tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9941960086955322072024-03-18T07:30:21.162-07:00Encounters with SustenanceJanelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.comBlogger801125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-73552912671930940242024-03-18T06:52:00.000-07:002024-03-18T06:52:18.393-07:00A Glorious Week! A new week is starting here on the home front and I'm kicking it off by luxuriating in the memories of the week that just concluded while Jason takes care of the animals and the girls pull themselves out from under their covers to join us for a family work day - it's spinach thinning and weeding day!<div><br /></div><div>A week ago today Jason and I packed up and left the home front for a few days alone together - an early celebration of our 25th anniversary coming up in May. I believe we have now fulfilled one of the new year's predictions for 2024 we made with Benners, which was that we would leave the farm to the girls' care sometime this year. I don't know that I ever expected to get four whole nights! </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwI7Zcx339Fbe6f4o_HLiwLP0mmDTVBBp7YcQ5ofZHwZlTdEKYNx1pJ1QfY6G1dh-sZnm_YdQPi3Bs46vMt6kINaqwcRNUdJZz9YpnKaC676O3IKZNQG2vYzP0XNkcrOw-u_20KuDr2oGyHJ39BzH8cKK91sTEZs0ykO3s7GqcXkxGx7qo5DeWbMa/s1920/418457191_1144170140074080_4666667298030900704_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1920" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwI7Zcx339Fbe6f4o_HLiwLP0mmDTVBBp7YcQ5ofZHwZlTdEKYNx1pJ1QfY6G1dh-sZnm_YdQPi3Bs46vMt6kINaqwcRNUdJZz9YpnKaC676O3IKZNQG2vYzP0XNkcrOw-u_20KuDr2oGyHJ39BzH8cKK91sTEZs0ykO3s7GqcXkxGx7qo5DeWbMa/w200-h101/418457191_1144170140074080_4666667298030900704_n.jpg" width="200" /></a>They did amazing! Jason and I are already dreaming of the next time! While Terah and Alida would probably say that we can never do it again, every update seemed proof that they were not only surviving in our absence but thriving. They got to hang out with Luca, enjoy an outing to the American Shakespeare Center with Christen, had a picnic on the roof, enjoyed an evening with Grandma and Grandpa and another with Jonathan, Christen and Luca and they even kept Bear on Thursday and tantalized me with adorable pictures of their time together. In all fairness, Terah was eager to turn the dish and egg washing duties back over to us and Kali didn't seem to mind that her chores would now take a fraction of the time they had taken that week. But they didn't seem to suffer in the least! I don't have a single picture of Kali from the week, since she was the one taking the photos (other than the many flower pictures that came to us thanks to Terah!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1zLyzjee3rlux9-Nomch39L1ypsAsS6hHI8T25_1xVcGDQb717LOM4s1d6kwZr1wpYJudwq2oll2O20oRjg71ot6vrrDqp5CdUKOE6loGosyolLqG5EfLwCnGRYNmPb07sR3QQtMlTJwJCJF1MAhLjHVakMg9tXn9lkyoYdUx5xRP9kePFqlurFY/s2048/418911321_8120697574613473_3646119547466433154_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd1zLyzjee3rlux9-Nomch39L1ypsAsS6hHI8T25_1xVcGDQb717LOM4s1d6kwZr1wpYJudwq2oll2O20oRjg71ot6vrrDqp5CdUKOE6loGosyolLqG5EfLwCnGRYNmPb07sR3QQtMlTJwJCJF1MAhLjHVakMg9tXn9lkyoYdUx5xRP9kePFqlurFY/s320/418911321_8120697574613473_3646119547466433154_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMi3HhQXCcMfyGHveGbr4iOKCYINb0gyXDYF0UFOg15sHsvNetPmsQYoXM2rNGqIIlY_tgzFu6BT6OEGnn5x1O7PyBL-KvhEOuZD4nPYTp22cQZTCQXE39CisSsPQkFBKAsJ5h2PPlTjSQInqsaxmjZ490rj11QUHwqGQJYnagod8o-T_bSHeh5LeH/s2048/418635172_735667681692231_7172721606416385490_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMi3HhQXCcMfyGHveGbr4iOKCYINb0gyXDYF0UFOg15sHsvNetPmsQYoXM2rNGqIIlY_tgzFu6BT6OEGnn5x1O7PyBL-KvhEOuZD4nPYTp22cQZTCQXE39CisSsPQkFBKAsJ5h2PPlTjSQInqsaxmjZ490rj11QUHwqGQJYnagod8o-T_bSHeh5LeH/s320/418635172_735667681692231_7172721606416385490_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6M4w6zybD-Ia4ybWPMwuM3i7bLkNhKKYrPP78KcA8ti7ICk8ld5TRtOBt-f28_k_ttIsDCRAM1scaLXPzkVQScZUH2_7ZpbsPVoZkzSkE1-0htLaAvSRbzIDrirJQ4hPaqVi9fgw6A-GyOSTNeHi5xUN5Lw3u7cD9eUetPnFdze2CfOk05fG1DaY/s1920/418721992_723358093119021_6015016789978020893_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="972" data-original-width="1920" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW6M4w6zybD-Ia4ybWPMwuM3i7bLkNhKKYrPP78KcA8ti7ICk8ld5TRtOBt-f28_k_ttIsDCRAM1scaLXPzkVQScZUH2_7ZpbsPVoZkzSkE1-0htLaAvSRbzIDrirJQ4hPaqVi9fgw6A-GyOSTNeHi5xUN5Lw3u7cD9eUetPnFdze2CfOk05fG1DaY/s320/418721992_723358093119021_6015016789978020893_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4pRhf_1RdQ3nZT5o7l_fNs4GiBrp5sT0c-fXnVfkEtC6SCMgnlIkQtL3ArJXtNSftibV_nvMqO0fG3n4LatcaOzGxTWrcC2fticTRXKXbNKSO_u92HygGDIaNoSl8OVsyUeyIpjJ7_7dmVc6KSniUoUApzro67cWyZdmgxsOX4hNT9BnvG0ThZIe/s2048/421071724_1098982848013420_727167431130546875_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4pRhf_1RdQ3nZT5o7l_fNs4GiBrp5sT0c-fXnVfkEtC6SCMgnlIkQtL3ArJXtNSftibV_nvMqO0fG3n4LatcaOzGxTWrcC2fticTRXKXbNKSO_u92HygGDIaNoSl8OVsyUeyIpjJ7_7dmVc6KSniUoUApzro67cWyZdmgxsOX4hNT9BnvG0ThZIe/s320/421071724_1098982848013420_727167431130546875_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqTCpm7a5NqkuXgre5Ly-H05qVLUqBDLZklr57g_DYJHccfFvsoKj6QPeoz3iTfhRkln-_MVDuio-x9yoV2SAe_pTjNayJEhFHEjo_YzmexQcZ4oh84yaISmCkAhWk5wn1vCW9eM9r34XTKn-aNFxO-y6QqR6W3tfJvq_zdtxWAb6m1gQweYYk-MD/s2320/BF032ABD-75B6-4802-84F6-909F2C5DE9C3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsqTCpm7a5NqkuXgre5Ly-H05qVLUqBDLZklr57g_DYJHccfFvsoKj6QPeoz3iTfhRkln-_MVDuio-x9yoV2SAe_pTjNayJEhFHEjo_YzmexQcZ4oh84yaISmCkAhWk5wn1vCW9eM9r34XTKn-aNFxO-y6QqR6W3tfJvq_zdtxWAb6m1gQweYYk-MD/w200-h150/BF032ABD-75B6-4802-84F6-909F2C5DE9C3.jpeg" width="200" /></a>So while our kids kept busy feeding themselves, cleaning up after themselves, tending to the animals outside and inside and to other little people, Jason and I savored every minute of our time away together! It was as close to perfect as anything can be - such a sweet time of connecting, music creating and playing, reading, hiking (soaking in so much beauty!), light and deep conversations, future planning alongside reflecting back, so much playfulness, and mostly feeling so grateful for each other and all the growth and healing that we are experiencing individually and together. It was just beautiful! It can already feel like a distant memory in some moments, but I know that time together will keep feeding us for some time to come. We knew that this getaway was like taking a deep breath before starting somewhat of a marathon. It's gonna be a full year here, but we feel more ready for it after taking some time apart together. And we also made some concrete plans for making sure we check in regularly about how we are doing amidst the many balls we will be trying to keep in the air together. We make a good team!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGMBuRU7UlKjwFJqtZ0itI3uZvL2Ft2rUa77qAGUPJXgN_N2iz9ZyfZHai13Fy8BbGIpurKbQXNFRMzIqLs7Tyy-wuFt6LO4mThXmkEGwDxWLwDQrDtw7NGy6auCRJ_k1grisnVm5tjcLwDaT_B8FPFzRQQS6WKfJZHBo37sf0mt-9efB3i1M-ygf/s4080/3F50AB91-551E-4E71-A00D-495064B6E3E3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGMBuRU7UlKjwFJqtZ0itI3uZvL2Ft2rUa77qAGUPJXgN_N2iz9ZyfZHai13Fy8BbGIpurKbQXNFRMzIqLs7Tyy-wuFt6LO4mThXmkEGwDxWLwDQrDtw7NGy6auCRJ_k1grisnVm5tjcLwDaT_B8FPFzRQQS6WKfJZHBo37sf0mt-9efB3i1M-ygf/s320/3F50AB91-551E-4E71-A00D-495064B6E3E3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21b2G3bVT1Skj0OhfP0dZfq4UK-udzT73ydtRZfntCgR_MutkvWw4H2DNXrf4n4ApjfrRbyppVHZ4g8Lgfz2cJe9-vz9tubIqv4mgW-Sapmx-vtGeQvq48M7KTjQy2CkOHZwpul7Okvcqg-cWI89f7jcFJ3VApSibtKzh4FvLM-jFeXOmJyy8qDo2/s2320/24A2814B-4564-42DD-B496-130177F61421.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21b2G3bVT1Skj0OhfP0dZfq4UK-udzT73ydtRZfntCgR_MutkvWw4H2DNXrf4n4ApjfrRbyppVHZ4g8Lgfz2cJe9-vz9tubIqv4mgW-Sapmx-vtGeQvq48M7KTjQy2CkOHZwpul7Okvcqg-cWI89f7jcFJ3VApSibtKzh4FvLM-jFeXOmJyy8qDo2/s320/24A2814B-4564-42DD-B496-130177F61421.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJmWaZUznoTpt0oFSDkM_6PkQ8qA2IpS-oCazQoKxGlBIdRCLwNe3Jrt0yyYCjHVnpun37iBYYdWpsYt6HcvEneo5Ut_U1nEEbgfB2QgYb_J9eFLCE-C8tsHEt-B8nm8a6jYBHcEWVVUGaINB9F5G08If9lWKM_Ti-moGfCzNYv6gO0MFueftavZM/s4080/29CB3073-3E81-4748-B781-723A4F94D277.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJmWaZUznoTpt0oFSDkM_6PkQ8qA2IpS-oCazQoKxGlBIdRCLwNe3Jrt0yyYCjHVnpun37iBYYdWpsYt6HcvEneo5Ut_U1nEEbgfB2QgYb_J9eFLCE-C8tsHEt-B8nm8a6jYBHcEWVVUGaINB9F5G08If9lWKM_Ti-moGfCzNYv6gO0MFueftavZM/s320/29CB3073-3E81-4748-B781-723A4F94D277.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6Rtb5013Q9E6DiWQebOftT-fQYEcz9Za7NNBSuA2JIc7W1xeGvnCpViG9z5V8xU6MBJWkllIKMhbzX1V8dmdGfTVfx-z5-rW79SAum50Rb2Cf0MZ8sHUG7FZti2oS7njHwmnnt5xD5PiRMOaZihTIJqkAXJcxMy9gEj0O7Pwe3jm-YNV-wkmJY3G/s320/E9955D28-D01E-4120-A41A-988C7C6661BE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZME5ZXKr4esZJLafi5QXjVfUQ5FCfvHULpMGyuvL55Wf_q-dEAhQuNhZgX-y1ePy2_sisTwsAwt-5L7-3kAVKJDEdy_5-iVonhlG6ruhh6WVH1YuCBbRcg2gqY1vVHse960Xct12dkX5RVf3YDodqS6KyVncGYUclqcB0sUfTfukLgGXDQrMPrlq/s4080/22D46DAE-AA2F-4949-8BA6-92F4FD3E95EE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFZME5ZXKr4esZJLafi5QXjVfUQ5FCfvHULpMGyuvL55Wf_q-dEAhQuNhZgX-y1ePy2_sisTwsAwt-5L7-3kAVKJDEdy_5-iVonhlG6ruhh6WVH1YuCBbRcg2gqY1vVHse960Xct12dkX5RVf3YDodqS6KyVncGYUclqcB0sUfTfukLgGXDQrMPrlq/w200-h151/22D46DAE-AA2F-4949-8BA6-92F4FD3E95EE.jpeg" width="200" /></a>We came home to some excited children and to some chicks who had nearly doubled in size and definitely in strength and to a layer of dust over nearly everything - thanks chicks! Our younger two had clearly spent a lot of time with them as they were super comfy using both of them as roosts and lovely perching spots! So we savored a few days with birds escaping regularly from the confines of their swimming pool and served them their eviction notice yesterday! They moved out as the next round of chicks hatched and were delivered to our first broody hen of the year! We are firmly in chick-hatching season!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimt8Oq4IsS9xmghpoxdQHBxm6is1R8jyEIM_69e-1pomdSxVeFvYhx0ilcxiyr8BGWLztP80EX05Bxwr5AbgTkQmjhFqUVF3g3HUyIq1GcUV7VexLU349Xe89M-FQPjc_JnJ8MpY0s2JGSFWGiptwYytad5KTJ6pVBi9cimjkjVb9ZAqofaoKpbC7/s4080/76B2EBC1-CA64-4478-B42D-6CF613A66537.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimt8Oq4IsS9xmghpoxdQHBxm6is1R8jyEIM_69e-1pomdSxVeFvYhx0ilcxiyr8BGWLztP80EX05Bxwr5AbgTkQmjhFqUVF3g3HUyIq1GcUV7VexLU349Xe89M-FQPjc_JnJ8MpY0s2JGSFWGiptwYytad5KTJ6pVBi9cimjkjVb9ZAqofaoKpbC7/s320/76B2EBC1-CA64-4478-B42D-6CF613A66537.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_8HJ34dpKaSpFF1CGyW76A3hmQwz8GiuKCn17w95Hs9besEb3XWBlKdEskUuaq-QOV1n01OWPgtvYS4xPEz50nC85JDVf2EL-rJp_DIOmokNHEf9d-5pYCc1x7Lujn_wwUpNiQoirNcAa_3cKFZam1vkzDXjauF_9kip9W5dghxjvvB_36rn8cc9/s4080/8322D8F4-5D8E-4AEF-A805-192B2753057D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW_8HJ34dpKaSpFF1CGyW76A3hmQwz8GiuKCn17w95Hs9besEb3XWBlKdEskUuaq-QOV1n01OWPgtvYS4xPEz50nC85JDVf2EL-rJp_DIOmokNHEf9d-5pYCc1x7Lujn_wwUpNiQoirNcAa_3cKFZam1vkzDXjauF_9kip9W5dghxjvvB_36rn8cc9/s320/8322D8F4-5D8E-4AEF-A805-192B2753057D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY4x36MqKh6wcDEJ2T1KE-6f502T1s3Y1hbjjTmmacQJW7Ub9K2jcEiKfVWFBZxNPyw7QEWSSQNYBSmZ-oIf5QvRy7-PgBvZqosOTpZMecaSEJCtUSPEESJTad-ATpNpRJjv8cCxqFRh3sRSoo-KFD-f_FbOh7c7rG_CriwxcW_uDDRzWWaEpAdVx/s4080/BC03AD9B-2743-472C-B018-E5E0C8E887B7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibY4x36MqKh6wcDEJ2T1KE-6f502T1s3Y1hbjjTmmacQJW7Ub9K2jcEiKfVWFBZxNPyw7QEWSSQNYBSmZ-oIf5QvRy7-PgBvZqosOTpZMecaSEJCtUSPEESJTad-ATpNpRJjv8cCxqFRh3sRSoo-KFD-f_FbOh7c7rG_CriwxcW_uDDRzWWaEpAdVx/s320/BC03AD9B-2743-472C-B018-E5E0C8E887B7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ghpzyAQD0lQbZ1sMxqqKuDMP0LA1OTH2E7DlFFB1hWM2QSriZcYBDJJ2tsowrXYL_1SJGA9zLAxNyh8_Dvso4a9X2IFm1_re8fBZypWEEKb9s60B2p4TdPryLzobGKE67YksDz_JeX7Rwld1Uc3WYNBFyP7vCcOgq72P7Cu1ZpdBwy5mqiHMPLZa/s320/AF9664A2-2DDA-4313-95FB-33683B8D7E9B.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyMjewdKeBl4SOeRONvsXHRfE2x2mZDBl05R6rW6KdWd3NurT7ZGmi_6P6FMzypVPvlgALA2zI7AermqB_NQKqKRbouYouTYaJWHkHJ3EJ3_tyiwAmF-mFHmamskJxnNM3YXOKtz5FSGkiPU1yNPThGpmCKxqbAItsoXHN9C-p7ruFsKQymimjo2c/s4032/A1B9BB44-25B3-4D82-BD9C-F8EA9D01E70E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxyMjewdKeBl4SOeRONvsXHRfE2x2mZDBl05R6rW6KdWd3NurT7ZGmi_6P6FMzypVPvlgALA2zI7AermqB_NQKqKRbouYouTYaJWHkHJ3EJ3_tyiwAmF-mFHmamskJxnNM3YXOKtz5FSGkiPU1yNPThGpmCKxqbAItsoXHN9C-p7ruFsKQymimjo2c/s320/A1B9BB44-25B3-4D82-BD9C-F8EA9D01E70E.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJnavSe5Mr-N9427N8vX5r6pFEmaJySvHGUdV7z7MFL5U3Os-VXK6HAMeNtZ4YqwCNJWDQ5dVk90GiOlhX5u4IqQG16pygC3-YqrpJh4l-nHEERekNOWeF0UDSmN7nz6S4qK71UY1OX6qg46zcdAvFzbzVzOIyBjViwPPYaj-fHq-5LtEMEXb-Mrj/s4080/349EAC61-92A6-423C-9B1D-B9BF3C76F59F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBJnavSe5Mr-N9427N8vX5r6pFEmaJySvHGUdV7z7MFL5U3Os-VXK6HAMeNtZ4YqwCNJWDQ5dVk90GiOlhX5u4IqQG16pygC3-YqrpJh4l-nHEERekNOWeF0UDSmN7nz6S4qK71UY1OX6qg46zcdAvFzbzVzOIyBjViwPPYaj-fHq-5LtEMEXb-Mrj/w200-h151/349EAC61-92A6-423C-9B1D-B9BF3C76F59F.jpeg" width="200" /></a>We all spent the afternoon tying up various loose ends, cleaning the house as much as one can do with chicks flying about, and prepping for our third and final Ted Lasso weekend with Andrew and Alena (i.e. making caramel corn, chex mix and cookies for the snack table!). We only had a handful of episodes left, which we enjoyed thoroughly, which left us plenty of time for chick adoring, a glorious hike, many rounds of Higgy Piggy, and lots of ping pong. While we have come to the end of our show rewatch together, we are already dreaming and scheming for our next weekend together!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUoDZztuT4efVaQy0zynVFyuuVsZC-2N8OROGRK2uaeuRVhr9a3YeMbM2iA_lHsBUiTfZbN6OAutq46Gx7jeOTV7M6eMlHyXu7uVbtIKBY2mLOVwCm0tBmqdWgY2H9EMknyoLE3G95NIl0m3BXg5eCCeuU7nHXfHrAM1IjcT41p7b9DDXf97fSOMa/s2320/EDF19900-15F4-4BD3-B8B1-2A16286CADA8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUoDZztuT4efVaQy0zynVFyuuVsZC-2N8OROGRK2uaeuRVhr9a3YeMbM2iA_lHsBUiTfZbN6OAutq46Gx7jeOTV7M6eMlHyXu7uVbtIKBY2mLOVwCm0tBmqdWgY2H9EMknyoLE3G95NIl0m3BXg5eCCeuU7nHXfHrAM1IjcT41p7b9DDXf97fSOMa/s320/EDF19900-15F4-4BD3-B8B1-2A16286CADA8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHh806WphFBnm3kf6ohnM-ZzFglvgJtTLariI0KTz8kKKoKOP6lHt7yQJzs75YigP69oAbLJOdyhfFqT9py8-cM2V1TiL_XEHbLQSISKACo7PSqfTDEFKYTjBPMZVIQEDslAL-I_ETWxsqjcf_s8zYeYaeck_Pig8aqqI8oV0I3PKlhOt4B4vC_XAS/s4080/2B6A6D64-D0F8-45CB-8535-021872D75E7B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHh806WphFBnm3kf6ohnM-ZzFglvgJtTLariI0KTz8kKKoKOP6lHt7yQJzs75YigP69oAbLJOdyhfFqT9py8-cM2V1TiL_XEHbLQSISKACo7PSqfTDEFKYTjBPMZVIQEDslAL-I_ETWxsqjcf_s8zYeYaeck_Pig8aqqI8oV0I3PKlhOt4B4vC_XAS/s320/2B6A6D64-D0F8-45CB-8535-021872D75E7B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItjbzd1l5S9ds_1Q1MBcWZN1JbRR4XduWSeCRaT_4BJ1zuslwhVvC1ewCVQ4MKr1UPN2t_eunhwKCPB1LCLGxguY7YRj3RsxriWulmyv5KojtOYbP3EItBfl-wN8PhXKp5h_NBXtNcdpi2qHR0cW7ig8s5H2okNZQuy_RqFjuJqR2p9ze49qg3Kk2/s4080/449A6357-2ED2-41FE-9B83-97F27F7386BF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhItjbzd1l5S9ds_1Q1MBcWZN1JbRR4XduWSeCRaT_4BJ1zuslwhVvC1ewCVQ4MKr1UPN2t_eunhwKCPB1LCLGxguY7YRj3RsxriWulmyv5KojtOYbP3EItBfl-wN8PhXKp5h_NBXtNcdpi2qHR0cW7ig8s5H2okNZQuy_RqFjuJqR2p9ze49qg3Kk2/s320/449A6357-2ED2-41FE-9B83-97F27F7386BF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZM4lOewQT4BKw0RwcB2kUuz-JcJYZ9wlXyrYfGIq_YA3U09nE_ueHsiJxPkGtXIoe63s1H9sGbXLiJHFe5zQiALT86SGTDfkyA9PQpzjlIUlMVAhBiULUjcOt_IHQHAfjz1Sph2QSg3aPqiaB8s7_fgtfzEBmqGjXD0a0rfW7uiq2P7EPmUHOtK6A/s4080/6E1E5C44-80E8-4679-8FAF-C5B092AA6736.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZM4lOewQT4BKw0RwcB2kUuz-JcJYZ9wlXyrYfGIq_YA3U09nE_ueHsiJxPkGtXIoe63s1H9sGbXLiJHFe5zQiALT86SGTDfkyA9PQpzjlIUlMVAhBiULUjcOt_IHQHAfjz1Sph2QSg3aPqiaB8s7_fgtfzEBmqGjXD0a0rfW7uiq2P7EPmUHOtK6A/s320/6E1E5C44-80E8-4679-8FAF-C5B092AA6736.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We parted ways Sunday late morning after a St. Patrick's Day brunch together (no green foods but plenty of green confetti, thanks to my mom, decorating the table - and Alena sporting a lovely headband!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dgBLNah5vlU2WYC5k584GZDvPuoVGt54YMkqpmlY7Ri5pZW5_al2zmJFzZkR9CAYIo3emjr3lHB7_KN7CKRQoBNPf84KGOiZeyteHN5EzC66RBp6GaoKe6DwlvkkmSA-v-1uRFy3wvrgYyfZSZUy7Yw0vr9jH8He63NgtsZTpkLR8gKs4IwvEJjg/s4080/54556C73-46EC-4AD3-9CD5-4E1E55026E81.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6dgBLNah5vlU2WYC5k584GZDvPuoVGt54YMkqpmlY7Ri5pZW5_al2zmJFzZkR9CAYIo3emjr3lHB7_KN7CKRQoBNPf84KGOiZeyteHN5EzC66RBp6GaoKe6DwlvkkmSA-v-1uRFy3wvrgYyfZSZUy7Yw0vr9jH8He63NgtsZTpkLR8gKs4IwvEJjg/w151-h200/54556C73-46EC-4AD3-9CD5-4E1E55026E81.jpeg" width="151" /></a>The afternoon was full of more fun times. It was Terah's day for time with me and Jason solo and we soaked it up (don't ask questions around Alida's birthday on what we did for much of the time!!!). Then I departed on another glorious hike while the chicks were moved to their outdoor lodging! And there are no pictures of the evening scurry to at least make the house a little less obviously a chicken coop (i.e. CLEANING!). The afternoon hike was a particularly special one - I had the privilege of doing a repeat hike with one of my doula-clients-turned-friend! We had walked to Hensley's Pong when she was eagerly anticipating this sweet baby's arrival (ok, trying to be patient and wishing to encourage her to come out!!). We did a repeat hike so I could take some photos of the pair 9 months later. Pretty sweet and special!! I love birth work and I love staying connected with the families that invite me into such an important season of their lives!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkbMIqFYzPHae5hfJ4HnmNvHOo3_95-mkrVzFJG4id45E3RXGAewl3UUkvJYkBBRa6yYDF98PG_EbhZ52O3ekyzJ67JqFRaIQLMkFeHcs2-2hJyuoqrrMQYg_WM4ugB8iAGO1J2rmW8Pb2tjUzJeVmEGM-sEbS8Ah0cB3UZ82Mp0qvnmT4lNWx7Sn/s4080/60F97BB1-31B2-48E2-BD52-448232F41481.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwkbMIqFYzPHae5hfJ4HnmNvHOo3_95-mkrVzFJG4id45E3RXGAewl3UUkvJYkBBRa6yYDF98PG_EbhZ52O3ekyzJ67JqFRaIQLMkFeHcs2-2hJyuoqrrMQYg_WM4ugB8iAGO1J2rmW8Pb2tjUzJeVmEGM-sEbS8Ah0cB3UZ82Mp0qvnmT4lNWx7Sn/s320/60F97BB1-31B2-48E2-BD52-448232F41481.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And now here we are! Jason just came in from chores and the girls are officially stirring (I hear voices and footsteps in the back). The morning quiet has come to an end...</div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-55075704919008494892024-03-12T11:14:00.000-07:002024-03-12T11:15:30.798-07:00Reflecting on home from glorious Lost River<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO40Av5vkR0JTPV0EY5KWdt3mcjGWuLScW2NA3__Yj6EOa2iuYOewk7tZhu47TUUsWxSKHiRC6YozJjpCvBwTWuYGTXj0f5uoDCTKTwEuTgjjSTL9px8Dj6IRY9oB-3V3rtYJxqn9g_VfehANG9rCUyWkAggLhmJk0kWZp5HQQfBQy6gEfUQXE8Faw/s2320/7A5541DB-E1BF-42A0-803E-5E22961350A0.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO40Av5vkR0JTPV0EY5KWdt3mcjGWuLScW2NA3__Yj6EOa2iuYOewk7tZhu47TUUsWxSKHiRC6YozJjpCvBwTWuYGTXj0f5uoDCTKTwEuTgjjSTL9px8Dj6IRY9oB-3V3rtYJxqn9g_VfehANG9rCUyWkAggLhmJk0kWZp5HQQfBQy6gEfUQXE8Faw/w200-h150/7A5541DB-E1BF-42A0-803E-5E22961350A0.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p>Ahhh, the back drop of this post is pretty incredible! I'm sitting outside with a cool breeze and the warm sun hitting my face. Across from me at the picnic table Jason is playing guitar and my view beyond the deck is the woods all around us. We are back at a cabin in Lost River State Park where we have come for similar getaways in the past and it is once again not disappointing! It feels like we are making history this week in that our kiddos are tending the farm while we enjoy an early celebration of our 25th wedding anniversary coming up in May. It feels like such a gift to have this time away together! Thanks kids!!<div><br /></div><div>It's also lovely to know that by Friday (not just yet!!) we'll likely be pining for the place we call home and the people that make the life there with us so beautiful. So a few vignettes from home before Jason and I take a meander through the woods and see what's emerging as spring approaches!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdpicJ83huEFgwb4K0yFwsvyS6yhzvyOyGvZGoEvIeC3rh8uARN6pT2-C2q8s6Xq6SEcfmcVGCcFBFVbTYB-8fdpbPu69DdJCKzXxcaVJK3eUDAYrjTkK8GQ-eY3k3C67BadaNLeQzlungbymZYP0Op28B3xGhfy9jKMZTdcdcUNknBoIc8Rs1GlC/s4080/5C914EE7-3DF8-447F-A832-ED1523A6487F.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTdpicJ83huEFgwb4K0yFwsvyS6yhzvyOyGvZGoEvIeC3rh8uARN6pT2-C2q8s6Xq6SEcfmcVGCcFBFVbTYB-8fdpbPu69DdJCKzXxcaVJK3eUDAYrjTkK8GQ-eY3k3C67BadaNLeQzlungbymZYP0Op28B3xGhfy9jKMZTdcdcUNknBoIc8Rs1GlC/w200-h151/5C914EE7-3DF8-447F-A832-ED1523A6487F.jpeg" width="200" /></a>THE. BIKE. SHED. IS. DONE!! We chuckled the other night around the table when we were trying to remember when we started this project. I pulled the 2022 blog book off the shelf and found this from a Feb 11th post: <i>We have two main winter projects we hope to complete...the hope is to have a bike shed and seed cage constructed before the growing season gets underway. Digging for the bike shed has commenced. </i>We'll focus on the positive - the seed cage DID get done that year! But, like we often do, we bit off more than we could chew and the bike shed has been done in fits and starts over the past 2+ years. Jason, with some eager daughter carpenters, pushed pretty hard the last few weeks and it is done and stocked and ready for use!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoidpBTRJQbB6IjJmUU7XUFaV8FuGbraqZO8J7W4hDYzyKgdF-Mlfeb6gF4SyOP3LPNkrVGimMx4s7w2SD51zjciIpF4Hb4VJcJFWkuub86jJcouwfyD8NkOJvAZa_G1QxmOIi9iaOqeIUWnUKQmwoHNct2evrbpRVqDmlsmudo9kpnlQ45_hz9IwX/s11904/7DF1BE89-7D9A-477F-979B-0B6C3D866F95.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1888" data-original-width="11904" height="64" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoidpBTRJQbB6IjJmUU7XUFaV8FuGbraqZO8J7W4hDYzyKgdF-Mlfeb6gF4SyOP3LPNkrVGimMx4s7w2SD51zjciIpF4Hb4VJcJFWkuub86jJcouwfyD8NkOJvAZa_G1QxmOIi9iaOqeIUWnUKQmwoHNct2evrbpRVqDmlsmudo9kpnlQ45_hz9IwX/w400-h64/7DF1BE89-7D9A-477F-979B-0B6C3D866F95.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The other day our neighbor came for eggs and Jason and the girls were out there working on attaching the latch for the door. Jason waved and said, "Hi...we're just over here doing carpentry by committee." The neighbor replied, "Oh no, you can't do that!" It's clearly not the most efficient way to do things but there is a lot of ownership in the end product and Jason had a really fun time teaching his girls some of the many carpentry skills he has. They know a lot more than me!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">A big focus on the past week is summed up in one word: CHICKS! I do not enjoy the increasing smell in our house or the fact that there will soon be a layer of dust over everything. BUT the benefits far outweigh those downsides. It's so very fun to invite friends (young and old alike) over the adore and hold the chicks with us. And my favorite time of day is when I come out and turn on the big light and I get to behold their morning burst. I also love watching our kids just be mesmerized by them. We jokingly call gathering around the kiddo pool with the chicks "Tangly Woods TV!"</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWF4UvJr5un0gwTfxPo0m2vfmOE19IN8CE34lr8QpETiPlNNGNMGOReJHn3V2JeF3Zpm4vvViKBzFd8WUP7csY7ME1ovptTO61_HIolSbcDDl5yxMhTHD3TEdbDs0mdZKMuodOw2tpgNLr-cF7-yrn2CvazEN9AzwfHeeC-Q8Q6KDlzBoa7yGmRCb/s4080/8E0E7E3A-FC73-42D9-85C5-CBD179431414.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: start;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbWF4UvJr5un0gwTfxPo0m2vfmOE19IN8CE34lr8QpETiPlNNGNMGOReJHn3V2JeF3Zpm4vvViKBzFd8WUP7csY7ME1ovptTO61_HIolSbcDDl5yxMhTHD3TEdbDs0mdZKMuodOw2tpgNLr-cF7-yrn2CvazEN9AzwfHeeC-Q8Q6KDlzBoa7yGmRCb/s320/8E0E7E3A-FC73-42D9-85C5-CBD179431414.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpnP9pG39pbvfPTBx72huKbQxh6ZVaAiZC4LF_4cz5wbKPwJFEJbl34kWThL3_SH1bgnbrReQ2qLiQNwJd-41pcIVGPJEmMUakgHz7w3o_0l3BPf6XCSPxeYvvp8f3Pu4bFyxmFh3tXlAakGVxTEItLKOmTnAaN6x6qa3n1amnX03gPkcX20GFXxj/s4080/4FACB922-1BBA-4D72-888E-876E42BBC9F9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKpnP9pG39pbvfPTBx72huKbQxh6ZVaAiZC4LF_4cz5wbKPwJFEJbl34kWThL3_SH1bgnbrReQ2qLiQNwJd-41pcIVGPJEmMUakgHz7w3o_0l3BPf6XCSPxeYvvp8f3Pu4bFyxmFh3tXlAakGVxTEItLKOmTnAaN6x6qa3n1amnX03gPkcX20GFXxj/s320/4FACB922-1BBA-4D72-888E-876E42BBC9F9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWZhn9f9YHUpW1KE3zgtRIGm_7gVrcAmn3e2o8b4Ac3Ipr89sFCYU7rLHunyj33bBUj-PTBP4mOKR-OwJTqE4ZaMYBdLWPulxaV7yaSRAN0Lm3rvbVFQmSEvDkRWOFjw9a76Jhu3VeJA4tSW2CUD9vNToXHrK4Av5p34MKSF_CWnCvXIV6NEEgtVF/s4080/5FC10EEC-C0BD-46B5-9B23-F402A52D73E9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYWZhn9f9YHUpW1KE3zgtRIGm_7gVrcAmn3e2o8b4Ac3Ipr89sFCYU7rLHunyj33bBUj-PTBP4mOKR-OwJTqE4ZaMYBdLWPulxaV7yaSRAN0Lm3rvbVFQmSEvDkRWOFjw9a76Jhu3VeJA4tSW2CUD9vNToXHrK4Av5p34MKSF_CWnCvXIV6NEEgtVF/s320/5FC10EEC-C0BD-46B5-9B23-F402A52D73E9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaaHYeHQWjFbcKFuiXf9x5_X8Btf5Cu7EilrLVrgYwi2Vk70ZsEygOZqTVRtbKlV_W04g9Xso8VD7OcjP7PhTkEKrVwCdYvCXdraV-AEytlgTUb435VQIQqpV4vGJh6e0ncAH4QW6kuwY5BB_N9rfj8kV_uvD3FEG0B3e5KJRF5bCYf3jye4Lcc9e/s4080/829EFE1F-D65D-4552-909F-E8CD75092B03.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLaaHYeHQWjFbcKFuiXf9x5_X8Btf5Cu7EilrLVrgYwi2Vk70ZsEygOZqTVRtbKlV_W04g9Xso8VD7OcjP7PhTkEKrVwCdYvCXdraV-AEytlgTUb435VQIQqpV4vGJh6e0ncAH4QW6kuwY5BB_N9rfj8kV_uvD3FEG0B3e5KJRF5bCYf3jye4Lcc9e/s320/829EFE1F-D65D-4552-909F-E8CD75092B03.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">They are all very cute but there is one that has been picked as a decided favorite. Meet Golden Fuzzer! We've had to mark her head with red permanent marker just to be sure we don't lose track of which one she is. That said, they usually can pick her out by appearance AND temperament. She got her first adventure outside yesterday!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PPFW3Ppe03Uua46qdeOTY-bvV4GaH4Mqf3RQl7TOoZG3D3BBBFCSanOGBkwWBrmBAX-r_q1PnpagiS0U_CrhTXtsOLfkFRQXePhZUog0X_1bg48wDxisJ-g9t9gOVjWkBuz59KhafAjEd8mV9aCd3jkbsdv2hSpB_BRWI-sGKruALgkJeO2F9QIf/s4080/758AF61B-4215-4081-8978-AC799ABA3E0C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9PPFW3Ppe03Uua46qdeOTY-bvV4GaH4Mqf3RQl7TOoZG3D3BBBFCSanOGBkwWBrmBAX-r_q1PnpagiS0U_CrhTXtsOLfkFRQXePhZUog0X_1bg48wDxisJ-g9t9gOVjWkBuz59KhafAjEd8mV9aCd3jkbsdv2hSpB_BRWI-sGKruALgkJeO2F9QIf/s320/758AF61B-4215-4081-8978-AC799ABA3E0C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZfU7f6qbWCL7RtqDcxJlp74apOjjDraLAAu88CPIYGwtGy3J4zuvH51bmBbwOZmoJLUPtrJU08DGjo1W2CeZ_N_s7ysJFwO1h6nDwNRz9KQuca-365e_EwO1ilw_u4mkQ2Bo9jiIKvq3D-do2Orpi9wNJ5183dx73KUn0_xVFV4ztMK6OOjHkbXQ/s4080/A4164A39-F867-4937-8572-387664175E3C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFZfU7f6qbWCL7RtqDcxJlp74apOjjDraLAAu88CPIYGwtGy3J4zuvH51bmBbwOZmoJLUPtrJU08DGjo1W2CeZ_N_s7ysJFwO1h6nDwNRz9KQuca-365e_EwO1ilw_u4mkQ2Bo9jiIKvq3D-do2Orpi9wNJ5183dx73KUn0_xVFV4ztMK6OOjHkbXQ/s320/A4164A39-F867-4937-8572-387664175E3C.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of outside, spring is definitely right around the corner! This past week, I delivered eggs to people I met at a baby blessing who have glorious giant orange poppies. They graciously dug up a bunch of starts for me again and Jason tucked them in beside my Southern Magnolia (that is thriving!) and in Nora's garden. Really eager to get a healthy stand of them growing vibrantly at Tangly Woods!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmgLsmoQW5c-oLDcNNTTi6nfC-qAuZz9I7FZn7hqDBOkODt-__eUj0HIIcG_ALCW0wsa5ASvAKIL-PfqQ4-jO6pSy6PY0gzEqlVU9YfmCBaYMxSSgaUuSb8w9VlZt8oSz-d57tSs_8Je5My7XyJkO7qa_kBImpeAWXrJ5K80X2_n9V8zL5j56NDKA/s4080/5A5FCB28-51E8-46C6-91A0-A5E6C3CE1393.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidmgLsmoQW5c-oLDcNNTTi6nfC-qAuZz9I7FZn7hqDBOkODt-__eUj0HIIcG_ALCW0wsa5ASvAKIL-PfqQ4-jO6pSy6PY0gzEqlVU9YfmCBaYMxSSgaUuSb8w9VlZt8oSz-d57tSs_8Je5My7XyJkO7qa_kBImpeAWXrJ5K80X2_n9V8zL5j56NDKA/s320/5A5FCB28-51E8-46C6-91A0-A5E6C3CE1393.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the meantime, the daffodils are dotting our landscape with their bright cheer. I wonder how many bouquets of them Mom now has around their home?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3DkA1ehhj6hm3k6GdOnpLiAF8onPmORthyJOo3FTpSqho9Ja5aAUTapD8n-0D0sb7ZJewwyBzHSn8ix5XtjcjZhOaMnosIAA1_XOkXw_4BFZoOXwLm_iGITossI8FxkwcIWnW24WrtFqSG-G9ztkWuBNMgKewjohFC1Ox_DWgWAQh22NpwwwU64M/s4080/F2F574DD-3B92-42C2-A144-79C6C97822F5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW3DkA1ehhj6hm3k6GdOnpLiAF8onPmORthyJOo3FTpSqho9Ja5aAUTapD8n-0D0sb7ZJewwyBzHSn8ix5XtjcjZhOaMnosIAA1_XOkXw_4BFZoOXwLm_iGITossI8FxkwcIWnW24WrtFqSG-G9ztkWuBNMgKewjohFC1Ox_DWgWAQh22NpwwwU64M/s320/F2F574DD-3B92-42C2-A144-79C6C97822F5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xhRvSNoaz8i72NowQG7Azc9RtjaNVmveMs013wo00YjfDtM7CvOPHfdKuQ76M1l1A9KZwP8KDSnYyB62bYdHnAMORbgwUTkmCpdjDrkVkC4CMQgJakopiMpn3k9IIlMKkGyyCk_8kfhrgk617oIXaioELOh_GoAbu4AGC-N_vtaEyCUS7TGwugR3/s4080/9B9B6723-5B61-4001-B9BD-329566ED4E1E.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xhRvSNoaz8i72NowQG7Azc9RtjaNVmveMs013wo00YjfDtM7CvOPHfdKuQ76M1l1A9KZwP8KDSnYyB62bYdHnAMORbgwUTkmCpdjDrkVkC4CMQgJakopiMpn3k9IIlMKkGyyCk_8kfhrgk617oIXaioELOh_GoAbu4AGC-N_vtaEyCUS7TGwugR3/w200-h151/9B9B6723-5B61-4001-B9BD-329566ED4E1E.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Yesterday we had a VERY short family work day (more like family work hour) due to our departure for our cozy cabin. Last week we attended the virtual orientation for the Perennial Atlas Project that Alida, Terah and I are participating in with the Land Institute. We'll invite Jason and Kali in as they wish and yesterday the five of us worked together to transition one of the arch apple garden rotations to be ready for the 8 3x3 planting beds we'll need for the project. Made me feel excited about taking part in this research project with others and with the girls! It's gonna be fun and I'm going to learn a lot!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDcPRzEdiyPDwx91rsbd_QKgvHwW5pqe48kvQxYSed9-ICspWtqo27oEjSz9klsjJwIh1P5qFCvYDgUmRD_JHvwJpy_GPuVijl39MgpOqVSV9HXTvvMKRzo3TCsk3-62h72CyYuSh34PfA2YNr7FVjpaQ8GiSADiBECCPXFvJUukJcOKURDTxwPAr/s4080/DD72E2ED-BC78-46C2-92DC-1F6FB143DC72.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDcPRzEdiyPDwx91rsbd_QKgvHwW5pqe48kvQxYSed9-ICspWtqo27oEjSz9klsjJwIh1P5qFCvYDgUmRD_JHvwJpy_GPuVijl39MgpOqVSV9HXTvvMKRzo3TCsk3-62h72CyYuSh34PfA2YNr7FVjpaQ8GiSADiBECCPXFvJUukJcOKURDTxwPAr/s320/DD72E2ED-BC78-46C2-92DC-1F6FB143DC72.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We so enjoyed having my great aunt Eleanor around for the week. Our days felt pretty full, but we savored some slower evenings together with meals around the table and we even fit in a game of dominos one evening. Thank goodness for such a loving, kind and gracious guest!! As the days lengthen, we've already found ourselves eating dinner in the 7-9 p.m. range rather than our wintertime 6-7 p.m. average. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL03Q8jdf4xQusYchDCETao9s9_t0Ccp5f-KBIHNkniKIhSNRoLFdS3n4kSCXEpo5Hyqfjk4WQcOjnVNC2l_M_U9d6rQUv5_eiqm9V3a88u2D8SMeCqgF2ofo9eXaRrsZ-v_sA7lwQUy8ltB4NVFPqKkSfUfaeDtQ3FjKqhWPz84Nd4BEl-WfChVP/s4080/30B3D078-0271-4D7A-99B5-CA120A89738B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPL03Q8jdf4xQusYchDCETao9s9_t0Ccp5f-KBIHNkniKIhSNRoLFdS3n4kSCXEpo5Hyqfjk4WQcOjnVNC2l_M_U9d6rQUv5_eiqm9V3a88u2D8SMeCqgF2ofo9eXaRrsZ-v_sA7lwQUy8ltB4NVFPqKkSfUfaeDtQ3FjKqhWPz84Nd4BEl-WfChVP/s320/30B3D078-0271-4D7A-99B5-CA120A89738B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G-Lir8A2Xec7z1kzMFAChaleuE7eb-VM_TWrFGZ7sm01X5nfUQXZEc-aNQTrJbtFhUgfFcRheS7vYhJQV9tjm88oWly54Lj2odRT2P9JGOZ_YLa6zn1xudi_4meyrsevLTPPSXgpLG5-IMUzOU0nwCWDlh9QQd05raEFBDrJIkC6E-B-jdiHnvRr/s4080/914A0CB0-7DAA-4F54-B3F6-D7860896CE27.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G-Lir8A2Xec7z1kzMFAChaleuE7eb-VM_TWrFGZ7sm01X5nfUQXZEc-aNQTrJbtFhUgfFcRheS7vYhJQV9tjm88oWly54Lj2odRT2P9JGOZ_YLa6zn1xudi_4meyrsevLTPPSXgpLG5-IMUzOU0nwCWDlh9QQd05raEFBDrJIkC6E-B-jdiHnvRr/s320/914A0CB0-7DAA-4F54-B3F6-D7860896CE27.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j4Pxft2q5FLoqFmqCn38MsHTjx-tUDHteDa0csYZUkKXxQiViV7V5x4pt5eQJ2aDALtpISM8fi4RNR8DuXctauzQThUIsm8kW2cFt6w96yHHFUOobLXvlPQJ3UbqZyeJ3YHoSgME5oIlhBYEneNWjBjvu2Tj4YWjfTx99qVkvSlPpdwZcC3Ax3In/s4080/BA2D84FE-11BD-4986-95A4-3BA5769DA655.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4j4Pxft2q5FLoqFmqCn38MsHTjx-tUDHteDa0csYZUkKXxQiViV7V5x4pt5eQJ2aDALtpISM8fi4RNR8DuXctauzQThUIsm8kW2cFt6w96yHHFUOobLXvlPQJ3UbqZyeJ3YHoSgME5oIlhBYEneNWjBjvu2Tj4YWjfTx99qVkvSlPpdwZcC3Ax3In/w200-h151/BA2D84FE-11BD-4986-95A4-3BA5769DA655.jpeg" width="200" /></a>It's fun for me to have someone around that delights in the little things even more than me - she's my inspiration! When I'm doing something fun or creative in the kitchen, it's lovely to know that there is someone who will appreciate it and get a kick out of it like me. This week the thing that stands out is rolling our own oats! I had bought 10lbs of local hulless oats a few years back and they just sat in the pantry. It felt like too much to do even one additional thing and so in some ways those oats felt like a burden and a reminder of all the things I didn't have time to do or couldn't enjoy doing even if I did find the time. This week I had so much fun and it was easy and the end product made me feel giddy! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0-NnryyJ9lJhXU2xbrRJwBvRgzkRdXeAdRabbXOj3EGAwrpmBItUsj_ifhXYSYodoj7unLFgTnjzNFDE1Uvlc2HchQ4bkh126Ah6qzZHiQ40ynF-J23ydTk_nbFE99_TbQNcFsXZDWYNERKBYvhHtKmIWvClcye_CutQGCD1c085Vn8ZnQReV0D4/s4080/95071607-078D-4F7C-A2BE-3253FD647EBF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW0-NnryyJ9lJhXU2xbrRJwBvRgzkRdXeAdRabbXOj3EGAwrpmBItUsj_ifhXYSYodoj7unLFgTnjzNFDE1Uvlc2HchQ4bkh126Ah6qzZHiQ40ynF-J23ydTk_nbFE99_TbQNcFsXZDWYNERKBYvhHtKmIWvClcye_CutQGCD1c085Vn8ZnQReV0D4/s320/95071607-078D-4F7C-A2BE-3253FD647EBF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It's been fun to increasingly be able to use our own grains for various baking experiments. Alida has been treating us to homemade roti with our Sirvinta wheat and this past week she made a batch with 100% rye flour. I hope she doesn't tire of making them anytime soon. They are so delicious!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VtBs_6a0d2HdCeZZVe_i7nF1jYHDg6dBOUtrsRmjRS-PCXWq5Zejqty1W3oJJeQYXpcqvu5OjhZ9rDA1afcI_ytOyNvsVYn9fPW89EKDCGt5_IvUoRNM3rXSnLxBr7aVQUoIkH1RW1zdXQtssAffm6cb1D2HTB66qx5c3BjiB1yMmClhXdPDF9pK/s4032/637261B4-4C13-4D48-9D2E-54D1852A0D43.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9VtBs_6a0d2HdCeZZVe_i7nF1jYHDg6dBOUtrsRmjRS-PCXWq5Zejqty1W3oJJeQYXpcqvu5OjhZ9rDA1afcI_ytOyNvsVYn9fPW89EKDCGt5_IvUoRNM3rXSnLxBr7aVQUoIkH1RW1zdXQtssAffm6cb1D2HTB66qx5c3BjiB1yMmClhXdPDF9pK/s320/637261B4-4C13-4D48-9D2E-54D1852A0D43.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMTC8denX7rpGue2Y_aTj-XqWnZEeIO1LrjX3hn8Cb0geShXkG6rxPjDmO3dHCYEj12wLJqfV7UnSz7-498Ra4O4AkA9xCDpQB7L2aHyRVAzttlTAQWDol3R-M-uy3EguZWPefD5Wj91AIWPSTcAoP7AZPN_8oNCXLOet61vK-jKW2FD8VHShc0Tc/s4080/60522689-0D76-4B4E-B1DA-84C587B8839B.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMTC8denX7rpGue2Y_aTj-XqWnZEeIO1LrjX3hn8Cb0geShXkG6rxPjDmO3dHCYEj12wLJqfV7UnSz7-498Ra4O4AkA9xCDpQB7L2aHyRVAzttlTAQWDol3R-M-uy3EguZWPefD5Wj91AIWPSTcAoP7AZPN_8oNCXLOet61vK-jKW2FD8VHShc0Tc/w151-h200/60522689-0D76-4B4E-B1DA-84C587B8839B.jpeg" width="151" /></a>I think it's time to insert a confession here! Jason and I worked through the 2024 garden plans some weeks back. We attempted some baby steps at simplification (e.g. no hull peas this year...sniff sniff!). One of those was that we were not going to grow beets this year. Hmmm...what, you might be wondering, is this a photo of then? Well...the co-op member special right now is a free pack of seeds and so I put my own little fleece out as I went into the store: if they still had beets in stock that is what I would get and maybe we'd do a row or part of one. So I came home with my seeds and assured Jason that there is no doubt he is rubbing off on me! If I'm honest, I love it! Now I'm saying that pretty easily from a WV state park where I will be relaxing with my hubby for a few days. Ask me later this summer when it's time to thin the beets and I can't see the end of the to do list! May the perspective remain!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sunday it just so happened that I got to take THREE hikes on the Western Slope trails across from us. What delightful walks sharing with friends and, sandwiched between two friend walks for me, it was Kali's week for Mommy/Daddy solo time! She and I also squeezed in SUCCESSFULLY giving blood together - though she creamed me filling her bag in just over 4 minutes! On our hike with her we took some new trails, finding a sweet little pond and enjoy a variety of woods trails. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8PV80Na60UP_UqvJVCfsnB4lPF9C1ZBEBoj7siBVGU_8CH7k70XGiSIylb6EQXJJp5xjW8ajAXhyZJb8SlreCF_83FhTVxz9jdhzm-B1llGD1vozuEQ56R7vxAApmho7Mi43Rg4A594qGqnjMZd-d0T7t90qgewbEiB0AXfAaJGDfvme6RWLFl_s/s4080/0FF00839-4B85-40BC-88E9-57A922670C19.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ8PV80Na60UP_UqvJVCfsnB4lPF9C1ZBEBoj7siBVGU_8CH7k70XGiSIylb6EQXJJp5xjW8ajAXhyZJb8SlreCF_83FhTVxz9jdhzm-B1llGD1vozuEQ56R7vxAApmho7Mi43Rg4A594qGqnjMZd-d0T7t90qgewbEiB0AXfAaJGDfvme6RWLFl_s/s320/0FF00839-4B85-40BC-88E9-57A922670C19.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw64K-vexbamV72BX9hluuETJtyipBsVeWcVDIqsc4T1_Yp2snvcalV4XQ6hOWSF8yCb1YVfpoRzsKstzlyB24cvB3Ny_cS_YNWxZxBs2vmzUZ6VnBBEdCSPKlRmQscLuK_ssq5yN1nemwEqR5wjDLtHtjldcv_wuvPhxFQHBVTVMIbHvAbAUOJ5NB/s2320/ADBD6C31-35C2-44A3-A324-F5DE3826844A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw64K-vexbamV72BX9hluuETJtyipBsVeWcVDIqsc4T1_Yp2snvcalV4XQ6hOWSF8yCb1YVfpoRzsKstzlyB24cvB3Ny_cS_YNWxZxBs2vmzUZ6VnBBEdCSPKlRmQscLuK_ssq5yN1nemwEqR5wjDLtHtjldcv_wuvPhxFQHBVTVMIbHvAbAUOJ5NB/s320/ADBD6C31-35C2-44A3-A324-F5DE3826844A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GlvlcaM2vi6oe3Rd1z0mK4duNmDVwmvKYef_aEHIT5OoT1NITRZEx8KQyOf4Leg18YMjXK73dGqvkRUR9dX4wpYs-46XEprH7ROQzT7-jlKxBORRbessCf8ol3JGBQ8_JIctCYL-mweFSi2-8tTkSZ8_rUMGpTXx0i5M1iaLpUMa6aA1jEb7nbYG/s4080/AEB6A578-9170-42A9-9A1F-5004C672D298.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9GlvlcaM2vi6oe3Rd1z0mK4duNmDVwmvKYef_aEHIT5OoT1NITRZEx8KQyOf4Leg18YMjXK73dGqvkRUR9dX4wpYs-46XEprH7ROQzT7-jlKxBORRbessCf8ol3JGBQ8_JIctCYL-mweFSi2-8tTkSZ8_rUMGpTXx0i5M1iaLpUMa6aA1jEb7nbYG/s320/AEB6A578-9170-42A9-9A1F-5004C672D298.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0_30A8gd4yOiA9mrJRKWU6LgxBLcbP2bO9vHtcKbWtYNpOTXYGHSAm5_W-qfYKgvxJKQHmJYDPvBwH7Gym3epjnWVg3vHQnsgx1ui6kc4Pbrq9Mbfry3-fu_s85fUsaZGdhn5_kIQeabnIhXaMXxvvsnBupNvKKv_25OzgmteD2NB2AuNx_k8e-h/s2320/0D7F7778-885A-4E7F-BCBF-7A20AE8EE751.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0_30A8gd4yOiA9mrJRKWU6LgxBLcbP2bO9vHtcKbWtYNpOTXYGHSAm5_W-qfYKgvxJKQHmJYDPvBwH7Gym3epjnWVg3vHQnsgx1ui6kc4Pbrq9Mbfry3-fu_s85fUsaZGdhn5_kIQeabnIhXaMXxvvsnBupNvKKv_25OzgmteD2NB2AuNx_k8e-h/s320/0D7F7778-885A-4E7F-BCBF-7A20AE8EE751.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We also savored two evenings with good friends this weekend, with meaningful conversations, delicious food and some fun game playing. I treasure all my friendships (new and old), but there is something sweet to be with college friends and look over and see our grown and growing kids and think about how much life we have shared.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlFu9R5DhvXS3ZDARFZtF2kta1_8aKbusyKTnv43XpY11ZlLMBgXnpHLsYBMyQQNZV1bkUgrVUmvzKrD6cvfSYUWq-CvzSb0c0-3Xnta6SmhTSmLz3MJhAZdObObBEZTDGlW1DjSbJl9PACsC3alTlmL0qUZTMc4tu4gAa9DwBRiI6UigK_ixK86p/s4080/6E99EA27-EE27-4FF7-9DFB-F72F3B475BB2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwlFu9R5DhvXS3ZDARFZtF2kta1_8aKbusyKTnv43XpY11ZlLMBgXnpHLsYBMyQQNZV1bkUgrVUmvzKrD6cvfSYUWq-CvzSb0c0-3Xnta6SmhTSmLz3MJhAZdObObBEZTDGlW1DjSbJl9PACsC3alTlmL0qUZTMc4tu4gAa9DwBRiI6UigK_ixK86p/s320/6E99EA27-EE27-4FF7-9DFB-F72F3B475BB2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR4EtppIccFrmlO2m7s3kpNCxUeNbivYkVkuJCOOflxlE2BZHuRlaHSyc6-ampqciP00snLa3DCpbBnNTt8LtZRmqMpAx9xjNKKOWB0twPcJNNcY-WH331Gzoy5pJCdKQ6RLqoDsJiGQcsH-4QWvIR2QMzpFYCh3tl9FyDBO2WYPLET_tsw7lFBs3/s4080/61C31F5E-395C-4DEE-9AA1-E95A2B93E655.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeR4EtppIccFrmlO2m7s3kpNCxUeNbivYkVkuJCOOflxlE2BZHuRlaHSyc6-ampqciP00snLa3DCpbBnNTt8LtZRmqMpAx9xjNKKOWB0twPcJNNcY-WH331Gzoy5pJCdKQ6RLqoDsJiGQcsH-4QWvIR2QMzpFYCh3tl9FyDBO2WYPLET_tsw7lFBs3/w200-h151/61C31F5E-395C-4DEE-9AA1-E95A2B93E655.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Speaking of shared life, you are probably wondering where the Luca and Bear pictures are!?! It's been a dry week on that front and I've missed them both very much. Due to illness and travel, we missed our normal playdates and times caring for them. That opened up some pockets of time for some other things and I found myself looking for a photo in old albums one day. In the process, I found photos of me being doted on by a loving big sister and it gave my heart a big squeeze! While I and these little people we tend to won't likely have active memories of the way they were treasured and tended to, I feel confident people hold that kind of love and care in our bodies! I was glad to be reminded of it this week!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQZbLYzew-jh7S1wDDKBR3uDwZpJhXMWwD8bCfGWOaTcJ5bNkgvKLvPD4k4aWMcc9CEOIwW9YE4GeNLFbptiRfFkFEZiBeYmV2mtPqIzHkk0sH7IflQT2emzJ5i1RXkQD1sxNl65hAZmXBb4Ys4tt4ol7DfaFEL_pwvV0LthR0VWxwQkkzcJWFMVr/s4080/4AF1FBEB-9922-4D9C-B8A7-224943657821.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQZbLYzew-jh7S1wDDKBR3uDwZpJhXMWwD8bCfGWOaTcJ5bNkgvKLvPD4k4aWMcc9CEOIwW9YE4GeNLFbptiRfFkFEZiBeYmV2mtPqIzHkk0sH7IflQT2emzJ5i1RXkQD1sxNl65hAZmXBb4Ys4tt4ol7DfaFEL_pwvV0LthR0VWxwQkkzcJWFMVr/s320/4AF1FBEB-9922-4D9C-B8A7-224943657821.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-20402188303312815622024-03-06T08:15:00.000-08:002024-03-06T09:38:03.895-08:00First chicks, signs of spring and sweet visits!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifP55UYMw0DFIRh3eTnBCidKgRNOsZZ-lym5LEiKnL5zz1UZ8u3_pVDebyms6PIvqATP3XN9Rhj01n5nfURUS1fY7Q9K0k3RG7w4jktsTPhSt16wm4f9lDkVACfT5Lf90zv3_6UTgnnZkSoy1_bEJq-ReNqWlT2yUqIOFM-7_yYoxVAkFLA6NDwkpw/s4080/7BFACAF9-2FC9-42F5-BFAE-62501658D59C.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifP55UYMw0DFIRh3eTnBCidKgRNOsZZ-lym5LEiKnL5zz1UZ8u3_pVDebyms6PIvqATP3XN9Rhj01n5nfURUS1fY7Q9K0k3RG7w4jktsTPhSt16wm4f9lDkVACfT5Lf90zv3_6UTgnnZkSoy1_bEJq-ReNqWlT2yUqIOFM-7_yYoxVAkFLA6NDwkpw/w151-h200/7BFACAF9-2FC9-42F5-BFAE-62501658D59C.jpeg" width="151" /></a>The house is quiet except for the sounds of rooster crows coming in from the outside and the peeping coming from the back kitchen. Jason has two side kicks (i.e. chatterboxes) out with him doing morning animal chores and I presume Kali is still sound asleep. It seemed like a good opportunity to rise to the challenge of updating our scrapbook. My dear great aunt Eleanor is here with us for a week right now and she has almost read through the entirety of the 2023 blog books in just a few short days. Her enjoyment of the books is nearly enough motivation for me to keep up the practice. But, as you can see, it's been over two weeks this time. We aren't even officially in spring yet and some days I'm finding it hard to catch my breath. That makes this practice of pausing and reflecting on recent days feel good and important (even though I aspire to be more present to the fullness of each moment of these precious, chaotic, sweet days). </div><div><br /></div><div>Buckle up for the ride!</div><div><br /></div><b> Monday, February 19 </b>- Mom and Dad left for 3 weeks of bird watching, shell collecting and sweet times with my sister and her wife in Florida. We spent this family work day not all doing the same thing. I still had "the dregs" of the kitchen deep clean to sort through and there was a bike shed door to construct. Jason and I did move the (rapidly growing) pigs to their final winter paddock in the morning.<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hYb0eoGwk9EP2u3-hvzEHoOEVCHVJMGmag7dKzdDiljlxlpCBn7x96zSF9NbPUY01Fqr3Hg3SQyhe6Hg2C8jAmYox-ZaPBizytNbSPRW1qr-XkITfzv2qdML_JmckmIe2MqXayY4UCKWG1KrnV-mBwE24lSlxWzzr9yY3w-wH-lgps2ksUsK81aj/s4032/2C9AA23C-B9C4-4FD9-9987-B594027AA79D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8hYb0eoGwk9EP2u3-hvzEHoOEVCHVJMGmag7dKzdDiljlxlpCBn7x96zSF9NbPUY01Fqr3Hg3SQyhe6Hg2C8jAmYox-ZaPBizytNbSPRW1qr-XkITfzv2qdML_JmckmIe2MqXayY4UCKWG1KrnV-mBwE24lSlxWzzr9yY3w-wH-lgps2ksUsK81aj/s320/2C9AA23C-B9C4-4FD9-9987-B594027AA79D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaSo3uoIANt_Q51wJbjjADCmr6vN9lYEoKycf59gKQ_qLHZ6fRiMTGJMPJGo2NKuhPCnC9ojSjfK77EUs6kWD0M1utOfOvQ1nmuP5qgttmwQOlI_zccyIHpNQihrdl3amaV-R_9qYCCohJzYw-tChN182KJU8Gu5NDYKO_YuD7uEP8AIxBU6A_WaY/s4080/D9847E88-2C68-4522-B189-A3575BD854C8.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaSo3uoIANt_Q51wJbjjADCmr6vN9lYEoKycf59gKQ_qLHZ6fRiMTGJMPJGo2NKuhPCnC9ojSjfK77EUs6kWD0M1utOfOvQ1nmuP5qgttmwQOlI_zccyIHpNQihrdl3amaV-R_9qYCCohJzYw-tChN182KJU8Gu5NDYKO_YuD7uEP8AIxBU6A_WaY/w200-h151/D9847E88-2C68-4522-B189-A3575BD854C8.jpeg" width="200" /></a><b>Tuesday, February 20</b> - Jason was working away from home for Sassafras Enterprises much of the day. We enjoyed Luca's company in the morning and the girls had a playdate with Ivy in the afternoon. I was rather distracted this day with the FINAL hurdle of the kitchen deep clean (the drawer of file folders). It was the kitchen desk that was the most time consuming and emotionally laden for me. There were lots of things that had been tucked away there since I left CJP over TWO YEARS AGO! So it was not a simple sorting process but a trip through memories and the feelings associated with those memories. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6NN0iQs1enroCtUrPPigVdvJZuBUOMSigw59G0aoEIvPOPofZC9Tq8ApF8BEFL6OpqRNKh0VkAeg9F14yN4lpesJikHKx5MkzJEcNZHnyivREnwXvU8h2tKD_KIYXiAB-oiHKfM4Qi1oVJ6ZAy2OAIaToF5Nu5ECjM-waW5YSkzmtL4cSBTwi-Qt/s4080/2B9B0E60-A8F8-4153-8843-A043F4088F41.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp6NN0iQs1enroCtUrPPigVdvJZuBUOMSigw59G0aoEIvPOPofZC9Tq8ApF8BEFL6OpqRNKh0VkAeg9F14yN4lpesJikHKx5MkzJEcNZHnyivREnwXvU8h2tKD_KIYXiAB-oiHKfM4Qi1oVJ6ZAy2OAIaToF5Nu5ECjM-waW5YSkzmtL4cSBTwi-Qt/s320/2B9B0E60-A8F8-4153-8843-A043F4088F41.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>Wednesday, February 21</b> - While Jason worked with Jonas all day on their new addition, I took the girls ice skating with Ivy (an event with her homeschool co-op). This was just our second visit of the season but the girls had all improved a lot in a short amount of time. I did manage to catch Alida in mid-air on what I think may have been the only time she fell the whole time we were there!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbbDRXhqMwIvJnow3peLureHJsEE0jJzViLJHaDkxXBF0PvB6NylD4vF-gGP5Iy7E_KTi0ectMHBao8Ae8MZAa1A21ptFtkJgfkDM-xQgw8ISYZN0SbS6biqlpTkD2JSdsQgSjc_j5pQO8PTZ3SFYo2-Nq_rXLESh_qzClYa9GzVKQ8mZMW42TAyY/s4080/6ADC493A-FE2B-4C4E-8A6C-17D33BE69967.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzbbDRXhqMwIvJnow3peLureHJsEE0jJzViLJHaDkxXBF0PvB6NylD4vF-gGP5Iy7E_KTi0ectMHBao8Ae8MZAa1A21ptFtkJgfkDM-xQgw8ISYZN0SbS6biqlpTkD2JSdsQgSjc_j5pQO8PTZ3SFYo2-Nq_rXLESh_qzClYa9GzVKQ8mZMW42TAyY/s320/6ADC493A-FE2B-4C4E-8A6C-17D33BE69967.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0veFoQ9Uqh4OtUJ0XbKhnxtZx4AEEz3uhiqLk7S3XKTV8_u1n8KEh0LPyqHt-4TJAD4sd4KNeNvlQiOrTfsATf8WsDS26cyXmuAtbozdjLok7GsASVcAyV1NDunxjD2yc19094DbgduyH7w3uMywlw7c74o6_VuQGhKkV01BJoLQmr0BQqA1AjGPL/s4080/67E46ECA-4667-4685-AAC9-69B1836890E6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0veFoQ9Uqh4OtUJ0XbKhnxtZx4AEEz3uhiqLk7S3XKTV8_u1n8KEh0LPyqHt-4TJAD4sd4KNeNvlQiOrTfsATf8WsDS26cyXmuAtbozdjLok7GsASVcAyV1NDunxjD2yc19094DbgduyH7w3uMywlw7c74o6_VuQGhKkV01BJoLQmr0BQqA1AjGPL/s320/67E46ECA-4667-4685-AAC9-69B1836890E6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSA1GuAOZqh_vboSuWvTHwE0KfMmaZI6GlSQar6k_9m9uF2Vo-OX81eYZoBXB_lC4-ZdcGadfm-MAmmvpCnS8w04yGCkwLlNSd0UX3-EnQIpkSxVq1n_1k6yV1RFOp5GrqtrZInEXTgWDtTovRAqxV-duI3DWHbv0d0bf7NYgrnDx9HZY38DB3gEN/s4080/C942B227-F83B-40A6-A182-EC8281575B9E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHSA1GuAOZqh_vboSuWvTHwE0KfMmaZI6GlSQar6k_9m9uF2Vo-OX81eYZoBXB_lC4-ZdcGadfm-MAmmvpCnS8w04yGCkwLlNSd0UX3-EnQIpkSxVq1n_1k6yV1RFOp5GrqtrZInEXTgWDtTovRAqxV-duI3DWHbv0d0bf7NYgrnDx9HZY38DB3gEN/s320/C942B227-F83B-40A6-A182-EC8281575B9E.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the evening we taste tested the very last delicata from 2023 (and even found a few winners this many months out!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjncq7Mpcd9WmrKUGgPn7OgGsuYjsgEYTMwnen699G1m3LKKvO5VhD1LMUr-4XQ2pUwOzoU7IfWYfmPqxXtWl4qjP9IosX35iVoqOwIL213Lkr290rtfGfyG1Lk_0LSzFePfJi7BWG5xzG_q2HKTCE114PVu58kIy1VmlDs8Q-u0yXNdF1gl59UZn/s4080/A51DC313-7096-4738-946F-54EE0417BBFD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJjncq7Mpcd9WmrKUGgPn7OgGsuYjsgEYTMwnen699G1m3LKKvO5VhD1LMUr-4XQ2pUwOzoU7IfWYfmPqxXtWl4qjP9IosX35iVoqOwIL213Lkr290rtfGfyG1Lk_0LSzFePfJi7BWG5xzG_q2HKTCE114PVu58kIy1VmlDs8Q-u0yXNdF1gl59UZn/s320/A51DC313-7096-4738-946F-54EE0417BBFD.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFIkL8xR3rAVWVMk9Y9vusTkH7S0u2_KUQhgXWkpcgfCAzVi0ywhMfUDs1BFCLDchldMGBnN8d6INmWZiG-a3xstGji_3PwTtJp0vzYN-VMa9sjEkNl-c0z1DeItUhicTXuoiPHsa7cSLDtR1hCVCFSXBD1Huf9x8lKP27QtuyQnvlKFc909CdxbQ/s4080/0461A7F6-BE38-43F2-8EC4-97FC98D7906A.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; font-weight: 700; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsFIkL8xR3rAVWVMk9Y9vusTkH7S0u2_KUQhgXWkpcgfCAzVi0ywhMfUDs1BFCLDchldMGBnN8d6INmWZiG-a3xstGji_3PwTtJp0vzYN-VMa9sjEkNl-c0z1DeItUhicTXuoiPHsa7cSLDtR1hCVCFSXBD1Huf9x8lKP27QtuyQnvlKFc909CdxbQ/w200-h151/0461A7F6-BE38-43F2-8EC4-97FC98D7906A.jpeg" width="200" /></a><b>Thursday, February 22</b> - LUCA IS OFFICIALLY TWO! The gals of Tangly Woods got to enjoy birthday cake and ice cream with him in the evening, while Jason was at a writing event in Staunton. Before that Jason spent the day at home doing pig pen and chicken coop repairs for the upcoming season. The younger girls savored Bear care with me and it was a class day for Kali. There was clearly one part of the day that was most worthy of photos - BEAR CARE! I was so focused on just playing and savoring Luca in the evening that I didn't take a single photo of his bday gathering (so the one from our place a few nights prior will have to suffice!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhux5Cw5-bHoH73DVNvrhxh93Q1JP5la8jW-e11-Ppmc2XBnk_dl0yn15_wQh87VQrHuLIItYho6pi2IzT4i29UTTxDfW_CFWyl7KNwOPxQW6t96c506LzTbbTyT4KMLZrgIKgfiCYu_2b74e9XSaqIJFhTeBannn2zBvrS4532h1xRobT_4meWMmz0/s4080/6742B17A-FF0B-46D0-9F29-E0ADFE1809BF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhux5Cw5-bHoH73DVNvrhxh93Q1JP5la8jW-e11-Ppmc2XBnk_dl0yn15_wQh87VQrHuLIItYho6pi2IzT4i29UTTxDfW_CFWyl7KNwOPxQW6t96c506LzTbbTyT4KMLZrgIKgfiCYu_2b74e9XSaqIJFhTeBannn2zBvrS4532h1xRobT_4meWMmz0/s320/6742B17A-FF0B-46D0-9F29-E0ADFE1809BF.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQDtxMBLfiRT_74m2HglO2N-2xlUofs8UY4z8C1uAviFJ_SBCxuD0LHMmCTBi2H3KvNTUJagRbDwjkTLu3lLqGkQgb_21TfiKG9pjEOTq2rnUk0pCde-ZmApxlZr4vlMPJ_TEMEhM351K9bdch95Om3MYJpCEKJ8IsB1uh1iA2OCJw3zp-P8C_KYq/s4080/086698D8-CC4F-4CE7-8065-52E0BD7C35E1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQDtxMBLfiRT_74m2HglO2N-2xlUofs8UY4z8C1uAviFJ_SBCxuD0LHMmCTBi2H3KvNTUJagRbDwjkTLu3lLqGkQgb_21TfiKG9pjEOTq2rnUk0pCde-ZmApxlZr4vlMPJ_TEMEhM351K9bdch95Om3MYJpCEKJ8IsB1uh1iA2OCJw3zp-P8C_KYq/s320/086698D8-CC4F-4CE7-8065-52E0BD7C35E1.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwo1pOol_UU-P2DDjaqff3EEHIHZws5VEUODATN8srIPjHr_MSrY-K-sjXlwI0XGq_fhg2CxYRxoVMzLN9sJmdzGbWvu9D1lPAzb_-2aq1RTBmaDdvtLVTdWu6K6LIyIGLlZm_uzu0CrnzEkZIb_uxYG0b5Cp9WstgJORv-Ra82JEvR0Qjr6Mgp3ZY/s4080/D0210B27-8577-48A9-8E52-939C2D423BFE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwo1pOol_UU-P2DDjaqff3EEHIHZws5VEUODATN8srIPjHr_MSrY-K-sjXlwI0XGq_fhg2CxYRxoVMzLN9sJmdzGbWvu9D1lPAzb_-2aq1RTBmaDdvtLVTdWu6K6LIyIGLlZm_uzu0CrnzEkZIb_uxYG0b5Cp9WstgJORv-Ra82JEvR0Qjr6Mgp3ZY/s320/D0210B27-8577-48A9-8E52-939C2D423BFE.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>Mobility is on the rise! But the direction is normally backwards. He started playing up with me and the blocks and took himself and his hammer away!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudBX5JqS40D3PsEtzK06auS5aVLPVuUgA6n7datR979tRY8N0qAYcN1t9e26tcNbfTSrXlEV2ddvOyobiDsqdDtvZNM8fx79Fn7lfXNMYB5i_WCM_bvfBOVt0MYKdAS_DX4fTP-DEz7gx4mnTlAMvLWjuHnq4RIWj0liNtmNHjPJVD_P_KwfPMmQ1/s4080/CB88D40C-D0EE-48C8-9493-528C04C21FFD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhudBX5JqS40D3PsEtzK06auS5aVLPVuUgA6n7datR979tRY8N0qAYcN1t9e26tcNbfTSrXlEV2ddvOyobiDsqdDtvZNM8fx79Fn7lfXNMYB5i_WCM_bvfBOVt0MYKdAS_DX4fTP-DEz7gx4mnTlAMvLWjuHnq4RIWj0liNtmNHjPJVD_P_KwfPMmQ1/s320/CB88D40C-D0EE-48C8-9493-528C04C21FFD.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fx3DesYXlDSwk2h7KQqOkiXVqZoKZx4WGnJ0FwPkIxbFWYBZCD-zNL8Z4KnlMWqbYrZyzg3FBCMj2GMeA-DCnT1yRJ8P3E5NwYp4-8QthvGtunBo0BZqgnuPYkdNhBfIy6FNV4HTLUCapP68DsrNBVZ0gQaKSssy5ojOodmt2qSsEoMhSh5SvWZI/s4032/B47B41B5-0692-46D3-90E7-2CBFFF09BD8E.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fx3DesYXlDSwk2h7KQqOkiXVqZoKZx4WGnJ0FwPkIxbFWYBZCD-zNL8Z4KnlMWqbYrZyzg3FBCMj2GMeA-DCnT1yRJ8P3E5NwYp4-8QthvGtunBo0BZqgnuPYkdNhBfIy6FNV4HTLUCapP68DsrNBVZ0gQaKSssy5ojOodmt2qSsEoMhSh5SvWZI/w150-h200/B47B41B5-0692-46D3-90E7-2CBFFF09BD8E.jpeg" width="150" /></a><b>Friday, February 23</b> - This was a "normalish" Friday with Jason working at home (on the bike shed) and me spending the day in town (errands and Bear care). I do love that Kali's cooking night is Friday and so I get to come home to a delicious meal prepared by someone else! Over a dinner of cheesy corn pones and a Kali original soup, Tala took us on a tour of the market near her home. Even while eating a yummy meal, my taste buds were craving some of the delicious foods we were seeing. Tala and I continued talking for a few hours and I didn't know what was happening outside the room I was in until I downloaded photos this morning. There were A LOT of silly photos on Jason's phone from them giving each other prompts and then taking photos. Here's a TINY sampling!</div><div><br /></div><div>Prompt: hearing the funniest joke you've ever heard</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QVROT7hFzVDWJ6OJPocgKz3GaYRnG1TJ1YHlU8M-5d20Wy5raILuyxObjEkstnSKGhuarDxFqmOj6OVNx23ZFfzlhaFnQCKw3LMDElwUK6XJ9YTr_wLfvr6bAgLHf2yORQAavNIfsZt6sZB0uXRFuft3AWV2aLicfoLKZR8btnJytHgZ5sUdzX6N/s4032/B2D590AC-C1F3-4247-9A3F-30351BF85E07.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8QVROT7hFzVDWJ6OJPocgKz3GaYRnG1TJ1YHlU8M-5d20Wy5raILuyxObjEkstnSKGhuarDxFqmOj6OVNx23ZFfzlhaFnQCKw3LMDElwUK6XJ9YTr_wLfvr6bAgLHf2yORQAavNIfsZt6sZB0uXRFuft3AWV2aLicfoLKZR8btnJytHgZ5sUdzX6N/s320/B2D590AC-C1F3-4247-9A3F-30351BF85E07.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Prompt: you are in love with your thumb<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozq52aH9pAZKuDl7vQNNNyPSyEUiU5zL1J4pxniegrvk8453ofAdSd0Y7YYRvnKRPGpIH1xNZNW4H7uVkYyJkn4bTW3OYmhxNd2buVnAKD-h2jXyeVogoeigzln8IRvX6FpIEkfvc3jyxxHTy3MZxoCjeLLt7q2NPx66jFHz7RXNKxTqGg_Z7fK9R/s4032/C7B84FBF-4BB4-4100-9F51-F7F0F49B2A74.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozq52aH9pAZKuDl7vQNNNyPSyEUiU5zL1J4pxniegrvk8453ofAdSd0Y7YYRvnKRPGpIH1xNZNW4H7uVkYyJkn4bTW3OYmhxNd2buVnAKD-h2jXyeVogoeigzln8IRvX6FpIEkfvc3jyxxHTy3MZxoCjeLLt7q2NPx66jFHz7RXNKxTqGg_Z7fK9R/s320/C7B84FBF-4BB4-4100-9F51-F7F0F49B2A74.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Prompt: you found chicken poo on your shoulder<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnCTAZ4gVRocIEdMPcX57OrIiiCBlPhXnhpJyOhG2VjCuN0K3v2BozxseLR_565pAn4K0mlqxas6LRvQdkgQ9O_F1gMdNOo-JuELbxWAc9YkDQV4FX96Q8_ThU0O0a_EgoCVLPS59cuTnqjJDRQvliAtLrklZyfsRX31yT9udAxFVF4oGMdx568x5/s4032/CDA7B8A6-44EC-4E8E-AC38-C16544056FED.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGnCTAZ4gVRocIEdMPcX57OrIiiCBlPhXnhpJyOhG2VjCuN0K3v2BozxseLR_565pAn4K0mlqxas6LRvQdkgQ9O_F1gMdNOo-JuELbxWAc9YkDQV4FX96Q8_ThU0O0a_EgoCVLPS59cuTnqjJDRQvliAtLrklZyfsRX31yT9udAxFVF4oGMdx568x5/s320/CDA7B8A6-44EC-4E8E-AC38-C16544056FED.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Prompt: best dance move in the world<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbwjhhRhQ0fxKC9Ypm63LXPSK0FF70g5KroxursV3OSjNyeeqq1RJeSGK_v62lcTXwOR7SgDKCVNqdz36Bb5mY9V325_EBjVOdravAA2Lo5cApvv05ee1QXx3zuMtskWA7Q7n6B-wweZSsNK1cFLgSJqd11fhpQhBpjcMUwjYUbAs2NRfGgKxGmOR/s4032/DEFB73C7-EA01-4687-8D45-ADC40036137F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQbwjhhRhQ0fxKC9Ypm63LXPSK0FF70g5KroxursV3OSjNyeeqq1RJeSGK_v62lcTXwOR7SgDKCVNqdz36Bb5mY9V325_EBjVOdravAA2Lo5cApvv05ee1QXx3zuMtskWA7Q7n6B-wweZSsNK1cFLgSJqd11fhpQhBpjcMUwjYUbAs2NRfGgKxGmOR/s320/DEFB73C7-EA01-4687-8D45-ADC40036137F.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><b>Saturday, February 24 </b>- I started the day with a lovely meander up to Hensley's Pond with a dear friend. On the home front it was door installation day on the bike shed and all the girls got in on the fun! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Nc-rqYW-2IVsLvtmIn6WGca5U34PC9RCh7HZ4ajsChLNOG1TeUP9r50E6e5N40WU9_UdrqHdJfLFShBAkVlc9qhi5yAFSBypcD0r8Kko0PuPHfMycGJUMzxeMGEcoPDeNPf7tPAG_1SZPaa6kjqURuOGx12KSAoarpjQq-VvCw7Jkhplrgu1HvhE/s4080/E4CC7673-8047-4705-A878-B51BE573DDAD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Nc-rqYW-2IVsLvtmIn6WGca5U34PC9RCh7HZ4ajsChLNOG1TeUP9r50E6e5N40WU9_UdrqHdJfLFShBAkVlc9qhi5yAFSBypcD0r8Kko0PuPHfMycGJUMzxeMGEcoPDeNPf7tPAG_1SZPaa6kjqURuOGx12KSAoarpjQq-VvCw7Jkhplrgu1HvhE/s320/E4CC7673-8047-4705-A878-B51BE573DDAD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozgIVB7d8cLhpa5367_e986MSW3abZ-g2v4c1ZVGlvP4pQdGr7xieMYQteYvMGjGisDgmgb104XzoiMwuFKvMySCZbd04copwLVXR7E-mAhMQtddH44FHcJyBCc2FrbbhzS6xK8fOoh6lvb1AL2CSUa2tI2dI8sTgJhMJfoYx6xbBYSFadyzivbRj/s4032/0CD12072-8DCB-4E40-B620-B43E944FF3ED.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozgIVB7d8cLhpa5367_e986MSW3abZ-g2v4c1ZVGlvP4pQdGr7xieMYQteYvMGjGisDgmgb104XzoiMwuFKvMySCZbd04copwLVXR7E-mAhMQtddH44FHcJyBCc2FrbbhzS6xK8fOoh6lvb1AL2CSUa2tI2dI8sTgJhMJfoYx6xbBYSFadyzivbRj/s320/0CD12072-8DCB-4E40-B620-B43E944FF3ED.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZP3UEC6Jt6rViqgsKq5NQX2EKXgUEBxd6jsqiM5_jR5LYOFYrSrOLtqgh98mbtkLpcftoGc5SddFRhMngbej99FaZbSGKtDn8_-FXLIQViOHF8w-CJHmN49woWDv4PLxH22gmodkOUXeVc5XyifymD4C9qSPJwYvF7h5DkFeCSk4tnnEqyCx-BlIi/s4032/B10B2F3A-9B8E-4E57-A3EB-E3EE82F268EE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZP3UEC6Jt6rViqgsKq5NQX2EKXgUEBxd6jsqiM5_jR5LYOFYrSrOLtqgh98mbtkLpcftoGc5SddFRhMngbej99FaZbSGKtDn8_-FXLIQViOHF8w-CJHmN49woWDv4PLxH22gmodkOUXeVc5XyifymD4C9qSPJwYvF7h5DkFeCSk4tnnEqyCx-BlIi/s320/B10B2F3A-9B8E-4E57-A3EB-E3EE82F268EE.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4Lv4WKIt4JYzLRawtD16uUpXhilmfg-rbChmAuG5n5GVMjYC2tdxTM8Dma9HJIcKDT45gg8ZyfA_HMIA4b2JcXDgUOmetaqZCJ6lGmKiAe19mOlmcdkJ5MCbogK4RVkGm-Rlb0DatatiQgfnpw1fR3xMNkeHOILud2ZRVLX5oJlm2-1aKi08m6yc/s4032/F458B9A6-0AA7-4AE1-BF89-6C52D642FC23.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy4Lv4WKIt4JYzLRawtD16uUpXhilmfg-rbChmAuG5n5GVMjYC2tdxTM8Dma9HJIcKDT45gg8ZyfA_HMIA4b2JcXDgUOmetaqZCJ6lGmKiAe19mOlmcdkJ5MCbogK4RVkGm-Rlb0DatatiQgfnpw1fR3xMNkeHOILud2ZRVLX5oJlm2-1aKi08m6yc/s320/F458B9A6-0AA7-4AE1-BF89-6C52D642FC23.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>For dinner, Alida treated us to another round of her delicious roti, made with 100% Tangly Woods' grown sirvinta wheat. We continue to taste test PA dutch squash as often as we have time to prep one when we plan to have the oven on. We've been finding some winners! Jason has also been selecting turnips to replant for making seed this coming year and bringing in all the ones that were not deemed seed worthy for our enjoyment (I'm a turnip convert, there's something pretty special about a crunchy fresh sweet veggie in February!)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPSFqPJeFZBzJt9W9RA63Xw2UUqQCYdF3jh3yrExq9RUQ4rfKSUXf0kXyElFG-Ix9gPMqcT3wg99y02f77TOWdjwExCgXYhcgKSeU4fLdY1pGf2FJQGtroZPhQ_s502rv44xjTynNWBFj40Y6cPUJtyPKXSLfMLQOLGw8XyjNdhEpYLInFWqqJsD9/s4032/63E291E1-D7BA-4B93-B1BA-D7249003330E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyPSFqPJeFZBzJt9W9RA63Xw2UUqQCYdF3jh3yrExq9RUQ4rfKSUXf0kXyElFG-Ix9gPMqcT3wg99y02f77TOWdjwExCgXYhcgKSeU4fLdY1pGf2FJQGtroZPhQ_s502rv44xjTynNWBFj40Y6cPUJtyPKXSLfMLQOLGw8XyjNdhEpYLInFWqqJsD9/s320/63E291E1-D7BA-4B93-B1BA-D7249003330E.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRn_fOmDrtlRxIBsK9dGAE5xLxZCIx1RFJSsCVpqou37QLRIE6yX7LdOwT-sK_BviQiyFF-qAbpZx4JhPJsXYSsqUAV8my4w_pEBnthHXPff2rDZM_o6f5gFwYBK1cGnVSaNY-mVt4fiYYp3ZelfInYPjQyiXoY-rtInhQ7VYXqbjaWZicYJ0y3Ov/s4032/61459F08-DCC9-4A62-B125-8D5E9054412B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRn_fOmDrtlRxIBsK9dGAE5xLxZCIx1RFJSsCVpqou37QLRIE6yX7LdOwT-sK_BviQiyFF-qAbpZx4JhPJsXYSsqUAV8my4w_pEBnthHXPff2rDZM_o6f5gFwYBK1cGnVSaNY-mVt4fiYYp3ZelfInYPjQyiXoY-rtInhQ7VYXqbjaWZicYJ0y3Ov/s320/61459F08-DCC9-4A62-B125-8D5E9054412B.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibd8GyNMVRIHLULy3c0cz3DamkYQqtYGCRBGyp6gNweRRiYS6Haj8XgXqRhZIg-jv1UsK0gh-rLMpnUk5PQqK21HlxmMqVN2sdw-DjNrw3W5kBIguDAVu1l5FTSgVsY64org3zjRhfAKvXUTflZvI736w-ZMEOSDbO1txFlfX1LjIkiDOaT9OI_t1o/s4032/EEB9E210-CE5B-4BBE-8254-735C33876B6B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibd8GyNMVRIHLULy3c0cz3DamkYQqtYGCRBGyp6gNweRRiYS6Haj8XgXqRhZIg-jv1UsK0gh-rLMpnUk5PQqK21HlxmMqVN2sdw-DjNrw3W5kBIguDAVu1l5FTSgVsY64org3zjRhfAKvXUTflZvI736w-ZMEOSDbO1txFlfX1LjIkiDOaT9OI_t1o/s320/EEB9E210-CE5B-4BBE-8254-735C33876B6B.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>As we finished up dinner, Bear arrived (with his parents in tow!) for a sleepover. The two of us had a good night together in the front room while his parents enjoyed the quiet of the in-law quarters for a night. A baby by the wood stove in the wee hours of the morning is pretty sweet!