Here comes winter. . .

Well, we're back from vacation. We bid fare-thee-well to the lovely warm weathers of the Midwest to return to the frosty, joyful conditions of the northeast. It was a wonderful escape. The children had a wonderful time on the ranch. James played with his eldest cousin Caleb for a solid week, while we couldn't pry Owen away from the animals. He was out every morning and every evening with Nana feeding, haying, and mucking the horse, donkey, mini-horse and goat stalls. Meanwhile Adelyn decided that this was the week to learn to walk. Amy and i spent the week just unwinding. We walked about the ranch a couple of times and worked on projects. Amy found a new love for donkeys, which really are a great animal.

It was also a sobering trip. There were a few more wrinkles on mom and a bit more white to her hair. my little sister is all grown up and her kids are getting older, and having most of the family back together again allowed me to gain some deeper insights to the way my family and i function, succeed and fail. Two of our larger failures are greed and control. More control than greed, but perhaps a greed for control. Whether conscious or subconscious i became really aware of how we crave it, use it, and wield it against one another. But i guess that knowledge and acceptance are the first steps to recovery.

And so we have returned. It's great, i love autumn!! The leaves are mostly down here, the neighbors have bush-hogged their fields and the neighborhood looks clean and wonderful. With the foliage down i can see the river again, and the wildlife that moves on the ridge behind my house. All of our hens have grown up and are laying so we have enough eggs for us and also to give away. The turkeys have beefed up nicely and are ready for butchering and processing, and the garden is down (except the carrots and potatoes that we will gather until the ground freezes) and we are starting to compost and fertilize – preparing it for a nice winters nap.

All that remains now is to start the inside projects and look into ways to reach out to our neighbors and others in the community.

One thing that i am super excited about is that, in an attempt to be more energy conscious and in light of the sky rocketing prices, we have decided to limit the amount of lights in the house to no more than two rooms at any time. We are going to devote time in the evenings to gathering together and reading a book as a family. This idea was in part inspired by the past when families would gather around the fire place, and in part by a desire to strengthen our family bond.

For now i will sip my chai and wait to get home to my family. . . Life is a great gift.