Our kind and ever present dog Rye died this spring at the age of 14. Whether a farm greeter extraordinaire, patrolling to fend off deer in the gardens, or gobbling up popcorn dropped during Garden Morning potlucks, Rye is woven into all the threads of littleGrasse. Rye was part of the farm while we were still commuting to the gardens (by bike!) and had not yet built our home, the greenhouse, the addition on the old barn or the new foodshed.
He found his way to us when someone in Madrid posted on a local listserv that a box with puppies in it was dropped on the side of the road near their house. She thought the puppies seemed nice but their family already had several dogs. With blind optimism, we agreed to adopt him and he was dropped off the very next day. It was clear from those first days that Rye had a curious spirit and love of humans.
In his final and most generous act, he trained up our now three year old dog Millet (Millie). When she first came on the scene, he was not particularly impressed with her, but over the course of that first summer, we saw him soften and take her under his wing.
Over the years, many shareholders and apprentices formed their own bonds with Rye. Here’s a slideshow of photos to enjoy a walk down memory lane.
To our loyal Rye, thank you and rest in peace.