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyMxc3KCEc7p5YXtMX6k03B40QBjoTSmZLAd0T14DLJ34Rivfq63WDVvpYq-0dll96K1oVUd6cgnEJYYqjTs9s_jOuvgX9Cxm1YB_4xhpYgu5tUBWAqmAj32a8hIatxggJ-Pj5Uj7m6q-8Mb5F3fKQ2GeiFD6exzY0u4vdP4oluppCHdnikmBP3Og/s4080/D85ADC29-3D63-437A-AE1A-7833373197F8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyMxc3KCEc7p5YXtMX6k03B40QBjoTSmZLAd0T14DLJ34Rivfq63WDVvpYq-0dll96K1oVUd6cgnEJYYqjTs9s_jOuvgX9Cxm1YB_4xhpYgu5tUBWAqmAj32a8hIatxggJ-Pj5Uj7m6q-8Mb5F3fKQ2GeiFD6exzY0u4vdP4oluppCHdnikmBP3Og/s320/D85ADC29-3D63-437A-AE1A-7833373197F8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>Sunday, February 25</b> - And that same baby is equally sweet first thing in the morning in his jammies with little sleepy eyes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiXm7ob3hGiY3ODnJJprJRl4a4BqzTIZdIh5ck4oE2iuMcy19-1DK9bim42aSA1tK34reN4IVIao9-HNuJm1CKUEwVolC8-DEDd_8wBFvt0CQRrebuv8nT4zU4Qpk3g-opK6BMXowFPosynAXN5M_wiB6TGpoFwu2MHgf5-e1Lja2iYENJ3hW25EI/s4080/72C67085-B2C2-4570-BD14-2A3DAE4C9369.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiXm7ob3hGiY3ODnJJprJRl4a4BqzTIZdIh5ck4oE2iuMcy19-1DK9bim42aSA1tK34reN4IVIao9-HNuJm1CKUEwVolC8-DEDd_8wBFvt0CQRrebuv8nT4zU4Qpk3g-opK6BMXowFPosynAXN5M_wiB6TGpoFwu2MHgf5-e1Lja2iYENJ3hW25EI/s320/72C67085-B2C2-4570-BD14-2A3DAE4C9369.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>We've been doing pretty well keeping our Sunday rhythm of Daddy/Mommy time with one daughter each Sunday afternoon. Today included a bike ride with Terah followed by snacks and games at the picnic table and some flower photography! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8sMY2eC0hkZL6Vtm726ogzO2aLmCcrrFmROJ7oFh-a6CFln2sthnFI8aNy9Jkjcxnqmwf4F4XK7bF_R3cI6FSgG-pxafyRzW4EyMzvjUbnisboFCbsa_z0anH2W_Q-5LQy9KfGbNPD_ssCE06O3BZNYB5lpg8mkVqD1opaIky224jmMDkUiDKMkO/s2320/D2E96C14-EB72-4368-9469-F718C78BE8FA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc8sMY2eC0hkZL6Vtm726ogzO2aLmCcrrFmROJ7oFh-a6CFln2sthnFI8aNy9Jkjcxnqmwf4F4XK7bF_R3cI6FSgG-pxafyRzW4EyMzvjUbnisboFCbsa_z0anH2W_Q-5LQy9KfGbNPD_ssCE06O3BZNYB5lpg8mkVqD1opaIky224jmMDkUiDKMkO/s320/D2E96C14-EB72-4368-9469-F718C78BE8FA.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7nTsdXz2xYh6AGkKYJcoiv_om9LJ4ojrhU3CATy3B1DYs9kIJX2OcxGzYDDrtNPYzkXlmXIat7La-NJX8FAgsL14IlHOAjqjrFSIRgD__P6TzfSQHaXfLWRNrAnALl_DHPzZ-CO8R9m-YirE5970rAS7XuY6hNXq2cxFhatRqXymj3tSt4oC32QE/s1600/DD8A5A0C-E90F-465D-B1D6-302115E878F9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF7nTsdXz2xYh6AGkKYJcoiv_om9LJ4ojrhU3CATy3B1DYs9kIJX2OcxGzYDDrtNPYzkXlmXIat7La-NJX8FAgsL14IlHOAjqjrFSIRgD__P6TzfSQHaXfLWRNrAnALl_DHPzZ-CO8R9m-YirE5970rAS7XuY6hNXq2cxFhatRqXymj3tSt4oC32QE/s320/DD8A5A0C-E90F-465D-B1D6-302115E878F9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Then we all took an afternoon hike with Emily, Jonas and Ivy up to - you guessed it - Hensley's Pond! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2hXHe71_HXXkK43Gch-e0XeIWyf4b-_uskl6OMDqC8KPM3p8-vhHmT-nH76S8VTIcMd-7aKU3VTuCKDm8EUhfhfFDROBuGgMdIVfzl5fnR8kgBn9GPCZda4_w54zJqxlmq-_dwI1FYY_EklZX9WU_505sIL6BH3WLd9tNaHMFpWbAveMhxt52f4U/s4080/3FFBE7C3-C19B-491C-BFD2-A59FB2805FCE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz2hXHe71_HXXkK43Gch-e0XeIWyf4b-_uskl6OMDqC8KPM3p8-vhHmT-nH76S8VTIcMd-7aKU3VTuCKDm8EUhfhfFDROBuGgMdIVfzl5fnR8kgBn9GPCZda4_w54zJqxlmq-_dwI1FYY_EklZX9WU_505sIL6BH3WLd9tNaHMFpWbAveMhxt52f4U/s320/3FFBE7C3-C19B-491C-BFD2-A59FB2805FCE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMehUbVq57r1djzzGyPPgJqRkc0PzjxeBckXHfjaE7evykrpuHXJwXgBnaNRAY64hO6Y-4j5363ntwAY8JCMMQjhrDJvCAgVhicvXODRq610UabeHifD65N6HeDKk-5cXIMWbu5xxORtcX83fDWDyvKrSJ9_RyWp9PiiifcKh3uxdjK8cF0HNz4mrA/s2320/19D153E2-A9B5-4C72-BC47-3E29E49F0E2B.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMehUbVq57r1djzzGyPPgJqRkc0PzjxeBckXHfjaE7evykrpuHXJwXgBnaNRAY64hO6Y-4j5363ntwAY8JCMMQjhrDJvCAgVhicvXODRq610UabeHifD65N6HeDKk-5cXIMWbu5xxORtcX83fDWDyvKrSJ9_RyWp9PiiifcKh3uxdjK8cF0HNz4mrA/w200-h150/19D153E2-A9B5-4C72-BC47-3E29E49F0E2B.jpeg" width="200" /></a><b>Monday, February 26</b> - Mondays are quickly becoming my favorite day of the week. A family work day was such a good idea! We used to have them sporadically but not that we could count on regularly. For my busy and distracted mind, having a day that we have just one thing on the calendar (working together on the farm) makes for a day that can feel full of activity but calm and peaceful in my inner landscape. It's such a good way for me to start the week! We continue to make good progress on the winter cut back/pruning/preparations for the new growing season (finished the second new raspberry trellis system today) - the girls and I learning new skills as we go with one of the best teachers I've ever met! The weather was warm enough for meals/snacks/breaks outside and a light sprinkle didn't slow us down much. The chickens LOVE when we have picnics outside!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicixn1x141VLfKOiL9XGGzM49WYFKV8TOG0GhsWeQt2KgCljj8ardSFI2kjQnvs2SuzBYCLly1l7TXXso7Q7_OWLKSb0dsFNLiM_XLGABGXWIp8VhDunX0ydewTKoy3fIM4S2bvQ3F-yZqh8Y-Ia9megqrCl-yCfw4iJugWDyILLHXexEMMQEiRMS9/s4080/D59FD4A8-32E6-4FC2-A7B6-3A9CEC8C6822.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicixn1x141VLfKOiL9XGGzM49WYFKV8TOG0GhsWeQt2KgCljj8ardSFI2kjQnvs2SuzBYCLly1l7TXXso7Q7_OWLKSb0dsFNLiM_XLGABGXWIp8VhDunX0ydewTKoy3fIM4S2bvQ3F-yZqh8Y-Ia9megqrCl-yCfw4iJugWDyILLHXexEMMQEiRMS9/s320/D59FD4A8-32E6-4FC2-A7B6-3A9CEC8C6822.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyZtf_DXphEjpwtcfTAPZ9ieS5GVzhXc_Y31gwEvihmr0doY-IeMO2vA-TINnUQaJ0Ty3KXj9wiYGupsgh-CGbXgVPSC9GXiCfCmRr2jg2KyQSYvm_VO3GRUg0ukDz4a07KTEdRb6Wy79bkHdEC7jwpysE3NXFDsFHZ2zCQpq0qYo94kLXQjEL9Df/s4080/67B7ADA5-ECD9-4C56-966B-FF9682F524A0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRyZtf_DXphEjpwtcfTAPZ9ieS5GVzhXc_Y31gwEvihmr0doY-IeMO2vA-TINnUQaJ0Ty3KXj9wiYGupsgh-CGbXgVPSC9GXiCfCmRr2jg2KyQSYvm_VO3GRUg0ukDz4a07KTEdRb6Wy79bkHdEC7jwpysE3NXFDsFHZ2zCQpq0qYo94kLXQjEL9Df/s320/67B7ADA5-ECD9-4C56-966B-FF9682F524A0.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8yDe-aDBnpa_5h4v03SuRHNEPK_uoXbf-THL9OGEul5UexJFpfx6hxbfcSTQPaNhzIvPjo8GGHFuT1qKFoeyNHFmRKM2MDF19pfFFzswJ6RrBuQykedMj78bzlqSMGTa8DLTww4NK1VEmCxi2T1vO4bH9aUI9hzVzsPspfG8X961e1ds0UitKsyn2/s4080/6C488FE5-0078-44A6-BB99-4718AACE2219.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8yDe-aDBnpa_5h4v03SuRHNEPK_uoXbf-THL9OGEul5UexJFpfx6hxbfcSTQPaNhzIvPjo8GGHFuT1qKFoeyNHFmRKM2MDF19pfFFzswJ6RrBuQykedMj78bzlqSMGTa8DLTww4NK1VEmCxi2T1vO4bH9aUI9hzVzsPspfG8X961e1ds0UitKsyn2/s320/6C488FE5-0078-44A6-BB99-4718AACE2219.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxI98zOwlBVu58L08nRhPeio6VCHKIPLDzpNE0_n05IDbbPfDvSkp2IARkBTB6Umx88FiSdiY7ImGKD1whx6nwYeEWEn3BA5WLXRY7lFvPK47pdNIJS3uUO9mCCaOiryzEN7smrxf4JNkTUNXtpBj75g_8eQlWKDcr32B_b3hg09_C_-vRCpab9TR1/s4080/B5FE0DE6-794C-4A90-859D-4EC398C0D09A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxI98zOwlBVu58L08nRhPeio6VCHKIPLDzpNE0_n05IDbbPfDvSkp2IARkBTB6Umx88FiSdiY7ImGKD1whx6nwYeEWEn3BA5WLXRY7lFvPK47pdNIJS3uUO9mCCaOiryzEN7smrxf4JNkTUNXtpBj75g_8eQlWKDcr32B_b3hg09_C_-vRCpab9TR1/s320/B5FE0DE6-794C-4A90-859D-4EC398C0D09A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6TV0x9rcOWTVOisePx4Y6oIqhsZJfXw6H9N2CZFx7aV73hZ6uyA0DHhAZgBeqyzGwkmUt6c1-hLHO0s3xalaQ61YEl6y4rxTZ7RCp9t7aIbVfznmUayPq91VbPF-UVW9PuGH9r1nzM5nseabipiajtykFYzB4PYnx_j-8MDlWaZ3uagHIVYxV1QW/s4080/A247CFE0-6F4E-40C9-8202-A2AE955DDE3A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6TV0x9rcOWTVOisePx4Y6oIqhsZJfXw6H9N2CZFx7aV73hZ6uyA0DHhAZgBeqyzGwkmUt6c1-hLHO0s3xalaQ61YEl6y4rxTZ7RCp9t7aIbVfznmUayPq91VbPF-UVW9PuGH9r1nzM5nseabipiajtykFYzB4PYnx_j-8MDlWaZ3uagHIVYxV1QW/s320/A247CFE0-6F4E-40C9-8202-A2AE955DDE3A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Every year the garlic worries me. Will it ever come up? I should have learned by now how consistent it is!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilyKOwaeCfZh4R9owqpaX6e0Vs-ryekhw4_xD2AXGgnlBUwgpnypCRy5nIIQntZAj7qmor_ZVi_tdV8Ih-FYeyQsL-Qpgzm0ioOeD9g2Hi0LLPZ6vzhqQnS4jgWAjqr6T5VFBOtcy37Co-p78S4otsnaw5gXalYab0zjO3CBpDBIj2lvZ6RSMRypB/s4080/321EBBF2-20CE-4D98-B783-8D6B6F238A9D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilyKOwaeCfZh4R9owqpaX6e0Vs-ryekhw4_xD2AXGgnlBUwgpnypCRy5nIIQntZAj7qmor_ZVi_tdV8Ih-FYeyQsL-Qpgzm0ioOeD9g2Hi0LLPZ6vzhqQnS4jgWAjqr6T5VFBOtcy37Co-p78S4otsnaw5gXalYab0zjO3CBpDBIj2lvZ6RSMRypB/s320/321EBBF2-20CE-4D98-B783-8D6B6F238A9D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>When I tell people that we are swimming in eggs and our ladies are laying in earnest, this is what I mean. Mind you that there are at least 6 nest boxes in the compost coop, but on this particular day several of them clearly preferred this one!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubHENjOhVBVSev-AK0hEhn5E3VGKq6SjCWQ0RnSVcSy1mlXGz5aRb9P64UMlMX3gargEGR1Q7qHgFdZIkCOjnYQC4fUh1l25D82CYeQulXvT1enePsN1ny5BBQKgC8DtT3ZBaT-8DT6LyS_OT-unSIFq623PhTLEqiK-Xhe6Bms9Bq4RV8hE8zObr/s4080/158148E7-6591-4932-94D7-EF32BF33CB6F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjubHENjOhVBVSev-AK0hEhn5E3VGKq6SjCWQ0RnSVcSy1mlXGz5aRb9P64UMlMX3gargEGR1Q7qHgFdZIkCOjnYQC4fUh1l25D82CYeQulXvT1enePsN1ny5BBQKgC8DtT3ZBaT-8DT6LyS_OT-unSIFq623PhTLEqiK-Xhe6Bms9Bq4RV8hE8zObr/s320/158148E7-6591-4932-94D7-EF32BF33CB6F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>Tuesday, February 27</b> - Jason started a 3 day work stretch away from home today for Sassafras Enterprises. I get more time with our feathered friends on those days and do love how happy I can make these creatures by filling their feeders and giving them access to fresh grass!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTW939oOmz5-uKY7n46XJZ-fizpWX-0FAnIb1Zi8koPygH-HI4CMys1Qp4dNc0CMwphlWKMbzF0lGHHG_dqjLMlonqVDt2ztaQoVLaeGO1OA4Ec6DLwuyoUAgL-JWtoStuU10xsNuobe_rZtOYq4E22Ual64HwvHGXAvMniHfAtHxNF89iECfezJDT/s4080/8A2883D4-90CE-4AE9-93E7-020AFB431DF0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTW939oOmz5-uKY7n46XJZ-fizpWX-0FAnIb1Zi8koPygH-HI4CMys1Qp4dNc0CMwphlWKMbzF0lGHHG_dqjLMlonqVDt2ztaQoVLaeGO1OA4Ec6DLwuyoUAgL-JWtoStuU10xsNuobe_rZtOYq4E22Ual64HwvHGXAvMniHfAtHxNF89iECfezJDT/s320/8A2883D4-90CE-4AE9-93E7-020AFB431DF0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL_ELAuL0yjZrUFqJ9pTPHgmi6adlMN9cANQ3rNhPIt4E70nQJ_A134S-jH3cdPWawzoSQSu8DWk4ipfAh02gvvOus8aTa_trj0EVPf-zKxuqJTuzyt0A1ADZCMyc9CZ9gRKHW19OufUrBKVw640KmFx6g_eKHsZFNyJG8twmA4d8Ha191493T4H3/s4080/046B5887-7409-44B7-AFFD-490E34007F5C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXL_ELAuL0yjZrUFqJ9pTPHgmi6adlMN9cANQ3rNhPIt4E70nQJ_A134S-jH3cdPWawzoSQSu8DWk4ipfAh02gvvOus8aTa_trj0EVPf-zKxuqJTuzyt0A1ADZCMyc9CZ9gRKHW19OufUrBKVw640KmFx6g_eKHsZFNyJG8twmA4d8Ha191493T4H3/s320/046B5887-7409-44B7-AFFD-490E34007F5C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>Wednesday, February 28</b> - I was amused to find that Jason and I each took one, and only one, photo on our phones this day. Jason took his one picture of this friend he must have found while working on the clearing work he was doing for a customer...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteUh4fkSwBM028BtchBdxfojChSe12-EuA1UIBynCgcTq3IJM9lHBcnKErp6P5T_lMpYWGWtBNQIOfSR8TQME9xxNVcZTEcp5sQrD8Y8iGtC5Uo-Nvlpm5k_kY5nBx581o7nRXtrx2jv2p82OZ2I1PhnBmsCcQxOLmHV8IMm9ZzRWCkqE4sG0dCnP/s4032/77EEF521-09FB-4B17-9FC0-266C45FF70A5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhteUh4fkSwBM028BtchBdxfojChSe12-EuA1UIBynCgcTq3IJM9lHBcnKErp6P5T_lMpYWGWtBNQIOfSR8TQME9xxNVcZTEcp5sQrD8Y8iGtC5Uo-Nvlpm5k_kY5nBx581o7nRXtrx2jv2p82OZ2I1PhnBmsCcQxOLmHV8IMm9ZzRWCkqE4sG0dCnP/s320/77EEF521-09FB-4B17-9FC0-266C45FF70A5.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>...and I took one of my first bouquet of 3 yellow flowers. I don't think it will every change - that I will feel compelled to pick yellow flowers in groups of 3 occasionally (a memory of the spring Nora was with us and Kali deciding that it would be ok to take Nora outside when we saw the first 3 yellow flowers). <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1iSG6J-fPEjI2Ortu_aEd9m3YXlWVakNUyjBb1mdXeRZGqzYDpsHnhe7tkn6sz3PxKpoDERo8yUcNfpzJse8deG2kvlpGWQYJu7KQGZKWGQAa7LdMEFmrzk0mrKzs1Co81vESggEAR9bUlKLDR4epZRBF1tPILWY9P6hJwM66IrjJ37fI4ppwKPS/s4080/F30DBFBE-15ED-4B43-9B6E-D0FDFB9A1D1B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL1iSG6J-fPEjI2Ortu_aEd9m3YXlWVakNUyjBb1mdXeRZGqzYDpsHnhe7tkn6sz3PxKpoDERo8yUcNfpzJse8deG2kvlpGWQYJu7KQGZKWGQAa7LdMEFmrzk0mrKzs1Co81vESggEAR9bUlKLDR4epZRBF1tPILWY9P6hJwM66IrjJ37fI4ppwKPS/s320/F30DBFBE-15ED-4B43-9B6E-D0FDFB9A1D1B.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><b>Thursday, February 29</b> - Corey, Ivan and Bear arrived the evening before to enjoy a few days in the in-law quarters while it was unoccupied. It was pretty sweet to have them upstairs. It's hard to not agree with my Grandma Bucher that every home needs a baby. I mostly agree with the sentiment, in terms of how much joy a baby brings to my spirit. Jason was gone all day again, but the younger girls and I savored a full day with Bear, followed by his parents joining us for dinner and music together. Oh it was sweet! And after over 12 hours together, I was not at all tired of Bear and was eager for the morning when I would swipe him up again!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11Y77YXp714fDjkX4emM_mIjLwYlRjdyydhr6zHQPPvoZgq9nXt_m74u49tgDqgN8vriQ8F5D87_i7VTwPPKbfMD0JNuJcID3C6ilAfGDsGEk9yPGkZQ12wcwrdqFDw43SYQJMrlU7V_5BXrd0J2QPv-ISabuf6_PGcdrq0YMYu0OnhrZZd_tTU1m/s4080/57A38B67-D890-49F2-B514-7819A6171682.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11Y77YXp714fDjkX4emM_mIjLwYlRjdyydhr6zHQPPvoZgq9nXt_m74u49tgDqgN8vriQ8F5D87_i7VTwPPKbfMD0JNuJcID3C6ilAfGDsGEk9yPGkZQ12wcwrdqFDw43SYQJMrlU7V_5BXrd0J2QPv-ISabuf6_PGcdrq0YMYu0OnhrZZd_tTU1m/s320/57A38B67-D890-49F2-B514-7819A6171682.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRS7gFNIG2mXWyenDGIO0Xgnxmzendume1VwLd8mkCJSF-hYhI6YQAj4-4uMBMcgM6rFs3cBKSuHnKZmEpMCORPv_8IAHoOnlBmd4Ovy2gs6RxhzagQ25zAfmPaqZSh20NS2QFi7b5Hmtrje6Hv4nPTQ8DbFQj-sx8O817V3ygUKeNUIYQ5q0Wv9u/s4080/F5AC5FEB-17AE-4F7E-92CD-93AF00ABDABE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmRS7gFNIG2mXWyenDGIO0Xgnxmzendume1VwLd8mkCJSF-hYhI6YQAj4-4uMBMcgM6rFs3cBKSuHnKZmEpMCORPv_8IAHoOnlBmd4Ovy2gs6RxhzagQ25zAfmPaqZSh20NS2QFi7b5Hmtrje6Hv4nPTQ8DbFQj-sx8O817V3ygUKeNUIYQ5q0Wv9u/s320/F5AC5FEB-17AE-4F7E-92CD-93AF00ABDABE.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZmNK6pM-34_OWJSXEfWO-iRA1_D7bcPGfpX7p8oK8bxBBXJcOauXOPA8uS5yCTYsvOYy62H9bF6v2E7iS1jByuRQsP0zWcdwOPlPGQHnJKAB0CgQlWct4Zmd3gwWD8WskB4qLzNUWxcwPf5kV3HwaP7Djt50Qo8rGrPTUQUcy1LneEHIgWUIHQa3/s4080/209FA5C1-1384-4B37-A4A1-C7D703253DFB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgZmNK6pM-34_OWJSXEfWO-iRA1_D7bcPGfpX7p8oK8bxBBXJcOauXOPA8uS5yCTYsvOYy62H9bF6v2E7iS1jByuRQsP0zWcdwOPlPGQHnJKAB0CgQlWct4Zmd3gwWD8WskB4qLzNUWxcwPf5kV3HwaP7Djt50Qo8rGrPTUQUcy1LneEHIgWUIHQa3/s320/209FA5C1-1384-4B37-A4A1-C7D703253DFB.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Yw3N8A0lYlj78P_3LpQ7aHE1RwQuYHVT474EZEH5MdUvBDod-ndG322OVn1G02NiLLD-5rLcfSUk9f78ocIEL4pATXBJ8CgukkVKOPrvHZWocz3-xKDns09nKQfkq7z8z4-xLZGs5wbPqWf-nCaz1DrjBjbfyUhnLNglxBWHIUgkdQSdvDPOk_k9/s4080/9507DF33-E33C-45D3-A363-6DCA90EA1405.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Yw3N8A0lYlj78P_3LpQ7aHE1RwQuYHVT474EZEH5MdUvBDod-ndG322OVn1G02NiLLD-5rLcfSUk9f78ocIEL4pATXBJ8CgukkVKOPrvHZWocz3-xKDns09nKQfkq7z8z4-xLZGs5wbPqWf-nCaz1DrjBjbfyUhnLNglxBWHIUgkdQSdvDPOk_k9/s320/9507DF33-E33C-45D3-A363-6DCA90EA1405.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>Friday, March 1</b> - It was a big day for the bike shed - it got its battens AND it was the back drop of our March 1 family photo. The end is coming more and more fully into sight!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrhQfAYt3HyuidtXwWgMxH60YqplsSI-CKn0s4l-Urv_4qoIYmW-dKb70tmS7JMGMz_NMzAWoSwf6fhj7mxMXkchp6_Lr4BY734TDu5SuN8mTDrhHryTr642maJUFSwXO3mcTDwe1SjDYVhdToG8eHT7BtBg5UntiSY-WZ0y1rrLoIRvSs9XzXsFy/s4080/A4EE2B64-1D41-4246-AFAD-247C40B38CA6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrhQfAYt3HyuidtXwWgMxH60YqplsSI-CKn0s4l-Urv_4qoIYmW-dKb70tmS7JMGMz_NMzAWoSwf6fhj7mxMXkchp6_Lr4BY734TDu5SuN8mTDrhHryTr642maJUFSwXO3mcTDwe1SjDYVhdToG8eHT7BtBg5UntiSY-WZ0y1rrLoIRvSs9XzXsFy/s320/A4EE2B64-1D41-4246-AFAD-247C40B38CA6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mOVehXW3SabB7i2NZbdwpJnxUAGPWD8hpiGxidtIFeyzp43Rjab9RALMy17kxInAfrU5o5I2jEgHYq8XFcO16dOG0qzBF2Vnai4blGXvI1daIn5MX5Nk2GccQa1_5QcBBziXSQmRTPhxPSEHslvNV2OgNjiC04nglu33cnCwbCVNsZ1rqAEbEYn0/s4080/68288E3F-9E9E-4E88-90C7-59D3825F1468.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8mOVehXW3SabB7i2NZbdwpJnxUAGPWD8hpiGxidtIFeyzp43Rjab9RALMy17kxInAfrU5o5I2jEgHYq8XFcO16dOG0qzBF2Vnai4blGXvI1daIn5MX5Nk2GccQa1_5QcBBziXSQmRTPhxPSEHslvNV2OgNjiC04nglu33cnCwbCVNsZ1rqAEbEYn0/s320/68288E3F-9E9E-4E88-90C7-59D3825F1468.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmIKrOZfJXGYy5WlhgGry_tyjVkdAXDTZiXKWA0AvgX5bxfqiVI0tkizI_AZCqC7lJ03Q73LtJv9_OFPFrI9QEjqHZ6NwwWpxg7DId2zDjB2Mc-XPpptpxsyzEpMtLZ5L7BcvH9iutEi2a_pmM_4Jok-BSXBxdDaXXNTwCbzZ-Xqec-Vf-MrgkZdJ/s4080/BCFD8319-AD81-4066-A377-7328DDAFD7B9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmIKrOZfJXGYy5WlhgGry_tyjVkdAXDTZiXKWA0AvgX5bxfqiVI0tkizI_AZCqC7lJ03Q73LtJv9_OFPFrI9QEjqHZ6NwwWpxg7DId2zDjB2Mc-XPpptpxsyzEpMtLZ5L7BcvH9iutEi2a_pmM_4Jok-BSXBxdDaXXNTwCbzZ-Xqec-Vf-MrgkZdJ/s320/BCFD8319-AD81-4066-A377-7328DDAFD7B9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwdQxpjldg9e0pfacfPBWLXx_m4sFSg5RyxNYQfp1J6oWnKG57WMBflhviFR0ReaGZKeSL50ICTPsHkpVSlqU7aHARdXoN0OxGAuBCUACDQb5eJZIrWYnAq4xp6WXdC2AgUKaFtyaz9ID_CRH-DTcNOQXgjYKg7dMex7aIuJ8E1XdA4k6I-AiRdpl/s4032/B4AB7C78-9313-4144-A9ED-2AE67547E490.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwdQxpjldg9e0pfacfPBWLXx_m4sFSg5RyxNYQfp1J6oWnKG57WMBflhviFR0ReaGZKeSL50ICTPsHkpVSlqU7aHARdXoN0OxGAuBCUACDQb5eJZIrWYnAq4xp6WXdC2AgUKaFtyaz9ID_CRH-DTcNOQXgjYKg7dMex7aIuJ8E1XdA4k6I-AiRdpl/s320/B4AB7C78-9313-4144-A9ED-2AE67547E490.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>I got to enjoy Bear's first nap of the day but then had to head to town for errands around the time when he was getting sleepy again. That meant that Alida got to enjoy helping him catch a second nap. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXqt5QwdhN2upraAr-62MJDaF6r9kIKKpvnJvO4UqBuYHd-iZvxMREKWwg8WvkJAhVWJyZRnCCdmee4FBzJ4ETFxMWsX6ahzred4Rmm2MOTLZAHLVvq0FMA0BoLpPq-x-E5rriIH1jMG9-NomE8fHXOyvRhpcR2HcBuclSt5l2TQxL0nEdO8FBFaI/s4080/8499338A-5E37-4F38-BA8D-07E613E7D40C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjXqt5QwdhN2upraAr-62MJDaF6r9kIKKpvnJvO4UqBuYHd-iZvxMREKWwg8WvkJAhVWJyZRnCCdmee4FBzJ4ETFxMWsX6ahzred4Rmm2MOTLZAHLVvq0FMA0BoLpPq-x-E5rriIH1jMG9-NomE8fHXOyvRhpcR2HcBuclSt5l2TQxL0nEdO8FBFaI/s320/8499338A-5E37-4F38-BA8D-07E613E7D40C.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><b>Saturday, March 2</b> - Before the upstairs crew had to depart, we savored brunch together followed by project planning time (both for some cabinetry Jason plans to do for them and then we had fun reviewing the architectural work up of Jason's pavilion sketches - making it feel real!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5mgjPXnn9rkfmC3VSdYCDyyyTYsWF1EhAbGSdL5lh_O86dSMgBqbiiyc5IrlcZYxxGXxpYKXFpYTXgSd-JUAfL2FoPVQyU43Jeqm8gKV0mKlBNyTlTanemSiXhvsQ2wfH3VvClJxKUls1sTHUkWTqemlW9izx3C6PntjKcoXe6QOmnAaGs3kkVJB/s4080/AC5FA82F-8EA1-420D-AAB0-02B2993C71F4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI5mgjPXnn9rkfmC3VSdYCDyyyTYsWF1EhAbGSdL5lh_O86dSMgBqbiiyc5IrlcZYxxGXxpYKXFpYTXgSd-JUAfL2FoPVQyU43Jeqm8gKV0mKlBNyTlTanemSiXhvsQ2wfH3VvClJxKUls1sTHUkWTqemlW9izx3C6PntjKcoXe6QOmnAaGs3kkVJB/s320/AC5FA82F-8EA1-420D-AAB0-02B2993C71F4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8AYAfvwksZ3efOnSvoCR9S9OP6IDhsntO4LjHwnJxknLGHpNyDlcj-Txk_zW3I3r_N0u8oqFsYh2KOcfIbPZypiKEZyRr1-PFDRDLhDLwzHjx1cQGF9Qp7Jz41xoLfGbmDp9TSLfJ_bLQ-F-6foY2Z-Fkkir5tHsIvgXvKbkbqhDCEIC72O0oIs8/s4032/27B871B3-8D64-4E6F-BB4C-85300C5B8BED.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh8AYAfvwksZ3efOnSvoCR9S9OP6IDhsntO4LjHwnJxknLGHpNyDlcj-Txk_zW3I3r_N0u8oqFsYh2KOcfIbPZypiKEZyRr1-PFDRDLhDLwzHjx1cQGF9Qp7Jz41xoLfGbmDp9TSLfJ_bLQ-F-6foY2Z-Fkkir5tHsIvgXvKbkbqhDCEIC72O0oIs8/s320/27B871B3-8D64-4E6F-BB4C-85300C5B8BED.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Earlier that morning Jason got the sweet potatoes, peppers and basil started. The seed shelf is full!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXV9L3_ImEyjkHcXvHTYPvhLm56PdzKjjNUW41iA8E2OB60u_XPYrc2J4yz0_d_ANy0mBvaRkpT6cnpr3a-6P-GIDfS3KlaHFM_6yl_95xjxSaaG0jy9ebj3THQ2hBuwxk6MN-bs0EAKHxoJzIt-2-pVK8t5DRM-zT5oZE-i1vMGvpopi4Jg1c4PpU/s4080/430E8A70-FC58-4A85-9F39-1177A40489AB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXV9L3_ImEyjkHcXvHTYPvhLm56PdzKjjNUW41iA8E2OB60u_XPYrc2J4yz0_d_ANy0mBvaRkpT6cnpr3a-6P-GIDfS3KlaHFM_6yl_95xjxSaaG0jy9ebj3THQ2hBuwxk6MN-bs0EAKHxoJzIt-2-pVK8t5DRM-zT5oZE-i1vMGvpopi4Jg1c4PpU/s320/430E8A70-FC58-4A85-9F39-1177A40489AB.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwOVCSyN491fEBofxymZAsj_3xLCyN7sfT_FLiJ-pghdcEKGOBlxdBy9cdE9kWzBU5UrnxkZznqYAZpYfWF1W9KDlbzrdpagW9KXeeZxaDVstTUnUGzyvnxalnPIr6CxfXkvmlo0qESeRGYfleBOzTVSSa7stiL3RPtfVlyf8u47ZkVALT76OSSpO/s4080/9A786F5E-3EC5-4A7E-BC89-04C0E76C7A3E.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTwOVCSyN491fEBofxymZAsj_3xLCyN7sfT_FLiJ-pghdcEKGOBlxdBy9cdE9kWzBU5UrnxkZznqYAZpYfWF1W9KDlbzrdpagW9KXeeZxaDVstTUnUGzyvnxalnPIr6CxfXkvmlo0qESeRGYfleBOzTVSSa7stiL3RPtfVlyf8u47ZkVALT76OSSpO/w200-h151/9A786F5E-3EC5-4A7E-BC89-04C0E76C7A3E.jpeg" width="200" /></a><b>Sunday, March 3</b> - Hatch day #1 of 2024 arrived! With 100% fertility in the incubator, we had an amazing first hatch of the year (there are 33 VERY spunky chicks, out of 35 eggs set). Kali, Jason and I pulled ourselves away to donate blood, but only Jason had good enough blood (i.e. high enough iron) to donate. In the afternoon my great aunt Eleanor arrived to enjoy Mom and Dad's space for the last week of their absence. Her two daughters graciously help with transportation and the stars finally aligned for Betty and I to take a hike before she headed on her way. I am wearing quite the path to Hensley's Pond these days, and love it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHodLKqLJKu2OuRg88KJmsOlB7gYtrOxj50k4UcaI9Q20tU0zmzizwN-QC1vrXHYrmStJAXsW7jKazqU0WndGZ8hg6R0j6CcbkBZerZNwaAuAR8LvniHJSJRtYSD-1WfnR3NB8w8t2d345MRdMTRkg7q-TRYxzSkZ33OcFDxwMI8exKRTpAFjQQB8O/s4080/7B9B9BBB-C7DD-41C1-B2FA-B0E00E43E03E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHodLKqLJKu2OuRg88KJmsOlB7gYtrOxj50k4UcaI9Q20tU0zmzizwN-QC1vrXHYrmStJAXsW7jKazqU0WndGZ8hg6R0j6CcbkBZerZNwaAuAR8LvniHJSJRtYSD-1WfnR3NB8w8t2d345MRdMTRkg7q-TRYxzSkZ33OcFDxwMI8exKRTpAFjQQB8O/s320/7B9B9BBB-C7DD-41C1-B2FA-B0E00E43E03E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCa6KlgMwodVtdKRq5R5epEdASuhorV4lew5aA3enDT7TPlcdYSKNGoDfcht2a2k4H6BhQFcFqPJEseuxem2g2A4jQNKi1m69-RAaBhrqDp9pxF7wvmVqA_CkeeeWpGqOWpUmQ3AqYH9yZTF9BAfMISzCXjfo9CpwhsqTlIdZOhTHWYC7uBdaBYanh/s4080/99B465C8-C87E-46A7-B8F2-274B8659D171.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCa6KlgMwodVtdKRq5R5epEdASuhorV4lew5aA3enDT7TPlcdYSKNGoDfcht2a2k4H6BhQFcFqPJEseuxem2g2A4jQNKi1m69-RAaBhrqDp9pxF7wvmVqA_CkeeeWpGqOWpUmQ3AqYH9yZTF9BAfMISzCXjfo9CpwhsqTlIdZOhTHWYC7uBdaBYanh/s320/99B465C8-C87E-46A7-B8F2-274B8659D171.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87xESDojNaKhKYUZZuysC8qyzfli_w1ytoB3xUXWA9W6AZdtjbXwZLR8NpqFni9LaysBDuiOTupAkuBOYcuzOsLcEu8CsPHfWJ3LiRN0yI-t2_YpoJ9Pxrn_mcHva6rlyI6mam_fSfzxX0DndYzmZzLbb3AU127Dv_WjmPVTy2RZRw3qqS2ST2l1W/s4080/48E3A981-8F6F-4D44-A2D5-F124B8E1C345.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87xESDojNaKhKYUZZuysC8qyzfli_w1ytoB3xUXWA9W6AZdtjbXwZLR8NpqFni9LaysBDuiOTupAkuBOYcuzOsLcEu8CsPHfWJ3LiRN0yI-t2_YpoJ9Pxrn_mcHva6rlyI6mam_fSfzxX0DndYzmZzLbb3AU127Dv_WjmPVTy2RZRw3qqS2ST2l1W/s320/48E3A981-8F6F-4D44-A2D5-F124B8E1C345.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8mG8sMT9s_HMnBpjRTUnTEtoKWLD6ALNUmc5nWDERJmQMBuqZnhiMqrRvsv2wxUSS-3TpLhGo0DXIWapz0OefFblhrTa07dwCWgxEub_jD6_FpYEzUvHm8erkytaGGgPPUcWYLWK8W8HQmPLX6tr7C3sXLdisxsS-cC2jmazk3sXtnjrcQH6oAQh/s4080/3B7F3392-814E-404F-822A-CA9F4B289EE1.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC8mG8sMT9s_HMnBpjRTUnTEtoKWLD6ALNUmc5nWDERJmQMBuqZnhiMqrRvsv2wxUSS-3TpLhGo0DXIWapz0OefFblhrTa07dwCWgxEub_jD6_FpYEzUvHm8erkytaGGgPPUcWYLWK8W8HQmPLX6tr7C3sXLdisxsS-cC2jmazk3sXtnjrcQH6oAQh/w200-h151/3B7F3392-814E-404F-822A-CA9F4B289EE1.jpeg" width="200" /></a><b>Monday, March 4 </b>- Another favorite day of the week (for me) came around but this one got a bit disrupted at the end. After getting more wood chips for the pigs, emptying and refreshing bedding in a chicken coop and finishing up all the pruning/cut back in the main fenced garden areas, we decided to clear the walking trail up the hill behind our home. As we got started, our neighbors called to see if Jason could come help with a cow that was down (following birth). Sadly, if none of the treatments to get her up work, there is little to do other than salvage the animal for food. So while the girls and I continued with the trail maintenance, he headed down the road to help out our neighbors. It was 4-5 hours later when he finally landed home tired, messy and ready for dinner and bed! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eziKucS2i303_bVrM-7YFlx00L0N1QUBkthryz_2tkaUpwQCqrmXN0Io2EE4sQKle32p4A4Be58a_6StsT-6m-vg4hBBWGiNgn_GGPGhlI79c9l8Vbg8vC0HV52lzjxiQWokSl1YtlCRo1I9vqbSSUQ5A1X5AlclOgRlvDQcrBR97DrSDxFyQrCl/s4080/8BFA0E0C-426E-4B12-B0B2-28AB9739AE83.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4eziKucS2i303_bVrM-7YFlx00L0N1QUBkthryz_2tkaUpwQCqrmXN0Io2EE4sQKle32p4A4Be58a_6StsT-6m-vg4hBBWGiNgn_GGPGhlI79c9l8Vbg8vC0HV52lzjxiQWokSl1YtlCRo1I9vqbSSUQ5A1X5AlclOgRlvDQcrBR97DrSDxFyQrCl/s320/8BFA0E0C-426E-4B12-B0B2-28AB9739AE83.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvA7La6p4deQguK6TwNMQRWA4H08jmULjJSR-IsbMuxQavw_6Gj3uwzzgkD7Wc97WoI9DMZN527s7RZhwju_KceTZqoh4WLEa-fjFRUMGVprTUfIPgVp92QR4XoqJywezlTxW2mRCOQUDVU2bkR92JGkkMtQkp2uJA2hZltQiUfgouoWzKRRPlPuU/s4080/08704E24-EC99-4D4E-838F-DEA509367355.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMvA7La6p4deQguK6TwNMQRWA4H08jmULjJSR-IsbMuxQavw_6Gj3uwzzgkD7Wc97WoI9DMZN527s7RZhwju_KceTZqoh4WLEa-fjFRUMGVprTUfIPgVp92QR4XoqJywezlTxW2mRCOQUDVU2bkR92JGkkMtQkp2uJA2hZltQiUfgouoWzKRRPlPuU/s320/08704E24-EC99-4D4E-838F-DEA509367355.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMJfWlB-pAz4Ydinxo7IcxBP6R1OjWFItVVYh7JabcdBZtIq6Kvv_1-YJ8W4DNuN4G16FDcf3qbMKs3LObLGbjMOM1es1wQIn4ZKKhOLdtwDWUmxppoqTSBw8WU3s_r4Cgxs8-gyeo_5Kx8n-R64vpLxB7lxX4Yehzmz9PNiN12di5Ct67gpGjyNd/s4080/BF27F547-4C75-4043-A2DD-CFDDE65F00EE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMJfWlB-pAz4Ydinxo7IcxBP6R1OjWFItVVYh7JabcdBZtIq6Kvv_1-YJ8W4DNuN4G16FDcf3qbMKs3LObLGbjMOM1es1wQIn4ZKKhOLdtwDWUmxppoqTSBw8WU3s_r4Cgxs8-gyeo_5Kx8n-R64vpLxB7lxX4Yehzmz9PNiN12di5Ct67gpGjyNd/s320/BF27F547-4C75-4043-A2DD-CFDDE65F00EE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlz0dilh6KvjL-Gu-zupVPiZNqK6NDqkfLhQETyrDzwsXdAsSK34IW1v4_y6qy0XqEfUlBbmt6-e1nCCLoW6cJfBB-E8Ppglqg57GneqTJItsUhBzJBChqELG0AlcnuMz-C3nQIOrkPRACmWOZD_7dA71RXrj_sWfvlZWPnUhX1WWeYRdv4YFGRTc/s4032/754EA10C-81D7-41C5-BFD9-D130186E35AB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlz0dilh6KvjL-Gu-zupVPiZNqK6NDqkfLhQETyrDzwsXdAsSK34IW1v4_y6qy0XqEfUlBbmt6-e1nCCLoW6cJfBB-E8Ppglqg57GneqTJItsUhBzJBChqELG0AlcnuMz-C3nQIOrkPRACmWOZD_7dA71RXrj_sWfvlZWPnUhX1WWeYRdv4YFGRTc/s320/754EA10C-81D7-41C5-BFD9-D130186E35AB.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCan6KCTK-TkCs3oxW-VcSC8U2plJgvOJxDS7n3YUPxYfp2ypoXoiegYeG7knu_bRuEz-zD6hBKUvCqKhZBNfqlpEekY9NL9ZQh6cuuHxc9yD-VdMEK76_iTbn15d1NseooRXmA4x9qOorO_QUoTShZ-LSNRV94mMY2uS2Zj4ov5F6YRv0bsFT5-q/s4080/C1EFE4B0-327F-49E7-A769-DCA2698631D6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeCan6KCTK-TkCs3oxW-VcSC8U2plJgvOJxDS7n3YUPxYfp2ypoXoiegYeG7knu_bRuEz-zD6hBKUvCqKhZBNfqlpEekY9NL9ZQh6cuuHxc9yD-VdMEK76_iTbn15d1NseooRXmA4x9qOorO_QUoTShZ-LSNRV94mMY2uS2Zj4ov5F6YRv0bsFT5-q/s320/C1EFE4B0-327F-49E7-A769-DCA2698631D6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><b>Tuesday, March 5</b> - And that brings me to yesterday. A day with multiple appointments for Jason and several walks for me (I guess Jason and I were both tending to our physical and mental health, but in different ways). I also tended to our home's health by FINALLY having a window where I could scrub the front room floor (I changed the water in my bucket 5x and it was equally disgusting every time!). My poor family was banned from the front room until I could enjoy at least ONE evening with it being clean before we start traipsing through it again. Thankfully being banned from the front room for a bit wasn't too much of a hardship when there are chicks for adoring in the back kitchen! </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsgIc_UJGfTllPsvAkeSo3Kn_g-YJMUtv-oUKpJH0zMT2pIyZAwFvQPNzpqtvo57HFuHi9tuwz-vgZmIG_dTeU1Qi0yGtxUGnmZQLQ20rvCmM3V6Arxn8isJcHsJoMF8OSqQW29I0YqBpv9pQ6mTcYlAXyJv-J9qjd5l8rlSGJ2PpuX86CoMJ-chT/s4080/5FC10EEC-C0BD-46B5-9B23-F402A52D73E9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbsgIc_UJGfTllPsvAkeSo3Kn_g-YJMUtv-oUKpJH0zMT2pIyZAwFvQPNzpqtvo57HFuHi9tuwz-vgZmIG_dTeU1Qi0yGtxUGnmZQLQ20rvCmM3V6Arxn8isJcHsJoMF8OSqQW29I0YqBpv9pQ6mTcYlAXyJv-J9qjd5l8rlSGJ2PpuX86CoMJ-chT/s320/5FC10EEC-C0BD-46B5-9B23-F402A52D73E9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>In the afternoon Jason was doing a siding job down the road and it was kind of him to not show me how high up he was working until AFTER he was safely home! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju9DhyphenhyphenfVUqrky1HUKJi7NFhhXmwHn97Gxgj39NiATrEKIkGastx3u_yeGWOg2XhiCWRxKmGogMOlTCTSLTYJFy9pNxZv4GXvLtoCaSF32aoCjoj5R0ecOjxbwZW_A5q-m2yUGjd6godMRXRpLxJjx_PIx0_ck-Ybj8aaQGz8kRsJOC7SIcctjLrZj/s4032/13FDFBA0-F487-4DF1-AB64-4520490FAB39.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiju9DhyphenhyphenfVUqrky1HUKJi7NFhhXmwHn97Gxgj39NiATrEKIkGastx3u_yeGWOg2XhiCWRxKmGogMOlTCTSLTYJFy9pNxZv4GXvLtoCaSF32aoCjoj5R0ecOjxbwZW_A5q-m2yUGjd6godMRXRpLxJjx_PIx0_ck-Ybj8aaQGz8kRsJOC7SIcctjLrZj/s320/13FDFBA0-F487-4DF1-AB64-4520490FAB39.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>Everyone is up and at it here now so I think I'll end for now. I'll close by sharing a photo I took yesterday of the beautiful delicate tiny Dutch Iris that are blooming along our front walk. I feel so grateful for the splashes of color appearing in the world all around us. And I'm trying to savor and not take them for granted, as I know this view of vibrancy and abundance is not shared by all (as much as we want it to be and hope our way of showing up in the world makes it possible for at least more people to experience life in this way)!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMgbVgFvuqqC_0RT5iFi0rynqEr5e0OdAkA-bew2La6qFtou0_x-7lZYi4OvpzfBVq7iJhfN1Ejub0ueFbQ5HacCFs_dFhyphenhyphen7hgAuKZONEv1uTHX50Ip4q40vwSb8yLaa187EzD0slGZmhYvEPe8vmebf_NVcjpws8kRu1b0REeNFJVVKzdnXjhCl1/s1600/DB0DA6A6-E5E8-4BD5-B894-816ADE4351F1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTMgbVgFvuqqC_0RT5iFi0rynqEr5e0OdAkA-bew2La6qFtou0_x-7lZYi4OvpzfBVq7iJhfN1Ejub0ueFbQ5HacCFs_dFhyphenhyphen7hgAuKZONEv1uTHX50Ip4q40vwSb8yLaa187EzD0slGZmhYvEPe8vmebf_NVcjpws8kRu1b0REeNFJVVKzdnXjhCl1/s320/DB0DA6A6-E5E8-4BD5-B894-816ADE4351F1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-2424021372196011962024-02-19T09:17:00.000-08:002024-02-19T09:17:19.355-08:00One more procrastination post - kitchen deep clean, bike shed and more<div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuamhKTbX9d9hxUSAHayC6PD5i4TSlZz2vR-Yxor0CZOkS5L_keYIdyW8hNcs3UTO4ZWfndLjIk4J6PK8KceiqhhJYUW9IDXRiInvUBMkvpZW0H9uqqneMfNsvkIatRi_9qbd68MiEzv8DB1c3bqsdXgu2J93vmUMK91XFTlC_EPnXylOg90wDM1X8/s4032/D7F12901-8C4F-4447-8B78-94BFB46D0502.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuamhKTbX9d9hxUSAHayC6PD5i4TSlZz2vR-Yxor0CZOkS5L_keYIdyW8hNcs3UTO4ZWfndLjIk4J6PK8KceiqhhJYUW9IDXRiInvUBMkvpZW0H9uqqneMfNsvkIatRi_9qbd68MiEzv8DB1c3bqsdXgu2J93vmUMK91XFTlC_EPnXylOg90wDM1X8/w150-h200/D7F12901-8C4F-4447-8B78-94BFB46D0502.jpeg" width="150" /></a>While we were in North Carolina, Jason made some major progress on the bike shed: the bike shed now has bikes in it - at moments I thought we'd never see the day!! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Kali is just heading out now to help him finish making the door and there are still some final touches including putting the battens on the siding. BUT the end is in sight and that is a great feeling for all of us, but probably most notably Jason!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">This is just one step, of several, to get more of our things out of the garage in order to make it a more user-friendly space for Mom and Dad year round. Little by little we are getting there AND we are grateful for their patience!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOfQeaWa_BAgLyEDvFp7k9Pys_jK3QbCc9at5MuUERBnvReb_WMjrjEfYXS7_9MFvPVObzNIGR5iA6xsyTwRfL2pW3YErLtp-aZ3uklnFHsX1SSGYXPddmEcJTBl6r0WEG0_GLb3Mx9b1cgNagxm2R24BLgLG_QOg8e448FGh7MAhAvTNV9objBWM/s4032/5FAB1392-F00C-41EC-AC4B-BA9EFC79F0F9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOfQeaWa_BAgLyEDvFp7k9Pys_jK3QbCc9at5MuUERBnvReb_WMjrjEfYXS7_9MFvPVObzNIGR5iA6xsyTwRfL2pW3YErLtp-aZ3uklnFHsX1SSGYXPddmEcJTBl6r0WEG0_GLb3Mx9b1cgNagxm2R24BLgLG_QOg8e448FGh7MAhAvTNV9objBWM/s320/5FAB1392-F00C-41EC-AC4B-BA9EFC79F0F9.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9OrvKXBMExOkx3i3GPjgl5TODY3Najpjw1iz1eewioErgr8EreOgccB0i634EFfwLhXZqWr_SYiQigeq_FwL1Rk896t5vbEJFZuo2Yj3aN8CoBBNAs7keQ0-MkHx7cjplcjUpMWyS9W9ppXHuzeil8NLB-eMYTFSL67F7yXbgQBbk_Mi5jum_QOA/s4032/D3DE7177-8963-4055-A12F-6FBE604609AB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC9OrvKXBMExOkx3i3GPjgl5TODY3Najpjw1iz1eewioErgr8EreOgccB0i634EFfwLhXZqWr_SYiQigeq_FwL1Rk896t5vbEJFZuo2Yj3aN8CoBBNAs7keQ0-MkHx7cjplcjUpMWyS9W9ppXHuzeil8NLB-eMYTFSL67F7yXbgQBbk_Mi5jum_QOA/s320/D3DE7177-8963-4055-A12F-6FBE604609AB.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGG2Uvn0F1B_ruHNJEqlGVFKbAao6gq0bv22zM91wJLQg1IpzUvekLkbBiqDhSkdgcpZ5W2djUVxjr9W0JUG5K7pEPKCVd8m5dbBfhIVvTlxrMwMb4rMtZMxcBZK4Qe6ii7hX3gfMooOQRtdoikKeZ2KBf9OcK97OIqqlcfnVfvkmuig9FsTwjqPn/s4032/00862983-178E-45D4-ABF7-6A95EDEC3E24.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBGG2Uvn0F1B_ruHNJEqlGVFKbAao6gq0bv22zM91wJLQg1IpzUvekLkbBiqDhSkdgcpZ5W2djUVxjr9W0JUG5K7pEPKCVd8m5dbBfhIVvTlxrMwMb4rMtZMxcBZK4Qe6ii7hX3gfMooOQRtdoikKeZ2KBf9OcK97OIqqlcfnVfvkmuig9FsTwjqPn/s320/00862983-178E-45D4-ABF7-6A95EDEC3E24.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVb-q0teKy9AOXmm4ZcyVjtV_56AiOvVHi1D03xkInDgae-oaKlvyFgL3LaeKTflpK2xFdL_jp6ZhEaQWOpSvDXiMIoL5SWb3Hgp3sIoasyJ8Jd1kXchYCmVdEXogq30ElSfCi4MXuhwI_n_tHGtZeEeQqznO6eQ42Tvlf9_uiVGdXtdIn_9d9iyPi/s320/5E824C4B-F877-4DB4-BDD0-DC7968CA3C2B.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSouiZ1NzF9FJFC-q0h8O97atVMxmSvbq6S04zCw8HAn4v4jltwV7ilJ1lHJoz1OmeRppfLQz5-NpMYAkhfZhD0qeHJgsYdDkR1g9Ne66FObfDCp5eKYCZLNv63kc2HP_Ftg8T66aPbuGRteiUJKbfgNfsD3ISQtBSQyhXBcXkrazefcIdr4-Alkfg/s4032/CC5135C1-974C-4D12-9B30-8513D28C538E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSouiZ1NzF9FJFC-q0h8O97atVMxmSvbq6S04zCw8HAn4v4jltwV7ilJ1lHJoz1OmeRppfLQz5-NpMYAkhfZhD0qeHJgsYdDkR1g9Ne66FObfDCp5eKYCZLNv63kc2HP_Ftg8T66aPbuGRteiUJKbfgNfsD3ISQtBSQyhXBcXkrazefcIdr4-Alkfg/s320/CC5135C1-974C-4D12-9B30-8513D28C538E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3InKF5BBT3gOL6ja2Ma1SkT-rdx96PCWhxZO9coZYxmp1s4OiWYIRXjzws2V9pmxDXjZUKRepZTFeA-CsxPvAD1vAVbHL2LWR30-szSno7V3Vv-rexPC9ya2HRdGvhWC7KEy2pwpDQDPJRk_OhksZRBgz-63Hju4e-MTOtog2-FRK_xLN_Wff6bA/s4032/9B168EC1-6E34-4666-9A85-BAF9BD224287.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3InKF5BBT3gOL6ja2Ma1SkT-rdx96PCWhxZO9coZYxmp1s4OiWYIRXjzws2V9pmxDXjZUKRepZTFeA-CsxPvAD1vAVbHL2LWR30-szSno7V3Vv-rexPC9ya2HRdGvhWC7KEy2pwpDQDPJRk_OhksZRBgz-63Hju4e-MTOtog2-FRK_xLN_Wff6bA/s320/9B168EC1-6E34-4666-9A85-BAF9BD224287.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uTZovsPbsJOCt9qM4JgtKFtSXiqRN1Qz6Hw-x0kuATSZMrl2zYhj1aBCiIp0WqbJ9cgnZkcSA4rSqUxfs8Fv_2yhwqotzSdqyEauNSTmIzcWXJGNs2pU5_okjLNXeUJ2EpNyXVek14CKK37tj0TdXwiYEsxjF2-WRt2CvDVDOP_SwBV-Hw7v9Lq2/s4032/82600C58-6CE2-4917-B8EB-DF211641A222.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_uTZovsPbsJOCt9qM4JgtKFtSXiqRN1Qz6Hw-x0kuATSZMrl2zYhj1aBCiIp0WqbJ9cgnZkcSA4rSqUxfs8Fv_2yhwqotzSdqyEauNSTmIzcWXJGNs2pU5_okjLNXeUJ2EpNyXVek14CKK37tj0TdXwiYEsxjF2-WRt2CvDVDOP_SwBV-Hw7v9Lq2/w150-h200/82600C58-6CE2-4917-B8EB-DF211641A222.jpeg" width="150" /></a>As signs of spring pop up all around us, the fullness of this year lands on and in us with both eager anticipation, excitement for some new things ahead, and some apprehension about how it will all fit and whether we'll be able to navigate it all while keeping the things that matter most at the forefront. Just this week we learned that a SARE grant Jason applied for last fall was accepted and approved for full funding. That means that Jason's work developing an edible dwarf winter pea for companion planting with wheat will be paid time over the next two years, allowing him to "do it up right!" This is a first and feels very exciting! Between that, Sassafras Enterprises jobs, ongoing chicken breeding and education opportunities, regular farm/garden work, and hoping to get started on the screened pavilion this spring, Jason's year is more than spoken for. It's one of the reasons I'm not initiating ways to find more birth doula clients right now. I can sense this might be the year to have my focus be mostly at home. I still hope a few opportunities come my way organically as I wish to keep my toe in birth work even if I'm not doing a deep dive during this next year or two. I also continue to devote time to personal and relational work that I care about very much and want to make sure I prioritize!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of deep dives, we did one a week ago today. And I hate to admit that we kinda dove into the deep end without a lot of good thought into the process. A rainy Monday netted us a day for family work inside. The girls' bedroom project had me itching to do the other room that gets the most traffic and was in need of some tender loving care: the kitchen! So we (Jason and I) spur of the moment decided that morning to go for it - not getting started until mid-morning with the clear out. In short, it took us the rest of the day until late that night to clear out <u>everything</u> (who knew so much stuff fit in a kitchen) and get <u>every inch</u> cleaned and ready to be restocked.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Before and after from one corner:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3U_aHU0LQc34OV3RZmRf3rpC2mC-Cau4ePXpMUvRVqEim0q-ojb6JJxZP3FpXbsQj9xXvnA4Hqrm1OZsPIajHGTs2Kar_enXT9Bi52wfdAK0GLaJXJ3jLUuLarRSwFZn3Bi3XvfTxMJrvvgvnr64U-wql9fPFEkvO_HzZtECTSsskITA7Zlp82sve/s4080/09D674B5-DB3E-485F-8FDD-D3CFFE774DBF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3U_aHU0LQc34OV3RZmRf3rpC2mC-Cau4ePXpMUvRVqEim0q-ojb6JJxZP3FpXbsQj9xXvnA4Hqrm1OZsPIajHGTs2Kar_enXT9Bi52wfdAK0GLaJXJ3jLUuLarRSwFZn3Bi3XvfTxMJrvvgvnr64U-wql9fPFEkvO_HzZtECTSsskITA7Zlp82sve/s320/09D674B5-DB3E-485F-8FDD-D3CFFE774DBF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqz64v6vF6Sc4H2FECCnr1Fzu_bPTZXAou3E5FHGvbsUHDZZUFa8tDeZvMZkMXghyphenhyphenJ_n7oxgxEpc5m_RvehmhAjc4zfOnoMP3i_zmDOEVm34izEYn6DCVYTFnESkyZ_620IeJSgMv8xXb9OQ7Jh7KFavyyOq07IBQRMt9DDcyf5PuSxzzUaXQEwYj/s4080/11604825-ACF2-49F6-9A63-F5B81CC25EBC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAqz64v6vF6Sc4H2FECCnr1Fzu_bPTZXAou3E5FHGvbsUHDZZUFa8tDeZvMZkMXghyphenhyphenJ_n7oxgxEpc5m_RvehmhAjc4zfOnoMP3i_zmDOEVm34izEYn6DCVYTFnESkyZ_620IeJSgMv8xXb9OQ7Jh7KFavyyOq07IBQRMt9DDcyf5PuSxzzUaXQEwYj/s320/11604825-ACF2-49F6-9A63-F5B81CC25EBC.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Before and after from the other corner:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCv3gXF5KpzZxyGKkVHTPOjUlwcFd3kWZOojNDYG9bLYnQOoQhtY13_q9Syv5yJm5xoIegwyfDSzcR2erlDfzKvnxc1C0cvJqfK0WXX_4JolA5jeoxVXENERn9QL01Z92IIl-1US2q0zBydr2jkyCv6Lroe8KLCw6oiSV_9n2JG7ehLctpZnDBOFP/s4080/37D5D86A-20F1-4A48-B899-E6A5AEF65819.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGCv3gXF5KpzZxyGKkVHTPOjUlwcFd3kWZOojNDYG9bLYnQOoQhtY13_q9Syv5yJm5xoIegwyfDSzcR2erlDfzKvnxc1C0cvJqfK0WXX_4JolA5jeoxVXENERn9QL01Z92IIl-1US2q0zBydr2jkyCv6Lroe8KLCw6oiSV_9n2JG7ehLctpZnDBOFP/s320/37D5D86A-20F1-4A48-B899-E6A5AEF65819.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzPmqByjFmicreHp8WSdiQlzUQ1MRWQkwwqs6IkkYAEUPC_H_9obJ6Zh2TNQEF5go1DP_cBQWg2e0E9r2LxC6m9duZsoRzC0qXTy_UIqIxSkq5sZvwRqdbk7PMChZ29FK7Q8j_LvZIbDsOn5acdi07wx4UMzk1NxKWGRLKmjn95dsUU-Bucsyfnad/s4080/9D258677-BB92-4A4F-9F27-0B234E919F03.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwzPmqByjFmicreHp8WSdiQlzUQ1MRWQkwwqs6IkkYAEUPC_H_9obJ6Zh2TNQEF5go1DP_cBQWg2e0E9r2LxC6m9duZsoRzC0qXTy_UIqIxSkq5sZvwRqdbk7PMChZ29FK7Q8j_LvZIbDsOn5acdi07wx4UMzk1NxKWGRLKmjn95dsUU-Bucsyfnad/s320/9D258677-BB92-4A4F-9F27-0B234E919F03.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKg3bMLUXgNbDv5ZmkRP7OucH4JDA0bNVceyUZ1CElnOoO-SbQJ8l0KGieLEemyeWTYpsNMn0TEvFYgUM5RraiZf3fO9VrhUOaFkMX_mc8fEN3IilR7Q-n7tb_2TY4WF7ynWcTX-1S8T5NU_1RuTGmY02RAgKYDU8dMy8-xzkUIj3mzouL9PKy7LDZ/s4080/F1643D16-72BF-410B-A27E-3AF2A78E5C73.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKg3bMLUXgNbDv5ZmkRP7OucH4JDA0bNVceyUZ1CElnOoO-SbQJ8l0KGieLEemyeWTYpsNMn0TEvFYgUM5RraiZf3fO9VrhUOaFkMX_mc8fEN3IilR7Q-n7tb_2TY4WF7ynWcTX-1S8T5NU_1RuTGmY02RAgKYDU8dMy8-xzkUIj3mzouL9PKy7LDZ/w151-h200/F1643D16-72BF-410B-A27E-3AF2A78E5C73.jpeg" width="151" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILkErm2tiTw10c4CTQ45XIOcfRq8JL8VwChoe6GYs1keRnawSeM5TgRtimgvGajabBr7V-ZpxT0mN_vjkorUZ51M-XK-GkjhoY7SNTk6UUCk7E9_aLQzOmN_3b9w9FEENqjgFcVxf4S_XCLiIOhQQ_OGok505fwpPc7fIa0gracUPmhx2epaZHfVw/s4032/871D93AF-0F82-4D8E-AD67-C00ED8DBA458.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILkErm2tiTw10c4CTQ45XIOcfRq8JL8VwChoe6GYs1keRnawSeM5TgRtimgvGajabBr7V-ZpxT0mN_vjkorUZ51M-XK-GkjhoY7SNTk6UUCk7E9_aLQzOmN_3b9w9FEENqjgFcVxf4S_XCLiIOhQQ_OGok505fwpPc7fIa0gracUPmhx2epaZHfVw/w150-h200/871D93AF-0F82-4D8E-AD67-C00ED8DBA458.jpeg" width="150" /></a>As time goes along, I'm feeling less and less inclined to put a lot of details or particulars around our relational processes at home in this public forum. What I'm comfortable saying is that this process took a fair amount out of some of us and had some pretty bumpy moments. The clearing out and cleaning up feels more straightforward - hard dirty work but relatively easy to do without a lot of emotions getting involved (for me, anyway). But the taking stock of our stuff and deciding what to put back in and what to move elsewhere and what to part with is a whole other level of hard. You might not think a kitchen would be chock full of things that have sentimental value, but it sure is. Whether it's the cookie cutters, the tiny bell, special kitchen utensils, magnets, a set of plates or a kid's broom, these items hold memories and stories and, when we (I) get into a "just get it done" mode, I have a hard time holding space and giving enough time for all the feelings to be felt and expressed. I lean heavily on the potential for repair after rupture in times like this! I don't think any of us are ready to dive into another one for awhile, which is just fine since I think our time for them this winter is definitely over! And, while hard, I think some good conversations and relational work stemmed from the process. Also, I certainly am enjoying a roomier and smoother flow in the room of the house I spend the most time in. We also found that our toaster oven plug had more or less melted into the receptacle, which was very alarming to discover. So we may have discovered and fixed a dangerous situation - a once over of our spaces every now and then has many benefits! But, truly, who knew that a kitchen could hold so much stuff. There was literally kitchen stuff covering every room of our home other than the bathroom (made going to bed a little tricky that night!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPvWGgFQrkFH0JCxpBiOzUgSaITtSXxho_sMucE_61r-QRBA8J-uEMhcKwaMUbN8Yw401v0HxtbpydekIUHs6ztAPPUSCbIPF8z2vxVBmOjpwccnzhDkrcTJWawpIc10FpzyD99mbXshsEE4Zf96Q6vQ9kBmWPIoD3w0gttOrRkqJDCN3gG5Umh1d/s10592/2F0BFE23-A694-4051-9CB5-071EA98D4241.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="10592" height="93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPvWGgFQrkFH0JCxpBiOzUgSaITtSXxho_sMucE_61r-QRBA8J-uEMhcKwaMUbN8Yw401v0HxtbpydekIUHs6ztAPPUSCbIPF8z2vxVBmOjpwccnzhDkrcTJWawpIc10FpzyD99mbXshsEE4Zf96Q6vQ9kBmWPIoD3w0gttOrRkqJDCN3gG5Umh1d/w640-h93/2F0BFE23-A694-4051-9CB5-071EA98D4241.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1BvvYgueuYAaZVsQLFIzzFZWPo3SmmLUcbrQMsibTCIY_YdH7EXl3UWKZhSVhyphenhyphenGMqmzmkxpml7BEV0kvKEWnDzmyYFpLTfOOC7eDQWLlzmMB8cH1Xp1uR0aka7Ne1_c_jPB5jZ6OGoS2TPcB8buKqfoa5K5TgOoGmD-gLVrJ0KB0Kl0GfNaE_-OV/s4080/24B12AA8-DEC9-46D6-A057-220AA6F3C32E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv1BvvYgueuYAaZVsQLFIzzFZWPo3SmmLUcbrQMsibTCIY_YdH7EXl3UWKZhSVhyphenhyphenGMqmzmkxpml7BEV0kvKEWnDzmyYFpLTfOOC7eDQWLlzmMB8cH1Xp1uR0aka7Ne1_c_jPB5jZ6OGoS2TPcB8buKqfoa5K5TgOoGmD-gLVrJ0KB0Kl0GfNaE_-OV/s320/24B12AA8-DEC9-46D6-A057-220AA6F3C32E.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITAeUuL5pUo7HD64dQvMNiKvu5RBHHIcGdy-YbyUhGNDZNhK71oZxIRKnrohA9mhvPnok-jFnCVg3TeZmrcUgu-w5wJFMaBtIFdHXwrbVdVIB5ipnRjpe5nqtDr31CT_Xvc8AsN_nym8qr86F1aZayvC42LvrSOKOcrt0NsbYg-WGvQp9OOq2x626/s4080/CFB5FD5E-E568-4F2C-B3A6-47DCA90E7048.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiITAeUuL5pUo7HD64dQvMNiKvu5RBHHIcGdy-YbyUhGNDZNhK71oZxIRKnrohA9mhvPnok-jFnCVg3TeZmrcUgu-w5wJFMaBtIFdHXwrbVdVIB5ipnRjpe5nqtDr31CT_Xvc8AsN_nym8qr86F1aZayvC42LvrSOKOcrt0NsbYg-WGvQp9OOq2x626/s320/CFB5FD5E-E568-4F2C-B3A6-47DCA90E7048.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvSK3EUH0unTSja-o-5LMGi5VL_r4hvxgAE50Gee356_PTe0RzPEBr0FSRXF3410i5opvc7VjJRIS_WjH6olPROgvtbgwVPRQPd4MWtNI1L1KgSfZgfoMo-8HZ5pltB70YwKqh8xjwikX_lXJxChHZ7WCnHo15Whjefz5WPoJMIRblIpucD6sgEBZ/s4080/1C93446C-F1A8-460E-84DD-FBF65AD62DAD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUvSK3EUH0unTSja-o-5LMGi5VL_r4hvxgAE50Gee356_PTe0RzPEBr0FSRXF3410i5opvc7VjJRIS_WjH6olPROgvtbgwVPRQPd4MWtNI1L1KgSfZgfoMo-8HZ5pltB70YwKqh8xjwikX_lXJxChHZ7WCnHo15Whjefz5WPoJMIRblIpucD6sgEBZ/s320/1C93446C-F1A8-460E-84DD-FBF65AD62DAD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We picnicked in the living room for supper around 9 or so that first night! We were out of steam after that and I have been chided several times by my children for thinking that we could finish in one day. Here we are a week later with me still having a table full of things to go through. I will learn - both to budget in more time for a good process and to have a conversation together BEFORE diving in about our priorities, hopes, goals and how to make the process work well for all of us. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbjDAxoScVowkWcr4zzt0KTxlG8ZG54sCizNE5TWwtaalRuTqJHhEYOTYFTjxTZdamhlG4C4Yd5FYEHKmkGq8N5v30JVQhFeKp3daotCPO-YZDIoeTnah674q5Z6-tvMoTaZJ79Ql_g/s4080/65306D10-4DF4-4BFF-AFE4-A11811FAF91E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixbjDAxoScVowkWcr4zzt0KTxlG8ZG54sCizNE5TWwtaalRuTqJHhEYOTYFTjxTZdamhlG4C4Yd5FYEHKmkGq8N5v30JVQhFeKp3daotCPO-YZDIoeTnah674q5Z6-tvMoTaZJ79Ql_g/s320/65306D10-4DF4-4BFF-AFE4-A11811FAF91E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We did get to enjoy the new pineapple flower, which I hadn't seen since the plant is currently on the high windowsill in our kitchen.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vMV8kF0oTs9nl5yxDG29j9fVLeIwTnK1X37hhwZV-KXpJl0mcPqvzjVB-YVpBoAMTPA290h3u7SoYCO-Z9rzzaNmPBGru6caZinGgqzUKxg1x0837mbZ6zmI9sDD7WC5z-fkftCsbdVz5XkfN-_Q7_v8bZMsIse6ebzhjNdrcy9RU-xaTK47oB35/s1600/DE903168-CA1B-44D0-848C-A47E216EE290.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5vMV8kF0oTs9nl5yxDG29j9fVLeIwTnK1X37hhwZV-KXpJl0mcPqvzjVB-YVpBoAMTPA290h3u7SoYCO-Z9rzzaNmPBGru6caZinGgqzUKxg1x0837mbZ6zmI9sDD7WC5z-fkftCsbdVz5XkfN-_Q7_v8bZMsIse6ebzhjNdrcy9RU-xaTK47oB35/s320/DE903168-CA1B-44D0-848C-A47E216EE290.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And I made "clean up this and that" muffins that are actually pretty bad - toasted with peanut butter they are palatable, but no one is excited about them. Oh well - you win some, you lose some!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQA96hSA8CIMTbuVv3vrQWC6H-BwluPxHNqrI9k5q-4XMr-1MU8O4tDOW-4MNizkBzwVRrZHBD9-5foUc_CMgcSmsFmb9jeT4LY4wHib33CFln8ghoUkocnAc7gtGaoj_k_e6xvvpXuRrm8dPP0KrVALm78Ty_VtvQfXYICDZLt8fhaF1YyshEeDN/s4080/F8E1D5AE-771F-47F1-828A-7220E0E1CDCE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNQA96hSA8CIMTbuVv3vrQWC6H-BwluPxHNqrI9k5q-4XMr-1MU8O4tDOW-4MNizkBzwVRrZHBD9-5foUc_CMgcSmsFmb9jeT4LY4wHib33CFln8ghoUkocnAc7gtGaoj_k_e6xvvpXuRrm8dPP0KrVALm78Ty_VtvQfXYICDZLt8fhaF1YyshEeDN/s320/F8E1D5AE-771F-47F1-828A-7220E0E1CDCE.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Let's end this post on two of my favorite things: little people and celebrations!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And then, I promise, I will go tackle the table!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got to snuggle my most recent doula baby and also my December doula baby all in one week! That makes for a pretty sweet week!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQWWQRshMWP_ZbKmFgUVqmnLcmsmWgfyPqk275pymf-yBKC_MEaNPsijCeQZUqfWT-2hlmHaKbpkY-uiD4kWN_bOQWjNVXNFPTjvBbXgdsY4Rx6EAMi-86KNdEhjJf7-oc1yIvUYys5uxjjRNMmH-KkD_ghyoKaRc5eeJ2zo8CLTnZixoE0bA0HJo/s4080/AFA41328-2D77-4123-AC62-1A29D175F658.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZQWWQRshMWP_ZbKmFgUVqmnLcmsmWgfyPqk275pymf-yBKC_MEaNPsijCeQZUqfWT-2hlmHaKbpkY-uiD4kWN_bOQWjNVXNFPTjvBbXgdsY4Rx6EAMi-86KNdEhjJf7-oc1yIvUYys5uxjjRNMmH-KkD_ghyoKaRc5eeJ2zo8CLTnZixoE0bA0HJo/s320/AFA41328-2D77-4123-AC62-1A29D175F658.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxaST5b0UsEkT6uQqdV-IV40QpBkm9UkJL8wQgv-17hpziBrfdONglXqhLKzlWqdTJibaS1ImbTBAiQ61LZLiR3R5OGfjtgGa5u1uzmYQKkJifwMMeaZXuaqwxxYVZGrgYv6nlAzHKnD0PEcC8oP6cxgM-_BoHGK03Szg1OZUWSLMeIQdvtaPKJA0/s4080/6EDB5FBF-6C1F-4E1E-B717-BC41FCAC13E5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrxaST5b0UsEkT6uQqdV-IV40QpBkm9UkJL8wQgv-17hpziBrfdONglXqhLKzlWqdTJibaS1ImbTBAiQ61LZLiR3R5OGfjtgGa5u1uzmYQKkJifwMMeaZXuaqwxxYVZGrgYv6nlAzHKnD0PEcC8oP6cxgM-_BoHGK03Szg1OZUWSLMeIQdvtaPKJA0/s320/6EDB5FBF-6C1F-4E1E-B717-BC41FCAC13E5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>In addition, it was a "normal" week with lots of Bear and Luca time. Bear came all ready to place this week - even dressed in velcro pants that were perfect for him having loads of fun with the plastic fruits and veggies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrkecaUMMjWZO8krXvGj3juMwhtYEVolBt6GJZzAzAbXlzogyJ75Rh4TokVMthGvGBJDBAN5DPIX09XZMk7jiRRUbGaozVthmOyxms0AEnQwsiQ7tH3D3g6utglCeOJdpskJ2aYPwBMGBin7rqVtmLABHpSp-uGS8EZWkzON-7XL7-0MxhIgLy9D6/s4080/B5A672E0-9D40-44D0-A9A7-E28DAC52D98C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCrkecaUMMjWZO8krXvGj3juMwhtYEVolBt6GJZzAzAbXlzogyJ75Rh4TokVMthGvGBJDBAN5DPIX09XZMk7jiRRUbGaozVthmOyxms0AEnQwsiQ7tH3D3g6utglCeOJdpskJ2aYPwBMGBin7rqVtmLABHpSp-uGS8EZWkzON-7XL7-0MxhIgLy9D6/s320/B5A672E0-9D40-44D0-A9A7-E28DAC52D98C.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With Luca we made play dough this week and it was a big hit! Terah, Alida, Luca and I were in the kitchen making it together and I said, "Now we'll need to decide what color to make it." Without missing a beat, Luca piped up, "Blue" (which sounds a bit more like boo right now). As you can see, we didn't second guess his color choice for a second! It's officially his birthday week! We had fun kicking off the birthday celebrations with their family last evening (complete with a dance party and a soft block battle). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oerDJFCjmGGf2UsdzB-XowGJUFCuNpbLjDr3YaYjwPcmsEogIwK4KWo7mxttUP0iX34HuJYnclZqitAqSGWDx-CIN0YvVm_B_yceIEKrIIenBvHAZVAA02PMb-Ez9ypo4pBoruf9tq4Wrxubp-ZHsGs8CawO4ylRM5W6W-3hpLt7Zoc353qMkKkj/s4080/5ED7B49E-A1AB-4831-B5E3-B3F447CD8B18.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1oerDJFCjmGGf2UsdzB-XowGJUFCuNpbLjDr3YaYjwPcmsEogIwK4KWo7mxttUP0iX34HuJYnclZqitAqSGWDx-CIN0YvVm_B_yceIEKrIIenBvHAZVAA02PMb-Ez9ypo4pBoruf9tq4Wrxubp-ZHsGs8CawO4ylRM5W6W-3hpLt7Zoc353qMkKkj/s320/5ED7B49E-A1AB-4831-B5E3-B3F447CD8B18.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzBY6_iBhOSvgkPNRYRtw6dnw7wGW7il_XG0DIgcfhM-3-euwnU7JzXtcV0ZSWmn2Lx9VjQfV4ogh6whZBoP1XX7H0nenm-zGAegyikcbB1xJ8nqdgiEorDA695yOgrNWSCLgVpk2T3eyILhFB2LrFmS-FztincUDyd67ARAnLCEC0crmTtxXj0K3/s4080/E6A6E033-7A52-4F83-9992-4D05BB359439.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXzBY6_iBhOSvgkPNRYRtw6dnw7wGW7il_XG0DIgcfhM-3-euwnU7JzXtcV0ZSWmn2Lx9VjQfV4ogh6whZBoP1XX7H0nenm-zGAegyikcbB1xJ8nqdgiEorDA695yOgrNWSCLgVpk2T3eyILhFB2LrFmS-FztincUDyd67ARAnLCEC0crmTtxXj0K3/w200-h151/E6A6E033-7A52-4F83-9992-4D05BB359439.jpeg" width="200" /></a>The night before we got to have a little belated 79th birthday celebration for my mom. Alida and I tried to make enough for both birthday celebrations; wemostly succeeded (just needed to fry a fresh batch of cheese and make more roti last evening). We used some of the only peas we froze this past year and the last of our black-eyed peas. It was a special meal to make, especially because Alida and I worked on a lot of it together AND because I'm so glad to be celebrating my mom embarking on her 80th year of life! I know it feels like a big gift to her also to have had these 20 years post-transplant to experience life with all of us!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mom and Dad just took off for a few weeks in Florida visiting my sister and sister-in-law there. We'll miss them but are so glad they are able to enjoy a long stint there with them. We hope to have a few visitors create more memories with us here in their absence. The first batch of chicks will hatch before they return and, fingers crossed, the bike shed will be DONE!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yMtkbYJs54ZX0AbGvArxs65GF5lNdqvuUa_5O5MC80j83P7MGA0aL62ZgoTIaOYqKr64Rq4FkJTqnMEk0t8er1NCdxgvkx4vD34trHDtrin2pt0We7tkIX4ZcrgkC2EeaiKf7LrG7Jo4LSadZm0cPxJjiax29IIoLTv0yR_VB8hFfXIeITbFjz8q/s4080/391053F2-5E4B-426E-B138-BEE9F74FB374.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-yMtkbYJs54ZX0AbGvArxs65GF5lNdqvuUa_5O5MC80j83P7MGA0aL62ZgoTIaOYqKr64Rq4FkJTqnMEk0t8er1NCdxgvkx4vD34trHDtrin2pt0We7tkIX4ZcrgkC2EeaiKf7LrG7Jo4LSadZm0cPxJjiax29IIoLTv0yR_VB8hFfXIeITbFjz8q/s320/391053F2-5E4B-426E-B138-BEE9F74FB374.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-58826119030211361142024-02-19T08:10:00.000-08:002024-02-19T08:10:04.901-08:00Procrastination post...North Carolina get away! I'm writing just shy of the two week mark this time around. I'm feeling particularly motivated because writing here gives me the feeling of doing something worthwhile AND helps me avoid the dreaded table in the back kitchen just a bit longer. The dregs of the kitchen deep clean are there waiting for me. Blog updating is the last thing between me and that job. We've shifted things around for our family work day today and all will be doing a variety of home/farm tasks but not all together, giving me a precious chunk of time to dedicate to going through piles of stuff. Can you see why I'm looking for alternatives??<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6NSP6FxD5h5jEZt11tJ-pmKKnsbIgk4obPOzLf6ZsUbXP43QzRPyODdBHpw8S3eV3_qw-2JIno6aeqb1E1LDtpT3rJ9WXtj6pENTOi5LV_ZFgJcaR9qI4JueWkQhB3GUvyG9j3gDEe9SRQT2eOP_ugTeVhydC-H8oWS5Kx83Wy28HrTyZvYsT6sv/s2320/6E4AF8C3-30BD-45A0-8B54-CC2DFDB69474.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP6NSP6FxD5h5jEZt11tJ-pmKKnsbIgk4obPOzLf6ZsUbXP43QzRPyODdBHpw8S3eV3_qw-2JIno6aeqb1E1LDtpT3rJ9WXtj6pENTOi5LV_ZFgJcaR9qI4JueWkQhB3GUvyG9j3gDEe9SRQT2eOP_ugTeVhydC-H8oWS5Kx83Wy28HrTyZvYsT6sv/w200-h150/6E4AF8C3-30BD-45A0-8B54-CC2DFDB69474.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Alida, Terah and my time in North Carolina was all we were hoping it would be. It was full of fun, relaxation, sweet times of connection, seeing beautiful things in the area where they live, many conversations, learning how to do new things, and much more! I had joked with Colette that if I ever came to visit her, I would prove that I was actually quite good at doing very little when given the opportunity. Picking up a new romance novel from our local library to take along was a perfect aid in me proving how I could lay on the couch for hours on end! Unlike when I'm at home, the kids weren't bothered at all by me checking out as they were paying very little attention to me anyway!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVNxES1XCJ2BFXvsACX50ukUcCEovLWlEjrggUo-6sVubfgkAjG0Sp6aE6X75KT_OmdV6aVhseLxcgroLyM5W-ougPo_SF3uSBjWnqDtLQ5YRCsH34Mt7Hd_KT8qpmfiKdW3ZOs4Ct9dN8FGSOFiGrY0Pj33KZ9o6bm7DLygT5SNc6P-7oPUMmAc6/s2320/63171D4B-3579-4F0A-81D3-487DECC19228.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVNxES1XCJ2BFXvsACX50ukUcCEovLWlEjrggUo-6sVubfgkAjG0Sp6aE6X75KT_OmdV6aVhseLxcgroLyM5W-ougPo_SF3uSBjWnqDtLQ5YRCsH34Mt7Hd_KT8qpmfiKdW3ZOs4Ct9dN8FGSOFiGrY0Pj33KZ9o6bm7DLygT5SNc6P-7oPUMmAc6/s320/63171D4B-3579-4F0A-81D3-487DECC19228.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div>Colette and I share a lot of things in common, even beyond family heritage and history. Three of the many things that give us fodder for our conversations are that we are both doulas (me mostly birth and her postpartum), we both live in intergenerational households, and we are both navigating parenting and unschooling. </div><div><br /></div><div>This is their sweet home along a little creek where she lives with her spouse, his mother, and their son. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIYaqfu-pS-ZTvGJDPpmAipogt9pnYq-4wc_ifomxfwu0XB9tvaJQEm1YXBREJtoJh_xatO2WFix9qn_w2i-uMVgh58J-UYBE4X-zCMsPF4aZMZZedPMOLt5cP0WNBG5_63cNAVs_LoevaIt9k7vosBchAzTvZu_gYWQzaG09U_4BYZFD-cB0p5Ho/s4080/FE63ED85-74B4-4CA4-8B09-55686F26F457.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwIYaqfu-pS-ZTvGJDPpmAipogt9pnYq-4wc_ifomxfwu0XB9tvaJQEm1YXBREJtoJh_xatO2WFix9qn_w2i-uMVgh58J-UYBE4X-zCMsPF4aZMZZedPMOLt5cP0WNBG5_63cNAVs_LoevaIt9k7vosBchAzTvZu_gYWQzaG09U_4BYZFD-cB0p5Ho/s320/FE63ED85-74B4-4CA4-8B09-55686F26F457.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Up the lane is the workshop where we stayed in the guest quarters on the upper level. And then beyond that up by the road is where Colette's parents live (her dad is my mom's first cousin). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtuxHAfZjUhdwX7feFe5JahecWW3OLezFvly_YAV4xWmM9ht_hfZukc2Tu71TYwyLyG7IX44FhxuGEtKgchTYw-vPHAR74aKQP0DYcV4VdpdrNpH1TA9TvN6GZEVz0e88qHkMtmnTLwkDN8M6SFG20e_EpCaCNRVLPPwS55s6hLvwmEyzzfhpQpld/s4080/E6B2FCD7-A257-4117-851F-3043C8E75361.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhtuxHAfZjUhdwX7feFe5JahecWW3OLezFvly_YAV4xWmM9ht_hfZukc2Tu71TYwyLyG7IX44FhxuGEtKgchTYw-vPHAR74aKQP0DYcV4VdpdrNpH1TA9TvN6GZEVz0e88qHkMtmnTLwkDN8M6SFG20e_EpCaCNRVLPPwS55s6hLvwmEyzzfhpQpld/s320/E6B2FCD7-A257-4117-851F-3043C8E75361.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were very cozy in our roomy accommodations and without the sounds of people up and about in the morning, I found it very easy to follow our late nights with late risings (often being in bed until nearly 9 a.m.!). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNssCSIy1Qkyp-MrjmztdVl0rQyRHCwzJMgk3EkTIjzKOf-w2uv3I_YrzhMfjq8YhmCiFFTWAa9cimEdtxI4h-YBAYz2N1OMioOJgTcdm8t9BvCpFXfQtqT4q8BfPh6jcAYg8yN85DdR3xCQf98llFyVV5u_2QIAZvxqaBVgo0IhyGCrdvxCKFjQpo/s4080/2788E691-6122-4446-BA9F-2C221956ADDE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNssCSIy1Qkyp-MrjmztdVl0rQyRHCwzJMgk3EkTIjzKOf-w2uv3I_YrzhMfjq8YhmCiFFTWAa9cimEdtxI4h-YBAYz2N1OMioOJgTcdm8t9BvCpFXfQtqT4q8BfPh6jcAYg8yN85DdR3xCQf98llFyVV5u_2QIAZvxqaBVgo0IhyGCrdvxCKFjQpo/s320/2788E691-6122-4446-BA9F-2C221956ADDE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The days were full of endless fun, new discoveries, creative play, and for me substantial lounging! Terah enjoyed a ride on the go-cart with Birch but wasn't quite ready to drive on her own. Alida took a few spins!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWEXeVCL_5C094De1WPWj-Oy8LE8aPOCGHImAlKuQIpMlFZjTyBavhu4CwlHEyHZsFFLpPKyJyJjROI1yn3Lfo2KQp8t3LV-pp1tvGNTv5p-ox6PGPsG5mpLmViELNejgpOSPLcWeGDyOymuqsvkimXdD5FiqxskejCV0P528p4ZAZWwn21ZY_z3j/s4080/90B44337-30ED-44F4-8E41-3A7DEFE6CC80.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWEXeVCL_5C094De1WPWj-Oy8LE8aPOCGHImAlKuQIpMlFZjTyBavhu4CwlHEyHZsFFLpPKyJyJjROI1yn3Lfo2KQp8t3LV-pp1tvGNTv5p-ox6PGPsG5mpLmViELNejgpOSPLcWeGDyOymuqsvkimXdD5FiqxskejCV0P528p4ZAZWwn21ZY_z3j/s320/90B44337-30ED-44F4-8E41-3A7DEFE6CC80.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmxXogE6yJ250kanJod8RNkbFf2ScPM4jY64fS4IbCyTBLyQlUO2VzQbuLneacsllETFrZOLDBxflhRuGJxpREcTSdfP9uTg6vySwQ5-ZXjzQJidp6CqTdjkNc8HospeANqMHTJcFVneNAIHpT4VS77JqoDORDr11_cTH7SWMcl_xmKKyDzhf0LSf/s4080/1C09CC31-30AE-42F2-9A3A-87DBA2F1B8B5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrmxXogE6yJ250kanJod8RNkbFf2ScPM4jY64fS4IbCyTBLyQlUO2VzQbuLneacsllETFrZOLDBxflhRuGJxpREcTSdfP9uTg6vySwQ5-ZXjzQJidp6CqTdjkNc8HospeANqMHTJcFVneNAIHpT4VS77JqoDORDr11_cTH7SWMcl_xmKKyDzhf0LSf/s320/1C09CC31-30AE-42F2-9A3A-87DBA2F1B8B5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was a lot of times when the moms were forbidden from entering the kid zone. They were working on various shows - both trampoline and magic shows that we got to enjoy during our stay.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H8u8cXa2CH8_908t_Jk3D-kTCejDtmVBO26W6pzXq-oeWKJw2QnyGerq_L821UQPwl1oiIB0qVSp9A0AbAY04G-AcNnXek161xiNVIS0qOqCcItj3hpHM-3QdZ8mtAY5m1oEREgxWFt-FHipXsvw7J21od4SVbScWWbkFb7XpzW8gQ35Qv6V27cL/s4080/7DFE9349-FB0F-4ECE-A067-C687F9F22EE1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H8u8cXa2CH8_908t_Jk3D-kTCejDtmVBO26W6pzXq-oeWKJw2QnyGerq_L821UQPwl1oiIB0qVSp9A0AbAY04G-AcNnXek161xiNVIS0qOqCcItj3hpHM-3QdZ8mtAY5m1oEREgxWFt-FHipXsvw7J21od4SVbScWWbkFb7XpzW8gQ35Qv6V27cL/s320/7DFE9349-FB0F-4ECE-A067-C687F9F22EE1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkehMcF2824hx_0A-O6Qzc2fcTfdGh8ESP73Kpby8wtLFVS3JzrcG1dQy-j_fZOdeXMEe-PWBbiOxGIVIKkqzsTXC2uggnkNSy3btdhCngBzFV1TtGM5jbYfwgmeAvyKGtthWRfbvCWHicDFvoC_Dauw6ElZ7SuYjqev-im7b-GEzZxVq3N6l0EdGn/s4080/83934DC6-5E42-4559-A1F2-85707D7C082A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkehMcF2824hx_0A-O6Qzc2fcTfdGh8ESP73Kpby8wtLFVS3JzrcG1dQy-j_fZOdeXMEe-PWBbiOxGIVIKkqzsTXC2uggnkNSy3btdhCngBzFV1TtGM5jbYfwgmeAvyKGtthWRfbvCWHicDFvoC_Dauw6ElZ7SuYjqev-im7b-GEzZxVq3N6l0EdGn/s320/83934DC6-5E42-4559-A1F2-85707D7C082A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-Vwt3DAW9tu7JwpyMsxkjFNoVrYF4AgOfQqs4uTJZmKzb2Dbb_1AuTxl29CrW0thJFaORHU52aBBcu05GcPApvgO5updlZWleFOj4oJmFKnVKRMxE3tOdW5ku6c50Gh7LYLwZLoU2jV9n45bhF3W9kWIrkkeCrUw4ymBZ6RA6MDlf_UILFMXTRIw/s4080/8F2B3367-3958-402D-B554-63B25F248A01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji-Vwt3DAW9tu7JwpyMsxkjFNoVrYF4AgOfQqs4uTJZmKzb2Dbb_1AuTxl29CrW0thJFaORHU52aBBcu05GcPApvgO5updlZWleFOj4oJmFKnVKRMxE3tOdW5ku6c50Gh7LYLwZLoU2jV9n45bhF3W9kWIrkkeCrUw4ymBZ6RA6MDlf_UILFMXTRIw/s320/8F2B3367-3958-402D-B554-63B25F248A01.