James V. Forrestal, First in Defense, namesake of USS Forrestal (CV/CVA-59) Sorry to drag you into this, but it is part of what is going on at Refuge Farm in the lovely fertile Piedmont of Virginia. We are attempting to generate a fun recount about a time as historic as the one we are living […]

The news this morning had some startling aspects we thought were worth talking about, had no relation to America or American policy-makers, and did not occur on this continent. It was about Dutch Farmers, of all things, but we were told that since the matter directly involved discussion of energy policy, gunfire and the distribution […]

Goodness, a busy morning in the country! There is plenty to be excited about, though these days an old word with meanings we all understood now contains new elements. “Horror” is one of them, but we are old and some of the new interpretations no longer have any particular meaning. “Fear” is another one of […]

The Scribblers were uncomfortable this morning. We normally enjoy the “4th” in a vaguely Midwetern manner, and we had a good one. Flag banners were nailed up, a brand new 3 X 5 US Flag fluttered from the staff on the back deck of the Big House. The food was perfect, real country fixins’ from […]

A short one this morning, fellow Citizens. We here at the Scribblers Section at rural Refuge Farm have been reading a remarkable book about the events of our times. It is a fascinating book, and the Fire Ring occupants are struck by something remarkable. We have had the opportunity to live our lives in what […]

You might have heard that the Supreme Court just finished their session. They made a lot of noise with several decisions accompanied by a variety of levels of emotion. Probably the most vocal of them was about the overturning of a decision made nearly fifty years ago. It was based on the Women’s Health Section […]

The current malaise abroad in the land is sort of astonishing. We noted it last year with mild surprise. We hadn’t even heard the term “malaise” in a couple decades. We know it from former President Jimmy Carter’s speech in 1979, the year I was living on an old ship in the Far East, saluting […]

The Bolivian Workers are here, arriving early-bright. There is a stated goal, arrived at in a mixture of languages generally characterized as Spanglish. Lately it has become a common tongue at Refuge Farm. We also believe we have general agreement on the proposition that will have the extended new porch and associated roof on the […]

Editor’s Note: The Supremes are at it again. The last of their decisions for this term will curb the power of regulatory agencies as “unconstitutional.” There may be another one on the “Remain in Mexico” policy later this morning. This will provoke more discussion atop the decisions on the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 10th and […]

The light of this new day is brilliant on the Piedmont’s rolling hills. There is an expression of vitality in this part of our world, of rich green growing forces erupting from our soil. On the pasture below the Bunk House a single young deer stands inviolate, doing as it will. Unmolested. Free. The Hummingbirds […]