an amazing month

Saturday, Sept. 28, 6:30 pm:
The retreating storm set against the late season fields called me out for a closer look. One moment later soft rain brought this:

a total double rainbow.

It's been an incredible month, full of bounty in every way. I am feeling blessed and grateful.
And life feels as if it's just begun.
May each of you be feeling the same graces as this last day of the month slips by.

a rural alphabet

Last evening Jerome and I attended a book signing in our town's lovely book store, Bramble Books. The featured title: A Rural Alphabet, the result of collaboration between two local artists and friends, colored pencil artist Monica Jagel and poet Joanne Adragna Shird.

http://colored-pencil-girl.blogspot.com/2013/05/blog-post.html

Before the presentation we ate dinner in our favorite local restaurant, The Driftless Cafe, now under new management. (the link shows last night's menu. We had the special salad. Absolutely divine.) And who was seated at the table next to us?? Monica and Joanne!
The small gathering at the bookstore event allowed for lots of conversation with the artists and some surprising links among us. All too soon we noticed the darkening sky and remembered our chickens needed their house secured for the night and so we made our apologies for needing to leave. But not before purchasing a copy for ourselves and one to be given as a gift.  Once again, our small town demonstrated its large heart and soul. And the magic of interacting with two gifted and passionate artists  has stirred my own.

august

There are so many things to love about life here on our ridge meadow farm in our new life together. We're finding our rhythm and working at the fine art of living in the moment. A favorite time of day is just after dinner. After putting the chickens to bed we've begun a routine of walking the grounds and taking note of those small beauties that can be so easily overlooked. We can feel summer's desperation in the final days of August and a hint of that melancholy that can ride on the winds as a prelude to autumn. Most notable is the sunlight shifting and shortening at day's end, across the fields, down the road.

Looking back at the house from the road last evening just before 8 pm, the sun already below the horizon and the approaching night very still, we saw the full moon, the Grain Moon or Green Corn Moon, rising over the house. And felt a benediction.

If you follow Anne on her instagram site or MyGiantStrawberry, you know what I've been up to recently. Such a wonderful visit. And all too short. If there is a down side to living out here on the farm it is that we have put an additional 240 miles between ourselves and our children. When this thought threatens to overpower, I consider that despite the miles, we have never felt closer to our children in every other way.

a quick hello to any who stop by...

Spending most of our hours out of doors, filling our selves with summer. We feel as if we've lost many days and sometimes the urgency overpowers. Then we remind ourselves we have the rest of our lives.

am I really the only woman in the county who washes her chicken house windows???

is he really having the time of his life?

lots of time yet to grow a delicious garden despite the late start

We try to remember to enjoy the journey, and so

the pond garden is taking shape

there are evening fires at the pit beside our pond garden.
Yesterday together we put up our first pickles of the season.

Not our own cucumbers, as they are just learning to climb their fence. (Thank you Mary for giving me your extras.)

spinach, lettuce, arugula, kale, beet greens, basil, chives, parsley and radishes just gathered 

We try to notice those creatures who share this incredible ridge meadow farm.

As I type this Jerome is playing the organ and not on his knees pulling out weeds and invasive grasses. I feel the radiant buoyancy of grace.

cool, clear Saturday morning

                 "There's never enough time to do all the nothing you want."
                                     Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes

goodbye, dear little house on Merrill St.

On Tuesday of this week, we handed the keys to our little brick Georgian, our home of 37 years, to Ricky and Amy who is great with their first child. Their truck was already packed. They couldn't wait to move in.

painted and given by our good neighbor, Fran

My RAV4 was also packed, with the last bits we had gathered that morning before our drive to our lawyer's office for the closing. Saying goodbye was harder than I expected.
It's not the bricks and mortar, though surely there isn't an inch of that little house or garden we hadn't put our hearts and labor into. No, it is the precious living that we did at that address. Our children, our youth, our love.
Thank you, little Georgian. May you be blessed to keep this new young family as safe and happy as we have been in your care.

we're settling in

Our move from the city house of 37 years to our farm took place the 29th of June. Heavy downpours made the drive a challenge for each of the drivers, a truck and 3 cars. Unloading what took a full day to pack was managed within a few short hours but only with the combined strength and determination of our son and his good friend. God bless them both. A few "exciting" moments, but all accomplished well.
We've been unpacking, sorting, setting things aside for our nephew and niece who are looking to move into apartments, for donations to Good Will, to store in the garage or basement or closets, for the recycling, for the trash. It's getting easier to let go of things that suddenly don't seem so important to hold onto anymore.
Weather has all of a sudden become ideal, allowing the waterlogged ground to breathe once more. Weeds and grasses have thrived and after hours and hours of weeding we are making some progress getting seeds planted in the vegetable beds at last.
Jerome has set up his SW Wisconsin Diapason office and is off to a great start. All the calls to his IL office are being forwarded to the farm phone, so you never know who will be on the line when you pick up the phone. I've been talking to people from all over the country and Jerome's already gotten calls from Canada.
I've been setting up a studio in the littlest bedroom and hope to be able to spend some time there soon. But my priorities have had to be the house and garden. I try to check on all of you at the end of each day and see none of us are posting quite as often as we do at other times of the year. I think that's a good thing, but I miss each of you.
The photo above is my day lily Big Smile, which I've transplanted here to the farm garden and it seems to have settled in nicely. Spotting her rejoicing in her new environment never fails to bring a smile to this face.