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The kids learned to make gummies and also homemade paper. Both were fun, but Alida especially is VERY eager to get set up to be able to make paper here at home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHDmLjQgEs-OZm3Ton4Iv-1Pz8MaLj-6dzq9Q_VGN4-ktfg9ZZuGQZ0g4igUimZVjITOEKv8aJsueW1m5rrGqpN9XOeQcSnjpdnphdzWzN13Zc6ZBCVpQCO9ISBu8GH_EYIAolO-BHre37R4JM-trpilO4xJpqTtjsI-3mb3K4MO_P8hyphenhyphenKAvgxcT5/s4080/65649BA2-EDE7-4719-B7A8-27716C77BB46.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfHDmLjQgEs-OZm3Ton4Iv-1Pz8MaLj-6dzq9Q_VGN4-ktfg9ZZuGQZ0g4igUimZVjITOEKv8aJsueW1m5rrGqpN9XOeQcSnjpdnphdzWzN13Zc6ZBCVpQCO9ISBu8GH_EYIAolO-BHre37R4JM-trpilO4xJpqTtjsI-3mb3K4MO_P8hyphenhyphenKAvgxcT5/s320/65649BA2-EDE7-4719-B7A8-27716C77BB46.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ftlNgmBaMEI2jLwCe_n5RA9VVYLHTtDucgViMtD7k9e5cmuoQUt3hrcxe-LIM6E02trIeFZxwrCDJ5Xqo6UmPJo3YcrC8XbKzU5dUlcYF0QDMs3cOdVqG_EWR1ebsTZih5R-3KhOjOj_xSUng6sJLOYs1dFZ8-2Gwr29Rxi_nTg1CDIHD-XpGpeX/s4080/9DF07624-19F6-482A-AC26-B0356C45D5B5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ftlNgmBaMEI2jLwCe_n5RA9VVYLHTtDucgViMtD7k9e5cmuoQUt3hrcxe-LIM6E02trIeFZxwrCDJ5Xqo6UmPJo3YcrC8XbKzU5dUlcYF0QDMs3cOdVqG_EWR1ebsTZih5R-3KhOjOj_xSUng6sJLOYs1dFZ8-2Gwr29Rxi_nTg1CDIHD-XpGpeX/s320/9DF07624-19F6-482A-AC26-B0356C45D5B5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IpPvO_qhXsqZDdO_67N-CL01gc_KUhO2HaY2Dga4_Ni5nhVyh9f5EqJI5gFVjwpQwne6ASu2FHHaxVEBIUZhnc42B4bj4eL_CHnB8vGBrdvMqi9WuS3KfLJ-LUKFbVrXmvxrEqadvFoo0HH1Dy3C8rtQRuX3NFbT0iwKmiOpeT_qVIpeUR3_ZscW/s4080/C92CC069-875C-4682-BFCA-70B698047D0F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3IpPvO_qhXsqZDdO_67N-CL01gc_KUhO2HaY2Dga4_Ni5nhVyh9f5EqJI5gFVjwpQwne6ASu2FHHaxVEBIUZhnc42B4bj4eL_CHnB8vGBrdvMqi9WuS3KfLJ-LUKFbVrXmvxrEqadvFoo0HH1Dy3C8rtQRuX3NFbT0iwKmiOpeT_qVIpeUR3_ZscW/s320/C92CC069-875C-4682-BFCA-70B698047D0F.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Their imagination was endless, including making up a way to play soccer indoors on a white board.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl5QAYemAzDS0yAwnuemhbTToB3PefmutrbU0M2_F6WJyUiMQ8XFmVRGacuADZjztvqaoQwO8PPWuJUESjw2WsPYaOP2HJEtzesr9gdBQ1AWLMpkwg5YLA9Q52XJqms_p63cMFf42cgCBy_oW8bXLaND9JK6MraImoHc63SREyD26g5eMC6L7Lz87/s4080/E7C0F3AB-0231-4BF2-A39A-4C47ABE40AA0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl5QAYemAzDS0yAwnuemhbTToB3PefmutrbU0M2_F6WJyUiMQ8XFmVRGacuADZjztvqaoQwO8PPWuJUESjw2WsPYaOP2HJEtzesr9gdBQ1AWLMpkwg5YLA9Q52XJqms_p63cMFf42cgCBy_oW8bXLaND9JK6MraImoHc63SREyD26g5eMC6L7Lz87/s320/E7C0F3AB-0231-4BF2-A39A-4C47ABE40AA0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was so much fun to be had right around their home that it took a bit of convincing to go beyond the bounds of their land. That said, I think our bike ride around the lake by their home and an outing to see Triple Falls was among the highlights of our visit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysNJI55vQsY_oeZFrQ_FViKw8Bzqx6imv1Td_dvSwP-dgC1-bA-n_5KNp0bTt2xTwV3zDwoGoF8LirnkDr5o_uHMxWEB4smk83mpYCAiliY40txLWhUoMDMD6DAGMvQVgkG7WWtpSEBVhini8BzTdbz_tr9eL3jZ0Msz9CeiR0FYdPREdtJ4gPKt8/s2320/AC814230-BBB8-404A-B67C-91BC2614006D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysNJI55vQsY_oeZFrQ_FViKw8Bzqx6imv1Td_dvSwP-dgC1-bA-n_5KNp0bTt2xTwV3zDwoGoF8LirnkDr5o_uHMxWEB4smk83mpYCAiliY40txLWhUoMDMD6DAGMvQVgkG7WWtpSEBVhini8BzTdbz_tr9eL3jZ0Msz9CeiR0FYdPREdtJ4gPKt8/s320/AC814230-BBB8-404A-B67C-91BC2614006D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3sacgQs23_irUopAnJYgHono6sJPW_nxdgvgllw1243WVCJelGwTAdHuaw0kdfCMkVkcZSx_U8V5FC8EwtqFuVaYaAfhT6kdvzYoayI3lbBNAAAnU3MV9Nq50gxsUc3tHdADvaAuHeO-SjoKOvvo1t6CGaLl4nFDXz1TxsdrbcFI2wwtX75I-W27/s4080/4A230357-F846-45F2-83F7-29E7126F6D6F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3sacgQs23_irUopAnJYgHono6sJPW_nxdgvgllw1243WVCJelGwTAdHuaw0kdfCMkVkcZSx_U8V5FC8EwtqFuVaYaAfhT6kdvzYoayI3lbBNAAAnU3MV9Nq50gxsUc3tHdADvaAuHeO-SjoKOvvo1t6CGaLl4nFDXz1TxsdrbcFI2wwtX75I-W27/s320/4A230357-F846-45F2-83F7-29E7126F6D6F.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKO-ykEK2UfatkUvJjGEj5CvqnP730uEvHxBP7PshAKmxvxhIdq__PQfVHx7t3omSOBtU0ORzASrhnx1GxSyYHLl52Za6w68Zu83c3hyZGWONfOTsHwIk1YJZUmM_8zNXpp4KPgvMhDqEGMpui6AKpCXps0sTkq7s29E1XtyupJ4KDtW7zmwj00CBP/s4080/7D9D0FDE-CFFE-4444-A59B-CD4387BFBD0D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKO-ykEK2UfatkUvJjGEj5CvqnP730uEvHxBP7PshAKmxvxhIdq__PQfVHx7t3omSOBtU0ORzASrhnx1GxSyYHLl52Za6w68Zu83c3hyZGWONfOTsHwIk1YJZUmM_8zNXpp4KPgvMhDqEGMpui6AKpCXps0sTkq7s29E1XtyupJ4KDtW7zmwj00CBP/s320/7D9D0FDE-CFFE-4444-A59B-CD4387BFBD0D.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJl9C3d7r7sggd1E1pRLdMG_w1hyphenhyphenWQUw7GC7OM35Gf1GF9sfGemzekwOpD2ukHTlEk0FGctNUIxvqxnE-r2q3rHXV0qlIkK3zHtIc9ykqzyOG6xZcIRuEaF8EAYCAip_Jdh_PCJvDjGtm1MjU_30F85fPQwkO1Qcgy8a9MC9zos8NiV6ohNcTbYsV/s4080/32740EA0-E1A4-4E2B-A09A-478A04F94782.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJl9C3d7r7sggd1E1pRLdMG_w1hyphenhyphenWQUw7GC7OM35Gf1GF9sfGemzekwOpD2ukHTlEk0FGctNUIxvqxnE-r2q3rHXV0qlIkK3zHtIc9ykqzyOG6xZcIRuEaF8EAYCAip_Jdh_PCJvDjGtm1MjU_30F85fPQwkO1Qcgy8a9MC9zos8NiV6ohNcTbYsV/s320/32740EA0-E1A4-4E2B-A09A-478A04F94782.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l-w7is4mqiEEAIQbfcpzv4PB_poYIaoixlYIuH2NKPJs37xAJL2kAySr9fcQcoMSGxwt5zeWc4OsnjIWqveO_c4zBXXKUu0FMWlIasZMBs4-8sVTgOuqfoA6ZF9o7VLXROU9CpyRCFQaW1AGOmDATK4VwlbVAsqwh5ws2L6zZAAWOmhUBzVVE2ws/s2320/53783C1F-E36C-4D6D-8D4B-325D54C8DC24.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-l-w7is4mqiEEAIQbfcpzv4PB_poYIaoixlYIuH2NKPJs37xAJL2kAySr9fcQcoMSGxwt5zeWc4OsnjIWqveO_c4zBXXKUu0FMWlIasZMBs4-8sVTgOuqfoA6ZF9o7VLXROU9CpyRCFQaW1AGOmDATK4VwlbVAsqwh5ws2L6zZAAWOmhUBzVVE2ws/s320/53783C1F-E36C-4D6D-8D4B-325D54C8DC24.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaqA0LrkOrPDIuImGzDET_HGWXR3FJnSsfnu4ruqJ6OHmWksCX9Oc3dNpba9w_XL5TJUk_hd1rs0Y_hmFtkW2iJ6dYdrgIXQn4Su41-s4MG6vsExajC0-7ShWOtbqVtRX3J6K8XHJ_kPJ48z14bRmT3SH1O14WoEhJT9F0xK8D0pOClMnpqR6ksWf/s4080/053938B5-AF9C-40EE-8BF1-2A2A2F307D32.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqaqA0LrkOrPDIuImGzDET_HGWXR3FJnSsfnu4ruqJ6OHmWksCX9Oc3dNpba9w_XL5TJUk_hd1rs0Y_hmFtkW2iJ6dYdrgIXQn4Su41-s4MG6vsExajC0-7ShWOtbqVtRX3J6K8XHJ_kPJ48z14bRmT3SH1O14WoEhJT9F0xK8D0pOClMnpqR6ksWf/s320/053938B5-AF9C-40EE-8BF1-2A2A2F307D32.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were hosted so graciously and generously and were fed so much delicious food! We ate some meals in both homes, contributing very little to the work of the food we savored. One night we made soft pretzels all together. I love observing how a different household operates because it nets me new tips or things I want to try. Yesterday I baked our bacon for the first time and I'm converted - less messy and turns out equally delicious!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKslDtH5PjWHl3zANiKNtuT2_qaQNkm2T1B1CHdqkdqgtxFC6lQkvkmoqCu7DNm7iBkHtYPKAgfjv8Ae4dyA_zsOqL7EkvMw9ugMUmEi1y37I-6PJhp1plw0N7k7nvUVFYwMtQ4sslPx1cW5FUfWm0VXlKuneH-LzxYVYmMYhWwcs52WcjkipkNzO/s4080/A114B930-A53F-4F2B-8352-250B48F5ED03.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKslDtH5PjWHl3zANiKNtuT2_qaQNkm2T1B1CHdqkdqgtxFC6lQkvkmoqCu7DNm7iBkHtYPKAgfjv8Ae4dyA_zsOqL7EkvMw9ugMUmEi1y37I-6PJhp1plw0N7k7nvUVFYwMtQ4sslPx1cW5FUfWm0VXlKuneH-LzxYVYmMYhWwcs52WcjkipkNzO/s320/A114B930-A53F-4F2B-8352-250B48F5ED03.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zOPV-BnyoLBm0EQvCilB_JMUXZvqaPUi6q2GkiY_apJEznGo0_LPP8yRTHuyV55PL9quXnhInXzWyI8OU_dWLPKbEy_wcdNdLP6QIYDnIhszU0SGHA9XXhicWwBQmeii_jOHEOLFo7H2ipGBL3X2A5Bpvqrs1ZjPMoKQWnf3CXJ0xt8LWvfoPYRo/s4080/19CEE07F-7D3F-47E6-8999-C6F443622547.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zOPV-BnyoLBm0EQvCilB_JMUXZvqaPUi6q2GkiY_apJEznGo0_LPP8yRTHuyV55PL9quXnhInXzWyI8OU_dWLPKbEy_wcdNdLP6QIYDnIhszU0SGHA9XXhicWwBQmeii_jOHEOLFo7H2ipGBL3X2A5Bpvqrs1ZjPMoKQWnf3CXJ0xt8LWvfoPYRo/s320/19CEE07F-7D3F-47E6-8999-C6F443622547.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdsrL0Obhkxm8fY3pJRpxCCHNx-LcYE12vI396wQj1mSNLg7BgzDzj_caIliFdIFSDfHEbwPjEKKuOHnoLOkozPVm8Lo8-K78ZGC8Os44r-OoResx7-bNzeq3l5N3KT-DD3jENopc3hcCpPhM1iYSjzC-vIXVf-Rps1yJIIKhaOpFkPn2nuJ3sa_W/s4080/B0B7CC60-1919-4BD8-AE8C-0BC7D2C3EF9A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZdsrL0Obhkxm8fY3pJRpxCCHNx-LcYE12vI396wQj1mSNLg7BgzDzj_caIliFdIFSDfHEbwPjEKKuOHnoLOkozPVm8Lo8-K78ZGC8Os44r-OoResx7-bNzeq3l5N3KT-DD3jENopc3hcCpPhM1iYSjzC-vIXVf-Rps1yJIIKhaOpFkPn2nuJ3sa_W/s320/B0B7CC60-1919-4BD8-AE8C-0BC7D2C3EF9A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In addition to all the fun human interactions, we also enjoyed meeting their cat Willie and I got some good kitty snuggles in one evening when Colette and I sat by an outdoor fire chatting.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxGNH90qMxuXxvicasmDiD2NntDJRVyDc85tsG55SPc4atdTnSHZRTTvkNj6sXMMGXSNBj2fod1nDoUPKhsNfAorZGxa4V43gYhqZl1vr1e_3_Ob-Es7BvEzW90204Zgql2nWRcGSGmqkifFVdRoN2Tmf5z0cjPbuq-Xd01V5PzoUyYEPQFCCerOO/s4080/FE22E1ED-0223-4A77-BD76-60BF5CF98868.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIxGNH90qMxuXxvicasmDiD2NntDJRVyDc85tsG55SPc4atdTnSHZRTTvkNj6sXMMGXSNBj2fod1nDoUPKhsNfAorZGxa4V43gYhqZl1vr1e_3_Ob-Es7BvEzW90204Zgql2nWRcGSGmqkifFVdRoN2Tmf5z0cjPbuq-Xd01V5PzoUyYEPQFCCerOO/s320/FE22E1ED-0223-4A77-BD76-60BF5CF98868.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zkoQinpE5-2B5QKv9hph9nj6TAU1UiwjpZ1afBzp7VTwYP-d3048tT1TtL4Es3hgc_QZOA7Z2wBn-YR049uTXqdvGs7B8eWosJ9tP0o1TQ5nsHjzBWVmieetnsBzjfBV0RHAMujESKCfUHX-b52FjwErdpH2eB1vYtMhFAwcUv1VdpGSWwKHRERo/s4080/5590FF90-DFC5-480D-8B98-7EC1FF0582E6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3zkoQinpE5-2B5QKv9hph9nj6TAU1UiwjpZ1afBzp7VTwYP-d3048tT1TtL4Es3hgc_QZOA7Z2wBn-YR049uTXqdvGs7B8eWosJ9tP0o1TQ5nsHjzBWVmieetnsBzjfBV0RHAMujESKCfUHX-b52FjwErdpH2eB1vYtMhFAwcUv1VdpGSWwKHRERo/w200-h151/5590FF90-DFC5-480D-8B98-7EC1FF0582E6.jpeg" width="200" /></a>The visit went fast and we are already dreaming of the next time (especially ways to get these three kiddos together for long blocks more regularly!). We thoroughly enjoyed the adventure away from home and Kali and Jason seemed to soak up the quiet for a few days. That said, I think we were all very ready to be back together again. I was pining for home by the time Saturday rolled around. It's a good feeling to love the place you call home and to be eager to return to it and the people there, even from a place where you were enjoying yourself so thoroughly! </div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-6330496810756811102024-02-07T19:40:00.000-08:002024-02-07T19:40:16.871-08:00A Post from North Carolina!<div>I'm at the two week mark again! And this time writing from the cozy living room of my second cousin's home! Alida, Terah and I embarked on our first ever road trip just the three of us yesterday. Jason chuckled as he remarked that the two chill family members were staying at home. I imagine things are pretty calm at Tangly Woods!!</div><div><br /></div><div>I'll share more about our time here in a future post, but here's some highlights from the end of January and beginning of February.</div><i><div><i><br /></i></div> Thursday, January</i> 25 - We had our first "Family Fun night!" And it appears that I didn't take a single photo (so I must have been very present just having fun)! Alida had brought the idea to a family meeting and it was approved unanimously to set aside one evening every other week to just enjoy each other's company. I know that some games and homemade soft pretzels were involved, but all the other specifics are fading into the background. What remains is that it was a hit and everyone is glad we are setting aside that time together on a regular basis. <div><br /></div><div><i>Friday, January 26</i> - Our "prepare yourself for the deep clean" day! I took before-photos and wondered if I'd get called to a birth right in the middle of the process (which Alida was sure could not be done without me!). I, for better or for worse, was able to get in on the whole process! I'm putting the before and after shots right next to each other here. As you can see, we did some rearranging:</div><div><br /></div><div>Corner 1:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcP57x1tRGukGMH0_0VpDWQWckL4eLdmJr03c2T-v2A53V-3-THuhv9zsDpenaED5PMXc0Q8cAjsdgW9QE2liuq_oxJXNeWm2i6QfzhJuWA7ZJ-tmoneKEaE3D1Qs3WF8sI2sy-GUhQu4d0OVO-2Y4YAKdN5SsYHTppzAa1oTcsODivLiGJ13Zeq_N/s4080/2B717C85-0718-4D85-8336-91801A92CC85.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcP57x1tRGukGMH0_0VpDWQWckL4eLdmJr03c2T-v2A53V-3-THuhv9zsDpenaED5PMXc0Q8cAjsdgW9QE2liuq_oxJXNeWm2i6QfzhJuWA7ZJ-tmoneKEaE3D1Qs3WF8sI2sy-GUhQu4d0OVO-2Y4YAKdN5SsYHTppzAa1oTcsODivLiGJ13Zeq_N/s320/2B717C85-0718-4D85-8336-91801A92CC85.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2D4U0f3ROKMYlUx1_CoZN8oY8BmIVsLcLVrmnviZshcOkViIRjBBAo7a2btUjDVKiXaHvUkW_BJhwd69lB4nq2Xi7MQ7uoLbC7dKoeN6xK-SVa5bPZRisf2kdO-0MYnn2yG0DdxqHmcizEAPaHLNsUTBbhC85hicBYDUyFb5Q9ck-GH8FfsDnAfhp/s4080/E87A386C-EA04-4C37-8F60-60B8C7754756.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2D4U0f3ROKMYlUx1_CoZN8oY8BmIVsLcLVrmnviZshcOkViIRjBBAo7a2btUjDVKiXaHvUkW_BJhwd69lB4nq2Xi7MQ7uoLbC7dKoeN6xK-SVa5bPZRisf2kdO-0MYnn2yG0DdxqHmcizEAPaHLNsUTBbhC85hicBYDUyFb5Q9ck-GH8FfsDnAfhp/s320/E87A386C-EA04-4C37-8F60-60B8C7754756.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Corner 2:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDwtKg_TrmXQgE3Q7ZgpfDG71YPNWYmgMaabhZ1y8ItJQ5QgOrEZaVCoAiERumm97RRc_rI-4U-sWSgUWu3qqgPVtCCoTg3aARLGR0mcuCnyQU3u_GrKM4JU6X8VJkWKZ7-uOG_oZe7_U30RbflsdK05fXe3dlXruEUYWwHAOSAM00YrdAxLC9lMj/s4080/7E64308F-95ED-4E1D-934F-79452D0B0BF1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmDwtKg_TrmXQgE3Q7ZgpfDG71YPNWYmgMaabhZ1y8ItJQ5QgOrEZaVCoAiERumm97RRc_rI-4U-sWSgUWu3qqgPVtCCoTg3aARLGR0mcuCnyQU3u_GrKM4JU6X8VJkWKZ7-uOG_oZe7_U30RbflsdK05fXe3dlXruEUYWwHAOSAM00YrdAxLC9lMj/s320/7E64308F-95ED-4E1D-934F-79452D0B0BF1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68Iby1y7jfecYVHgSMK2RT4hbTPTl2VKesBqhOTWzh2NDs5q3ck0XzksIai-H0NZZenjvdy5_m6hXJxq9nNhHR4zhyIvndiSP6NwCjK4IyHjF06X6dJrUgrfH3WdTvQCqUr9zFeQJh12fhERbgI1484Q-5KupN-tGPxF6x6wyPP09P7Y_za8Nnl2H/s4080/E6F9E0C2-D27F-45C0-B141-5ED577BE0D80.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg68Iby1y7jfecYVHgSMK2RT4hbTPTl2VKesBqhOTWzh2NDs5q3ck0XzksIai-H0NZZenjvdy5_m6hXJxq9nNhHR4zhyIvndiSP6NwCjK4IyHjF06X6dJrUgrfH3WdTvQCqUr9zFeQJh12fhERbgI1484Q-5KupN-tGPxF6x6wyPP09P7Y_za8Nnl2H/s320/E6F9E0C2-D27F-45C0-B141-5ED577BE0D80.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Corner 3:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09k01fCdZtcykSHtYX6DF6V5u6-0aEOpha2pM6APOBht_bFgrVCIhHo_vquxo0-jGOKrzeaxC_UqEESddOIkBR-v550BuRQ6NcNNTihaK5xUeI6UKF52AfhKh4nbQyscr6XkY_UCku2ud45Rkgpgw7vB8CQ9dHSXfPSFKo0A2-nh6h6MXb4-7oRT3/s4080/08DA47A3-DA85-47B1-A8F5-58FD529D7155.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh09k01fCdZtcykSHtYX6DF6V5u6-0aEOpha2pM6APOBht_bFgrVCIhHo_vquxo0-jGOKrzeaxC_UqEESddOIkBR-v550BuRQ6NcNNTihaK5xUeI6UKF52AfhKh4nbQyscr6XkY_UCku2ud45Rkgpgw7vB8CQ9dHSXfPSFKo0A2-nh6h6MXb4-7oRT3/s320/08DA47A3-DA85-47B1-A8F5-58FD529D7155.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuhqwEVaCgFhHtHawa4JiuMmgs3A812A-3EF3544E0Wlm8D3K6-CZ0ksBp6zAF4_6n5xDGPfz17ACOqNRsO3y_zuPr6WXT0kIVZlYocWaatmUxRTQvTenqfZn0iP9b_J_F3XhQqycfFC_GZizJm2By6zQ-NwT36AsLWYcL6VijbkrLdfBZG0Ghluy/s4080/57621C9A-2E6B-4D83-8621-9F463ADC23D5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMuhqwEVaCgFhHtHawa4JiuMmgs3A812A-3EF3544E0Wlm8D3K6-CZ0ksBp6zAF4_6n5xDGPfz17ACOqNRsO3y_zuPr6WXT0kIVZlYocWaatmUxRTQvTenqfZn0iP9b_J_F3XhQqycfFC_GZizJm2By6zQ-NwT36AsLWYcL6VijbkrLdfBZG0Ghluy/s320/57621C9A-2E6B-4D83-8621-9F463ADC23D5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Corner 4:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmN6oarZRjLh3FmupgKHOETCjQtLdtw_x5vk68b9YpJpM-P8r5a_ZjayYemgDxCu3NmHwLZL-zS_I-WCB0Nw74Vw-qX9z2ov2_LEFfEzsBLvbDlYvuURJ-WvlVtiXjWlKexr1LWvMQYyI7gL2MEdA3_5Nw5ndNgvLULxLAPbMQ1XxS6cZv0jHwLKnR/s4080/D696A4D2-DF4A-4B63-B6B6-A1CA248FE575.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmN6oarZRjLh3FmupgKHOETCjQtLdtw_x5vk68b9YpJpM-P8r5a_ZjayYemgDxCu3NmHwLZL-zS_I-WCB0Nw74Vw-qX9z2ov2_LEFfEzsBLvbDlYvuURJ-WvlVtiXjWlKexr1LWvMQYyI7gL2MEdA3_5Nw5ndNgvLULxLAPbMQ1XxS6cZv0jHwLKnR/s320/D696A4D2-DF4A-4B63-B6B6-A1CA248FE575.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6p0EhPrGn9P_r5mVCmCm9kA9gENVcr6_9XTzufujchgkB2QkotlBAvR9i2bc_KZa7MnvQ1wwl4efCA96KUeKVVP1Teli57xILaNUHGvRCQO74P20PfBVS5UXr9MeCgL1dEp1KMOZeMypajEY7-TowjtTj4NYpF46UV3S3PO-8Cdd-oPPsf9nxYC7/s4080/E4B76E23-55AD-4F90-909D-5031E3890D26.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy6p0EhPrGn9P_r5mVCmCm9kA9gENVcr6_9XTzufujchgkB2QkotlBAvR9i2bc_KZa7MnvQ1wwl4efCA96KUeKVVP1Teli57xILaNUHGvRCQO74P20PfBVS5UXr9MeCgL1dEp1KMOZeMypajEY7-TowjtTj4NYpF46UV3S3PO-8Cdd-oPPsf9nxYC7/s320/E4B76E23-55AD-4F90-909D-5031E3890D26.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Saturday, January 27</i> - The above pictures were taken multiple days apart and do not capture the endurance it took some of us to get from beginning to end! But, as has always been the case, it felt SO worth it and I'm now itching to do other rooms (not this winter!). Mom graciously helped with the clean out and deep cleaning of the room. That part only took us a number of hours and then the sorting, sorting and sorting began. Understandably, Kali had the most stuff to sort and was tasked with finishing it up in our absence this week!</div><div><br /></div><div>I think we all had our moments in the process, but we did our best to keep it fun and we all love each other just as much at the end as we did at the beginning. And we didn't cut any corners - Kali and I were both using a tweezers at some points to get dust bunnies out of cracks! Kali was the only one that got richer in the process, as she found some money along the way (including a $20 bill in a birthday card she had forgotten to remove when she initially read it). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJySmFYwWbZL4l3Uso7bNXhQ_yV9jjVDp9dP9v1wh-oSsT87d1Ah8pVgQIuvxYsYwCYKSWk4JZgz73diDiinhavUtT9Fh_BLiNKxUTN2iYKMYmKRHfZKOpcT5pn4rClnesRaZdxF1L_GidJHVJ0Po5_8cVvdMZToinoUkd1wWWv6HSmHtpxKwieDIq/s4080/64DAAE71-7938-4F09-BBA6-2E6821A66988.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJySmFYwWbZL4l3Uso7bNXhQ_yV9jjVDp9dP9v1wh-oSsT87d1Ah8pVgQIuvxYsYwCYKSWk4JZgz73diDiinhavUtT9Fh_BLiNKxUTN2iYKMYmKRHfZKOpcT5pn4rClnesRaZdxF1L_GidJHVJ0Po5_8cVvdMZToinoUkd1wWWv6HSmHtpxKwieDIq/s320/64DAAE71-7938-4F09-BBA6-2E6821A66988.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByODhy6cIvt6bpJ_eJQUHi2DAFaE58qmWc9u9pzWHp_7AWP_F-vRLJPXIgM1tJtBqKXsUkcEKxvVdr00wBJUgu71FzduG_U3WzUNjcRZ4Gb255aDjvyw0oZPMKoDM-BVuxL0CaSGiUcBZU7U5eFF42wbrpghsyd5LLlbvCpezZcYLheN6BzQfp_vu/s4080/2110457E-C670-4E70-93E1-FB917EDD02EC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByODhy6cIvt6bpJ_eJQUHi2DAFaE58qmWc9u9pzWHp_7AWP_F-vRLJPXIgM1tJtBqKXsUkcEKxvVdr00wBJUgu71FzduG_U3WzUNjcRZ4Gb255aDjvyw0oZPMKoDM-BVuxL0CaSGiUcBZU7U5eFF42wbrpghsyd5LLlbvCpezZcYLheN6BzQfp_vu/s320/2110457E-C670-4E70-93E1-FB917EDD02EC.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKC2Xs4hL3aaTD4luJIAuqpDFDChJZwPtNYqY_OIvobckHE4yntm1BhTXgokn1a8-tlvfdox1WC0fmYNm62_rF1Lv8raCHPh1RT2j40RWHLY6RDsRtPJCU7LQf6BTzitwDaLpC4livArUh69HmkLUUJ9pyVjNiiDMTjWyV3-Gn2lADZpDzMSXws4Z/s4080/BC623BDF-E27C-41D0-B0FE-A1AC1427FF2F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKC2Xs4hL3aaTD4luJIAuqpDFDChJZwPtNYqY_OIvobckHE4yntm1BhTXgokn1a8-tlvfdox1WC0fmYNm62_rF1Lv8raCHPh1RT2j40RWHLY6RDsRtPJCU7LQf6BTzitwDaLpC4livArUh69HmkLUUJ9pyVjNiiDMTjWyV3-Gn2lADZpDzMSXws4Z/s320/BC623BDF-E27C-41D0-B0FE-A1AC1427FF2F.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGk1WWopeowSMjIhXjUA6PwP8FQN1I536cWPqjB2IDY7umsX6UNPxioz5LZf4qqqnTh69l1VG9CGO8Tgd7A8HkeRP0-n2zSJsbsUVDFK2hAF4NyVTpQs9PCenkYBcyJuWRwd93Lwn9RLX5MwZ3uZfhZpacD0NQTwyKnKePS9NM3IQbDh2bYasejU-T/s4080/EE3ED480-D5A8-4FB9-9AFA-E2F03A6AB7CF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGk1WWopeowSMjIhXjUA6PwP8FQN1I536cWPqjB2IDY7umsX6UNPxioz5LZf4qqqnTh69l1VG9CGO8Tgd7A8HkeRP0-n2zSJsbsUVDFK2hAF4NyVTpQs9PCenkYBcyJuWRwd93Lwn9RLX5MwZ3uZfhZpacD0NQTwyKnKePS9NM3IQbDh2bYasejU-T/s320/EE3ED480-D5A8-4FB9-9AFA-E2F03A6AB7CF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Sunday, January 28</i> - The rain graciously held off until Saturday evening after all the bedding was off the lines. And then it rained and rained! When I looked out in the morning while Jason and the girls were doing chores, I was delighted to see the ducks having a wonderful time in the fire ring! They were so happy!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZItFBtrsgOkNhk8WcnZb7e26qsJ9mj5kf7Q9b10QFdOwxfJv3L02hiEceM9vuzOPZISdATrwLLzcs4qHZhn1tb_UzfnJ5jKstXyqHdD8FiZNE_6LAFWGY_5nykS5xdQD32koJ8TAb6BPoJqr8QMERQ-TB1xnXxkZyeefLEIvXbV5f-X5BtI4ovEb/s4032/E7CD2278-F912-42E3-B156-43851030DD6A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZItFBtrsgOkNhk8WcnZb7e26qsJ9mj5kf7Q9b10QFdOwxfJv3L02hiEceM9vuzOPZISdATrwLLzcs4qHZhn1tb_UzfnJ5jKstXyqHdD8FiZNE_6LAFWGY_5nykS5xdQD32koJ8TAb6BPoJqr8QMERQ-TB1xnXxkZyeefLEIvXbV5f-X5BtI4ovEb/s320/E7CD2278-F912-42E3-B156-43851030DD6A.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div>We enjoyed a belated birthday brunch for Emily at her, Jonas and Ivy's home that day - the weather shooed us inside.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLQMGSeSLGHPsxiR2zBYD1oH5TJYZtUBInSKbbAU6fLkcYTy5BDN0ECubSuxu3pN3yptZ54zNE8w4qG6iXOgs1-FhUvanDoJHznESmCyJbQa7oG9rqu9m9sRTBsgwgIlRFw6MNW9kj7DujWbxEwFrtb5I8IHNblTaCyq07KPDJut57hWTUFJ8uOut/s4080/64CE1804-496C-44A9-BB98-4CF02D8298C2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivLQMGSeSLGHPsxiR2zBYD1oH5TJYZtUBInSKbbAU6fLkcYTy5BDN0ECubSuxu3pN3yptZ54zNE8w4qG6iXOgs1-FhUvanDoJHznESmCyJbQa7oG9rqu9m9sRTBsgwgIlRFw6MNW9kj7DujWbxEwFrtb5I8IHNblTaCyq07KPDJut57hWTUFJ8uOut/s320/64CE1804-496C-44A9-BB98-4CF02D8298C2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Monday, January 29</i> - Jason and I started our day by applying to be part of a Conservation Stewardship Program (another possible funding source for some of the farm/land stuff we are most excited about putting our time and energy into)! We then continued our tradition of Monday family work days - we are doing a much more thorough winter cut back this year since Jason is not on to do it all alone. And I once again am shocking myself by realizing I didn't take a single photo of that days' projects! In the evening, we finally de-decorated from the holidays. We started what I think will be a new annual tradition of taking the old Christmas tree out to the brush pile all together in the dark. It was very entertaining for us to watch Kali try to hoist it up on the top, only to have it come tumbling back down on top of her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLvfG-TDdoJvb2tMpS55HpY_SlOVL_6fqa5O2qaYf1zPB17hMYQ9cwkV6XK7ew9KesWERuY2JmGSzhxBXMwrKcg5JRfCVgUJm6WRJ0fJfZO0uyTVzlB7B5p0XLRcYTaV04x8xY99cXynPG-D4ef3s8n98pPObYKJE5cjeOOGgRQgxM4-bWlImUMhq/s4080/6D4F5F42-3B91-487B-9B76-C78E0786657A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHLvfG-TDdoJvb2tMpS55HpY_SlOVL_6fqa5O2qaYf1zPB17hMYQ9cwkV6XK7ew9KesWERuY2JmGSzhxBXMwrKcg5JRfCVgUJm6WRJ0fJfZO0uyTVzlB7B5p0XLRcYTaV04x8xY99cXynPG-D4ef3s8n98pPObYKJE5cjeOOGgRQgxM4-bWlImUMhq/s320/6D4F5F42-3B91-487B-9B76-C78E0786657A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Jason was spared de-decorating since he had been tasked with drawing us a groundhog photo to have a new decoration to put up to ease the sadness of taking the Christmas ones down. He succeeded in drawing a very cute groundhog that makes me smile every time I look at it!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIKWza_fOLNvbV5639eF_7Yhne097M_eMOeMmMYG3cryFj1rR_lagX8fCMW7a09W-sCO16Nlt7ChW8oK_iNFl9LCTfNVqrkfKuDJ9of1AuJ6GGTh6VW1g7XTgB77CjZeAzvim28rOFoNXc6vDTvQ18ZuBi7UyCsAV8REDlmQMrig6hyiWIxrW_tqf/s4080/925E74C0-2C1B-420E-9EE2-23E342D55029.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxIKWza_fOLNvbV5639eF_7Yhne097M_eMOeMmMYG3cryFj1rR_lagX8fCMW7a09W-sCO16Nlt7ChW8oK_iNFl9LCTfNVqrkfKuDJ9of1AuJ6GGTh6VW1g7XTgB77CjZeAzvim28rOFoNXc6vDTvQ18ZuBi7UyCsAV8REDlmQMrig6hyiWIxrW_tqf/s320/925E74C0-2C1B-420E-9EE2-23E342D55029.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was around 11 p.m. when we realized we were about to miss putting a puzzle together for National Puzzle Day. We worked together to complete Kali's Christmas wooden giraffe puzzle and got it done just under the wire!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVWHkECXxK7geo0yvBssaMax9DQPScrTmsnRIRK_x85eIk9cq0StaMLhnTML8EmRVq7fr7Lk9WBTzUv9ezUd_6t0_etmMFdS-BTwo5soEcIcDoeTLlsonqES5vQ52iMPgv9p_6DtSReZRFTROW41hT1HYRzbX-f-HPFg1_46ZaVRwoe6VbS2KKuum/s4080/33D1161D-A4FF-40B2-BEEA-CCF68F49EDCD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVWHkECXxK7geo0yvBssaMax9DQPScrTmsnRIRK_x85eIk9cq0StaMLhnTML8EmRVq7fr7Lk9WBTzUv9ezUd_6t0_etmMFdS-BTwo5soEcIcDoeTLlsonqES5vQ52iMPgv9p_6DtSReZRFTROW41hT1HYRzbX-f-HPFg1_46ZaVRwoe6VbS2KKuum/s320/33D1161D-A4FF-40B2-BEEA-CCF68F49EDCD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk6PqP-Ilh7Kz2cFgvZbHceea9T13zpSxXzQ0T7gDkL9K6C-ZMA4C3AoeYF2YHiLPL_FOAinkUN-r0x4PyLopNMk-t3paJrQGNZJMtfl0djWZIxkbu0WXqgwVdmmJJdlmWK_Xkmew2gC7S2oAQow6gI-jt6kyMp7AjGFAxgb5rO_lkO6YtH6qH82u/s4080/4DA69E9E-4E13-40D6-8A2B-78757F6077A2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYk6PqP-Ilh7Kz2cFgvZbHceea9T13zpSxXzQ0T7gDkL9K6C-ZMA4C3AoeYF2YHiLPL_FOAinkUN-r0x4PyLopNMk-t3paJrQGNZJMtfl0djWZIxkbu0WXqgwVdmmJJdlmWK_Xkmew2gC7S2oAQow6gI-jt6kyMp7AjGFAxgb5rO_lkO6YtH6qH82u/s320/4DA69E9E-4E13-40D6-8A2B-78757F6077A2.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Tuesday, January 30</i> - After a morning walk with Christen, Luca came back to Tangly Woods with me for the morning. I love our walks back up to Tangly Woods with him chatting with me about all sorts of things. His vocabulary is exploding and it's so fun! We were enjoying the thick frost coating on everything. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EQV0mbZwY-BzqAeVoA5bEF7kiH6-Xl7AXgWCTsRa7OarUfYjaAWDZ9y1TgXT-xZpidr75P6uR9U6n_q00pgs9MFtBWWiKumlfqNZ59QckN2eBrUIsQxYdI7DwERIMW7f6zjyPFVbuT4ALGRQ1Kt3I-MC3D0EM9oFt7zSqyb-P685DIAMw4Nd8rxh/s4080/955B22A9-4858-481C-A8AD-02B27E5177E3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1EQV0mbZwY-BzqAeVoA5bEF7kiH6-Xl7AXgWCTsRa7OarUfYjaAWDZ9y1TgXT-xZpidr75P6uR9U6n_q00pgs9MFtBWWiKumlfqNZ59QckN2eBrUIsQxYdI7DwERIMW7f6zjyPFVbuT4ALGRQ1Kt3I-MC3D0EM9oFt7zSqyb-P685DIAMw4Nd8rxh/s320/955B22A9-4858-481C-A8AD-02B27E5177E3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gtLFS7M_7GjRMz6NaKOwfTVL8g6Bg49qs-rkLoTIGk7aNRFNe3_0cx81XW6Z2fx8o-Y5ubLZJpurYcN10altMV53Y91NRJrOe6cmQYtkDz3KaI07QyiIMO60SsMjUxT5c35EkonJctzyUpSJdAsT4VCI_MXOl4UomSSyRetonNwGBXzsm-Sr9VBL/s4080/C7436CC9-B467-4996-95C3-8B42341B45EF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8gtLFS7M_7GjRMz6NaKOwfTVL8g6Bg49qs-rkLoTIGk7aNRFNe3_0cx81XW6Z2fx8o-Y5ubLZJpurYcN10altMV53Y91NRJrOe6cmQYtkDz3KaI07QyiIMO60SsMjUxT5c35EkonJctzyUpSJdAsT4VCI_MXOl4UomSSyRetonNwGBXzsm-Sr9VBL/s320/C7436CC9-B467-4996-95C3-8B42341B45EF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>In the evening he came back, with his parents this time! They joined us for the monumental moment of starting to disassemble (eat!) the pavilion!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9dHp0GBjwviy1Crum66Z_3bq0m2O0hCSnVBh4idbOHzLqzWH78oCAHktK0cUvOSiR22dMMWODozB4vkKazTzydqqDv9QVbRZc9i7aliOXmlXgj4bYkHxUO1YnIr95B9qE84c4ot2SBq0WUpB5LG8XSbxitZuwEhjQaC02i8SWhrVHS0IJZiRLnwG/s4080/5AD93D75-2906-4B14-895B-4CD12FEDD2F6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9dHp0GBjwviy1Crum66Z_3bq0m2O0hCSnVBh4idbOHzLqzWH78oCAHktK0cUvOSiR22dMMWODozB4vkKazTzydqqDv9QVbRZc9i7aliOXmlXgj4bYkHxUO1YnIr95B9qE84c4ot2SBq0WUpB5LG8XSbxitZuwEhjQaC02i8SWhrVHS0IJZiRLnwG/s320/5AD93D75-2906-4B14-895B-4CD12FEDD2F6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEslGw7ZNRnhwEu-V82bemG7Y8RRJ3w8n7guwwyD0r4tvz75u3BDN56dZBV2mjQIMOKuKt04pgYnKISxKm80-nTzZRfKCsMKXImK6LpBMzD8iQJXfSk0giBfnOMiMndhyphenhyphen-mQypUJr7Hu1Bl5b8mFXuf3OdFnuavg-YiPpJIp9Bn4u4qdwA7n6Annwx/s4080/3092968F-225A-4986-A687-99FAAFE084E0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEslGw7ZNRnhwEu-V82bemG7Y8RRJ3w8n7guwwyD0r4tvz75u3BDN56dZBV2mjQIMOKuKt04pgYnKISxKm80-nTzZRfKCsMKXImK6LpBMzD8iQJXfSk0giBfnOMiMndhyphenhyphen-mQypUJr7Hu1Bl5b8mFXuf3OdFnuavg-YiPpJIp9Bn4u4qdwA7n6Annwx/s320/3092968F-225A-4986-A687-99FAAFE084E0.jpeg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5VUaPRM3p_uz4bBJuXCak6JpTyzOSuoFseH42eWqkNWyMrzHRouzc3mKurqzVrEpGJ2tBjOB4icMGUuuRVjkdc4SobXzu7g9w1pbeZ-TZ63AwSCCpM2scC1GVJJXpxWPsb7wJF-YNOzzZAXP_5DCtmMM2wmxBOEs1GX2SuZlIZr6wOTggw44YHLl/s4080/2D73770F-98C4-4B1F-BE90-E59F67FE3BCC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI5VUaPRM3p_uz4bBJuXCak6JpTyzOSuoFseH42eWqkNWyMrzHRouzc3mKurqzVrEpGJ2tBjOB4icMGUuuRVjkdc4SobXzu7g9w1pbeZ-TZ63AwSCCpM2scC1GVJJXpxWPsb7wJF-YNOzzZAXP_5DCtmMM2wmxBOEs1GX2SuZlIZr6wOTggw44YHLl/s320/2D73770F-98C4-4B1F-BE90-E59F67FE3BCC.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This day also marked Jason starting a 4-day stretch of working away from home for Sassafras Enterprises! I tried something new on this day, putting soup in an insulated mug for him. The experiment was a success - it was still steaming at lunch!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZMOWtbN0ObrOPNGSDskoVvPo0PgkwRWU0yii02YKntl5GJa9ogDkA6CNTSnvtF2435F0s4KQnCJS9ti4SFoQeIMfQu9He5q6Z6H7H78qxfVniPwfRvJ696dWfcef2qvA2otgCB6wOyxVxHSJFPgBstqLb-ODMJGKW36UcGhWzzggh8FdvxbD_dLn/s4032/D34B4B47-50B2-432E-B3AB-A4507112574F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZMOWtbN0ObrOPNGSDskoVvPo0PgkwRWU0yii02YKntl5GJa9ogDkA6CNTSnvtF2435F0s4KQnCJS9ti4SFoQeIMfQu9He5q6Z6H7H78qxfVniPwfRvJ696dWfcef2qvA2otgCB6wOyxVxHSJFPgBstqLb-ODMJGKW36UcGhWzzggh8FdvxbD_dLn/s320/D34B4B47-50B2-432E-B3AB-A4507112574F.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><i>Wednesday, January 31 </i>- After weeks of eager anticipation, I finally got the call I'd been waiting for early in the morning! After many phone calls and check ins as the desire for labor to start got coupled with covid complicating the picture, it appeared this little one was going to finally be in their arms soon. I was only at RMH for an intense 4+ hours before this sweet healthy one emerged curious and ready to explore his surroundings. I returned home another 3+ hours after the birth in time to shower, take a short snooze and go on a date night to the American Shakespeare Center to see the dress rehearsal for Pride and Prejudice. It was a big day! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku-zlpY58nJwL10XA6OSr5hGvtn2H1KP9s5hcTiSQCN1z4nmpwGdy_SQYfStEJk5Lb4DkqzT7TndaYLP5SxapV7Yf9CXeg-N8xiEkEBdrbpcuy3TIzky040BhqvZEAnuZeNbBmrlDKcpZpqSK2BVxyC4lqFVPIUdOm4Hk5JFIycLE9uJ-tYmJezK_/s3264/D5F3C525-4775-4F27-A8A4-D7EBD8F1ECF3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiku-zlpY58nJwL10XA6OSr5hGvtn2H1KP9s5hcTiSQCN1z4nmpwGdy_SQYfStEJk5Lb4DkqzT7TndaYLP5SxapV7Yf9CXeg-N8xiEkEBdrbpcuy3TIzky040BhqvZEAnuZeNbBmrlDKcpZpqSK2BVxyC4lqFVPIUdOm4Hk5JFIycLE9uJ-tYmJezK_/s320/D5F3C525-4775-4F27-A8A4-D7EBD8F1ECF3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Thursday, February 1 </i>- This was a delightful day of getting reacquainted with Bear, after covid kept us apart for 3 long weeks! He seemed to remember us and we had so much fun watching him delight in his favorite toys or chew on the rocking chair or entertain me in the kitchen while I did some cooking. It felt so good to have him snuggled sleeping on me again! I had missed him so very much! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKYPiU-iY3elsb9ApCvkvaFaNwBJbICsxqSfib2WFZBwaJTdX6fL6H8-9MLzgP2ILLCABVo0D2GUrQSVHW6LILBN-r-1MpfTj3qlWeyIDHHy6cZacQtzjB5c9_RxLiwg_M861z5Kd3AOPzt9qeR4L1-ORaCW1PO8V8mS9pxGjHUKSvJT9TJTASTAm/s4080/2A5A5187-E0CC-481E-BF36-6E158720D621.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtKYPiU-iY3elsb9ApCvkvaFaNwBJbICsxqSfib2WFZBwaJTdX6fL6H8-9MLzgP2ILLCABVo0D2GUrQSVHW6LILBN-r-1MpfTj3qlWeyIDHHy6cZacQtzjB5c9_RxLiwg_M861z5Kd3AOPzt9qeR4L1-ORaCW1PO8V8mS9pxGjHUKSvJT9TJTASTAm/s320/2A5A5187-E0CC-481E-BF36-6E158720D621.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSw3D8RAS8mlTZDIt-38nFGYEYd3Wq9jyOTXc6VilpNIasEOG7SpvbVaK8UGkjk_mka3d0oh4Ai3ncHSS1b0qQxWpGvYJTZJoPBvscU9XBuuxs_VWYjzKAYBEumdgQgJdDaN9qkojBtOZ_hnG10bAuSSJlxykXIQ5xKJ2z267_huWC7maDIYpgByM/s4080/68769B29-38A0-4312-988C-3A51E4AB9630.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSw3D8RAS8mlTZDIt-38nFGYEYd3Wq9jyOTXc6VilpNIasEOG7SpvbVaK8UGkjk_mka3d0oh4Ai3ncHSS1b0qQxWpGvYJTZJoPBvscU9XBuuxs_VWYjzKAYBEumdgQgJdDaN9qkojBtOZ_hnG10bAuSSJlxykXIQ5xKJ2z267_huWC7maDIYpgByM/s320/68769B29-38A0-4312-988C-3A51E4AB9630.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiL3AcJUeqOGeZye-A8QeZahfJ1k_Ad3OP7uSxHbmuewhpcBvO4EGs8Z_C6Kidwla4iGQANlqaqn1uVwcEZMy2CBCvfKcc4J04O2wwrhu4hgPT2VGHsVmUNebhQqpNiY2y59RWqw_o5KYIIYJ_8gsRXqAdDWhw663EWu6a_ly4gKV-VwZT-EXEhnBP/s4080/D5D47857-D63F-4EDA-BD98-E81A2EF505E2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiL3AcJUeqOGeZye-A8QeZahfJ1k_Ad3OP7uSxHbmuewhpcBvO4EGs8Z_C6Kidwla4iGQANlqaqn1uVwcEZMy2CBCvfKcc4J04O2wwrhu4hgPT2VGHsVmUNebhQqpNiY2y59RWqw_o5KYIIYJ_8gsRXqAdDWhw663EWu6a_ly4gKV-VwZT-EXEhnBP/s320/D5D47857-D63F-4EDA-BD98-E81A2EF505E2.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><i>Friday, February 2 </i>- I had a full day in town for errands and more Bear time. I was not at all disappointed to have two days in a row with him! <br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7zQ2chj2x2zAWqhMVMH-i_KJkVxkfQgEb5CJQcdpEDPgj_SvL4VGtvuf49ZrhVfaWvMhRa_r96CdNhQiJjHPJUEEm6ghTDfoJCQLqjmruOV_OEuj2k1WsBxcSktCrM7qa1XvxdOSEo26U1Zgbgn5SSo-QmgFXseeAZTijXeDi6UkrXgvUubRHpTg/s2320/F4F7EB98-801A-4927-8AE4-195F61C9A91F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7zQ2chj2x2zAWqhMVMH-i_KJkVxkfQgEb5CJQcdpEDPgj_SvL4VGtvuf49ZrhVfaWvMhRa_r96CdNhQiJjHPJUEEm6ghTDfoJCQLqjmruOV_OEuj2k1WsBxcSktCrM7qa1XvxdOSEo26U1Zgbgn5SSo-QmgFXseeAZTijXeDi6UkrXgvUubRHpTg/s320/F4F7EB98-801A-4927-8AE4-195F61C9A91F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jason came to the end of a LONG week of working away from the farm. It was a week with a lot of moving pieces - him juggling some other meetings/appointments/car maintenance and a construction job. That, combined, with a birth also landing in the week made us eager for a chance to reconnect over the weekend! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We did start a new possible family tradition - root beer floats on Groundhog Day. Get it?!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9cdH6jyGkjsxp9qSTZwVIYRxj0HFlb2_aOX3ufnxZUaPi_YaF9lJknKOHevTuWgPsTGVHVBVtQgl5jHfyxcLTwRDcxUBF5petPeiF67xv-zy2yM-uhs9IA2sKeRJIdoIIz3AjKKA4fYxer_TEuQcwkBPL78dAkVpwcckKWe65Kle_dMtZAG7qlEo/s4080/6619802D-A90D-475F-91CB-984503EFBEA6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo9cdH6jyGkjsxp9qSTZwVIYRxj0HFlb2_aOX3ufnxZUaPi_YaF9lJknKOHevTuWgPsTGVHVBVtQgl5jHfyxcLTwRDcxUBF5petPeiF67xv-zy2yM-uhs9IA2sKeRJIdoIIz3AjKKA4fYxer_TEuQcwkBPL78dAkVpwcckKWe65Kle_dMtZAG7qlEo/s320/6619802D-A90D-475F-91CB-984503EFBEA6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Saturday, February 3</i> - It was catch up day around the home for me and Jason and Kali spent a good part of the day revamping the white raspberry bed and trellis. We now know that we like raspberries where we have them and so it was time to put in some solid and long lasting trellising!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp3MILF7IlIjyfQYJFGF9CjOHYxI1sAbC0LwgQv6OHhs_PKrdL83DJvtN_gvlNv7btIJvyrg-lPxOqD-gLfADWorwbYkH_vGgYDXGxu3six0WyCT9zcVMRm6VBd8mDrgR9CNNLGsKiQpJoccQ6NtwwxllxxEmC14ohBvwqNx4sGmgYKuKBbDPojdC/s4032/986696F1-F596-4E96-A1D2-CFE44E1DEBFF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp3MILF7IlIjyfQYJFGF9CjOHYxI1sAbC0LwgQv6OHhs_PKrdL83DJvtN_gvlNv7btIJvyrg-lPxOqD-gLfADWorwbYkH_vGgYDXGxu3six0WyCT9zcVMRm6VBd8mDrgR9CNNLGsKiQpJoccQ6NtwwxllxxEmC14ohBvwqNx4sGmgYKuKBbDPojdC/s320/986696F1-F596-4E96-A1D2-CFE44E1DEBFF.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlx4-ijkkLsP7YXMr1qYAcQRtMYivqIXRPtV0gwTemIdFi2NBuaJNbvP4AnlgVBml9zBiRUholYfZCyoQRAMNy4LJr5DyRn4mMLxJCqsN7WCr0hm7Q51RXNZpSwccaUngG7-72b1OCtco53U4wSO82Ltl4dmf_k8ZcFI22HFst1Tor5Sv5Oou_QRd/s4032/F65A3501-F6D2-4F47-91F9-35D4C07FAB64.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTlx4-ijkkLsP7YXMr1qYAcQRtMYivqIXRPtV0gwTemIdFi2NBuaJNbvP4AnlgVBml9zBiRUholYfZCyoQRAMNy4LJr5DyRn4mMLxJCqsN7WCr0hm7Q51RXNZpSwccaUngG7-72b1OCtco53U4wSO82Ltl4dmf_k8ZcFI22HFst1Tor5Sv5Oou_QRd/s320/F65A3501-F6D2-4F47-91F9-35D4C07FAB64.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Sunday, February 4 </i>- This was mostly a "normal" Sunday with our new routines. The girls continue to outdo themselves week after week - we were treated to breakfast burritos with homemade tortillas for our brunch! Then Jason and I had time with just Alida! Then Jason and I got a delightful and unexpected opportunity to have time alone when all three girls went to a play at Blue Ridge Community College. We may have watched multiple episodes of <i>This is Us </i>(the show we are both currently a tad obsessed with). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqlqbgG_EsNhDXldGmjdo9yhETlMbIbvLK4vvNFNOZhL8WdN5YzGQZ2Y7jW58B_f8kYrDskxZHsHL8_FAKMCrv_CZq7O2HeQvxVc3DI9Q2XWEAOc2O9Xa5r0Is0BTd7ABLim946WlUmBZlVAw56j_WD7MRdOz07UIMLapQq8KQYaUJpMwzYE4K8xp/s4080/F77E2831-FF8B-475A-BB47-41AEBEABEAA1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqlqbgG_EsNhDXldGmjdo9yhETlMbIbvLK4vvNFNOZhL8WdN5YzGQZ2Y7jW58B_f8kYrDskxZHsHL8_FAKMCrv_CZq7O2HeQvxVc3DI9Q2XWEAOc2O9Xa5r0Is0BTd7ABLim946WlUmBZlVAw56j_WD7MRdOz07UIMLapQq8KQYaUJpMwzYE4K8xp/s320/F77E2831-FF8B-475A-BB47-41AEBEABEAA1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaofUToa2dKjxDhVMSMSuU_jcEjWLDi3bbBqWucOEZihUnj_qei1GYhpV2TOQpwEVZVCJJ9r9MuJHWFNTSXPkmMSdmBvIdgKdB8nydNefk9opYG4D2BKt8W0AtlQtJn2CdG8wOFvShQeOrlm16myPr1xeH9cSaYm4isfdLdMWLt483siIBvoK3PfWd/s4080/8185F6F5-5B6D-43A7-8AB9-3BFFDFED0F72.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaofUToa2dKjxDhVMSMSuU_jcEjWLDi3bbBqWucOEZihUnj_qei1GYhpV2TOQpwEVZVCJJ9r9MuJHWFNTSXPkmMSdmBvIdgKdB8nydNefk9opYG4D2BKt8W0AtlQtJn2CdG8wOFvShQeOrlm16myPr1xeH9cSaYm4isfdLdMWLt483siIBvoK3PfWd/s320/8185F6F5-5B6D-43A7-8AB9-3BFFDFED0F72.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><i>Monday, February 5 </i>- This was to be a travel day for me, Alida and Terah but we delayed our trip by 24 hours to give covid just a little more time to show up, if I had picked it up at the birth. With each passing day and each negative test, my anxiety went down a tiny bit (and I'm more ready to sing the praises of a good N95 mask). So we spent the day continuing on winter cut back together, working on the revamp of the red raspberry patch, selling 23 hens, and getting parsley started (to join the perky little onion starts on the seed shelf). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV_ruFKaEmszgQQ2Q78ottTZLy3gAKcNU5dEG9x8Rqs5D9lG5u1_5LHbOWWXkbZd5gdUuajlr-n03HwObmIBFBHSTNmO5d1IG15et2T6l-U984V5D3ORUW1DFaDS_LVfH-PCKxGQWv7RjGC2KbGcYNOoUGi02Pw4MROlyTDQLWkH16sawr8SFPS78/s4032/B845863D-6555-4C32-88A4-B7FE6266D9D9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaV_ruFKaEmszgQQ2Q78ottTZLy3gAKcNU5dEG9x8Rqs5D9lG5u1_5LHbOWWXkbZd5gdUuajlr-n03HwObmIBFBHSTNmO5d1IG15et2T6l-U984V5D3ORUW1DFaDS_LVfH-PCKxGQWv7RjGC2KbGcYNOoUGi02Pw4MROlyTDQLWkH16sawr8SFPS78/s320/B845863D-6555-4C32-88A4-B7FE6266D9D9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmWo_G8qmBGUfPaeV-_LZrASb7R1oBrEAA6_BfYSpnhGn7mozHYBm1YteDwEbs4spNcOObpaaaw5VA5HSW_UEiQbPN7AUXkPdxt3blf7taTHcqEGEd3Z-ZyVnNO0w1SrsMAxhYnV-7km1vZKiLaxu9NAZuh3TQQhZgoqTzJW37CDD54nn59Jo9QE-/s4080/8AEE740B-C8AD-4D03-B088-CF6D043FA0B0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmWo_G8qmBGUfPaeV-_LZrASb7R1oBrEAA6_BfYSpnhGn7mozHYBm1YteDwEbs4spNcOObpaaaw5VA5HSW_UEiQbPN7AUXkPdxt3blf7taTHcqEGEd3Z-ZyVnNO0w1SrsMAxhYnV-7km1vZKiLaxu9NAZuh3TQQhZgoqTzJW37CDD54nn59Jo9QE-/s320/8AEE740B-C8AD-4D03-B088-CF6D043FA0B0.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Vtm69_b6bOvY7mgJaGq2NFnGMVJwRIaII_emidCqshASMqDJ_2baLqDsdFqGTzGALrNq5GF4s76YSGZ6X3QrlbQ_C8u6hOuexqCTfExE89LNydx61uKkrdhauMwnMLacWpub9LvMHwBHRv-qq6Ngi9f3vdKoKQRS7CmKIFyeep0wihQ-aKaVBNcF/s4080/64AC19A4-2B2C-43FB-A7A5-F8FF8718EB03.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Vtm69_b6bOvY7mgJaGq2NFnGMVJwRIaII_emidCqshASMqDJ_2baLqDsdFqGTzGALrNq5GF4s76YSGZ6X3QrlbQ_C8u6hOuexqCTfExE89LNydx61uKkrdhauMwnMLacWpub9LvMHwBHRv-qq6Ngi9f3vdKoKQRS7CmKIFyeep0wihQ-aKaVBNcF/s320/64AC19A4-2B2C-43FB-A7A5-F8FF8718EB03.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">We had our first unmasked time together with Mom and Dad since I was at the birth and, after enjoying a delicious meal together, our family took off for a night of ice skating. Terah was bouncing off the walls with excitement. I felt decidedly middle-aged when I first donned my skates and went onto the rink. By the end I was moving ok, and all three girls had also improved dramatically over the course of the 1.5 hours. They are very much hoping we'll go again yet this season!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kzIJnqZZW3uaQizONswja4IvKv9vs5GC10LbUDixNewGCHkbig4DPuAm5I-zX4h1PlZ0K6QXE2jy1EewJvuNDUxBGj2x4Ave9fLm8w-94F1CyKjLTAPc1uDtcuUuYgMdTftdcCBFP0Jn2prOK02I4QotmdWfOsOiPXNNWMqy-165V5j-P_hawKty/s4080/64FFCFC8-7ED8-4A21-A68D-64BDC15BC5B5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2kzIJnqZZW3uaQizONswja4IvKv9vs5GC10LbUDixNewGCHkbig4DPuAm5I-zX4h1PlZ0K6QXE2jy1EewJvuNDUxBGj2x4Ave9fLm8w-94F1CyKjLTAPc1uDtcuUuYgMdTftdcCBFP0Jn2prOK02I4QotmdWfOsOiPXNNWMqy-165V5j-P_hawKty/s320/64FFCFC8-7ED8-4A21-A68D-64BDC15BC5B5.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8V6EVt2x5s0Rwt67LcIylfpmf5DG1MMaP3ZbjMVX1SDr1NFTkQbiKG2y3-g-37yMDVTLktxzous4qkcYpl7eZYBUFs1NxrNi0CY7Yt0nzRHiieAnFRMvEBDK29N7JlBUzVQUe6t1qFmIcgGqWDwk4hZ2kwaTTYx_56C1WF1jdxCy_BcP7Jx68TwV/s2320/CAE56DE5-4A65-4BF8-963F-93A5FA273BCF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8V6EVt2x5s0Rwt67LcIylfpmf5DG1MMaP3ZbjMVX1SDr1NFTkQbiKG2y3-g-37yMDVTLktxzous4qkcYpl7eZYBUFs1NxrNi0CY7Yt0nzRHiieAnFRMvEBDK29N7JlBUzVQUe6t1qFmIcgGqWDwk4hZ2kwaTTYx_56C1WF1jdxCy_BcP7Jx68TwV/s320/CAE56DE5-4A65-4BF8-963F-93A5FA273BCF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Tuesday, February 6 </i>- And, finally, here we are now in North Carolina. We held the trip pretty loosely not knowing if good health would prevail, making it possible to gather. The trip was delightfully uneventful, probably mostly because I did a first for me - stopped at a rest stop for a cat nap when I got sleepy. It's not getting any easier for me to drive for long distances without getting sleepy - mostly getting worse! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-beEHRq6Rpq2y_2HHygBLeTFllgQrnQsGujabElkTeIZXl_r2Vam9ctJeoNARTsE1g9ohjOjgjDMOp1ST-5zyb9kkYFLkD7bJYlP180GO-LLCt8RbVUrpV-9sYmOZt8rQ4zx6aaOMMGNBbaUpeR6iPz-buSzZMGu-HY3-2Od72DrBhyLamoKVitX/s2320/IMG_20240206_105418128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6-beEHRq6Rpq2y_2HHygBLeTFllgQrnQsGujabElkTeIZXl_r2Vam9ctJeoNARTsE1g9ohjOjgjDMOp1ST-5zyb9kkYFLkD7bJYlP180GO-LLCt8RbVUrpV-9sYmOZt8rQ4zx6aaOMMGNBbaUpeR6iPz-buSzZMGu-HY3-2Od72DrBhyLamoKVitX/s320/IMG_20240206_105418128.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">It's now nearing 11 p.m. and the kids are gonna down some popcorn and then we'll call it a day. They have played and played and played and played and another day of play is right around the corner!</div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-70571221765618510362024-01-25T14:44:00.000-08:002024-01-25T14:45:28.865-08:00Second half of January...<div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpocxZophRc9ReakpzWDUCxJi85wgg08W6r27Vv7of8WfLH8nMCdUsuDlWJthvppnLq9r6ksRMRwQwhzJ0MExp0g-UK8wd9mQ7PWmRXBhlqLmiwv524pvnByq8RKo9-JItvX61PU6pn4nreRIkmDVg7Om-X6Oq5AhobvNksNo54iPhOU5bPi0a5Env/s4080/66F33971-2CF5-4EBA-BC44-B963FF787AA7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpocxZophRc9ReakpzWDUCxJi85wgg08W6r27Vv7of8WfLH8nMCdUsuDlWJthvppnLq9r6ksRMRwQwhzJ0MExp0g-UK8wd9mQ7PWmRXBhlqLmiwv524pvnByq8RKo9-JItvX61PU6pn4nreRIkmDVg7Om-X6Oq5AhobvNksNo54iPhOU5bPi0a5Env/w200-h151/66F33971-2CF5-4EBA-BC44-B963FF787AA7.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>It's interesting how at about the two week mark between posts, I start to feel a growing urgency to catch up on the scrapbook before it becomes too overwhelming! The 2023 blog books arrived in the mail this week. Sitting with Luca on Thursday and looking through one of them together solidified my desire to continue this practice. It was so fun to search for pictures of people he knows and loves in the pages (he's also on MANY of the pages but he seemed even more eager to find pictures of his special people). </div><div><br /></div><div>Today is a class day for Kali at BRCC (she's taking two courses there this spring). The younger two are "crafting" upstairs with Grandma (working on their next comforters) so it's just me, the Christmas lights and some quiet music. Jason is home today because of iffy weather predictions for his current Sassafras job. He started back with off farm work this week after a good pause in construction work to focus on farm projects and family time over the holidays. Today made me consider how useful it would be in our life to have an "odds and ends" day each week where the two of us can catch up on all the lingering things that we have accumulated in our minds and on to do lists and random slips of paper in our pocket. It felt so good to work at some of those things together in the first half of our day vs. talking about them late at night when there is nothing we can do about most of them in the dark, when we are already spent from the day and all offices we would need to connect with are closed!</div><div><br /></div><div>Last week marked a "new semester" for all of us. The start of Kali's classes (which were delayed by two days because of a snow day) provided the impetus for some tweaking to our daily/weekly flow. We are slowly getting into the flow of the regular things that happen on each day of the week, but then life happens as it often does! So here's some of what the last two weeks have held for our family.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>FAMILY WORK DAYS:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MqWNNKXaophjuQy7mLH-M9GDMv02Xc0P6iwAWnXUqnjV2XGxTbLIgv4vB9RqLF2iej5uFgZ0C8fyiZfwnsoGFk1VaSGATOYUbAW77JWp224dlcQZAeTIQbuLRVQs83FrHLHmUYK-Q-gMTuZ7riqMCIxa-o9crZfUEcD0qwdft8iEo91zkhQ3CcQX/s4080/IMG_20240111_112141022.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1MqWNNKXaophjuQy7mLH-M9GDMv02Xc0P6iwAWnXUqnjV2XGxTbLIgv4vB9RqLF2iej5uFgZ0C8fyiZfwnsoGFk1VaSGATOYUbAW77JWp224dlcQZAeTIQbuLRVQs83FrHLHmUYK-Q-gMTuZ7riqMCIxa-o9crZfUEcD0qwdft8iEo91zkhQ3CcQX/w200-h151/IMG_20240111_112141022.jpeg" width="200" /></a>One of the new rhythms we are living into for 2024 is weekly family farm work days. I'm not sure if the kids would be as enthusiastic as the parents in saying that they love them, but I sure do! I probably enjoy them even more than Jason because he is normally tasked with keeping everyone occupied and being asked to answer a zillion questions about how to do things. While I haven't asked him outright, I still think the scale would be tipped heavily towards enjoyment in having his family out there working with him on the winter cutback and pruning (something he has often done mostly alone). </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6UxIn57Zjot0R1Xs40b3Vq45j9WdbJMYeB9PpNzcHmjLKu56x5DEnpmHrJtwGdYfO80Y2caS1IFuzr_05l5ZqSEG1oiL4etz0lgPge2cUC7pev0bCYPCbLVpYNjmqlhdJwagPCcs4UFuc0PX1a9iFCHOAc0bSIQGm7k8r0eVfF45UiUpCTuUfsdl/s4080/IMG_20240111_150737796.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV6UxIn57Zjot0R1Xs40b3Vq45j9WdbJMYeB9PpNzcHmjLKu56x5DEnpmHrJtwGdYfO80Y2caS1IFuzr_05l5ZqSEG1oiL4etz0lgPge2cUC7pev0bCYPCbLVpYNjmqlhdJwagPCcs4UFuc0PX1a9iFCHOAc0bSIQGm7k8r0eVfF45UiUpCTuUfsdl/w200-h151/IMG_20240111_150737796.jpeg" width="200" /></a>We've had 3 family work days so far but only 1 without snow on the ground. The younger girls' productivity and ability to stick to a task without distraction PLUMMETS when there is snow on the ground. The first day was balmy and we did lots of digging/soil moving and transplanting some perennials, as well as general winter cut back around the house and lots of pruning. After each of these days, I've felt muscles that have been kinda dormant for a bit - especially from the most recent day of brush hauling in the snow! That said, I feel a little burst of such pleasant tired feelings at the end of those days together. And, unsurprisingly, I continue to be blown away by Jason's knowledge not just of plants generally but of the stories that various plants hold in his memory. Working together on the land allows some of those stories to come out throughout the day, enriching the time spent working side by side.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0kE-pd6GaZ3JennJyarnt517LqHDOlDCr2yBqMz4LNR5RMpWXw6pmqM5SVADEpJAxGwbuaw8CVSWGCdgf5wpihZX69Va_tAc6vEbsVIqcu79DWrBhOKN6CbL55MW1qqCeGoKZuHmJTk_I0ynzSvOiZohRmUSL4gasm5Sy9_-SKRMslBxALSrwjj1/s4080/IMG_20240111_150802712.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb0kE-pd6GaZ3JennJyarnt517LqHDOlDCr2yBqMz4LNR5RMpWXw6pmqM5SVADEpJAxGwbuaw8CVSWGCdgf5wpihZX69Va_tAc6vEbsVIqcu79DWrBhOKN6CbL55MW1qqCeGoKZuHmJTk_I0ynzSvOiZohRmUSL4gasm5Sy9_-SKRMslBxALSrwjj1/s320/IMG_20240111_150802712.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jepvADiO5-d0z0lycx4fut8zam9HkMKwFdlWC7nKM14P2VLE1icYh5ajsi0hDYLPQ6YR-EejR58bBZGtN-DNKj3JtDYmNnXDl45MIf-W_wBEpxUDlklZ1XALUFC7p6HWKM3xDfEUdsZGa8sDZVbvyf6Et8eGJvEjYng-KTPPFAwdgF0RaWKY61I0/s4080/IMG_20240111_170003481.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jepvADiO5-d0z0lycx4fut8zam9HkMKwFdlWC7nKM14P2VLE1icYh5ajsi0hDYLPQ6YR-EejR58bBZGtN-DNKj3JtDYmNnXDl45MIf-W_wBEpxUDlklZ1XALUFC7p6HWKM3xDfEUdsZGa8sDZVbvyf6Et8eGJvEjYng-KTPPFAwdgF0RaWKY61I0/s320/IMG_20240111_170003481.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrROd8sLpQfo-W3aZkipbw6gJ-e99EQ1wQt7toMcLSdnB6HVij_hEYxpI73sSN58FQLV8T7SpaDqKvgiLWYJsvIdBs48a34QE2hf3gp8izfr_L5oc4BeYELWDc0vtbYJ3DNr56ZLS0jSyy9ajlBND2l-fpyORgIEGDQ3Qn7tiiAyBt2jgI8ZFtRrt0/s4080/IMG_20240122_165446713.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrROd8sLpQfo-W3aZkipbw6gJ-e99EQ1wQt7toMcLSdnB6HVij_hEYxpI73sSN58FQLV8T7SpaDqKvgiLWYJsvIdBs48a34QE2hf3gp8izfr_L5oc4BeYELWDc0vtbYJ3DNr56ZLS0jSyy9ajlBND2l-fpyORgIEGDQ3Qn7tiiAyBt2jgI8ZFtRrt0/s320/IMG_20240122_165446713.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPb0tpz5cAgMgVTQAfzHyubYBS4onUOhpNe2pBTKWISdxWtI0QqSlghWhTIf2i-3HeHLA0UwWJsKsKgP8GBJq_YIGBm4Gtn2R0oZHfVuG0xKQiJ0uj2o6Pj9nu1Ncs_VpqLVZiSBBB9tIuNuDPEV2jKCG9gk16bVw67fkmKGe5uI9E-c_tqSIMnAgz/s4080/IMG_20240122_165641319.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPb0tpz5cAgMgVTQAfzHyubYBS4onUOhpNe2pBTKWISdxWtI0QqSlghWhTIf2i-3HeHLA0UwWJsKsKgP8GBJq_YIGBm4Gtn2R0oZHfVuG0xKQiJ0uj2o6Pj9nu1Ncs_VpqLVZiSBBB9tIuNuDPEV2jKCG9gk16bVw67fkmKGe5uI9E-c_tqSIMnAgz/s320/IMG_20240122_165641319.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">At the end of our last work day, we were rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous sky and sun set.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholP7pRX1rW6YYzwGTYIZS2wyWdUHiDws1HNLo7-2WsJ5q_EtbARP_Qp0uJZUmiBjBwDae_gJcTl15E8useRxtQfzRRzuuGWnf-_Tr6j034QN0ZqvpCCTTFHNsFiWAStrr4WkcOLv40xzCm2xCahDB7OSu1X1Jb9nPzEGTAnbni3ruNRDfxb0UL15Y/s4080/IMG_20240122_170650540.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEholP7pRX1rW6YYzwGTYIZS2wyWdUHiDws1HNLo7-2WsJ5q_EtbARP_Qp0uJZUmiBjBwDae_gJcTl15E8useRxtQfzRRzuuGWnf-_Tr6j034QN0ZqvpCCTTFHNsFiWAStrr4WkcOLv40xzCm2xCahDB7OSu1X1Jb9nPzEGTAnbni3ruNRDfxb0UL15Y/s320/IMG_20240122_170650540.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBfgbNPwvtI__P3GQrU0hh4gHsIM5m0vVjyyyiRl94rah24vH3iaHRsPFhDi09kAcXf0s2nsHExTJX99cI8ohiRm5Qm8IIrQ2CGr6iArrvTKsJH7vPh4rx8JvNWjUPE6G3X4BEFyi-BupeQ1D4Q0WdHJns0bJ7Mxz1Tmz_mN3KX4wi6cGeHQrj5sc/s4080/IMG_20240122_173605673.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZBfgbNPwvtI__P3GQrU0hh4gHsIM5m0vVjyyyiRl94rah24vH3iaHRsPFhDi09kAcXf0s2nsHExTJX99cI8ohiRm5Qm8IIrQ2CGr6iArrvTKsJH7vPh4rx8JvNWjUPE6G3X4BEFyi-BupeQ1D4Q0WdHJns0bJ7Mxz1Tmz_mN3KX4wi6cGeHQrj5sc/s320/IMG_20240122_173605673.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div>SNOW:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35Jua8ovYUKucxMMgCogukVdEJS47mc8trysaY0F4ymvUJCa-rnq7ebIOZBB2GIjl576ySHZmu8QaskHUpsa3746EJkqbWFgOdf_4LMOGf38sZzbHAyKZfnEinHKaHrFILK-4aqGZjsvzmkQTEKSkN8sv4HLqozpvpuTVzKd3Cc0p0TMi8EZkcL-v/s4080/IMG_20240115_101659492.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg35Jua8ovYUKucxMMgCogukVdEJS47mc8trysaY0F4ymvUJCa-rnq7ebIOZBB2GIjl576ySHZmu8QaskHUpsa3746EJkqbWFgOdf_4LMOGf38sZzbHAyKZfnEinHKaHrFILK-4aqGZjsvzmkQTEKSkN8sv4HLqozpvpuTVzKd3Cc0p0TMi8EZkcL-v/w151-h200/IMG_20240115_101659492.jpeg" width="151" /></a>Virginia is finally delivering some white stuff, much to the delight of my children and mother! If there is a "love-of-snow gene" our kids got a good it, especially Terah and Alida. Those kids forget to eat much (other than snow) on days where there is good snow for playing in. They do not understand the chicken's skepticism at all! They will get suited up for chores and then linger outside for hours making snow balls and other snow creations and sledding. We got to enjoy seeing Luca savor some of his first experiences of snow, but he was not interested in sledding. He was at the top of the hill with me when Terah went down and bailed out on purpose before the sumac. He said, "Oh no!" and we quickly reassured him she was just having fun. He wasn't to be convinced just yet to join them! But I could hardly get enough of him putting his little fingers in the snow and then pulling them up and sucking the snow off like lollipops!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3dU2h0VR6Zljl9yf2qpSz2EtthYfc_MDwtTGqJ6k5hbFNNe0KqswsPqgSEu_KQh-FJaLqQEq9j07QCkS9GKOzkPhCi3CfocBIagrtjcR_79y8HlSjGlFa4TvfNb2SztxplkIQfR-ZszXBp_y_78Rod0lYMUm2Ir5A6Mg9d5EMCukPKCvU7tcPoCO/s4080/IMG_20240116_091259024.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ3dU2h0VR6Zljl9yf2qpSz2EtthYfc_MDwtTGqJ6k5hbFNNe0KqswsPqgSEu_KQh-FJaLqQEq9j07QCkS9GKOzkPhCi3CfocBIagrtjcR_79y8HlSjGlFa4TvfNb2SztxplkIQfR-ZszXBp_y_78Rod0lYMUm2Ir5A6Mg9d5EMCukPKCvU7tcPoCO/s320/IMG_20240116_091259024.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HUx8GgU0E-u26F2_j02Tz_MrcNRtLFCNoC3DiCaY-wmI5xPsYGRvUodDrEQAJ-S81_XPqgIX-VAQsHrf7S_FQ3emzJW1ZBi-s9YAfjxc9jVv2bTDS9TqXVoqWheP9TFU-jscLZiEZm2MviBXtyD-p-XQIFa9vU93VCVcrZ3Kc6Zu-XddD-feDYs9/s2320/IMG_20240116_104923122.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_HUx8GgU0E-u26F2_j02Tz_MrcNRtLFCNoC3DiCaY-wmI5xPsYGRvUodDrEQAJ-S81_XPqgIX-VAQsHrf7S_FQ3emzJW1ZBi-s9YAfjxc9jVv2bTDS9TqXVoqWheP9TFU-jscLZiEZm2MviBXtyD-p-XQIFa9vU93VCVcrZ3Kc6Zu-XddD-feDYs9/s320/IMG_20240116_104923122.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWL7HtMiA6kjLl3ojSxkUlwsax8sFiNskIApJLMU2Krim_EqB0J6CYAuDULOUM-o9w-CVE3MXuS-RlBCvOSzwkI7ZV-0XOgSiZdq5Vcs0KsDI0yzlZA_4wuak_exK9lS9HnhWulSIBabLzj78MNcKJMsywtyoL5dkkjT_OjCHNPBi7-lXmPcpZ2Dt/s4080/IMG_20240116_101500660.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRWL7HtMiA6kjLl3ojSxkUlwsax8sFiNskIApJLMU2Krim_EqB0J6CYAuDULOUM-o9w-CVE3MXuS-RlBCvOSzwkI7ZV-0XOgSiZdq5Vcs0KsDI0yzlZA_4wuak_exK9lS9HnhWulSIBabLzj78MNcKJMsywtyoL5dkkjT_OjCHNPBi7-lXmPcpZ2Dt/s320/IMG_20240116_101500660.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div>The girls did convince their parents to join them for a sledding adventure next door and I'm so glad they did. It continues to be our favorite (safe but plenty fun) sledding hill! There were 3 young heifers in the pasture that were quite curious about what we were up to - they even went so far as the lick our runner sled!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuphje8AYLcLX5qGpxLXQ8pX5Fh80OUb7MuNnlBLNQ0i_w1ToeC5PjXmc2mfz25eSQUziEM0xiMZwXKG5d654cy2WRio00JU0c3FqZZlFLTC9XiVMXQcFBb3CprtpFE6Ft-7joZS-16WqNJpsDiH5-5qgiNwO1HSC8INfvA94zaBgWf49eS5iKat2/s4080/IMG_20240117_122117173.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuphje8AYLcLX5qGpxLXQ8pX5Fh80OUb7MuNnlBLNQ0i_w1ToeC5PjXmc2mfz25eSQUziEM0xiMZwXKG5d654cy2WRio00JU0c3FqZZlFLTC9XiVMXQcFBb3CprtpFE6Ft-7joZS-16WqNJpsDiH5-5qgiNwO1HSC8INfvA94zaBgWf49eS5iKat2/s320/IMG_20240117_122117173.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl5sgE38QeklPq8wOGXur3n7B8P7QwriKiVm_frZGpkD5WEDS61tyWPuktv5NjXGTdIoP5ys0Sfiaz-K_ziy2x7bi9pUklMJ-rSOC7l8qMw1me2NQAsY5AX5bMXDJMELqEjPG6uYrkL3JSVwsz08BM-o9djcLbqEpQ8pgJATBdpf5Ce8qWAlLcNtP/s4080/IMG_20240117_123527170.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpl5sgE38QeklPq8wOGXur3n7B8P7QwriKiVm_frZGpkD5WEDS61tyWPuktv5NjXGTdIoP5ys0Sfiaz-K_ziy2x7bi9pUklMJ-rSOC7l8qMw1me2NQAsY5AX5bMXDJMELqEjPG6uYrkL3JSVwsz08BM-o9djcLbqEpQ8pgJATBdpf5Ce8qWAlLcNtP/s320/IMG_20240117_123527170.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJzPk2nJaYKsvkwNNrHMG10Drhs1_b-NdpqAjmFcf76toW0BDW_-JdS9aFrvEl_iFJfo8JHhUHR08WJJCW78Z9urvW-w9YFMzMHHaQeO_BT9f0bbguHGY9OAjrSf5FVnW9nvxv7WI6E6lsCNUnD0ZolZ-PXCKM_Oqtx7h6x2NOPasNAVj9YqU014r/s4080/IMG_20240117_130734119.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCJzPk2nJaYKsvkwNNrHMG10Drhs1_b-NdpqAjmFcf76toW0BDW_-JdS9aFrvEl_iFJfo8JHhUHR08WJJCW78Z9urvW-w9YFMzMHHaQeO_BT9f0bbguHGY9OAjrSf5FVnW9nvxv7WI6E6lsCNUnD0ZolZ-PXCKM_Oqtx7h6x2NOPasNAVj9YqU014r/s320/IMG_20240117_130734119.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The sledding was great, but what is truly the mark of a new era was our return home. I. GOT. A. RIDE. ON. A. SLED. PULLED. BY. MY. YOUNGEST!!! It was just glorious!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5z2EpMUhyS9MP-NER34H6Vz0UozZqLYjKWyn-Tvj1gLGOxkHwiS4MeT-mbyWreDYX-dKJqBfZiOo0s3QuH_tet0vgOrBUZTNT1z0K9J0h-NdpD4pWcMcRA3wrb-uG-6laCmFIPnsBffdFKf-r1gUGub1WfU5vzAdbNjSd1IdbZfyQCwa2EM3p1d0c/s4032/IMG_7857.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5z2EpMUhyS9MP-NER34H6Vz0UozZqLYjKWyn-Tvj1gLGOxkHwiS4MeT-mbyWreDYX-dKJqBfZiOo0s3QuH_tet0vgOrBUZTNT1z0K9J0h-NdpD4pWcMcRA3wrb-uG-6laCmFIPnsBffdFKf-r1gUGub1WfU5vzAdbNjSd1IdbZfyQCwa2EM3p1d0c/w240-h320/IMG_7857.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">These girls don't even wait until we are outside to throw snowballs at us!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6D28tp5LanGl7TQ4DEV9Y8w5u3DAUNmyv60dyfuzDzfBJNzjPkGvSHnm1Axgp6ui_FG4Tlg75uVvYPq55yKf3ndzOC9XGW0sRaaYdx2TO-c7FxdzGayBD-8fmwAD35scKdixsP60dlYbpqh_FjIjfblArGhd_6OcYH85_J8rAK_Y_YwGVAb4Zm9W/s4080/IMG_20240120_125106833.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf6D28tp5LanGl7TQ4DEV9Y8w5u3DAUNmyv60dyfuzDzfBJNzjPkGvSHnm1Axgp6ui_FG4Tlg75uVvYPq55yKf3ndzOC9XGW0sRaaYdx2TO-c7FxdzGayBD-8fmwAD35scKdixsP60dlYbpqh_FjIjfblArGhd_6OcYH85_J8rAK_Y_YwGVAb4Zm9W/s320/IMG_20240120_125106833.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The snow person, heart and duck snowball makers have been a big hit and work remarkably well!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFiDOAtwUDtR0-1yXjCrxEbcefMXNZ0k4PStwfYJDIRhNMaN1J6BXGNJCqfgQ-rK_wwtDaQDThWE_jVPNiKBx3TUZ0yTGe3n8oTOsf5dPNMlMWkmYpkuaulPuNCrFwMctp3nuN8kuuaj-ECaeThTi-tghDrEQCPROh8EVmDIzNw0QUozOGG8tv2mG/s4080/IMG_20240116_104435396.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJFiDOAtwUDtR0-1yXjCrxEbcefMXNZ0k4PStwfYJDIRhNMaN1J6BXGNJCqfgQ-rK_wwtDaQDThWE_jVPNiKBx3TUZ0yTGe3n8oTOsf5dPNMlMWkmYpkuaulPuNCrFwMctp3nuN8kuuaj-ECaeThTi-tghDrEQCPROh8EVmDIzNw0QUozOGG8tv2mG/s320/IMG_20240116_104435396.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div>CORN SHELLING AND SEED STARTING:</div><div>Thank goodness for longer evenings so that we aren't outside until right before bedtime. We needed some evenings to get this year's corn shelled and the popcorn ready for seed testing. All the drying racks are now tucked away until this year's harvests and the seed shelf is up with the trays of onions just beginning to sprout!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoPHi7mzST6yUmociPHfAjp66VaJmY4LzWuAQ6VJ61acrddCU0hYALDEkGSqFx0AiQIG_AIOrtD3P7AGfRW4ftCUgnm9HGDvJIYtB6hBhI2Rw7CpgyNDoaQi2-rCius-5HjRrpKIVOPkGFDn8lhHPmu24jW6QAXaSxdTTb_jvKjYvFC_44wOHuako/s4032/IMG_7864.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoPHi7mzST6yUmociPHfAjp66VaJmY4LzWuAQ6VJ61acrddCU0hYALDEkGSqFx0AiQIG_AIOrtD3P7AGfRW4ftCUgnm9HGDvJIYtB6hBhI2Rw7CpgyNDoaQi2-rCius-5HjRrpKIVOPkGFDn8lhHPmu24jW6QAXaSxdTTb_jvKjYvFC_44wOHuako/s320/IMG_7864.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipV3jgvP0St5cxI8gS6-z67ofk8lzHyIv6LVlD5bzpMBoBvcZiEygfky2_5Q8TE3wGLNg04-dY7GJy-729mOFK2ec_rxbda_PzZZBBrCdXizDh1xB4cnfqb7S-lxl520_m2SvfsZ0tpLHb4DZ6aKinv4o38M4urS0hWHoa6w8UHptXTRcKukLzA4T1/s4080/IMG_20240115_203648739.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipV3jgvP0St5cxI8gS6-z67ofk8lzHyIv6LVlD5bzpMBoBvcZiEygfky2_5Q8TE3wGLNg04-dY7GJy-729mOFK2ec_rxbda_PzZZBBrCdXizDh1xB4cnfqb7S-lxl520_m2SvfsZ0tpLHb4DZ6aKinv4o38M4urS0hWHoa6w8UHptXTRcKukLzA4T1/s320/IMG_20240115_203648739.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wyLMXlTfEHgPiFzcIdFR_JNCOAyJNNpD_u7dI1UOUL_BDsBSTi89tX_s4YXe-5wDZPVnA2indANSMNQ92gPJgb2HqWZYepx-okumZe4cJsOKbBge9uNVv8FZmPm6Wk3zV9oIbbeFHhzORp3MDxpQ6S5wUB4cultqG8SsEgo1nQol35UiDsGV1Iwz/s4032/IMG_7870.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4wyLMXlTfEHgPiFzcIdFR_JNCOAyJNNpD_u7dI1UOUL_BDsBSTi89tX_s4YXe-5wDZPVnA2indANSMNQ92gPJgb2HqWZYepx-okumZe4cJsOKbBge9uNVv8FZmPm6Wk3zV9oIbbeFHhzORp3MDxpQ6S5wUB4cultqG8SsEgo1nQol35UiDsGV1Iwz/s320/IMG_7870.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">EVERYTHING ELSE: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrWih4Ma8fQ6eXT1G-oBZKMqDXgStM9zMohyQWd24sshHkPnrz63dAeg0dlNvxvlg6NxkEkfe2xwW8BGrxMec3wVb7i40F3KyzbXwkBsnuyZfi8_8JHCcxOM3Y6asBhcxCeznbYBWPg0BivZo0grg_E3A6fAj5xVsIt_AsoLqTH8309KgB68iksVg/s4080/IMG_20240111_192540381.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYrWih4Ma8fQ6eXT1G-oBZKMqDXgStM9zMohyQWd24sshHkPnrz63dAeg0dlNvxvlg6NxkEkfe2xwW8BGrxMec3wVb7i40F3KyzbXwkBsnuyZfi8_8JHCcxOM3Y6asBhcxCeznbYBWPg0BivZo0grg_E3A6fAj5xVsIt_AsoLqTH8309KgB68iksVg/w151-h200/IMG_20240111_192540381.jpeg" width="151" /></a>I experienced my first postpartum overnight! Not surprisingly, it's pretty different to be up much of the night with someone else's baby, knowing that you will get a full night's sleep again very soon. It made play time at 1:30 a.m. so sweet! Bear and I had a good night, even if he was not interested in sleeping anywhere other than on me. I got a nap or two when he was tucked in the pack on my front and also just soaked up so many snuggles and adorable play times. We had a really fun time together and were both in good spirits the next day, despite a lack of any major solid blocks of sleep. It was thrilling for me to think of Ivan and Corey getting some solid blocks of sleep and it fills my heart to overflowing when I'm able to gain the trust of little people to fall asleep peacefully in my arms. It is one of the greatest joys of my life! That is not to say that my own bed didn't feel REALLY good the following night...