Dùn Sgàthan

03/17/2026

“The broader lesson is that, in modern conservation, the choice isn’t simply between farming and biodiversity,” Spitzig told Yale E360. Small, diversified farms “can boost and sustain biodiversity while supporting food production.”

E360 Digest March 13, 2026 Medieval Farms Were a Boon for Biodiversity, Research Finds Bavarian State Library Munich In parts of Europe, the diversity of plants was greatest in the years before the Black Death, at a time when small farms and pastures existed alongside grasslands and forests, new res...

03/10/2026

01/23/2026

Following is cut and pasted from the person I got this from:

“Tilly the missing dog needs anyone living along the Harvey Swell Rd and Diamond Pond area to go out and check your outdoor structures..under campers old cars, porches, decks any place a small dog could fit in...look for dog paw prints in the snow that you normally would not see..Tilly will be looking for shelter and food a lost dog will eat bird seed, farm manure, grain..Please help find Tilly and take a look around..and report any findings to Granite State Dog Recovery 1-855-639-5678”

Please! This little one needs to be found! It's so cold, Iggies have no body fat or fur to get them through! I hope she's holed up somewhere where someone finds her ASAP!!! Please, please look for her if you are in the area and remember the wind is blowing hard, tracks won't last!!!

Missing 8 Year old Female Italian Greyhound from Diamond Pond Road in Colebrook NH since 1/22/26. Tilly is 14 pounds and is wearing a coat. Please call right away if you see her. 1-855-639-5678

01/14/2026

As far as I know, and I have had reason to call, there are no rehabbers up this far north or anywhere really near! Obviously, my health and circumstances would make just doing an apprenticeship impossible, but I'm hoping to help reach others up here who might be able bodied and spirit (because it IS hard and it takes a lot of spirit!) to take it on and fill the gaps up here. (I would volunteer to help as best I can if you were really close, but....I need to admit my limits).

12/05/2025

Seriously, I need some ideas for flowers and herbs that might work well, I'm drawing a blank. Thanks!

UPDATE #2: Another friend, more local, has offered me some pink yarrow and has ssuggested mugwort (do'h!) and coltsfoot. And some others than I am spacing right now but can't check because I can't see that post from here.

I am am also thinking I might encourage some mullen, but so far that, which just showed up here, seems to just do what it wants. Uh, as does the coltsfoot.

UPDATE: I have some good ideas from a friend when I reposted this on my profile. They suggested Sweetfern and yarrow. The latter is all over the field, so I know it will do well and the Sweetfern sounds interesting. I also remembered that I could add Milkweed here, too, as I already plan to plant more all over the place. They also noted Columbine but noted it likes shade, and indeed, there is a lot herein the shady areas.

The name Sweetfern reminded me that I also have some Meadow Sweet (Spiraea alba, not Spiraea japonica which can be invasive, although probably also just wouldn't survive here) and I might transplant some (or all...then I can fight the invasive Snow-on-the-mountain in that location if I'm not trying to preserve the Sweet meadow there....but it might mean me fighting the invasive in the new location if I am not careful!).

So, I'll be continuing to think on things I might add. So, suggestions are still welcome!

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So....it's December and I'm thinking gardens! Or one in particular.

Having to leave the graves that are behind us in this photo and which both Gleann (the rather excited to be there black BC/Aussie) and Cairbre (the extremely mellow fawn Greyhound) are also now buried in as are two cats (which were with us in bodies at the time this photo was taken in 2018) we gathered soil from the graves. It's currently all in a container, in the spring I intend to create a garden on the west side of our new ritual site adding that soil.

But I'm not exactly sure what I want to plant there and could use some ideas. I want something that somehow speaks to grief and dogs and is ALSO either native to northern NH.... or totally containable/non-invasive OR a beneficially naturalized herb or flower. Or more than one kind. And does well in full-sun light. Flowers, herbs, even small bush?

I can always think of what to plant to eat or what herbs to plant for particular uses. But I'm sort of blanking on this. Thoughts? Thank you!

12/02/2025

Has also gotten animals in NH

⚠️ Public Warning: Multi-State Animal Cruelty Offender Now in Vermont⚠️

Sharing this to help keep people informed about a woman with a long, documented, multi-state history of animal cruelty who continues to obtain animals despite repeated court orders.

Marie Amato Feniello, 65, has now been involved in at least five documented animal-cruelty cases in Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Her last known address is Bennington, VT, and she frequently moves between states.

Here’s what is publicly documented:

📍 Vermont – Dummerston (Nov. 27, 2025)

Arrested after two cats were found in her vehicle crammed in a crate soaked in urine and f***s.
This affidavit also references her recent Bennington arrest, showing an ongoing pattern of violating conditions that prohibit her from possessing animals.
Court date set for January 6th, 2026 at the Windham County Superior Court.

📍 Vermont – Bennington (Nov. 26, 2025)

Arrested following an animal cruelty investigation by the Bennington Police Department involving two dogs.
She is due in court on December 1, 2025, at the Bennington County Superior Court.

📍 New Hampshire (Nov. 16, 2025)

Arrested in Lyme, NH on two charges of negligent animal cruelty. Despite her order to not possess any animals from the Connecticut Animal Cruelty Case.

📍 Connecticut (Dec. 17, 2024 - Case involving two dogs that died)

A Connecticut investigation found two black Labs, Augi and Sawyer, died from severe malnourishment, and a third Lab, Thatcher, was brought in emaciated at 37 lbs.
Officers later found additional dogs confined in one crate and multiple cats living in debris.
She was charged with three counts of animal cruelty and ordered not to possess animals.

📍 New Jersey (2008 conviction)

Convicted on six counts of animal cruelty after investigators found five dogs and one cat malnourished and living in a f***s- and urine-filled apartment.
She was ordered to surrender all animals, complete community service, pay restitution, and was prohibited from owning animals for several years.

📌Across all states and all years, the pattern is identical:
animals starved, confined in filth, deprived of food and water, and repeatedly found in life-threatening conditions.

She continues moving between VT, NH, CT, and NJ and repeatedly seeks out new animals despite restrictions.

‼️If you see Marie Amato Feniello attempting to adopt, acquire, rehome, or transport animals, please notify your local police department, state police/game warden immediately!

Public awareness is often the only way to stop repeat harm.

11/28/2025

It mans more coyotes who do not have fully developed social OR hunting skills. THIS is how coyotes become an issue for domestic animals. No matter who doesn't want to hear it because it gives an excuse for their bloodlust, this is facts. If we want coyotes to stop bein a "nuisance" we need to LEAVE THEM ALONE!

Whether you love or hate coyotes, the science remains the same.