Thursday, January 17, 2013

A New Breed

Jacob recently purchased a Jersey calf from a farm upstate. Frothy is our first dairy cow that hasn't been an Ayrshire. Ayrshire's have for a long time dominated our herd, but now Frothy joins us at Bentley where she rooms with two Ayrshire calves.


Friday, January 11, 2013

Christmas Letter 2012

Dear Friends and Family,
 This Christmas season, which has dawned on us again so quickly, has always been a favorite time for me. There is just something about this time of year—the frosty air, the frozen ground, the iced over ponds and lakes, the lights adorning houses, Christmas trees seen through the windows of many houses, the camaraderie felt by all during this time, the singing of carols, the jubilant faces of small children, and the love which seems to be so palpable everywhere. The birth of Jesus reminds us that “[t]he essence of love is self-sacrifice. Even the worst of us is adorned by an occasional flash of such nobility, but the life of Jesus irradiated it with a never-fading incandescent glow. Jesus was sinless because he was selfless. Such selflessness is love. And God is love.” (John Stott) My prayer for this Christmas is that it might be a little more than just a time of gift exchanging and holiday dining; that perhaps this Christmas as we celebrate, we will truly ponder this gift of love and treasure it in our hearts as the little Christ child’s mother Mary did so many years ago.

Sarah continues to assist Adam with work with the Friends Churches in Wichita, KS. Adam is pastoring Crossroads Friends and is an Associate Superintendent for Evangelical Friends Church Mid America Yearly Meeting. After settling into their home, one of their greatest joys has become throwing parties and hosting dinners with all of their neighbors whom they have come to love. On May 2, Sarah and Adam welcomed their first child, Eliana Beth, into the world. Eliana is spunky and a real live wire as she loves to make faces and laugh at silly antics. Sarah is no longer teaching and is now able to pursue her dream job of raising Eliana and also helping Adam with ministry.

 Isaac finds fulfillment practicing as a veterinarian with Pine Plains Veterinary Associates. He always has a good story to tell and enjoys working for his mentor and friend, Dr. Hart, along with the rest of the staff at P.P.V.A. Isaac and his wife, Allie, were overjoyed to have a child, Isabella Joy, enter their lives on February 3rd. Allie and Isabella are the apples of Isaac's eye. He loves spending time with them and they can be found by his side whether it be assisting with vet calls, vacationing in Bar Harbor Maine or caring for our herd of Ayrshire cattle. Quite simply Isabella lives up to her middle name, and is a real joy. She is constantly making us all laugh with her antics and arm-flapping, along with her numerous smiles that display her two front teeth, that she happens to very proud of.

 Nathaniel still lives in New York City, and works diligently as a senior analyst for Black and Veach. Through his firm's role as technical adviser to banks financing power plants and acquiring energy assets, Nate has gone on several business trips and site visits to perform due diligence, taking him to Houston and Denver for oil & gas work, as well as to Saudi Arabia for power plant construction. Yet, Nate still finds time to visit the farm regularly on the weekends and has also spent a great deal of time up at Cornell with a certain young lady. Nate met Meghan, his girlfriend, at Hannah's bridal shower this summer, and has enjoyed hiking with her around Ithaca, teaching her how to drive the tractor on Bentley Farm and exploring Meghan's hometown in Virginia. Nate is actively involved in the New York church community and enjoys tutoring at the Bowery Mission.

 Luke is currently attending the University Of Rochester School Of Nursing, in training to become a nurse practitioner. Luke has been at college all year round, amazing us all with his fervent studying and ambitiously completing his nursing clinical hours in many different hospitals. At the end of last year Luke began a relationship with his new best friend Abby, and most recently asked her to marry him. They are now happily engaged, and we are all glad to have her join the family. Luke and Abby are pretty much inseparable when they are together.