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsLks4CJvlAdALUpGD7OO8vq1NBz1TYYpLOpEXT3fBj1o3eMD81i2-2vPefmvSCI0K_jv9SWpjYT8VN9VB7JThdGzFtruS_rJJ-UXyXhLDdmW2z21S0zS2CRxs6plGe0QH6_hRTXSE85d7dsNVy51NWKP6vSPpE_u8u5fZlIdbEwsAuhvjfHp90dg/s3264/IMG_20240112_011616165_PORTRAIT.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsLks4CJvlAdALUpGD7OO8vq1NBz1TYYpLOpEXT3fBj1o3eMD81i2-2vPefmvSCI0K_jv9SWpjYT8VN9VB7JThdGzFtruS_rJJ-UXyXhLDdmW2z21S0zS2CRxs6plGe0QH6_hRTXSE85d7dsNVy51NWKP6vSPpE_u8u5fZlIdbEwsAuhvjfHp90dg/s320/IMG_20240112_011616165_PORTRAIT.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">And then, despite so much care and caution, their family landed covid. Ugh! So I'm going through complete Bear withdrawal here, as well as so wishing I could wave a magic wand and return health to their home. It did make for some uncertainty here as we waited to see if I had picked it up during all those snuggles, some of us landed a different very minor cold, and I had a mama showing signs of pending labor... The nice thing about a blog post in retrospect is I can tie it up all in a neat little bow now for ya - didn't get covid, colds never did much and are all better, and that baby is still tucked inside (too?) comfortably...</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The illness concerns and uncertainty of that week was exacerbated by the death of one of Jason's first cousins, due to covid complications. It was sudden and unexpected. Phil leaves a life partner and three children, as well as many other grieving friends and family members. We felt grateful that Jason's chicken presentation at the Future Harvest CASA conference near DC was on Friday evening, which enabled him to duck out of the conference early, come home and sleep for a few hours and then make a long day trip to Morris, PA to be present with family for the memorial. </div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Due to having preordered Emily Nagoski's next book (<i><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/712001/come-together-by-emily-nagoski-phd/" target="_blank">Come Together</a></i>), I was invited to attend a virtual Q&A with her last evening. I was alone here in the living room but wanted to shout "Amen" to about every other brilliant sentence she uttered. If you haven't read her first book, <i><a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Come-As-You-Are-Revised-and-Updated/Emily-Nagoski/9781982165314" target="_blank">Come as You Are</a>,</i> do that! I'm so eager to read the second and, if it is anything like the hour she spent answering questions, I am going to encourage every human to read that one as well!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">One of the things she said during that hour where we all soaked up her vulnerability, brilliance, insight, compassion, humor and so much more makes me think about love and time and how life gives us no guarantees: <i>"We are not promised abundant time in our relationships, we are only promised change, and it is the way we respond to change that tells us the quality of that relationship."</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuVqO4_fe11DQ9Wesx3_ty2w6uObi71As8o_mcJhvQEbTTaXxAoYnx-tAS1LM7a6Ht3cac2nQ-S9uV_9acRtPFu3FZm0U3ta_Ah96wuncTB7hXgYB9aUcvcWfkXKqrZXSxOXsYpPUvZ-t5-nV3KpYRU1SS3QPyRnaeK7eIZq1Ms1FfddaCUS6nSGq/s4080/IMG_20240113_115218548.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJuVqO4_fe11DQ9Wesx3_ty2w6uObi71As8o_mcJhvQEbTTaXxAoYnx-tAS1LM7a6Ht3cac2nQ-S9uV_9acRtPFu3FZm0U3ta_Ah96wuncTB7hXgYB9aUcvcWfkXKqrZXSxOXsYpPUvZ-t5-nV3KpYRU1SS3QPyRnaeK7eIZq1Ms1FfddaCUS6nSGq/w200-h151/IMG_20240113_115218548.jpeg" width="200" /></a>During this period of uncertainty, I've had the daily nourishment and immune system boost via some elderberry syrup I made from a can of juice made by my mom's first cousin (also a Phil) who died earlier this year. Those we love and lose leave all sorts of imprints on our lives (whether that is memories of romping together in the woods as kids or their love and care in tending plants and harvesting from their bounty). These individual losses in our family bring to mind and heart often the dear friend who has had countless losses since October, immediate and extended family members brutally killed in the continued violence being unleashed in Gaza. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm sitting here struggling for any seamless transition from that heaviness. I'm not sure I can connect the dots easily, but I do feel like I'm getting an abundance of practice during this season at holding the fragility and preciousness of life and the relationships near and dear to us. It feels important and healing, even if I'm not sure how it all fits together!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We snuck in an afternoon around the fire ring with Emily, Jonas and Ivy making pizza pockets and s'mores.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TKbE_9crRKuALmY8acfLF8B5VVYrEd8Mia_UhRv5gXP5BknY3UqSd-JBdApCqE63vIjzSCoL_8uZyv7FILmkuzGhLnRcLc2HBFS1MFqLlt930-bPRqbI-B6w8OJ-c4gUZ4yHw0CHcJH6adqAb2OQ1vJ-cYojXrVK8xD5pdIEzrhyphenhyphenKSz6XuZlOV2v/s4080/IMG_20240114_161740500.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TKbE_9crRKuALmY8acfLF8B5VVYrEd8Mia_UhRv5gXP5BknY3UqSd-JBdApCqE63vIjzSCoL_8uZyv7FILmkuzGhLnRcLc2HBFS1MFqLlt930-bPRqbI-B6w8OJ-c4gUZ4yHw0CHcJH6adqAb2OQ1vJ-cYojXrVK8xD5pdIEzrhyphenhyphenKSz6XuZlOV2v/s320/IMG_20240114_161740500.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We demolished and consumed the little gingerbread retirement cabin that Terah made. The pavilion is up next!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC96GhBKpnxjyA7o46lsDS2kyG0MdCBnTgQT_6f4DRSlaNQ6B13cnJ3Ido0rPGu1xASfK-X2KMBW5PCW9MCGDGxshKb492GX6zgCwe0lBTUlV_imPQwY2FwfuEfEfMZn66hxxCupH8FOCSJ63cc-Ek8yJjlihxvCKHuQ3o1_38TVqq96AQa2N76zwq/s4080/IMG_20240116_191917896.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC96GhBKpnxjyA7o46lsDS2kyG0MdCBnTgQT_6f4DRSlaNQ6B13cnJ3Ido0rPGu1xASfK-X2KMBW5PCW9MCGDGxshKb492GX6zgCwe0lBTUlV_imPQwY2FwfuEfEfMZn66hxxCupH8FOCSJ63cc-Ek8yJjlihxvCKHuQ3o1_38TVqq96AQa2N76zwq/s320/IMG_20240116_191917896.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I crossed the 2 year anniversary of leaving my work at CJP and marked it with a lovely walk/talk to Hensley's Pond with my wonderful successor.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNJIszLzwNkdKtdd0Lg586pSDUOlWzBI2sYpWlwD3Tl2cF4O0APJ8AQKAhdXF_TRkOCYYNGVuCHcie17ZOOgDQzNr6W-nLCoWM-v1SGeMGXs7VTtcLZJsxBoUOoT03_JUx4oR-S0RaMoWIEXHEo6SN7dVUZ95glfWvYdkrXz-yDWlGZkKOTFHughl/s2320/IMG_20240118_155157240_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvNJIszLzwNkdKtdd0Lg586pSDUOlWzBI2sYpWlwD3Tl2cF4O0APJ8AQKAhdXF_TRkOCYYNGVuCHcie17ZOOgDQzNr6W-nLCoWM-v1SGeMGXs7VTtcLZJsxBoUOoT03_JUx4oR-S0RaMoWIEXHEo6SN7dVUZ95glfWvYdkrXz-yDWlGZkKOTFHughl/s320/IMG_20240118_155157240_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been enjoying very much being read to more and more by our youngest! Or hearing her read to her sisters from time to time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvccbUc8IpEuJWo5ygvqowjDasYVrG3tQfxlx5_9Nu0M0Zo2t79tyrVXujl3Wue801WAzzSFrwOkVTXSAfZsBrftmICxDTwFUKVTKt7rjmrlVTxPX4VBZ4s8T2nMkJWSzMYnGJT-4HN-LwvRnsjwZtAf-NBVItwI-imsTOWWBFZIbTJrlf1f1xQz1Y/s4080/IMG_20240118_202212563.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvccbUc8IpEuJWo5ygvqowjDasYVrG3tQfxlx5_9Nu0M0Zo2t79tyrVXujl3Wue801WAzzSFrwOkVTXSAfZsBrftmICxDTwFUKVTKt7rjmrlVTxPX4VBZ4s8T2nMkJWSzMYnGJT-4HN-LwvRnsjwZtAf-NBVItwI-imsTOWWBFZIbTJrlf1f1xQz1Y/s320/IMG_20240118_202212563.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Most recently, it was her Sunday for Mommy and Daddy alone time and after we played Gang of Four and Rack-o, she read us a few Owl stories.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6AluLsmaROedEtI6DaH2PiccWi24rZFsPrdWfvHWC2xpDiESjoeHPP2diLHCyqextby7M38r05anzBaqt1f20htwhgteQdj9eTf6x-todkfH1oQTHH_5dDLRFbSrZGdYb8Z-Qbgs-DTBI9PSpmTtTMaavrRgSwow342NL6VoKp28YR6oIYrrvOKe/s2320/IMG_20240121_135706743.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI6AluLsmaROedEtI6DaH2PiccWi24rZFsPrdWfvHWC2xpDiESjoeHPP2diLHCyqextby7M38r05anzBaqt1f20htwhgteQdj9eTf6x-todkfH1oQTHH_5dDLRFbSrZGdYb8Z-Qbgs-DTBI9PSpmTtTMaavrRgSwow342NL6VoKp28YR6oIYrrvOKe/s320/IMG_20240121_135706743.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Our Christmas tree is STILL up! How it is still taking up water and not shedding all its needles, I do not know. It's made it very hard to take down, especially because it's so cozy to turn the lights on in the early mornings and each evening. But we have collectively agreed at our last family meeting (with some reluctance) that next Monday will be de-decorating night. So it will be down before February but not by much!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBTVwjBYBLb3mT5MC8hEJM6yRhkxmCaz05FBQ34NwodZeW4c6F6b6LFNTzYAvVoUk1YJjNQdiSbBCKZ2gyawbt189ejMRk4AGQBxRGUlPeQozeWsOQvzukMdRL3bRFrylxgrOBOpwh2oq0W3WQ3VK16Ah8fm2Hmu5hccfgqffK4qucoZWtakqpPvZ/s4080/IMG_20240119_191833878.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZBTVwjBYBLb3mT5MC8hEJM6yRhkxmCaz05FBQ34NwodZeW4c6F6b6LFNTzYAvVoUk1YJjNQdiSbBCKZ2gyawbt189ejMRk4AGQBxRGUlPeQozeWsOQvzukMdRL3bRFrylxgrOBOpwh2oq0W3WQ3VK16Ah8fm2Hmu5hccfgqffK4qucoZWtakqpPvZ/s320/IMG_20240119_191833878.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I LOVE this new part of our weekly schedule: girls in charge of Sunday brunch! I should not have underestimated them. I guess knowing that none of them are too perky first thing in the morning, I kinda assumed they would choose really simple menus. Not so! This past week they made homemade pie crusts for a funny cake pie and then three types of quiches. Delicious!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh061Kn00tldCs1HrmHqzmmqF_eTtU_12fsML8HLc6Du2B6wm5NKDW-QXsH6ZT8QEF_YmrIfXh1SAqsGd4iJG_vRQtzUwakFx6YL_jLumrmmOJWPvlm5rpSxbm36pfDJtCYKSMZ79bw3l9o6lm47Ex4AysCiDbE7XtqPlbas-NVC79qdWbbl0Y5cesp/s4080/IMG_20240121_113450456.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh061Kn00tldCs1HrmHqzmmqF_eTtU_12fsML8HLc6Du2B6wm5NKDW-QXsH6ZT8QEF_YmrIfXh1SAqsGd4iJG_vRQtzUwakFx6YL_jLumrmmOJWPvlm5rpSxbm36pfDJtCYKSMZ79bw3l9o6lm47Ex4AysCiDbE7XtqPlbas-NVC79qdWbbl0Y5cesp/s320/IMG_20240121_113450456.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">With doing a lot less childcare the last two weeks and not filling my schedule full due to a pending birth, I had just enough space to get into the groove of making cheddar again. It had been so long I had to refresh my memory of a few of the steps. It was time to restock the shelves! I was also thinking that getting into a project that takes hours to do might tempt that baby to come at a less convenient time. It did not work BUT I did get cheese made! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFfcWxrm3qTDzj2qwO6cNVHzAwHAOYg2s1eRwYlpHtNwOTNI5NkfEUTTUsfUVqq1jiBPjF8Wc5P0ApOQYdb4m8-3xXciXdmLcrXodzwPqbSHNPKGy6YFV6qjEjMGcuXM3R4iymusig_s6-VciVM5uNyJIRxZByEXhC5UkDGkzoR4xeNyOW8nGAx-g/s4080/IMG_20240124_103706383.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWFfcWxrm3qTDzj2qwO6cNVHzAwHAOYg2s1eRwYlpHtNwOTNI5NkfEUTTUsfUVqq1jiBPjF8Wc5P0ApOQYdb4m8-3xXciXdmLcrXodzwPqbSHNPKGy6YFV6qjEjMGcuXM3R4iymusig_s6-VciVM5uNyJIRxZByEXhC5UkDGkzoR4xeNyOW8nGAx-g/s320/IMG_20240124_103706383.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGOwtXen5r3uZoFi6ArX6Fq8qJf4RGelzI6mgbPftf7iea3ET1wOsSVizlpxLCueaaI6Y34uR9l3w9HmrEUyy_gSnSUqfIsXZheysh_S6ETadi9HgCFZf3J0e91oVPUkWddPRTjvel2oiwwjq79N6JBQSvBIyPw5_ge2ymlWQFwm6oaN_FDJ1aw3t/s4080/IMG_20240124_180527861.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGOwtXen5r3uZoFi6ArX6Fq8qJf4RGelzI6mgbPftf7iea3ET1wOsSVizlpxLCueaaI6Y34uR9l3w9HmrEUyy_gSnSUqfIsXZheysh_S6ETadi9HgCFZf3J0e91oVPUkWddPRTjvel2oiwwjq79N6JBQSvBIyPw5_ge2ymlWQFwm6oaN_FDJ1aw3t/w200-h151/IMG_20240124_180527861.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>The spring season is about to open at the American Shakespeare Center. Kali and Alida took their father as a "plus one" to the invited dress rehearsal for Julius Caesar last night. I turned down the invitation, but eagerly snatched up one of the plus one's for next week's rehearsal of Pride and Prejudice. For this week Terah and I chose games, ice cream and snuggling up to read some Christmas stories together before the books go back into the attic until the next holiday season.<div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Well it's about time for the final animal shut in, Kali is on her way home from BRCC, and the younger two are sitting next to me on the couch playing one of their favorite computer games. It's about time for me to flip the cheddar in the press, cream the squash soup and fry up some farmer's cheese for dinner. Until next time...</div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-35445328776720931662024-01-10T12:50:00.000-08:002024-01-10T12:50:27.184-08:00The rest of the holidays and kicking off the New Year!<div>Earlier in December at a family meeting we had created a list of holiday/winter activities we hoped to do together. We have yet to make it through everything - ice skating is still in our future - but we made some good memories with what we have been able to do to date. It was a big relief to me to be able to share the load of holiday prepping with others in the family - Kali, especially, rose to the occasion and researched a Christmas movie for us to watch, took her sisters Christmas shopping, and was willing to take the lead on the gingerbread cookie project. Phew!!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEf89XGD0Uo4A1YXOW3WW6tlLpN6Cciooeb3wU5Q-hbbpdDJDpXDRlevI3nfBFbuUENI_wAFq781exG9xU0W2Ke9iwLhpoDMwhvK-82lDl0nXi2PHUkq7WedTQfL2woJ7db2DMOxRjxAuiYNp4mXThzKvleeY1XN5sOR5fwToA79778iu8vHmu2o4m/s4080/IMG_20231230_220920061.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEf89XGD0Uo4A1YXOW3WW6tlLpN6Cciooeb3wU5Q-hbbpdDJDpXDRlevI3nfBFbuUENI_wAFq781exG9xU0W2Ke9iwLhpoDMwhvK-82lDl0nXi2PHUkq7WedTQfL2woJ7db2DMOxRjxAuiYNp4mXThzKvleeY1XN5sOR5fwToA79778iu8vHmu2o4m/s320/IMG_20231230_220920061.jpeg" width="241" /></a>I feel like the gingerbread project nearly deserves a post of its own. Had I been in charge, we would have made and decorated some cookies. Not so with Kali, Alida and Terah. In the end we had a mock up of the pavilion we hope to begin constructing in 2024 and Terah made a possible design for the little retirement cabin in the woods that Jason and I dream of building one day. The girls' creativity knows no bounds. Kali took Jason's plans, scaled them down and made a cardboard model first that was then used to cut out the cookies. It felt kinda like a miracle to me, but one that took parts of 5 or so days to bring to fruition. We have yet to break into either one to eat, but there are only two gingerbread cookies left so the cabin and pavilion may soon be desired snacks. We'll see. It was surprisingly helpful for me to see a 3d (albeit much smaller) version of the pavilion to better envision what we are planning to build. The pavilion was complete with little bats for mosquito prevention (since this pavilion wasn't screened) and then cornstalks drying in the upper room (made of pretzels and candy corn) and real fennel hanging from the ceiling. All around amazing!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhse9H1qxEXO13Usc-1jKQklACk6wGbOYD9fbZq5fuKvQ46tc0w9w_QCKcW1Wf5hcQ6bUGjjrPyWsuhTEsXl7qmHYVixrphYpKH1VnqaoF7gT1UMwDHiXrptFd9eYsJyCAEguHQLA5cr4bMAqkYcrStHw-4AArgXJfepDky9sVRaoKBm7cfkaOKG5/s4080/IMG_20231228_105751894_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhse9H1qxEXO13Usc-1jKQklACk6wGbOYD9fbZq5fuKvQ46tc0w9w_QCKcW1Wf5hcQ6bUGjjrPyWsuhTEsXl7qmHYVixrphYpKH1VnqaoF7gT1UMwDHiXrptFd9eYsJyCAEguHQLA5cr4bMAqkYcrStHw-4AArgXJfepDky9sVRaoKBm7cfkaOKG5/s320/IMG_20231228_105751894_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xwjGgXBbVQiaRkwa2OQv6BgOS9poUAmz_jQ7rf8j2EQ6YJ3eQPF56Y1eX6uILmGadq8jlkIxnymM5VZr5jQI9kery1omEcZZTGSj7VC-fvWI0OflPujLH_QRJy9EGieSl-GBdFfOW3ikxnjtfYMsC-IjvB1BR5VPoyDPAhmP39R-bjuXx5e7wlMl/s4080/IMG_20231228_143243287_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xwjGgXBbVQiaRkwa2OQv6BgOS9poUAmz_jQ7rf8j2EQ6YJ3eQPF56Y1eX6uILmGadq8jlkIxnymM5VZr5jQI9kery1omEcZZTGSj7VC-fvWI0OflPujLH_QRJy9EGieSl-GBdFfOW3ikxnjtfYMsC-IjvB1BR5VPoyDPAhmP39R-bjuXx5e7wlMl/s320/IMG_20231228_143243287_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYKySjVZNuPFb5mefu72c9_7ZuSNQyhh-BupySeTl8jalA_EP5Rb1qu7qOQEhi6bf5iebbmnTDwQutJM3BxNRuNrTqzeBX6AHN4o9CtR296Sx5YViISCuJwtwe2H2xLJ8lrmhw-kPbfUhjq0QzJOEvSOZYz_MaaLmbJprk5u4xSg_9sM2lzX0FHKH/s4080/IMG_20231229_073249390_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXYKySjVZNuPFb5mefu72c9_7ZuSNQyhh-BupySeTl8jalA_EP5Rb1qu7qOQEhi6bf5iebbmnTDwQutJM3BxNRuNrTqzeBX6AHN4o9CtR296Sx5YViISCuJwtwe2H2xLJ8lrmhw-kPbfUhjq0QzJOEvSOZYz_MaaLmbJprk5u4xSg_9sM2lzX0FHKH/s320/IMG_20231229_073249390_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBo4ba9tuoGnMw5rnJNVZUlEQzKiM6w7lJ8t0IQswsV8R9_iZARXwNeoMQvCNCWkrv9g46eIKhkhyphenhyphenCmfpbB9q1z4Ihbd0rGZiM3SV9mIKkCTqndhE-Yk1ALMEbsNIoReVdbYhyFrhRS630rdAagrDyLIlMkFp-XaHSvodChWH6cKhSUrGEznLwE1bW/s4080/IMG_20231229_165310317.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBo4ba9tuoGnMw5rnJNVZUlEQzKiM6w7lJ8t0IQswsV8R9_iZARXwNeoMQvCNCWkrv9g46eIKhkhyphenhyphenCmfpbB9q1z4Ihbd0rGZiM3SV9mIKkCTqndhE-Yk1ALMEbsNIoReVdbYhyFrhRS630rdAagrDyLIlMkFp-XaHSvodChWH6cKhSUrGEznLwE1bW/s320/IMG_20231229_165310317.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8clIjX-yjyTXDje6Sl9jsdwAKbyw0FB-MT9VFiJJ_oGl5zLDoM9gpQNNQQqgqcUiekwo6wX_Nn9wqg93l8W1HJ5ggt8t8FX44oNuDc9oXlYaFSNM8hULYedMiUnkLF40I1Yd1KynVCFPUXPVRbGyUED83rQ5OSqih6XQU5ULPCxCXGDU-I-a6OfzO/s4032/IMG_7797.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8clIjX-yjyTXDje6Sl9jsdwAKbyw0FB-MT9VFiJJ_oGl5zLDoM9gpQNNQQqgqcUiekwo6wX_Nn9wqg93l8W1HJ5ggt8t8FX44oNuDc9oXlYaFSNM8hULYedMiUnkLF40I1Yd1KynVCFPUXPVRbGyUED83rQ5OSqih6XQU5ULPCxCXGDU-I-a6OfzO/s320/IMG_7797.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7_aC_YZ_9TrJMvPZGn4oZRwSeVUXJsiCqIGFRRa1kBDnMKoRLTh1TZBNbp8uB1xCFTTQd7jkoB4CSIZ-I6ya1fr1n7K_AEOIrV5kKDqi1mWxi-H1TfG3rX7gH67jVgtR9J1i_bFjdsKS3TZygiCeDP7W81f0ZIsGr_y0Q4_fpzci3STTVL5OG0Gz/s4080/IMG_20231230_211136656.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7_aC_YZ_9TrJMvPZGn4oZRwSeVUXJsiCqIGFRRa1kBDnMKoRLTh1TZBNbp8uB1xCFTTQd7jkoB4CSIZ-I6ya1fr1n7K_AEOIrV5kKDqi1mWxi-H1TfG3rX7gH67jVgtR9J1i_bFjdsKS3TZygiCeDP7W81f0ZIsGr_y0Q4_fpzci3STTVL5OG0Gz/s320/IMG_20231230_211136656.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LXgPWzyZrKc7M6cv6xTYOHZ7YuUlhn0mvy7IPk4eS1o4ZB7CtyDACgRvY9TIbqQF28D8Tg4Pkpk4uvb4cTYXJhvnUTsaqC_yrKiyy_gmahrLB2q7BLHlsApIFwYpDCmphWKQbK2P1A0AbmAoP6Phxurj7Wgh6B6iETGmjViYdRUJfUOINbH5d6g4/s4080/IMG_20231230_213713088.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0LXgPWzyZrKc7M6cv6xTYOHZ7YuUlhn0mvy7IPk4eS1o4ZB7CtyDACgRvY9TIbqQF28D8Tg4Pkpk4uvb4cTYXJhvnUTsaqC_yrKiyy_gmahrLB2q7BLHlsApIFwYpDCmphWKQbK2P1A0AbmAoP6Phxurj7Wgh6B6iETGmjViYdRUJfUOINbH5d6g4/s320/IMG_20231230_213713088.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxl37ChG_DP-WMW8k1IWStGFDwpGUlN5XYMaCt39c-9ow-BtFmpqgM-WKZOj0_1I9oPLPvKUyXNR_uaT5G_Iubvb7KJm0EKeWxhfREfaYGtx4Pcpfk9vSiQu8sOayBo59Lun111YWleZSpUq6y4ebo0MGFalbKlmjHl4Y3Jd7HYK1nFoluKJ6JR2p/s3264/IMG_20231230_220223619_PORTRAIT.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxl37ChG_DP-WMW8k1IWStGFDwpGUlN5XYMaCt39c-9ow-BtFmpqgM-WKZOj0_1I9oPLPvKUyXNR_uaT5G_Iubvb7KJm0EKeWxhfREfaYGtx4Pcpfk9vSiQu8sOayBo59Lun111YWleZSpUq6y4ebo0MGFalbKlmjHl4Y3Jd7HYK1nFoluKJ6JR2p/s320/IMG_20231230_220223619_PORTRAIT.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6lZvyUXHJ8drUbHJKJRodOyM0UTuNkBnt5iqPz6dde318pEVwl_RNQYr3YjWiCFaedoaWdt_aXkJsGRDBCz-40Cq7RLIls0ktndGCgjDoAAX7voK-y3ziVGce3OSQCjby8s6vFGIT6MOXbA-jdBLpYk3XX57fda3I5zn7yz-xFZ6yCznLQpKIxoh/s4080/IMG_20231230_221120411_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis6lZvyUXHJ8drUbHJKJRodOyM0UTuNkBnt5iqPz6dde318pEVwl_RNQYr3YjWiCFaedoaWdt_aXkJsGRDBCz-40Cq7RLIls0ktndGCgjDoAAX7voK-y3ziVGce3OSQCjby8s6vFGIT6MOXbA-jdBLpYk3XX57fda3I5zn7yz-xFZ6yCznLQpKIxoh/s320/IMG_20231230_221120411_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2T5a7gif3VqNEQjL3ULQRBU3wGDnQw9s71aWt7Ta3woWXgBJXw5cwaT8pOYxmWrWqCr28gCJ8k1_Przd63exw7dxpe3LTPsQ6anTYg7Hhzinr_rNQN1ulsMT36_LIiZASnOP_v8fEKWVNq93KuijigZq8-jymxTar6mbh_YernEjq0ibyy9yk2qH/s4080/IMG_20231231_085058416_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2T5a7gif3VqNEQjL3ULQRBU3wGDnQw9s71aWt7Ta3woWXgBJXw5cwaT8pOYxmWrWqCr28gCJ8k1_Przd63exw7dxpe3LTPsQ6anTYg7Hhzinr_rNQN1ulsMT36_LIiZASnOP_v8fEKWVNq93KuijigZq8-jymxTar6mbh_YernEjq0ibyy9yk2qH/s320/IMG_20231231_085058416_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0sOgrP5szRpRGGayzeOJmiMjVUdG3lfEqlBk5nK0LBv2Fs20dOnk0nIFxS-5yTdXdUOU3tEp-08dHkqQBzLa4DA445dlrqojh8i29AMcKKUgdzZK_qrJiHvjgav_pz4LRmX966_KQeVaM_8t1fnmv3vsJ8ilQknETxSNYoHkJWOW68BTpG0O5sAq/s4080/IMG_20231230_224759296.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju0sOgrP5szRpRGGayzeOJmiMjVUdG3lfEqlBk5nK0LBv2Fs20dOnk0nIFxS-5yTdXdUOU3tEp-08dHkqQBzLa4DA445dlrqojh8i29AMcKKUgdzZK_qrJiHvjgav_pz4LRmX966_KQeVaM_8t1fnmv3vsJ8ilQknETxSNYoHkJWOW68BTpG0O5sAq/s320/IMG_20231230_224759296.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>I decorated one cookie and then I had had my fill and was back on the couch to finish my romance novel! I am getting just a tiny bit better at knowing what I like!<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlN0HWBOL3BAMWlYHYoZXjy9JuKqqtMQybFJuQeWqS6u3YmzqWPfcPFLhCV-ESPYssYtKPENv5Belq3WUjVlzkf85tdA3Elpm_ylWsLVkCZvBYGRTPs4NDrHl-KdJj1YmBXpxUsmOoX8Rh0eKkRTX5vdyilsL8cjCGQhWcZkBgmiYkmWQpCM8aVypz/s4032/IMG_7832.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlN0HWBOL3BAMWlYHYoZXjy9JuKqqtMQybFJuQeWqS6u3YmzqWPfcPFLhCV-ESPYssYtKPENv5Belq3WUjVlzkf85tdA3Elpm_ylWsLVkCZvBYGRTPs4NDrHl-KdJj1YmBXpxUsmOoX8Rh0eKkRTX5vdyilsL8cjCGQhWcZkBgmiYkmWQpCM8aVypz/s320/IMG_7832.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">A few other things from our days of trying to accomplish less and just be together more! I made homemade butterfingers for the first, but not the last, time. YUM!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRb4ECHh3sdVBKLR4-5oz_QYngOnjxDNXy_aFCTnKW7ZbZPoA5K_UBCZtyQxUoAXg7zXsyLb0MlTL4JyhoziLo6_rpJMsmX35jIvXBtY1JL50bs4yRlN0hZTSbyjntLWp-JP6oxlBc6MNvlixeBXLlrFanb6Yvz2O903Q9Q0OYQPIwyx4UTrlpOmbM/s1600/IMG_20231231_134001934.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRb4ECHh3sdVBKLR4-5oz_QYngOnjxDNXy_aFCTnKW7ZbZPoA5K_UBCZtyQxUoAXg7zXsyLb0MlTL4JyhoziLo6_rpJMsmX35jIvXBtY1JL50bs4yRlN0hZTSbyjntLWp-JP6oxlBc6MNvlixeBXLlrFanb6Yvz2O903Q9Q0OYQPIwyx4UTrlpOmbM/s320/IMG_20231231_134001934.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRYxRO4H2gyKGVfOyIK7MB9aL6YA-UYErvLVOB0n9bf4K4KHcT_B3kfr6y0oSgSVMt7wcLZYPIQWoAOpPu28E4CRKqeaSiSJChJzC4G5xe0Ki9hB7xdYExz8v1_VvD8uJZhJZLW5QqjfzM6Ek8EpmTf8B4DNW_lvHQFu1bLG0_ApG92OsP5BlL1ln/s4032/IMG_7794.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvRYxRO4H2gyKGVfOyIK7MB9aL6YA-UYErvLVOB0n9bf4K4KHcT_B3kfr6y0oSgSVMt7wcLZYPIQWoAOpPu28E4CRKqeaSiSJChJzC4G5xe0Ki9hB7xdYExz8v1_VvD8uJZhJZLW5QqjfzM6Ek8EpmTf8B4DNW_lvHQFu1bLG0_ApG92OsP5BlL1ln/s320/IMG_7794.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jason, Kali and I donated blood together the day after Christmas. It <i>only</i> took 2 sticks and 4 iron tests for them to get one where I passed and was able to donate! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI5bsmb5a8jA8uAjFfBAVhzD5t8selllkdEMJuGtP4Y3s6IM-owmIoSO9vlaq9fy6Gd3VHVugI4fXv6WBZVuQHoIvHCCwCQfJXlSK6vzQNBNElxiwD-Hqq4Tvq_601AEgeY4DcghesLkPpNsHbWNGjChQN53MgZnjrB-GBNSx7xHKKZlsrF3f6tNI/s4000/IMG_20231226_185352660.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoI5bsmb5a8jA8uAjFfBAVhzD5t8selllkdEMJuGtP4Y3s6IM-owmIoSO9vlaq9fy6Gd3VHVugI4fXv6WBZVuQHoIvHCCwCQfJXlSK6vzQNBNElxiwD-Hqq4Tvq_601AEgeY4DcghesLkPpNsHbWNGjChQN53MgZnjrB-GBNSx7xHKKZlsrF3f6tNI/s320/IMG_20231226_185352660.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I introduced the kids to finger jello!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqSNqlFfRBuE_p5e0D1buA0CJlcj5B-3VGu1ClZfIzIuoD88gU53UzyzMG9oK8hQXNgVIYUwRNGLcz_zzD_Jg0E6dCUFuKnjyCfba6GZ9jSvJzYSWrnsiAJ6UlsAw42W4V04MSYzinZNdlRYoWWaIfVjBblXlJYoG7BmTLtfJq2_r5XiKJk76sSks/s4080/IMG_20231230_202524870.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIqSNqlFfRBuE_p5e0D1buA0CJlcj5B-3VGu1ClZfIzIuoD88gU53UzyzMG9oK8hQXNgVIYUwRNGLcz_zzD_Jg0E6dCUFuKnjyCfba6GZ9jSvJzYSWrnsiAJ6UlsAw42W4V04MSYzinZNdlRYoWWaIfVjBblXlJYoG7BmTLtfJq2_r5XiKJk76sSks/s320/IMG_20231230_202524870.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>We played a new (old) game. Another recommendation from one of my former doula families. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbWuWLMyW8gbj2IJ7x-yF29bhvXuSpRpSipY95IWfsgTr3xxNYNQv_rP1JYbZ72hbc0UgJd_J-IYAtG9hVMvMyg4movlCU4g87YBXKhJsDwIXeTlVZFbWemp5mh5J4lSm55bf6prYnK993dtPuMMKhy8xlKuKH_G5w-rV7DlAyg7XwbIGiHgOMLf0/s4080/IMG_20231231_221455024.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbWuWLMyW8gbj2IJ7x-yF29bhvXuSpRpSipY95IWfsgTr3xxNYNQv_rP1JYbZ72hbc0UgJd_J-IYAtG9hVMvMyg4movlCU4g87YBXKhJsDwIXeTlVZFbWemp5mh5J4lSm55bf6prYnK993dtPuMMKhy8xlKuKH_G5w-rV7DlAyg7XwbIGiHgOMLf0/s320/IMG_20231231_221455024.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jason and I ceremonially (ok, we just did it at the same time and without much fanfare) removed our wedding rings. Don't worry, we are still very happily partnered to each other, but will be marking our 25th anniversary with something new this spring. Stay tuned!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJs3DQjKo-iiRCU1Uy-nwvVaJZu9RDDbhIfJ3nkBRnFhvgL03TWKbhZw2Pt_YcqbBYvTwPpL8KJ8zdhyciWjMGkrMaTEnYShLMwvh6bG7iQ31on8FkS7YZ13Z1YcKStubi3b_mEMBlnDAmKP1fxlJtYfGvH4ZjPUe4VV4ICtVtM9ofL1KZz4hnlZh/s4032/IMG_7810.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPJs3DQjKo-iiRCU1Uy-nwvVaJZu9RDDbhIfJ3nkBRnFhvgL03TWKbhZw2Pt_YcqbBYvTwPpL8KJ8zdhyciWjMGkrMaTEnYShLMwvh6bG7iQ31on8FkS7YZ13Z1YcKStubi3b_mEMBlnDAmKP1fxlJtYfGvH4ZjPUe4VV4ICtVtM9ofL1KZz4hnlZh/s320/IMG_7810.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>We did take advantage of the slightly slower pace to do one project I asked that we do for a Christmas present - washing our front windows!! We removed many many bug gifts from them!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-G-Js-ydqs9OrxUbOZtKugcFMSYhdexuazH2OjZ-TdAnvg3iWWrkt7dU3ytKQvCdC1kW8aUQSuvJAzrYwl_3oRT0qnNzE-JareamNZ3SI0ogLWcuPw6c7gAmQIWh-FetWXFyEz6uDq-mkJv-J-36GQ_StDD99hUIxPTlfhRfb9DFtfjGrp8lA9M7/s4080/IMG_20231226_094119644.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4-G-Js-ydqs9OrxUbOZtKugcFMSYhdexuazH2OjZ-TdAnvg3iWWrkt7dU3ytKQvCdC1kW8aUQSuvJAzrYwl_3oRT0qnNzE-JareamNZ3SI0ogLWcuPw6c7gAmQIWh-FetWXFyEz6uDq-mkJv-J-36GQ_StDD99hUIxPTlfhRfb9DFtfjGrp8lA9M7/s320/IMG_20231226_094119644.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We met up with Emily, Jonas and Ivy at the "blue and yellow park" for some bike riding and walking.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmRulOz0mk2_EVS7jkIBKiV1SztfiZet1GQNSAMN0N1JfE4JLGUhwKDBynbBZXuBXajGuDDKlHFFhNKagURLP9O_ah8nc7FIJECGnWF4FnVWgedT3W-5Z45OX1EqDSx5c76DAbOyiCfZit7kLOOI1PDq_4x2Hw0gYUpr2RgEVohZzJu91ct_lge55/s4080/IMG_20231231_165605111.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRmRulOz0mk2_EVS7jkIBKiV1SztfiZet1GQNSAMN0N1JfE4JLGUhwKDBynbBZXuBXajGuDDKlHFFhNKagURLP9O_ah8nc7FIJECGnWF4FnVWgedT3W-5Z45OX1EqDSx5c76DAbOyiCfZit7kLOOI1PDq_4x2Hw0gYUpr2RgEVohZzJu91ct_lge55/s320/IMG_20231231_165605111.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdZHVZRimkvifgfaE-1gcH5DoDqr1DnPdM93kzwfQ02tbnU5VrHTgXzd6PPcUjgekgbndoyZwQzGslyiUfpyqhrvzEaKjbyw1SFly6mmm4kba1votAbnffXnNzgUAqA7aPy-sv7ibxHVpjcBBLToVexw5Zmqit3P9c50Zu_Zf9XMsc88C2ooAbHlX/s4080/IMG_20231231_170404427.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwdZHVZRimkvifgfaE-1gcH5DoDqr1DnPdM93kzwfQ02tbnU5VrHTgXzd6PPcUjgekgbndoyZwQzGslyiUfpyqhrvzEaKjbyw1SFly6mmm4kba1votAbnffXnNzgUAqA7aPy-sv7ibxHVpjcBBLToVexw5Zmqit3P9c50Zu_Zf9XMsc88C2ooAbHlX/s320/IMG_20231231_170404427.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We kicked off the New Year with a visit from a handful of extended relatives - we stayed warm (enough) around the fire or by the youngest generation playing soccer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybsuCIW7XLEVDU0E9-qkdbfJ1XGhrVSMzbleH5s7RjvIrgN-JUeVETeONtwR0lWXjmRctWuFb2aEQYN8LKKnhSnr1sckIR2TWCzYEkfwGJ6yenCzdROVDqfvUoIN7NVwjKp6UsVJqEAYq6T0B-2lGdUZDZL5X1MVOfjw5-mpSn46sm83iOtzW1C-L/s4080/IMG_20240101_114523780_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgybsuCIW7XLEVDU0E9-qkdbfJ1XGhrVSMzbleH5s7RjvIrgN-JUeVETeONtwR0lWXjmRctWuFb2aEQYN8LKKnhSnr1sckIR2TWCzYEkfwGJ6yenCzdROVDqfvUoIN7NVwjKp6UsVJqEAYq6T0B-2lGdUZDZL5X1MVOfjw5-mpSn46sm83iOtzW1C-L/s320/IMG_20240101_114523780_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>I got to accompany my first family at August Health in birthing their little one. So grateful for the baby's safe arrival and the good health of everyone! That said it was a long haul and I got to see a few cycles of daylight and the nighttime views. Even after missing two nights of sleep, I love it so much!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHThRNU_1eqHwhW0eHr5kV1d1913CUHPC47cFdKT7yulXskJ5iQnoo8XcpLiP9tXxJ1KXfWSUbvwR-5T-wLTRQHfKt2pBiXixUAMcvRmoovZYhTkV_zFDZNu79YTwYVLi_7nfIyNcLDmGJy33AuUIsgIK_o_Lz7tinwYW8GHhTeOrcpk8hVL9DF6Fi/s4080/IMG_20240102_121705538.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHThRNU_1eqHwhW0eHr5kV1d1913CUHPC47cFdKT7yulXskJ5iQnoo8XcpLiP9tXxJ1KXfWSUbvwR-5T-wLTRQHfKt2pBiXixUAMcvRmoovZYhTkV_zFDZNu79YTwYVLi_7nfIyNcLDmGJy33AuUIsgIK_o_Lz7tinwYW8GHhTeOrcpk8hVL9DF6Fi/s320/IMG_20240102_121705538.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTacUchJX516mXN6IS2tvquNruVBtjzQ8BRch5spm83P09kbPgxSgmamqMaK6ysLhJiXswvPGIQbFlKAUXdACyFBW5537zcGn4_TmbvX0Mdhu8_zHeke-zGHVpAk1-cflqYCqfniUlTelH1Ch-E0tOb1h8UJtMIYe8iYc6MvlCgUQRRVFj8ZC8om3/s4080/IMG_20240102_173936978_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoTacUchJX516mXN6IS2tvquNruVBtjzQ8BRch5spm83P09kbPgxSgmamqMaK6ysLhJiXswvPGIQbFlKAUXdACyFBW5537zcGn4_TmbvX0Mdhu8_zHeke-zGHVpAk1-cflqYCqfniUlTelH1Ch-E0tOb1h8UJtMIYe8iYc6MvlCgUQRRVFj8ZC8om3/s320/IMG_20240102_173936978_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>This past weekend we were to get 9+ inches of snow - Mom was eager for Virginia to deliver on the snow prediction. We woke to RAIN... But it did not deter us from having a T.W. sleepover with Jonathan, Christen and Luca. No sledding but we played games and took in the gorgeous ice views from the coziness of the woodstove!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JHVS4qwsSs2VLF_CzXW3eXNxGFfqVEZ7wYD5nOED2xf2y6g3rnlGm4TbDpe697JXQxAlczbIvLTVJiIFba8RgOGGvwYhfXEpS9lcVdznn5H2QjUHoaom8t6wns1LifuI3Z1ydxt69TEU0qWo2JKMiwvIDeBy-65GuusXZXhSg9iOBpGTt_2RlXkF/s4080/IMG_20240106_205428645.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JHVS4qwsSs2VLF_CzXW3eXNxGFfqVEZ7wYD5nOED2xf2y6g3rnlGm4TbDpe697JXQxAlczbIvLTVJiIFba8RgOGGvwYhfXEpS9lcVdznn5H2QjUHoaom8t6wns1LifuI3Z1ydxt69TEU0qWo2JKMiwvIDeBy-65GuusXZXhSg9iOBpGTt_2RlXkF/s320/IMG_20240106_205428645.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8p5-I4NAYCKbo5mppEDGAeFLXW48AdiOcwgHDlcvtBHzopMN_KRxrb25fGihP2lhC-BGbwFMFpubqGj3f0QfV8D7iVRDSuJbSRkruXHUSTPDKHt0nGieuWZnMrcfTz2KPj5nmCRCf4eebF8QB2Iw_uy_-tG4a0W4HXLNVqfQHOf1tQVHzvkPfTAjy/s4080/IMG_20240107_082609423.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8p5-I4NAYCKbo5mppEDGAeFLXW48AdiOcwgHDlcvtBHzopMN_KRxrb25fGihP2lhC-BGbwFMFpubqGj3f0QfV8D7iVRDSuJbSRkruXHUSTPDKHt0nGieuWZnMrcfTz2KPj5nmCRCf4eebF8QB2Iw_uy_-tG4a0W4HXLNVqfQHOf1tQVHzvkPfTAjy/s320/IMG_20240107_082609423.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK7e55ax_vdImQWXZQXD7B2uuCJKf0vwGBbetSKvw9HbZl0hz5zdDnaTF78w-fia550jst2ZLkljQY88QdsyfARNXOfMacTDp_knxDvr23k00pm2mg5auic1DFJ9eEBM7P1Cx96Ev2ss8SLrvZYOMGjGuvU398ESOcT61oG2xr0xgXBIXJt6EpK7n/s4080/IMG_20240107_101147142.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKK7e55ax_vdImQWXZQXD7B2uuCJKf0vwGBbetSKvw9HbZl0hz5zdDnaTF78w-fia550jst2ZLkljQY88QdsyfARNXOfMacTDp_knxDvr23k00pm2mg5auic1DFJ9eEBM7P1Cx96Ev2ss8SLrvZYOMGjGuvU398ESOcT61oG2xr0xgXBIXJt6EpK7n/s320/IMG_20240107_101147142.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other day Jason said he was ready to get things rolling (I think he might have said something like "hit things hard" but I can't exactly remember). Either way, we had a good planning session and have a loose plan for where our focus will be needed in the coming weeks. The list feels daunting but we're gonna try to keep perspective!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of perspective, I enjoyed this photo that I found when removing pictures from Jason's phone. Kali's working around the farm several times a week and it's been a huge help - she and Jason were pruning the various species in the welcome garden on their last work stint together!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJHG85hUgotnNw9EGgBJS6V54x-2xhqA7edfm5V9GEjB8WxgEirchyBLoEPy84_FbDzgGZM6jnTiiYjsgEG3fxBCnLLyDFE_MlFEEWODz-Hq6GM149CPRfgi9xFOJJpdC7Yus7SY-R0005SG2quiuH8Zfaz0_qialMGpy9mmxWzuN5rQbXPYFF267/s4032/IMG_7836.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoJHG85hUgotnNw9EGgBJS6V54x-2xhqA7edfm5V9GEjB8WxgEirchyBLoEPy84_FbDzgGZM6jnTiiYjsgEG3fxBCnLLyDFE_MlFEEWODz-Hq6GM149CPRfgi9xFOJJpdC7Yus7SY-R0005SG2quiuH8Zfaz0_qialMGpy9mmxWzuN5rQbXPYFF267/s320/IMG_7836.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well, this little guy is starting to get more wiggly on my front. So I think that means my two handed typing time will soon be coming to an end! Instead it will be baby play time, which I'm not at all upset about!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5EMJKNdF_JR8MUdqQ0gGgvi5Avd6nDBu5J8NJ4UFojm0XIX7oSwPTCns5E1z8Y3cGBKfeIyLxP2FwWv_0gdkiDlYu1Ixw_hAmXzhSqie4pBhyZDS3RA9fHLCLjSC4TJTquE2-mNiDV9zW7UDaw4XLMM80499zozNIuQU5IxIRK6HZjTcEMBBTlMi/s4080/IMG_20240105_072818891.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT5EMJKNdF_JR8MUdqQ0gGgvi5Avd6nDBu5J8NJ4UFojm0XIX7oSwPTCns5E1z8Y3cGBKfeIyLxP2FwWv_0gdkiDlYu1Ixw_hAmXzhSqie4pBhyZDS3RA9fHLCLjSC4TJTquE2-mNiDV9zW7UDaw4XLMM80499zozNIuQU5IxIRK6HZjTcEMBBTlMi/s320/IMG_20240105_072818891.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAbaA4GCL_4lfK0J7t64VGPEzv3JgQM7n5iP_w3Etw_lK6SjnZ7yfzc2eziX3wtcuIaAr-3QEfZXt-P06pNQgIGgubn6dxs5S5iUWQj6ffMuScjsqU-jmq-niq5Zssu1tcjYbmAOT5mTdRinfbXFU9hiHiosGSA3avy8WLR-DxqugK5T4-RR7kWo4/s4080/IMG_20240105_095353607.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKAbaA4GCL_4lfK0J7t64VGPEzv3JgQM7n5iP_w3Etw_lK6SjnZ7yfzc2eziX3wtcuIaAr-3QEfZXt-P06pNQgIGgubn6dxs5S5iUWQj6ffMuScjsqU-jmq-niq5Zssu1tcjYbmAOT5mTdRinfbXFU9hiHiosGSA3avy8WLR-DxqugK5T4-RR7kWo4/s320/IMG_20240105_095353607.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-4807612848831775822024-01-10T12:08:00.000-08:002024-01-10T12:08:35.023-08:00Snippets from Christmas before January passes us by...I've got a sleeping Bear on my chest as I attempt to stir up creativity for some virtual scrapbooking. I just ordered our hard back 2023 blog books and so feel kinda inspired to keep this up! A walk with a friend this afternoon needed to be rescheduled due to illness, a common happening these days. We continue to feel very grateful for good health and to exercise a lot of caution around indoor gatherings as all sorts of viruses seem to making their rounds right now. <div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8dMJaQngdeiGvwOoCksCEWJCmhicwVCa9ia6_q3UMJjHWfxoUBfAHdrGl7AgFd-SQgNUTyJmFEv1LaHks4bWDmYA_htlsmPpDowCzF-5zwWCce8KvdW_G-dRJttsYq-GkrfHtHz_fcNzikzmHN_U_xHVe-vvE4puMvklWs3neMImysG4XJXnB9R_/s4080/IMG_20231224_135849900.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8dMJaQngdeiGvwOoCksCEWJCmhicwVCa9ia6_q3UMJjHWfxoUBfAHdrGl7AgFd-SQgNUTyJmFEv1LaHks4bWDmYA_htlsmPpDowCzF-5zwWCce8KvdW_G-dRJttsYq-GkrfHtHz_fcNzikzmHN_U_xHVe-vvE4puMvklWs3neMImysG4XJXnB9R_/s320/IMG_20231224_135849900.jpeg" width="320" /></a>Illnesses, and attempting to avoid them, meant that none of our family ended up traveling over the holidays. I was already gonna be home due to being on call for a birth, but this meant that I didn't have to ring in the New Year alone. </div><div><br /></div><div>But backing up to Christmas Eve and Christmas day for a bit: those were the two days our T.W. crew of 7 spent some sweet and fun holiday times together. After soaking in the beauty of Hensley's Pond in the afternoon with some of the Benner clan, we settled into an evening in Mom and Dad's cozy home. They were in charge of the food and festivities for that evening and it included some storytelling with a twist, a game that got our hearts pumping and the giggles going, Christmas ornament making from toilet paper tubes, finally learning SkyJo Action, AND lots of delicious food!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mDzqI38wjyzxZkvaVF9AwBNVJE2EzV84Hnwka6yzXv8TwEZpO86uOUweHjGGprSnxpPTS5Pfu3wxNvoC5nL889sptKV0tbE15lZ61qmaYVwVnVwi8CeMBW7PMeQgb1rqOkGIM6u_eiAglnYLtALl9L1Hmzz4rK9w2S_brULbh_m-9DGcw2atJHRA/s4032/IMG_7786.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6mDzqI38wjyzxZkvaVF9AwBNVJE2EzV84Hnwka6yzXv8TwEZpO86uOUweHjGGprSnxpPTS5Pfu3wxNvoC5nL889sptKV0tbE15lZ61qmaYVwVnVwi8CeMBW7PMeQgb1rqOkGIM6u_eiAglnYLtALl9L1Hmzz4rK9w2S_brULbh_m-9DGcw2atJHRA/s320/IMG_7786.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rbKL_SqjEcfiajU6Z6g0GllO7Dpm04HAkvDb0dzIABYPh42BkmkQbl-maJUdVhDQ3aKy87JipDfiKNMjHyi0MU7U6TvbVwF3T_4LuzbFKDYwo6b5Bc4ZXP9tofSuzux332Mk5EV-sd8Eu9bG-A7CjT_aH5JEft_yNe0RvRjr3hfn4nEzZe-gCWq4/s2320/IMG_20231224_161043787_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1740" data-original-width="2320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4rbKL_SqjEcfiajU6Z6g0GllO7Dpm04HAkvDb0dzIABYPh42BkmkQbl-maJUdVhDQ3aKy87JipDfiKNMjHyi0MU7U6TvbVwF3T_4LuzbFKDYwo6b5Bc4ZXP9tofSuzux332Mk5EV-sd8Eu9bG-A7CjT_aH5JEft_yNe0RvRjr3hfn4nEzZe-gCWq4/s320/IMG_20231224_161043787_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5NQzJ3ql0g_q30KZvN_iqAQXpvEN6Ajc7maHbXhsUq-TQqkZP8C7xahre1XbsEMFa6rDBO0xfCNok2Ve8Rd5Yy_QENcrSBDSTUZfov9k4ouFasKBH1oaHvFTEhQzx8aYOqkQCyxj2VLKWS6OLQj-S1jIQ1C-o-oEBjzlafgQUKvArboA0AEfm5vz/s4080/IMG_20231224_164315768.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU5NQzJ3ql0g_q30KZvN_iqAQXpvEN6Ajc7maHbXhsUq-TQqkZP8C7xahre1XbsEMFa6rDBO0xfCNok2Ve8Rd5Yy_QENcrSBDSTUZfov9k4ouFasKBH1oaHvFTEhQzx8aYOqkQCyxj2VLKWS6OLQj-S1jIQ1C-o-oEBjzlafgQUKvArboA0AEfm5vz/s320/IMG_20231224_164315768.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1NupyrPYIX89ex_ZiE3HZmL2M5xZoJnfF7fsNfjyBSmBzMJBPytZORb5WicX95kYuw7uFYLFIgzThBF9xxOpq8rVfu3R2q3OnofUP2z8Uh1LaZb61ZdFl-noQJMnyFiIBeix44A56ECfy27nMPGzkwBOjWzx2wr5gmiBPYCParSaLFSCuN3fPjc_/s4080/IMG_20231224_204647003.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT1NupyrPYIX89ex_ZiE3HZmL2M5xZoJnfF7fsNfjyBSmBzMJBPytZORb5WicX95kYuw7uFYLFIgzThBF9xxOpq8rVfu3R2q3OnofUP2z8Uh1LaZb61ZdFl-noQJMnyFiIBeix44A56ECfy27nMPGzkwBOjWzx2wr5gmiBPYCParSaLFSCuN3fPjc_/s320/IMG_20231224_204647003.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>There was a good dose of silliness in the mix too!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIx9jJCOTe1-fUl8ol_XxH2X_VknSMVW2BDwYh0K0UMIR5HIwNedoONGtrVtXvNupA4eeopoEdUI7Tojc416HNX60XsUvvSAdNXy2ZGxEGyDFZeNBrvPTikpPl7Rjcw8RTYj_gurYlEGw1x4D8hxmS6wyMpSesJZbQ6KJFt8c5_ZQjvrqRipIgjVA/s4080/IMG_20231224_203837067.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmIx9jJCOTe1-fUl8ol_XxH2X_VknSMVW2BDwYh0K0UMIR5HIwNedoONGtrVtXvNupA4eeopoEdUI7Tojc416HNX60XsUvvSAdNXy2ZGxEGyDFZeNBrvPTikpPl7Rjcw8RTYj_gurYlEGw1x4D8hxmS6wyMpSesJZbQ6KJFt8c5_ZQjvrqRipIgjVA/s320/IMG_20231224_203837067.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>We then spent the first part of Christmas day just the 5 of us downstairs, unearthing what was in all the packages under the tree. We didn't make a breakfast OR lunch plan as we knew Mom was making Christmas danishes AND a good portion of the gifts were food that we'd want to be able to enjoy tasting. So other than a vat of hot chocolate, I didn't make any food before our Christmas feast in the evening!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Dl2rkrjNP3Z5sjGKbZXjo86KhGMmEO4In_B0A4auKNHTTx2JV_NXYZLoGfyq4kDln5DKfNAoM4VXcLZBmMb9uyCZiAS6IlhStdQUIwQE1250QYRhNcD8ZYs-ogWkX3278_vYANM1xIG3tbbBkkFWdbJ0qdDyfxuOgpfS0GOMOXBVUOw-SRgpIq5n/s4080/IMG_20231225_081556830.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Dl2rkrjNP3Z5sjGKbZXjo86KhGMmEO4In_B0A4auKNHTTx2JV_NXYZLoGfyq4kDln5DKfNAoM4VXcLZBmMb9uyCZiAS6IlhStdQUIwQE1250QYRhNcD8ZYs-ogWkX3278_vYANM1xIG3tbbBkkFWdbJ0qdDyfxuOgpfS0GOMOXBVUOw-SRgpIq5n/s320/IMG_20231225_081556830.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaCCUx-u31HutbwEwddSRgzbOCoCe-TfgOxRodilzok06yUJGsct9XaAgvcXLwZZM9LmF9COOSsxcE7-JCr5go0O9c9gYU7fkTfYWDSg9qg4Qx_ADHCwIC-5msqgmnL3ri23wCJ7jq7ZxZOTU4CwwBNI_DvedWZcRYGcH4hbdhwAWaWVUCWp5IjQR/s4080/IMG_20231225_081606214_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaCCUx-u31HutbwEwddSRgzbOCoCe-TfgOxRodilzok06yUJGsct9XaAgvcXLwZZM9LmF9COOSsxcE7-JCr5go0O9c9gYU7fkTfYWDSg9qg4Qx_ADHCwIC-5msqgmnL3ri23wCJ7jq7ZxZOTU4CwwBNI_DvedWZcRYGcH4hbdhwAWaWVUCWp5IjQR/s320/IMG_20231225_081606214_HDR.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>It was a sweet and special morning. I was still wondering how to be present to our day together and also hold the heaviness of all the horrible things happening in the world. We took a moment to light a candle together in the morning and had that lit throughout our day. While this changes nothing about the state of the world, it shifted something in me and helped me just a little to hold both.<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzER6B-cHQvOodMUcCDPIXsSaC0UR4J2Gs47QJwLP-sWJu9m6TJwKlm-5PxQNxdBlsiO9Fvsy4f00NM5xWSyg2yg6zTIP21OGCzI3Gr9M3K37RJC6ZAZ_eityfXjJluEdNRy1VOHywruEvTj0Kt344Pm9ddNZV3INmwo5auBMeqzTw-5mUlivGEG8/s4080/IMG_20231225_081925263_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyzER6B-cHQvOodMUcCDPIXsSaC0UR4J2Gs47QJwLP-sWJu9m6TJwKlm-5PxQNxdBlsiO9Fvsy4f00NM5xWSyg2yg6zTIP21OGCzI3Gr9M3K37RJC6ZAZ_eityfXjJluEdNRy1VOHywruEvTj0Kt344Pm9ddNZV3INmwo5auBMeqzTw-5mUlivGEG8/s320/IMG_20231225_081925263_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMPcsDJMViL9uhKHw7Tf4v65_NnQNjs5PdVWR67NPbWuW0E4JR5UHJ7CVRewZ_knU4MvSRuwat4Bv4iXQf7dfXd2bAkF5XrnGBvMQZAFxrgod21Gsvh7JMvTHPkQ4E-nFv_QGawXvr529m-H7sWtnWBUwxSHudEZ9dexA2SsG_j3-x16EGDGGymIV/s4080/IMG_20231225_081620251_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnMPcsDJMViL9uhKHw7Tf4v65_NnQNjs5PdVWR67NPbWuW0E4JR5UHJ7CVRewZ_knU4MvSRuwat4Bv4iXQf7dfXd2bAkF5XrnGBvMQZAFxrgod21Gsvh7JMvTHPkQ4E-nFv_QGawXvr529m-H7sWtnWBUwxSHudEZ9dexA2SsG_j3-x16EGDGGymIV/w151-h200/IMG_20231225_081620251_HDR.jpeg" width="151" /></a>One of the sweetest things for me in receiving presents from our girls is how well they know us. Jason got a Pez dispenser from them for his Lactaid and I got a wood burned "you choose" coupon from Terah. I also got a belated present from the girls of a frame with a series of laundry photographs which I adore. They know how much I love the sight of laundry drying on the line and decided to give me options of various laundry shots to brighten my spirits as needed! This was in addition to the various things I asked for - I've used my new hand mixer, spatulas and little metal turner many times already! I have not quite eaten all the chocolate caramel coffee beans!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I think everyone felt pretty excited about the gifts picked out for them! I always get worried that, in the lackadaisical way I got about shopping for them, it won't feel "fair." But no one seems to be keeping track. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7if9sm5tVACk0kpbw5_uh35nE6UHiVD-uVth1hG7ieMCKnTtjarqBcJRamN-xya21d9TQA22FgF58clnOgR1aaihLAGpWqWAGXxBgvmOqKc_l9YIT9_z4RB5JVTpiZ6rByyqT1KZyr0d8Da6nt31Vr1hKN-4mLqzdzTqZ_qGkwJiY1NQHlALFGFm3/s4080/IMG_20231225_084332028_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7if9sm5tVACk0kpbw5_uh35nE6UHiVD-uVth1hG7ieMCKnTtjarqBcJRamN-xya21d9TQA22FgF58clnOgR1aaihLAGpWqWAGXxBgvmOqKc_l9YIT9_z4RB5JVTpiZ6rByyqT1KZyr0d8Da6nt31Vr1hKN-4mLqzdzTqZ_qGkwJiY1NQHlALFGFm3/s320/IMG_20231225_084332028_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MoHPTSLXD5oC7IhQEkoYOPgcGw0w4JG1JvlqQK32RGY6CorLSgaiKwHZBugqM8A4ZnDN6SkY1B8-GBc20z5xN_YFnvOBjNh8NSS_M05pnea4NF9hz6KTd9tTrkZ9CLkNHMMrw2j_DMdygTn_iPwNdSyjuAg4pQIH_d71RKvhvGk94Mm1Ux5aEBQy/s4080/IMG_20231225_090207483.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MoHPTSLXD5oC7IhQEkoYOPgcGw0w4JG1JvlqQK32RGY6CorLSgaiKwHZBugqM8A4ZnDN6SkY1B8-GBc20z5xN_YFnvOBjNh8NSS_M05pnea4NF9hz6KTd9tTrkZ9CLkNHMMrw2j_DMdygTn_iPwNdSyjuAg4pQIH_d71RKvhvGk94Mm1Ux5aEBQy/s320/IMG_20231225_090207483.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>Terah tried out her new shovel and Alida her new basketball before the day was out. It was a few days before we got around to playing Abducktion (Kali's new game).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX48QommOTL97Mmmz-siK0r2oexGfljxhDa4M3ktWo3qjgY0B-EHRKx3KXOe4Y2Zzxps_NGbg181QTMcDUtx5zOyEssWAa0sLB9NOPtOTMfLaUNea_-5YFnLgfoyDbOmp2wR9BKz3QXigA8PLi7Jp4mRufS1R2lWazsHZB3H0iPGKJux0C40XwpCw2/s4080/IMG_20231225_104429601.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX48QommOTL97Mmmz-siK0r2oexGfljxhDa4M3ktWo3qjgY0B-EHRKx3KXOe4Y2Zzxps_NGbg181QTMcDUtx5zOyEssWAa0sLB9NOPtOTMfLaUNea_-5YFnLgfoyDbOmp2wR9BKz3QXigA8PLi7Jp4mRufS1R2lWazsHZB3H0iPGKJux0C40XwpCw2/s320/IMG_20231225_104429601.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdM0fC3nXls5nqK6PEFqWEi-yrog4ATU6oZl3Gu0Cz0MicCSrAUU9-SFy9u_tRP-kZJRyUamfNmoK0yXO5-TTqL6mcHso0WrWstUyS07NCTQM4v_61IEMCr23qIit5QeJdakJ4ZSmXYCKPMrz1EJdNR5fFhwc6Q48OXeQVeoH815uHkQflGiwsz5oc/s4080/IMG_20231225_104645494_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdM0fC3nXls5nqK6PEFqWEi-yrog4ATU6oZl3Gu0Cz0MicCSrAUU9-SFy9u_tRP-kZJRyUamfNmoK0yXO5-TTqL6mcHso0WrWstUyS07NCTQM4v_61IEMCr23qIit5QeJdakJ4ZSmXYCKPMrz1EJdNR5fFhwc6Q48OXeQVeoH815uHkQflGiwsz5oc/s320/IMG_20231225_104645494_HDR.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>We were in charge of food and fun for the evening. A few things about our time together felt particularly meaningful. We enjoyed Filipino snacks for our appetizer and in that way it felt a tiny bit like Tala was with us. Then during our time together we collectively put together a care package for a friend from Gaza currently living the nightmare happening in her home via Canada where she is a student. We closed out the night enjoying German treats while playing dominos, bringing back sweet memories of Rachel's visit with us in the fall. So while it was just the 7 of us for the evening, our circle felt bigger!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrW2jURzvvVS7w8t0q6aJbZQLWwx2OHEICqfkin7cxapjoyhqTCg03GfQCqDP3U_arnNIrvFFvuVpy-I0P9HsNsZcdkyckG0yqgWl66F_3NgrvEv5ucqfQ6ScV74Q29NzVppMD70wHOXP3POsxkemQT-_znNF2g6a08QX4EHa6pJsWrZu7_8K0sO6h/s4080/IMG_20231225_152929175_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrW2jURzvvVS7w8t0q6aJbZQLWwx2OHEICqfkin7cxapjoyhqTCg03GfQCqDP3U_arnNIrvFFvuVpy-I0P9HsNsZcdkyckG0yqgWl66F_3NgrvEv5ucqfQ6ScV74Q29NzVppMD70wHOXP3POsxkemQT-_znNF2g6a08QX4EHa6pJsWrZu7_8K0sO6h/s320/IMG_20231225_152929175_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5-7sfaE7Pn0Do960UdtXAu6GNUrh92xCCDzaHsWjPnl7TPIzSNlZGfLy2_MRYlyWFMXCGeCHmXrfW4WxzzZL8gzMFucGVA61KotiMj1zsNb3SJ-NPnCS8-J8OaH12p-RfYybm9gsWZV1uIDEYxo4XS6TgUXq29RiXKYVWbsdZpoX0s0y4Ueg1eMc/s4080/IMG_20231225_164951956_HDR.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK5-7sfaE7Pn0Do960UdtXAu6GNUrh92xCCDzaHsWjPnl7TPIzSNlZGfLy2_MRYlyWFMXCGeCHmXrfW4WxzzZL8gzMFucGVA61KotiMj1zsNb3SJ-NPnCS8-J8OaH12p-RfYybm9gsWZV1uIDEYxo4XS6TgUXq29RiXKYVWbsdZpoX0s0y4Ueg1eMc/s320/IMG_20231225_164951956_HDR.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsK97USOu86Bo6fFJgDcDu9d_ioDC_m9CIH7webnUDlseS-fuyUQ4GugFpTGvaRvvmlx2O6f44Ljytynu_e9dhPqWbO6FdL64hn5QmoA80kZN2tfYC_jvSPb3SoIeUo6dFMzmktiKzbIn_y-UaAY_DRkagv3cTdgQkCKbA_U7w-B37kSy73mmCpc3j/s4080/IMG_20231225_195802183.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsK97USOu86Bo6fFJgDcDu9d_ioDC_m9CIH7webnUDlseS-fuyUQ4GugFpTGvaRvvmlx2O6f44Ljytynu_e9dhPqWbO6FdL64hn5QmoA80kZN2tfYC_jvSPb3SoIeUo6dFMzmktiKzbIn_y-UaAY_DRkagv3cTdgQkCKbA_U7w-B37kSy73mmCpc3j/s320/IMG_20231225_195802183.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzeYJm6oggt6KstVBH9V8xRZiP1QPKBbSYt8DnW-Ox2dkBv0IgF1fsVEdCNCzcczwngAcEzfBu-ifs2Bu3j6ZILqR7FmO6Rm2hQGlpHkYuKrCfI31en_ol2W3Jcixk9r0r6Nesku3ioFxPCJI3y0RlLKDk0EwtQqNrmMg5HGVA2_7ex5EYGAhpiOQ/s4080/IMG_20231225_174256704.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzeYJm6oggt6KstVBH9V8xRZiP1QPKBbSYt8DnW-Ox2dkBv0IgF1fsVEdCNCzcczwngAcEzfBu-ifs2Bu3j6ZILqR7FmO6Rm2hQGlpHkYuKrCfI31en_ol2W3Jcixk9r0r6Nesku3ioFxPCJI3y0RlLKDk0EwtQqNrmMg5HGVA2_7ex5EYGAhpiOQ/w200-h151/IMG_20231225_174256704.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>We dined on a mostly-Tangly-Woods-derived feast and then enjoyed a number of fun activities, including sardines, a drawing game that Terah clearly now sees as a yearly tradition now, and there were a few Christmas carols played on the piano for us here and there.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Of all the gifts given, what I felt the deepest gratitude for was the tenderness in the relationships we share with each other around the table; relationships that have required tending and weeding and some hard work at times, but are yielding a really delightful harvest!</div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-30024581697391909682023-12-28T16:04:00.000-08:002023-12-28T16:04:48.528-08:00The year between the years!<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3gTl3Oc7_-a1UXPZzH4OHztASyvFx69Gj86g-2rMqE3rxS8HbG9MyQtUHCycy7ORsUJ2UAxjcp9avJSbL6gEfuzzUWrJzcaG28Iq-PEkcsm7_6_wUi8P5ZbISsal9U05c5K_P70qs2L3YuVl_IOHYLYl63K8m_L2o8qRyTHaRqIj7NEUn_Q0eumS/s4080/3AECC688-0779-4E6D-8C6A-E7804B3C07ED.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi3gTl3Oc7_-a1UXPZzH4OHztASyvFx69Gj86g-2rMqE3rxS8HbG9MyQtUHCycy7ORsUJ2UAxjcp9avJSbL6gEfuzzUWrJzcaG28Iq-PEkcsm7_6_wUi8P5ZbISsal9U05c5K_P70qs2L3YuVl_IOHYLYl63K8m_L2o8qRyTHaRqIj7NEUn_Q0eumS/w200-h151/3AECC688-0779-4E6D-8C6A-E7804B3C07ED.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: center;">A year is not a long time. Not anymore. I concede that for Terah, the span of time between one birthday or Christmas and the next may seem to stretch out before her like a highway trodden by foot, and I remember that feeling, but it's long gone for me (Jason authoring this).</span></div><div class="separator"><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div>Contributing to the sense I have that I JUST DID that thing, such as the biochar burn we do every solstice, or the hog butchering we do every early December, is the fact that this land-connected life we have entered and co-created sometimes feels like a series of interconnected annual rituals. And now that we've had the same basic components in place for several years, it all starts to run together, messing with my sense of time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHitA5LYbkD7-XejUxsOZUshp5WGhhP_KNiMpCwEIxiV91KwG7F2YeYnraODwDCqL4aczj0604gmzQ_NLe1XvI4JSbQv_Ihw4A7npLk0FufkbSMvYuNkPEhENUs8KVYDgQrzrcqnFdxY5Vx-KpM6aSacTQb9SK3x0qbLZZkYjJ0Uy-Jrkwy3XHLPZr/s4080/IMG_20230725_071417859.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHitA5LYbkD7-XejUxsOZUshp5WGhhP_KNiMpCwEIxiV91KwG7F2YeYnraODwDCqL4aczj0604gmzQ_NLe1XvI4JSbQv_Ihw4A7npLk0FufkbSMvYuNkPEhENUs8KVYDgQrzrcqnFdxY5Vx-KpM6aSacTQb9SK3x0qbLZZkYjJ0Uy-Jrkwy3XHLPZr/s320/IMG_20230725_071417859.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgormLnVM1J59eaGJMWiWYvsPmsZSo3Zm70nngoZ3hEHYXc9NuKHFGqqHmIjvJi7JwoxZkXeVsGlhAkSvhpT_HjDdqBHS69DbQfWUUO_EIsj8K5rL-xSecRm6V4sIqdtTLxRsZnLhysRxtjaDbsyjARDYKuQ_zXOVWUmZLDACfPcukztkKXKOtrLGiL/s3264/IMG_20230807_183043587.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgormLnVM1J59eaGJMWiWYvsPmsZSo3Zm70nngoZ3hEHYXc9NuKHFGqqHmIjvJi7JwoxZkXeVsGlhAkSvhpT_HjDdqBHS69DbQfWUUO_EIsj8K5rL-xSecRm6V4sIqdtTLxRsZnLhysRxtjaDbsyjARDYKuQ_zXOVWUmZLDACfPcukztkKXKOtrLGiL/w200-h150/IMG_20230807_183043587.jpeg" width="200" /></a>But things grow. Things like kids. And trees. So the passage of time doesn't go by wholly unmarked.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>2023: </b>in some ways it was the year between the years. Except for the deep drought conditions we endured this summer and fall, in many of the obvious ways it was less remarkable than the years we've just come through and the years we anticipate. The COVID scene sort of coasted: we're still among the few wearing masks in crowds and asking our potential social contacts about symptoms and exposures. A new variant happened, and we decided to stay away from Pennsylvania Christmas celebrations once again as numbers began to soar seasonally. The new normal, maybe? It's an uneasy pattern, but it's not much changed from last year. We mostly, this year, kept our home and work systems going, and kept our eyes open for ways to simplify, improve, and refine them.</div><div><br /></div><div>This has been welcome, really. We needed something more like an ordinary year. We were still too busy in the middle of the year, but my contracting work and Janelle's doula work fitted perhaps a bit more comfortably around the farm work, when you look at the year as a whole (we even took a vacation in August!). The growth and change...the news!...can perhaps be said for 2023 to be more in the details. And many of the details pertain to the people involved, so let's get straight to the updates on each of us:</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Terah (8):</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXvWeirMIjkgg0MclFZVFXeYprScYtf9x3aAzmIzAcSjABnIEwJNkze5FzTFJ2kMH5mAnEKCgdLcoJtruci2PmL-SM2hUgel1-VtfJv91D86kIECbRFR0nINpHyqx-eN0TJa1g6UgWlGsDs6CS18f6p0vQw3oY2JujwYYR4jPsnqoxQo0kT0nJjYs/s4080/IMG_20230814_123022507.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXvWeirMIjkgg0MclFZVFXeYprScYtf9x3aAzmIzAcSjABnIEwJNkze5FzTFJ2kMH5mAnEKCgdLcoJtruci2PmL-SM2hUgel1-VtfJv91D86kIECbRFR0nINpHyqx-eN0TJa1g6UgWlGsDs6CS18f6p0vQw3oY2JujwYYR4jPsnqoxQo0kT0nJjYs/w200-h151/IMG_20230814_123022507.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Terah's spunk has not abated one jot! However, some new awarenesses and skills have come along. For example, her reading has improved (she's a slow and steady reading learner, not an epiphany type). Also, she now usually keeps her undies on when she gets hot tearing around the house, and asks if anyone is due to come over before taking off her pants. :) She's now able to carry a tune, and can hardly stop herself from joining in if someone starts a song on piano or by voice that she is familiar with. She'll proudly demonstrate her newfound ability to play "Silent Night" on piano <i>with chords! </i>She enjoys her daily excursions with Alida into the farmyard to do her chicken chores and join Alida in pampering the chickens with treats, even if it can be hard to make the transition out (and back in!) sometimes. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzabcBu7XqN1uyuTJNaBgHGeNKPtFdgpGq-pZ2xnHkV_WiQxDV7SSmNqs-WuTORxlHJLDtITT7Vtei5uaWTJT5viCeVOXyeevItFPQBNpWaXVWPNY9bPp5usy4caxCXaAJI8My2QlV06LAXZ-I0reVCMYAjc4uGnuYHfMNTd45hKuE8HuYK93wrS_r/s4032/IMG_7686.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzabcBu7XqN1uyuTJNaBgHGeNKPtFdgpGq-pZ2xnHkV_WiQxDV7SSmNqs-WuTORxlHJLDtITT7Vtei5uaWTJT5viCeVOXyeevItFPQBNpWaXVWPNY9bPp5usy4caxCXaAJI8My2QlV06LAXZ-I0reVCMYAjc4uGnuYHfMNTd45hKuE8HuYK93wrS_r/s320/IMG_7686.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyvxGprtgYN0yziqLsS2c29XrANcQBVxQIlAUhkex8-J_kmtUaqquFYFeCXirHJskyZoMGjG1zEnuDpi6bLhG8971tzIInWLgus5gKEn5aSQVG3Sq3YYufOmy6HDHTm0d_HlypLsrBC4AOaXgpYc10nUfZ8q3LP-UIaaP6QIZggBfAuRbYZnXMyye/s4080/IMG_20231221_124520895.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyvxGprtgYN0yziqLsS2c29XrANcQBVxQIlAUhkex8-J_kmtUaqquFYFeCXirHJskyZoMGjG1zEnuDpi6bLhG8971tzIInWLgus5gKEn5aSQVG3Sq3YYufOmy6HDHTm0d_HlypLsrBC4AOaXgpYc10nUfZ8q3LP-UIaaP6QIZggBfAuRbYZnXMyye/s320/IMG_20231221_124520895.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSywY7pOX9qJTYbguiPqzJRd8rzqDi3p4PsF9gPs6LQAXJq0B6um96kCSgzzJsJn0o2u27S87lYiInjNbvgQd8RdoCXi45yrQoi5GMCSt3X9WR8ry8M4j0_M7UN7Y2CYPcDcx-BGkzj558-P1C-K2O3CYPDeq_bmS7lrNBUpGNBTEvdRxhJuefycE7/s4032/IMG_7208.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSywY7pOX9qJTYbguiPqzJRd8rzqDi3p4PsF9gPs6LQAXJq0B6um96kCSgzzJsJn0o2u27S87lYiInjNbvgQd8RdoCXi45yrQoi5GMCSt3X9WR8ry8M4j0_M7UN7Y2CYPcDcx-BGkzj558-P1C-K2O3CYPDeq_bmS7lrNBUpGNBTEvdRxhJuefycE7/w150-h200/IMG_7208.jpeg" width="150" /></a>She continues to be more the physical daredevil, and is our best splinter remover. She does her best to keep up with her sisters at yard soccer, and is getting pretty good, truth be known. She was a strong, steady asset to her city league teams, especially this fall. She likes drawing and puzzles and craft projects with Grandma. She loves perhaps only two things more than a good wrestle: a big present and a warm snuggle. She adores hanging out with close friends, declaring on our November getaway that she wanted us to increase the frequency of those special times until they filled the whole year! But large crowds of kids overwhelm her, and people who lavish certain kinds of intense attention on their surroundings make her feel, in her words, "tired." I feel ya, kid! She also gets quickly overwhelmed by scary movies. Ok, by almost every single movie out there, more realistically. She loves growing and selecting her popcorn, and likes to have a few flowers of her own in the ground. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAu-7c9JsPwRubG3bFhD-4QGJUXuST9IbLpoZRRZi3p6eAfOoiPxPGlekCXAd4qAGNmn0FNXV7wyvCRSeSvctwJsXbfieoHBF-UNbq7NbGFiBBrbhyphenhyphenh_zXxeIQbe_ZBnVQDX6sCfAEiU5eeSyRLpdf4eys1CBt6FbRikXKevHgNi4NXnB6M7N8w-AB/s4080/E1E482AE-0D13-4DCB-9EE7-E5726B8B30F3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAu-7c9JsPwRubG3bFhD-4QGJUXuST9IbLpoZRRZi3p6eAfOoiPxPGlekCXAd4qAGNmn0FNXV7wyvCRSeSvctwJsXbfieoHBF-UNbq7NbGFiBBrbhyphenhyphenh_zXxeIQbe_ZBnVQDX6sCfAEiU5eeSyRLpdf4eys1CBt6FbRikXKevHgNi4NXnB6M7N8w-AB/s320/E1E482AE-0D13-4DCB-9EE7-E5726B8B30F3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMXmlJ-zw-FgWq3PQwmkFW5JzFaWthQmCDCZppipXEzuOr2fl0ZIipWgWBPwlSZMaU6nunlCImXW4FYk10tRTiCml-KCkbbM4Nv_mG5PIBzXgTAirAToEav2UwKsAWeTGRzWTlzpBihOhelZ2zQDV4ogdaguy2yTd5KFT0j0ppYEXj0o9tGsqzIcX/s4032/IMG_6454.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUMXmlJ-zw-FgWq3PQwmkFW5JzFaWthQmCDCZppipXEzuOr2fl0ZIipWgWBPwlSZMaU6nunlCImXW4FYk10tRTiCml-KCkbbM4Nv_mG5PIBzXgTAirAToEav2UwKsAWeTGRzWTlzpBihOhelZ2zQDV4ogdaguy2yTd5KFT0j0ppYEXj0o9tGsqzIcX/s320/IMG_6454.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqgYs73ng5h3htZuidfi0bTGyxJGWbfKIPGZDR8FOAKwx_csqqPLsNbSglBl1RnS15_NR38cy_NNqDGttcT7t2i0E1Fkde2xAtTDefpo9y7wyt9FIqGWEYPOce3pJQtFQwGrMTAcNzVeOVvtpgoty8900SvmF2QPLrKMiiX540ZHPMpaPayua2lSs/s4080/IMG_20230812_135622329.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqgYs73ng5h3htZuidfi0bTGyxJGWbfKIPGZDR8FOAKwx_csqqPLsNbSglBl1RnS15_NR38cy_NNqDGttcT7t2i0E1Fkde2xAtTDefpo9y7wyt9FIqGWEYPOce3pJQtFQwGrMTAcNzVeOVvtpgoty8900SvmF2QPLrKMiiX540ZHPMpaPayua2lSs/w200-h151/IMG_20230812_135622329.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Computer games and nature documentaries are big faves. She especially likes anything narrated by David Attenborough. I was amused to overhear one day that in a nature film depicting a lion pride predating on their fellow occupants of the savannah, she was rooting for the lions! It turned out that her tender heart couldn't stand the thought of the cubs not having anything to eat. Speaking of things to eat, Terah is learning to cook, frequently frying her own breakfast eggs and toasting her own bread (when she's not slipping upstairs for a bowl of Cheerios...still a yum!), she is getting pretty good at inventing tasty cracker recipes, and she is signed up for cooking for the family once per week! In contrast to her older sisters, Terah often enjoys washing the dishes (and she's...kinda fast!). Terah loves her life, and I can't imagine her picking a favorite part of it, unless that would be helping her mommy babysit!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Pn-RZsOUca1GnDjDba2WgRjM6TdBsIwNpBwtfLo2NuhSjGOlPeRFO-MjMZvaIjxAhS5I3vbBB69IJr7-tIQI_ct4T1yrLMQBsyPkpl9vLgC1AFfcAi7drRKPF6dKDC5G5w_GmsCyWD7K6RkLjMw_I2TMjGqZu1y3EtxOmmje9K6W8eHTrgd2hGvk/s4080/F68CE3D3-F8AF-4410-80A5-4898156B2485.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Pn-RZsOUca1GnDjDba2WgRjM6TdBsIwNpBwtfLo2NuhSjGOlPeRFO-MjMZvaIjxAhS5I3vbBB69IJr7-tIQI_ct4T1yrLMQBsyPkpl9vLgC1AFfcAi7drRKPF6dKDC5G5w_GmsCyWD7K6RkLjMw_I2TMjGqZu1y3EtxOmmje9K6W8eHTrgd2hGvk/s320/F68CE3D3-F8AF-4410-80A5-4898156B2485.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKoWQYaOZMELywd5gXM0Kit-M5siAZb7VgSHqJINmP1l5oiwA9nfBqdnfg-blgIeoruWRkhlwZHdVrpoJ1hYY4-VpWYSqUabX3t7C2HDUPh5UZhmfyZLuwZ95F-PQU_FgTicGktLfiAO2UA8Yiwh0FObxgeWwJKXz94INvRX6-QFBofNo2KDbdssZ/s4080/IMG_20231221_103623647.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjKoWQYaOZMELywd5gXM0Kit-M5siAZb7VgSHqJINmP1l5oiwA9nfBqdnfg-blgIeoruWRkhlwZHdVrpoJ1hYY4-VpWYSqUabX3t7C2HDUPh5UZhmfyZLuwZ95F-PQU_FgTicGktLfiAO2UA8Yiwh0FObxgeWwJKXz94INvRX6-QFBofNo2KDbdssZ/s320/IMG_20231221_103623647.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><b>Alida (12):</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8DA9TNDCJ-W34-WRb4Cagj6oSzDxhHghzX0QX-WLC1i1W7V25VOLFtdCD_jq1ZbKUjlCb0SXOqVywhxBqCfIyeKH7xTjvnjk4EgUBaZBUIv1qhrv4gtCwzamiL_nAy07rT658v5PVvsugiYTHeyMFpT804TIiWhEN6RhT_qYbt7UznhPBrSCbg3B/s4000/103.%20Alida%20playing%20soccer%20as%20goalie.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2664" data-original-width="4000" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI8DA9TNDCJ-W34-WRb4Cagj6oSzDxhHghzX0QX-WLC1i1W7V25VOLFtdCD_jq1ZbKUjlCb0SXOqVywhxBqCfIyeKH7xTjvnjk4EgUBaZBUIv1qhrv4gtCwzamiL_nAy07rT658v5PVvsugiYTHeyMFpT804TIiWhEN6RhT_qYbt7UznhPBrSCbg3B/w200-h133/103.%20Alida%20playing%20soccer%20as%20goalie.