07/09/2025
Our wonderful BFFs (Browndog Farm Friends) Miriam and Cathy, are in the air as I write this, on the way to their next adventure, living overseas. They had a wonderful farm here in Elgin, and are one of the most interesting couples you could hope to meet- the stories and conversations never end!! Seeing their house empty and the yard bare was such a change from the skeleton army that graced their front lawn, and their home was a museum of fascinating oddities and bizarre collectibles.
As they were unable to take everything with them on their move- they literally had a huge warehouse exclusively for storing the decorations that made seasonal appearances for their legendary Halloween events- they graced numerous members of the community with items they couldn’t bring along. I have my work in the kitchen cut out for me, as I now have eleventybillion gluten free flours, spices, and ingredients to play with! Plenty of tools made their way to the farm (well needed! There are a couple of big projects looming!), but the MVP is PuttPutt, the little UTV. I have wanted one for SO long. My property really isn’t that big, and it has such a good layout that I was getting by without one, but already the difference it has made has been tremendous. My spine is fused, and between the curvature, the hardware, and the degradation of the vertebrae, my doctors tell me I qualify for full disability 3x over. I have a limited amount I can stand up each day, and being able to use PuttPutt instead of walking and physically carrying stuff has allowed for numerous tasks that have been sitting on the back burner to get completed.
Join me in wishing Cathy and Miriam the best in their new chapter. May it be filled with love, luck, and good health….. and 97 skeletons for their new front yard 😆
