“Bucolia” was shortlisted for the 2024 Best in Rural Writing Contest by judge Dr. Chea Parton. Learn more about the contest here. * Tucked away in the center of a sprawling cattle paddock, atop a gently sloping hill just off of old Route 12, there was a rickety clapboard farmhouse of roughhewn wormy chestnut, painted gray with grime by the elements and untold years. The Jerseys milled about all across the pasture, right up to the sagging threshold, their long-lashed...