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Alida gets mistaken for a high schooler a lot these days, and once she was even asked if she was from a local college! She's fully into adult shoe and clothing sizes, and is about to catch Kali on height. Where she'll stop, nobody knows! But we err if we forget that she's still a kid: she still needs a good snuggle pretty often (don't we all, really?), and very much values help and guidance as she picks up many of the skills her adult self is going to need. Alida loves to develop and hone physical skills: shooting baskets or soccer goals, punting waaay down the field (seriously...that girl has a FOOT), frisbee, fling sock, and all manner of invented fiddly games around the house. Alida is athletic and good at sports generally, but reluctant to enter a competitive league for fear that game day pressure--to which she is sensitive--would take all the fun out of it. She's got a point, right? Her quick hands and knack for seeing order in chaos make her a great jigsaw puzzler, and a fierce Dutch Blitz competitor (abandon hope, all ye who enter there). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYlyj907GAd5uTmygt6v1q5t6ectR6rsYaoKoVPSyZyS49qFNtLJG1BlJINfO3IyaJ-diPTbTkzwztRI6_XZRF5sVuUOoDS5kLicd8j_djFbk_aBfRNluVeqf9uLXQzVkRpKCGM3stk5k7q_h1_A3bUWV1g-Z9efQcvZX1pMhpu_AqNt5n3xpKbgF/s4032/IMG_7729.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrYlyj907GAd5uTmygt6v1q5t6ectR6rsYaoKoVPSyZyS49qFNtLJG1BlJINfO3IyaJ-diPTbTkzwztRI6_XZRF5sVuUOoDS5kLicd8j_djFbk_aBfRNluVeqf9uLXQzVkRpKCGM3stk5k7q_h1_A3bUWV1g-Z9efQcvZX1pMhpu_AqNt5n3xpKbgF/s320/IMG_7729.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1y5GlFEKwHh6Z-E-2Vz-Fc919MaZUFdj19koUyWsupzhoH65cTGnh9IOivREx7tUZBK6My3sPheuz6tt1Hg4ABpt3tVjKqcbVLkNpiJ5zkvtJs-MQAAMqlBqfj2sdxuMDHbGp6AaIAM8yND_xyZzNofbOgr6wSkGJfBY-8sw1tH4Wz-tbNr3ozXM/s4080/IMG_20230816_191028287.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN1y5GlFEKwHh6Z-E-2Vz-Fc919MaZUFdj19koUyWsupzhoH65cTGnh9IOivREx7tUZBK6My3sPheuz6tt1Hg4ABpt3tVjKqcbVLkNpiJ5zkvtJs-MQAAMqlBqfj2sdxuMDHbGp6AaIAM8yND_xyZzNofbOgr6wSkGJfBY-8sw1tH4Wz-tbNr3ozXM/s320/IMG_20230816_191028287.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfMxr97BNP97I_GDII7Z54NXA68cldAaI3GAaq3CF0m4LtDbeGUAZQVObgs5-JLi16kC4YjUNLRdaVylH5ue-n9UXg7CzFhkZ0oGC8R48c53QvHDRjZNzoT38aSuXhRCyuo0DH4GOjfoFpE4e97FXG7XPyxIdA5o25DiA5kPR18jQ9F84ohTD1Aio/s4080/IMG_20230831_092606949.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfMxr97BNP97I_GDII7Z54NXA68cldAaI3GAaq3CF0m4LtDbeGUAZQVObgs5-JLi16kC4YjUNLRdaVylH5ue-n9UXg7CzFhkZ0oGC8R48c53QvHDRjZNzoT38aSuXhRCyuo0DH4GOjfoFpE4e97FXG7XPyxIdA5o25DiA5kPR18jQ9F84ohTD1Aio/w200-h151/IMG_20230831_092606949.jpeg" width="200" /></a>She's getting into the next level of reading and literature appreciation, recently getting the full benefit of a solo read through James Herriot's <i>All Creatures Great and Small</i>. Her appreciation for literature is now extending also to Shakespeare, as she and Kali are traveling together to Staunton a lot these days, where they are volunteer ushers at the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse. Alida takes high satisfaction in knowing the route intimately, as well as all the other logistical particulars involved, including making sure she's dressed properly (She still pays a lot of attention to how she clothes and adorns herself). She loves showering attention on anything cute in her environment, from stuffed animals to piglets, to babies, to her treasured flock of Cub Run Crele chickens, from which she loves to find the tamest and train them to enjoy human contact. She likes helping me select the breeders from our flocks, enduring cold and long hours to stick with it until the end on leg banding day. She still selects her popcorn, too. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2WY4RLuMPNN1fNJi-5T8LHDjV24_srQp_6rphLi12NmFWXMGILNhVEYl_TuhFf3sNt38BX89UAmBdCvrksE9fLHHxlOYlsZRQ0ERyxbHmN9-nEXL4qj7GSNsIG-6pm70x06bh44FI1KAnbbQzeBps_iwnoR-CalY-Y7NYleWSRZYFz-rS1gjUmZg/s4080/IMG_20231121_162410742.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ2WY4RLuMPNN1fNJi-5T8LHDjV24_srQp_6rphLi12NmFWXMGILNhVEYl_TuhFf3sNt38BX89UAmBdCvrksE9fLHHxlOYlsZRQ0ERyxbHmN9-nEXL4qj7GSNsIG-6pm70x06bh44FI1KAnbbQzeBps_iwnoR-CalY-Y7NYleWSRZYFz-rS1gjUmZg/s320/IMG_20231121_162410742.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_jtUfoOvyNh2b0KE9o0Io63NIceeMpDkDamsguMQsct-Cwnrj59CH9b-gzLLi84_DqPQ-SJ8oxstUA9qZpdviOI-AdUzwW9VujgGa7_x228niuP7gby2fVRIOEJwp5qfOMI7DvXPHg-B_crB0F9AF0V3vn7bRFdppQ6E6lyvCeBBj6XdOQuLABY7/s4032/IMG_6443.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_jtUfoOvyNh2b0KE9o0Io63NIceeMpDkDamsguMQsct-Cwnrj59CH9b-gzLLi84_DqPQ-SJ8oxstUA9qZpdviOI-AdUzwW9VujgGa7_x228niuP7gby2fVRIOEJwp5qfOMI7DvXPHg-B_crB0F9AF0V3vn7bRFdppQ6E6lyvCeBBj6XdOQuLABY7/s320/IMG_6443.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nJsIDudl9PY8PtmcuxVZeVcMkbXCxTyP97hvIgnbvGKxak90nbXe-G1ZmnOwoxSRtidLs6rh8iQHR7S7NooynKACgJij5z1puwuzeiSiNex-ylGfDe3U1z0qQyxcb9TgHvoE5LPYjEeEjG7q6eThAHmsQH5Bta6n4XNZ0a5P0z0bHYevvGqT3r1v/s4032/IMG_7197.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nJsIDudl9PY8PtmcuxVZeVcMkbXCxTyP97hvIgnbvGKxak90nbXe-G1ZmnOwoxSRtidLs6rh8iQHR7S7NooynKACgJij5z1puwuzeiSiNex-ylGfDe3U1z0qQyxcb9TgHvoE5LPYjEeEjG7q6eThAHmsQH5Bta6n4XNZ0a5P0z0bHYevvGqT3r1v/s320/IMG_7197.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko1Q7lQLI5tBMFmS2X_0YWvy09gs-dsNjKUZP3vfW6HO5Ay03iQekKKBH6KU95zNTyGl1FjIJ1aP96ThOVIvbrbimzYVYxVnNix5ZTAoaKM3f1wTcM0RldHBiAHLNv7VmQ9fgo5yDaI7sVKujezQDJcAywSDH4FdUbactVUWAUxxmvFkIqtdFnFbu/s4080/IMG_20230916_195028684.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhko1Q7lQLI5tBMFmS2X_0YWvy09gs-dsNjKUZP3vfW6HO5Ay03iQekKKBH6KU95zNTyGl1FjIJ1aP96ThOVIvbrbimzYVYxVnNix5ZTAoaKM3f1wTcM0RldHBiAHLNv7VmQ9fgo5yDaI7sVKujezQDJcAywSDH4FdUbactVUWAUxxmvFkIqtdFnFbu/w151-h200/IMG_20230916_195028684.jpeg" width="151" /></a>She is becoming a great bread baker and a good cook in general, even if cleanup time isn't her favorite part. She savors opportunities to sample new foods, or try new recipes, invented or found. Alida is in that sweet in-between time of childhood, when a person can engage in imaginative play with younger children, or participate in adult conversation. She loves to go on errands or other galavants with Kali in the car. She was triumphant last night when, in the game of "Wrestle The Fluoride Tablet Away From Daddy If You Can," (a semi-regular bedtime ritual for the younger two), I genuinely COULD NOT prevent the two of them, working together, from uncurling my fingers. What can I say...she was sitting on my arm (elbow up, extended), and my face was smashed into the mattress! It's a milestone.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Kali (20):</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxX3mR_QGKV_ov3OlXOggDqAeRoZv8o372gKX-N5-Z9CSKX0y8ssAM1sWQW4BWSY7ve2lh0t1x4RxiaktrpjrOc0M1yRWYePLbIbFRMsWP-04QIIRwb2pKndY0a21ysvB3Qgn4CJR2sPIWDsxj0PCuyXSYd8pzJO65exkzObtVOjYVIVBhHCULOMzz/s4032/IMG_6966.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxX3mR_QGKV_ov3OlXOggDqAeRoZv8o372gKX-N5-Z9CSKX0y8ssAM1sWQW4BWSY7ve2lh0t1x4RxiaktrpjrOc0M1yRWYePLbIbFRMsWP-04QIIRwb2pKndY0a21ysvB3Qgn4CJR2sPIWDsxj0PCuyXSYd8pzJO65exkzObtVOjYVIVBhHCULOMzz/w150-h200/IMG_6966.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div><div>This kid is, of course, not much of a kid anymore. She embarked on her first college course (college composition) this year at Blue Ridge Community College. She's decided to take the second level of that same course with the same prof in the spring semester, as well as a computer course. It's worth mentioning that this was Kali's first official, matriculated, graded class ever. She enjoyed it! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Kali still enjoys cooking, getting better all the time at planning and executing a full meal, whether that's reheating leftovers or sniffing out some interesting recipe to try. We all benefit from her skill with spices! She's even getting a little quicker at washing up afterwards. She spends lots of time with her younger sisters, helping out with their homeschool pursuits, playing all sorts of games, and frequently getting generally tackled (Alida can now genuinely pin her) or otherwise delayed from her tasks. We don't know exactly what she does after everyone else is asleep, but sometimes she saves us collections of funny stuff she finds on the internet. As for how long she stays up...let's just say she has seen the lights turn on in the in-law quarters before she calls it a night.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYi77UkEWXmD5F-Bkdt5E1-lpROgoOxlYC_H5ZTX7kTKdec4KeNNF9lq7MAxBBwyL6b2Mg75f4R-qGcbJrNZ9y0p8l3ZgiNO6DE9frIn6fOqfYm0NwAClY9aVgsfcHCZ4bn9UC71iG3PFJdkFTpkNK6wy8TyH7x59_YhyphenhyphenoayQ7D8QCWiTlr2DPesUi/s4000/IMG_20231226_185352660.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="4000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYi77UkEWXmD5F-Bkdt5E1-lpROgoOxlYC_H5ZTX7kTKdec4KeNNF9lq7MAxBBwyL6b2Mg75f4R-qGcbJrNZ9y0p8l3ZgiNO6DE9frIn6fOqfYm0NwAClY9aVgsfcHCZ4bn9UC71iG3PFJdkFTpkNK6wy8TyH7x59_YhyphenhyphenoayQ7D8QCWiTlr2DPesUi/s320/IMG_20231226_185352660.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsymjTexyD_STvT5PxiMIjEL_vou0XoezLLrGiipwg8MrLKE3EbaVRDEstozlkkItMZDOsk1USH3yyESUCukA0HFsL6XcmvL4Wi6Q3s0cjzGMe8qsabhktfoA_LILkRIDSZMmcTOF8RsTkTB4ymtOi3ePILFL-IQIeJj6aUm5zw5ckIYpoycax92L8/s4080/IMG_20230913_193429778.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsymjTexyD_STvT5PxiMIjEL_vou0XoezLLrGiipwg8MrLKE3EbaVRDEstozlkkItMZDOsk1USH3yyESUCukA0HFsL6XcmvL4Wi6Q3s0cjzGMe8qsabhktfoA_LILkRIDSZMmcTOF8RsTkTB4ymtOi3ePILFL-IQIeJj6aUm5zw5ckIYpoycax92L8/s320/IMG_20230913_193429778.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqzguVrVzdISLaYtgelzzZiBiHbHKq8UxI6pj3Hj0xO-pUo6K2okctXeuG02DVZyWs3Uu3SM-bSml1B_ZRvzdXJuFpWJIJi_-1Vw4eUynSV2adG_C9Ciw-2dU6N9KRI7tafi0gbfCTwN75Vnpk3eadP_KONpceY8x7vRl0hllxPxGB0ITXBCUyD02/s4032/IMG_6471.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwqzguVrVzdISLaYtgelzzZiBiHbHKq8UxI6pj3Hj0xO-pUo6K2okctXeuG02DVZyWs3Uu3SM-bSml1B_ZRvzdXJuFpWJIJi_-1Vw4eUynSV2adG_C9Ciw-2dU6N9KRI7tafi0gbfCTwN75Vnpk3eadP_KONpceY8x7vRl0hllxPxGB0ITXBCUyD02/w150-h200/IMG_6471.jpeg" width="150" /></a>2023 could be thought of as the year that Kali really stepped up her contribution game, which is to say it felt important to her to take responsibility for her part in home life, and she did. She's helped out with the repair follow-up roof maintenance project we had to do (THAT's another story), she cut and stacked and split the firewood for the year (with help from her sisters and me), and for much of the year she was our laundry person. </div><div><br /></div><div>Kali coached Terah's soccer team in both spring and fall seasons, and provided all the transportation for both Terah and Alida's soccer practices and any games the parents didn't come to. Kali still keeps up with the duck flock she's been tending for over ten years, and still maintains her own popcorn strain that she's been tending for almost as long. Yes, it is improving, and yes, it's delicious! The popcorn, I mean...not the duck flock. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lMXpdcxisUB5eGGfU_IDD6QSwjxyE9mgSKZMeROwEWd-smPrIgiDntv1gKUKh4ix4ZLlz3PQk62UCsr0sikCiG27unUcribZfIMT-Jp4pqhm_8pEs2IvHAymmB2AjQJD_M_-53IRy5tpPx4kPh_BsuuAgoZuydggGCHo4mRQH7Uf6JvoYQoCWWB6/s4080/IMG_20231210_120233030.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lMXpdcxisUB5eGGfU_IDD6QSwjxyE9mgSKZMeROwEWd-smPrIgiDntv1gKUKh4ix4ZLlz3PQk62UCsr0sikCiG27unUcribZfIMT-Jp4pqhm_8pEs2IvHAymmB2AjQJD_M_-53IRy5tpPx4kPh_BsuuAgoZuydggGCHo4mRQH7Uf6JvoYQoCWWB6/s320/IMG_20231210_120233030.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgybXpsRAQvIexbfm7lVUGypcyyHVog8RkYZ8iY1dEyb6ZrhVOMMjwcT2z3SLCoMbunuVhZHwZCou7QmQQm3PfDiWyLpTr43FjF81bSZVHxfLJ-2dhgX4RQh9_Hgq-KlfsRXbE798uGVz_IaVOhphoSJEy2h0vB7AoG7nXSpSEJ7sXbHfovIpjLUCk/s4032/IMG_7209.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgybXpsRAQvIexbfm7lVUGypcyyHVog8RkYZ8iY1dEyb6ZrhVOMMjwcT2z3SLCoMbunuVhZHwZCou7QmQQm3PfDiWyLpTr43FjF81bSZVHxfLJ-2dhgX4RQh9_Hgq-KlfsRXbE798uGVz_IaVOhphoSJEy2h0vB7AoG7nXSpSEJ7sXbHfovIpjLUCk/w200-h150/IMG_7209.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><div><b>Janelle (45):</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdVKblEPOCvBDqYbNAFyvd1jp67TkWpa2RqaNViG1QES7T_3bbDSy6-51RZtrLa2MUeDjiyUYNXMxLu05wejwmSI0V-baHAsRyziwZn9m0kGXdyC1DaKZa0nNdMS9P4yJOzhIzM5oBn1fLTt8A2SNdo4z29GXz-mF1-XQoymTuc3inT5rpEj1Oh9I/s4080/IMG_20230814_124613136.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbdVKblEPOCvBDqYbNAFyvd1jp67TkWpa2RqaNViG1QES7T_3bbDSy6-51RZtrLa2MUeDjiyUYNXMxLu05wejwmSI0V-baHAsRyziwZn9m0kGXdyC1DaKZa0nNdMS9P4yJOzhIzM5oBn1fLTt8A2SNdo4z29GXz-mF1-XQoymTuc3inT5rpEj1Oh9I/w151-h200/IMG_20230814_124613136.jpeg" width="151" /></a>Janelle's recovery from burnout continues apace, which is to say we are still figuring out, when fatigue or anxiety or energy loss show up, whether that's still her body saying it needs more space to heal, or whether she's bumping up against her energy limits ways that help us understand what capacities she can expect from herself in an ongoing way. Our life and her mind pushed her so far beyond her capacities for so long that we're still working on understanding her baseline. Recovery from eating and food pathologies continues also, with her experiencing tremendous relief and freedom compared to what she endured for most of her life, and we are so grateful! Body acceptance and ramping down the hype around food choices...it's a better, healthier way for her (us). On a not unrelated note, she's been enjoying baking bread again.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgHR8QP-8wYS6am2_jDRE1t166NN6Wpm8GTsEULErIRSwK0rQ9ZTXoi4eFtkvGL5YmBh_yXqCNc6Qq_xzKd8msMxyRBhHeDsRUPTCXAX4_PweJipivvw47vIwf9Cqha3O1m4zOofbc0qNrCDSl5bxEXRrbEmWva8j6sZdlxs85Aj2MnLuS8tjai1l/s3264/IMG_20230907_144230478.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgHR8QP-8wYS6am2_jDRE1t166NN6Wpm8GTsEULErIRSwK0rQ9ZTXoi4eFtkvGL5YmBh_yXqCNc6Qq_xzKd8msMxyRBhHeDsRUPTCXAX4_PweJipivvw47vIwf9Cqha3O1m4zOofbc0qNrCDSl5bxEXRrbEmWva8j6sZdlxs85Aj2MnLuS8tjai1l/w150-h200/IMG_20230907_144230478.jpeg" width="150" /></a>Janelle's doula work picked up in 2023, and she's found accompanying parents and babies in their family transitions to be very meaningful and enjoyable work. She's still working out how to keep from overcommitting (this may be a lifelong learning process in all areas of life for her), and how to avoid the trap of living up to (or better yet exceeding, just to make sure) perceived expectations. But she's getting there, and often comes back from a prospective parent meeting seeming energized, and inhabiting herself with joy. She had been saying for years, before leaving CJP, that she thought she'd like to be a doula, and it turns out she was right! The intensity of the birth experience, the ability to pour herself into another person's need for a period, and then the ability to withdraw and rest...this is an auspicious cycle for my wonderful partner who is uncommonly unable to do anything halfway.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_g7o9qsvjofb4VasISGDmu3Zo6foi9s92B7A7MqK9jUuCJ4dHfwvmTcqQaGwAPIIonL2LHh_Oen3OITB_i-7aW4hWH9tJVjMkXEV5e-YfpSJA40i-WQtVobqkmpbwaVwyr59Bg9NH6mFjiCfku-NsiDwKXsX935kSJid-V1qtLOmUoBbXirg6VSh/s3264/IMG_20230825_132354936.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ_g7o9qsvjofb4VasISGDmu3Zo6foi9s92B7A7MqK9jUuCJ4dHfwvmTcqQaGwAPIIonL2LHh_Oen3OITB_i-7aW4hWH9tJVjMkXEV5e-YfpSJA40i-WQtVobqkmpbwaVwyr59Bg9NH6mFjiCfku-NsiDwKXsX935kSJid-V1qtLOmUoBbXirg6VSh/w150-h200/IMG_20230825_132354936.jpeg" width="150" /></a>2023 might be thought of as a full circle year for Janelle, in that she's spent more time than perhaps ever before hanging out with babies, which she has been magnetized to since her earliest childhood. Some of her doula families have sometimes come and visited even beyond the end of her official involvement, and two youngsters, Bear and Luca, each come regularly specifically for some time at Tangly Woods (while their parents get a few other things done.) She's not ready to start a daycare or anything, but she sure loves babies! And they love her back.</div><div><br /></div><div>Janelle spent more time in the garden in 2023 than ever. Her gardener's confidence is growing, and with having learned the magic of podcasts, she can move through long stretches of tedious work without panicking that she's not doing all of the other things that need to be done. Usually. She and the younger girls have signed up to be "Civic Scientists" with the Land Institute's "Perennial Atlas" project. For the next three years, they will monitor two plots (to be planted here in our home garden) of a mixture of annual crop plants and their perennial relatives, returning the data to the Land Institute to aid in their development of perennial crop plants.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBXxjjTFyxGR2LSBGlb2uSqTdy7rucCf7kEHYCWvjmuRfzAYusRrHch-zehT-UN88DWpJYEjZrIPetSxeCX-IaXeXz_AePYIgv7PX3Ybx0_Fmht6b7-NymFMtz5sQyY0l6EUSE5ljXbJJApP3MyyM4xAfLQuOqkIBt57tfGh3yZEN9i_oL_0glob-/s3264/DB4B0BC7-3C22-48FC-A6C1-C52B7753C235.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilBXxjjTFyxGR2LSBGlb2uSqTdy7rucCf7kEHYCWvjmuRfzAYusRrHch-zehT-UN88DWpJYEjZrIPetSxeCX-IaXeXz_AePYIgv7PX3Ybx0_Fmht6b7-NymFMtz5sQyY0l6EUSE5ljXbJJApP3MyyM4xAfLQuOqkIBt57tfGh3yZEN9i_oL_0glob-/s320/DB4B0BC7-3C22-48FC-A6C1-C52B7753C235.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qgNI2Hh4XE4FCERnBZsGbm0hbZoAm7BGNbc5Dpdc1DAryUK500TlZe63dii9HOgRuQLTtrncfpjaMp0WqP0ucRK4XkHv4tiKbG5hv4ZqfAksuk8rQgT-1pDHkTdpkCroNGGyPuT1RjdM2fwVoRqstmltA4sbHA3PJqsB0xwkM3pZEhxMztWZQdiS/s3264/IMG_20231124_095451675.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1qgNI2Hh4XE4FCERnBZsGbm0hbZoAm7BGNbc5Dpdc1DAryUK500TlZe63dii9HOgRuQLTtrncfpjaMp0WqP0ucRK4XkHv4tiKbG5hv4ZqfAksuk8rQgT-1pDHkTdpkCroNGGyPuT1RjdM2fwVoRqstmltA4sbHA3PJqsB0xwkM3pZEhxMztWZQdiS/w200-h150/IMG_20231124_095451675.jpeg" width="200" /></a>As she flipped through the year's photos to insert a smattering here, she also marveled how (despite ongoing precautions around illnesses of various kinds) our home was graced with the presence of dearly loved ones from near and far (too many to name, but you know who you are!)! We savored so many times of sweet connection, shared meals, laughter, games, meaningful conversations, grief, celebration and much more. We also continue to feel grateful for the many ways we benefit practically, emotionally and relationally through intergenerational living. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Jason (47):</b></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQk7gmx87psig9kSRxXO507n1bgPpaZWl5lj8pZYNKi4-2CAHbgYqMRAKlYBrU1HJqGN6cfy-iWnj7U0T6BXGlg07pXjEHY7BDDJ9kRsNsCRlCfuqHOR7q1U99YvwcwVSAbCLwySuXIJVSex84WRukmb-kEXr6RjWKw70mhRCP_hXZMWKFjjacpBJ/s4032/IMG_7181.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQk7gmx87psig9kSRxXO507n1bgPpaZWl5lj8pZYNKi4-2CAHbgYqMRAKlYBrU1HJqGN6cfy-iWnj7U0T6BXGlg07pXjEHY7BDDJ9kRsNsCRlCfuqHOR7q1U99YvwcwVSAbCLwySuXIJVSex84WRukmb-kEXr6RjWKw70mhRCP_hXZMWKFjjacpBJ/w150-h200/IMG_7181.jpeg" width="150" /></a>Jason, Jason, Jason...what a guy! Still having trouble narrowing it down. But I was proud of myself when we went over our garden plan recently for 2024: I was able to let some stuff go without too much stress for me or those around me (Janelle).</div><div><br /></div><div>And let some stuff go I must, because we have set our sights pretty high for my year, in that we hope to plunge into a build we've been wanting for years: a screened pavilion. Triple-function family hangout space, semi-public gathering space, and farm/garden storage and processing space. I created an ambitious set of sketches, but we have to get some feedback from architect and engineer friends before finalizing a design that will be affordable enough but also functional enough. Between materials lists, re-design iterations, coordinating with a few subcontractors, organizing volunteer workdays, and just getting the actual tradeswork done, my plate is likely to be pretty full until this is all wrapped up.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGR0qFuiBE9Q-L382BeLDanM47QnVH4mzcOOCaxEot255eLMoxI3MHrPxonwePYHeCAz53rZspkFMpONGTOIkN_yFbhXqykgT5EI3iphSiNIdkX3I3IHb1VzzMVyEYcJHXg7duWlmqzcaC29TBrdwiQjAmZbtXkOc9ijjH0vnlFJ6B0_E-uSuQSU4K/s4032/IMG_7224.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGR0qFuiBE9Q-L382BeLDanM47QnVH4mzcOOCaxEot255eLMoxI3MHrPxonwePYHeCAz53rZspkFMpONGTOIkN_yFbhXqykgT5EI3iphSiNIdkX3I3IHb1VzzMVyEYcJHXg7duWlmqzcaC29TBrdwiQjAmZbtXkOc9ijjH0vnlFJ6B0_E-uSuQSU4K/w200-h150/IMG_7224.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Partially because when I'm not working on the pavilion, I will still have to keep up with the contracting business at least minimally, and if the grant I applied for in November from USDA's SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education) comes through, I'll be collecting data on winter-ready peas and making study plots, setting up educational field days, etc.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I'm getting ahead of myself. 2023 saw the development of my business, as I was able to get a box trailer (thanks, Dad!) repaired and outfitted for carrying my trade tools. This has meant less of my time going to loading and unloading tools from the car, and less of my time and my clients' money wasted by my forgetful tendencies. This made the contracting business more joyful for me this year. It didn't hurt that I got to do several interesting jobs in the homes of friends. The business is intended to supplement the farm life, and 2023 proved that there is strong potential for that pattern. Some of the jobs fell at inconvenient farm moments, but other parts of the year felt much roomier than usual because I could arrange my contracting work around the busy times on the farm.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTetqCXZx2t2DF-lCPEfCgtz44sfYs4C8D06FORY0XpQrCLbZ8lUEZXRdur35jQQnlNIUi3hT8_d4IKq4u1QEQn9gPYWxBcGlW7X-NhVhUUsADh_wYcTcjQNBYn1kLYwtm2Ama8z6gBHLMQdkA8kdxUGhHfqShtaBUcMd2CNOdCqqxrupGBUgq0n6L/s4032/8E1617AC-7CBD-4828-9362-5AFE8267DC5F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTetqCXZx2t2DF-lCPEfCgtz44sfYs4C8D06FORY0XpQrCLbZ8lUEZXRdur35jQQnlNIUi3hT8_d4IKq4u1QEQn9gPYWxBcGlW7X-NhVhUUsADh_wYcTcjQNBYn1kLYwtm2Ama8z6gBHLMQdkA8kdxUGhHfqShtaBUcMd2CNOdCqqxrupGBUgq0n6L/w150-h200/8E1617AC-7CBD-4828-9362-5AFE8267DC5F.jpeg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOl77K0hGAD7UdbD4GJ38XJYn3ZP57WlDZQjhcWarOuZqheTa-e6uiD0Kd768PPzqC-1bWEd8fuPF72zcctPj0PMNbTE8D_j_QSMUjOyhrNwogOpViFtQVPyM80Nup8SMEOkR4zDXDwcQ1m7fvtFwqBZuaDngIoCFPCzwdFh16wLsGjdt9_DZr2Bo/s4032/0B07EC40-E66D-4B4B-9533-A09C5DE0B978.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOl77K0hGAD7UdbD4GJ38XJYn3ZP57WlDZQjhcWarOuZqheTa-e6uiD0Kd768PPzqC-1bWEd8fuPF72zcctPj0PMNbTE8D_j_QSMUjOyhrNwogOpViFtQVPyM80Nup8SMEOkR4zDXDwcQ1m7fvtFwqBZuaDngIoCFPCzwdFh16wLsGjdt9_DZr2Bo/w200-h150/0B07EC40-E66D-4B4B-9533-A09C5DE0B978.jpeg" width="200" /></a>I also continue with the breeding work on vegetables, grains, and chickens. This year's drought made for a tough production gardening year, but a pretty good selection year for drought tolerance. A particularly exciting development in 2023 was the Tangly Woods growout of a mix of winter-ready hulless barley strains that came out of a collaborative research and development project centered at Oregon State University. Our friends at Wild Amaranth got hold of some of the seed and passed it on to sow here in 2022, and we got a nice seed increase from the portion of the planting that made it through the winter! This fall we were able to sow our usual barley patch all to the hulless mix as a result (and it's looking really good so far!). This new crop type matters because winter grains--occupying an underused growing window--are more drought tolerant and beneficial to the soil, because barley is productive and easy to grow, and because hulless grains can be threshed, processed, and cooked without any need for specialized equipment. For a climate- and collapse-resilient food system, I can't think of a better addition! I suspect my descendants will be adding the descendants of this barley by the fistful to their soups all winter long, and yours might be, too.</div><div><br /></div><div>This year I also grew out some seeds for an Indigenous friend, a seed keeper who has poor access to land these days and was worried about a few treasured varieties. I wasn't able to successfully increase all the seeds, but it was a good experience for both of us, and we hope to do more of it. The seed sanctuary I built last year was ideal for this job in many ways. </div><div><br />2023 marked, in some respects, a subtle but profound shift in my mindset away from "homesteading" and "self-sufficiency," and towards participation in a broader movement for food sovereignty and resilience for all of us. This has potential to relieve some strain in our home system as we hold the prospect of "growing our own food" more loosely, detaching our self-esteem score as home farmers from the inverse of our grocery bill, and reorienting to emphasize farm endeavors that, to paraphrase Parker Palmer, are where our greatest joy meets the world's deepest need.</div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe that's enough for this year's letter. Peruse the rest of the <a href="https://myers-benner.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> for specifics about classes we took (coppice agroforestry), where we went on vacation (Michigan, Iowa, etc.), and what our summer plates of food looked like in the endless series of food photographs we seem unable to restrain ourselves from taking and publishing on the blog. Just because we're backing away from food as a moral whipping post doesn't mean we don't still love the stuff!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ8ya0WEqwd9gUMC4dcJDt2H4MJvyoXfdL8s6jxAvBuIoqTfZtusd-E1LKMk3yrS4tKP5U5q8ACt1ezYdx5GdPTh_D2K4LHRjQa2rtcVAmJ5PsIh2wYMPjoDJKFpnmldNqittfrHdiv9Ok8e-9bGmnNjc7gqJtISqdNe4rEAhzkWIPisg7vI1H7W8/s4080/IMG_20231115_170818192.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIQ8ya0WEqwd9gUMC4dcJDt2H4MJvyoXfdL8s6jxAvBuIoqTfZtusd-E1LKMk3yrS4tKP5U5q8ACt1ezYdx5GdPTh_D2K4LHRjQa2rtcVAmJ5PsIh2wYMPjoDJKFpnmldNqittfrHdiv9Ok8e-9bGmnNjc7gqJtISqdNe4rEAhzkWIPisg7vI1H7W8/w200-h151/IMG_20231115_170818192.jpeg" width="200" /></a>At the turn of this year, our hearts are full of gratitude for the four seasons of tender family life we've been so fortunate to enjoy again. At the same time, our hearts are frequently full of dread and fear and trauma on behalf of the many who don't have the full benefit of a safe and nurturing context, whether through the pain of psychosocial and family dysfunction, the relentlessness of racism and apartheid, the burden of economic and cultural domination, or the chaotic vortex of open violent conflict. In this interconnected world, it's never been more evident that there is no such thing as "us and them." There's just us. All of us, each of us. And each of us has the same need for light, comfort, joy, peace on earth, and the renewal that a new year can bring.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Enjoy our first of the month photos with whoever comprised the Tangly Woods' crew on that day!</div><div style="text-align: center;">January</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoxI9klseTp4njRjcnnVWbQN-yuq8uHTQk6PgT-CVJHQps5tgRuZewPRMcqMtp73Bv_rUA_vHEyIQUOIkjKAQr9WgOHDFlQKHj8JpN8ChtILEbr0K83Tm99h2ahYghRTa_gAy28xrgqApx0vCdCImKXie397naLLGFX3LuRhR9i2IkhFTTWio63kk/s2048/323416823_877069413334742_4981782929421306203_n_10161310013997176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBoxI9klseTp4njRjcnnVWbQN-yuq8uHTQk6PgT-CVJHQps5tgRuZewPRMcqMtp73Bv_rUA_vHEyIQUOIkjKAQr9WgOHDFlQKHj8JpN8ChtILEbr0K83Tm99h2ahYghRTa_gAy28xrgqApx0vCdCImKXie397naLLGFX3LuRhR9i2IkhFTTWio63kk/s320/323416823_877069413334742_4981782929421306203_n_10161310013997176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">February</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tndZa5nded11IvvRwE2nm1eBv3aN637WFcNcCT3KJE_cdR5Gu1pNKSkT4CnR_kAbpzbELXg9uvLZ8GGM-n1rR-EblUyN22yTix5Seo8kBaSjG8gl2tVkkM90l-DnWI07D9wmtUiMybXNshvOkNKCjWf16Kb8qQEuCusFZNErbYo_J2ZVdxMASF2Y/s2048/328237892_5854505454663134_3931271333410247656_n_10161379188872176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1542" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tndZa5nded11IvvRwE2nm1eBv3aN637WFcNcCT3KJE_cdR5Gu1pNKSkT4CnR_kAbpzbELXg9uvLZ8GGM-n1rR-EblUyN22yTix5Seo8kBaSjG8gl2tVkkM90l-DnWI07D9wmtUiMybXNshvOkNKCjWf16Kb8qQEuCusFZNErbYo_J2ZVdxMASF2Y/s320/328237892_5854505454663134_3931271333410247656_n_10161379188872176.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">March</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq4kD5FiP8_9TbWQ7CRnj3d0s-Qc5qae-XsDFvIaNShRsbMqm89_6lk-vnTn5lXwU3ZoGidu5L8-JVryi9tVrYYsyRnK5-smcq-i4_1dCdsfAyUxXap5BAJcWG_OWWghIRo0poke493l1QwkY8r9jFqjJAVz7X1lAVoufI-ylUgtZ9UdwFVPsjccA/s2048/334169328_2147103835474708_2693488688863803092_n_10161441657887176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTq4kD5FiP8_9TbWQ7CRnj3d0s-Qc5qae-XsDFvIaNShRsbMqm89_6lk-vnTn5lXwU3ZoGidu5L8-JVryi9tVrYYsyRnK5-smcq-i4_1dCdsfAyUxXap5BAJcWG_OWWghIRo0poke493l1QwkY8r9jFqjJAVz7X1lAVoufI-ylUgtZ9UdwFVPsjccA/s320/334169328_2147103835474708_2693488688863803092_n_10161441657887176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">April</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWblGdoycVbVrDn1WYNppQgayIxs7TwOlu2kEvcmbYi9vYFDb35IiGj3cUl3kHB_HyB8tBCgvwT-dSb7Ur5DzJKxDZz873cwvCbI8Zw8KBZ1Mg2oXsbsljNG8ZdrT3YmfSfIwjKtBiAC13TfNCzpJCvDLbuMc-j7kkNx8OzywiFmRpaVdnwt6WmDAz/s2048/338516618_931485407943422_3288349117875381069_n_10161508494437176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWblGdoycVbVrDn1WYNppQgayIxs7TwOlu2kEvcmbYi9vYFDb35IiGj3cUl3kHB_HyB8tBCgvwT-dSb7Ur5DzJKxDZz873cwvCbI8Zw8KBZ1Mg2oXsbsljNG8ZdrT3YmfSfIwjKtBiAC13TfNCzpJCvDLbuMc-j7kkNx8OzywiFmRpaVdnwt6WmDAz/s320/338516618_931485407943422_3288349117875381069_n_10161508494437176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">May</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB69bB3USihX_KqpZDAS6sbHZqA05BB4ulEeCTqMKwsbqd2Sq24gYPj5F1m7kh3KsvoWIn_ArAWf7Jb_ZfmWm794mzwtIU1KpRQSXStFeffnwnA8Moa3q18Vs97ku6iaUDtfyH9YCCloQlIsTJiKFiPz50tMrC4tgEAwNODVjKq5THY7YjFWhIdX3X/s2048/344606661_2613732882092204_6978572088888949747_n_10161580185087176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB69bB3USihX_KqpZDAS6sbHZqA05BB4ulEeCTqMKwsbqd2Sq24gYPj5F1m7kh3KsvoWIn_ArAWf7Jb_ZfmWm794mzwtIU1KpRQSXStFeffnwnA8Moa3q18Vs97ku6iaUDtfyH9YCCloQlIsTJiKFiPz50tMrC4tgEAwNODVjKq5THY7YjFWhIdX3X/s320/344606661_2613732882092204_6978572088888949747_n_10161580185087176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">June</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzO7JC48BpdFOytBYRRsEiOoLjp_aZVzk0n-WHePoB6gjpV95500ieVfYy_J9bRIVCsztlk063WIbX42LqJPwLLvFwIlU1Rww0fijmiB0KxJrdsdi8MhDs7S8ZeTiYaajNsCOM8JTHTA2OWBp3661hQlDT0u-f4EE2ko4XleQXdKpi71xBsIxCx9x/s2048/348920825_1501748930358390_7828535083184949707_n_10161650799287176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBzO7JC48BpdFOytBYRRsEiOoLjp_aZVzk0n-WHePoB6gjpV95500ieVfYy_J9bRIVCsztlk063WIbX42LqJPwLLvFwIlU1Rww0fijmiB0KxJrdsdi8MhDs7S8ZeTiYaajNsCOM8JTHTA2OWBp3661hQlDT0u-f4EE2ko4XleQXdKpi71xBsIxCx9x/s320/348920825_1501748930358390_7828535083184949707_n_10161650799287176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">July</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfUK89YWm727GpD00cb3stgfAVJBbB-UEpqDI562UobABeEC2ZkZoLa_ZMh6gAIn1SVKVcrSEK8gTSAgflVspQEGqP-6MJ_7ld9RqEPGsCZfNkIi05VyL6Elb6PeO7YQS2qWnJBixrMapOFUJYYypiR38l9vBThjDJft61dNuSx1xT9VjSWx5ckTv/s2048/356860286_10161717623372176_2967488365792769405_n_10161717623037176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOfUK89YWm727GpD00cb3stgfAVJBbB-UEpqDI562UobABeEC2ZkZoLa_ZMh6gAIn1SVKVcrSEK8gTSAgflVspQEGqP-6MJ_7ld9RqEPGsCZfNkIi05VyL6Elb6PeO7YQS2qWnJBixrMapOFUJYYypiR38l9vBThjDJft61dNuSx1xT9VjSWx5ckTv/s320/356860286_10161717623372176_2967488365792769405_n_10161717623037176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">August</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWVUnorKa274sY6gh-6NFlB2G2rTJaueh0Pl47xTWguYTRCca_vCvEDO5oAe7erOmQoQw2lE96b9Wuk4dzHlIcpxS_hRQUhk4g88_cn2s0qYqVFSF7f601UmKpIHvFc2kAc1ib0pkYcXSy7YZkJODRXyK4GH2x-HH1xTEc6q4irJbV3sYpp5tP9SD/s2048/362286296_10161791753452176_8591376030187380203_n_10161791753257176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsWVUnorKa274sY6gh-6NFlB2G2rTJaueh0Pl47xTWguYTRCca_vCvEDO5oAe7erOmQoQw2lE96b9Wuk4dzHlIcpxS_hRQUhk4g88_cn2s0qYqVFSF7f601UmKpIHvFc2kAc1ib0pkYcXSy7YZkJODRXyK4GH2x-HH1xTEc6q4irJbV3sYpp5tP9SD/s320/362286296_10161791753452176_8591376030187380203_n_10161791753257176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">September</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoZPSDSofipKhxknqOHChNhI2sSaF_GEdNylR-ZGYxlPG65aPeRfI4ch3GGDMBn9an0aCsMCNZHAbI9G6rU6aanwPIEcBu1tdz7YO-jYskE3X6nkcoimJoGl59rX5VvUOODoW_vz3OwAmWHqusk49MVYNyxt-qYsTdAp2J-VYGHzgdZELQCuKKJQU/s2048/373728448_10161859537867176_7119764256232150955_n_10161859537877176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfoZPSDSofipKhxknqOHChNhI2sSaF_GEdNylR-ZGYxlPG65aPeRfI4ch3GGDMBn9an0aCsMCNZHAbI9G6rU6aanwPIEcBu1tdz7YO-jYskE3X6nkcoimJoGl59rX5VvUOODoW_vz3OwAmWHqusk49MVYNyxt-qYsTdAp2J-VYGHzgdZELQCuKKJQU/s320/373728448_10161859537867176_7119764256232150955_n_10161859537877176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">October</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15r5lOAWCoSYPB45nSzw0i6mCGOk4sDqpstJVBkybAakcycrualdYpv24Hh6Th_1bwscMVQaQJ3Sp0HKVpQ3BzRjxYub3W3TbhyphenhyphenHVmZRRA4BmzypojAy1UbRYzby-P0oIXt27ksNfgLn9A7V2nVKxN_onaPyVvwl4rcaUgqoiIC8bU8AbHO6wtJow/s2048/385811191_10161925844077176_139089456036504950_n_10161925844087176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15r5lOAWCoSYPB45nSzw0i6mCGOk4sDqpstJVBkybAakcycrualdYpv24Hh6Th_1bwscMVQaQJ3Sp0HKVpQ3BzRjxYub3W3TbhyphenhyphenHVmZRRA4BmzypojAy1UbRYzby-P0oIXt27ksNfgLn9A7V2nVKxN_onaPyVvwl4rcaUgqoiIC8bU8AbHO6wtJow/s320/385811191_10161925844077176_139089456036504950_n_10161925844087176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">November</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CbahoUfev6l75zvOt5NtDJBsX0eh1rawNk_QoaqeYdVQj3eES7WLq109YHNHQH7aJaV7DOtC-L-KIdV8cP2QQMa344-NjzFHLDoLx4iyyreLxG5o0IvDtlyA7CWVxcVt7edN0QY5zbSvedNTZmqE5IKyWktzySPMgtFhgEF6bKAcHPFsyokGOETK/s2048/397610971_10162002285772176_7197590751559578601_n_10162002285782176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9CbahoUfev6l75zvOt5NtDJBsX0eh1rawNk_QoaqeYdVQj3eES7WLq109YHNHQH7aJaV7DOtC-L-KIdV8cP2QQMa344-NjzFHLDoLx4iyyreLxG5o0IvDtlyA7CWVxcVt7edN0QY5zbSvedNTZmqE5IKyWktzySPMgtFhgEF6bKAcHPFsyokGOETK/s320/397610971_10162002285772176_7197590751559578601_n_10162002285782176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">December</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3xcxetrnMyMFLn3JEELTBDZ6-YvXA0lVa9dvcU0KU1FonnyEex9g-7gGSy3LO5DHB7WnxVjzbqwyGj7uzlrIRuKIly4cMxn_v21gF87On2DdhD-7BLBDWZf29-3zLVmD93wig-js7V9kL-sFEQrzn0F0wBRee_jWnnsumhO8960hk7HK2PXqaUmE/s2048/401448528_10162054694907176_2282460822300226864_n_10162054694912176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1542" data-original-width="2048" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3xcxetrnMyMFLn3JEELTBDZ6-YvXA0lVa9dvcU0KU1FonnyEex9g-7gGSy3LO5DHB7WnxVjzbqwyGj7uzlrIRuKIly4cMxn_v21gF87On2DdhD-7BLBDWZf29-3zLVmD93wig-js7V9kL-sFEQrzn0F0wBRee_jWnnsumhO8960hk7HK2PXqaUmE/s320/401448528_10162054694907176_2282460822300226864_n_10162054694912176.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-76872971537084721262023-12-24T09:30:00.000-08:002023-12-24T09:30:32.755-08:00Marking the winter solstice and more...<div>It seems that today is a day of me leaning on the creativity and inspiration of others! Glad we have each other. Jason's winter solstice meditation never seems to get old. It feels relevant each and every year, and so we read it together annually before lighting our biochar burn fire. We did so again this past Thursday!</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We Kindle this Fire: A Winter Solstice Meditation</span></i></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We kindle this fire for gratitude. The wood we have gathered to burn is the flesh of plants, our partners and providers on this earth. We gratefully acknowledge that we need them more than they could ever need us.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We kindle this fire for memory. We know that without fire, our species could never have become what we are. To be human is to burn wood; to use its power to change things to our advantage. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We kindle this fire for light. Through the plants and like the plants, we need light: to fully understand our world our eyes need to see it reflecting off of our landscapes, and we need it striking our skin to promote our health. Even in our languages, light is truth and shadows are ignorance. In this shadow time of year, the light leaping from this fire will be a comfort<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We kindle this fire for warmth. As flames spring from the branches burning here, we will eagerly hold our palms out to face them like leaves, absorbing a small fraction of the heat released there. This world is our home and we know no other, but it can be a cold place, too. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We kindle this fire for life. As the smoke rises, we will be reminded that life changes form; it is always being lost and destroyed, it is always being reborn. The char that is left will be used to enrich the soil—a stable place to store nutrients and habitat for soil organisms. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We kindle this fire for healing. In these times too many of us are neglecting our connections to the soil, to the plants, to the Sun. Our willful ignorance has cost us so much; has been so destructive. We hope that this one small act of burning a char fire can be a part of a trend of restoration. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We kindle this fire for our descendants. Like trees stretching their roots into the forest duff made of the decaying bodies of their progenitors, we too live by the gifts of our ancestors to us; gifts of resources and knowledge, skill and values that were a response to their time and place. We have adapted these for our time in this place, and we know our descendants must do the same. With this fire we mark our desire to leave to them a world that supports their thriving at least as well as it has ours, and our willingness to work to make it so.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.85px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">For gratitude, for memory, for light, for warmth, for life, for healing, for our descendants, here and now, we kindle this fire.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thursday morning while the younger girls and I baked and made popcorn strings with Luca for the winter solstice, Kali and Jason emptied the biochar pit of duff and chicken litter onto plants.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CxaL2isEU3l9Y56lBMg-GSEofJUTqPPSUU3I6DRkd5ZJ19EyLR6qqNlGrWL2lokJWke9N7I0D5l6ki_Ju2iPl-IUCyp9tKZpkxScEpXZUJH7TQFVovfdqf7Pgoa3_3bes3VQUh0ak5Ufb5CS61wy-zNd-tjMxn01O1pCsICKYGNyllxERhOrur_W/s4080/D183424F-D61C-4702-BBFD-E228FEF5A6B8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5CxaL2isEU3l9Y56lBMg-GSEofJUTqPPSUU3I6DRkd5ZJ19EyLR6qqNlGrWL2lokJWke9N7I0D5l6ki_Ju2iPl-IUCyp9tKZpkxScEpXZUJH7TQFVovfdqf7Pgoa3_3bes3VQUh0ak5Ufb5CS61wy-zNd-tjMxn01O1pCsICKYGNyllxERhOrur_W/s320/D183424F-D61C-4702-BBFD-E228FEF5A6B8.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCFwKCc5fwpygUU_pLPeiHemjBXe7ntjAaOwytMmlgXxVF70ePY-Cj3HnOJB4lcQPhtaotdDehqgrKBSBH6UcyjEHxFXKVaCot7PEE99F35BLc3jUEfLOB1X_5zc0w09CKg1se6_NHqytfTEw9QXENsjKQGhvFUc63E16xaT6Yhik4l8r4kAeGaoi/s4080/66B8CCE7-58D2-49F6-AEAB-0647699D0918.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCFwKCc5fwpygUU_pLPeiHemjBXe7ntjAaOwytMmlgXxVF70ePY-Cj3HnOJB4lcQPhtaotdDehqgrKBSBH6UcyjEHxFXKVaCot7PEE99F35BLc3jUEfLOB1X_5zc0w09CKg1se6_NHqytfTEw9QXENsjKQGhvFUc63E16xaT6Yhik4l8r4kAeGaoi/s320/66B8CCE7-58D2-49F6-AEAB-0647699D0918.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the afternoon the 5 of us, along with my dad and Jonathan for part of the time, turned the brush pile into char! This morning Jason emptied the first humanure bucket into the new pit and so the transformation from char to biochar is underway!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4PZVhpUUDwSXYPde-F6ffY8RLm7jSRCHXcr1ZPgpwy65viM_n_THmbiRaEKlIj3WyBwb6u8UFHiR8jmAc3vXGdaYJu2-ZVHE2RvCCnJEtrWzTp-dHXQG0FfbBbe3LFXaqiXm8f0sJx5zTSyWobII9m5duDjmZjd8dosw7yffiGzDKQpyb9Ws-cz8/s4080/D0D0E706-86C9-48F9-ABB8-FB0FFC4BE099.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI4PZVhpUUDwSXYPde-F6ffY8RLm7jSRCHXcr1ZPgpwy65viM_n_THmbiRaEKlIj3WyBwb6u8UFHiR8jmAc3vXGdaYJu2-ZVHE2RvCCnJEtrWzTp-dHXQG0FfbBbe3LFXaqiXm8f0sJx5zTSyWobII9m5duDjmZjd8dosw7yffiGzDKQpyb9Ws-cz8/s320/D0D0E706-86C9-48F9-ABB8-FB0FFC4BE099.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFSCmn3fI3EFGmaRcSIvCVlaONc1HK_9teRE2swU3UiZlaWgxmrWslJ72Myd88YqXn65FeaVZ6tTGZcHgkLQfkqKLUsQl0bc6lsi2WHk8IPRx0-6_Fno4ksZL4j4MofkUfVQ7CZMa9eMuwYv0WweHpUgRE4Ymot3wSOleSXjomvaZzHWcWXC74ZHH/s4080/6198B761-C8D5-40DA-8802-9B7DC3378EBB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEFSCmn3fI3EFGmaRcSIvCVlaONc1HK_9teRE2swU3UiZlaWgxmrWslJ72Myd88YqXn65FeaVZ6tTGZcHgkLQfkqKLUsQl0bc6lsi2WHk8IPRx0-6_Fno4ksZL4j4MofkUfVQ7CZMa9eMuwYv0WweHpUgRE4Ymot3wSOleSXjomvaZzHWcWXC74ZHH/s320/6198B761-C8D5-40DA-8802-9B7DC3378EBB.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hdsS7uQeXXDAgtnFczWHS3MTMYgfQ4CVgLRVIfixuBvc0FN9TlcOau60m1FSwiN5Gt9_3RFZ-vTYelJvYlkmSBE1Z0J0PPnsHxYzEqmUkcHVCqHywukcWFoH6Mcj757XaEcrXdPGxvbKMBFnm1TEFP00k1wIO-35joXAwQu0cAzkkr1Vs6idtT82/s4080/AF40CEED-C2B5-4318-BD7D-A595A8C22949.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9hdsS7uQeXXDAgtnFczWHS3MTMYgfQ4CVgLRVIfixuBvc0FN9TlcOau60m1FSwiN5Gt9_3RFZ-vTYelJvYlkmSBE1Z0J0PPnsHxYzEqmUkcHVCqHywukcWFoH6Mcj757XaEcrXdPGxvbKMBFnm1TEFP00k1wIO-35joXAwQu0cAzkkr1Vs6idtT82/s320/AF40CEED-C2B5-4318-BD7D-A595A8C22949.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TpW1BKgMXCeyDU8LncKXNKtjwBRjnBpFJ6Ev5UAQzhloyiwbDw44XNRTwkpv7JhX5FgpaauvmyYa9-Nz6nkFWoKN7LcMKVjbfI1fSpW8VlGLyjlBVWmMd_J6avQhCYIJh-i2exOX6hUMfrnZ-L2Mbo-7PQVT6iQrfGtX5steVPEu9fS0wpZ4dn9w/s4080/3AECC688-0779-4E6D-8C6A-E7804B3C07ED.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7TpW1BKgMXCeyDU8LncKXNKtjwBRjnBpFJ6Ev5UAQzhloyiwbDw44XNRTwkpv7JhX5FgpaauvmyYa9-Nz6nkFWoKN7LcMKVjbfI1fSpW8VlGLyjlBVWmMd_J6avQhCYIJh-i2exOX6hUMfrnZ-L2Mbo-7PQVT6iQrfGtX5steVPEu9fS0wpZ4dn9w/s320/3AECC688-0779-4E6D-8C6A-E7804B3C07ED.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As we drug the last brush to the fire, the chickens were in the wings ready to play and scratch in the remaining duff. For them "it's the most wonderful time of the year!"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtjIgd2zTagqn1VLfJPEAaqP-UvDTPVH2YIsKKEmEBBzVFulA11XsI8_TTLK-YEpvspagdlhYB-XKH-Pa2fz_vwft7d6-4m8SQF0cwu2IUtgIXpqRDHl4FF9VSIKy6mb9EFR8K3EBxfQ1C6k_yZWl7PEz_Gy3-9B8KTu2OBE62Hvbx2SNHkuXzoAs/s4080/35377D12-3714-4AFB-8B07-0BA17E00E9C7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtjIgd2zTagqn1VLfJPEAaqP-UvDTPVH2YIsKKEmEBBzVFulA11XsI8_TTLK-YEpvspagdlhYB-XKH-Pa2fz_vwft7d6-4m8SQF0cwu2IUtgIXpqRDHl4FF9VSIKy6mb9EFR8K3EBxfQ1C6k_yZWl7PEz_Gy3-9B8KTu2OBE62Hvbx2SNHkuXzoAs/s320/35377D12-3714-4AFB-8B07-0BA17E00E9C7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifd7M3t0498DFRLweSNoFEn0l4TbUBjfxhU6lcrpdQcHuTsDhsxRBkmW6ySm0svIfUQsoc_4-YjSgFhkHERJZGfEnnAtDM94VHM_TYo_9tcGtQ-jTohnfyO-UHkhjNNqsHsOdvcdoUR5uSp7lIAIwpbpL6AeDZGBx2m9GqEjBrceqce7haht5jqP32/s4080/B58BC1AA-C170-42E7-89E2-B65081F8F3E7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifd7M3t0498DFRLweSNoFEn0l4TbUBjfxhU6lcrpdQcHuTsDhsxRBkmW6ySm0svIfUQsoc_4-YjSgFhkHERJZGfEnnAtDM94VHM_TYo_9tcGtQ-jTohnfyO-UHkhjNNqsHsOdvcdoUR5uSp7lIAIwpbpL6AeDZGBx2m9GqEjBrceqce7haht5jqP32/w200-h151/B58BC1AA-C170-42E7-89E2-B65081F8F3E7.jpeg" width="200" /></a>As the sun set we walked up and over our hill to our neighbor's winter solstice celebration. While there, my cracked cell phone screen turned partially black and partially like an out of control strobe light. There are many things to feel grateful for (a very kind person at Boost Infinite that helped me and our eldest who enjoys figuring out electronic devices much more than doing dishes), but generally the day ended with a mad scurry to Best Buy, a quick purchase of a phone and up late figuring out a new device. This felt very urgent as I had a new mama experiencing some pregnancy complications and I needed to be reachable. I really hate being so dependent on something I have no interest in figuring out...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>A few other snippets of Tangly Woods' news for the record.<div><br /></div><div>The chicken flock evaluation for 2023 is officially complete, as is the final butchering of the year. The root cellar and freezers are at their peak fullness. I just topped off a shelf in the root cellar with yesterday's chicken broth canning and I managed to find enough crevices in our freezer for the chicken ponhoss. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OYPV0SnwW9xhhErJ3HLMnA-z4P7mRjeCuna7AJC_3TB2l0n5GZIZIoN_dQCI5yMH1IROA33li6q01NLZ-eFWXX6PAinQqeLna8BqECoUuCrocJD8jHA8Sl4rEjjGAGM6Rl4QXDQqWIjJkIFpJFk2nEJovKPsVPNjq_ap7SU_esvMOId8znqlWjEz/s4080/5CA7BD35-AB7D-48BE-81E0-F0E8FB6E16BF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OYPV0SnwW9xhhErJ3HLMnA-z4P7mRjeCuna7AJC_3TB2l0n5GZIZIoN_dQCI5yMH1IROA33li6q01NLZ-eFWXX6PAinQqeLna8BqECoUuCrocJD8jHA8Sl4rEjjGAGM6Rl4QXDQqWIjJkIFpJFk2nEJovKPsVPNjq_ap7SU_esvMOId8znqlWjEz/s320/5CA7BD35-AB7D-48BE-81E0-F0E8FB6E16BF.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGJrLTCy_yhkeHHZ0hJnhUaLUOsuAsLfiQgy9HvezKU666st15F5pyB5CeLZ0fkaXqGd9usCi6FNSWOAmp8bYJym4TOYVo4F36kWozwF6FUSFcpNwA7WM0jcL7lluGtkAeKJbUCh5TTV_o5oFuAVLcwwzli5aX9b8Xi1nt3NQOL_qBXcFNjW3SiZu/s4080/8C212628-E5C1-455B-B40A-4DEE8C048A5C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGJrLTCy_yhkeHHZ0hJnhUaLUOsuAsLfiQgy9HvezKU666st15F5pyB5CeLZ0fkaXqGd9usCi6FNSWOAmp8bYJym4TOYVo4F36kWozwF6FUSFcpNwA7WM0jcL7lluGtkAeKJbUCh5TTV_o5oFuAVLcwwzli5aX9b8Xi1nt3NQOL_qBXcFNjW3SiZu/s320/8C212628-E5C1-455B-B40A-4DEE8C048A5C.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our regular dinners upstairs with my parents are rarely photographed because they are just a part of our weekly rhythm. But they are sweet times of connecting, sharing food, often a game... I feel so grateful to be doing life together - in mundane and special times.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYL9AF0Fevgb-k3bZXwC2S0U7XQMTF2L0FJrdm5xNrIxvmUV53KdC0mvjG5ClLB2TrfncyG5o2dlZOU27Rd_ziENmufJUIacCYzWxdJqvLi8Cu0k3m4RMRHdpk2FRG62IWoxB_N2TJOTWdlIrypXb4_Kks1VVT1QwBmaVokV6aM2JosPEq1CHF2ZI/s4080/27C2C11A-869D-47D4-AD65-2B9466A4DD5B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdYL9AF0Fevgb-k3bZXwC2S0U7XQMTF2L0FJrdm5xNrIxvmUV53KdC0mvjG5ClLB2TrfncyG5o2dlZOU27Rd_ziENmufJUIacCYzWxdJqvLi8Cu0k3m4RMRHdpk2FRG62IWoxB_N2TJOTWdlIrypXb4_Kks1VVT1QwBmaVokV6aM2JosPEq1CHF2ZI/s320/27C2C11A-869D-47D4-AD65-2B9466A4DD5B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of special times, after I napped up following an all night birth, our family went on a little outing to Bella Gelato (to use a gift card from dear friends) and then to see a Christmas light show. Even in the rain, it was really fun (except for the one horrible Christmas song on the FM station the lights were programmed to - sadly it left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth about the whole thing...)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH8TxZnR7PhC2QeowlHNLJAXKQui7lZ1CoxDCtq8EJvy4J8-108PsvuQuGeN8MqM_aGlWyeW1CFJrGhR9W4P1w0odWoaDZOMW4lQbiHsGyBp38st0nZkEJaNMXfux_miPs7o_qa9uy9EShWlBpESz2j5qJbdMp-vgrfHHcvYAf8TIa8znvxDKgN_Z/s3264/3554507E-23C0-429B-9893-E36FD9CBD722.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH8TxZnR7PhC2QeowlHNLJAXKQui7lZ1CoxDCtq8EJvy4J8-108PsvuQuGeN8MqM_aGlWyeW1CFJrGhR9W4P1w0odWoaDZOMW4lQbiHsGyBp38st0nZkEJaNMXfux_miPs7o_qa9uy9EShWlBpESz2j5qJbdMp-vgrfHHcvYAf8TIa8znvxDKgN_Z/s320/3554507E-23C0-429B-9893-E36FD9CBD722.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrWttOzA3x0Asessfdz5tj_NejwdyKSSaaJffqNH8hrav6Kg2R4efTfQ6vdEoh9kl-WmG8-MjiJ_IVJioY-VjXjIExAOZAHT6fOfLH265e8xBXZNSzbafEINmloiKCJG492w1r9OPogVWxxJr_pWuyOVkUCZ9IIjRoMfd03sIzuZscOehlTl8stJS/s4080/B46079A1-F19B-4763-97E2-DC72E0F10828.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGrWttOzA3x0Asessfdz5tj_NejwdyKSSaaJffqNH8hrav6Kg2R4efTfQ6vdEoh9kl-WmG8-MjiJ_IVJioY-VjXjIExAOZAHT6fOfLH265e8xBXZNSzbafEINmloiKCJG492w1r9OPogVWxxJr_pWuyOVkUCZ9IIjRoMfd03sIzuZscOehlTl8stJS/s320/B46079A1-F19B-4763-97E2-DC72E0F10828.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We had a fun evening with Jonathan, Christen and Luca this week, complete with a white elephant gift exchange. I think Jason's gift of a "goose back scratcher" won the prize for generating the most laughter and long lasting entertainment for us all. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYdtpPqL3l8zJKdNPM92MKOEJE7y5ApIeG2_sMEVKwaw7xPzJhn7SJwi_EZTvsznHR0buh3kEEz7A_gVPR8uhTvMPHHVEnHCeyuYRANmoyieG7gtolIednluI6KO5qIGr6f7OUtHGdVWl_Ndb3sslck9gOSpHDMh8jsseiYk3HRkpCN-b-qJG-0tQ/s4080/36AB7EAE-A3BA-4E22-B7CA-A22048AEB5B0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoYdtpPqL3l8zJKdNPM92MKOEJE7y5ApIeG2_sMEVKwaw7xPzJhn7SJwi_EZTvsznHR0buh3kEEz7A_gVPR8uhTvMPHHVEnHCeyuYRANmoyieG7gtolIednluI6KO5qIGr6f7OUtHGdVWl_Ndb3sslck9gOSpHDMh8jsseiYk3HRkpCN-b-qJG-0tQ/s320/36AB7EAE-A3BA-4E22-B7CA-A22048AEB5B0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Kali's package included some costume pieces from the American Shakespeare Center that they got when they volunteered helping organize their costume room. They are still enjoying being volunteer ushers very much and Jason and I benefitted this week by getting in on using free comp tickets to see A Christmas Carol with Alida and Kali.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptnr5vJiVXllp-z5Ze5aUcmbdX1hneLpP5eVO1gz4XL5AkkePl82Tde7VpUM5l6OCmuCuVtH7EwURU4a2VbPgCf3HKC7oNvOYB0IGy7jVDyvIkOUzoSXvV2gMbEIGSC2iBlqLqq9yec45p3M0K_Ymz6S7Hk2MsTYrWc9tSU7vynRyTZMDz7sLY5Fv/s4080/507CD70A-F78F-441A-9135-7649063525AA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhptnr5vJiVXllp-z5Ze5aUcmbdX1hneLpP5eVO1gz4XL5AkkePl82Tde7VpUM5l6OCmuCuVtH7EwURU4a2VbPgCf3HKC7oNvOYB0IGy7jVDyvIkOUzoSXvV2gMbEIGSC2iBlqLqq9yec45p3M0K_Ymz6S7Hk2MsTYrWc9tSU7vynRyTZMDz7sLY5Fv/s320/507CD70A-F78F-441A-9135-7649063525AA.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday we enjoyed visiting with two of Jason's sisters and families around the fire ring. We were also thoroughly entertained watching our piggies savor the last scraps from the chicken butchering. Several people noted feeling full just watching them eat and eat and eat some more! It's now time to end this post as we are off for a hike to Hensley's Pond with them this afternoon as the sun tries to peek through the clouds. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOD-BQ8dCox8m9m9_YuFitd0JMVQxaF-pluA1TA56E6-PZFq9pSCmS5gUym4cUG746NFBPEq5HMQkYnza8MzGoya8kisZJGHUl3NSHltNIyze9aW_Q8jMdJl2dcFWw8Tw-KGE42zGKJNHZSMtVjtcdIVI21YAJeXfmfM9qJOWJhzl7Xf8fGEnkzq5f/s4080/DA0E7024-9DD8-4E67-8D38-C277F50982E3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOD-BQ8dCox8m9m9_YuFitd0JMVQxaF-pluA1TA56E6-PZFq9pSCmS5gUym4cUG746NFBPEq5HMQkYnza8MzGoya8kisZJGHUl3NSHltNIyze9aW_Q8jMdJl2dcFWw8Tw-KGE42zGKJNHZSMtVjtcdIVI21YAJeXfmfM9qJOWJhzl7Xf8fGEnkzq5f/s320/DA0E7024-9DD8-4E67-8D38-C277F50982E3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsfGKjL6fBTZTQPY89zPRnVsPuZtow7y-9stn_L8vIvSUdksFBV9oIjYhti4mVNB7b9hszXyabciTzNcFvDjDBihdEqg5iwli8Tt1aOvrngQJ5hsAq7Zcpp0YIbhg7c123JBC9o-sXqNUhtGWcacWBS1igXCzK2PL5jtHPAPzeOFnzZl9dIzJGApx/s4080/E73446D3-8B58-4E1B-AB00-52E1D60AA29E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqsfGKjL6fBTZTQPY89zPRnVsPuZtow7y-9stn_L8vIvSUdksFBV9oIjYhti4mVNB7b9hszXyabciTzNcFvDjDBihdEqg5iwli8Tt1aOvrngQJ5hsAq7Zcpp0YIbhg7c123JBC9o-sXqNUhtGWcacWBS1igXCzK2PL5jtHPAPzeOFnzZl9dIzJGApx/s320/E73446D3-8B58-4E1B-AB00-52E1D60AA29E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1So_UZr8xVDtnHvKmT3aBTlT47JvQx9GTJiGaFhHsS0e6hwMNpY2Vh2pDUpHr3k78Mz3qPvKQCb9UEsDN8eT_dxrgeJpInbPBPVrAhMC7E8rhp2R9M4GwybzAgAerwhzqkZsUyHt-n4cxalH2YXm1i4kp0esTYpCYVi4m7C1MATPJEtIb7yZRi59/s4080/14D80E69-0FBD-4C34-AF9D-6FF3B9E3F7EA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1So_UZr8xVDtnHvKmT3aBTlT47JvQx9GTJiGaFhHsS0e6hwMNpY2Vh2pDUpHr3k78Mz3qPvKQCb9UEsDN8eT_dxrgeJpInbPBPVrAhMC7E8rhp2R9M4GwybzAgAerwhzqkZsUyHt-n4cxalH2YXm1i4kp0esTYpCYVi4m7C1MATPJEtIb7yZRi59/w200-h151/14D80E69-0FBD-4C34-AF9D-6FF3B9E3F7EA.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>I will close with something that I think will bring a smile to many faces. Even Jason gushed more than I'm used to hearing come out of him when I showed him what present I had found for Mom. He said, "How can that be sooo cute?!" We are not in the habit of buying presents for anyone (other than our kiddos). But if inspiration hits, I often go with it. I find buying presents because it is the thing you are supposed to do very laborious. I find getting a present that you find that just has a person's name written all over it delightful! </div><div><br /></div><div>The cliff notes version of this story is as follows: I was buying canning lids. I needed to buy something else to get free shipping. I looked in the clearance section. I found a felt snowman basket with 10 snowman ornaments. It was discounted (about $7) and my mom HAD to have it. I bought it. The order came. The basket was not included. I emailed them. She said she put the snowman ornament inside something else. It was there. But where was the basket and 9 other ornaments? I emailed again. Their website description had been wrong. They offered to honor my order. They needed some time to amass the 9 ornaments and basket. They sent it to me for free. You can't find/buy that item anywhere anymore. Its purchase value would have been well over $100. It's perfect for Mom. She has been doing show and tell with it to friends. She left it at Gift and Thrift by accident. It was found by a friend before it got sold and is now safely home again! </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKR43X3vbPDkCHxKwpEPwufz0p5VS6OLSnkVegwsZBnVOHcJwNHjd5aVWH39xphptTD7nyymD6RHADqV8ru3_3klzvgjz2k5cs4usCNOUIGHE9MnUbqE4HQYxLRVROQPiwUOnjdOk3QeFFhVws-DlT_QcAM-PrJGnd8i-i7ldt3dG5cCE3mvf_YNY/s4080/9935E31E-A2D3-4FF3-B956-E1B7FF9601ED.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbKR43X3vbPDkCHxKwpEPwufz0p5VS6OLSnkVegwsZBnVOHcJwNHjd5aVWH39xphptTD7nyymD6RHADqV8ru3_3klzvgjz2k5cs4usCNOUIGHE9MnUbqE4HQYxLRVROQPiwUOnjdOk3QeFFhVws-DlT_QcAM-PrJGnd8i-i7ldt3dG5cCE3mvf_YNY/s320/9935E31E-A2D3-4FF3-B956-E1B7FF9601ED.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-66696253005216651612023-12-24T08:43:00.000-08:002023-12-24T08:43:21.836-08:00Leaning on the words of others when I can't find my own...Earlier this week one of my former doula clients (now friend) shared this poem with me by <span style="text-align: center;">Jan Richardson. I have a lot of mixed emotions in this advent season. I connect to themes of darkness and light and to the longing. At the same time I'm so angry about how white evangelical Christianity uses </span><span style="text-align: center;">even </span><span style="text-align: center;">this season to promote violence and domination. I'm glad that there are many people out there who can parse out the beautiful and share their reflections, creativity and brilliance with all of us. I love this:</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Wise women also came.</div><div style="text-align: center;">The fire burned in their wombs long before</div><div style="text-align: center;">they saw</div><div style="text-align: center;">the flaming star in the sky.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">They walked in shadows, trusting the path</div><div style="text-align: center;">would open under the light of the moon.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wise women also came,</div><div style="text-align: center;">seeking no directions,</div><div style="text-align: center;">no permission from any king.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">They came by their own authority,</div><div style="text-align: center;">their own desire,</div><div style="text-align: center;">their own longing.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">They came in quiet, spreading no rumors,</div><div style="text-align: center;">sparking no fears to lead to innocents’ slaughter,</div><div style="text-align: center;">to their sister Rachel’s inconsolable lamentations.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wise women also came,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and they brought useful gifts:</div><div style="text-align: center;">water for labor’s washing,</div><div style="text-align: center;">fire for warm illumination,</div><div style="text-align: center;">a blanket for swaddling.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wise women also came,</div><div style="text-align: center;">at least three of them,</div><div style="text-align: center;">holding Mary in the labor,</div><div style="text-align: center;">crying out with her in the birth pangs,</div><div style="text-align: center;">breathing ancient blessings into her ear.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Wise women also came,</div><div style="text-align: center;">and they went,</div><div style="text-align: center;">as wise women always do,</div><div style="text-align: center;">home a different way.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzORHSTt1KQ3uWin1q8J_3vqYUwEB89VJn2X0us3AoVoLfnkvq5YmS3Blw5559T0YHjEyrphxW6fZjAIP1i82SyU76NcdkeNT-orvIyJY_1p4sCF4pr4ICvkMkMWDfrdENnGtAtpiVfEDagykA1Ojo4iRhVOvtFm4Z44Oj9qck4drotvjW7fCK91C/s4000/20231216_161612.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbzORHSTt1KQ3uWin1q8J_3vqYUwEB89VJn2X0us3AoVoLfnkvq5YmS3Blw5559T0YHjEyrphxW6fZjAIP1i82SyU76NcdkeNT-orvIyJY_1p4sCF4pr4ICvkMkMWDfrdENnGtAtpiVfEDagykA1Ojo4iRhVOvtFm4Z44Oj9qck4drotvjW7fCK91C/w200-h150/20231216_161612.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>As I came alongside another family in the long process of laboring and birthing their little one, it felt like such an honor to be able to offer encouragement, physical support and accompaniment. At various points my heart would also feel the heaviness of thinking of the many women giving birth in Gaza every day right now, in conditions I cannot even begin to comprehend. It's so important for birthing people to feel safe and in an environment where they can relax. What happens when that is not possible? What are the short and long term repercussions, for those who make it through the harrowing ordeal? It feels so wrong! <div><br /></div><div>And here we are on Christmas Eve. A yearly letter from one of my aunts expressed some of what I'm feeling so much better than I feel able to. Words fail me often these days. "How, and whether, to nurture levity of spirit given our trouble globe's ruinous ills." That is the question!<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZJEzQ4-h6YfD121A2zX-ABFTuuIaIB9IVlmdn9Jg4A3i_9etlh-4pOLwgoa5LM4GtOK-ENnTWBnC0lLPDlBNBh8OVnpotyRj9ONUBFB78PRHTklooIZIZ5IwcVZvTO2vW1P6hzfKEFW1OjunxogRs6NJhRZjNoPtWq7fcFsxlsGY3e63mWlqiUq7/s4080/IMG_20231217_084132844.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZJEzQ4-h6YfD121A2zX-ABFTuuIaIB9IVlmdn9Jg4A3i_9etlh-4pOLwgoa5LM4GtOK-ENnTWBnC0lLPDlBNBh8OVnpotyRj9ONUBFB78PRHTklooIZIZ5IwcVZvTO2vW1P6hzfKEFW1OjunxogRs6NJhRZjNoPtWq7fcFsxlsGY3e63mWlqiUq7/w151-h200/IMG_20231217_084132844.jpg" width="151" /></a>But babies! They just fill me up! Their sweet newness. Their curiosity. Their innocence. Their proclamation of their needs and expectation for them to be met (at least if that is what they have experienced). And the way they slow me down and calm my nervous system. Whether it is holding a little one for the first time that I watched emerge from the womb (as I am here with precious Ruby Jane) or nurturing a growing little one that affectionately calls me "Nel Nel" (thanks Luca!!), this is my happy place!</div><div><br /></div><div>From my aunt again: "And so, yes, mindful of calamities, we give ourselves over to joy, to foster what is beautiful in the world, to right the balance, and to gratitude that we have so much to treasure and delight in..." Here is us giving ourselves over to delight with the little people we are so privileged to love and care for.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7pM1YxDWOFaajiwQXjkY3HpjHaqd98KT3gUcLxEiTc5pSGucgq9M6XIOPjFn7v6COiUErl2hEzH5gM-EgG4yOx4-W-wmXFDMW_4vGrxozHkhjktnSzjYlCTm9eypjyp33LAYdKkPvNUcwRJLzNccgBqlRLATwC8QW0iPQS7M2pdnskMyjQK0i24P/s4080/0B673785-CD65-4483-8835-B753709B93ED.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir7pM1YxDWOFaajiwQXjkY3HpjHaqd98KT3gUcLxEiTc5pSGucgq9M6XIOPjFn7v6COiUErl2hEzH5gM-EgG4yOx4-W-wmXFDMW_4vGrxozHkhjktnSzjYlCTm9eypjyp33LAYdKkPvNUcwRJLzNccgBqlRLATwC8QW0iPQS7M2pdnskMyjQK0i24P/s320/0B673785-CD65-4483-8835-B753709B93ED.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfyTvX9MIlMiFzNLqmVvC7cU-HVv0n9T1tKPMDGFQHCz41hCumsPOxFd7YCmC-uan30GiwpAfd89OWjKFfiGbiV9kcOCS1v5inio3SVqgKmpZDMXSAV2hRkPexqBywjaQ9C68L6CwszTb_VMGamGXlMcg_Iwznl_H7yeommrzluXzqjXVQcg6Y0ic/s4080/7C4F46EB-3829-4A51-BA05-5D4A6FF84D80.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNfyTvX9MIlMiFzNLqmVvC7cU-HVv0n9T1tKPMDGFQHCz41hCumsPOxFd7YCmC-uan30GiwpAfd89OWjKFfiGbiV9kcOCS1v5inio3SVqgKmpZDMXSAV2hRkPexqBywjaQ9C68L6CwszTb_VMGamGXlMcg_Iwznl_H7yeommrzluXzqjXVQcg6Y0ic/s320/7C4F46EB-3829-4A51-BA05-5D4A6FF84D80.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QasY-16R7XmKPNPASSEJbZfRZj2NLs9uoGsnJ247BngUnDP47JllbGf-r6OfvhJoasrN4cLr0aP7Zkcc7HkyxptUXMF2OPH1C9RTNWTEBYoopwXwGjJxc-hHH4jti3KPKpgFak5B9QRI_jA8EtNOYsp4m03wVXeNxzJc2YWxVTAKrrBGrX1AzzZt/s4080/8D7158D8-B626-49C7-A6C1-1CFFE09F3855.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QasY-16R7XmKPNPASSEJbZfRZj2NLs9uoGsnJ247BngUnDP47JllbGf-r6OfvhJoasrN4cLr0aP7Zkcc7HkyxptUXMF2OPH1C9RTNWTEBYoopwXwGjJxc-hHH4jti3KPKpgFak5B9QRI_jA8EtNOYsp4m03wVXeNxzJc2YWxVTAKrrBGrX1AzzZt/s320/8D7158D8-B626-49C7-A6C1-1CFFE09F3855.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVZtjLFogE4BLCfNQh4uixoMmKYIX_8ItSjDqthkJ2TgHzhs__XW7xG2orAWcKmC4MTI9TzB4Gqz_8dnUKcs_tN_1utr7qPwU0004hneczKdA_Qvnibw5Fg7ehPmGnW7_PcQsPOOBgDsgORm8LD4BoWr2bTwW1C-1J_jxXXovFNOMhRZ0OaJWdOjKf/s320/61965B77-EA3D-4587-9E9F-E95D730EE16C.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-mIbpXkEZ6su6ybmLujLD0ZHH-hwevyrhSaDf1y09DUN5Olxn8NHkxHnaA0oRJoiW97fgCQf5n4ggB_20s5iG7BeGNH8O5jCgy0_XwEYDrIBfOaNr3Fn9xvKosmhMX0GkVsmuQTJngCyAexxlkWJJ0UO70JHeyHFlW-P-hI5pFXa15z13UsyMfjS/s3264/B1E978A7-7C67-4F5B-98AA-0334D2135892.