The light on the Pimpneymouse Farm field early this morning was, quite simply, breathtaking. It was a gold that only appears in these shorter days with cooler air; a gold that is the essence of fall. It is the kind of early morning light that is best experienced with a hot drink in hand, steam rising from a favorite mug. I am not a fisherman myself, but I imagine it must have been pure magic to be at the ocean’s edge this morning with a rod in hand. The sunlight glimmering on the water would have been almost too beautiful to comprehend.

When passing the Pimpneymouse field lately, I have found myself on the lookout for the white deer, a frequent grazer in the off-season. I heard rumors of an all-white doe on Chappy for several weeks before I finally spotted her one evening late last fall. I caught sight of her just before my pickup ducked behind the woodline, so I quickly threw the truck into reverse to backtrack and get a good look at her in the fading light. There she was, all white as reported, quietly grazing on pasture with two other young deer nearby. I spotted her many more times over the winter and early spring, always in the Pimpneymouse field. Once the summer season started to heat up, she made herself scarce as many of the deer on the Island tend to do.

We have had some terrible crop loss this summer due to deer grazing at Slip Away, and I have wished many times that the whole Chappy herd would somehow suddenly disappear. All except that white doe; she is so uniquely beautiful that perhaps I wouldn’t mind so much if she was the one responsible for eating every single one of our carrot plantings. Keep an eye out for her if you are on Chappy; if you happen to see her, could you please give her my regards and kindly ask her to steer clear of the vegetables?

Is anyone in need of a rooster? Last spring we ordered six chicks, all of whom were supposed to be hens but two of whom turned into roosters. A few weeks ago, the head-rooster, Pimmington (the only one in the flock with a name), survived a brutal battle with a raccoon. Before the attack, he had a robust red comb on his head, a beautiful set of shimmering black tail feathers and a very large ego. Post-attack, he has lost all of these things along with one eye. There is no telling how the raccoon faired.

After the battle, Pimmington disappeared for a week, leaving us to believe that he had wandered off to die. But late one night he suddenly appeared in the shadows of the coop, swaying in the darkness, barely remaining upright. We put him in a box to recover for a few days and then sent him on a sabbatical down the road to Blueberry Cottage in Lily Morris’ old chicken coop. Now we are afraid to reintroduce him to our flock for fear that the other rooster, who has suddenly come into his own, will attack him. So we are looking for a good home for either Pimmington, if one-eyed, tailless roosters are your thing, or the other fellow, a stunning buff orpington.

This will be the last weekend that the Chappy store is open, Saturday 9 to 4 p.m. and Sunday 9 to 1 p.m. Everything will be 50 per cent off. It was such a treat to be able to pick up the New York Times and a bagel on Chappy most Sundays this summer. Thanks to Katie and Tom for running the store.

The Slip Away Farm Stand will be open through Columbus Day weekend, Fridays and Saturdays 10 to 5 p.m. We’re still harvesting plenty of vegetables out of the field, all those that the deer did not get to first. Hope to see you on the stand.

If you have any news, please email me at slipawayfarm@gmail.com and I will be sure to include it in my next column, the week after next.