homesteading

It has been 3 months now on the five acre plot of land. The work is so wholesome and requires much effort. Traded fresh eggs and some homemade sweet and spicy pecans for getting my wood chopped by my neighbor. The greatest joy comes from walking into the house from the freezing cold and being instantly snuggled by the radiant heat of my wood-burning stove. I am so so grateful for the wood... and being rattled back into the present by a careless mishap with the chainsaw. Glancing my leg with the chainsaw forced me to let go of my red badge of victim-hood and take deeper breaths. I've been touched and inspired by the work of Karen Armstrong and the Charter for Compassion. Shared dinner with a dear friend. So much calls for gratitude. Any problems are high-class and should be kept in perspective. Enjoying the kids and trying to remember how to best respond to their early-adolescent selves. Love is all around.