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-mIbpXkEZ6su6ybmLujLD0ZHH-hwevyrhSaDf1y09DUN5Olxn8NHkxHnaA0oRJoiW97fgCQf5n4ggB_20s5iG7BeGNH8O5jCgy0_XwEYDrIBfOaNr3Fn9xvKosmhMX0GkVsmuQTJngCyAexxlkWJJ0UO70JHeyHFlW-P-hI5pFXa15z13UsyMfjS/s320/B1E978A7-7C67-4F5B-98AA-0334D2135892.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3ys4RM3OKvXOWc7ppw5NtIhAjNZu3Ke9wUIaKsuIgm6KvHFEMnwdYBENPQrYk70gNgv-DgRkcg7ka-4NrCe3bTS9wcu5-_fjOy9eh6wfwHg3y9WPlJjYMI0Lta8tMifzpfT9Ja4W1y9AYrk6V65VAVx9bmiO3ZtQGYqEjrxn-KcOEEh2PS6pajXqm/s320/FCA74A57-33DB-497D-B6ED-5EF97D1E4038.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWpzqn6gtamTaX4F3PkDLq5cU6eudxnk-qcqx0Dr9UlVKYxK4pAMprKot3xFpHKxz6gYmpX2Llwm5w4TeoQFVVlXvYOWWGRA6q_jAE9TdOqK81y9Rla_xINlmCSm7DkTGsxAOH-cUGTHGkbVg7Qa_tSnZm6COZ5llTUTSp6OGq4gcHR61plNgbvkD/s3264/FFABD316-C104-4C6B-AC6A-5F8FEEED2D4C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqWpzqn6gtamTaX4F3PkDLq5cU6eudxnk-qcqx0Dr9UlVKYxK4pAMprKot3xFpHKxz6gYmpX2Llwm5w4TeoQFVVlXvYOWWGRA6q_jAE9TdOqK81y9Rla_xINlmCSm7DkTGsxAOH-cUGTHGkbVg7Qa_tSnZm6COZ5llTUTSp6OGq4gcHR61plNgbvkD/s320/FFABD316-C104-4C6B-AC6A-5F8FEEED2D4C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div>I know no better way to end this short reflection than with my aunt's words once more: "We grieve for those devastated by war's atrocities and for the ensnaring complexities of its waging. We grieve for the planet. We change our habits. We celebrate the spirit of resilience, survival, humanitarian aid. We celebrate the light, the word, the otherwise, spilling through the jamb..."<br /></div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-15821158146634802482023-12-13T16:47:00.000-08:002023-12-13T16:47:10.773-08:00Odds and ends...sweet and fun ones mostly! I ran out of time yesterday to do the full catch up so I'm here in the downstairs alone now as Jason and Terah slice and freeze bacon in the garage and Kali and Alida usher at the American Shakespeare Center. <div><br /></div><div>The girls and I spent much of today out and about shopping. Our kids are no longer being clothed entirely on hand-me-downs or hand-me-arounds! There were a few notable gaps in their wardrobes which, thanks to Gift and Thrift, Once Upon a Child, and Super Shoes, are now filled. If I'm going to go shopping, I could not ask for better company than our three girls. That said, while I enjoyed parts of our day together for sure, I also felt really distracted in some moments. My mind and heart were traveling all over the place from the major life challenges and losses being faced by people near and dear to me to the large scale suffering being experienced in various places. I've found myself thinking recently of the season of our lives when Jason and I were planning our wedding (happening simultaneously to me taking my first peace and justice classes at EMU). I was unlearning and re-learning history and especially being exposed to a lot of new knowledge about my country's involvement in many armed conflicts around the globe. I really struggled with thinking about hosting a celebration of any kind alongside the current events I was learning about. Now 25 years later, I still am grappling with how to hold grief and gratitude, suffering and celebration, my daily reality alongside that of so many others. My strong desire to be and do enough kick into high gear and yet any contributions I make just feel like they are drops that disappear in the vast ocean of need... </div><div><br /></div><div>So with that swirling around inside, here are some things that have filled parts of our days in recent weeks!</div><div><br /></div><div>I have dried SO...MANY...APPLES! We pick up pig scraps in town on Fridays and sometimes what we pick up ends up being more food than the pigs need and/or high quality seconds (like the 3 boxes of apples I came home with a while back). They are melt in your mouth delicious...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKz3rEB2Swhm6qdLSYmnCWSw2tGuQad8j8qEcRuH7R7vUCiC5MWF8MOx51JEbQGMXgB5mFrISD1xCTu9SEka-Kf43_0ohJ1OEzShhpa8S0S8YnYFH4wz03LLpY9QsNbaR_k9nAlcrUcn4FhPqIxLOxPEhKRQ9iiL2NRNCXCabjo5CoRogENMW_ol2D/s4080/IMG_20231125_085417460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKz3rEB2Swhm6qdLSYmnCWSw2tGuQad8j8qEcRuH7R7vUCiC5MWF8MOx51JEbQGMXgB5mFrISD1xCTu9SEka-Kf43_0ohJ1OEzShhpa8S0S8YnYFH4wz03LLpY9QsNbaR_k9nAlcrUcn4FhPqIxLOxPEhKRQ9iiL2NRNCXCabjo5CoRogENMW_ol2D/s320/IMG_20231125_085417460.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>Yep, gotta throw in a sky picture! I love that I'm outside often enough to take in the ever changing sky. I don't seem to tire of it!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DKoFq8skOWhsVe6xfukIGM2ivVL7bCajz3tF_xz-Bsp21FwQspDykIZ9L_doCDMMCvuwX-qRBNqAdskgXycUMUhe1mG4g_1YrN04U73E2-w3XpV0F1BWTC0ts0foINOUIwvtZHIoKtCfxHUzbgIQk522TZCZKkVd6Uv1pyfMvtQ6sIvehxD-jh3h/s4080/IMG_20231126_143632689.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9DKoFq8skOWhsVe6xfukIGM2ivVL7bCajz3tF_xz-Bsp21FwQspDykIZ9L_doCDMMCvuwX-qRBNqAdskgXycUMUhe1mG4g_1YrN04U73E2-w3XpV0F1BWTC0ts0foINOUIwvtZHIoKtCfxHUzbgIQk522TZCZKkVd6Uv1pyfMvtQ6sIvehxD-jh3h/s320/IMG_20231126_143632689.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jason had a much smaller role in filling the woodshed this year. He worked with Kali some, but it ended up being done mostly by our three girls. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawSZJAWBQb4oA0G4rsCIWebIyApZSu4KmO0QVA5xH6ycSLIBLFG8cIe407315euvkbnkASutZNV03jApP3yQN2y5siCnX3Bx9nnP7Uz0eccXHxhFlnozCCF92Q6E9p8Gmqi854nXTqHWQv7bF8VDaPynD2aOe9oTALucA6UblvsphBCvZxarGanRa/s4080/IMG_20231127_163141587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawSZJAWBQb4oA0G4rsCIWebIyApZSu4KmO0QVA5xH6ycSLIBLFG8cIe407315euvkbnkASutZNV03jApP3yQN2y5siCnX3Bx9nnP7Uz0eccXHxhFlnozCCF92Q6E9p8Gmqi854nXTqHWQv7bF8VDaPynD2aOe9oTALucA6UblvsphBCvZxarGanRa/s320/IMG_20231127_163141587.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8P3O20-oaEpkGPGJq_whQmea8ZntfKVRLyBD6YgTqOEO32AM86X5_4X12NcI_UoPfmuCS_KmGodzjMvCz6F8uq4PzczBwZRjAN09NnZz0AbnwbQC9s_Nk0t9Hzn33sdNhnYOWU26cn2yROTp1wT2ZlSAHvogPMA_xCLudPN2nXRSxLoTi5wYCgZrj/s4624/119.%20Chopping%20wood.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8P3O20-oaEpkGPGJq_whQmea8ZntfKVRLyBD6YgTqOEO32AM86X5_4X12NcI_UoPfmuCS_KmGodzjMvCz6F8uq4PzczBwZRjAN09NnZz0AbnwbQC9s_Nk0t9Hzn33sdNhnYOWU26cn2yROTp1wT2ZlSAHvogPMA_xCLudPN2nXRSxLoTi5wYCgZrj/s320/119.%20Chopping%20wood.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I slipped away from the home front one day to enjoy a long anticipated hike with a dear friend! We made it to the summit of Furnace Mountain where we were rewarded by a gorgeous view and where Wendy introduced me to the delicious wintergreen flavor of birch bark. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtaiy18FWJ7IiT9bQcJN5x8h5YpaI4JNU8ai6Vai8yIlbAzJIp8la9YwCh2uQWdn6Yoj2h79Kx7RJKH0AMF5RkClD-cnuq9jIgRu4LHXw3-CbnkyZg6H6JGxQwALhNQ2Oo7nGUiyJpEnBpYiI3Z3rbebpmQpCHj5SK9kVirzVOCxY06THD_9HpRqK/s3264/IMG_20231129_123249232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxtaiy18FWJ7IiT9bQcJN5x8h5YpaI4JNU8ai6Vai8yIlbAzJIp8la9YwCh2uQWdn6Yoj2h79Kx7RJKH0AMF5RkClD-cnuq9jIgRu4LHXw3-CbnkyZg6H6JGxQwALhNQ2Oo7nGUiyJpEnBpYiI3Z3rbebpmQpCHj5SK9kVirzVOCxY06THD_9HpRqK/s320/IMG_20231129_123249232.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The little people in our lives are still such an incredible source of joy and laughter and amusement. Luca's vocabulary is exploding. It's such a fun stage. We love our Thursday times together with just him and our weekly meals together as a family. Luca doesn't have a lot of patience for the many conversations we would enjoy having at length together. But he absolutely loves when we are all doing something together that involves him. Last night it was writing names on his little board and me saying, " Give me an M" and everyone replies, "M" until we have spelled a name. He started to pick up on it and before long when I would get to the end of the name and say, "What's that spell?" he would shout before any of us, "Mama!!" He was so pleased, as were we!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZztGyrwM_-y1hEY0s_5awrxeHl6AEjODFtLli9r2Q9pYUQRDj2zgkbdAOn-AvNawnFm6HjxTvxLsCgFADWJ8gw7u-BkwfEhOjvnPGdurG-uNi_uxCEDwoY_fnAH0d966j0d637zyBObMsN__udQKInPmG4yCWxYMtTGz1Qelxv7e4hLq-sXY8EEGK/s4080/IMG_20231130_120503810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZztGyrwM_-y1hEY0s_5awrxeHl6AEjODFtLli9r2Q9pYUQRDj2zgkbdAOn-AvNawnFm6HjxTvxLsCgFADWJ8gw7u-BkwfEhOjvnPGdurG-uNi_uxCEDwoY_fnAH0d966j0d637zyBObMsN__udQKInPmG4yCWxYMtTGz1Qelxv7e4hLq-sXY8EEGK/s320/IMG_20231130_120503810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_f0vkYXKfU34TM8Wxdy92G8sBCKrTOxA6xazu8FIas0AD42TUBpn1kylQEQTGr_ihdHPY8KjDiuGU13w-K4TBmLUzA9TljkEhy4kFCUu7E0IQgJx0atofm_bUkItEP5vLN_D4Mt2Qf54j3IasI89-O6alD_wDgKP-XL-LAkATzwiroFt4Xy8-1Pg/s4080/IMG_20231207_114801928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_f0vkYXKfU34TM8Wxdy92G8sBCKrTOxA6xazu8FIas0AD42TUBpn1kylQEQTGr_ihdHPY8KjDiuGU13w-K4TBmLUzA9TljkEhy4kFCUu7E0IQgJx0atofm_bUkItEP5vLN_D4Mt2Qf54j3IasI89-O6alD_wDgKP-XL-LAkATzwiroFt4Xy8-1Pg/s320/IMG_20231207_114801928.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfefAZulAKEiuDmT0jgGHdvVKUDEQ4LoHd3i6wsaMywEq8lzOhY1KH0lTgm8zuvGVFI9YJqYTBgg_4dmQHT4Ce1GCDcynkytqdxUcjO5jtEd7aGo1mXKtaVf74sdDfTFaLT_vsc7TvgGriPu8ASALLiBw9piynDyKyG1_wnx1fiaaiZEcxP6q2SHmL/s4080/IMG_20231212_202041663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfefAZulAKEiuDmT0jgGHdvVKUDEQ4LoHd3i6wsaMywEq8lzOhY1KH0lTgm8zuvGVFI9YJqYTBgg_4dmQHT4Ce1GCDcynkytqdxUcjO5jtEd7aGo1mXKtaVf74sdDfTFaLT_vsc7TvgGriPu8ASALLiBw9piynDyKyG1_wnx1fiaaiZEcxP6q2SHmL/s320/IMG_20231212_202041663.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Bear's vocabulary isn't changing quite as fast but the number of things he enjoys gnawing on is! He's "helped" me bake cookies recently, he's had his first piano lesson, and he has graduated to sitting in the high chair at the table with us. So fun!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRBGkGCftd8Uza9OwPUcaVNfGTxNKeGogcpuLPFgR6apojJHOU8A1TZtrQGMPHqTr_lWYEZHVtDnNQ4yBfdm3lyEvZVhLDYqLDV_AfRdJ22XnmsBXWxT1VQRZkV729Nc_R74PTKErl70dgx5g2rf78XvszwbZR7J8i_qkbnaQBiwLen4LclzmLZe4/s4080/IMG_20231201_074755259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdRBGkGCftd8Uza9OwPUcaVNfGTxNKeGogcpuLPFgR6apojJHOU8A1TZtrQGMPHqTr_lWYEZHVtDnNQ4yBfdm3lyEvZVhLDYqLDV_AfRdJ22XnmsBXWxT1VQRZkV729Nc_R74PTKErl70dgx5g2rf78XvszwbZR7J8i_qkbnaQBiwLen4LclzmLZe4/s320/IMG_20231201_074755259.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggecxaFxV9daRuWjjvT0ZwFMuCKsWrr3CpMbIyUASWNt52cBLCQc8WT3yi6MFJATkYaAqkskACOC26hZ8dUDSMsRzkBi0XjN3tu9naUtbR9dcJVHM2PC142Ye7tPd_7zQRQMpPN56MsGOigkZTCtNlZTX2Z3Xny7MB2HoMNCXYNXWOUhTylJfeMP25/s4080/IMG_20231201_081220178.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggecxaFxV9daRuWjjvT0ZwFMuCKsWrr3CpMbIyUASWNt52cBLCQc8WT3yi6MFJATkYaAqkskACOC26hZ8dUDSMsRzkBi0XjN3tu9naUtbR9dcJVHM2PC142Ye7tPd_7zQRQMpPN56MsGOigkZTCtNlZTX2Z3Xny7MB2HoMNCXYNXWOUhTylJfeMP25/s320/IMG_20231201_081220178.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPayD42K-RcMLXy23WskU5Na27fb_lBJV7e2zxG6WyacZXiEtgylIgcS-l5vLd4c2Q-YRLX0DwuXdJXWiPTqBRlfavQP3Lwp3cLFOKOoYA_bJIWVtEUe-otXTpaEb_9xkmfzeIG0dbE3wbOMPH12LCK7oLsm_ZBOFs-hULX_nQ8IAslDd8peSbnuVM/s4080/IMG_20231205_101145676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPayD42K-RcMLXy23WskU5Na27fb_lBJV7e2zxG6WyacZXiEtgylIgcS-l5vLd4c2Q-YRLX0DwuXdJXWiPTqBRlfavQP3Lwp3cLFOKOoYA_bJIWVtEUe-otXTpaEb_9xkmfzeIG0dbE3wbOMPH12LCK7oLsm_ZBOFs-hULX_nQ8IAslDd8peSbnuVM/s320/IMG_20231205_101145676.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFhCf6sOcpaNDwPRApY4wK8AEGqM4dehvRiQefsGvTX7eo-w3yDcz3T5qOgFFaKCm7AhIiB6YGRGqwcSjkb6iw9GT_ZZRRw6kmy9JJXBaaVVHS2pYE6SEPe2wXmHI8T592sHxBLikxPaeSioQAHXyAwMp5MmW42i9lhuCpOec95-GjTn54L0hyphenhyphenIeL/s4080/IMG_20231205_122651213.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVFhCf6sOcpaNDwPRApY4wK8AEGqM4dehvRiQefsGvTX7eo-w3yDcz3T5qOgFFaKCm7AhIiB6YGRGqwcSjkb6iw9GT_ZZRRw6kmy9JJXBaaVVHS2pYE6SEPe2wXmHI8T592sHxBLikxPaeSioQAHXyAwMp5MmW42i9lhuCpOec95-GjTn54L0hyphenhyphenIeL/s320/IMG_20231205_122651213.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>And, while on the subject of little growing things: why do I love bringing the little piggies their slop bucket and finding them all buried in the hay in their house and then watching as their little snouts come up as they sniff the air and then they slowly emerge to check out what I've brought with hay strands all over them?<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEwcMQZOgTQiszO5kJuPSIrXxs4sk3VpsEj2nH_Jbv_h4TJNc3g9T7UAAdc5Ca_ge6dLuP2qPMEzp2XSx77KXphk-Nv9L8IYV-_kOGuiYF_WPgmCbeVKu3b4hyW5QbXakNmL1FFV8oYgBmJ5uEHu8aJeJ2HaheNDjmOX1sjnZEmnx1VYOPna0JI5W/s4080/IMG_20231213_162337910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEwcMQZOgTQiszO5kJuPSIrXxs4sk3VpsEj2nH_Jbv_h4TJNc3g9T7UAAdc5Ca_ge6dLuP2qPMEzp2XSx77KXphk-Nv9L8IYV-_kOGuiYF_WPgmCbeVKu3b4hyW5QbXakNmL1FFV8oYgBmJ5uEHu8aJeJ2HaheNDjmOX1sjnZEmnx1VYOPna0JI5W/s320/IMG_20231213_162337910.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFPwZx-pPaXMuOrNOUZevFI5yd3YxMDP4aFKtaMaW3lvnCIo8OVhAseM1br15tsGLzcGhmkRfgCFyIjE6m0n_TUtTT_6c5hVxS6mxihZAqEoec66LoNhKP32q1mRkC9ByY3nHOKmdR3olybLCxT9fcXf4Bmv25B1_9J15pMAvddr4LySZYG9qoAdl/s4080/IMG_20231213_080658825.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFPwZx-pPaXMuOrNOUZevFI5yd3YxMDP4aFKtaMaW3lvnCIo8OVhAseM1br15tsGLzcGhmkRfgCFyIjE6m0n_TUtTT_6c5hVxS6mxihZAqEoec66LoNhKP32q1mRkC9ByY3nHOKmdR3olybLCxT9fcXf4Bmv25B1_9J15pMAvddr4LySZYG9qoAdl/s320/IMG_20231213_080658825.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCphtLmus2ptrTcOrq_2KSF1C2pGtj8TOYlAGcLvHbuyb90f_80lryQsVvi9YbU_PdbaRHan5Reyklti0BcDTM7XhOasOuK6jZylH0v_ljrgTSJCxjm7pScAPXK2ynCYHqPNNrpy6vm6NuTe7Krj1_FRyHehM39ZLEvcssdlcgcV8j5I3jWciLoPs/s4080/IMG_20231206_164156121.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBCphtLmus2ptrTcOrq_2KSF1C2pGtj8TOYlAGcLvHbuyb90f_80lryQsVvi9YbU_PdbaRHan5Reyklti0BcDTM7XhOasOuK6jZylH0v_ljrgTSJCxjm7pScAPXK2ynCYHqPNNrpy6vm6NuTe7Krj1_FRyHehM39ZLEvcssdlcgcV8j5I3jWciLoPs/w200-h151/IMG_20231206_164156121.jpg" width="200" /></a>Less exciting news, but it is probably worth documenting that Jason is still working on the shop shed ceiling insulation project. It's been another one of those projects that is completely impossible to predict, one in which he is trying to mostly use materials he had accumulated for this very project, and which has taken much longer than we had hoped it would. It felt important to get those materials off the floor of the shop shed and into the ceiling cavities so that the shop shed could be more useable once again. So it needed to be done AND I know he is eager to move on to other things!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">We haven't quite worked ourselves out of a job, but the Adopt-A-Highway trash pick ups we've committed to doing along our road twice a year feel less and less "worth our time!" We feel like we aren't doing much when we walk nearly a half mile in some places without picking up anything and then must remind ourselves that that is a wonderful thing and way better than when we were filling multiple large garbage bags every time we did it!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrj92CTMxjarVzJphwcVHcp0sQdxQpBGsGe6gSQhFr2gF_KL1NUGImfk35X68xvpT3TdDAtWR9WmfSBR4iWb5LXBPasDCtkkHaLAcRbogapHmN6EkyKzapOXf2p6FgAfPXz5GozNIiiU-BwUsGTECDM5S-XtSV0xHU8mrMeYfS6-QEIusp_K_xMAt/s3264/IMG_20231203_153705986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrj92CTMxjarVzJphwcVHcp0sQdxQpBGsGe6gSQhFr2gF_KL1NUGImfk35X68xvpT3TdDAtWR9WmfSBR4iWb5LXBPasDCtkkHaLAcRbogapHmN6EkyKzapOXf2p6FgAfPXz5GozNIiiU-BwUsGTECDM5S-XtSV0xHU8mrMeYfS6-QEIusp_K_xMAt/s320/IMG_20231203_153705986.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXiBWoiTw-RFdSTkYo8uHdzMYvGFdPL0O5A-LJqmjLkxmNoIobIZC_5iy5OYbYcHADh1fjTJqZ8doEFCwlc-5y8_yyvjzv0V3JOGCX6X9UZv84eAl0ZYC7BYdWmoswdBCVIxq7b-CqWPUEdMuLNS-zdI85WsbzASGe-lG93ufGiUNOJBTd9iiHY6m/s3264/IMG_20231203_115100736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdXiBWoiTw-RFdSTkYo8uHdzMYvGFdPL0O5A-LJqmjLkxmNoIobIZC_5iy5OYbYcHADh1fjTJqZ8doEFCwlc-5y8_yyvjzv0V3JOGCX6X9UZv84eAl0ZYC7BYdWmoswdBCVIxq7b-CqWPUEdMuLNS-zdI85WsbzASGe-lG93ufGiUNOJBTd9iiHY6m/w200-h150/IMG_20231203_115100736.jpg" width="200" /></a>With all that there is to cry and scream and rant about, it does feel so very good to laugh! And that is what we did a lot of on our second Ted Lasso weekend. In addition to getting about halfway through the third and final season, we also fit in some Dutch Blitz, soccer playing and delicious meals together! Terah was especially glad we didn't make it to the end of the show, since she knew that meant we'd have to plan another weekend together with Alena and Andrew soon! Time with good friends that you can laugh with, while also being real with each other, feels like such an immense gift. We are already anticipating the next time!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_tNSIHcz-kp0BepQmHIVtKSBDUJU7o4WqnK6BdukZYTZnkRcjAIYSj0Yo5n6QhZ3FAJhI51XHwXoVzbgm2xtXoDcJl-xx1ToFTQGiZPIVgNU-IGiE3IuxRV8jQnlz4EsaARBMSj_B6RusoTs2FYa2acr2JIKAf5BBPt51xSYgCFFanI_FnarWkEQ/s4080/IMG_20231201_205053697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8_tNSIHcz-kp0BepQmHIVtKSBDUJU7o4WqnK6BdukZYTZnkRcjAIYSj0Yo5n6QhZ3FAJhI51XHwXoVzbgm2xtXoDcJl-xx1ToFTQGiZPIVgNU-IGiE3IuxRV8jQnlz4EsaARBMSj_B6RusoTs2FYa2acr2JIKAf5BBPt51xSYgCFFanI_FnarWkEQ/s320/IMG_20231201_205053697.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3HfA1LrKn2zAfALf2nQQqucYEXWhMAJ2u0pU7BkrvnhH1Y8Gn2X6m7AtcbxNfQwRArlSWgCWBQ59_vZS2Dk-UNjKS9nZ11RtO8svGP-6V2Rrv9PZblWEXIeq49iYu_3Bm2v8OLWsik_C9_tvTw3JoKGIOFIUPM_IbkEcsm0OjJyLXUIqMrGQ3ibV/s4080/IMG_20231202_182117810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3HfA1LrKn2zAfALf2nQQqucYEXWhMAJ2u0pU7BkrvnhH1Y8Gn2X6m7AtcbxNfQwRArlSWgCWBQ59_vZS2Dk-UNjKS9nZ11RtO8svGP-6V2Rrv9PZblWEXIeq49iYu_3Bm2v8OLWsik_C9_tvTw3JoKGIOFIUPM_IbkEcsm0OjJyLXUIqMrGQ3ibV/s320/IMG_20231202_182117810.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdOWOi5tS66S58olHSnWbfzABBrSXTX4hSQ3a_Wjq5dt8VDjylvAg1wEiGbgUCl73Z1P9yJSo-emElgC8OOuNrlejgwANUVj2qqMip7ENQo_t7BCNM5HFKQ1zE0Lgqr959pY1eWpihuUxUzjne35LjCtnfDE6ok-fHXQerJO4q_el-1T3tY5_u7X9/s4080/IMG_20231201_152738014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdOWOi5tS66S58olHSnWbfzABBrSXTX4hSQ3a_Wjq5dt8VDjylvAg1wEiGbgUCl73Z1P9yJSo-emElgC8OOuNrlejgwANUVj2qqMip7ENQo_t7BCNM5HFKQ1zE0Lgqr959pY1eWpihuUxUzjne35LjCtnfDE6ok-fHXQerJO4q_el-1T3tY5_u7X9/w200-h151/IMG_20231201_152738014.jpg" width="200" /></a>And here I am still alone downstairs, with my book calling my name! I might get a fire going in the wood stove and cuddle up for a bit! The headache I've been nursing for the last few days is easing up a bit, but I'm ready to not work it too hard for the rest of the evening. I am through two of the three new romance novels I just got out of the library. I'm really enjoying my introduction to another new author and my kids are ready for me to get through these so I'm not so eager to jump under my covers and read at night. I actually get through more than a page or two of these before falling asleep!</div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-45781626871563328382023-12-13T15:41:00.000-08:002023-12-13T15:41:13.715-08:00The first snow deserves a post of its own!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc05hEFbf86742qrwbFLR7Oq1n6L9WR99GvbuTU88k4yrZfo1Eq1W-V2_o1AXezXPg1w8AzG6BW560cq_oDU-7Ja_TfvLwCi9I20LnGu-ZFbTju0T8qVA7hz7f0VgD-UGdYHOK2jXhJfInbYt5pu6-jKHfkSzIioS2RUk0Ek0ZtBsi_BTz44APdRw/s4080/D89BD081-16F3-4E9A-A848-E935E436C6F1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc05hEFbf86742qrwbFLR7Oq1n6L9WR99GvbuTU88k4yrZfo1Eq1W-V2_o1AXezXPg1w8AzG6BW560cq_oDU-7Ja_TfvLwCi9I20LnGu-ZFbTju0T8qVA7hz7f0VgD-UGdYHOK2jXhJfInbYt5pu6-jKHfkSzIioS2RUk0Ek0ZtBsi_BTz44APdRw/w200-h151/D89BD081-16F3-4E9A-A848-E935E436C6F1.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">If ever a post should be dedicated to my mom, this would be the one! Sunday evening I noticed the weather prediction for a little snow overnight. When I woke to pee around 4 a.m. I came out to the front room and turned on the outside lights. It was a winter wonderland. I sent an email to my mom with the subject line, "Saw it before you!" and this message, "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">I love thinking of the thrill you will feel when you wake up and look out the windows." Who was I kidding? I should not have been surprised in the least to receive her reply that came in shortly after 5 a.m.: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">Actually I saw it </span><span style="font-family: inherit; height: 1.2em; width: 1.2em;"><img alt="❄️" aria-label="❄️" class="an1" data-emoji="❄️" loading="lazy" src="https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/e/notoemoji/15.0/2744_fe0f/72.png" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; height: 1.2em; vertical-align: middle; width: 1.2em;" /><img alt="❄️" aria-label="❄️" class="an1" data-emoji="❄️" loading="lazy" src="https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/e/notoemoji/15.0/2744_fe0f/72.png" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; height: 1.2em; vertical-align: middle; width: 1.2em;" /><img alt="❄️" aria-label="❄️" class="an1" data-emoji="❄️" loading="lazy" src="https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/e/notoemoji/15.0/2744_fe0f/72.png" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; height: 1.2em; vertical-align: middle; width: 1.2em;" /><img alt="❄️" aria-label="❄️" class="an1" data-emoji="❄️" loading="lazy" src="https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/e/notoemoji/15.0/2744_fe0f/72.png" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; height: 1.2em; vertical-align: middle; width: 1.2em;" /><img alt="❄️" aria-label="❄️" class="an1" data-emoji="❄️" loading="lazy" src="https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/e/notoemoji/15.0/2744_fe0f/72.png" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; height: 1.2em; vertical-align: middle; width: 1.2em;" /><img alt="❄️" aria-label="❄️" class="an1" data-emoji="❄️" loading="lazy" src="https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/e/notoemoji/15.0/2744_fe0f/72.png" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; height: 1.2em; vertical-align: middle; width: 1.2em;" /><img alt="❄️" aria-label="❄️" class="an1" data-emoji="❄️" loading="lazy" src="https://fonts.gstatic.com/s/e/notoemoji/15.0/2744_fe0f/72.png" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; height: 1.2em; vertical-align: middle; width: 1.2em;" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> at 3 a.m. when I got up to go to the bathroom. I was so excited I could hardly go back to sleep. Haven't stopped smiling since. LOVE IT!" It's very hard to be grouchy about snow when my mother is around. Her enthusiasm for the white stuff is catching! But, honestly, this time I didn't even need her encouragement. I couldn't get enough of the beauty of our surroundings. It was a wet snow that clung to everything. While the ponhoss and lard kettles got rolling, I went around and did the chicken chores and kept pulling out my phone to photograph the landscape as it sparkled and changed with the rising sun. There's no point in me trying to describe it. See for yourself!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwV12__VjPMtLzs3R9DqglWlDz2Nrhmj0UOK6VNjIJi9V-peu7x3U0TDj1sKZkmPbOTkguThorCRqyo2jVTFbTBJW8tqo8wdCCOqsxZ1ZGPPeG3_gk3NsKha0-fhdqSFUdPYzNHS6dCPJzP7oF0O-bsD87ZFwTQD6dEapiQIulMrKwa8w4qDopYDJb/s4080/4248D591-24EC-46A0-B940-21F7AFA53B24.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwV12__VjPMtLzs3R9DqglWlDz2Nrhmj0UOK6VNjIJi9V-peu7x3U0TDj1sKZkmPbOTkguThorCRqyo2jVTFbTBJW8tqo8wdCCOqsxZ1ZGPPeG3_gk3NsKha0-fhdqSFUdPYzNHS6dCPJzP7oF0O-bsD87ZFwTQD6dEapiQIulMrKwa8w4qDopYDJb/s320/4248D591-24EC-46A0-B940-21F7AFA53B24.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEJZcTFMtED24Ee3omU2teYjUshxCtCYvQ_26YXNZt67V4tnEkpWAZQww4uU5PGnYi7Opo2CEubqJf3ubQPnF1_GDhxN5lNbEgKR73zhRt4mNe6vc90AwqNNMtUJyKjFJ51OPVJvzlBPmAfdk4ELCC8flDjl0pbQR5bzE0-hQ2e3W6A79oTW7LCPm/s4080/5AEEF491-BCA4-4165-A04F-ED506002EA8C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEJZcTFMtED24Ee3omU2teYjUshxCtCYvQ_26YXNZt67V4tnEkpWAZQww4uU5PGnYi7Opo2CEubqJf3ubQPnF1_GDhxN5lNbEgKR73zhRt4mNe6vc90AwqNNMtUJyKjFJ51OPVJvzlBPmAfdk4ELCC8flDjl0pbQR5bzE0-hQ2e3W6A79oTW7LCPm/s320/5AEEF491-BCA4-4165-A04F-ED506002EA8C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTmGySzeDr4DqyGv_25Iiiz4sIaEvqrj_gL4zfzOEBG2h11wWJkAOayCn7qqhFoNa-8PbYR7qCBsFSHlwpKLfb-4-GWJeH7n7FcfY9z1CWHCEQAtBkbOnle-ZgiPHAnuzTNQdHQuU_L8W4BCF4omBvLzt7LtUgUkvkm-3UxU6nWo5pGYeq2UhqJfU/s4080/D8DE4472-B7B7-4AEE-B749-9FE2B443722D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuTmGySzeDr4DqyGv_25Iiiz4sIaEvqrj_gL4zfzOEBG2h11wWJkAOayCn7qqhFoNa-8PbYR7qCBsFSHlwpKLfb-4-GWJeH7n7FcfY9z1CWHCEQAtBkbOnle-ZgiPHAnuzTNQdHQuU_L8W4BCF4omBvLzt7LtUgUkvkm-3UxU6nWo5pGYeq2UhqJfU/s320/D8DE4472-B7B7-4AEE-B749-9FE2B443722D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VPdM7JIV7AHkm_XLUA86EBByH4NIm6iQEEi9UfqQPXHx7YToapPyKce8jIo__gmucJLmzmG4r_QZLpo-9lQXwhVNi6w5KP-6S5YFVEr8pkC9VPs94lnA84bKAu75M8K-IiPDG0zGfThxfTE5AIBehOuSJLzj9tgSDTPlxWfEeFxi8AkIvqSv76-y/s4080/32A88FD4-5897-41BB-A108-EE559D1A8DAB.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VPdM7JIV7AHkm_XLUA86EBByH4NIm6iQEEi9UfqQPXHx7YToapPyKce8jIo__gmucJLmzmG4r_QZLpo-9lQXwhVNi6w5KP-6S5YFVEr8pkC9VPs94lnA84bKAu75M8K-IiPDG0zGfThxfTE5AIBehOuSJLzj9tgSDTPlxWfEeFxi8AkIvqSv76-y/s320/32A88FD4-5897-41BB-A108-EE559D1A8DAB.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcGN2ZEHzqyXEqVhI6UD_BwZNsUCN_Qg1qO3aTmT5bZBapcfN3Lqe9EK1ZD6fZr66TXck0ffElMdKm4C8n2iWea1qjKHHMlj1-3H4OXVcix8RDYaHR-jFtIs09mbuUS2mgtV3IUJp0xEg2Xch5lLxEB-G2AlrwXT-_2ahyphenhyphenIKGASIS8zB_37TSPKGJ/s4080/EA7D2444-87CC-4498-9FC9-9BC9793ACCDC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcGN2ZEHzqyXEqVhI6UD_BwZNsUCN_Qg1qO3aTmT5bZBapcfN3Lqe9EK1ZD6fZr66TXck0ffElMdKm4C8n2iWea1qjKHHMlj1-3H4OXVcix8RDYaHR-jFtIs09mbuUS2mgtV3IUJp0xEg2Xch5lLxEB-G2AlrwXT-_2ahyphenhyphenIKGASIS8zB_37TSPKGJ/s320/EA7D2444-87CC-4498-9FC9-9BC9793ACCDC.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VR0g7UmO4zvwS5CoZTdulcSzv2wO6W5t9z7ZwBiApqziFR8kZf-Kcro3t2lFLhw7m-Nyvb35AotIM6ZWdHM82RuO8JVyJNYimakhzj2t_zA5X_Bg4-8bAmw7IK_KyC3z7y2Ml0hMK-a2ChcT2C_H6jtVhZc6c0tiTURJynNOIKL9u1qL1FQv3Fx2/s4080/05F7E7A6-E700-44B3-BAC7-659F222756E9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7VR0g7UmO4zvwS5CoZTdulcSzv2wO6W5t9z7ZwBiApqziFR8kZf-Kcro3t2lFLhw7m-Nyvb35AotIM6ZWdHM82RuO8JVyJNYimakhzj2t_zA5X_Bg4-8bAmw7IK_KyC3z7y2Ml0hMK-a2ChcT2C_H6jtVhZc6c0tiTURJynNOIKL9u1qL1FQv3Fx2/w200-h151/05F7E7A6-E700-44B3-BAC7-659F222756E9.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>The sun got the melting process rolling pretty early in the day, but not before some snowballs were made and thrown and before Terah pulled a few sleds out of the crawl space. I was still doing chores when I heard Alida join her and before long I heard Mom out there with them. She was not about to let her granddaughters have some sledding fun right outside her windows without her! I was back at the butchering operation by the time Kali got out to join them for a sled run all 4 of them together before we were back to mostly bare grass. It was a short lasting snow but a glorious one! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VidBwt2ECa4XmdtIIeMnq2kQvtPguRUIEGnDWHfQt9SUkgBu77Dn-Qe48m0v0XE8q7_PTO8PNeCpHqRwKqfsnF8wV4w_vi-lsaWAcCT2DaxjWQnxmRYDUeP15BK71Z-a1UkhG2s58oPWJCBsgPEEYrU-vz1c2dVR_7KkvLadzOEc74LUum6zdaMa/s4080/4CBFD8A5-310A-43AB-ABFF-38E5DBFCD68B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6VidBwt2ECa4XmdtIIeMnq2kQvtPguRUIEGnDWHfQt9SUkgBu77Dn-Qe48m0v0XE8q7_PTO8PNeCpHqRwKqfsnF8wV4w_vi-lsaWAcCT2DaxjWQnxmRYDUeP15BK71Z-a1UkhG2s58oPWJCBsgPEEYrU-vz1c2dVR_7KkvLadzOEc74LUum6zdaMa/w320-h241/4CBFD8A5-310A-43AB-ABFF-38E5DBFCD68B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9jxsQV1wCfFhQ9kJTnaRA9WgnRfLxpPo-bBQ9KvfO8xe21evk84KIwzx2axtLQZhTFmoJVGsypyUPF36UJk307N0cVvA1W58smMo54Ug3GA_s4NFhOuHqB3GDq69CG_RZa2pfMbJxAhuP2ndW1j7fwjyMasaFsXscFRPwcNF76lJzE6OgcbPK7WO/s4080/81FC02A3-2E3B-4955-883F-92FE6FEFD0F7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9jxsQV1wCfFhQ9kJTnaRA9WgnRfLxpPo-bBQ9KvfO8xe21evk84KIwzx2axtLQZhTFmoJVGsypyUPF36UJk307N0cVvA1W58smMo54Ug3GA_s4NFhOuHqB3GDq69CG_RZa2pfMbJxAhuP2ndW1j7fwjyMasaFsXscFRPwcNF76lJzE6OgcbPK7WO/s320/81FC02A3-2E3B-4955-883F-92FE6FEFD0F7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYL0sFC_1CyOry5eh6sIX9B-wvrjxxTy5VSAqzyJg3mHFqRMHlbLf7r11l8KN7RJCCSFsltFuE-pEg8heKTZJeDTUxpLm5e62Ft_tAn5SihVzm4dgU0aw-vbykaDx2QX0hhfLljsP9S9BReWr_HqpAoQI0g9QTlt56U4CGOeQeMfvfUX2IO1rx9eX/s4080/A181DF74-1E78-4AB2-88E2-1BC06CED76E0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBYL0sFC_1CyOry5eh6sIX9B-wvrjxxTy5VSAqzyJg3mHFqRMHlbLf7r11l8KN7RJCCSFsltFuE-pEg8heKTZJeDTUxpLm5e62Ft_tAn5SihVzm4dgU0aw-vbykaDx2QX0hhfLljsP9S9BReWr_HqpAoQI0g9QTlt56U4CGOeQeMfvfUX2IO1rx9eX/s320/A181DF74-1E78-4AB2-88E2-1BC06CED76E0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: left;">Last night we were at Jonathan and Christen's for dinner and we were talking with Luca about the snow and hearing how much fun he had playing in it. This got him thinking about snow and he went over to the door and pointed and then came back to Christen asking, "Mama...snow?!" It was a little hard for him to take in the reality that his mama could not make the sky put more of that fun cold white stuff on the ground for his enjoyment. I know my mom also wishes she could order it regularly!!</div></span></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-55232762933371338632023-12-12T12:40:00.000-08:002023-12-12T12:40:09.311-08:00Hog butchering, our first snow, and welcoming piglets!<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6J5-rq6mINEQ2iKzTanlVcu_HrFmXPGba7cjoiuNrZYZdwzpvFpYIybPm_gKsM68v_a1GwMhVts5NqIOOT9awOeweTtmLeeyyWKpOcKcC34wbsMCGlciWtNBbbg6iDtUpMdSTcs4vo1iHi2dNwTuXXMDREgyBBiklvb2Wzz3dnjHh9jmA0qceejXJ/s4080/1FED38EB-6D07-4B68-B4D9-277898844DD1.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6J5-rq6mINEQ2iKzTanlVcu_HrFmXPGba7cjoiuNrZYZdwzpvFpYIybPm_gKsM68v_a1GwMhVts5NqIOOT9awOeweTtmLeeyyWKpOcKcC34wbsMCGlciWtNBbbg6iDtUpMdSTcs4vo1iHi2dNwTuXXMDREgyBBiklvb2Wzz3dnjHh9jmA0qceejXJ/w151-h200/1FED38EB-6D07-4B68-B4D9-277898844DD1.jpeg" width="151" /></a></div>I'm gonna start this scrapbook-catch-up session a bit differently and start with the freshest news and then work backwards. <div><br /></div><div>So here's the hot off the press news from Tangly Woods: <i>we welcomed three new piggies to Tangly Woods this morning!</i> They are adjusting just fine to their new accommodations and seem pleased with the vast amount of food that awaited them. Terah and Alida got right on "piglet training" and some back scratches were accepted within the hour of their arrival. </div><div><br /></div><div>We are all wrapped up with the 2023 hog butchering other than putting away the things set out to dry last night and slicing and freezing the bacons tomorrow after they have one more day to cure. </div><div><br /></div><div>So here we are starting the yearly cycle over again! While I'd love if it worked for us to birth piglets here, it simplifies things considerably for us to buy them from a friend who raises pigs on pasture and is better set up for breeding than we are. Now we work to get them settled and comfy here as quickly as possible and give them a great home at Tangly Woods for the next year. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK_sT8i6qp62cqTG4o695saQQxxMiI0NSqRf1ys3TYoXJ9D9TcZoiFnkeyIl1w-SZ5n0IdObS9az1cffaEp9AvGr3-ON3zPqBZRB3kiK8ws6DGFCGicxMP-JJYbT4wuVeUiL-FuMPXbjR2EHiWcabASiuERfFxBmKHEtCpoqB0aedz5WLMR2wACKu/s4080/66B78C63-04B5-4B2E-BD43-063005D1A4E4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimK_sT8i6qp62cqTG4o695saQQxxMiI0NSqRf1ys3TYoXJ9D9TcZoiFnkeyIl1w-SZ5n0IdObS9az1cffaEp9AvGr3-ON3zPqBZRB3kiK8ws6DGFCGicxMP-JJYbT4wuVeUiL-FuMPXbjR2EHiWcabASiuERfFxBmKHEtCpoqB0aedz5WLMR2wACKu/s320/66B78C63-04B5-4B2E-BD43-063005D1A4E4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSK-4f-E_SESXq-4XvrpNGJSa41jUzssFQK7rL-4kxR9Z1yOPKoT9So1dUEAABvj2qEr5zWtLshtdz5p2nMR7M3ugnnl5K3FntloRrdESIkqfygmoNT01emfLRYp9JlDIW5kiavYO-1MlUHeI5aNvYw0jOdwsgqZTSWO-n57d_9exvsxspyk29I8a/s4080/8AF6E46F-8746-42DD-9BBB-2B51781E8169.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBSK-4f-E_SESXq-4XvrpNGJSa41jUzssFQK7rL-4kxR9Z1yOPKoT9So1dUEAABvj2qEr5zWtLshtdz5p2nMR7M3ugnnl5K3FntloRrdESIkqfygmoNT01emfLRYp9JlDIW5kiavYO-1MlUHeI5aNvYw0jOdwsgqZTSWO-n57d_9exvsxspyk29I8a/s320/8AF6E46F-8746-42DD-9BBB-2B51781E8169.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Backing up to the hog butchering: this year we split up the schedule a bit differently due to the weather forecast of rain on Sunday (which came to fruition). And in the end it's quite possible we will continue with this system going forward as it made for a much calmer day 3! The more I get involved with the whole process, the harder it is to take a bunch of photos. And I still have mixed feelings about photographing some parts of it. It also doesn't look all that different from year to year, other than the size of the kids changing dramatically! I just looked back and this was our 5th year doing the butchering down at our place and the 4th year that Terah has been old enough to help cut up lard. </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's the brief run down of the 4 main days:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Day 1: set up (thanks to Grant and Jason for doing the bulk of this - I'm in charge of making sure we have corn ground for ponhoss and gathering other supplies, along with having a food plan for feeding everyone throughout the butchering days). This lands on Friday so I actually left early that morning for a day of doula work and errands in town and came home to the outdoor space all set up and ready to go.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Day 2: killing, scalding, scraping, gutting, and halving. It's always very hard to roll out of bed when the 4:30 a.m. alarm goes off but I also savor watching the daylight return as we get the fire going to heat the water in the scalding trough. I always feel so relieved when the killing part goes smoothly (which is mostly did - even with the transition from lead to copper bullets). It was too warm to hang the halves in the garage overnight, so we were grateful for the use of the walk in cooler up the hill for that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GPa8q6LjQ2HaLXSlDggedxFI4PR8N_Hwkv181Jsuaf5k7PKVTM03G46ag40PR3jg7Dhht7QTBZ_EZW4APRMOhpF-i5AZY-rCpFeYCvIrpR1OygJWl8ZRFc3qaulLtgfWaIt33AQXQJtzLrzu5nc9wMrsZcC32VjpIc4QTsUwYlZ7lsC9PPdeG8FK/s3264/1472A852-DF3D-4125-B1CC-500419D26327.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4GPa8q6LjQ2HaLXSlDggedxFI4PR8N_Hwkv181Jsuaf5k7PKVTM03G46ag40PR3jg7Dhht7QTBZ_EZW4APRMOhpF-i5AZY-rCpFeYCvIrpR1OygJWl8ZRFc3qaulLtgfWaIt33AQXQJtzLrzu5nc9wMrsZcC32VjpIc4QTsUwYlZ7lsC9PPdeG8FK/s320/1472A852-DF3D-4125-B1CC-500419D26327.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d7C0p79VnEMmg6owW0eLNPuXRfreOGoyj-3nHM2Q4Xiu1KV-XNCdMu1Vb4TRAG79BgQwLrT8lAG3PJNmQGIViarALj3Q_3OLqRal0cDgQJPcqq2mC2aNqL0syjAOv6ciWC67UISU4UrQdkjs0hAsT3RA3myc1aoE9_nv03J3bVRF7P1Oy5by9YbJ/s4080/FA50A68C-9431-4997-BC39-1C62F738112F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9d7C0p79VnEMmg6owW0eLNPuXRfreOGoyj-3nHM2Q4Xiu1KV-XNCdMu1Vb4TRAG79BgQwLrT8lAG3PJNmQGIViarALj3Q_3OLqRal0cDgQJPcqq2mC2aNqL0syjAOv6ciWC67UISU4UrQdkjs0hAsT3RA3myc1aoE9_nv03J3bVRF7P1Oy5by9YbJ/s320/FA50A68C-9431-4997-BC39-1C62F738112F.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpb9hi1BK7Ok_J1JVblOHRmO4H9nMbibnwfIwFAKmMe82x3f9EW_yObk1kxQHJGQvyEVQ6-9G4LntRPC54kvf4PqH8fVngCXA_3MCCWRkFLS-INPM7rmtsPn80SH2dtUy-BLenlfkRDb2VsJFOfcj3E1VC3RBVg7rMZH794v4l0GYDtJrW7HzOKFHN/s4080/04899C12-503B-4625-A79C-D482B996A4D9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpb9hi1BK7Ok_J1JVblOHRmO4H9nMbibnwfIwFAKmMe82x3f9EW_yObk1kxQHJGQvyEVQ6-9G4LntRPC54kvf4PqH8fVngCXA_3MCCWRkFLS-INPM7rmtsPn80SH2dtUy-BLenlfkRDb2VsJFOfcj3E1VC3RBVg7rMZH794v4l0GYDtJrW7HzOKFHN/s320/04899C12-503B-4625-A79C-D482B996A4D9.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjncUA7CDVWUKoPAvqBW05UKQqYBhspdAr0jGIKk4aFcrkEOYp94mAplr_hEc02YJWL4RjDNUriFywPELu-1d8v5MHKgVnsPYO2Afr_p5oPReqtXKu6ITp1uoO9SZiAX4r4A4CPAJVYRhrPtbJD7z24k6C2vP_8trBagpOf5WCSlGR42VztnS5B1Y4/s4080/C4FC98CD-5494-4D5E-A8A8-0771F414D191.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjncUA7CDVWUKoPAvqBW05UKQqYBhspdAr0jGIKk4aFcrkEOYp94mAplr_hEc02YJWL4RjDNUriFywPELu-1d8v5MHKgVnsPYO2Afr_p5oPReqtXKu6ITp1uoO9SZiAX4r4A4CPAJVYRhrPtbJD7z24k6C2vP_8trBagpOf5WCSlGR42VztnS5B1Y4/s320/C4FC98CD-5494-4D5E-A8A8-0771F414D191.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYw0cHNGRF2_z9LeQad7HHljqxea1rCcb854b6R0sCe6DA-wtOyoiVCSzoXzmg4vSCBSiRwxnCA71Lxf6mMnnyzbqnE8Qw02lRT5vzQUXuaUaROc7Dz3hhTnKMlt7FU927uebEZkzyRYZ_G8feS_EprGfV1BGgL_NwIicxDdA6cxNbZnODk2VVUYc/s4080/FDAC5093-B9B7-4EB1-BB70-17359A160207.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiYw0cHNGRF2_z9LeQad7HHljqxea1rCcb854b6R0sCe6DA-wtOyoiVCSzoXzmg4vSCBSiRwxnCA71Lxf6mMnnyzbqnE8Qw02lRT5vzQUXuaUaROc7Dz3hhTnKMlt7FU927uebEZkzyRYZ_G8feS_EprGfV1BGgL_NwIicxDdA6cxNbZnODk2VVUYc/s320/FDAC5093-B9B7-4EB1-BB70-17359A160207.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLN0Zfm8UFeKuwN1szTJkiRl8aVzwmP23u1YbBlNeIwB1oQzW8bp0-yua4rbyfIVZDxVzAznIhkUTN9xvfKlYfOsBhR_rY9x4uZnjn4ohvPzlXHzk2GWvE_kvSmBWNgwJOLpDhTzj63RnNLfncqpDoH_4VpRBBvh4GnLWU3QSs2_AV5suKdUbDhAZ/s4080/F3C07A24-A1C2-47FD-8032-BDBF498EC21E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLN0Zfm8UFeKuwN1szTJkiRl8aVzwmP23u1YbBlNeIwB1oQzW8bp0-yua4rbyfIVZDxVzAznIhkUTN9xvfKlYfOsBhR_rY9x4uZnjn4ohvPzlXHzk2GWvE_kvSmBWNgwJOLpDhTzj63RnNLfncqpDoH_4VpRBBvh4GnLWU3QSs2_AV5suKdUbDhAZ/s320/F3C07A24-A1C2-47FD-8032-BDBF498EC21E.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Day 3: cutting up the halves, cubing lard, grinding sausage, freezing various cuts, salting bacons. As predicted it rained off and on this entire day and we were very grateful for the roof over our heads that the garage provided. And that we were standing out in the rain trying to render lard and make ponhoss. It also meant that rather than being up late and working outside with headlamps to finish things up, we were done before dark! Terah alternated between helping and riding her bike between rain showers - that's the reason for her helmet, not that cutting up lard is likely to make you fall on your head!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsG3ezyYhZbcXrwbzoxGYMmJEhP87SehJ9FP5W4ioD-YQv4Xp2_gPNc26uOnflO0V-f78arsquqjPN0dtkKKD-l2PKkxrZzzzGpeAJ_P8-7rKMP_6DSFwLM5CEWomGM-YJjA_XCHHd8TIowdEcYRkQdmgVEWBuYO4k3nmb6vRVrjI_f4FfTfl3NqLt/s4080/E22E06AB-9A73-4853-A516-3B331CBC10D6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsG3ezyYhZbcXrwbzoxGYMmJEhP87SehJ9FP5W4ioD-YQv4Xp2_gPNc26uOnflO0V-f78arsquqjPN0dtkKKD-l2PKkxrZzzzGpeAJ_P8-7rKMP_6DSFwLM5CEWomGM-YJjA_XCHHd8TIowdEcYRkQdmgVEWBuYO4k3nmb6vRVrjI_f4FfTfl3NqLt/s320/E22E06AB-9A73-4853-A516-3B331CBC10D6.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMzlodoJcV06D4OkzbfF-8FGp32iFg1ZnLoP2YB6PtwCL5sehu_GBRC61iKjVlsS0twHly6wDCsZVXw9aXx1TavCfP_Z4hqC1I5BKZn653aFyoqaGT3fU3GKRkZLwMbh9HXOpdabHJQsjJw1t0e_i3eK7S3mEOABpcVB7kRkHYWIEwmIwIvAOe-Px/s4080/9D2C57BB-74D7-48D0-B25C-A9FA208F686B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwMzlodoJcV06D4OkzbfF-8FGp32iFg1ZnLoP2YB6PtwCL5sehu_GBRC61iKjVlsS0twHly6wDCsZVXw9aXx1TavCfP_Z4hqC1I5BKZn653aFyoqaGT3fU3GKRkZLwMbh9HXOpdabHJQsjJw1t0e_i3eK7S3mEOABpcVB7kRkHYWIEwmIwIvAOe-Px/s320/9D2C57BB-74D7-48D0-B25C-A9FA208F686B.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBjwtpIsntX16fW8JYbXLsQ9MaHaIzV_Otyp274OlLfEbRrJ_ho67snKZNavuerEB4B-4oasf8ntk5EwWkgq4jIA1jvPWYVQJSVparqsZnKH8SICE0PaJiBsK4umyVB_AQuM4OJVwRFxdlIvewYpt9lrrg1omwfOrVzXdX9-C-xAe4KPHvQPkUgws/s4080/288763DF-E603-4C04-8766-2E396E4D94DA.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrBjwtpIsntX16fW8JYbXLsQ9MaHaIzV_Otyp274OlLfEbRrJ_ho67snKZNavuerEB4B-4oasf8ntk5EwWkgq4jIA1jvPWYVQJSVparqsZnKH8SICE0PaJiBsK4umyVB_AQuM4OJVwRFxdlIvewYpt9lrrg1omwfOrVzXdX9-C-xAe4KPHvQPkUgws/s320/288763DF-E603-4C04-8766-2E396E4D94DA.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvYGWARz1l9plV88zenysUwSu7snBu16Dzrp9suOWC_V2L6Yg_60MbNGfNb0JtYlAtsc5hor5dvvxK7TDD2-zbEHsBDDkIMyv7S1g4hbBh7QZ0HuEn380h0BkU9H3LYEaFh7OkcMExZVezyQvhQudqY0nisGW55trgRbbxf5SmtRmqLi76MtBucr4/s4080/1102F772-5265-4091-BC39-CF809A691D8D.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvYGWARz1l9plV88zenysUwSu7snBu16Dzrp9suOWC_V2L6Yg_60MbNGfNb0JtYlAtsc5hor5dvvxK7TDD2-zbEHsBDDkIMyv7S1g4hbBh7QZ0HuEn380h0BkU9H3LYEaFh7OkcMExZVezyQvhQudqY0nisGW55trgRbbxf5SmtRmqLi76MtBucr4/w200-h151/1102F772-5265-4091-BC39-CF809A691D8D.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Day 4: rendering lard, making ponhoss, and clean up! Day 4 is normally JUST clean up but we moved the outdoor fire processes to the non-rainy day, which ended up being a magical and gorgeous snowy morning. Other than keeping melting snow from falling into the lard kettle (Kali was on umbrella duty for a bit), this caused no major issues. We were putting lard in jars and ponhoss in pans by lunchtime and then had the rest of the afternoon for cleaning up and putting things away. When friends dropped by, we didn't have to scurry around in a panic but could visit for a bit. It was a lovely day (and I'll likely share additional photos in a subsequent post because I could not stop taking photos)...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Terah and Alida were up with us before daybreak. We all enjoyed potatoes fried in the lard, pig tongue from the ponhoss kettle and taste testing ponhoss for the correct salt/pepper spicing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfzNu_RsOC-m1HA7_-jSJ2fAL8pf4rjB8YMMDrIRDCSFmJzMI_SnvUb4VqOgqZDFnoocwVIGDiOSC8lqN5TcrNNLdEzt9quMXc-cuyX92V30g4Bh4mDXevXBMssyUWBM67Gj7joq9geiDgTL3h7OMQfx-nYpcmYqLj_pl-846yJ1zSYnPRQ9fxJzD/s4080/303719BB-553F-41D5-A079-DB303C60DD15.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDfzNu_RsOC-m1HA7_-jSJ2fAL8pf4rjB8YMMDrIRDCSFmJzMI_SnvUb4VqOgqZDFnoocwVIGDiOSC8lqN5TcrNNLdEzt9quMXc-cuyX92V30g4Bh4mDXevXBMssyUWBM67Gj7joq9geiDgTL3h7OMQfx-nYpcmYqLj_pl-846yJ1zSYnPRQ9fxJzD/s320/303719BB-553F-41D5-A079-DB303C60DD15.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpzHx2y8VJlDTVWlOxzyM3X_mVIpSAx8ZLvrbGlvQPlJeYppacNAQqVNg_SwBWvVNhYAapfnzChngNMsEpFWBojQgBUyLvBTdtuSuJPXodKeVYt8cEnxZhXaRyDCMXyHvs9M2Fr7uRggqxV4ZrncU_unNtCwO_-KMQImiPquqAu1CGhijUdM0AwehE/s320/83BF7780-D4FB-473D-A0E3-BD362F9BCD60.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5C4Le-HgOTazskRJ-a0ouG23D5WTwngrnygxFloPTvsWJcN-K-7b-J0RUI3zYeFOt2rreAOzjsGHbZ7-9f2Qmv3iofIdjhwgoRDcyhIn2bZIQPIJ56245GStPla23ix3PmkJYfc7qpu3HkirCuccs8I_s6lXrAwo_iJsxWpWi8ZE_8V42vL9Qzg5/s4080/83ADA4A9-33B7-418E-92B1-B9470552B541.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5C4Le-HgOTazskRJ-a0ouG23D5WTwngrnygxFloPTvsWJcN-K-7b-J0RUI3zYeFOt2rreAOzjsGHbZ7-9f2Qmv3iofIdjhwgoRDcyhIn2bZIQPIJ56245GStPla23ix3PmkJYfc7qpu3HkirCuccs8I_s6lXrAwo_iJsxWpWi8ZE_8V42vL9Qzg5/s320/83ADA4A9-33B7-418E-92B1-B9470552B541.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI4cFwVXFT2udwRklj1VLgGsLNj3XeU0VFUrG12XHxsfbagCZTqEOLW0bSgIAy6MeRVfUtUb6xaD1-eRPa3QnU8IHue2LF6kR_0EETs_ZNubvbJJKpQ-kMORsAWATAErFGn3Mn5bfqC7zsruY_CITTFfkGfIO-8AECAvfuSO468RFk6stkb1K0fZBJ/s320/75F0C290-333E-4122-B2B1-A5EAEA1ADB12.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviefccOzoR6XM0SInbQ120G85REqR7djwii4iCNmubIcG5SH6EkUd5bsJvB3Dfew3C0Uu9PMpmTaJDFQH0am_3i2X1lG7CjDuDJdm65vHntO_8ATNERck30tS_cuigEerfKrLhbB7rvKBs4O9BDlo-Sf4mMCZ5yws5xX1KcEoP9HzVIFsUIgrNbph/s4080/FFA6A1A3-2A89-4B6B-93C3-BDFE77EA166D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviefccOzoR6XM0SInbQ120G85REqR7djwii4iCNmubIcG5SH6EkUd5bsJvB3Dfew3C0Uu9PMpmTaJDFQH0am_3i2X1lG7CjDuDJdm65vHntO_8ATNERck30tS_cuigEerfKrLhbB7rvKBs4O9BDlo-Sf4mMCZ5yws5xX1KcEoP9HzVIFsUIgrNbph/w151-h200/FFA6A1A3-2A89-4B6B-93C3-BDFE77EA166D.jpeg" width="151" /></a>All went really smoothly AND Jason and I were both exhausted at the end of yesterday. It feels like every year we learn a little more about how to make the process run smoothly and have a great butchering team! This year, I was somewhat distracted and glued to my phone since I was expecting to be yanked from the process at any point for a birth. In the end I was able to see the process through to the end (unless I'm called before bacon gets in the freezer!). I am feeling both gratitude for the three piggies that will provide us with delicious food over the next year and the fun the three new piggies will be providing us with in the coming weeks and months! Pigs are such enjoyable creatures to have around and are so entertaining to feed. I know they will get big fast on their rich slop, but for now it's fun to see the girls in there playing with them. </div><br />Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-65488520465263704982023-11-25T16:09:00.000-08:002023-11-25T16:09:00.407-08:00A collection of random but precious tidbits!<div>Ok, so most of the precious tidbits have one thing in common: Bear! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He's gotten very serious about his bubble blowing skills!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4ozYeg1L3axs5h0T_S841Du0u5QQxC3slqqXenW2xqMnjlHV7BWXNE2N5aasHepD4K3JZou8LSR-NzHAAxcYWEo1i0R6Mp8D6ybXLW7TmEOkDv-OM1iTx5bxIEYdxcUUHWFbUsUdI3cC9D37YiCzlDt0CPX2dLKvzEk9ZZB9yeNdMAsLPaiJet-U/s4080/FBF7158E-7C77-4A75-9A1A-6950F158081A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4ozYeg1L3axs5h0T_S841Du0u5QQxC3slqqXenW2xqMnjlHV7BWXNE2N5aasHepD4K3JZou8LSR-NzHAAxcYWEo1i0R6Mp8D6ybXLW7TmEOkDv-OM1iTx5bxIEYdxcUUHWFbUsUdI3cC9D37YiCzlDt0CPX2dLKvzEk9ZZB9yeNdMAsLPaiJet-U/s320/FBF7158E-7C77-4A75-9A1A-6950F158081A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">He was very mesmerized by the first fire in our wood stove that he got to observe!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YPhMm5goI99JPhvLka6NwrkOOf1otjlZBhvTPgpZhoAc5hXRFbCCYyg1AZxZhzBd1WFJZgh2yqDvZR1FOW8eM5FUWBTUXe2rpuy4dQwqAWM9847QWinl9P7pVKrfEDbE0QR3IKPLUl5cOkD8-Lv-njKOEVUQrl1bYxC4ivCGQryMZMg721ckYcDF/s4080/A39BB7AC-7B60-47C4-AED5-831C82D3928B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-YPhMm5goI99JPhvLka6NwrkOOf1otjlZBhvTPgpZhoAc5hXRFbCCYyg1AZxZhzBd1WFJZgh2yqDvZR1FOW8eM5FUWBTUXe2rpuy4dQwqAWM9847QWinl9P7pVKrfEDbE0QR3IKPLUl5cOkD8-Lv-njKOEVUQrl1bYxC4ivCGQryMZMg721ckYcDF/s320/A39BB7AC-7B60-47C4-AED5-831C82D3928B.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I gave him a phone just momentarily so he and Jason could "work" side by side on their electronics.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoF6n8RRB7ULnHw1NeXhB8AeRBesXlq8DSRbkwb2Zt-rxW5cXzN9MhPNWLsYDs_0C0fTGRghxxbgrEJW3-v0yL2IlVq1Ykokp4nfcWtxz7m9DMIdpE7NCdmg_nm53uufo6BATDsrV9aiIIE1LTqHwHmJx5g8Em-RmF4TMjY9ZgoD36isAQjt5LGaEY/s4080/9B505777-D510-45E1-AFF3-8C584B0B249C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoF6n8RRB7ULnHw1NeXhB8AeRBesXlq8DSRbkwb2Zt-rxW5cXzN9MhPNWLsYDs_0C0fTGRghxxbgrEJW3-v0yL2IlVq1Ykokp4nfcWtxz7m9DMIdpE7NCdmg_nm53uufo6BATDsrV9aiIIE1LTqHwHmJx5g8Em-RmF4TMjY9ZgoD36isAQjt5LGaEY/s320/9B505777-D510-45E1-AFF3-8C584B0B249C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>He enjoys conversing with our collection of stuffed animals and puppets.<div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlActCr1IaPhNyOU2oDErrOli3fZfS7CHywQyB7IklE3BnvxGKvkr8BXh6rOBSx1aF9TSyqGWLnZiWaVAwV4yVQCGL5qKyQQ-vZR1CWdTV8rZgudny8Q2-ycPVwOodd2WYO6kNFISxGaSZ3DFNttY4KrEfML7mWBHzKgmy9v0PZPJFn_FHsGhTUVc3/s4080/CA093E75-2453-44E8-BDB0-4FFE352B0DA4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlActCr1IaPhNyOU2oDErrOli3fZfS7CHywQyB7IklE3BnvxGKvkr8BXh6rOBSx1aF9TSyqGWLnZiWaVAwV4yVQCGL5qKyQQ-vZR1CWdTV8rZgudny8Q2-ycPVwOodd2WYO6kNFISxGaSZ3DFNttY4KrEfML7mWBHzKgmy9v0PZPJFn_FHsGhTUVc3/s320/CA093E75-2453-44E8-BDB0-4FFE352B0DA4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Seeing him enjoying Nora's blue seat does a number on my heart.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RXHr-hoxmFwvxTQaElmZbJq8ZyfWQsiuxGRRqyVT-2ZoSKRHTZYlNBmDXNejB6V1WwxcRAH9iY-QyYh4j0A2zNWrS0HFgwsXu9zEo-Ayy0tLNhZ9tx5u_5YsC0hVzb3whDz0sqB_GRW2OCPF01kS2AqKHIdAOwR399ZAURqtG4Xvx2O2sAUfeApE/s4080/D7B11962-2216-487E-B63A-C47D41574F39.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RXHr-hoxmFwvxTQaElmZbJq8ZyfWQsiuxGRRqyVT-2ZoSKRHTZYlNBmDXNejB6V1WwxcRAH9iY-QyYh4j0A2zNWrS0HFgwsXu9zEo-Ayy0tLNhZ9tx5u_5YsC0hVzb3whDz0sqB_GRW2OCPF01kS2AqKHIdAOwR399ZAURqtG4Xvx2O2sAUfeApE/s320/D7B11962-2216-487E-B63A-C47D41574F39.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>And having a sleeping little one in a pack on my front as I do things around the house brings back oh so many memories!!</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBl-tVm-bsxTQBPSp2QHbGYwsBkAbD1p2HrXmm90g9xppHIk0Ixw5jgY9ILP1kLSMFbgXWVvXVgx9xS9OC6CT4WnVC0Bh8_nyX5Zs3q-UHHyvEunPQuqN9gzCcP1opUtiWMmF2XB5hMK8aR_z3y2gFOT5reQqg1RRN6Q3hCwPuO6CedzmM4jH4p6O5/s3264/F5793D7D-2BE8-4C58-8AA6-C51DFFC09688.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBl-tVm-bsxTQBPSp2QHbGYwsBkAbD1p2HrXmm90g9xppHIk0Ixw5jgY9ILP1kLSMFbgXWVvXVgx9xS9OC6CT4WnVC0Bh8_nyX5Zs3q-UHHyvEunPQuqN9gzCcP1opUtiWMmF2XB5hMK8aR_z3y2gFOT5reQqg1RRN6Q3hCwPuO6CedzmM4jH4p6O5/s320/F5793D7D-2BE8-4C58-8AA6-C51DFFC09688.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok, so before I run completely out of steam for scrapbooking!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm enjoying making our favorite cookie recipe with Tangly Woods' amaranth flour. It's time to grind some more corn flour but in the meantime this has been an excellent alternative!</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnOe3rSUfwOo_gTMxwYtRZY69ADj3OR2bNm7t-2uf7irYY51qOri2i6NjBliGeFIlN3UFWFLkZNtqCQW5V8K1-AF53tW9htzEM56DZOQO_W2sk7s31d8ZFLZ5SLyBFEpv9IfUipRO9Miu8pVIST9sOgISW-YbyY9fSWy3nb3E8jobhepzyFzn1hII/s4080/19E48FB4-6F7A-400B-8E80-4262B0CE6C8F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFnOe3rSUfwOo_gTMxwYtRZY69ADj3OR2bNm7t-2uf7irYY51qOri2i6NjBliGeFIlN3UFWFLkZNtqCQW5V8K1-AF53tW9htzEM56DZOQO_W2sk7s31d8ZFLZ5SLyBFEpv9IfUipRO9Miu8pVIST9sOgISW-YbyY9fSWy3nb3E8jobhepzyFzn1hII/s320/19E48FB4-6F7A-400B-8E80-4262B0CE6C8F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jason planted out some hazelnuts in the seed cage and we know that at least one toad is alive and well!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4ptxj4umXaGnI9DOZLCYoPq_7YCA2elP9O7XaOAQH6RNFhl_CZFPd4H4yV8V2VNmD7zpx4lVfZ3Ai6Qon9iSas2oWWhoaQJqpmylN0hyneWv2NvYPxcb62HVpggAMTrPC2mLmank7qDfFRkWDZ7_expV9GGWjPTCfYzLq6OJgm9IwDwKbJ2RkOhu/s4032/DF703A24-D5A3-438C-A7C9-6636B552DC3E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4ptxj4umXaGnI9DOZLCYoPq_7YCA2elP9O7XaOAQH6RNFhl_CZFPd4H4yV8V2VNmD7zpx4lVfZ3Ai6Qon9iSas2oWWhoaQJqpmylN0hyneWv2NvYPxcb62HVpggAMTrPC2mLmank7qDfFRkWDZ7_expV9GGWjPTCfYzLq6OJgm9IwDwKbJ2RkOhu/s320/DF703A24-D5A3-438C-A7C9-6636B552DC3E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>The second to last chicken butchering of the year is now done (with one more smaller one to go). And Jason had the brilliant idea of making ponhoss with chicken for the first time. It will, from here on out, be my favorite way to eat chicken giblets. Delicious!</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm pretty confident Jason would have been out there butchering with a head lamp if Tala had not been out there helping him for much of the day!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8GS1eHNB8L0rdvcz1rP9-KmagROoab8NwE9-ies1ik9DG7eM-uApNnlijh0hsdqrpds1xuNeE69F5Kcn7ARMpyZK9jnJ6_hjx4Ox53SaaGhAFycS821Yz_S6KDsJddRF94_uTFNoCip73kZZP46AhJoHWJS3MHds-qmqUdWMI1-198TK2TFIJwSx/s4080/71791F1A-D000-4969-BD84-234243E82F67.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW8GS1eHNB8L0rdvcz1rP9-KmagROoab8NwE9-ies1ik9DG7eM-uApNnlijh0hsdqrpds1xuNeE69F5Kcn7ARMpyZK9jnJ6_hjx4Ox53SaaGhAFycS821Yz_S6KDsJddRF94_uTFNoCip73kZZP46AhJoHWJS3MHds-qmqUdWMI1-198TK2TFIJwSx/s320/71791F1A-D000-4969-BD84-234243E82F67.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKC2PQtoPBvczCh60G1nwHo1N5BH1qLp-riAykYsQWP5YV4i2c2RnWDU3z3BMyBn6rojWDUHNky8g-GJU-zTtcfx5xm1UUyAg5aZCLfgSrpMBdf3UHF06TzAFAuzh4bUrHUNwq_IhtIaMFjqvUKrh0zOy_T0FPoejq3vus1fmt5ozIfgdhOuDp8MNk/s4080/0596356B-4E7F-4964-95A2-9882D92C9BC2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKC2PQtoPBvczCh60G1nwHo1N5BH1qLp-riAykYsQWP5YV4i2c2RnWDU3z3BMyBn6rojWDUHNky8g-GJU-zTtcfx5xm1UUyAg5aZCLfgSrpMBdf3UHF06TzAFAuzh4bUrHUNwq_IhtIaMFjqvUKrh0zOy_T0FPoejq3vus1fmt5ozIfgdhOuDp8MNk/s320/0596356B-4E7F-4964-95A2-9882D92C9BC2.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The girls helped with the chicken selection the day before, which they enjoy much more than the butchering day. This giant is a breeder!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZc5ukRLG8TifJiy0eaJrbRN1dQsES87wUIyrcgpJIo-qI_EDQnMbqB9mpQ9JcY8SbhR-QpZn6DAhAueJVr5ydlAUJuXLqs3_PudHuBc_lktZVU0pmuV-coT4Rr4KgpVZcRjtJsmQrS4rR6pk9QZxN1PFieaBIwWL259Lz3o2a9wLsWjqvST-37nH6/s4032/F583A5A8-522F-4091-BCC7-856826E4E498.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZc5ukRLG8TifJiy0eaJrbRN1dQsES87wUIyrcgpJIo-qI_EDQnMbqB9mpQ9JcY8SbhR-QpZn6DAhAueJVr5ydlAUJuXLqs3_PudHuBc_lktZVU0pmuV-coT4Rr4KgpVZcRjtJsmQrS4rR6pk9QZxN1PFieaBIwWL259Lz3o2a9wLsWjqvST-37nH6/s320/F583A5A8-522F-4091-BCC7-856826E4E498.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As the garden tasks lessen dramatically, both of us are getting to do some much needed housekeeping tasks. For me it has been things like helping our rapidly growing kids assess their clothing or assist them in "resetting" their bedroom space, which was no longer serving them well. For Jason it was a day of going through the seed cabinet, pulling out old stuff and tucking in the new.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCafrAAxikL2AWSaosOjFy_eiUA-lneSTOD_vx51hyiglnmaoGKXjk6O3WlG0aFHXGr64dxu7wK34ktogYer0U7uT08Ns7e-dY7qYwJpEu5Ej3ipy3QIQqmN-4vxeOlgsPbEL4SC42OQloWk5Y00z4BQGxhf7f_qEr0tOy0T-JezWDeAEa0WYI0Se9/s4032/CD74FD36-7B37-4A3A-877F-038E4E2129E7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCafrAAxikL2AWSaosOjFy_eiUA-lneSTOD_vx51hyiglnmaoGKXjk6O3WlG0aFHXGr64dxu7wK34ktogYer0U7uT08Ns7e-dY7qYwJpEu5Ej3ipy3QIQqmN-4vxeOlgsPbEL4SC42OQloWk5Y00z4BQGxhf7f_qEr0tOy0T-JezWDeAEa0WYI0Se9/s320/CD74FD36-7B37-4A3A-877F-038E4E2129E7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In closing a short newsflash: we are REALLY hoping that 2024 will be "the year of the pavilion" at Tangly Woods. Design work is underway (that's what Jason is up to right now as I finish up this post). It's been awhile since Jason has worked on something this big and I'd almost forgotten how cute he is when his brain is working on a design. It's like I can just see the wheels turning and sometimes he has this faraway look and I just know he is working out some kink in the plan. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi492Lop9JkQm9-S4_DB21D096N9IjNx2g8a7VfW5rNm0jhFn_2UFDawMq_4VP1HGwtqQstA4SsQpfv0sCyma2mttjhQV-ulGa4eQTuKUPnySthaMR7Zl9Y03WFp8ylY5IXNzdZKLZLiXzNd3j5Bup7x3EGEFnU4L5uYw8uuhG3iL78uh7KOHhMWv-_/s4080/D941D45D-F547-43AA-BE1E-AD51C35E9DC9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi492Lop9JkQm9-S4_DB21D096N9IjNx2g8a7VfW5rNm0jhFn_2UFDawMq_4VP1HGwtqQstA4SsQpfv0sCyma2mttjhQV-ulGa4eQTuKUPnySthaMR7Zl9Y03WFp8ylY5IXNzdZKLZLiXzNd3j5Bup7x3EGEFnU4L5uYw8uuhG3iL78uh7KOHhMWv-_/s320/D941D45D-F547-43AA-BE1E-AD51C35E9DC9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>To not disappoint anyone, here's two sky pictures! I'm starting to think a day of blogging without sharing any sky pictures might be akin to me going on a walk with a friend and not mentioning a single podcast I'm listening to. Unheard of!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYrNx2qwhO0xbZkmvayGm_Hhadqg8KJUAM-cAm7QtwsUeEk4mddTlFA4OBqmNqBM9EHHj3HtEdzsrPxOzI-rR7R6PnAUCCX6HebDqk1a1XWjVnsT4o4s3b9NAdNOfhKo-rPFh8VW5iAwxOMacAWHn_WcjLNmq2elOxKjyUNkw-wnQdnn-HtLDW0bZ/s4032/F6C839F1-4BD3-4E50-A7CB-0CF4FD21DF47.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYrNx2qwhO0xbZkmvayGm_Hhadqg8KJUAM-cAm7QtwsUeEk4mddTlFA4OBqmNqBM9EHHj3HtEdzsrPxOzI-rR7R6PnAUCCX6HebDqk1a1XWjVnsT4o4s3b9NAdNOfhKo-rPFh8VW5iAwxOMacAWHn_WcjLNmq2elOxKjyUNkw-wnQdnn-HtLDW0bZ/s320/F6C839F1-4BD3-4E50-A7CB-0CF4FD21DF47.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uh3A_rUwjRKYMyVNB3-yQePfV9lzdglWaDWnpc4actgZCdPRgBkGkumJagpailE23m4S2HB_T662-KMzJszxASdkht3vdHMoudW6q-5PhkO6LI99lTgIcWSfmGHqX2VOP-ylYidXBuoTPS1xwmp9F4j81kkWBWIO5YL80hbYc0-7MgZcBxUr7uKL/s4080/F2563519-C2D2-4CBB-BDB0-6BFB3BD6B71D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-uh3A_rUwjRKYMyVNB3-yQePfV9lzdglWaDWnpc4actgZCdPRgBkGkumJagpailE23m4S2HB_T662-KMzJszxASdkht3vdHMoudW6q-5PhkO6LI99lTgIcWSfmGHqX2VOP-ylYidXBuoTPS1xwmp9F4j81kkWBWIO5YL80hbYc0-7MgZcBxUr7uKL/s320/F2563519-C2D2-4CBB-BDB0-6BFB3BD6B71D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-24964170553450005412023-11-25T15:26:00.000-08:002023-11-25T15:26:24.804-08:00Our time with Tala! Too short...very sweet! <div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FUkxygdFQtdurJR54AY3zz0zDLNabpAwpYVSG4OS0joDyLbuPhL96hVukn8ZCtcm_fsWqB4HmDJGVT8CCsSw426ZaV5oxVrjQ44g2Jb2Y7hhCajVVS0HmFjknr7kldOvX1WfJt2XizJbTxIWAyddWWiX6dRsTkojgQrLVksfDIFlSU004pR5acld/s3264/EDFC9B88-28EB-43B5-8F56-90C63B2C4160.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FUkxygdFQtdurJR54AY3zz0zDLNabpAwpYVSG4OS0joDyLbuPhL96hVukn8ZCtcm_fsWqB4HmDJGVT8CCsSw426ZaV5oxVrjQ44g2Jb2Y7hhCajVVS0HmFjknr7kldOvX1WfJt2XizJbTxIWAyddWWiX6dRsTkojgQrLVksfDIFlSU004pR5acld/w200-h150/EDFC9B88-28EB-43B5-8F56-90C63B2C4160.jpeg" width="200" /></a>As I write this, Alida is on facebook messenger with Tala in the other room playing Rook online together. Tala is in an airport on one of her LONG layovers! She has a grueling return itinerary. I'm not sure how her brain is working enough to play Rook after not sleeping much more than an hour in the 30+ hours that have passed since I dropped her off at the bus station yesterday morning! </div><div><br /></div><div>10 days was not a very long visit, but we packed the time full of game playing, walks, delicious meals, sleepovers, hugs and more hugs, the aforementioned leaf raking, and some very sweet connecting and courageous conversations. It went very fast and was particularly hard to say goodbye not knowing when we'll next be together in the same place. Hopefully the memories will sustain us and we'll have to be grateful for virtual communication options in the meantime!</div><div><br /></div><div>This foursome didn't waste any time breaking out the Dutch Blitz cards! I don't know how many rounds they played, but it was A LOT! There's no use trying to get a picture that isn't blurry as their hands are flying too fast!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyseopQ1saH53GlsI_5s8baVH8hDU0JJgaVyUgAnAlc8aP8EsuTfO7-nw_CaXrewjmoWU_uhJQG5YgSm9jLT2Xx-9DBjqSTAul4dZmBI9s3mvCr7M5CQhgQ5enjsw8JfB7r4yzzYPaI7IOrCxsOL1CGgJM8qxdinx6IpIYJoxhP5NSKMI3OaUCgdB/s4080/0F7FCB83-3370-4E66-97E5-9BA2EFAE2116.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXyseopQ1saH53GlsI_5s8baVH8hDU0JJgaVyUgAnAlc8aP8EsuTfO7-nw_CaXrewjmoWU_uhJQG5YgSm9jLT2Xx-9DBjqSTAul4dZmBI9s3mvCr7M5CQhgQ5enjsw8JfB7r4yzzYPaI7IOrCxsOL1CGgJM8qxdinx6IpIYJoxhP5NSKMI3OaUCgdB/s320/0F7FCB83-3370-4E66-97E5-9BA2EFAE2116.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho84vr1bnvaclt9ORYwVkvytzJvLlvwOFSovTuMhyphenhyphenr8kBrVGc3hH6RYJKeYL_RBoggSZOPzSxauuvF3WSJtvSGHbfADXfgiL0zIMC4yeJbN46jU4Zf2GqUjzEGHGxgdKi_kN6_jd11zLYTuW-Di9eGmPZ7zm56KfGy9_39KfLkoIiQ0TzKifqPIw7F/s4080/8C806D4E-D8E7-4D80-80AE-773BAF5CBD68.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho84vr1bnvaclt9ORYwVkvytzJvLlvwOFSovTuMhyphenhyphenr8kBrVGc3hH6RYJKeYL_RBoggSZOPzSxauuvF3WSJtvSGHbfADXfgiL0zIMC4yeJbN46jU4Zf2GqUjzEGHGxgdKi_kN6_jd11zLYTuW-Di9eGmPZ7zm56KfGy9_39KfLkoIiQ0TzKifqPIw7F/s320/8C806D4E-D8E7-4D80-80AE-773BAF5CBD68.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGD4Rqdd2pRhteE53w_mI5Er8rchyek47wvnaxumCVN3KxmzSzl1ryL87CJXX9ma_PhKYxrrdYGgrrYQVJ0o4bn2sebD96D9uzwryiPVwb9V4G7eNT6sZBcHM-FFk7dwjMzsJxekHVeHOnt4s2oFAaC3IW_9qKYTDjakmTEUc5urhUmQhvrqFgvOn/s4080/428963F8-7BEA-46D6-896D-BDDBCCD34F28.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGD4Rqdd2pRhteE53w_mI5Er8rchyek47wvnaxumCVN3KxmzSzl1ryL87CJXX9ma_PhKYxrrdYGgrrYQVJ0o4bn2sebD96D9uzwryiPVwb9V4G7eNT6sZBcHM-FFk7dwjMzsJxekHVeHOnt4s2oFAaC3IW_9qKYTDjakmTEUc5urhUmQhvrqFgvOn/s320/428963F8-7BEA-46D6-896D-BDDBCCD34F28.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I got in on a few other games, but must be honest and admit that I am still unable to be a good sport when I lose at Upwords! Sigh!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj407eX_7JJaywrMCBOHhHPZ5HVr7zgyQMNWegi9PgnASCHzQynWIdpaBp_JVXS0T4cqp_Yl5rdAQWqgsN1tt3sZwfVeM_eiBFOeMqjYHGIs4tOvucWlFeWHyhVQtKUxn2jzX5h3LlQSbCcbzsOBjixu_UlyZIUsXqLkzFx5Rcm2067Ys3q5p59C6Zr/s4080/347331DF-8840-4505-A6DE-1180A824A61E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj407eX_7JJaywrMCBOHhHPZ5HVr7zgyQMNWegi9PgnASCHzQynWIdpaBp_JVXS0T4cqp_Yl5rdAQWqgsN1tt3sZwfVeM_eiBFOeMqjYHGIs4tOvucWlFeWHyhVQtKUxn2jzX5h3LlQSbCcbzsOBjixu_UlyZIUsXqLkzFx5Rcm2067Ys3q5p59C6Zr/s320/347331DF-8840-4505-A6DE-1180A824A61E.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukYzeYX93RxbhNPEO8IIKLp6oc8C5yfzDpJ1BDvcoHhZpH6UAWkoSppFFleTapNvDRrVBpbXMGJBIPJQZ51ASC-GN6xQAt8UGN8L5YEMAdWUU0Y-uavepvmjmKV5f9S-Sh_g2yvN3USjVnt5y2_nesOdq8RlI4jEs-GeZ0QLMrvyPDcY4OQNrDioy/s4032/479E4E2D-984C-4CB0-8461-464E6A3169D7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgukYzeYX93RxbhNPEO8IIKLp6oc8C5yfzDpJ1BDvcoHhZpH6UAWkoSppFFleTapNvDRrVBpbXMGJBIPJQZ51ASC-GN6xQAt8UGN8L5YEMAdWUU0Y-uavepvmjmKV5f9S-Sh_g2yvN3USjVnt5y2_nesOdq8RlI4jEs-GeZ0QLMrvyPDcY4OQNrDioy/s320/479E4E2D-984C-4CB0-8461-464E6A3169D7.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tala trusted me again near her hair with a scissors and I sent off 10 inches of it yesterday to Maggie's Wigs 4 Kids. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuIdFwmYe-E7kNZbI7loWrHq96dSJe1IbAHRLr4hiOLe_jI5QuicxBNU-SQ3NitKP_wVxBB_knZG2Gb4vJunhCevZZqwojJELg_qQnEqfOGse4nfvYlG6AKkUDp1GR_WzatJuEhhHKk4zXU2f9mpArNmmM00CAy3XB3AvtcQhTeW0AS4oNhT1V9PY/s4080/3BEC428A-A838-4DAC-825A-BEEED67205EA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzuIdFwmYe-E7kNZbI7loWrHq96dSJe1IbAHRLr4hiOLe_jI5QuicxBNU-SQ3NitKP_wVxBB_knZG2Gb4vJunhCevZZqwojJELg_qQnEqfOGse4nfvYlG6AKkUDp1GR_WzatJuEhhHKk4zXU2f9mpArNmmM00CAy3XB3AvtcQhTeW0AS4oNhT1V9PY/s320/3BEC428A-A838-4DAC-825A-BEEED67205EA.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-CqkwFm8BjTdZm0pQS49jezRfRv-_AJB_cBPH01Zvy2pU7-X9LxQ5_lBTeaM-UkUpZ6yGCPFpibV6JGpggdF3i9G9KlePT6AVv2wtytrzY0fYnz-yr1Wu3isZ8cj0umeRZHlCyZOwzg0yNNe3dS2RBRabkvIBck8szSqeW8yRd_p7lw81YMXLooq/s4080/FCB239F2-2755-4AB3-A688-326400384E31.