Hannah was overjoyed when the man of her dreams asked her to marry him last Christmas. Eric and Hannah proceeded to be wedded on September 1st and had a lovely reception on Bentley Farm. Hannah left KPMG in NYC and joined Eric at Cummins Inc. in Columbus, Indiana, working as a finance analyst. Hannah and Eric have enjoyed traveling together to Whicita, KS (to visit Adam and Sarah), Hershey, PA, Glacier National Park and Natural Bridge State Park, and joined our family at Bentley Farm for Thanksgiving. Every time that Hannah calls home she bubbles with joy about how much affection she has for her husband.

 Jacob, is a very busy young man, and spent the summer working for the owner of the farm. He is wrapping up his time at Dutchess Community College in his major of Liberal Arts and hopes to transfer in the fall. Not only has Jacob spent time working at the farm, but he also assists other farmers. He spends some spare time helping out Paul Moloney who owns Moloney Pool Service, as well as many other jobs. Jacob can also be found occasionally taking a babysitting job for Rebecca when she is overbooked. We sometimes refer to him as a professional “manny”. However Jacob found time in his hectic schedule to visit Sarah and Adam in Kansas, and helped them to partially renovate their basement, as well as going on a week-long vacation with brother Nate to Colorado.

 Rebecca joined her brother Jacob at DCC this fall, after taking multiple classes in the summer. She is taking her nursing degree prerequisites currently, and enjoys her college time with many other of her friends that are attending as well. Rebecca once again played multiple sports at Upton Lake Christian school, being an integral part of the volleyball, soccer, and basketball teams. Her small herd of Babydoll Southdowns, expanded impressively in the spring lambing season, bringing her numbers up to 8. Since then she has sold several of them, and they have been joined in the small barn by her small calf, Speeddaddle, and a newborn bull, the Red Baron. Rebecca, being one of the 3 children still left at home, is a quiet servant and blesses the family with her regular and enthusiastic cleanings.

As for myself, I enjoyed spending the summer as, according to Jacob, assistant property manager, mowing and weed wacking the twelve acres of lawn weekly with the farm's Z-turn lawnmower, lovingly named Zoey. I still take care of the motley crew of the two roosters' harem, as well as the cows and calves in the summer time. I also was able to visit Sarah and Adam in Kansas, which I always greatly enjoy. For the first time I played baseball, soccer, and basketball at Upton Lake which has been a rewarding experience. I also run the Bentley Farm Gazette which can be found at bentleyfarm.org where the latest happenings and events of Bentley Farm and the Angell family can be found.

 Mom remains our beautiful mother, who provides and cares for all of the family, whether at home or abroad. We all love our mother, and are thankful for the wonderful blessing she is in each of our individual lives. There is rarely a day that goes by that she doesn't take time to talk to each of her kids. She also continues to take care of our elderly cousin, Maryella, who amazes us with her stupendous health; she just celebrated her 95th birthday! Grandma Farmer is delighted to be a Great Grandma of three. She and Mom bless us with fresh breads and desserts that just came out of the oven, as well as delectable meals for the assembled family at dinnertime. Dad recently was appointed Public Defender of Dutchess County, where he shows great concern and care for every client that comes his way. On the weekends Dad can always be found working on some project or another on the farm, or working in his garden. Most of the ideas behind Dad's work can be found in the definition of his new favorite word, fructification, which means, “the process of bearing fruit.” Dad also enjoys his land use planning work for our local town.

 We will be thinking of all of our friends and relatives this advent season, and we pray that this card finds you all in good health and Christmas spirits. No more but our love.

 For the whole Angell family, Caleb Henley Angell

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

Christmas At Bentley 2012

We all were so grateful to have a beautiful white Christmas morning. It was such a joy to wake up and see the ground powdered over with snow. The festivites and celebrations following were also a great joy for all of the present family members. Christmas always has meant so much to me personally, and I loved that this year was very special and exciting. I have a grateful heart for my presents, my family, the scrumptious holiday treats and food, but most of all I am thankful for the greatest gift I have ever received, Jesus Christ.
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