh at josh.grossberg@dailybreeze.com.