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2-CqkwFm8BjTdZm0pQS49jezRfRv-_AJB_cBPH01Zvy2pU7-X9LxQ5_lBTeaM-UkUpZ6yGCPFpibV6JGpggdF3i9G9KlePT6AVv2wtytrzY0fYnz-yr1Wu3isZ8cj0umeRZHlCyZOwzg0yNNe3dS2RBRabkvIBck8szSqeW8yRd_p7lw81YMXLooq/s320/FCB239F2-2755-4AB3-A688-326400384E31.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We shared some pretty yummy meals around the table together. Tala cooked two of my favorite meals that she makes for us. So good!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Wm1uxIcRkQOs-uQWtSkJKuvmp9KqNyl6ck_6nqYp0hRUd5tn3acPnpmGrq-2AFepPWEsoYGU0adnE-gexFGjxOD0Bq7Reu8pmT8-Jdp3NVs58u6J6UBZxaeqBObHGs1ew0KLkUNE1yDy9w6z4C6fSaYzA5pqE6fVTMBHNXRAuzKFZCbIx2M37YX1/s4080/D1B8FC22-6218-48E8-B6E8-C89CD2E9195F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Wm1uxIcRkQOs-uQWtSkJKuvmp9KqNyl6ck_6nqYp0hRUd5tn3acPnpmGrq-2AFepPWEsoYGU0adnE-gexFGjxOD0Bq7Reu8pmT8-Jdp3NVs58u6J6UBZxaeqBObHGs1ew0KLkUNE1yDy9w6z4C6fSaYzA5pqE6fVTMBHNXRAuzKFZCbIx2M37YX1/s320/D1B8FC22-6218-48E8-B6E8-C89CD2E9195F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2L7LZQEol6cT-NiiLOZASOJ7bjebavgdMjlvilahY6wF7h8jV-MQCi4oHcNaNh6DMYswFGWlbRYdmXdhfGk5sRnJVQr1YACHipSpgsMo0EJAnO4mLnhnUiiqlKpMJ77RjMpQNgSZ_MFk-3E_arvpKHJ8zJqRUB4r4g0-num2hf6kGyNg191KcgQ5/s4080/91A72A67-13DA-44DC-BB75-FA6F9A41EBD5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2L7LZQEol6cT-NiiLOZASOJ7bjebavgdMjlvilahY6wF7h8jV-MQCi4oHcNaNh6DMYswFGWlbRYdmXdhfGk5sRnJVQr1YACHipSpgsMo0EJAnO4mLnhnUiiqlKpMJ77RjMpQNgSZ_MFk-3E_arvpKHJ8zJqRUB4r4g0-num2hf6kGyNg191KcgQ5/s320/91A72A67-13DA-44DC-BB75-FA6F9A41EBD5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I was very glad for a low key day just the 6 of us together on Thanksgiving Day (or Thankstaking or Day of Mourning or Thanksgrieving or many other possible framings of this "holiday"). I love the idea of a holiday (time away from work and normal routines) that focuses on gratitude and being with loved ones, but I would really find it more possible to enter into that practice if it wasn't connected to a very twisted telling of the history of this country. But, it being our last day together the 6 of us and our last meal around the table together, there was a definite focus on savoring our minutes together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJnFBoVKURzUb1AGouvZuZTp6EbStB8-8QmMAoi8Pufq65fuQlHE7TESw0JPNYNQFutRnfV5gFASpkNIoPMAr7fLUoSX2m0R3V8S8sPeaJzLIkM17_Yer6XVuBlqTpJveigoWtvJj6O1DMYOxVE524-919YvrKvc05vbdToE0t9mG2GXQxKQeM4Z_/s4080/145111D9-2688-4045-A919-B745F252D11E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJnFBoVKURzUb1AGouvZuZTp6EbStB8-8QmMAoi8Pufq65fuQlHE7TESw0JPNYNQFutRnfV5gFASpkNIoPMAr7fLUoSX2m0R3V8S8sPeaJzLIkM17_Yer6XVuBlqTpJveigoWtvJj6O1DMYOxVE524-919YvrKvc05vbdToE0t9mG2GXQxKQeM4Z_/s320/145111D9-2688-4045-A919-B745F252D11E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbLxjvYQOL1sQQ6fKGmTTJ55Af1iMlqOMT_tRi_AHujcwFRBWqx5fz7ygnBSTHbA8NHt95pz_b2xvSaPdl0KEf9lhupXtK7jUrekZ1NUv41nhcAC1uwMk9L0bFMbhoOtg1bZlCseZMNruaz7XO5vkL-m_AbHE-6Gv-iXzJiWACeW_V8RPbyVYtrcF/s4080/9B3D557E-EAD5-4DB4-9F1C-F7F413DEA592.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEbLxjvYQOL1sQQ6fKGmTTJ55Af1iMlqOMT_tRi_AHujcwFRBWqx5fz7ygnBSTHbA8NHt95pz_b2xvSaPdl0KEf9lhupXtK7jUrekZ1NUv41nhcAC1uwMk9L0bFMbhoOtg1bZlCseZMNruaz7XO5vkL-m_AbHE-6Gv-iXzJiWACeW_V8RPbyVYtrcF/s320/9B3D557E-EAD5-4DB4-9F1C-F7F413DEA592.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The wishbone just would not break, but I'm pretty sure more than one of us shared a wish that we'd be gathered around a table again together sooner rather than later!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJJ_YeWb7dEBj-zYpbcly5AuvdmdZrpmn4aqeowhll6xWiIBEwcL570ekQFuGAXf0FliK_YQpAgC4zagZcg2tWABj_sXaNDH6ngPzHHAswzyFkumqUvP_X9xK7vJDBoWOhDsiaLWGsfTVSwRqGjCh23oXBdpfqd4rAHUugro9g3WLED8jorhOWr0u/s4080/57935260-E9A6-4AF6-B769-F2570956D387.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnJJ_YeWb7dEBj-zYpbcly5AuvdmdZrpmn4aqeowhll6xWiIBEwcL570ekQFuGAXf0FliK_YQpAgC4zagZcg2tWABj_sXaNDH6ngPzHHAswzyFkumqUvP_X9xK7vJDBoWOhDsiaLWGsfTVSwRqGjCh23oXBdpfqd4rAHUugro9g3WLED8jorhOWr0u/s320/57935260-E9A6-4AF6-B769-F2570956D387.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>By that time, maybe Terah will catch up to Tala on height. We were surprised to discover that they have the same shoe size currently. Growing kiddos sure do mark the passage of time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjypXTxHeh0Ndd_T4Bz2EA5gx_sTSyG5Jd6BYC1ev3nZkpDBW4pEPU3hZPSmwBQ9H4TMS9ErAAr7D62SkL8EkJv8gtMWUMLzkFQsI3IO3iYGGCU-G2xoRgwSdcD0Hif8lQoE9kAO16LhqnCY9zXNFShhZCwVImHQnuZWqIfybSk4FOQsa7F9N3sBvLc/s4080/1496A658-FAD5-4F0D-96CF-043946FB663C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjypXTxHeh0Ndd_T4Bz2EA5gx_sTSyG5Jd6BYC1ev3nZkpDBW4pEPU3hZPSmwBQ9H4TMS9ErAAr7D62SkL8EkJv8gtMWUMLzkFQsI3IO3iYGGCU-G2xoRgwSdcD0Hif8lQoE9kAO16LhqnCY9zXNFShhZCwVImHQnuZWqIfybSk4FOQsa7F9N3sBvLc/s320/1496A658-FAD5-4F0D-96CF-043946FB663C.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>There's a lot of love flowing through these pictures! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnd7Z5V5iFN2ndPD5u1fpmUe4U3sq-8eQUhQHtsI6qKeQrebJsH6qjdO4rGhoGO8kvUmw5go1ttUPS-8krJ1zIpW7vgt0oy535VgRjflhukkTuCs0Dw6zLcFnT8npkl9Ij-syuSetcHFukuJBWyAJQG-i6EHd1NnDO1CTaXoCPyA28cLlxiySqRJfb/s4080/EEACD8D9-5C8F-42E0-84F0-7D2666F3EFCC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnd7Z5V5iFN2ndPD5u1fpmUe4U3sq-8eQUhQHtsI6qKeQrebJsH6qjdO4rGhoGO8kvUmw5go1ttUPS-8krJ1zIpW7vgt0oy535VgRjflhukkTuCs0Dw6zLcFnT8npkl9Ij-syuSetcHFukuJBWyAJQG-i6EHd1NnDO1CTaXoCPyA28cLlxiySqRJfb/s320/EEACD8D9-5C8F-42E0-84F0-7D2666F3EFCC.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguR3zpHeOzo-IA8gFYUEhjSjaaa25z5jczv80DHc7ihtmq-9sZlx7RJIFPv9Tu6paeAX9YzENmKWgpLWxbqw26OlMc9LAdLp-dca5ZsTiIpulL3IvdT6_x4H-rAFApt7_jDJ_C1BaWr3POEQYLYEOxoIu3fRE6CktpNoUec8m2GO9tE8P_ZasN-J42/s4080/16F89719-BFF6-403D-9FED-D6648F7D9B8C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguR3zpHeOzo-IA8gFYUEhjSjaaa25z5jczv80DHc7ihtmq-9sZlx7RJIFPv9Tu6paeAX9YzENmKWgpLWxbqw26OlMc9LAdLp-dca5ZsTiIpulL3IvdT6_x4H-rAFApt7_jDJ_C1BaWr3POEQYLYEOxoIu3fRE6CktpNoUec8m2GO9tE8P_ZasN-J42/s320/16F89719-BFF6-403D-9FED-D6648F7D9B8C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFGQzII8kTDlhDL4KSc7FXgXpP2vOJ6YS_X-3mWK2xepNEEyKIGXB2nzvJvz5_GNDXEyZcCgknjDXBfnPQpr4UcFzHFCtaVSIOkoAuKHevaOC9hLsW12TLZOHBXUiSXfd-0ZAcNDpxRQYvN2AToo6_PzBFmEqNki_ntg5gNFMUqIhAXvXuX49Ov6r/s3264/76294225-DF70-483B-A846-A969CB877D6F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBFGQzII8kTDlhDL4KSc7FXgXpP2vOJ6YS_X-3mWK2xepNEEyKIGXB2nzvJvz5_GNDXEyZcCgknjDXBfnPQpr4UcFzHFCtaVSIOkoAuKHevaOC9hLsW12TLZOHBXUiSXfd-0ZAcNDpxRQYvN2AToo6_PzBFmEqNki_ntg5gNFMUqIhAXvXuX49Ov6r/s320/76294225-DF70-483B-A846-A969CB877D6F.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_OLsGOWBrrH3a3cnJaADFptUtNj6FsEal2J49WIatj7hHI8DyCm46PH-X4PoEuKZqpn1hVVy2QgGkkcQ0ZQiThXJSgI-___eC-qVUMsjtchNj5-v1PEhkJ13-XO1b-QdcFKhox0sB8i05KJZbrBb9-2XodJPAcG5KIRe01mrMhYj2cAPlqdQVdnn/s4080/A72BF59D-B1B6-4A88-8A5B-FEADAC52BF3B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW_OLsGOWBrrH3a3cnJaADFptUtNj6FsEal2J49WIatj7hHI8DyCm46PH-X4PoEuKZqpn1hVVy2QgGkkcQ0ZQiThXJSgI-___eC-qVUMsjtchNj5-v1PEhkJ13-XO1b-QdcFKhox0sB8i05KJZbrBb9-2XodJPAcG5KIRe01mrMhYj2cAPlqdQVdnn/s320/A72BF59D-B1B6-4A88-8A5B-FEADAC52BF3B.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All too soon we were saying goodbye!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>As an aside, we returned our Skylight Calendar. It just wasn't a fit. We have repurposed the girls dry erase board and it is working great! However, sometimes what I put on it gets tampered by the littlest in the family. </i>Yesterday, I had put "Tala leaves" with a sad face. When I came back later, this is what I found. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5cskMtrOe11vX6A1EHe5Gs5UNHpZTDv-Wj6hqwdUAyFqupo2H50LD8XzZQCXOW11Lbc20OSRaGtXioNDKA9ZcGUPgDftlYif_HwXTyTNkBg4IsXsF-6HX5eybVhLmk66FKKHBef5CUo3KqlbfD6sxv8vbIv4Dhq40HlRRWksM6av9GVc4oKcKRlo/s4080/1B01764D-D4C0-46B0-BEC2-C83B8F1C1577.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5cskMtrOe11vX6A1EHe5Gs5UNHpZTDv-Wj6hqwdUAyFqupo2H50LD8XzZQCXOW11Lbc20OSRaGtXioNDKA9ZcGUPgDftlYif_HwXTyTNkBg4IsXsF-6HX5eybVhLmk66FKKHBef5CUo3KqlbfD6sxv8vbIv4Dhq40HlRRWksM6av9GVc4oKcKRlo/s320/1B01764D-D4C0-46B0-BEC2-C83B8F1C1577.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-41633124407492678572023-11-25T14:20:00.000-08:002023-11-25T14:20:41.279-08:00Leaf raking season has come and gone!!!<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj7EE184_qxm7v__Xdv229_bBNx6qlpO_H-xRCks4_KyZpvySDozAGWwOSXqx3wTwqbAGXmeg049ZmNm_huORMoXRaYZpAcnG_YLNelsKwB0anntOgtKTghYJVNIwTRr_iCldokJqWbbA0oU8SlgyNqv7RvxPz2boyPR5OW2AA80Szb3OkieAHw3q/s4080/50CEC934-10F7-4B37-BF7F-4BB78128C5F1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHj7EE184_qxm7v__Xdv229_bBNx6qlpO_H-xRCks4_KyZpvySDozAGWwOSXqx3wTwqbAGXmeg049ZmNm_huORMoXRaYZpAcnG_YLNelsKwB0anntOgtKTghYJVNIwTRr_iCldokJqWbbA0oU8SlgyNqv7RvxPz2boyPR5OW2AA80Szb3OkieAHw3q/w151-h200/50CEC934-10F7-4B37-BF7F-4BB78128C5F1.jpeg" width="151" /></a></div>Wow, a whole season of our year came and went since I last wrote. We commenced the yearly "leaf harvest" on Sunday, November 12 and finished up on Monday, November 20. We dedicated most of 5 days to the endeavor! While we can't do a lot of conversing due to how loud raking leaves can be, it's still wonderful family fun. Terah and Alida's help is sporadic, but they love to be part of it and are fabulous at the piling squishing via jumping and pushing each other into the leaves. AND (see future blog post dedicated to this!) Tala was able to join us for a lot of it!!<div><br /></div><div>Sometimes when my mind is just churning with events near and far and the world feels like a chaotic, unpredictable place that I have relatively little impact on, it's really nice to throw myself into a very predictable task - remove leaves from our neighbor's yard and bring them to our leaf pile. Ah, that I can do! The progress is easy to see and celebrate (with all sorts of flips and flops!). </div><div><br /></div><div>We first did the raking around our place on the travel paths through the woods. We used those leaves for mulching various paths in many of our gardens. In some instances it first meant scooping the now decomposed leaf matter up onto beds before applying fresh leaves. What a satisfying job!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB06wjq0LICMrEue7huTlFAWTjULvFqvqzGnXwfPbx8a2bFGXRrEEJthguE7PLbJEDjukrL8bduwW9ae0XS8X4ughK6kTK6vVYSa7v6mXJUR_mnTF9thTKE5uG0cse-xp1PZnQHQ60ykDKvxAP3r25d-x_ej5WNAvsGyBZe-LoeDgOfLmh9EaUozf2/s4032/43D316E7-CF65-4D55-8E6E-D9D415B53632.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB06wjq0LICMrEue7huTlFAWTjULvFqvqzGnXwfPbx8a2bFGXRrEEJthguE7PLbJEDjukrL8bduwW9ae0XS8X4ughK6kTK6vVYSa7v6mXJUR_mnTF9thTKE5uG0cse-xp1PZnQHQ60ykDKvxAP3r25d-x_ej5WNAvsGyBZe-LoeDgOfLmh9EaUozf2/s320/43D316E7-CF65-4D55-8E6E-D9D415B53632.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3k1ebT55WSGd57-pOB1AmqbEBobqkHek5HLwzVK2rU9hBZGbIqjLkAHd6nJYUnyluE6e_KiXwTAhWKv421Jyj-UoRNCIgtyNm42A57uOlZNocwL_t1fq3PPKSezmn1-29DESi5A2SpmBl4WApSBvuZundspuTRW4awpJtlouxeIyYDfJ4kZ8jm6W/s4080/15867CA1-EA76-4D4C-9A79-FF3556F8A328.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj3k1ebT55WSGd57-pOB1AmqbEBobqkHek5HLwzVK2rU9hBZGbIqjLkAHd6nJYUnyluE6e_KiXwTAhWKv421Jyj-UoRNCIgtyNm42A57uOlZNocwL_t1fq3PPKSezmn1-29DESi5A2SpmBl4WApSBvuZundspuTRW4awpJtlouxeIyYDfJ4kZ8jm6W/s320/15867CA1-EA76-4D4C-9A79-FF3556F8A328.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgY3OR1R85UKWUxy4cp1YXBZBnMsi7DHl0zF30I0thWnZ41whgOyhatgteg1nM7bVe-b52AXhMqmzN2tYmCjoanBw9FZAYZfOCHDmBQOnSXyVRdR7PO7Tov6__WLPO0pXmvkKgVoOx7RkFIIMP0pUF4rS7PUEQP8hyZSmFn5s-zXdVR9pVWddCZ4a/s4080/1D59B536-52DA-4BF1-BFE6-8280653D1ABE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMgY3OR1R85UKWUxy4cp1YXBZBnMsi7DHl0zF30I0thWnZ41whgOyhatgteg1nM7bVe-b52AXhMqmzN2tYmCjoanBw9FZAYZfOCHDmBQOnSXyVRdR7PO7Tov6__WLPO0pXmvkKgVoOx7RkFIIMP0pUF4rS7PUEQP8hyZSmFn5s-zXdVR9pVWddCZ4a/s320/1D59B536-52DA-4BF1-BFE6-8280653D1ABE.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wMSQInHWCDn9r9Ktjv_xwp49QAbLLBH44BSuf2DJ5PIy18N10eyuBQjvAJ5KN6hewNASLQO3W99szi4HdBVgsybD4IMf2xir867hI99_EuXPrHPl8pnDb1YZT3teTJP9z3rX8XlOuyGirkuOSzCd5huzBMjvqatjYD_aT7XXeOs9GO9kdQI3YlW8/s4080/48BEB17C-4531-47B8-AFC2-B9660F9CFC85.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wMSQInHWCDn9r9Ktjv_xwp49QAbLLBH44BSuf2DJ5PIy18N10eyuBQjvAJ5KN6hewNASLQO3W99szi4HdBVgsybD4IMf2xir867hI99_EuXPrHPl8pnDb1YZT3teTJP9z3rX8XlOuyGirkuOSzCd5huzBMjvqatjYD_aT7XXeOs9GO9kdQI3YlW8/s320/48BEB17C-4531-47B8-AFC2-B9660F9CFC85.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>We also loaded the piggies up with leaf bedding...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGjYkwyCW5c4dhNRN-cO9MJK9jAWpaydKJm4l7gouDv17_QHtr3HN3yaJgeAITRA99Ue2FnBWyNhDgEnVwMSn26Z66MA2N50PHS5nYF5IXE1Bodhum9VwepAasHKjje08i05jdbRNAMhLgPgwjRQgApQG04yqr1UX1fX0nzcLRCNW1QfoBmTnixF3/s4080/95764DB2-C6E0-49DB-9BB0-C95214E40227.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxGjYkwyCW5c4dhNRN-cO9MJK9jAWpaydKJm4l7gouDv17_QHtr3HN3yaJgeAITRA99Ue2FnBWyNhDgEnVwMSn26Z66MA2N50PHS5nYF5IXE1Bodhum9VwepAasHKjje08i05jdbRNAMhLgPgwjRQgApQG04yqr1UX1fX0nzcLRCNW1QfoBmTnixF3/s320/95764DB2-C6E0-49DB-9BB0-C95214E40227.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>...and tidied up a few areas where the chickens had done an extraordinary job of pulling stuff from the woods into the yard! They are so good at moving things around!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDumffIaB_9f4LNMDdkgIZZLNox4OXVeP5LR9Zv5a0M7Tj_e6l7HcOyS0G-G4wDxyIVvTGzINFjRjw-hi7ay9ZC1ukMiDwRaMENyjFJ9E8fZY1p159gklMdreXHB5QEHLuLy7FaaaiGL0sE2fNtJu8T6M3xhXM4NDP4k1Im-V4CpU-qFu6WNjthXg/s4080/CEC4CE32-2BA0-41F2-865C-B98ADAAFCDE5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWDumffIaB_9f4LNMDdkgIZZLNox4OXVeP5LR9Zv5a0M7Tj_e6l7HcOyS0G-G4wDxyIVvTGzINFjRjw-hi7ay9ZC1ukMiDwRaMENyjFJ9E8fZY1p159gklMdreXHB5QEHLuLy7FaaaiGL0sE2fNtJu8T6M3xhXM4NDP4k1Im-V4CpU-qFu6WNjthXg/s320/CEC4CE32-2BA0-41F2-865C-B98ADAAFCDE5.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJg1I6xhQ0nmwc20dJcPMpoXyO_pF3NmmdioBi4Xkrqog-EiMpyxl3ILSk_hZjDTgpEwkmLSkokRZGzp53aN4yeV_R8ZlSI2TnPDjgPIwo5nkoC5ZJFGziS3pclWGA-chyazlfmuZI6hKZ4Cjb1WkeTj6rVszSXI9n2-yw9IL2iRmCoHYVEH8M_hbu/s4080/227DFDBE-DDC0-4F13-A97F-3AF4FC7706E3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJg1I6xhQ0nmwc20dJcPMpoXyO_pF3NmmdioBi4Xkrqog-EiMpyxl3ILSk_hZjDTgpEwkmLSkokRZGzp53aN4yeV_R8ZlSI2TnPDjgPIwo5nkoC5ZJFGziS3pclWGA-chyazlfmuZI6hKZ4Cjb1WkeTj6rVszSXI9n2-yw9IL2iRmCoHYVEH8M_hbu/w200-h151/227DFDBE-DDC0-4F13-A97F-3AF4FC7706E3.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>Then we shifted our attention to our neighbor's very large yard. The trees are just getting bigger over there. This is the first year we did not get all the leaves before we needed to call it quits. Last year we discovered that masking while jumping in the leaf pile saved us from a lot of lung irritation (itty bitty silver lining of Covid is that we always have a plethora of masks around). And this year, due to intense smoke from the many wildfires in our area, we wore masks most of the time for several days of raking. And, surprise surprise, we coughed a lot less while raking! <div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxNJMYMCNMyRFp-vdpswosnGmaydDRrGbHgGTQv3NCaRZgUxhVZMspsLimZc7QelPCSzT2lNT-yTDIqKS6wO-Jbgw84_rvWjwIzfboIWQtfgng9HWHJwE1oMGIVQzIKhC9_S3VAyCrVAAWY412kgdpz2KvEkxgWb_m-fFmdQRysQ-YiGTUFNMbQtg/s4080/5D57FEEB-17B3-4EB6-BB06-0555EEA11188.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfxNJMYMCNMyRFp-vdpswosnGmaydDRrGbHgGTQv3NCaRZgUxhVZMspsLimZc7QelPCSzT2lNT-yTDIqKS6wO-Jbgw84_rvWjwIzfboIWQtfgng9HWHJwE1oMGIVQzIKhC9_S3VAyCrVAAWY412kgdpz2KvEkxgWb_m-fFmdQRysQ-YiGTUFNMbQtg/s320/5D57FEEB-17B3-4EB6-BB06-0555EEA11188.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HRNdfA2GA2REFijIZSc3ZyfcDfw2bFAHqDp62jv4f8u5wxfIVesF7FNqga74n6d6HRR6eslW2o13uKAR-eoH3pp95IsJO_CQTXUM1hHJLabllWg7aGwr84RemjqADUl4cjS7HB-k2cEMI4R9JfP0UlY3CktARLNoFMI767ew0mUV4qrsSqBhOisU/s4080/6B22D289-F4E7-41DE-B2CC-9CA83756E1F9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1HRNdfA2GA2REFijIZSc3ZyfcDfw2bFAHqDp62jv4f8u5wxfIVesF7FNqga74n6d6HRR6eslW2o13uKAR-eoH3pp95IsJO_CQTXUM1hHJLabllWg7aGwr84RemjqADUl4cjS7HB-k2cEMI4R9JfP0UlY3CktARLNoFMI767ew0mUV4qrsSqBhOisU/s320/6B22D289-F4E7-41DE-B2CC-9CA83756E1F9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj134dvNVOVnKVZBVz6z22t0jI3N73ziTyaXoAKClfB2IC_H_ooJ5RlSkmhKASXSI8hi3y1nlWIlixDgfgBqw1jQOW9LHl36R1gK1QYlw87CD8AK3XkQF4gaYInIyq3qPkir46S1E7LR24NK3wKtQmhWmeZ8WkXAPMcB9rXok0KM_lme5xLFbHRBAl3/s4080/CEFA70A6-4880-4CDD-92E5-4A2D7BABA695.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj134dvNVOVnKVZBVz6z22t0jI3N73ziTyaXoAKClfB2IC_H_ooJ5RlSkmhKASXSI8hi3y1nlWIlixDgfgBqw1jQOW9LHl36R1gK1QYlw87CD8AK3XkQF4gaYInIyq3qPkir46S1E7LR24NK3wKtQmhWmeZ8WkXAPMcB9rXok0KM_lme5xLFbHRBAl3/s320/CEFA70A6-4880-4CDD-92E5-4A2D7BABA695.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Under the leaves we often find a lot of acorns and so we started loading the piggies up with treats. I love dumping in a bin of leaves and acorns and watching them sort the pile and crunch on the delicious morsels!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TrKhbEn3y-FAiWd_x6Vd7EE27_av_v0SNw5cF7inBD7kpvqhtSega_u-jbvFFUq9v01kvew-fpmcXJd9j7dLEIPXSuu7VV0jZjdJcYAtu7d5k_UEln3-rQ57OtWetORuXWMjjBkQtWTidcU93ZJMxnIt-928XZlcLV9AbFm_CV_BeeRwn8nkb0DB/s4080/CA54B115-1BE9-4894-8A6C-0A24DFFE6DCD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7TrKhbEn3y-FAiWd_x6Vd7EE27_av_v0SNw5cF7inBD7kpvqhtSega_u-jbvFFUq9v01kvew-fpmcXJd9j7dLEIPXSuu7VV0jZjdJcYAtu7d5k_UEln3-rQ57OtWetORuXWMjjBkQtWTidcU93ZJMxnIt-928XZlcLV9AbFm_CV_BeeRwn8nkb0DB/s320/CA54B115-1BE9-4894-8A6C-0A24DFFE6DCD.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We hit a record on our final day, collecting 6 trailer loads PLUS lots of acorns. As you can see, the light was waning when we were loading up the final sheet-fulls. Each load is one massive cloth filled with leaves and then 12 sheets loaded up. We should be all set for the year - for animals, gardens and our humanure compost system.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPM2MkgdaS7bsflK5QLIDINXGc5Ine1AeR97-pCb7udj-2hY5YzWpGslfbSRU1b4dlQE9keG6bETCv0gn7Y2RGiFR1N8ZQXRDRtJkuEVYv7vsJjgiOPRMeJNp1EVGwUUDa-Ntl62FJ1P-K-RfyMwWok42TUcoV2ice8atVeb4nbGIbqJzbq_ra2tj/s4032/9F76A243-1ACD-4322-A383-B179990176D4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdPM2MkgdaS7bsflK5QLIDINXGc5Ine1AeR97-pCb7udj-2hY5YzWpGslfbSRU1b4dlQE9keG6bETCv0gn7Y2RGiFR1N8ZQXRDRtJkuEVYv7vsJjgiOPRMeJNp1EVGwUUDa-Ntl62FJ1P-K-RfyMwWok42TUcoV2ice8atVeb4nbGIbqJzbq_ra2tj/s320/9F76A243-1ACD-4322-A383-B179990176D4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4gY13SOYHiXt-MnhUzCj4NyavvMlwCTSI1VG-gn7OWoHEF29gbiwvUCulgwzkrD-HV4E9zVOLWwUgcIuyrHQmGopDfureEC2K6etR6yZfLg2Siujn35uDvzDyhjg_xTxvCjTwpdwoOWRFhe6aC3wD7d0HbqT5P1_m4EYzw_X9Mx45EEmCn2eCKLw/s4080/5262E000-F941-48A1-B7C0-2038691AD5A8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ4gY13SOYHiXt-MnhUzCj4NyavvMlwCTSI1VG-gn7OWoHEF29gbiwvUCulgwzkrD-HV4E9zVOLWwUgcIuyrHQmGopDfureEC2K6etR6yZfLg2Siujn35uDvzDyhjg_xTxvCjTwpdwoOWRFhe6aC3wD7d0HbqT5P1_m4EYzw_X9Mx45EEmCn2eCKLw/s320/5262E000-F941-48A1-B7C0-2038691AD5A8.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubu415j672Q4EFozYIfzLZsywZaWOecXElmledkuU_9YgigNGjj4_xWVuS09fow1fSUH5-IVh890agUNHjjcUZ8gCqnRLbegT6p4OxgSCAg5_unDi8oTArAKZSlzZ-keZ7iGh_kWn_4LYdtRnjKdv8u0D8D2ySaExLuRAaDy7Wk74s7FIixHD9bAN/s4080/B0ED5D7B-D496-467B-BC7F-CF4DED428AB6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiubu415j672Q4EFozYIfzLZsywZaWOecXElmledkuU_9YgigNGjj4_xWVuS09fow1fSUH5-IVh890agUNHjjcUZ8gCqnRLbegT6p4OxgSCAg5_unDi8oTArAKZSlzZ-keZ7iGh_kWn_4LYdtRnjKdv8u0D8D2ySaExLuRAaDy7Wk74s7FIixHD9bAN/s320/B0ED5D7B-D496-467B-BC7F-CF4DED428AB6.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmnkWdul77k2SUnhA3AqdVHttradznkMCHD9GsMbU57BYkRy1jiIbtx_bh8Fo1uLwFWTeW6macqqbX_sE0Vfq9wKV1WC4OgWa7aju7ji_s9fs2sYK-2h1S4jZ77nebEDJr7sqNvGs7NLDSaFF1c9m6Z6ERaGkT0Weopf8s3fhqU9zI-67p4RE5Pnb/s4080/B9F232D5-767F-4F03-923D-5603FC0229E5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBmnkWdul77k2SUnhA3AqdVHttradznkMCHD9GsMbU57BYkRy1jiIbtx_bh8Fo1uLwFWTeW6macqqbX_sE0Vfq9wKV1WC4OgWa7aju7ji_s9fs2sYK-2h1S4jZ77nebEDJr7sqNvGs7NLDSaFF1c9m6Z6ERaGkT0Weopf8s3fhqU9zI-67p4RE5Pnb/s320/B9F232D5-767F-4F03-923D-5603FC0229E5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This time if you've made it to the end of a lot of leaf pictures, you get to enjoy some of my favorite jump shots! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9YMreVdCbrywa487C-2L99vNfAtEPFiVVMoijYR7iP6w4YynZILXcVuUTyQDed4FlmxBiShRHLNBJRKPADZeH-i-hH6cyD01RAh1flLdkjgl8AUNN-gZULxBmgFkaI6BGwyPgA4FlGaYTeApWW00H7nOy6-c1jORHOwVBkHZrnRe5HwWeETKDfcD/s2040/0A6AADE2-C273-4E67-8A12-7F2A065D4278.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9YMreVdCbrywa487C-2L99vNfAtEPFiVVMoijYR7iP6w4YynZILXcVuUTyQDed4FlmxBiShRHLNBJRKPADZeH-i-hH6cyD01RAh1flLdkjgl8AUNN-gZULxBmgFkaI6BGwyPgA4FlGaYTeApWW00H7nOy6-c1jORHOwVBkHZrnRe5HwWeETKDfcD/s320/0A6AADE2-C273-4E67-8A12-7F2A065D4278.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOKyCEk8Sa2HAmrWBl3wKXm82fGKhGWtTpJwN9ScF3dxn_ygRv7MONXasbLL7uaFRpyX-_0T0GyEPzRR6fKO5w0pz8CjfbxSx52r7ES7L1cBLZ3ZIcBJaMmFoCC_odGAx1qxHmG3qKlh6rX4MfNLiiTyD8wYmvL5H4auyMNcE0exImOqNPKFY-rdG/s2040/5C32CD14-FE95-47AD-B789-6B085EE75545.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2040" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOKyCEk8Sa2HAmrWBl3wKXm82fGKhGWtTpJwN9ScF3dxn_ygRv7MONXasbLL7uaFRpyX-_0T0GyEPzRR6fKO5w0pz8CjfbxSx52r7ES7L1cBLZ3ZIcBJaMmFoCC_odGAx1qxHmG3qKlh6rX4MfNLiiTyD8wYmvL5H4auyMNcE0exImOqNPKFY-rdG/s320/5C32CD14-FE95-47AD-B789-6B085EE75545.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DWcPomBTeUlc0yi25nkU7kHGwJCrFYRNOJ199ibkaTI3jsKl9uU4F1ITy0fYoeuCir1jsbIO8Zc8VP-GeUKrk8cFrHYaMAPjRR3mQAujiNry6mSTBatHN2HZYAhCWqalC0N9gOy18wMuSr9wPZKn3XCVDOVc9XSCCCBZ4wNZf7JVmEfEvzmGJn37/s4080/6CBEC21B-A7B1-4616-AEAC-6D5630A22A41.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1DWcPomBTeUlc0yi25nkU7kHGwJCrFYRNOJ199ibkaTI3jsKl9uU4F1ITy0fYoeuCir1jsbIO8Zc8VP-GeUKrk8cFrHYaMAPjRR3mQAujiNry6mSTBatHN2HZYAhCWqalC0N9gOy18wMuSr9wPZKn3XCVDOVc9XSCCCBZ4wNZf7JVmEfEvzmGJn37/s320/6CBEC21B-A7B1-4616-AEAC-6D5630A22A41.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ksH5SwecQ8O1goyagihJIKYZc-l5T8HBWLLMGdwk0IuT-0st-d1pJ1ZSD3dHMl3yykMTKL2po6UEIKKTI_9hOaBvvidFMIwGRFmXoOp-CI08-VH4PrSiZG2H55P71m7Sp9eTvHBF_JfNC8Q0P1MgeN11GH7_dZpyY4X907nieqHPBUhPFz_kOdwl/s2040/2710FD6B-B1A3-40E3-90B6-42D4FAE4D981.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2040" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ksH5SwecQ8O1goyagihJIKYZc-l5T8HBWLLMGdwk0IuT-0st-d1pJ1ZSD3dHMl3yykMTKL2po6UEIKKTI_9hOaBvvidFMIwGRFmXoOp-CI08-VH4PrSiZG2H55P71m7Sp9eTvHBF_JfNC8Q0P1MgeN11GH7_dZpyY4X907nieqHPBUhPFz_kOdwl/s320/2710FD6B-B1A3-40E3-90B6-42D4FAE4D981.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnGgswVCEadv5fDxXaPCyHagCa0rzqps07E4YW7pOs8U5xLF26aq95YzLDhNmyIlqmHuGGYHJOqEAvQD3TkyWLMWjNhCw3nDlcFeSpvaGvbYWUsRXWpuuHPLBnxGTnH4dO7BQI72q0R6F2_qwFtKFj4MO5v5w5VazBQ28QJoenYxN_MPJxyes7I8L/s2040/7F1790BE-0816-434D-BFC8-387BD2313362.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2040" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnGgswVCEadv5fDxXaPCyHagCa0rzqps07E4YW7pOs8U5xLF26aq95YzLDhNmyIlqmHuGGYHJOqEAvQD3TkyWLMWjNhCw3nDlcFeSpvaGvbYWUsRXWpuuHPLBnxGTnH4dO7BQI72q0R6F2_qwFtKFj4MO5v5w5VazBQ28QJoenYxN_MPJxyes7I8L/s320/7F1790BE-0816-434D-BFC8-387BD2313362.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX5343Nsq2EzdaqBQqgjyQpV7UC8wxG7oxvrtifEXlGwjXBWJRgdut5E1tgzg19T8OsyIrvzPNrwpORG33zkGcCUOjWhKXMq2KWwcY-mqM_TwfNqVwlzMZeETmfeHwLyUZxHWCFEUr8ucH2nOYCjenLo6B45dqLfh8T-EknENCcmanIa5LXsxVKh8/s2040/9A9ECB7C-C742-4F0E-A0BE-C5F0E1D96E04.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2040" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIX5343Nsq2EzdaqBQqgjyQpV7UC8wxG7oxvrtifEXlGwjXBWJRgdut5E1tgzg19T8OsyIrvzPNrwpORG33zkGcCUOjWhKXMq2KWwcY-mqM_TwfNqVwlzMZeETmfeHwLyUZxHWCFEUr8ucH2nOYCjenLo6B45dqLfh8T-EknENCcmanIa5LXsxVKh8/s320/9A9ECB7C-C742-4F0E-A0BE-C5F0E1D96E04.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-86932153417651515912023-11-11T19:10:00.000-08:002023-11-11T19:10:08.826-08:00This is the blogpost that never ends... That is your fair warning! This "scrapbook page" will attempt to cover the highlights from our home and farm life spanning the time between Monday evening, October 23 and Saturday evening, November 11. There were many! It's been a time full of long anticipated and sweet connections with loved ones alongside the beauty of fall here in the Shenandoah Valley. I still am unsure how to hold our day to day realities juxtaposed against the horrors many are experiencing. <div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhSRic7rixAQAAwRPHoL73oydNxhe03iWMK8A8asK8exVs2agru0TN_VBoAyucLPrkKbPVDADJ9fXoZcMbZBh_OUFTDsxhLII-L3OQHPO2ka46vYm8GTyvGNisG2Bi6EZ0j8B7L2FPAsqDVvFHD1cXqnxAUutj0uHB6cIoSVFLW_PtDbO0OtJERlZ/s4032/3C485256-DA2D-4EE9-809A-40369C9F61BD.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyhSRic7rixAQAAwRPHoL73oydNxhe03iWMK8A8asK8exVs2agru0TN_VBoAyucLPrkKbPVDADJ9fXoZcMbZBh_OUFTDsxhLII-L3OQHPO2ka46vYm8GTyvGNisG2Bi6EZ0j8B7L2FPAsqDVvFHD1cXqnxAUutj0uHB6cIoSVFLW_PtDbO0OtJERlZ/w150-h200/3C485256-DA2D-4EE9-809A-40369C9F61BD.jpeg" width="150" /></a><i>Monday, October 23 </i>- As mentioned the last time I wrote, Jason was in DC all day for a grain conference. It's always hard to tell, but he felt like he made some good connections and there was no doubt that he ate scrumptious pizza. We'll be trying dill pickles ON our pizza next time we make it (we've only enjoyed them cold to the side historically).</div><div><br /></div><div>He missed the historic night on the soccer fields with the "lighting of the lights" for the first time. After many speeches and expressions of gratitude to all who made the project possible, Terah got to play her final game under the bright lights, while Kali coached and the rest of us shivered on the sidelines! Emily, Jonas and Ivy joined to watch the final games, as did our very own little red riding hood. 😉</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dI-IWgffoAodav-AQtwqgoYnPuGbBkrOsIi9IxWf6MjmM68hYa5lncl1UB2TJyytC3fdtsm8jAj_c6fPTamRB0hYmYoNEY90w8RrxbKUYsmr6p0svMcilsAiKUIeo131tZnmdXZSHcrRG86GzeIHXzAxDrP6fM8G19QfR81k1CcaUgJo3TW5FFuU/s4080/A2A78D0C-4793-4C69-B58A-2E8E92184B8A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5dI-IWgffoAodav-AQtwqgoYnPuGbBkrOsIi9IxWf6MjmM68hYa5lncl1UB2TJyytC3fdtsm8jAj_c6fPTamRB0hYmYoNEY90w8RrxbKUYsmr6p0svMcilsAiKUIeo131tZnmdXZSHcrRG86GzeIHXzAxDrP6fM8G19QfR81k1CcaUgJo3TW5FFuU/s320/A2A78D0C-4793-4C69-B58A-2E8E92184B8A.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbd2PrFLHO09Q7Dsuzmb5C0ITN7vaX2GrgWjSVZWGAWJWxX0-xDvmwboWTCct9Z79H3AUUp3M8q1_Z4sGt1ZCLbyA1Ta6m5f_4iGutx_w5sB1W2vGP-Ef6mpmzVbY-v0fCwgXR0MWOISo1JRufhE0_DbbYcVXdTnUMk7TJSVhjn_-RIU_IQZh1MK2t/s4080/2F390133-F39F-44FF-BB5C-70777B1D5AC4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbd2PrFLHO09Q7Dsuzmb5C0ITN7vaX2GrgWjSVZWGAWJWxX0-xDvmwboWTCct9Z79H3AUUp3M8q1_Z4sGt1ZCLbyA1Ta6m5f_4iGutx_w5sB1W2vGP-Ef6mpmzVbY-v0fCwgXR0MWOISo1JRufhE0_DbbYcVXdTnUMk7TJSVhjn_-RIU_IQZh1MK2t/s320/2F390133-F39F-44FF-BB5C-70777B1D5AC4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWkVn8J5-2rsTSBBynW0m0VZuyFb8vLYY_jQI2sky9XMkPb11nhyphenhypheno9tR7Fph58enuhuytoOMyTq86AFTAHZM2KhrFK9XqHANYnT5Imq5ueeGVbVYrCAKGYwWb1j77Jf4VXRpxfs8FlznilpQgXmLnufq4Ge6aiNtI_R4Yi_lDRhif1Q1J-OneePBT/s4080/B1C481CF-5CBA-4C4F-87D2-BA19F4788DDF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWkVn8J5-2rsTSBBynW0m0VZuyFb8vLYY_jQI2sky9XMkPb11nhyphenhypheno9tR7Fph58enuhuytoOMyTq86AFTAHZM2KhrFK9XqHANYnT5Imq5ueeGVbVYrCAKGYwWb1j77Jf4VXRpxfs8FlznilpQgXmLnufq4Ge6aiNtI_R4Yi_lDRhif1Q1J-OneePBT/s320/B1C481CF-5CBA-4C4F-87D2-BA19F4788DDF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30Dwopxrmgm0a_qSrWY7Gdm9aLreUwPXIQ0CNvcMpZqdKGOICXY9KerDXtDBn1Uhj404pX7qXafbTRM4AgNvD_Rf8gWD63LBKMdqxDwnUDJDtrMzsF-RcKeaMZW6A6wstunDtJVPTmIlyIoagNULubuatOxcbL65s9BwDD9xFpVz7KC4eFW__GDkp/s4080/C76A6737-F46A-4478-856A-68AB226CD5F1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg30Dwopxrmgm0a_qSrWY7Gdm9aLreUwPXIQ0CNvcMpZqdKGOICXY9KerDXtDBn1Uhj404pX7qXafbTRM4AgNvD_Rf8gWD63LBKMdqxDwnUDJDtrMzsF-RcKeaMZW6A6wstunDtJVPTmIlyIoagNULubuatOxcbL65s9BwDD9xFpVz7KC4eFW__GDkp/s320/C76A6737-F46A-4478-856A-68AB226CD5F1.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><i>Tuesday, October 24 - </i>Bear got to practice being a wake up buddy for the younger girls this morning. It's really hard to not wake up happy when this cutie pie lands in your bed! I got to enjoy some good snuggles too during the day and even made some progress on the novel I had gotten out of the library.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdS_leiPXAVWndVwh5Iw1jHEhdw-aYY9AZVp-VgSBPmyRZ3NdTSzIu4K0bYvgLi1uHKDDCjCo3jdoFK1DqqVnCoLpZcMo53Ia2z6qJbADTwXQKgR3-RTJpup-KgKmHruMqGkolxorB7ajUSmymJBYfXLfOVgOIHS18kFAirUCIrImTV5hKndsbsLd/s4080/76E1F6BF-7371-458D-874D-0F55B9E29FD3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFdS_leiPXAVWndVwh5Iw1jHEhdw-aYY9AZVp-VgSBPmyRZ3NdTSzIu4K0bYvgLi1uHKDDCjCo3jdoFK1DqqVnCoLpZcMo53Ia2z6qJbADTwXQKgR3-RTJpup-KgKmHruMqGkolxorB7ajUSmymJBYfXLfOVgOIHS18kFAirUCIrImTV5hKndsbsLd/s320/76E1F6BF-7371-458D-874D-0F55B9E29FD3.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11XyuzS2fJgVXGpo31jgBbMuIvo3CY_LI5YTa_rFxdZd6Xy51kb87PtS-eVXjeq-3vZwmWUnjKMPVrOr97XhgCV8QkBkOpo-CqHNFsWZkam2H8lQmUiYvpcsmylbf6Qb5mtCgr1goPXSwmXJCWLKzacu8Lk3sjRbq_uRgm3mfsqzSNyRWVgKMPXuM/s3264/07424403-3A36-4AB6-A459-71D3FA30614C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11XyuzS2fJgVXGpo31jgBbMuIvo3CY_LI5YTa_rFxdZd6Xy51kb87PtS-eVXjeq-3vZwmWUnjKMPVrOr97XhgCV8QkBkOpo-CqHNFsWZkam2H8lQmUiYvpcsmylbf6Qb5mtCgr1goPXSwmXJCWLKzacu8Lk3sjRbq_uRgm3mfsqzSNyRWVgKMPXuM/s320/07424403-3A36-4AB6-A459-71D3FA30614C.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">While some of us were soaking in good baby snuggles, Jason got all the cornstalks from the patches and worked on getting the husks off the black walnuts we had collected (much scratchier, messier and less cuddly!).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoh0kn4vPGGbYCXgVrhyphenhyphendVEvv9j2OzFPrHA3m4hfP9zPR2WBfq2YitXoV8m3WEoPQ-xjO6Grsw1nKebbh6CRvcijuoh6KxWACsbk3teWve79VcvESYn05hd3iLSZrvUFiCUhLgWVpRbptES9Drgn23BdS1y6GOgi6ePzN95-65tj02MU0hk_MP5LE/s4032/4FA7CE49-9F97-4841-A18B-A1689D621DCC.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoh0kn4vPGGbYCXgVrhyphenhyphendVEvv9j2OzFPrHA3m4hfP9zPR2WBfq2YitXoV8m3WEoPQ-xjO6Grsw1nKebbh6CRvcijuoh6KxWACsbk3teWve79VcvESYn05hd3iLSZrvUFiCUhLgWVpRbptES9Drgn23BdS1y6GOgi6ePzN95-65tj02MU0hk_MP5LE/s320/4FA7CE49-9F97-4841-A18B-A1689D621DCC.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeoWw-evJlakke7CVlFa5QCVESZ7pwtti47CkAkBHvI2btFWf12PMoLYBG5SbNKwyIsSXtWefeeNzE6lDAHN5LtaUSZSn7HZajbTLCgdp-FZ808JDzWWRLkm5QV_NCM_vRxMhy2Vn-CoAFRLYGb9dJyaEK4NNUCa8IehbHun-dcX8GIQURnVW7mpl/s4032/F23E15DD-5331-4CF4-AD42-CCD825F1AA0F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeoWw-evJlakke7CVlFa5QCVESZ7pwtti47CkAkBHvI2btFWf12PMoLYBG5SbNKwyIsSXtWefeeNzE6lDAHN5LtaUSZSn7HZajbTLCgdp-FZ808JDzWWRLkm5QV_NCM_vRxMhy2Vn-CoAFRLYGb9dJyaEK4NNUCa8IehbHun-dcX8GIQURnVW7mpl/s320/F23E15DD-5331-4CF4-AD42-CCD825F1AA0F.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><i>Wednesday, October 25 - </i>The girls enjoyed a long and full day in DC with Emily and Ivy! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLNwrVs-cE2p5zVEumPlgNidOhlYxJACXr1SeYo3cv60VWa3_pbWinzDS9irks741r_s18oFqkFinAY3uNWuvEHZfVQnCTQzGJiGNPpRHfpIuYQTySUzaNkdTfAXOz_LoqIoCOkbhObC3FiRwvtLLnaYDkiVgZi4WWh_ZXnSeXuEYM2QnBdAdtUFv/s3280/PXL_20231025_161245832.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3280" data-original-width="2464" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGLNwrVs-cE2p5zVEumPlgNidOhlYxJACXr1SeYo3cv60VWa3_pbWinzDS9irks741r_s18oFqkFinAY3uNWuvEHZfVQnCTQzGJiGNPpRHfpIuYQTySUzaNkdTfAXOz_LoqIoCOkbhObC3FiRwvtLLnaYDkiVgZi4WWh_ZXnSeXuEYM2QnBdAdtUFv/s320/PXL_20231025_161245832.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3EmPMN7_IAOZxwV0Gw8EKufsXfdCnc3Vakq9H-sSYPKWq03RJP-MO6k4IZ4qFF1JoYqsVYaHjKVslkl0r9QLnVNDM2hjexPTVGWcfVd_Ak5dXWqwgwGYnoFMtJZP74BQxcvD7Czolxt2i48aL0H7RXYRCFy8UDE8y0IeE2AB2XPvSpjN_PbtIjJ5/s4080/PXL_20231025_184400691.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf3EmPMN7_IAOZxwV0Gw8EKufsXfdCnc3Vakq9H-sSYPKWq03RJP-MO6k4IZ4qFF1JoYqsVYaHjKVslkl0r9QLnVNDM2hjexPTVGWcfVd_Ak5dXWqwgwGYnoFMtJZP74BQxcvD7Czolxt2i48aL0H7RXYRCFy8UDE8y0IeE2AB2XPvSpjN_PbtIjJ5/s320/PXL_20231025_184400691.MP.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was the only photo I took that entire day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfR28vmhDDwMdi34QvhSV8ps67evEJ5Uaz3ZGDmXouz3Pgr0Dznq03fz1h4pjQUBvZrxCCkvaOiVHWbAquWZjWunYa026U5xfVMyIcNthj83VaVLuVpcs0vGU_UbaoPhiSMNlIQ3jVZKfSGk1J8ZYRPhMY_zK9QUIeqrupDMImFN68zNPSDLvPMwa/s4080/9469F536-1E87-4620-AE16-95972E5BC380.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfR28vmhDDwMdi34QvhSV8ps67evEJ5Uaz3ZGDmXouz3Pgr0Dznq03fz1h4pjQUBvZrxCCkvaOiVHWbAquWZjWunYa026U5xfVMyIcNthj83VaVLuVpcs0vGU_UbaoPhiSMNlIQ3jVZKfSGk1J8ZYRPhMY_zK9QUIeqrupDMImFN68zNPSDLvPMwa/s320/9469F536-1E87-4620-AE16-95972E5BC380.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><i>Thursday, October 26 </i>- Jason worked hard prepping for garlic planting, while the gals hung with Luca and puttered inside. It was super exciting to welcome my dear college friend, Rachel, to Tangly Woods for a 2-week stay and I didn't even take a photo of our first meal together. I did, however, document the apple dumplings Mom made for our dessert that evening!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlxHfgCvN1ZMN-GJplSvgUsAlwfGCymZtjh5udKY48CNRuxkrStK0p75s1-LUJzHnqm_uuMuG39Hc_A6IAvHQcT7fkqnUxVRV4Hoi6ySMLGbjuHHZ94_yE1_R4o02GZ9_Qozsk4jCsMGF1-zejYankbKyzwEFTWNFb8Jn_pBnVvbWoeZugDJGzaZ3/s4080/0A825CEE-F405-4AA1-A8A7-5E5220220841.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMlxHfgCvN1ZMN-GJplSvgUsAlwfGCymZtjh5udKY48CNRuxkrStK0p75s1-LUJzHnqm_uuMuG39Hc_A6IAvHQcT7fkqnUxVRV4Hoi6ySMLGbjuHHZ94_yE1_R4o02GZ9_Qozsk4jCsMGF1-zejYankbKyzwEFTWNFb8Jn_pBnVvbWoeZugDJGzaZ3/s320/0A825CEE-F405-4AA1-A8A7-5E5220220841.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__Sor-oxz8yfsdNxEAMAhH1gjtKS7UdhoK9zodpATZgddaDYJ5-8FkYCWrEWjh8SfITJv69XwoU9E1XqahlXi_tAHpmopFfdXwlvMNl_ArtKDiHfyTW9y0FVJJHylx1IrECoQmayjlFIIwjCTbWApXQzbop9N1vOQxEPBt5ZmuCyEeafRSt1HFCDA/s4080/BFC9F90B-58A2-4A60-B238-9EBD41425929.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__Sor-oxz8yfsdNxEAMAhH1gjtKS7UdhoK9zodpATZgddaDYJ5-8FkYCWrEWjh8SfITJv69XwoU9E1XqahlXi_tAHpmopFfdXwlvMNl_ArtKDiHfyTW9y0FVJJHylx1IrECoQmayjlFIIwjCTbWApXQzbop9N1vOQxEPBt5ZmuCyEeafRSt1HFCDA/s320/BFC9F90B-58A2-4A60-B238-9EBD41425929.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VF1BIh32juR8R9dJzSpWNB5fPDmnhxMi0QAmkI2tAHfXyv2u4cnFaKjwFcmkeMfIYZjwYSYKMAtrDtWcrAhKXyIp8QWKL7QydlUNwcfqM76-XBA1gmRP7uOSPmpxqzHGqAtkLT0b9jzr7L9qx01FlceUgl59XSXkWs2408bQdFRaFkPGlLdDNWhq/s4080/7872B2E9-E715-494F-B2D4-F28B9FA09946.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6VF1BIh32juR8R9dJzSpWNB5fPDmnhxMi0QAmkI2tAHfXyv2u4cnFaKjwFcmkeMfIYZjwYSYKMAtrDtWcrAhKXyIp8QWKL7QydlUNwcfqM76-XBA1gmRP7uOSPmpxqzHGqAtkLT0b9jzr7L9qx01FlceUgl59XSXkWs2408bQdFRaFkPGlLdDNWhq/w200-h151/7872B2E9-E715-494F-B2D4-F28B9FA09946.jpeg" width="200" /></a><i>Friday, October 27 - </i>I don't seem to tire of sky pictures do I?! What a lovely greeting at the start of the day! I scurried off to town for a morning with Bear, made even sweeter with a long walk that Bear and I went on with another one of my doula babies and her mama, now also a dear friend! Then after blitzing through the Friday errands, I landed home to get in on the garlic planting. A note for the farm journal: we soaked the cloves this year in a neem oil solution with the HOPES that it might cut down on our overwhelming population of garlic mites. The beautiful bulbs of garlic harvested this summer are breaking down so quickly due to those little buggers!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxlReBkLCVvQcH7DLwphKxSg0366-r8hTJe8FULKDuBrjI73vzPsbgONv3SBkueQsn-o5SEn5apqpXf4k5sh9uN6T-w-TaZIi4XahVjGxQfaMDQcyDi8E8FkcGuQYyB6TlBOTgDVW1awU1CQk6p93pIdoBcLHG6RNwk3DlfBdGTkRyhslZxULt-Ga/s3264/26090BED-AADD-4F5D-9A46-ECF80C34A417.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYxlReBkLCVvQcH7DLwphKxSg0366-r8hTJe8FULKDuBrjI73vzPsbgONv3SBkueQsn-o5SEn5apqpXf4k5sh9uN6T-w-TaZIi4XahVjGxQfaMDQcyDi8E8FkcGuQYyB6TlBOTgDVW1awU1CQk6p93pIdoBcLHG6RNwk3DlfBdGTkRyhslZxULt-Ga/s320/26090BED-AADD-4F5D-9A46-ECF80C34A417.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStPx6aQwdRaZ6oYAOePsfQWHfEMPZcBCwTaUGevikCuFC0BQW4hSHxx2bpOzJmAl2lEtgxB88y07ryZ3nA3YsWwEqKbcYEwfcRrhzGOnbAoFqhAHXo43llkKRjBxZ5wdkQfAHGSQWVuvkArAGLR-fMvVnoWcTtJdb6bZMmEtTeInjx9hk4gHddytX/s3264/F026CF07-D06F-4A4A-BE4C-13FC48B51632.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStPx6aQwdRaZ6oYAOePsfQWHfEMPZcBCwTaUGevikCuFC0BQW4hSHxx2bpOzJmAl2lEtgxB88y07ryZ3nA3YsWwEqKbcYEwfcRrhzGOnbAoFqhAHXo43llkKRjBxZ5wdkQfAHGSQWVuvkArAGLR-fMvVnoWcTtJdb6bZMmEtTeInjx9hk4gHddytX/s320/F026CF07-D06F-4A4A-BE4C-13FC48B51632.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWf6dGggmJi6QuPFUel_j6dchR5G7LH_5s1r9nUsSyTTeL2o-OvDP03lYMqmkJ36moi7PhjGPhiAVJCAcs_lTR_WeouUMfNDJoBQWId4DVuaGRNsR24a6AxCeuVxiuRMbmTh-t_E-HXjsUxRyW4jKQOh3xTjyaW6SFLPa3NuJIzjuzHMC3G0W0AhIp/s4080/A0E3AE8D-5543-4A30-933C-F111894D9C27.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWf6dGggmJi6QuPFUel_j6dchR5G7LH_5s1r9nUsSyTTeL2o-OvDP03lYMqmkJ36moi7PhjGPhiAVJCAcs_lTR_WeouUMfNDJoBQWId4DVuaGRNsR24a6AxCeuVxiuRMbmTh-t_E-HXjsUxRyW4jKQOh3xTjyaW6SFLPa3NuJIzjuzHMC3G0W0AhIp/s320/A0E3AE8D-5543-4A30-933C-F111894D9C27.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoP996qqcVrG4ySa4ayU34aUobV1EL_QO4fcihXJ4jY9gfdIF5V2sJ209_THNo59r3DeXHyhxxZjiROWgSihgWy2BlXEjQnwjqRu1Xd-ndJKNJddMp3yM-nuA6j-oSBFldGFrXGtHCiurWuKvK1oedBEMazQuY5aNPn4S4vLCf5lIbaJCLVSSEF1P/s4080/A24AF2CD-767E-4474-A5E8-88BE95D44BB6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoP996qqcVrG4ySa4ayU34aUobV1EL_QO4fcihXJ4jY9gfdIF5V2sJ209_THNo59r3DeXHyhxxZjiROWgSihgWy2BlXEjQnwjqRu1Xd-ndJKNJddMp3yM-nuA6j-oSBFldGFrXGtHCiurWuKvK1oedBEMazQuY5aNPn4S4vLCf5lIbaJCLVSSEF1P/s320/A24AF2CD-767E-4474-A5E8-88BE95D44BB6.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvchp6rbBQbxCiqAbGIneeM1kUnGnSTqhYJBJYSYkCEl9XvXciarRHteCW0-RKTNsGrLWzOrRgX-TMB4UewLvbjOOMCxRZjLm91iTPJuBFvqgyrqtXP69_MlkfzoDL1jMB_cAzZ4-e2Q6kncUByFXGAhqCyRGCA-d2fXc24bvEakismpADRF_2nArK/s4032/2EFB182B-9D94-44EE-8F6C-4920691E627C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvchp6rbBQbxCiqAbGIneeM1kUnGnSTqhYJBJYSYkCEl9XvXciarRHteCW0-RKTNsGrLWzOrRgX-TMB4UewLvbjOOMCxRZjLm91iTPJuBFvqgyrqtXP69_MlkfzoDL1jMB_cAzZ4-e2Q6kncUByFXGAhqCyRGCA-d2fXc24bvEakismpADRF_2nArK/s320/2EFB182B-9D94-44EE-8F6C-4920691E627C.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLNu_mLIurgFDCKRTht9uhAZ22f1pKu0zgzjvnBRjjGQdl-7Dud1NGzcb1jbeIcSzrJhytd3CRqt3D8sBVpwAxI1nNGPA5BR4Aq3Dlw4agMYRvhJ4Qz-nC2BZICKyvuOZZgmDH_04BM4Yg2gR3nfyeUpqz1NciCIerVyeTvWo8ls9RkQV5E5GPLok/s4032/38401A7E-174F-43C9-919E-93C7059BD4D4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLNu_mLIurgFDCKRTht9uhAZ22f1pKu0zgzjvnBRjjGQdl-7Dud1NGzcb1jbeIcSzrJhytd3CRqt3D8sBVpwAxI1nNGPA5BR4Aq3Dlw4agMYRvhJ4Qz-nC2BZICKyvuOZZgmDH_04BM4Yg2gR3nfyeUpqz1NciCIerVyeTvWo8ls9RkQV5E5GPLok/w200-h150/38401A7E-174F-43C9-919E-93C7059BD4D4.jpeg" width="200" /></a><i>Saturday, October 28 - </i>This was a full farm day for me and Jason - outside together but working on different projects. There are no photos of me cleaning out a number of chicken coops, stirring existing bedding in others and then giving all fresh bedding. It's such unpleasant AND highly satisfying work! I put the chicken litter on next year's cooking tomato beds. Once I got all the straw out of the carbonaceous materials shed, Jason could then work on putting a rock wall on the second side and leveling it up with soil (he did the first half last year and now has the second half done!). Oh, we also harvested the extent of our carrots for the year, Jason got the seed onions planted, and then we topped off the day with an evening with Jonathan, Christen and Luca. While the dark each evening comes so fast now and sometimes we are scrambling to finish up what we thought we could do while the light lasted, I am really enjoying the longer evenings!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzT27u0UwBLT_mxNK01HFLKUDM66wQ2qWDuL4FmDSN5_aDW6ijwJ9SgBY6ls7hZLSTFkHo2fvKcCHsq0idRKB32wBTg5i1qYG1pi6qVFxk48kEWCmMr5Y7ergj8GgTIgMatsptvwY1nQwwf-yAxHiT7r6_rMEKjetIqvt40qX4m2MuN6WKq4KoFGK/s4032/3F7AFA5C-4117-47B5-AD30-AE7D323175F4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzzT27u0UwBLT_mxNK01HFLKUDM66wQ2qWDuL4FmDSN5_aDW6ijwJ9SgBY6ls7hZLSTFkHo2fvKcCHsq0idRKB32wBTg5i1qYG1pi6qVFxk48kEWCmMr5Y7ergj8GgTIgMatsptvwY1nQwwf-yAxHiT7r6_rMEKjetIqvt40qX4m2MuN6WKq4KoFGK/s320/3F7AFA5C-4117-47B5-AD30-AE7D323175F4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ilx2JnlHSOC39cKK-92Hi6W-aLugHTLDMtIkt6IvJAET6HSFbrBh1Kladrm0WJrNkVQTwGF_CIPs7s12jvi7lKGGckd7YL8JvdeNIYIyZ8YCFvq6etMYfwWEFeWyjYfiQbsGRNVjSB2xvA0JeDOOVA9wHB5OTWLW-PplP36nmlC66XBgDFx8O12w/s4080/641722D2-9BC9-48B9-A3B5-F6ADB8290DC8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Ilx2JnlHSOC39cKK-92Hi6W-aLugHTLDMtIkt6IvJAET6HSFbrBh1Kladrm0WJrNkVQTwGF_CIPs7s12jvi7lKGGckd7YL8JvdeNIYIyZ8YCFvq6etMYfwWEFeWyjYfiQbsGRNVjSB2xvA0JeDOOVA9wHB5OTWLW-PplP36nmlC66XBgDFx8O12w/s320/641722D2-9BC9-48B9-A3B5-F6ADB8290DC8.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzE_u5Z0fnWrj-1hYuyQLKkXxMt79ylXt3XVfJMxJu2SnPq5J0daSJ-WdFCfLC7Np3qRLIUv-4WiFJvpYMXdG118KevEUsK_xf4PFT9_wdKV3vQ8fV06ixh_3AOfKxJ4sqt-CWij1e3nWjSqaTPvYGWSJoROvwDkmAHVdMyihotRGFBLqdqAPiqUIZ/s4032/C61144BE-F1F9-4619-8120-00660395B995.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzE_u5Z0fnWrj-1hYuyQLKkXxMt79ylXt3XVfJMxJu2SnPq5J0daSJ-WdFCfLC7Np3qRLIUv-4WiFJvpYMXdG118KevEUsK_xf4PFT9_wdKV3vQ8fV06ixh_3AOfKxJ4sqt-CWij1e3nWjSqaTPvYGWSJoROvwDkmAHVdMyihotRGFBLqdqAPiqUIZ/s320/C61144BE-F1F9-4619-8120-00660395B995.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp38-MYVewM9E7nUT9VvyzfogX2VxYXqDq064El9JrAQiK1eKK86JJF9iQsJBt9k1_J3oTDlk2_d2p8EZptjorrSjuBdxSO2hjReGr3pNcmdJDAXEUuK9mHcNg39nyAPy9Pmx7nbakRNuh5-mYLqJJheWzi7H2iPuVk-Lpjd7g9ZR9waz92YRuVLPF/s4080/18E9ACA7-0324-4608-A51C-DC62A8BE3B01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp38-MYVewM9E7nUT9VvyzfogX2VxYXqDq064El9JrAQiK1eKK86JJF9iQsJBt9k1_J3oTDlk2_d2p8EZptjorrSjuBdxSO2hjReGr3pNcmdJDAXEUuK9mHcNg39nyAPy9Pmx7nbakRNuh5-mYLqJJheWzi7H2iPuVk-Lpjd7g9ZR9waz92YRuVLPF/s320/18E9ACA7-0324-4608-A51C-DC62A8BE3B01.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJjTFrQxQxmSwvupZSlVmPCn1RBexmZRSGUGnqHUpaI3UjQTX4qGl2GJ6lF7kMeBKlW28SKl9fILl3kKMbLm2HSv6vsm7uha8v-tujt2Gh2OiLtI14PfLBX9-vKA_0oObaHK2kx4ajrSmx8XMaVvy7mZPRW-BUGRRm43eUnjSxnt2XWG1DKsuPZ5B/s4080/B0ACB9C7-3965-4BB3-B831-0E47BE5EDFB5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJjTFrQxQxmSwvupZSlVmPCn1RBexmZRSGUGnqHUpaI3UjQTX4qGl2GJ6lF7kMeBKlW28SKl9fILl3kKMbLm2HSv6vsm7uha8v-tujt2Gh2OiLtI14PfLBX9-vKA_0oObaHK2kx4ajrSmx8XMaVvy7mZPRW-BUGRRm43eUnjSxnt2XWG1DKsuPZ5B/s320/B0ACB9C7-3965-4BB3-B831-0E47BE5EDFB5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Sunday, October 29 </i>- Jason, Kali and I were all successful donating blood together. Yay! So we had our own little mini blood drive for Nora... Maybe by next June we'll feel ready to try a group drive again - I missed it this anniversary of her birth more than I have in recent years!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOuxMSfk7AleyJQTe3m6SWOMZQ_66_HDmrHdiOGdgyidUhgGu3oI6_dj9NgSxj0a9XW7xwLY_W9skUxUF71AxcY9aEonPNh9bgpoLl5RdsmAjwmZyigvEBiyS-2uDiKDpvicv5kh5aM3W_vZbdksnvxsiYURXJWJOLh1TOeOD04Wt2y-SNhOzXQmw/s4080/FB8AEF08-859F-4519-9887-516E77ED5EDA.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpOuxMSfk7AleyJQTe3m6SWOMZQ_66_HDmrHdiOGdgyidUhgGu3oI6_dj9NgSxj0a9XW7xwLY_W9skUxUF71AxcY9aEonPNh9bgpoLl5RdsmAjwmZyigvEBiyS-2uDiKDpvicv5kh5aM3W_vZbdksnvxsiYURXJWJOLh1TOeOD04Wt2y-SNhOzXQmw/s320/FB8AEF08-859F-4519-9887-516E77ED5EDA.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6V_s-3dfutdwKgrxQTzFs7tykCkmXiaewP35yr-GuAApjh2LTb0cUCKLWu_xLvrK8Rds-ZTPfkSKH5kytxu-gyXC65Piqr1CMZuVm8dlW6m9YjdhhdzlBiAF2MQR8vKO9RMfrQcKax-cqD1c-inF3XATBh-jhyDfQdAg26eckR0S1m6XztXOryT1/s3264/CA6CDCC7-C8A4-4429-9837-0134BBBD810C.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj6V_s-3dfutdwKgrxQTzFs7tykCkmXiaewP35yr-GuAApjh2LTb0cUCKLWu_xLvrK8Rds-ZTPfkSKH5kytxu-gyXC65Piqr1CMZuVm8dlW6m9YjdhhdzlBiAF2MQR8vKO9RMfrQcKax-cqD1c-inF3XATBh-jhyDfQdAg26eckR0S1m6XztXOryT1/s320/CA6CDCC7-C8A4-4429-9837-0134BBBD810C.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUhK76JSkB6xfkJaPPTNCNh2w5A4eIuBTpQFMT09qU9TjMtT_zzihY2NYmsZ0w7zJWo0gqbdI7bewY633Vp2RRx136A6bvnuCASRU83FOkmDjTdRgnYCd74ZlQHjcFpW5k9-Oi4-QdiZkrckLJzEOWi2LsR8WvtyFwcoqHTXENCWuTfIez_Ux_etX/s4080/D6F5A25F-4ED5-429E-B17F-E01138E68EF3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUhK76JSkB6xfkJaPPTNCNh2w5A4eIuBTpQFMT09qU9TjMtT_zzihY2NYmsZ0w7zJWo0gqbdI7bewY633Vp2RRx136A6bvnuCASRU83FOkmDjTdRgnYCd74ZlQHjcFpW5k9-Oi4-QdiZkrckLJzEOWi2LsR8WvtyFwcoqHTXENCWuTfIez_Ux_etX/w151-h200/D6F5A25F-4ED5-429E-B17F-E01138E68EF3.jpeg" width="151" /></a>I had my work/play cut out for me in the afternoon. We had stuffed cabbage and broccoli in our upstairs fridge and in the process must have somehow flipped the fridge to its freezer function. So 3 massive heads of cabbage had frozen, along with milk and beets and broccoli. So I made a HUGE vat of cabbage barley soup, while getting a double batch of potato donuts rolling. It all worked out really well in that Rachel and I soaked up every bit of my chopping/cooking/baking time with conversations that always felt too short but delightfully deep and real! And then Jonathan, Christen and Luca came over for donuts and lingered for the evening and helping us make a dent in the soup. Rachel and Luca got to experience eating donuts off strings for the first time. Luca didn't really understand the no hands part, but gave it a good faith effort before determining that he knew a much more reasonable way to eat a donut! I think I'm quoting Rachel correctly as saying, "I think I might hate this." But she was laughing while she said it! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjD8uVn1BgfSgkawJ3pCa6XPw5YdZJVfamQcJHTpMQD-omyDAjVytivL_En0roekuwkNfqHJCQtlKyqzeAENEBniIgSPeaklqTjo48ciqYU-tqsr7DzlOF3Bd-aGSYiYEgWQSHq8rOYtutFZqiH9Rh1RldMAxTWRA8IBtQRlEi8TaF3w0aKz2J-HE/s4080/4B5E98D3-4B88-47D4-8CCB-13B297BF6D46.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvjD8uVn1BgfSgkawJ3pCa6XPw5YdZJVfamQcJHTpMQD-omyDAjVytivL_En0roekuwkNfqHJCQtlKyqzeAENEBniIgSPeaklqTjo48ciqYU-tqsr7DzlOF3Bd-aGSYiYEgWQSHq8rOYtutFZqiH9Rh1RldMAxTWRA8IBtQRlEi8TaF3w0aKz2J-HE/s320/4B5E98D3-4B88-47D4-8CCB-13B297BF6D46.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOOObo3_ayX2mLpDpxGwfYtLJ_4Ztan19P8e-rm1-KYwKk1ZSptRcP2zN3Qx_O96FYJaz0Hcpqtd_8Z9fhepWob4YxZyJnr8urYOMXGCXbKBAxF8xZABM8LUmi6jLATY-d9h34KKmc9M9jqy1VJK-PweCx3JBe7YPuW2gpNad3taciTV5Piq9ssJX/s4080/BC5B367A-2649-4432-B0B2-F7F852954849.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkOOObo3_ayX2mLpDpxGwfYtLJ_4Ztan19P8e-rm1-KYwKk1ZSptRcP2zN3Qx_O96FYJaz0Hcpqtd_8Z9fhepWob4YxZyJnr8urYOMXGCXbKBAxF8xZABM8LUmi6jLATY-d9h34KKmc9M9jqy1VJK-PweCx3JBe7YPuW2gpNad3taciTV5Piq9ssJX/s320/BC5B367A-2649-4432-B0B2-F7F852954849.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslkBwjBVtd72o2Oe1Xay0K_1cKifjv47ltroHPISeOjw66pS8W6VjfGRa7u3WXTA-dxFOZWP-A7lJ3FfV7pmFBzFXhUzPp5t6frN4LjWRFFP29yhGvrl-PQFI2mjIvczWFFdckceB0Spw3SU-7gX8exeIuWRJsINyAumcy7TMOPeLv0sUvyhEDs06/s4080/E129DA87-D6A2-4A7D-B0CE-EC9CFF7E8B9B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslkBwjBVtd72o2Oe1Xay0K_1cKifjv47ltroHPISeOjw66pS8W6VjfGRa7u3WXTA-dxFOZWP-A7lJ3FfV7pmFBzFXhUzPp5t6frN4LjWRFFP29yhGvrl-PQFI2mjIvczWFFdckceB0Spw3SU-7gX8exeIuWRJsINyAumcy7TMOPeLv0sUvyhEDs06/s320/E129DA87-D6A2-4A7D-B0CE-EC9CFF7E8B9B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlNUCnk2LJ4YTeZtVo_oJKXxWJWfARfOi-_ktfBSJin8Geu03NHsDwxCzhwtSxqyBRVI8PenMjZNld2OfEBrFj71zSF3Ejf8Um8XlzM07D3vKLE9X3j4uyzcq5PhxBQ_eBh80ObnKcVuM3SrVy3LapbXP7-lyRQOqmzIkIurCJLssRkyQaNlT8e8R/s4032/35B1175E-3F62-4566-8511-7F5DEBEF6E80.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwlNUCnk2LJ4YTeZtVo_oJKXxWJWfARfOi-_ktfBSJin8Geu03NHsDwxCzhwtSxqyBRVI8PenMjZNld2OfEBrFj71zSF3Ejf8Um8XlzM07D3vKLE9X3j4uyzcq5PhxBQ_eBh80ObnKcVuM3SrVy3LapbXP7-lyRQOqmzIkIurCJLssRkyQaNlT8e8R/s320/35B1175E-3F62-4566-8511-7F5DEBEF6E80.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkMLtkoh2aY0qWNYfpLJ526RNjH6gmA6qlqu2C05Xb6GiTUyYMO6zU6yvjMJ8MaDsmaDlGtYoyBgT_c0Pb9yFnlCyfMzqM4mr-uAd1qaSlvN_573rMiEChWsnDLMvKwdd_MjT4HnSnB9OdPlJHdBCLOenoMs7S6vDKsfJ1GYCzfMO4uaw6A2DGvE8/s4080/6ECF3003-CCD0-4BB1-A541-FAB13CF57973.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkMLtkoh2aY0qWNYfpLJ526RNjH6gmA6qlqu2C05Xb6GiTUyYMO6zU6yvjMJ8MaDsmaDlGtYoyBgT_c0Pb9yFnlCyfMzqM4mr-uAd1qaSlvN_573rMiEChWsnDLMvKwdd_MjT4HnSnB9OdPlJHdBCLOenoMs7S6vDKsfJ1GYCzfMO4uaw6A2DGvE8/w200-h151/6ECF3003-CCD0-4BB1-A541-FAB13CF57973.jpeg" width="200" /></a><i>Monday, October 30 - </i>I knew Nora's birthday was going to be a busy day. And by the end of the day I felt pretty emotional about how full of a day it had been. It would have been her 16th birthday. I felt SO grateful that Jason and I got up early (still dark when we left home) and started the day with a hike to Hensley's Pond just the two of us. I needed that for sure! Once we got back home, I neglected to take any pictures of apple sauce making or beet canning. However, I did remember to take a picture of the Dutch Blitz cards coming out for the first time...but NOT the last!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCruwV18y_8dbMQya4s-fVzQnqAjUcx7aFXgtqZmbqxf3Bhco5UqF_GvPOuHwWxJz_ZCNIVVAcXBShhdpAHL_RJiUyUfamF_INKAjXsmIKAQkD_fWzLTe9rTjheYVHtG3jNFGnW1j4gWl_3QMPTIcun_q5EZy9mIUDegl07RhocJDaBdwG_gE5esLP/s4080/DA3C5307-08BA-4ABD-AC2D-D02E1FE5B4D0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCruwV18y_8dbMQya4s-fVzQnqAjUcx7aFXgtqZmbqxf3Bhco5UqF_GvPOuHwWxJz_ZCNIVVAcXBShhdpAHL_RJiUyUfamF_INKAjXsmIKAQkD_fWzLTe9rTjheYVHtG3jNFGnW1j4gWl_3QMPTIcun_q5EZy9mIUDegl07RhocJDaBdwG_gE5esLP/s320/DA3C5307-08BA-4ABD-AC2D-D02E1FE5B4D0.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLgNjc_7cLcYlRZ1ldP58jDAjPJ5BrocKo5Gu132P_n3UIsPSHdQmb2bKwnF6kwE35Oyho1Zzs8eW0yyVEBlRQkKPz4MGBwsxTXN1hmDa-FOh0FlGQ9NonhkdE61_B31A4xbvgevELJ0YYib8smEqeYN1C7Y4aTMj_ULwLJHD0NHrA2cp9MDVWiJa/s4080/D14D9FEA-052E-4609-80EA-9331969F23BF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHLgNjc_7cLcYlRZ1ldP58jDAjPJ5BrocKo5Gu132P_n3UIsPSHdQmb2bKwnF6kwE35Oyho1Zzs8eW0yyVEBlRQkKPz4MGBwsxTXN1hmDa-FOh0FlGQ9NonhkdE61_B31A4xbvgevELJ0YYib8smEqeYN1C7Y4aTMj_ULwLJHD0NHrA2cp9MDVWiJa/s320/D14D9FEA-052E-4609-80EA-9331969F23BF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAufNM9Br2hoA4iG1XZyQbKN_l8r4_t65LzIZAFwAlFcPAxAlAFtkiF1fCOm-ndv4S4Bem-KHqrpntWrVBoWYWqENJRdWFRIWUDYUwOCT6GFg2TGKKtayKCXVhHvjA9eaTJjXx8xPCDghTUVCqYh3H4Cs9-lL6TNYSmmuMUJU8z6yIzAz39Cq2HW24/s3264/47A4E8B5-FD8C-48CF-8C2C-A5F207573AD9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAufNM9Br2hoA4iG1XZyQbKN_l8r4_t65LzIZAFwAlFcPAxAlAFtkiF1fCOm-ndv4S4Bem-KHqrpntWrVBoWYWqENJRdWFRIWUDYUwOCT6GFg2TGKKtayKCXVhHvjA9eaTJjXx8xPCDghTUVCqYh3H4Cs9-lL6TNYSmmuMUJU8z6yIzAz39Cq2HW24/s320/47A4E8B5-FD8C-48CF-8C2C-A5F207573AD9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_5XIgUEA9mZdaChX6U8tIUf5Ot4vXt9lBpx96VnzvQMWp87ohNoTJ9ZxRmz8fbHzj7wwGn7mTz2efKm5797qytBMHHYd4ii9xNRqsMKM4j8yQHzapwPAoEuNvwgTi81vMYCORsQ-_m9yT390dKltGKpQy-EOctoksJUltUJ9yzzKsDf2xFRbe_YY/s4032/43F626EE-9C5A-4EDD-B83F-8BF576B45A28.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_5XIgUEA9mZdaChX6U8tIUf5Ot4vXt9lBpx96VnzvQMWp87ohNoTJ9ZxRmz8fbHzj7wwGn7mTz2efKm5797qytBMHHYd4ii9xNRqsMKM4j8yQHzapwPAoEuNvwgTi81vMYCORsQ-_m9yT390dKltGKpQy-EOctoksJUltUJ9yzzKsDf2xFRbe_YY/w150-h200/43F626EE-9C5A-4EDD-B83F-8BF576B45A28.jpeg" width="150" /></a><i>Tuesday, October 31</i> - I have a lot of help on "Bear care days" at Tangly Woods. I was not expecting to get to help Jason much with disassembling the drying racks and moving all the squashes to the root cellar (after which we could returned the use of the garage space to my parents). But, Alida's got quite the touch with little ones. I was in the kitchen while she held him, and a few minutes later I came out to behold this precious site! So I had two hands free to help with the big summer to fall transition in various spaces. The root cellar is probably at its peak right now with all the squashes and potatoes and the remaining garlic and onions tucked in there. Jason and I also had time one evening to do some pretty massive clearing out of old stuff and shuffling things around to make the space much easier to navigate. It's never easy for me to give up baby-holding time, but it's a bit easier when I get to watch my daughters loving on little people!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_maZlboi-O-MrDEQgUPQpGVrNzDfGqyANVFAuUmRjm8zENr_auKUnPNuMDz6s7XSVxMd3vp5V3HnEeiWj-gj3B5cd7PNiaidGRNljnz4lpNVinyIzDGaBov38m84pVZ5BcyZfyohBbawvDXY2aiQnEU3sDEo_Xm41o2GZjOthNF8MOqLTjyXYi0Ci/s4080/56C88EE5-2E0A-471F-82DE-10915991E0D4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_maZlboi-O-MrDEQgUPQpGVrNzDfGqyANVFAuUmRjm8zENr_auKUnPNuMDz6s7XSVxMd3vp5V3HnEeiWj-gj3B5cd7PNiaidGRNljnz4lpNVinyIzDGaBov38m84pVZ5BcyZfyohBbawvDXY2aiQnEU3sDEo_Xm41o2GZjOthNF8MOqLTjyXYi0Ci/s320/56C88EE5-2E0A-471F-82DE-10915991E0D4.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFk4xIbU7T-8UGgsSNNU5UQDDWVrK91FJd4jPpGeZhh5wV35c_oh4xYT__hgNdiv-Q0k6L7U7DwG4U3-R0IXG-MRnBJ5TUATP7fdTTVW8dWCk5URHNmKdjoTnPi-mz_ipji9tAmF9TmHWrrN_HbXdTc3nN6_AJ_W5SohtUoB_pEs7SYJ2J43_8PpJ/s4080/0DBA3210-BB94-4724-8DDD-86B89A41D567.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUFk4xIbU7T-8UGgsSNNU5UQDDWVrK91FJd4jPpGeZhh5wV35c_oh4xYT__hgNdiv-Q0k6L7U7DwG4U3-R0IXG-MRnBJ5TUATP7fdTTVW8dWCk5URHNmKdjoTnPi-mz_ipji9tAmF9TmHWrrN_HbXdTc3nN6_AJ_W5SohtUoB_pEs7SYJ2J43_8PpJ/s320/0DBA3210-BB94-4724-8DDD-86B89A41D567.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jason also established a playground for our chickens that day. Just kidding! He chipped all the cornstalks and then had to cart up crates to surround the bedding for drying so the chickens didn't redistribute it hither and yon. They found it immediately and loved the spot!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BeqSbDM52IQjCzqNHv6Gleb1P3fQtCGz13gGrrjd89gtAmq878nwVMO0qYWfwBNzfnapzPy1MMyOWlSEAKm6avUvNTeq-PCGc2xWQ71noRFe76GN9jsVbm0I9dRtVn0ePHD2pZfCZzClToLuYkclIWcOhUT5jM6vPY-No2J_A96d-WzX3xTbEWCJ/s4032/611ED8B0-69A5-48C0-92B3-AC16713C6BB9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BeqSbDM52IQjCzqNHv6Gleb1P3fQtCGz13gGrrjd89gtAmq878nwVMO0qYWfwBNzfnapzPy1MMyOWlSEAKm6avUvNTeq-PCGc2xWQ71noRFe76GN9jsVbm0I9dRtVn0ePHD2pZfCZzClToLuYkclIWcOhUT5jM6vPY-No2J_A96d-WzX3xTbEWCJ/s320/611ED8B0-69A5-48C0-92B3-AC16713C6BB9.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In the evening while Rachel, Jason and I went next door for dinner, the girls went trick-or-treating in Staunton with Emily, Jonas and Ivy. They got back in time to join us for just a bit and for Luca to try on Kali's cat ears!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmThD04hHpVAZcjLn0QkH_3VDnK2vhZmR1DY2G_r-jcYMyBYwI7HuEGxET-8j5hIgxFxkc6Nr3cxkCl1MVvhabD_fnPfYsVSQo92StOtDlUkIel_C3XIp4O9Zlz8QoG1RWU99Tee_1figpbajAapu_80_wFIiAdWRV5J2z9Qb7Oi4CuShfajgHtlpg/s4080/PXL_20231031_221448184.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmThD04hHpVAZcjLn0QkH_3VDnK2vhZmR1DY2G_r-jcYMyBYwI7HuEGxET-8j5hIgxFxkc6Nr3cxkCl1MVvhabD_fnPfYsVSQo92StOtDlUkIel_C3XIp4O9Zlz8QoG1RWU99Tee_1figpbajAapu_80_wFIiAdWRV5J2z9Qb7Oi4CuShfajgHtlpg/s320/PXL_20231031_221448184.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIFwuKWJSIA_Dz3SaNasU6cAmoc8jRKFn2az8ATfzgtochCfwt4dv1Ik6zO2y6LZDP1IUukEBRrE9w6oVsm1gCq2JRt695h6OSeIWuLGoBp0HpyG0YznFlQjzcPBxfoj1ml_qh-VlJ3RbbZBQmaP9HdUjJ2qzkUIlPw2CXSgssW7u96MGpGz60Fkf/s4080/0233F07F-022B-45BA-B3D7-21C16DDC5E80.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIFwuKWJSIA_Dz3SaNasU6cAmoc8jRKFn2az8ATfzgtochCfwt4dv1Ik6zO2y6LZDP1IUukEBRrE9w6oVsm1gCq2JRt695h6OSeIWuLGoBp0HpyG0YznFlQjzcPBxfoj1ml_qh-VlJ3RbbZBQmaP9HdUjJ2qzkUIlPw2CXSgssW7u96MGpGz60Fkf/s320/0233F07F-022B-45BA-B3D7-21C16DDC5E80.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6amsm_TEK9rYgEiZUt9N86UKWjtBUKkDiXhctFijqAu_kdo79zL-ETRFUppRBe67C9KfKPtQjpFrK-ejtzxT-COlxWXDw7c1ij35Nun4KbtVLqNTsWPEjupSTZ0rRJNzlfrjtOhuLCEvXJWuMYqmq_4TaHy4xJ-I7X2hR6BjkhBiqfs6lgnyD4sjS/s4080/03F7C513-AA70-4573-9C77-AAAFF24DE440.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6amsm_TEK9rYgEiZUt9N86UKWjtBUKkDiXhctFijqAu_kdo79zL-ETRFUppRBe67C9KfKPtQjpFrK-ejtzxT-COlxWXDw7c1ij35Nun4KbtVLqNTsWPEjupSTZ0rRJNzlfrjtOhuLCEvXJWuMYqmq_4TaHy4xJ-I7X2hR6BjkhBiqfs6lgnyD4sjS/w200-h151/03F7C513-AA70-4573-9C77-AAAFF24DE440.jpeg" width="200" /></a><i>Wednesday, November 1 - </i>It was moving day for the piggies! They are now situated in their more posh and roomy winter quarters. With them out of the nut grove, Jason got in the FINAL cover crops of the year - rye in old pig paddocks in the nut grove! I am glad we get to move the pigs around for most of the year, but there is something kinda nice about the ease of feeding them in this larger area and seeing them more regularly since they are more right in the middle of things now. </div><div><br /></div><div>It was special to have Rachel present to join us for our November 1 family photo in Nora's garden! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd40Tnjrsdoi-iuDNlW5YOq3CVfWYtnSCFaEx_M6esYBe01UulDnPHyqE4W7Vjg9CGlskgg7L_r9VS_xo6xNirOcoNQ-6SYUxptj85ySZyh5kHBXMCOl_y9_kl89hAxC833MX_EC_yCaOrQwb0ttsEDBL4km2MikP_a52JfS9vfwb4x4LS2YfSFu2y/s4080/F712B6C6-4C51-41C5-8970-3E7C7FA909B2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd40Tnjrsdoi-iuDNlW5YOq3CVfWYtnSCFaEx_M6esYBe01UulDnPHyqE4W7Vjg9CGlskgg7L_r9VS_xo6xNirOcoNQ-6SYUxptj85ySZyh5kHBXMCOl_y9_kl89hAxC833MX_EC_yCaOrQwb0ttsEDBL4km2MikP_a52JfS9vfwb4x4LS2YfSFu2y/s320/F712B6C6-4C51-41C5-8970-3E7C7FA909B2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Thursday, November 2 </i>- I ended the first with a doula appointment and had another one today. I'll be entering a season of being "on call" again from a week or so from now until about February. I'm enjoying so much accompanying 3 families as they anticipate their family expanding by 1 little human in the next month or two! </div><div><br /></div><div>This day included time with Luca, which means moments like this where my heart feels like it will burst from cuteness overload!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvvPZ75TmpiSI0ry9vzSOx29TGdWJ-2xTMpfxESD_s-YPoWDUlzj4xcGmmBORye0qZaU9vT5spy0IE2Zt2ZW9Feafk4FuyuCXtDocQUp2tDNqL6LuwN0k0x7Ed4_6QQA4vkTlgmwwL7GturGpj9ZLKkYu2Selc6CVZEMM8t4PNYCgvdu4Qim4xzrs/s4080/A1D22BE4-B18C-49D7-837A-49D3A16F5838.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHvvPZ75TmpiSI0ry9vzSOx29TGdWJ-2xTMpfxESD_s-YPoWDUlzj4xcGmmBORye0qZaU9vT5spy0IE2Zt2ZW9Feafk4FuyuCXtDocQUp2tDNqL6LuwN0k0x7Ed4_6QQA4vkTlgmwwL7GturGpj9ZLKkYu2Selc6CVZEMM8t4PNYCgvdu4Qim4xzrs/s320/A1D22BE4-B18C-49D7-837A-49D3A16F5838.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It also included preparations for the weekend away we would be departing for the next day (which means getting the house and farm ready to turn over to others for a few days - much less daunting than the two weeks in August, but still a case of "detail-overload"). In the evening, Alida invented taco ice cream cones which seemed like a great way to minimize taco explosions out whatever end you aren't eating from!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2U_EZXzNlxEeDAsSoOZA_E3Vdhv8nAB2p8ORJ_VdWOoQF3N8LKGJfYwJAKJnOpveMiPLPwIAgSazTlttGySgcSyg02fDZKNCLYDgN2Xf4b-_wCzDmRfoY0_iWbTqK-0DWnR8dvF0aFceCwrwL0W9rvGNaDo-FtWcQWMjpdnE9ABb9do8yaK_2t2F/s4080/62B2CD9E-B621-4FCD-A23F-91154EBEA56D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2U_EZXzNlxEeDAsSoOZA_E3Vdhv8nAB2p8ORJ_VdWOoQF3N8LKGJfYwJAKJnOpveMiPLPwIAgSazTlttGySgcSyg02fDZKNCLYDgN2Xf4b-_wCzDmRfoY0_iWbTqK-0DWnR8dvF0aFceCwrwL0W9rvGNaDo-FtWcQWMjpdnE9ABb9do8yaK_2t2F/s320/62B2CD9E-B621-4FCD-A23F-91154EBEA56D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdfphhttGTkuHvzb0mBfUF-9IDR6Ene4u4yBbh29xqbztE-8BkBSqyQdHDmmjUrI-P_CCdHoo4f9VoBIFctCMTZmAHtEL2T1zdvAJ0FB1lWylox9G2nxDWMQZrEmo2agHv_CJQDHwy48pwUh_fd8nvqcy5EKMGaoNtpQE9ehe83FG1cdkhrQ9gWCL/s4080/57A0DFE4-E7D4-4283-875B-D52DDCFEF9A2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdfphhttGTkuHvzb0mBfUF-9IDR6Ene4u4yBbh29xqbztE-8BkBSqyQdHDmmjUrI-P_CCdHoo4f9VoBIFctCMTZmAHtEL2T1zdvAJ0FB1lWylox9G2nxDWMQZrEmo2agHv_CJQDHwy48pwUh_fd8nvqcy5EKMGaoNtpQE9ehe83FG1cdkhrQ9gWCL/w151-h200/57A0DFE4-E7D4-4283-875B-D52DDCFEF9A2.jpeg" width="151" /></a><i>Friday, November 3 - Monday, November 6 </i>- These few days really should have their very own blogpost but I've only got one in me this evening! Friday afternoon, we headed to Pocahontas State Park (VA) for the annual Showalter-Godshall-Myers-Benner weekend - a delightful few days with three generations of friends! </div><div><br /></div><div>I soaked in a few hours with Bear Friday morning before doing the farm errands as fast as I could and racing home to unload and join the hubbub of final preparations for leaving. The younger gals were happy to leave early with Grandma and Grandpa, allowing Jason and I to enjoy the trip with just Kali once we tied up all the loose ends! We were on to help with meals Friday evening and Saturday brunch and so I didn't feel like I fully unwound until sometime on Saturday!</div><div><br /></div><div>I just perused HUNDREDS of photos of our 2+ days together and have no idea how to pick just a few. Here's a few and after uploading them I realized that I didn't pick any of us eating and that is NOT because we didn't eat! We enjoyed so many delicious beautiful meals and fun interesting (and in some cases VERY chewy) snacks. But I guess the games and hikes and smiling faces--not to mention naps!--stuck out to me more! Here's our crew and where we stayed! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zHV-N6uVblTfHh5Y72i9BMqYLhMXgyXR27f0UmPXfB8ptsvYwYNVmiK-bmJfsvh1P1eM8fpjcL-lkCE2xRdccWBUFy3xg6EY4EjbI-fSshPt0Ro-gGqa-1M4DLM_zmt4jhC0bvKXRf2h5cNBKonF9ZuLWoL-pfnTKjVYGfxKO3DhqB5XSRRKQUA5/s4080/9554037D-8697-4363-BCF9-6B921894A28D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0zHV-N6uVblTfHh5Y72i9BMqYLhMXgyXR27f0UmPXfB8ptsvYwYNVmiK-bmJfsvh1P1eM8fpjcL-lkCE2xRdccWBUFy3xg6EY4EjbI-fSshPt0Ro-gGqa-1M4DLM_zmt4jhC0bvKXRf2h5cNBKonF9ZuLWoL-pfnTKjVYGfxKO3DhqB5XSRRKQUA5/s320/9554037D-8697-4363-BCF9-6B921894A28D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixM10_d1DK2mhqU_z3BV23KGfxgjVFOwog4okd2_tYEed4J_WuGw3dNeX5COjeVRJ1u3uTK9Tp87q3-aZpBuJuFBcLXchI0KMBrNT3F31Fh_YVVrJjtWE5bmTdXd7g6Ex3z7xMKH3AYTL-siPCtb8qUq-Jb3sNoXntFBFJd-z9Ao1kCkQGS9E1-RKc/s4080/D1CA08CB-9581-43C3-9597-55A62AF04727.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixM10_d1DK2mhqU_z3BV23KGfxgjVFOwog4okd2_tYEed4J_WuGw3dNeX5COjeVRJ1u3uTK9Tp87q3-aZpBuJuFBcLXchI0KMBrNT3F31Fh_YVVrJjtWE5bmTdXd7g6Ex3z7xMKH3AYTL-siPCtb8qUq-Jb3sNoXntFBFJd-z9Ao1kCkQGS9E1-RKc/s320/D1CA08CB-9581-43C3-9597-55A62AF04727.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now that kids are older they still need to be refueled regularly, but otherwise they need very little supervision or assistance from us to have a grand time together. Thankfully they all still do like to spend time with us too, so we enjoyed a lot of game playing and puzzling together!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BgkQEmn2UxCvzI-oZYXcdiGRWXCVXcHsZPC0Yfn1cfIOyiArYVARH6S5nJiJwGKYvuIeUogmhyQ34FgQTYrAmwPHKTFmCnQhzUa0V8t_LZ22dtliigRnzuTHSdd09kNF1FAanDpcHgAolyFWQuW6wo7onrRL6RA7-Vgzd-cREQYS98mZjHHh05mJ/s4080/1B0834A9-3FF4-4C99-8C02-24E9D0E4FF3B.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2BgkQEmn2UxCvzI-oZYXcdiGRWXCVXcHsZPC0Yfn1cfIOyiArYVARH6S5nJiJwGKYvuIeUogmhyQ34FgQTYrAmwPHKTFmCnQhzUa0V8t_LZ22dtliigRnzuTHSdd09kNF1FAanDpcHgAolyFWQuW6wo7onrRL6RA7-Vgzd-cREQYS98mZjHHh05mJ/s320/1B0834A9-3FF4-4C99-8C02-24E9D0E4FF3B.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU6wjPljqa37_Iknh10kPcoEZgpHT4pmwblmf-Q0PEP537sogkLq8B0fUpIpfIimiXsSate2z3D3d7kvYoPWCcSqFRCMQybI6HKZ2vHSZpLTVZO2rVl86Ea7t3TlhIvS5UX_eRfuEJ-RJKe-7VYwZbIoR_jTP9HRV4vC5XnQaJc1uJqWLiTzQSfoc/s4080/064403F7-6951-4E3B-9C40-893B272E91DF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghU6wjPljqa37_Iknh10kPcoEZgpHT4pmwblmf-Q0PEP537sogkLq8B0fUpIpfIimiXsSate2z3D3d7kvYoPWCcSqFRCMQybI6HKZ2vHSZpLTVZO2rVl86Ea7t3TlhIvS5UX_eRfuEJ-RJKe-7VYwZbIoR_jTP9HRV4vC5XnQaJc1uJqWLiTzQSfoc/s320/064403F7-6951-4E3B-9C40-893B272E91DF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucMsX8yZMv7DQ1toYhHHFNAKTvKplz85WgNqko6X2UtzHtEFRCRxeX6IMpAjc5-yJNefsos0_aQyvHn1sWU7W3k8wODJLmRXbtOb5_tyIIUcD7a6lnMeJMgzn7FxeIUwJyyCfG4gLGzY-4-GOrPuel-mJQzoeAN7jRVWDrNSL3vyorxUymDIxSte3/s4624/A3BB9EFB-BDBD-4909-82CE-19F97E5258CF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucMsX8yZMv7DQ1toYhHHFNAKTvKplz85WgNqko6X2UtzHtEFRCRxeX6IMpAjc5-yJNefsos0_aQyvHn1sWU7W3k8wODJLmRXbtOb5_tyIIUcD7a6lnMeJMgzn7FxeIUwJyyCfG4gLGzY-4-GOrPuel-mJQzoeAN7jRVWDrNSL3vyorxUymDIxSte3/s320/A3BB9EFB-BDBD-4909-82CE-19F97E5258CF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jason got to have some sidebar conversations with Tim about our pavilion plans!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV7EzmrVTw3BjwXBZf9xVY8l3IaWNjYjgyI2q4gC-zpqC_wi9jNIfaI6CG9iKpnweH6DKp5AcR-6WvREkxyM9pw7FINQgOoQ0gE9YZmJF-nECjiaUk1NLYogSelcq17XvSgM2M6nQuCeqz2tiKjL8ZS6ap1IcP0sfYT05qbUFwtxbJWEiMtZUBpyB/s4080/F87F1073-BEBF-424D-8B20-8E9767099D8D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibV7EzmrVTw3BjwXBZf9xVY8l3IaWNjYjgyI2q4gC-zpqC_wi9jNIfaI6CG9iKpnweH6DKp5AcR-6WvREkxyM9pw7FINQgOoQ0gE9YZmJF-nECjiaUk1NLYogSelcq17XvSgM2M6nQuCeqz2tiKjL8ZS6ap1IcP0sfYT05qbUFwtxbJWEiMtZUBpyB/s320/F87F1073-BEBF-424D-8B20-8E9767099D8D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Chats or bird watching or reading from the porch looking down on the river were popular. I preferred cozying up on the lawn! I tried to read but that only lasted for a bit until sleep overtook me!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkuU5ET6_iHd_WXvNZn4z6g394Rb91JnyIh-X0GZ0utWO_TGsO5gH7RxgBxeHGwbEgXt3pMUSpkXpzxjWBzVldrPhgdMAUnbTqaPmWSwg8oLYv-OruU2ponBDSpVR2uIPNZrF6HFwU8T7H8sr6ILGCAnWcjxw5uofKVEuDvFSALreEAuVOUjr5965/s4000/1D4F1185-1061-4078-9334-FC5633B4B13D.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2664" data-original-width="4000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivkuU5ET6_iHd_WXvNZn4z6g394Rb91JnyIh-X0GZ0utWO_TGsO5gH7RxgBxeHGwbEgXt3pMUSpkXpzxjWBzVldrPhgdMAUnbTqaPmWSwg8oLYv-OruU2ponBDSpVR2uIPNZrF6HFwU8T7H8sr6ILGCAnWcjxw5uofKVEuDvFSALreEAuVOUjr5965/s320/1D4F1185-1061-4078-9334-FC5633B4B13D.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtq9M5-aXTxzBhvClhStXOJQbZwF5pNVj7DlFte2_8UVD92PUw_FW_4iUN3ubwJHKzOGXJ8oxGsmAvczD8JkW_Topn1xogUGyLAQEhiFQ7y-M9jkx61nbPnNZ_gSC4Oo-B7k-YKz1N-5sbhyphenhyphencYs_H7ZqOWIYbiDmMpTtCpDSyKndBOFpndCYzFi1G/s4080/322392E7-72C6-4CD1-9436-E73296E57427.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMtq9M5-aXTxzBhvClhStXOJQbZwF5pNVj7DlFte2_8UVD92PUw_FW_4iUN3ubwJHKzOGXJ8oxGsmAvczD8JkW_Topn1xogUGyLAQEhiFQ7y-M9jkx61nbPnNZ_gSC4Oo-B7k-YKz1N-5sbhyphenhyphencYs_H7ZqOWIYbiDmMpTtCpDSyKndBOFpndCYzFi1G/s320/322392E7-72C6-4CD1-9436-E73296E57427.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUwYgVeHB9pi29JAbRLD7kq2TM2_QP-BnP0Oc0fTvTAnQnMKmbkLt-MQO33gfVct41D38XHQKU-szFlvQbC2MZ3eiC3lq_0yh5VIX4BIiv94-H7QkumRru2YUDWESrPG7beeYu_z3Va6E-ImGJ40vmkxErYfJmx5TNq8CGtf4Af6XYjb-OBxewNaH/s4624/C10C9491-4550-4A15-A9E4-3F4D63F48BC5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3468" data-original-width="4624" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBUwYgVeHB9pi29JAbRLD7kq2TM2_QP-BnP0Oc0fTvTAnQnMKmbkLt-MQO33gfVct41D38XHQKU-szFlvQbC2MZ3eiC3lq_0yh5VIX4BIiv94-H7QkumRru2YUDWESrPG7beeYu_z3Va6E-ImGJ40vmkxErYfJmx5TNq8CGtf4Af6XYjb-OBxewNaH/s320/C10C9491-4550-4A15-A9E4-3F4D63F48BC5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>There was a lot of laughter and silliness too. Both Grandpas were teased extensively and had their hands embellished with lots of pink! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhERdWR7RF9gcJxLy-m45AM0IvsHKVYpDnwpcXdTO6WBoAU1OWRt1NR9lq4OB7vsxTBb5b-l50kn-piJVa_-vPuBomfKPcJhWGCAsXizD2bsB5iW75UOriMJnnmX8ve2a_FC5NUthxMFMQnmJgAn2rjDL-eMBImFpqaiB1ffY2odIqaLNbi0LUkWf/s4080/8FE17F5C-5121-41C0-AB55-D8E7797E6F12.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuhERdWR7RF9gcJxLy-m45AM0IvsHKVYpDnwpcXdTO6WBoAU1OWRt1NR9lq4OB7vsxTBb5b-l50kn-piJVa_-vPuBomfKPcJhWGCAsXizD2bsB5iW75UOriMJnnmX8ve2a_FC5NUthxMFMQnmJgAn2rjDL-eMBImFpqaiB1ffY2odIqaLNbi0LUkWf/s320/8FE17F5C-5121-41C0-AB55-D8E7797E6F12.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One night the 9 of us adults hid around the dark house and when the kids found us we all had treats for them. Jason won the prize for the best hiding place!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FoWQcdkUtGo62tPEFlhR6X0zb6Pfa53FoAarl2m-GxgveVdP4BXvn-lbmz2c24yDQTdm0dIwi-28qvRcecLmdQYGEjtDId6-ntrp3QmQ335VC-V1RDZ3LjhEOlxp2kvuGUmKqXT0GZUgT9NoXAo6GBekbxsls6oIFMAM-VbG0tWjtgpEQzHqVtsb/s4080/00D7D539-9FA5-4264-9AB7-BC8FE5C6A058.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7FoWQcdkUtGo62tPEFlhR6X0zb6Pfa53FoAarl2m-GxgveVdP4BXvn-lbmz2c24yDQTdm0dIwi-28qvRcecLmdQYGEjtDId6-ntrp3QmQ335VC-V1RDZ3LjhEOlxp2kvuGUmKqXT0GZUgT9NoXAo6GBekbxsls6oIFMAM-VbG0tWjtgpEQzHqVtsb/s320/00D7D539-9FA5-4264-9AB7-BC8FE5C6A058.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We could not have asked for more glorious weather - not too hot, not too cold, just right!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYtdXOM7qWUAwYc3iFP1kV5aEfgLOqUwCK3Wn3maASxQDJZpn-GEA3lOtQ8lM1odGTWK5oqDcfXMyFDnVvgn490-Mqz9Axw09Nn005pa_9KKzfi3EK3dZmfWMaHflDUgCDfFleaqelX1NpOqbp4Au_wShQrAKiiXsHVks9DUNDpNHYcwksB94agiw/s4080/C0D4AD63-6C6C-4F33-8F41-2A1F7B30E6F5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYtdXOM7qWUAwYc3iFP1kV5aEfgLOqUwCK3Wn3maASxQDJZpn-GEA3lOtQ8lM1odGTWK5oqDcfXMyFDnVvgn490-Mqz9Axw09Nn005pa_9KKzfi3EK3dZmfWMaHflDUgCDfFleaqelX1NpOqbp4Au_wShQrAKiiXsHVks9DUNDpNHYcwksB94agiw/s320/C0D4AD63-6C6C-4F33-8F41-2A1F7B30E6F5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Sometimes when I looked up I saw big trees...sometimes smiling faces. Both so beautiful!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_XCjIpSGNyVU746o7JDiu4IF4EWgBdhuCQZc2_AkR-AjTsr0GG-522LuxrZSpdc8dhouzzeTcHitcR1kveUXWYCAn3X06GbsK-KzmaNGiS38RjIfsdakWwJ9dm9WtvtK-3tNR-qNavCoLegZpr5fSDHgCqJFHtkPA_Vd2Ug2F4rPwMStZsEihTsx/s4080/ECEE1973-FEBE-4A5A-9614-7C1942405F2A.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_XCjIpSGNyVU746o7JDiu4IF4EWgBdhuCQZc2_AkR-AjTsr0GG-522LuxrZSpdc8dhouzzeTcHitcR1kveUXWYCAn3X06GbsK-KzmaNGiS38RjIfsdakWwJ9dm9WtvtK-3tNR-qNavCoLegZpr5fSDHgCqJFHtkPA_Vd2Ug2F4rPwMStZsEihTsx/s320/ECEE1973-FEBE-4A5A-9614-7C1942405F2A.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbIBGKob0kbmHWDWlaVVR8oX1RzzZp2-B3sfEYwIEq6w0CxrqXAdUD0YiZ7Oq-o9WfEypI5YlF2g-UA4tV2qeUu6RElSjpZnBdd45UntfKeBrGBnjj1jIfrvexLfqChWore0_xYSzOXyIg5Jfi7jOPf7iSZBlDppCpafqTieEcwBBhHWx5TMTnp92/s4080/E1E482AE-0D13-4DCB-9EE7-E5726B8B30F3.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMbIBGKob0kbmHWDWlaVVR8oX1RzzZp2-B3sfEYwIEq6w0CxrqXAdUD0YiZ7Oq-o9WfEypI5YlF2g-UA4tV2qeUu6RElSjpZnBdd45UntfKeBrGBnjj1jIfrvexLfqChWore0_xYSzOXyIg5Jfi7jOPf7iSZBlDppCpafqTieEcwBBhHWx5TMTnp92/s320/E1E482AE-0D13-4DCB-9EE7-E5726B8B30F3.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Tuesday, November 7</i> - It wasn't easy to leave the time away with friends and away from the project list and daily responsibilities! And I planned a doozy for the day following with an afternoon of dentist appointments for cleaning for all of us, sealants for Alida and I had a small chipped tooth that just ended up needing to be smoothed. We all did just fine, but I was pining for the forest!! At least we had an evening with Jonathan, Christen and Luca to look forward to. And our appointments went quickly enough for there to be time before dark for Alida and Terah to get a wood splitting lesson! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkANKmTVSlD51gFXjg9ST1TMGKnkIe0QMOfy_22M03X_LwvcSOQSCkWeTAvLrb0JDG1h-MZ6SgO722-AoSVqbhjeO4zQrTyTN0KL6xHGTgi2SqIIY6vIMG1cEJpnx1AbR4TocM68BVkA-FEZDDGEPey4SB2Kdeg7U5znOy5ooxGLf73b_d4Xml6v-/s4032/0AE2316E-6173-409E-BB96-9C9D0C04F17E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIkANKmTVSlD51gFXjg9ST1TMGKnkIe0QMOfy_22M03X_LwvcSOQSCkWeTAvLrb0JDG1h-MZ6SgO722-AoSVqbhjeO4zQrTyTN0KL6xHGTgi2SqIIY6vIMG1cEJpnx1AbR4TocM68BVkA-FEZDDGEPey4SB2Kdeg7U5znOy5ooxGLf73b_d4Xml6v-/s320/0AE2316E-6173-409E-BB96-9C9D0C04F17E.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BlE8GQfDGxFJDGAcaiSggUF7YDAHSqCPIldntSZZnuSYfIEo6TtfMeT_O7zLxaPIv_ua3qDn1vM9NYWUdESeaVNdg0SRmfowM4AXHdIK_waAJVxdyMwUl23K9IXOSMST8ZXl_tS6wJj903mGrKdF-iM9Y_6LF9R9HK2REqkZNM0gm6fQCOROaR91/s4032/76D11B30-CEF2-49CC-9821-AA52EF682226.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-BlE8GQfDGxFJDGAcaiSggUF7YDAHSqCPIldntSZZnuSYfIEo6TtfMeT_O7zLxaPIv_ua3qDn1vM9NYWUdESeaVNdg0SRmfowM4AXHdIK_waAJVxdyMwUl23K9IXOSMST8ZXl_tS6wJj903mGrKdF-iM9Y_6LF9R9HK2REqkZNM0gm6fQCOROaR91/s320/76D11B30-CEF2-49CC-9821-AA52EF682226.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxd0fcIsZ0SsUdil8vYqEsXi_-FJHhA_96kSRrTfAfWOyJ7lQhituzTMQ29uOETik1t3K7__9SaSPF_HDqdRGGteJk63TYqvX4xMvz0ZWMETteYksz1CZofsJHNs3XilEnXFC5qgyujJ9CfnpMVWXBQbOpfV5ZNI8HKQRDRubiOoVZnQpiCmPP37Kf/s4032/FC9783AF-14A6-49AF-97CB-51FC34E99D83.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxd0fcIsZ0SsUdil8vYqEsXi_-FJHhA_96kSRrTfAfWOyJ7lQhituzTMQ29uOETik1t3K7__9SaSPF_HDqdRGGteJk63TYqvX4xMvz0ZWMETteYksz1CZofsJHNs3XilEnXFC5qgyujJ9CfnpMVWXBQbOpfV5ZNI8HKQRDRubiOoVZnQpiCmPP37Kf/s320/FC9783AF-14A6-49AF-97CB-51FC34E99D83.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><i>Wednesday, November 8</i> - Jason's week was a mix of fence clearing work and grant writing work! Today marked the day Jason wrapped up the first ever grant for agricultural work at Tangly Woods. It has been submitted and now we wait! </div><div><br /></div><div>I got to be with Bear for over 10 hours this day! He joined me and Rachel for a lovely walk, which he sacked out for all of! He entertained us with his babbling. And it worked out for us to then enjoy having his parents (who also happen to be our dear, dear friends and not just Bear's parents!) come and linger for dinner with us.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEu3fq1qHCeyLP_b5jYeiaHRkrNPnkKaDz8zwHRLfeiboY0PSPwhNTHgIm0gCnemVicYr-PtDwC-JVcuhnyO3gqpirpCvfZq8OaUke7ekVg19AOObXYgDBa5HyHvrNFlRJokcKtKoW6dhC9OUR1CmD3qOBjoYXlu7W2hgAU_p7VFTvU4N-WBhJ-xgN/s3264/6691BE43-FD55-424C-BAC2-BBC1D256B230.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEu3fq1qHCeyLP_b5jYeiaHRkrNPnkKaDz8zwHRLfeiboY0PSPwhNTHgIm0gCnemVicYr-PtDwC-JVcuhnyO3gqpirpCvfZq8OaUke7ekVg19AOObXYgDBa5HyHvrNFlRJokcKtKoW6dhC9OUR1CmD3qOBjoYXlu7W2hgAU_p7VFTvU4N-WBhJ-xgN/s320/6691BE43-FD55-424C-BAC2-BBC1D256B230.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUE9jCJIRjGnU_1hN4QmTHJTZsSnJAOoNhVoB-stjVOWpzGPQBeNmhoTX2vj1IE1KQ7vqzs8WVRbvX6mnpZGWUYrZKqsks-gQbLuKQDuTiSltus5ZshAGXyNEDkTX8iREhRgIXKu0WXAokB_HhcWmJhlRKiyjLVXqsC2SZ2l95sl1bTUmHzgoQHKE9/s4080/CF7D3153-AFA1-4A91-A8EC-CDAD2E0704FE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUE9jCJIRjGnU_1hN4QmTHJTZsSnJAOoNhVoB-stjVOWpzGPQBeNmhoTX2vj1IE1KQ7vqzs8WVRbvX6mnpZGWUYrZKqsks-gQbLuKQDuTiSltus5ZshAGXyNEDkTX8iREhRgIXKu0WXAokB_HhcWmJhlRKiyjLVXqsC2SZ2l95sl1bTUmHzgoQHKE9/s320/CF7D3153-AFA1-4A91-A8EC-CDAD2E0704FE.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yFj_BobAm-Hq-ZFo_CdNmb1S3k7WXKKcOohWaEI2zOpa3Iuy_Dl1U-ptYlAktBcPGczc0rf9Q3aE146gpbMihsbYCAnORxNhsPwsoXw6pQ1JUgyRUB9cvmFFGSIzLoTn_G9Js84u0sNzTINTzJvq5R9YLn1tIdZrJRye0LnOlAJxJLi_QM0ZISpm/s2048/CE3C13EA-42C4-4507-802C-7715F94E6ABE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4yFj_BobAm-Hq-ZFo_CdNmb1S3k7WXKKcOohWaEI2zOpa3Iuy_Dl1U-ptYlAktBcPGczc0rf9Q3aE146gpbMihsbYCAnORxNhsPwsoXw6pQ1JUgyRUB9cvmFFGSIzLoTn_G9Js84u0sNzTINTzJvq5R9YLn1tIdZrJRye0LnOlAJxJLi_QM0ZISpm/s320/CE3C13EA-42C4-4507-802C-7715F94E6ABE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVjL9EnzoG048eqPKczHovKbRgb4yGtaZiSGr9UWbuQPzvuh_uTY_G44DUG_OEZbxOPKqoNVn0UfcCrrMk_0Dan12DBxRlm4PwRLa1Mv9sbW5EjKj1A2DCgyYLLjSchT2OZ1NHXypVjt1TIU2jblJgj6pdpOTuYaVU9Gz70ubsJvjrpudBNNSmeVX/s4080/28949FD6-EB64-4A31-9ABD-CA1C632705B5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcVjL9EnzoG048eqPKczHovKbRgb4yGtaZiSGr9UWbuQPzvuh_uTY_G44DUG_OEZbxOPKqoNVn0UfcCrrMk_0Dan12DBxRlm4PwRLa1Mv9sbW5EjKj1A2DCgyYLLjSchT2OZ1NHXypVjt1TIU2jblJgj6pdpOTuYaVU9Gz70ubsJvjrpudBNNSmeVX/w151-h200/28949FD6-EB64-4A31-9ABD-CA1C632705B5.jpeg" width="151" /></a><i>Thursday, November 9</i> - This was a day to soak in some last connection time with Rachel while having Luca over to play for a few hours and puttering in the kitchen prepping chex mix, caramel corn, cookies and dinner for our time with friends.. When Rachel planned her trip, two weeks sounded like it would give us plenty of time for all the catching up we could possibly dream of! We fit so much into pockets of time here and there - over meals, on walks, in the kitchen, etc... But it seems there is no end to the places our conversations could take us. It was so special to have this time together and to renourish the deep roots of our friendship, which has been a part of my life for over half of it now!</div><div><br /></div><div>Our plan had been to say goodbye Thursday and take off for WV for 3 nights with friends (3 nights for 3 seasons of Ted Lasso)! Sadly, Alena and Andrew needed to head to PA for the memorial service for a friend's child and so we shifted our time to Tangly Woods and shortened it. We kicked off the time Thursday evening with dinner, the first handful of episodes from Season 1, and Smiley's ice cream before we crashed. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOPuPIUHZxzkeX0NW9fDPJjigvqO79cqyHmBvDSrPAinyezphiKbO2tqPAGUHFIaSISNjOSCne6yySiOnnZlITGLH5943uMm8CEe0xX41GMUnEk5f0MOXfB8WlReh1KZD5FNEv_xwQej7ou0iE4bssaVQtVMyJsEgqXTd7Hg4-GQM_D2WLxkhDeTO/s4080/66BE33DD-AD8D-4DD6-8BF9-66FD6B3E31C9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOPuPIUHZxzkeX0NW9fDPJjigvqO79cqyHmBvDSrPAinyezphiKbO2tqPAGUHFIaSISNjOSCne6yySiOnnZlITGLH5943uMm8CEe0xX41GMUnEk5f0MOXfB8WlReh1KZD5FNEv_xwQej7ou0iE4bssaVQtVMyJsEgqXTd7Hg4-GQM_D2WLxkhDeTO/s320/66BE33DD-AD8D-4DD6-8BF9-66FD6B3E31C9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrR2XR3C2BAz5oPakgeybCi6InIGTW5RvmnTbAe3dtcGiyzZJbFgW0li3148XBjQB547x1A-4vFNTMKfFbJmtfK9PTlRx3-sFgvKLdQLGtafW2TvYE6q-rklaMbSC3wOeITytSo9-tGoPv5kauTEccCA3sh-Mh7Q3QUDXufv5e-O3srOFis-s0QgkE/s4080/BECC2AAC-1D62-4D7E-86D6-A3B8137FCD74.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrR2XR3C2BAz5oPakgeybCi6InIGTW5RvmnTbAe3dtcGiyzZJbFgW0li3148XBjQB547x1A-4vFNTMKfFbJmtfK9PTlRx3-sFgvKLdQLGtafW2TvYE6q-rklaMbSC3wOeITytSo9-tGoPv5kauTEccCA3sh-Mh7Q3QUDXufv5e-O3srOFis-s0QgkE/s320/BECC2AAC-1D62-4D7E-86D6-A3B8137FCD74.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Friday, November 10 - </i>This day is pretty easy to sum up: brunch, Ted Lasso, snacks, Ted Lasso, ping pong, snacks, Ted Lasso, soccer, chicken visiting, snacks, Ted Lasso, supper, and Ransom Notes with laughter and good conversation sprinkled throughout. It went way too fast, but we have our next time together on the books.... It was a delightful day! I love Ted Lasso just as much the second time around!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitw0eP294NJMdEcl8pDzD5Fq2hWKc83KQOz5t5Pogeoxfm5MJ3nGPDQWWmC4gROVAvnjMWBjEDCQGEzhx9Vz9pPl5ijo2t-8FHwjoW3lfIsMN6L-kUq8Zd9N99YCAF8IaC2iemSxE-kx9qKFDilEuc3K5TKUQThO9SXq7pABh1Vj4hYVm_8FxhkBea/s4080/A9E87B68-AE43-4FC8-963F-9596ED6805CE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitw0eP294NJMdEcl8pDzD5Fq2hWKc83KQOz5t5Pogeoxfm5MJ3nGPDQWWmC4gROVAvnjMWBjEDCQGEzhx9Vz9pPl5ijo2t-8FHwjoW3lfIsMN6L-kUq8Zd9N99YCAF8IaC2iemSxE-kx9qKFDilEuc3K5TKUQThO9SXq7pABh1Vj4hYVm_8FxhkBea/s320/A9E87B68-AE43-4FC8-963F-9596ED6805CE.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-Lq9HQ2St56M3tHrzMujG6PDODjRjRJ-sPzm7NeD4JDu2h5KTe5YMi7oANNiwyIM_OvFVXf46Ea0_RiVd6AX6td-eviiDzBpfJa2lS2b71hrRJXO9e0YMqxxrKmTZapXjbNFh3n5OfK-EgPBRj8lHnZCjYjXqOgwzPiP-A68cekW8OXcjfzlrTYp/s4080/F1E74BFF-4F65-4D0A-9EFE-7DD3A09F3C40.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-Lq9HQ2St56M3tHrzMujG6PDODjRjRJ-sPzm7NeD4JDu2h5KTe5YMi7oANNiwyIM_OvFVXf46Ea0_RiVd6AX6td-eviiDzBpfJa2lS2b71hrRJXO9e0YMqxxrKmTZapXjbNFh3n5OfK-EgPBRj8lHnZCjYjXqOgwzPiP-A68cekW8OXcjfzlrTYp/s320/F1E74BFF-4F65-4D0A-9EFE-7DD3A09F3C40.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mGjsYfCPK5FNeIBzteUh1pSr9nahA_HNT9l-DyRtVpkMMkD7PJBN197K9f-jckL1p9JV5r0Edgh_eCVHFEhEUvo8ApKDMiEBRQHRgOW0QSPCbSKHnDGnthDOab340rtfH7EY6_YD89agLfD_NhpetMTrrhxBPqYmn0fCqdryQxJ-_pdHRWsYoBWF/s4080/E9273AA2-76BF-48BF-9605-72D9B27D6850.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mGjsYfCPK5FNeIBzteUh1pSr9nahA_HNT9l-DyRtVpkMMkD7PJBN197K9f-jckL1p9JV5r0Edgh_eCVHFEhEUvo8ApKDMiEBRQHRgOW0QSPCbSKHnDGnthDOab340rtfH7EY6_YD89agLfD_NhpetMTrrhxBPqYmn0fCqdryQxJ-_pdHRWsYoBWF/s320/E9273AA2-76BF-48BF-9605-72D9B27D6850.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3L2AjbtDSTvH14BOWqU87j1unN0Sfj6Kwy1btaoNkJcORj5Ha2k8QA7dxjo9o-O_2iEocjrKgWCdF_wvBmOGYEGJt7ZnncdttWH6kmdRZCfnKEZjZ3P8F8tZuXKO0RxfRpFw4FAFVFxGzKo0IdQ281LrCG4J9sXSo702TRqwbdls0k15SFKjQHoa/s4080/8826353A-D3E7-46C2-8D3B-B7493B349583.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3L2AjbtDSTvH14BOWqU87j1unN0Sfj6Kwy1btaoNkJcORj5Ha2k8QA7dxjo9o-O_2iEocjrKgWCdF_wvBmOGYEGJt7ZnncdttWH6kmdRZCfnKEZjZ3P8F8tZuXKO0RxfRpFw4FAFVFxGzKo0IdQ281LrCG4J9sXSo702TRqwbdls0k15SFKjQHoa/s320/8826353A-D3E7-46C2-8D3B-B7493B349583.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_7hE-syBSbqZIXdbgSiTPsTdq19-DqR7-bZTgvwLH-AOqa_i5hYxjsGQZZxfNhSY24eG3zc3cRLzT7uGOZ9A2CRxOlOlaZMcJFQ5sJ_SDP1b8r_mGQXz6n06TFD9_jSmqXUCwpwjj2p6MQq0XRahMBOHDY1gdeXrBwCntY3O3D-J91T1-HFn6b9E/s4080/8B3535B2-F3FF-41F3-B155-A0749B311CA0.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR_7hE-syBSbqZIXdbgSiTPsTdq19-DqR7-bZTgvwLH-AOqa_i5hYxjsGQZZxfNhSY24eG3zc3cRLzT7uGOZ9A2CRxOlOlaZMcJFQ5sJ_SDP1b8r_mGQXz6n06TFD9_jSmqXUCwpwjj2p6MQq0XRahMBOHDY1gdeXrBwCntY3O3D-J91T1-HFn6b9E/s320/8B3535B2-F3FF-41F3-B155-A0749B311CA0.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsnpp8tPeVy9gbvVzBbAU22SmRw076tHlnE5wtUdxs17IGddark20ocG87-_-yit_6-lBVqDXl2xznr_MiovXn-vbUiIYgOUUmm0l_10tUZq9QsJ4fz5W_Oab-xeRAYTuD8KR09RY8Z5ZpVToo-F4wc78rXFoMvS_Ub-D1Br1nYPWv_V5duwhLXn7/s4080/CC2F6B48-909A-4977-AB74-04F9B2CDDD21.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsnpp8tPeVy9gbvVzBbAU22SmRw076tHlnE5wtUdxs17IGddark20ocG87-_-yit_6-lBVqDXl2xznr_MiovXn-vbUiIYgOUUmm0l_10tUZq9QsJ4fz5W_Oab-xeRAYTuD8KR09RY8Z5ZpVToo-F4wc78rXFoMvS_Ub-D1Br1nYPWv_V5duwhLXn7/s320/CC2F6B48-909A-4977-AB74-04F9B2CDDD21.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was bittersweet to have the day start with our final time with Rachel. But mostly sweet in that now it feels like someone who was mostly my friend and Jason's to some extent now has a relationship with each of us and I think we are both committed to it not being over a decade until we see each other again this go around!!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J7tSApokYoHSODxKwBWk7hO9GnVaRCqjTl-iL9P1Dya0gLod2U-rANKzM7JzTRWYybnJDi-gxf1ioZTIbt0kQZIoEM7yNJYXp2Dcn-X9naUuKrcrJMXyTCB2zvYkdMV474SVZHZpWPaWsUoxIbeb3HglUFgYGfbcFeEhD0cSxAZ4r9BGG2H6cxFL/s4080/C1C59081-F947-4CB5-BDEF-3D8CD178F1FF.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6J7tSApokYoHSODxKwBWk7hO9GnVaRCqjTl-iL9P1Dya0gLod2U-rANKzM7JzTRWYybnJDi-gxf1ioZTIbt0kQZIoEM7yNJYXp2Dcn-X9naUuKrcrJMXyTCB2zvYkdMV474SVZHZpWPaWsUoxIbeb3HglUFgYGfbcFeEhD0cSxAZ4r9BGG2H6cxFL/s320/C1C59081-F947-4CB5-BDEF-3D8CD178F1FF.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWITj1OueAfJzHo5yG4geos2oDFn9BoXWjKDJ9IS87UyUlorTbwF-Th2xQTlPsnjnEFfnT_eAYtayVPKX768nm8iBGEmkvz1nQ7end6qc1ISuTkgxVMkFcpBXgmglZ58ku44zz71YIZpKAWUmJcNCS8VWWmoHURFYtNpqKG2WNVMlU3S5ulmKrWtr/s4080/CD52A489-DEFF-4416-8295-23FDA5F254D5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvWITj1OueAfJzHo5yG4geos2oDFn9BoXWjKDJ9IS87UyUlorTbwF-Th2xQTlPsnjnEFfnT_eAYtayVPKX768nm8iBGEmkvz1nQ7end6qc1ISuTkgxVMkFcpBXgmglZ58ku44zz71YIZpKAWUmJcNCS8VWWmoHURFYtNpqKG2WNVMlU3S5ulmKrWtr/s320/CD52A489-DEFF-4416-8295-23FDA5F254D5.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Saturday, November 11 - </i>And here were are at today! Since we weren't in WV, it provided a necessary opening for me to dedicate much of the day to helping Alida go through her clothes. I took no photos for relatively obvious reasons, but can report success (other than the headache I had by the end of it). It was fun and tedious and tiring and kind of mind blowing to absorb how fast some kiddos grow!! So now it's nearing 10 p.m and we've got a family meeting to finish so I need to sign off! </div><div><br /></div><div>If you have gotten to the end of this post and you are not my mother, you deserve some kind of medal!</div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-66897785914467464562023-10-23T12:44:00.000-07:002023-10-23T12:44:14.763-07:00Everything else! I'm running out of steam! AND the kids are home from their sleepover. AND Kali just went and picked up 3 bushels of broccoli side shoots and 2 of cabbage that I need to "deal with." So not included in the other 4 posts from today, but scrapbook-worthy:<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlDkoFPfqvBjvANfk73FgSKNz7T6cWxHwzIoxcIMktRcPp1RDcP1vl-y5ZzouagIOia4mbl7CYfLXPLQvJ1DyyQ81gZmuZtCogfGjYFDpuDUUZe-6pay2Yf1lDtrCAth7_nnw3nL55xrXV41Y5O40Ev6VOSMMEqGXlB3sAzpWk5LTZiJvcmkepUuy/s4080/AC98BDCD-B3EB-49B1-875C-AD669E379CF7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQlDkoFPfqvBjvANfk73FgSKNz7T6cWxHwzIoxcIMktRcPp1RDcP1vl-y5ZzouagIOia4mbl7CYfLXPLQvJ1DyyQ81gZmuZtCogfGjYFDpuDUUZe-6pay2Yf1lDtrCAth7_nnw3nL55xrXV41Y5O40Ev6VOSMMEqGXlB3sAzpWk5LTZiJvcmkepUuy/s320/AC98BDCD-B3EB-49B1-875C-AD669E379CF7.jpeg" width="320" /></a>I think we can call it an annual tradition now that it has happened a few times, with the expressed hope from them that we'll continue to say yes to their requests yearly! We hosted the Shenandoah Permaculture Institute's class again for a half day tour of Tangly Woods. Half the time is looking at our physical house with a particular interest in passive solar design. The remainder of the time is used for a fly through tour of the animals and gardens, trying to tailor the time to what each year's particular group is most interested in. The time is always short and also a good chance for Jason and I to pause briefly, be in the same space together, and have a chance to reflect out loud to others what we are doing and why. </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixb9m1QC0CDc49dXyyeIGSbMgUerPPtCWdXIYsRfYCkRBX7UAixVtHn1mPh626UAe1K9AWyI3Q2B0vTx6Rh40nqQM9VsPVrqCzj8sI4XUwX8f73oglTfp7Ok3kGHi8BbnE9nTXw5NB9v3BIYodGzU3gp3Oxawj1lcuRyzXrfBzfGvuAr_EzUat5Kzp/s4080/2003E29D-3ED0-4B15-BFD1-8496F98F5E40.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixb9m1QC0CDc49dXyyeIGSbMgUerPPtCWdXIYsRfYCkRBX7UAixVtHn1mPh626UAe1K9AWyI3Q2B0vTx6Rh40nqQM9VsPVrqCzj8sI4XUwX8f73oglTfp7Ok3kGHi8BbnE9nTXw5NB9v3BIYodGzU3gp3Oxawj1lcuRyzXrfBzfGvuAr_EzUat5Kzp/w200-h151/2003E29D-3ED0-4B15-BFD1-8496F98F5E40.jpeg" width="200" /></a>After the group left, Jason and I had the rare opportunity to go for a hike with just Alida! What a special few hours!! Every time we carve out time to spend with our children individually, it's always so fun and we yearn for more of it! So we hatched an idea with Alida and it was unanimously supported and voted into our schedule at our last family meeting - a rotating Sunday hike schedule where Jason and I get to regularly go for a walk with each of our daughters. We'll kick that off after we savor this next string of hosting dearly loved friends and some weekend travel. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrhxtw9kRUCOMn9V_qlSybpAkQifuCzUkT4j2kB3pUBKVzjMAyvE9qHxc8YRnoAYzUQbpDF7alUpWamTa0wZVAWlzwDZ9fBJwEPDJn2d_qweRAHnEJbOTolhowXOYgPb1gNbbGhXSWH6gp6X3s99vvEHNPvdaJ_XKyEc30BHMYj3GPHZ9UTJLcved/s1600/8D1E24CA-520C-4175-8C1C-41A898A07BC9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdrhxtw9kRUCOMn9V_qlSybpAkQifuCzUkT4j2kB3pUBKVzjMAyvE9qHxc8YRnoAYzUQbpDF7alUpWamTa0wZVAWlzwDZ9fBJwEPDJn2d_qweRAHnEJbOTolhowXOYgPb1gNbbGhXSWH6gp6X3s99vvEHNPvdaJ_XKyEc30BHMYj3GPHZ9UTJLcved/s320/8D1E24CA-520C-4175-8C1C-41A898A07BC9.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXdCs9dtnZ0EMmQRsDtBGI-l53k7inX1W8hqqN9XLkEcZI4T3f9GIvDntacA2Fov1cT9Wuo-TjkrvxiXJw1R3hkpohfErxBpbZug7LP5XKDilSzTli_qEKPulnXXksUFCUsvY73lOUvzLc1RHtoDkH6kKEMepjdVpq7ZaBCQx6kHvPP_jw2v3mrh9/s3264/892BCAED-76D1-412F-AF22-06C8C4ABD41E.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXdCs9dtnZ0EMmQRsDtBGI-l53k7inX1W8hqqN9XLkEcZI4T3f9GIvDntacA2Fov1cT9Wuo-TjkrvxiXJw1R3hkpohfErxBpbZug7LP5XKDilSzTli_qEKPulnXXksUFCUsvY73lOUvzLc1RHtoDkH6kKEMepjdVpq7ZaBCQx6kHvPP_jw2v3mrh9/s320/892BCAED-76D1-412F-AF22-06C8C4ABD41E.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our stinging nettles are BEAUTIFUL right now and it's my new favorite greens for rolls.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpv4VyXj6IJuEX1s_xzQv0U0Dzoghe9TDX2QFS1D1FCAE8HUHV4Wma0xxFUfX_DUwZSJdoGHN467-AgeqQPQWVOBtLyBtodBIPdzr5xXjggNBYoQd9Dq8tzErsvDlyWyzGFGYF-BxVKdz5QnrTmyEVEzo9LBsdVBonBJtgynUmXKLlu4ZCx0Qm76j/s4080/IMG_20231010_095406089.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkpv4VyXj6IJuEX1s_xzQv0U0Dzoghe9TDX2QFS1D1FCAE8HUHV4Wma0xxFUfX_DUwZSJdoGHN467-AgeqQPQWVOBtLyBtodBIPdzr5xXjggNBYoQd9Dq8tzErsvDlyWyzGFGYF-BxVKdz5QnrTmyEVEzo9LBsdVBonBJtgynUmXKLlu4ZCx0Qm76j/s320/IMG_20231010_095406089.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>I love fall colors and flowers!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef_k4CWIY4FfwI6GRXmsFw-wu4PAAUJrui_L7rRwvYXgmdhYibPV8UV6to0cfm691FvU2-jG0zeweXdH4RQ12GdB-aBsVNK4qye3IaH7UF_izK9oIPu2CCeA_g50rEAdPxzJkIcI6P6Za0raoQGI1KA34UuYMqAX141aBPr7FLXTRwN_X7sPV9F4u/s4080/IMG_20231014_151922613.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjef_k4CWIY4FfwI6GRXmsFw-wu4PAAUJrui_L7rRwvYXgmdhYibPV8UV6to0cfm691FvU2-jG0zeweXdH4RQ12GdB-aBsVNK4qye3IaH7UF_izK9oIPu2CCeA_g50rEAdPxzJkIcI6P6Za0raoQGI1KA34UuYMqAX141aBPr7FLXTRwN_X7sPV9F4u/s320/IMG_20231014_151922613.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Some of our chickens really like to get high! Can you see the hen? <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0LIerElDOqhgOChpDGYCKQeL5a47fuToVKxqY1FVA62-o0H_t2iRv4aVaKBG2i1oJY3QpM0R1JdOWeqDe7iQ86sZ8vCPoK8KJXyIQtprB9kA5exdJKoVynu3vbwEUhWyRdeLJo3HMaqGuqnOYskTeUTWyjyuiF7J07V9SGH4ZkO7aTyrl5S3GVjh/s4080/IMG_20231018_095943680.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0LIerElDOqhgOChpDGYCKQeL5a47fuToVKxqY1FVA62-o0H_t2iRv4aVaKBG2i1oJY3QpM0R1JdOWeqDe7iQ86sZ8vCPoK8KJXyIQtprB9kA5exdJKoVynu3vbwEUhWyRdeLJo3HMaqGuqnOYskTeUTWyjyuiF7J07V9SGH4ZkO7aTyrl5S3GVjh/s320/IMG_20231018_095943680.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Our small group braved the elements the other night to come join us around the fire for a time of catching up and making a dent in the 3 vats of soup I had made the day before! <div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1erGkHvPl8D8Jbzn3zrMBldf4Hb8IDAgElr9OUlCmXc9iqAHSAkPQkuUvlf7im_9G909fhYVCh7394r2WmpCSFO2NKm2uC2-e2LngUZ-3zCtcbrG7Kz_TE6nwrUaplQ0ldTb4FXLc4mpCV_bae_r8PBQSeBEihYI6nny9ZInY0mA9UGUq2D-H-Mh/s4080/IMG_20231020_181125388.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB1erGkHvPl8D8Jbzn3zrMBldf4Hb8IDAgElr9OUlCmXc9iqAHSAkPQkuUvlf7im_9G909fhYVCh7394r2WmpCSFO2NKm2uC2-e2LngUZ-3zCtcbrG7Kz_TE6nwrUaplQ0ldTb4FXLc4mpCV_bae_r8PBQSeBEihYI6nny9ZInY0mA9UGUq2D-H-Mh/s320/IMG_20231020_181125388.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGh9xtdO5YKRLlExJYDWOgHAyC46jEGb-xOoC4Pz2s0o7h8kflGpe4FR0_aQFB91uaj_cOvnpOfG4eg63Z4ImdgZBiQdGchF-yXpkvebEodQo5O-ddVg5LPVXgturUeOmHXpBrX6pFWnXALCdeFryfACZ0VMe7-fxuqkkMnj9wRBcZMOHAiRJuj2F/s4080/IMG_20231020_182541248.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAGh9xtdO5YKRLlExJYDWOgHAyC46jEGb-xOoC4Pz2s0o7h8kflGpe4FR0_aQFB91uaj_cOvnpOfG4eg63Z4ImdgZBiQdGchF-yXpkvebEodQo5O-ddVg5LPVXgturUeOmHXpBrX6pFWnXALCdeFryfACZ0VMe7-fxuqkkMnj9wRBcZMOHAiRJuj2F/s320/IMG_20231020_182541248.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">That sprinkly evening has not been typical of our fall weather to date. Many more days have been like this one! I LOVE Hensley's Pond in the fall (and spring...and winter...and summer...)!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWqHfMganORlWqO867q35MG1Cgygw7HczKbYNBy-nwsxxUxrvTGXA7jYSHlyYz-96SB7bAZ-2TYEGEMHWFZQsR-gV3namFx2zPcHM4GfM9LKnt_H-FyWdYjnsIi77RyGrOhLFomSiRoEcqmD4OtNC-DyRzJ8A3Aj4yWXDK-90NaxmF5UdUpvApDTP/s4080/IMG_20231022_163716956.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJWqHfMganORlWqO867q35MG1Cgygw7HczKbYNBy-nwsxxUxrvTGXA7jYSHlyYz-96SB7bAZ-2TYEGEMHWFZQsR-gV3namFx2zPcHM4GfM9LKnt_H-FyWdYjnsIi77RyGrOhLFomSiRoEcqmD4OtNC-DyRzJ8A3Aj4yWXDK-90NaxmF5UdUpvApDTP/s320/IMG_20231022_163716956.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QKBWmmFxo-HYktGph_-RRNKG74L4KKZO_y1cEaACMJvxF08W7J4mHlTFR7FlsR9Auik6HTcZRn0nXMju3UQ-cIGoCxweyHw1GN-n2Qu7EVZAzw-ZY3bIJxMyqQIC6BdkQenRZo3QijAI4t7UeN7DBEfzfNaTZu2kE67IxyLZQhXzEVu5L2hLFFTx/s4080/IMG_20231013_123547104.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3QKBWmmFxo-HYktGph_-RRNKG74L4KKZO_y1cEaACMJvxF08W7J4mHlTFR7FlsR9Auik6HTcZRn0nXMju3UQ-cIGoCxweyHw1GN-n2Qu7EVZAzw-ZY3bIJxMyqQIC6BdkQenRZo3QijAI4t7UeN7DBEfzfNaTZu2kE67IxyLZQhXzEVu5L2hLFFTx/w151-h200/IMG_20231013_123547104.jpeg" width="151" /></a>And last but not least, some of us can't quite get enough little people time!!! We have started doing some "Bear care" at Tangly Woods and normally 3 of the 5 members of our family are at the ready to scoop this precious one up! It is not surprising that some of my daughters would have inherited by magnetism to babies. This is super sweet AND it also means I must really savor my times in their home where I have him all to myself. He's growing so fast, discovering his hands (and things he can do with them), smiling and "talking" to us, and generally brightening up our world with his sweet little self! I want so very much to live in a world where every little person that enters it is as wanted and cherished and respected and loved and cared for so tenderly. And I wish that everyone that wanted to bring a baby into their home would also have an abundance of community support to do so. Our individualistic society is not providing that and leaving many caregivers too tired to fully savor and enjoy the early and intense years of parenting. I get to soak up my time with little people in a new way at this juncture - during the daytime hours and not losing nighttime sleep. It does bring back many memories to have a little one on my front while puttering in the kitchen. I need to brush up on my skills, but it felt very familiar!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24HQY-iz3-lmjPzuPID_nPITGIFLFEYtXUFJzvE7NMl6guKCZgT5q2LtsMq-AOw0iTJUWbFRaSD01wZt24TeLeouz2T8EBQzkXutPdRJXg_8y4k9pLXRuyzG-lDw_FWuvAu439OXUFAHxa_qllGtpmE3xShOGBNkklZMAy5PMCo79jp_W2Bax47Z_/s4080/IMG_20231018_112256841.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24HQY-iz3-lmjPzuPID_nPITGIFLFEYtXUFJzvE7NMl6guKCZgT5q2LtsMq-AOw0iTJUWbFRaSD01wZt24TeLeouz2T8EBQzkXutPdRJXg_8y4k9pLXRuyzG-lDw_FWuvAu439OXUFAHxa_qllGtpmE3xShOGBNkklZMAy5PMCo79jp_W2Bax47Z_/s320/IMG_20231018_112256841.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7g8eVTlNoWvyS5KfrAO3l1jShY-rPXX_SJoJfLG2FTilLjgt7of08W9YGZH5a-rWTCkSgztowgl8HfhMZYVxUOXpfB9dKe5sK4xQ93DbQUpxU8EwcTw975GKOq6WHcEiBD8iWGgsWXh-dY1zL57-EvcW5slN4lLCdxmQk5VFyXtunN9piKNhgOf-0/s4080/IMG_20231018_120837273.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7g8eVTlNoWvyS5KfrAO3l1jShY-rPXX_SJoJfLG2FTilLjgt7of08W9YGZH5a-rWTCkSgztowgl8HfhMZYVxUOXpfB9dKe5sK4xQ93DbQUpxU8EwcTw975GKOq6WHcEiBD8iWGgsWXh-dY1zL57-EvcW5slN4lLCdxmQk5VFyXtunN9piKNhgOf-0/s320/IMG_20231018_120837273.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5H4T479_kKtZq36j6wmNtzmaeb9iJC54TpPM7QU2tEH7HxfWu1z8r-OZedDM37q09yK1uX0p1EM99qSTpWT4yLsHo62e66jisaxkRWlmOC8KtOt-9nIkqKKvAiBB0TOqSf65bBRVhZWAZ2mpMoWd5Gm0KsHWGOikzIrziGKB8RBY9IcmKtElwcrZ/s4080/IMG_20231018_153108661.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5H4T479_kKtZq36j6wmNtzmaeb9iJC54TpPM7QU2tEH7HxfWu1z8r-OZedDM37q09yK1uX0p1EM99qSTpWT4yLsHo62e66jisaxkRWlmOC8KtOt-9nIkqKKvAiBB0TOqSf65bBRVhZWAZ2mpMoWd5Gm0KsHWGOikzIrziGKB8RBY9IcmKtElwcrZ/s320/IMG_20231018_153108661.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76oT2zPbkQNGePARCoM_jtHOhyu079XJX3tdtfbcaXXoLE1MehLHISujfO1znrRX_nuf9WWvbyxDF0y2ipM-3RASyULkYYfExWp09m1O-e9UwHxp-sKFPHENmvcUCSYIszIdN08DJa5yOkrqFE-F0VQ7cjs2vsamekQM6WhV4SLIjrELgQ_-oTqhR/s4080/IMG_20231018_163057220.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi76oT2zPbkQNGePARCoM_jtHOhyu079XJX3tdtfbcaXXoLE1MehLHISujfO1znrRX_nuf9WWvbyxDF0y2ipM-3RASyULkYYfExWp09m1O-e9UwHxp-sKFPHENmvcUCSYIszIdN08DJa5yOkrqFE-F0VQ7cjs2vsamekQM6WhV4SLIjrELgQ_-oTqhR/s320/IMG_20231018_163057220.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih02u2W-2GsAyK5d08qij0eKlQ4BdB8JTGKvBmY7viIWTbHVLsuIt8fA2A02E0aH_F7pCyf5KShfScO2aUFdgwwJOTDgEF-EiUL34mRBPBVMtpZ85TLoI7opRdqGdZM4XaDetuz5K-hFILiXnqprnoVDrX6mKnRgXCAh1vDpvCvMBosjIPE5mE4Kut/s4080/IMG_20231020_084837891.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih02u2W-2GsAyK5d08qij0eKlQ4BdB8JTGKvBmY7viIWTbHVLsuIt8fA2A02E0aH_F7pCyf5KShfScO2aUFdgwwJOTDgEF-EiUL34mRBPBVMtpZ85TLoI7opRdqGdZM4XaDetuz5K-hFILiXnqprnoVDrX6mKnRgXCAh1vDpvCvMBosjIPE5mE4Kut/s320/IMG_20231020_084837891.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSFAogz7rOD1rpOm8206ZGulNrsEizKivQKtowiiQJ9z3r8JWHIL_tqGSQoJj2fc5cAO6GSpqAi7hyA-3D-1eA5XBKhx9nUWCE72FjXwwdkRora2P4Vfds1ILmrP7smCdAVvtG3sROQZH-3bAzX9rFRdnudCNfvHc-piDCwkjoT5K5OWLNMG6zhKK/s4080/IMG_20231019_160043252.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHSFAogz7rOD1rpOm8206ZGulNrsEizKivQKtowiiQJ9z3r8JWHIL_tqGSQoJj2fc5cAO6GSpqAi7hyA-3D-1eA5XBKhx9nUWCE72FjXwwdkRora2P4Vfds1ILmrP7smCdAVvtG3sROQZH-3bAzX9rFRdnudCNfvHc-piDCwkjoT5K5OWLNMG6zhKK/w151-h200/IMG_20231019_160043252.jpeg" width="151" /></a></div>Keeping Bear one day and Luca the next is a very stark reminder of how fast these babies change into little people toddling about with ideas in abundance. Luca's vocabulary is expanding, but it isn't quite keeping up with all the things he'd like to tell us about. That said, he is actually quite good at charades and we normally can figure out what he is telling us about! </div><div><br /></div><div>It was only recently that it was possible for me to transfer Luca onto our bed for his nap. I had always held him up until that point. I laid him on the bed for I think all of two naps. And since then I have no desire to lay him down. I know that it won't be all that long until he won't snuggle in my arms for naps. And so I just soak up the feel of his little body next to mine, feeling so grateful to be "Nell Nell" to him!! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5vD9nR36ir2WxaWMEyiK79QN0IoOdC43ew2943blnMkttYvaWbdqi84DQ6pOwpB1R645B_5cpH463BZf20AGNDnj43dE2JXjlohQV1YHxzAOQephdBLhxZ1_uZLZx501TtaqTuOJdOkioz5Zge_ysrG14uMzzsDRkpM4xjMF-bf6AmSR45Fze9lB/s3264/IMG_20231019_150544430.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS5vD9nR36ir2WxaWMEyiK79QN0IoOdC43ew2943blnMkttYvaWbdqi84DQ6pOwpB1R645B_5cpH463BZf20AGNDnj43dE2JXjlohQV1YHxzAOQephdBLhxZ1_uZLZx501TtaqTuOJdOkioz5Zge_ysrG14uMzzsDRkpM4xjMF-bf6AmSR45Fze9lB/s320/IMG_20231019_150544430.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-73914107909627511332023-10-23T12:02:00.001-07:002023-10-23T12:02:40.141-07:00Terah's 8th Birthday (the fake one!)<div>Terah's birthday was partially covered in the last post BUT it also deserves a spot of its own. So I've picked out 8 more pictures to share about her fake 8th birthday. I didn't realize until this year how much she valued the aspect of her birthday where she has the full attention of the four other members of her family and gets to be the designer of her day and ours! </div><div><br /></div><div>While she was excited for our family visitors, there was a sense of loss if that meant there was no day just the 5 of us focused on celebrating her. So we remedied that and made October 15th her fake birthday with just us. The wonderful thing about birthdays in our home is that they often feel like a gift of a day to all of us - we are usually all fans of the birthday persons chosen menus and the activities they choose are (mostly) fun and sweet moments of connecting with each other in ways we just don't get to do on a daily basis. So this particular day of celebrating included:</div><div><br /></div><div>1. A delicious pancake breakfast!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRTlyMSX55EXJyHbdMcG7FNwwKTdltx9bDLqEDYacnwwwytYUl-P8GZTz00Qa7wiOj0ua2mnP-EAQ_L6DCLE6EXDJ2OEfQFMwviae9sDKNU9DyFaMmoxEGdK679IvrybzFy77WiC0sgoM29gvlp3lzcy52mw1DqnjMHZ4s8LNTb3G6jADmf5TkUJs/s4080/IMG_20231015_101738471.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzRTlyMSX55EXJyHbdMcG7FNwwKTdltx9bDLqEDYacnwwwytYUl-P8GZTz00Qa7wiOj0ua2mnP-EAQ_L6DCLE6EXDJ2OEfQFMwviae9sDKNU9DyFaMmoxEGdK679IvrybzFy77WiC0sgoM29gvlp3lzcy52mw1DqnjMHZ4s8LNTb3G6jADmf5TkUJs/s320/IMG_20231015_101738471.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>2. The remainder of her birthday presents, wrapped by her sisters using every bow we own.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJ5K-8T9gX_JV2OWAyzdxgJzXG_lkRxkb6QVh1rRh11m0Htcqrfj6PMi0yqTD-ycfR_BKSQpzjmp75mHPsEqv1-JNYbRKyilke3mOUinSCuT7LExDIp2T0d_-GNuTHZ6q1pdPDjooPTUhz5ZBqy5e9E1UhUrnveoDJIMSb1YuW2ddFJOrGyO8uAPb/s4080/IMG_20231015_103431904.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsJ5K-8T9gX_JV2OWAyzdxgJzXG_lkRxkb6QVh1rRh11m0Htcqrfj6PMi0yqTD-ycfR_BKSQpzjmp75mHPsEqv1-JNYbRKyilke3mOUinSCuT7LExDIp2T0d_-GNuTHZ6q1pdPDjooPTUhz5ZBqy5e9E1UhUrnveoDJIMSb1YuW2ddFJOrGyO8uAPb/s320/IMG_20231015_103431904.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>3. Time with just Mommy, time with just Daddy and time with just Mommy and Daddy while her older sisters went for Smiley's Ice Cream. She had both her parents playing soccer with her when her sisters returned.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTo2hPGU6jzFky4HWnbU37effObLzNaLNgEH_lXaRRXkbd1Xh6iNRY1KQdtX6GmA778udo2YbphISTn5xMwdrq_tBqdDTwjkEtp5FK6aQHiA-PygpNZIB4uL7odIgk2e7gtiooFbcTeMf-qo_MnIm6e-MBnDmFp6U48ru-QXyOVDz1f41acaulSeph/s3264/IMG_20231015_141719073.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTo2hPGU6jzFky4HWnbU37effObLzNaLNgEH_lXaRRXkbd1Xh6iNRY1KQdtX6GmA778udo2YbphISTn5xMwdrq_tBqdDTwjkEtp5FK6aQHiA-PygpNZIB4uL7odIgk2e7gtiooFbcTeMf-qo_MnIm6e-MBnDmFp6U48ru-QXyOVDz1f41acaulSeph/s320/IMG_20231015_141719073.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1FS0ygMfzVsslzSO6PdYFvGw2D2fGmQovhECgSZuCqy4WJVeXEyQD6Mcbnv1-3kXEZWJMhu2ZT-nhtuXRXrA0KGFi3oYX8M7Um5gW3_395ln8ex3z7fo7SRufKMrFHTPay0og99k2sbiyE-aJZVR0fwl-_uMid0Yu_wZ2invSFg8sfQFWyHgMX-p/s4080/IMG_20231015_144445724.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH1FS0ygMfzVsslzSO6PdYFvGw2D2fGmQovhECgSZuCqy4WJVeXEyQD6Mcbnv1-3kXEZWJMhu2ZT-nhtuXRXrA0KGFi3oYX8M7Um5gW3_395ln8ex3z7fo7SRufKMrFHTPay0og99k2sbiyE-aJZVR0fwl-_uMid0Yu_wZ2invSFg8sfQFWyHgMX-p/s320/IMG_20231015_144445724.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">4. Ice cream cones on the deck!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8KG0yXg7B4YWhNPcaQm03mF_W5st99f0D2J-BreFOGNuH_NFhxuVKI4CKvRyj5z2EvDXOvfkz3h9c40ygpN586_Yz134if9leqoFF4d0FAIE0dohnjodOf3AAcax_vJdr8iC2u5xfBWAfp139WsQRJ7a_xvZJqtqMle6avBL5I8fPSwqspNidZHg/s4080/IMG_20231015_140321462.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZ8KG0yXg7B4YWhNPcaQm03mF_W5st99f0D2J-BreFOGNuH_NFhxuVKI4CKvRyj5z2EvDXOvfkz3h9c40ygpN586_Yz134if9leqoFF4d0FAIE0dohnjodOf3AAcax_vJdr8iC2u5xfBWAfp139WsQRJ7a_xvZJqtqMle6avBL5I8fPSwqspNidZHg/s320/IMG_20231015_140321462.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>5. Time with just her sisters while her parents took a nap (so that they wouldn't be too tired to hang out in the evening - smart kid!!). When we woke she had make herself a little birthday cake which she shared with all of us.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVGikjdQDO-9IHVfCHA_cwH5Lcbk3vFUo6GQgXv64cnHlrUWaTcie1_uwAzP2ahw9R8zpjbsU8un2DalDuBmCJxFmRn9EsY6oJ109ujckluLPOAPfnbyJLw2aKuSM_dDJjrVA7WpzHQoqh8FsubFuhUeBUIXeFvL6EOvb8LpEcaTkm5yjmkXtdY9F/s4080/IMG_20231015_172027291.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJVGikjdQDO-9IHVfCHA_cwH5Lcbk3vFUo6GQgXv64cnHlrUWaTcie1_uwAzP2ahw9R8zpjbsU8un2DalDuBmCJxFmRn9EsY6oJ109ujckluLPOAPfnbyJLw2aKuSM_dDJjrVA7WpzHQoqh8FsubFuhUeBUIXeFvL6EOvb8LpEcaTkm5yjmkXtdY9F/s320/IMG_20231015_172027291.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>6. A birthday dinner of fried chicken breasts and pesto pasta. Another good choice!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9n5FZQ_bKh51OYUCagSg2DEJwthhLvHAleliI4bgR286T41GK2qBeZAeBxX6Ziz6eSjzW-eT5hbGgXbtrBdnAJIzrdYcFKPSpwO6dX5_u7bO_zzPSU3xWoU2Cn02jF33GrpehkCaiceKrggGMpj5CQfFdUmMEnofmJMjG4IpKIFJ96-rHm66LxeQ/s4080/IMG_20231015_191629863.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf9n5FZQ_bKh51OYUCagSg2DEJwthhLvHAleliI4bgR286T41GK2qBeZAeBxX6Ziz6eSjzW-eT5hbGgXbtrBdnAJIzrdYcFKPSpwO6dX5_u7bO_zzPSU3xWoU2Cn02jF33GrpehkCaiceKrggGMpj5CQfFdUmMEnofmJMjG4IpKIFJ96-rHm66LxeQ/s320/IMG_20231015_191629863.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqkXgTGjBkzZBAaGJ4kgUoTuwraDlf91Xhr68UNSHNkPZUUPqGQrx03hA7fwF7ZegnHNfwy8JfeernEd1WpGX7qlNFfUCNpVEeIdjhzc7S6pTNTD_BJwXGT1I8S-34ZV1YaKFTLrdR1Ja_G0GEjD2K3D6bVU1C0Qd0vub8UFFoH_WneWSKq-Kd507/s4080/IMG_20231015_193723306.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoqkXgTGjBkzZBAaGJ4kgUoTuwraDlf91Xhr68UNSHNkPZUUPqGQrx03hA7fwF7ZegnHNfwy8JfeernEd1WpGX7qlNFfUCNpVEeIdjhzc7S6pTNTD_BJwXGT1I8S-34ZV1YaKFTLrdR1Ja_G0GEjD2K3D6bVU1C0Qd0vub8UFFoH_WneWSKq-Kd507/s320/IMG_20231015_193723306.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">7. Other activities not pictured here included helping me process persimmon pulp, our speed collection of black walnuts formerly mentioned, and a butter shaking competition/dance party. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">8. And most of all, I believe the day was chock full of reminders to her of how deeply she is loved, how grateful we are to have her as part of our family, and how much sweeter and more beautiful the world is with her in it!! </div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-47486956060080585772023-10-23T11:41:00.000-07:002023-10-23T11:41:33.720-07:00Precious week of visitors!!<div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYYiDalepzIddUmVMikZWz8SrnOGVICvKjlRGeP_APlQ96MJhi_ZL1INYV9t83qAJQOh1NMW2cpf2z_env46o07692J41wx__7B-k782l8A4ahbokwHaMVkmYHTAQ-v_gR0U_7iW12PHN5-J4_T-36mULHQuZQsQK1RZec_uoe0X7HFkoiVkesmuK/s4080/IMG_20231009_175214581.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjYYiDalepzIddUmVMikZWz8SrnOGVICvKjlRGeP_APlQ96MJhi_ZL1INYV9t83qAJQOh1NMW2cpf2z_env46o07692J41wx__7B-k782l8A4ahbokwHaMVkmYHTAQ-v_gR0U_7iW12PHN5-J4_T-36mULHQuZQsQK1RZec_uoe0X7HFkoiVkesmuK/w200-h151/IMG_20231009_175214581.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>After worrying that illness would crash our plans, we were able to welcome my Great Aunt Eleanor back for another nearly week long stint at Tangly Woods. And this time we were in for a triple treat in that one of her granddaughters (who is also my dear friend and second cousin) and her son were able to overlap visits. Mom and Dad were enjoying wild, wonderful West Virginia for a week and so the upstairs was freed up for a week of hosting. We did our meals all together outside for the first few days in case any virus germs were lingering, but then were grateful to have the flexibility and warmth of gathering inside or outside for the second half of our time together. We were thankful for some beautiful fall days and the official return of "soup season!" <div><br /></div><div>Aunt Eleanor was such a good sport joining us outside for meals AND soccer games! Thankfully we have plenty of blankets!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80eqJINAx3u417WOzenymMX75VSZZ-sTAFgEdJs9aK8reXccFsBVpmuxP_hZzDRL9CGJBAHjtNPfUQrDav-HS7Nr4TKB6v1e7o51vaitroFZSB2uL1ihVzq-x94G8gneIyMn1caI81x-zWOWoTGoJXoL2RCoBZEmQ4HIZUu9yHTAL08Lv6DNem4BU/s4080/IMG_20231009_175358798.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg80eqJINAx3u417WOzenymMX75VSZZ-sTAFgEdJs9aK8reXccFsBVpmuxP_hZzDRL9CGJBAHjtNPfUQrDav-HS7Nr4TKB6v1e7o51vaitroFZSB2uL1ihVzq-x94G8gneIyMn1caI81x-zWOWoTGoJXoL2RCoBZEmQ4HIZUu9yHTAL08Lv6DNem4BU/s320/IMG_20231009_175358798.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>I don't think I can do a better job describing the week with words than these pictures can do. In summary the days together were full of laughter, sweet times of connecting, good conversation, delicious foods, a shadow puppet show, chicken training and nonstop fun and play for the kids! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJHSFaXUpbYCRxOtHOJUjDVPcoT2XMc5TSOT7Ib83CKdUQSv26CU5JFMbv4RQKN7IeXeHZc12a0PZKhKE_dtW1CuDAlwvYNz05XzUSF4QjiN8ahg-p1sIkSPx3-8m1eQNchInBqbtyWoLlWiRZIYCw8DKEGsyBVvLFfyBcqOwfPgPwf48YUAmy1x0/s4080/IMG_20231010_122731802.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJHSFaXUpbYCRxOtHOJUjDVPcoT2XMc5TSOT7Ib83CKdUQSv26CU5JFMbv4RQKN7IeXeHZc12a0PZKhKE_dtW1CuDAlwvYNz05XzUSF4QjiN8ahg-p1sIkSPx3-8m1eQNchInBqbtyWoLlWiRZIYCw8DKEGsyBVvLFfyBcqOwfPgPwf48YUAmy1x0/s320/IMG_20231010_122731802.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>With our kids at the age where they can mostly fend for themselves AND love playing together, Colette and I got to enjoy not one but two hikes on the mountain together. It's a unique gift for me to have someone who has some shared family history/heritage with me <u>and</u> with whom I share so many interests <u>and</u> who is navigating some of the same kinds of life challenges and blessings <u>and</u> who shares a posture of curiosity towards the world <u>and</u> is always learning and growing and sometimes unlearning. It was such precious time together!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjW_acA2vQt7VZvIjbabOYLPr-6jipC1pBYBwr43C-07h_JgGf-tlVPK3duVHGfSLSBD_Aw1KimEUbtgYZ769gUdrp2mtKdBtOyPPdXm2-_vPfwGDz9hQ2F-yb6RwV1Q8_rW8FOcCbloA7aFkvM79HadtZdKPy0m3RmSfEu8hyihhzCruyP2TP7LVA/s3264/IMG_20231010_141948837.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjW_acA2vQt7VZvIjbabOYLPr-6jipC1pBYBwr43C-07h_JgGf-tlVPK3duVHGfSLSBD_Aw1KimEUbtgYZ769gUdrp2mtKdBtOyPPdXm2-_vPfwGDz9hQ2F-yb6RwV1Q8_rW8FOcCbloA7aFkvM79HadtZdKPy0m3RmSfEu8hyihhzCruyP2TP7LVA/s320/IMG_20231010_141948837.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>During the week, I would pop upstairs to check on my aunt and we kinda have a running joke of me snapping pictures of her without her knowing it. There wasn't much chance of her catching me while snoozing! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKF792eiAsYZnil0rxPD-Acn-56NNB7MEinBExmRmSL5QxrcvsuxkVYygWB7c3w75ulV_jndnjg2vPiuOuMHTcPq9fD7zBt_vlf7s6OO_JlOE1DKQwpYmFXtGuuTvvHy732JYfv2_KgAW2CX9Ef-LxGkIya8Co3CNZbKEF9DUBGDYEoGTIX3pZJYdA/s4080/IMG_20231010_150040517.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKF792eiAsYZnil0rxPD-Acn-56NNB7MEinBExmRmSL5QxrcvsuxkVYygWB7c3w75ulV_jndnjg2vPiuOuMHTcPq9fD7zBt_vlf7s6OO_JlOE1DKQwpYmFXtGuuTvvHy732JYfv2_KgAW2CX9Ef-LxGkIya8Co3CNZbKEF9DUBGDYEoGTIX3pZJYdA/s320/IMG_20231010_150040517.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>I also got a funny series of pictures of the three of us together. There's not one where we are all smiling at the camera. This was partly because Aunt Eleanor was trying to figure out how we were taking a picture of ourselves and seeing ourselves on the phone screen. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TR6RTI0iGLaf2_Sz4qDB8eioGrty2zRswBk3hXcYiOIZ3bpZCPbSYgIN3RChjeghVd-UyW9WdW2a1EfZUJaJ2DoMun6xJbjIA-PydAelO6F_XfMyKQCZzodglw_JjQ2D1g_yiLKQLQ5YYHxEFjdYIxIIfbCLcdc4bXv7GkbRORCVDiep4vq9fwy_/s3264/IMG_20231011_195110840.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4TR6RTI0iGLaf2_Sz4qDB8eioGrty2zRswBk3hXcYiOIZ3bpZCPbSYgIN3RChjeghVd-UyW9WdW2a1EfZUJaJ2DoMun6xJbjIA-PydAelO6F_XfMyKQCZzodglw_JjQ2D1g_yiLKQLQ5YYHxEFjdYIxIIfbCLcdc4bXv7GkbRORCVDiep4vq9fwy_/s320/IMG_20231011_195110840.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6QuMlw5zX1Z8iYX9wE76Sapln-zqVBVkAbIrKSPIjNne77HOlWnOxose5XsDqYbSwc3dDTBgYRhA28R8irg7_2Aq3YLcS1b8xMaVA0gGwGfJQXlsiqS1JtVKq4Gt77V_BVl6zN2CPP66GEWgnWLwVr4ErnA0m9EmJ1o1NwSwZW48g6wVRVIH54l_/s4080/IMG_20231010_155602360.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG6QuMlw5zX1Z8iYX9wE76Sapln-zqVBVkAbIrKSPIjNne77HOlWnOxose5XsDqYbSwc3dDTBgYRhA28R8irg7_2Aq3YLcS1b8xMaVA0gGwGfJQXlsiqS1JtVKq4Gt77V_BVl6zN2CPP66GEWgnWLwVr4ErnA0m9EmJ1o1NwSwZW48g6wVRVIH54l_/w200-h151/IMG_20231010_155602360.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Smack dab in the middle of our week together was Terah's 8th birthday (post on that forthcoming!). So they got in on some of the fun birthday celebrations and Terah got a long spread out week of celebrations. She was ok "sharing" her birthday with others as long as we could have a "fake birthday" with just the 5 of us! 😉 Her main birthday meal was on the eve of her birth (right around the time 8 years before when I realized I was probably in labor). Jonathan, Christen and Luca were able to join us around the outdoor fire for a feast of roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, green beans with garlic, fresh sweet peppers and we topped off the meal with s'mores and ice cream cones! Luca helped with scaring the chickens away from the picnic table (I'm so glad he is no longer scared of chickens, and seems to get great satisfaction from realizing that they are actually scared of him if he runs towards them). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw2wZsMNH90PHLOtZxp9ELw4ixJowTzwkViWpQRNo0YPKwbNKezE0y3L1aFyfBKh5vqb1ePR39xURzIIM5YdKUoFOxY84L9C-wwTlZ3mstBRJl4ZIWwteYoO9DETVlv4TGwIc0hMq2DAuejwrr83Uj980DVvvJx3NNTxcIN3S8GnslG5c2PEn8S1c/s4080/IMG_20231010_171315252.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw2wZsMNH90PHLOtZxp9ELw4ixJowTzwkViWpQRNo0YPKwbNKezE0y3L1aFyfBKh5vqb1ePR39xURzIIM5YdKUoFOxY84L9C-wwTlZ3mstBRJl4ZIWwteYoO9DETVlv4TGwIc0hMq2DAuejwrr83Uj980DVvvJx3NNTxcIN3S8GnslG5c2PEn8S1c/s320/IMG_20231010_171315252.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNyykDe1lcs0EGTppoi-4ZJMZZ6lJgux7qSl31Olx_S_J2Y77DtoZqB4IiMsypb3xxesh-TWShy3mIyHKnJYWdO8_hN2lGVFm8kyT-yPgqz3VkHLUEBS5A5XD1sczzkWJ_n6CJVN6BG9h2CoyyfNlkzRS_iE_w01ylN_QbwDdO6X6a3r8Ix_O6PS1/s4080/IMG_20231010_172214614.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNyykDe1lcs0EGTppoi-4ZJMZZ6lJgux7qSl31Olx_S_J2Y77DtoZqB4IiMsypb3xxesh-TWShy3mIyHKnJYWdO8_hN2lGVFm8kyT-yPgqz3VkHLUEBS5A5XD1sczzkWJ_n6CJVN6BG9h2CoyyfNlkzRS_iE_w01ylN_QbwDdO6X6a3r8Ix_O6PS1/s320/IMG_20231010_172214614.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm55kik9EgaXJuhNmkKHoRNME1WrXxGL_Uw1ADVXbSu78slbjcY4W6RDwGOSitG1oXNy8X-cx-zjWxrceEwJk4jEUJpedWSjXkyG3_Uokv4VeVjNi9Eg0pSmvicOheWB8dp5YpCLeaSi0FI0UM-q5h4gJwuJVrHO8Zk_VA1stRZGouBEzxTMUubWp5/s4080/IMG_20231010_172221201.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm55kik9EgaXJuhNmkKHoRNME1WrXxGL_Uw1ADVXbSu78slbjcY4W6RDwGOSitG1oXNy8X-cx-zjWxrceEwJk4jEUJpedWSjXkyG3_Uokv4VeVjNi9Eg0pSmvicOheWB8dp5YpCLeaSi0FI0UM-q5h4gJwuJVrHO8Zk_VA1stRZGouBEzxTMUubWp5/s320/IMG_20231010_172221201.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBMDq3b_RhisHliDp8znTJbWjYGxFEEtwrsE-XZKxfLSLjuDXa5ks087zQixBQpfV-UdUtV1VAthZUDFtSUsrWwX1DhLFuDtLnHbnChJ0C8BBVNYVcau3Zlsp7VDGXNjjBYl_iI-axOxYr8XWqIDKs1UHLaTz6Mk0zIHjwvKOeK22_J1c4cp1id27/s4080/IMG_20231010_173501235.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBMDq3b_RhisHliDp8znTJbWjYGxFEEtwrsE-XZKxfLSLjuDXa5ks087zQixBQpfV-UdUtV1VAthZUDFtSUsrWwX1DhLFuDtLnHbnChJ0C8BBVNYVcau3Zlsp7VDGXNjjBYl_iI-axOxYr8XWqIDKs1UHLaTz6Mk0zIHjwvKOeK22_J1c4cp1id27/s320/IMG_20231010_173501235.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0YQ2lJIWG9vx40LSSIQWoICt_uOVd2KMsZnFruSUVUGJ1FgiiXI9giJOlOPBN57kOKoImYqtpzAVe7jErMFnaW7UcUxpEgMk4fls9EJQUEI9z2eUnExZUz4ZOnDhU_wEH7SKV6ePCAP3A7WJe2XE095FYjM4v3tbYw215v9KsKe7oc0VFckwv1h1/s4080/IMG_20231010_174308654.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-0YQ2lJIWG9vx40LSSIQWoICt_uOVd2KMsZnFruSUVUGJ1FgiiXI9giJOlOPBN57kOKoImYqtpzAVe7jErMFnaW7UcUxpEgMk4fls9EJQUEI9z2eUnExZUz4ZOnDhU_wEH7SKV6ePCAP3A7WJe2XE095FYjM4v3tbYw215v9KsKe7oc0VFckwv1h1/s320/IMG_20231010_174308654.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvus5YOJbtyVZ66Z6wZJ8M55UDbqmOOxhMzr8_GR68bL-u_pE1Qpi-5HEJCK38GKIIB0ntbMYN7SXLj-NkabN8Y8d-fVIT4rUzSXTyn35y1tJIcXoT7AYo5CvmS7qwSz5qmizO_D_gHmiMiuzNQQBrcCXaidrQ9hFsjIKRNsOZ7QzNgOBPvtx-yA2G/s4080/IMG_20231010_185148663.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvus5YOJbtyVZ66Z6wZJ8M55UDbqmOOxhMzr8_GR68bL-u_pE1Qpi-5HEJCK38GKIIB0ntbMYN7SXLj-NkabN8Y8d-fVIT4rUzSXTyn35y1tJIcXoT7AYo5CvmS7qwSz5qmizO_D_gHmiMiuzNQQBrcCXaidrQ9hFsjIKRNsOZ7QzNgOBPvtx-yA2G/s320/IMG_20231010_185148663.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMAW5qszdBewalEgCVirek9-ubccZyDXsfOo-5J4wY7UEeqSjSxHtpj3Mg07nyt9pB1YDizqdvx10wLdp0i8fhL6GP0LccaU6FeJFlNoK9B2uuZm2N1RECLqqv7gEfg-JiIoAUgm3YlZ64Q9fEWO3xq-IpFdOiThDzURJMlyulAsR_L7ugNQ7D0o4/s4080/IMG_20231010_190024998.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuMAW5qszdBewalEgCVirek9-ubccZyDXsfOo-5J4wY7UEeqSjSxHtpj3Mg07nyt9pB1YDizqdvx10wLdp0i8fhL6GP0LccaU6FeJFlNoK9B2uuZm2N1RECLqqv7gEfg-JiIoAUgm3YlZ64Q9fEWO3xq-IpFdOiThDzURJMlyulAsR_L7ugNQ7D0o4/s320/IMG_20231010_190024998.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>Then the next morning the final chain of her birthday loop came down! And we feasted again, this time on birthday quiches and funny cake pie! Our baby is officially 8!!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75gbiJh9t6AKmfVit_PP09Gs_hswlffiA7lJrtA3K_poqkr_jz-bmPUCdTlMoR6Cu15mJ0TGWnLqlMqUG9l8PixVLZRXUw2cO5lXjo26oD1vS0RU9hNLXjSkZa33rBNB38cRyG_6JYzsdKUXfGzSxMAXamHDZx5s4mTdWoja-trmoawe4nqt7eT6n/s4080/IMG_20231011_100021415.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75gbiJh9t6AKmfVit_PP09Gs_hswlffiA7lJrtA3K_poqkr_jz-bmPUCdTlMoR6Cu15mJ0TGWnLqlMqUG9l8PixVLZRXUw2cO5lXjo26oD1vS0RU9hNLXjSkZa33rBNB38cRyG_6JYzsdKUXfGzSxMAXamHDZx5s4mTdWoja-trmoawe4nqt7eT6n/s320/IMG_20231011_100021415.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNW3-ezJ5HCwXH5CwUjPKnK8cGlZ4I5sXBpKh4jyiRHuuA2yk6wRffTH7tDYVU_1eckPJJ31qxUUK1JaUfZiQTaJ6EQjnKQclN40lXAa3HfyuCG0BNFk_64eLFjGJr4s1aaLOmJTcUh0fp1GeSa-oYrZqJ8QBIW_STsvxqcCary-tVnZNkqnOdoD1/s4080/IMG_20231011_111553589.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRNW3-ezJ5HCwXH5CwUjPKnK8cGlZ4I5sXBpKh4jyiRHuuA2yk6wRffTH7tDYVU_1eckPJJ31qxUUK1JaUfZiQTaJ6EQjnKQclN40lXAa3HfyuCG0BNFk_64eLFjGJr4s1aaLOmJTcUh0fp1GeSa-oYrZqJ8QBIW_STsvxqcCary-tVnZNkqnOdoD1/s320/IMG_20231011_111553589.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWoBQ_sWPJreYtrHuT7fuVhO25R92_H8HrHcbvdHDedJM85Eg7kHXohAkOyyooajVeyIRPFYaXgnryMvhGOeLHDH-zg3qiZHlMJAdkDHK1rcgu-s15EX_QSTglZNlr8Zj7eSm5LB-GGf5-ZsNtzFuwIt7scUOXFjayOolDDznGetPFZQHCmHQgh9M/s4080/IMG_20231011_114648910.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWoBQ_sWPJreYtrHuT7fuVhO25R92_H8HrHcbvdHDedJM85Eg7kHXohAkOyyooajVeyIRPFYaXgnryMvhGOeLHDH-zg3qiZHlMJAdkDHK1rcgu-s15EX_QSTglZNlr8Zj7eSm5LB-GGf5-ZsNtzFuwIt7scUOXFjayOolDDznGetPFZQHCmHQgh9M/s320/IMG_20231011_114648910.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlOYjke8xIO9V2L3PRBl7Y363mJz4Xo6BR2krawE01x1XCky4S3es4M4id1jNiZ1RdD_1jeaxyWPZGKKefUxYrvhsU8l0jjVcTJjFKKKY-6AUbxJ9Y5-ev6FQpPPVwEXbC8ek-O53c5SayAMfRO5MP7PY3C4NLfIjJOQanDA5f9yCvFsLWvRi8tZp/s4080/IMG_20231011_121406398.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlOYjke8xIO9V2L3PRBl7Y363mJz4Xo6BR2krawE01x1XCky4S3es4M4id1jNiZ1RdD_1jeaxyWPZGKKefUxYrvhsU8l0jjVcTJjFKKKY-6AUbxJ9Y5-ev6FQpPPVwEXbC8ek-O53c5SayAMfRO5MP7PY3C4NLfIjJOQanDA5f9yCvFsLWvRi8tZp/s320/IMG_20231011_121406398.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>After soccer games in the evening, we enjoyed her birthday cupcakes and spent awhile looking at baby Terah videos (and gushing!).<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHUBUds1rrGtdvzOTyAzZeN_U5lKSl6xJQ3ZzQnfQobETmmhHPPKXwl3-Xldi8rIPc5oNZjTz9cmLXUSkTuqBNOis1VUxHVf9n_SlJMRnjl799XTgCeoHlHF7sKBkQcdkgi8zlx5_9A-YRgK52DqdKj6orHkd8YA8CJwFhi-sPdTsJzkGL1kXD8wQ/s4080/IMG_20231011_200541251.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHUBUds1rrGtdvzOTyAzZeN_U5lKSl6xJQ3ZzQnfQobETmmhHPPKXwl3-Xldi8rIPc5oNZjTz9cmLXUSkTuqBNOis1VUxHVf9n_SlJMRnjl799XTgCeoHlHF7sKBkQcdkgi8zlx5_9A-YRgK52DqdKj6orHkd8YA8CJwFhi-sPdTsJzkGL1kXD8wQ/s320/IMG_20231011_200541251.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJp_-oUvVugeG8Mk3rup6191uEFenZJomYiC3paBRTuoP3q8cDfrmIkcDm4MgwVTHifd9Q23uA171MnVKa5hOUuuR6vw2D8G5YDiN9W6sFstRVvfEWMGIdmR1zh2u-mxE7z8f2VpwpY71xNKk0TpX2yYQP8uzeMyd4RmRkVftZGVqCg8xkjcWiqe-/s4080/IMG_20231011_202547139.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJp_-oUvVugeG8Mk3rup6191uEFenZJomYiC3paBRTuoP3q8cDfrmIkcDm4MgwVTHifd9Q23uA171MnVKa5hOUuuR6vw2D8G5YDiN9W6sFstRVvfEWMGIdmR1zh2u-mxE7z8f2VpwpY71xNKk0TpX2yYQP8uzeMyd4RmRkVftZGVqCg8xkjcWiqe-/s320/IMG_20231011_202547139.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>We enjoyed a meander around the land the next day to check on the rapidly growing baby chicks, as well as the rest of the chickens. The gnats were making their presence known (in a most annoying way), but Colette and Aunt Eleanor discovered that leaning against a tree trunk somehow seemed to make them go elsewhere. Good to know!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0dPO2VyhdFpsMmZFP-mGxaD0hIOSqG2SvMAFncVk-CfZjgBBELRfVuh-m4UHz-YZh3mVT6Zqggop9kD8Y89pLqkLwZTrEw2-PiNCksxJOSknpRz0Wrv1ODVFXgI9Yvi4pZvf64vEnM2NbOfGAwr5EB_6mF1pE2BW4P5dB0Zaj8MYzx3aFMyEv3om/s4080/IMG_20231012_120022123.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw0dPO2VyhdFpsMmZFP-mGxaD0hIOSqG2SvMAFncVk-CfZjgBBELRfVuh-m4UHz-YZh3mVT6Zqggop9kD8Y89pLqkLwZTrEw2-PiNCksxJOSknpRz0Wrv1ODVFXgI9Yvi4pZvf64vEnM2NbOfGAwr5EB_6mF1pE2BW4P5dB0Zaj8MYzx3aFMyEv3om/s320/IMG_20231012_120022123.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvgIt1oYGlfyn5s-XI-98tbr1NVzgVTd0yZyQ8Gx4YE1_JYcHGUBdM1vNjtZmRkupGa7q-KP-a6FEkQtvOq05wWsrTVQauOJiNPlDsGNh0Ol5nQShTSmzU_Nr1DVKA7GA5Mpimatq2k5IJECf2jS0qNsjtRiDcBnubvDMQLPnEoP5-9JRCcIKPOc9/s4080/IMG_20231012_123129780.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvgIt1oYGlfyn5s-XI-98tbr1NVzgVTd0yZyQ8Gx4YE1_JYcHGUBdM1vNjtZmRkupGa7q-KP-a6FEkQtvOq05wWsrTVQauOJiNPlDsGNh0Ol5nQShTSmzU_Nr1DVKA7GA5Mpimatq2k5IJECf2jS0qNsjtRiDcBnubvDMQLPnEoP5-9JRCcIKPOc9/s320/IMG_20231012_123129780.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB-M-YY7nuXylyXZZ6B1DrxwBQtLxzyymqT80s7XL2bjLf5dPmB1szzLoz-_sOwj7-Y27Ib3417PZXoOEFtRlp-DM8srCpCbzsValcXbKr8OQcWGntb5DXGE47cvZ0hsQ7y-1ZuxB2u4pdAvfTbTafw7NOXempH9JH02D1EhBCzbmCaTQKiF1cOiu/s4080/IMG_20231012_120903215.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPB-M-YY7nuXylyXZZ6B1DrxwBQtLxzyymqT80s7XL2bjLf5dPmB1szzLoz-_sOwj7-Y27Ib3417PZXoOEFtRlp-DM8srCpCbzsValcXbKr8OQcWGntb5DXGE47cvZ0hsQ7y-1ZuxB2u4pdAvfTbTafw7NOXempH9JH02D1EhBCzbmCaTQKiF1cOiu/s320/IMG_20231012_120903215.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTxfB9apbCc3vbBZ6_t5qiVSwimjb9jWdsOtznT6JrbXN5vsfqtpyLzSdKsNkzVCyIglg86Qb_yY1VRoVjLOKXNnsfVp0Rborj6Jx1VaPzLfxKlOdEjcOo6Z_eiI542yZp987UQzTlKpvKGExBnIlzwu3HX6ukMVl97Mz4GWEqiTASyqV9DjTRiLH/s4080/IMG_20231012_124920202.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZTxfB9apbCc3vbBZ6_t5qiVSwimjb9jWdsOtznT6JrbXN5vsfqtpyLzSdKsNkzVCyIglg86Qb_yY1VRoVjLOKXNnsfVp0Rborj6Jx1VaPzLfxKlOdEjcOo6Z_eiI542yZp987UQzTlKpvKGExBnIlzwu3HX6ukMVl97Mz4GWEqiTASyqV9DjTRiLH/s320/IMG_20231012_124920202.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsG5DzYwbYHYBvMtSBasPheZ3QVCseXxraYbIGYRs5JwwTaKFnR1epY8cEZpDoNK-gi1KtEvuhQLHck9G2ylH-OyBk_zEVGQcbm0NNp3DRGLubZog3Qbd4uvMeUYuf8_I_QUbuV74-CiIOJFBYRnNlkMKodxIyBoPJNsFfSifgiuLsqnWGHdduy_A2/s4080/IMG_20231012_125111824.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsG5DzYwbYHYBvMtSBasPheZ3QVCseXxraYbIGYRs5JwwTaKFnR1epY8cEZpDoNK-gi1KtEvuhQLHck9G2ylH-OyBk_zEVGQcbm0NNp3DRGLubZog3Qbd4uvMeUYuf8_I_QUbuV74-CiIOJFBYRnNlkMKodxIyBoPJNsFfSifgiuLsqnWGHdduy_A2/s320/IMG_20231012_125111824.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On our last night all together, the three kiddos treated us to a shadow puppet show. They had worked on it for hours each day. The show was super fun, but I think even they might agree that the whole process leading up to the show was equally or even more fun than the show itself. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4kpO2s6Tn0jc9v2WKxGEcdVMLXtgPcRQP_44109Po8ohoqjKJhy6dir1Hias1nsXJLsRZ9RbKxFJL2knINH0w94WYaOjIckmydUev-1gtwd4RNgtXP94NaliOgSQheQLGR6NqEKL4B5tKZ_-rChKtf7NaZb2YaiRvW2w87_I0ft5Yo1Tm04hzDZ-/s4080/IMG_20231012_204530040.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd4kpO2s6Tn0jc9v2WKxGEcdVMLXtgPcRQP_44109Po8ohoqjKJhy6dir1Hias1nsXJLsRZ9RbKxFJL2knINH0w94WYaOjIckmydUev-1gtwd4RNgtXP94NaliOgSQheQLGR6NqEKL4B5tKZ_-rChKtf7NaZb2YaiRvW2w87_I0ft5Yo1Tm04hzDZ-/s320/IMG_20231012_204530040.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNFO2IuYWKnUncX6eYIRSYrHcbfezsHCueOlnUmS_kHiZmAu2sn9QW5DjdmMb5k_Eq8VfNIISPPsaFUSKTu_7B6fHUbqKP69kZ1FIlc77sLzEvlXbL2vAF8bFT5Wg7eLf3fZSlFg77E_2DJCEvj7s4EP-5MjvErzYETeWlFI3E-RoQ-yNZ8350l6g/s4080/IMG_20231012_205833524.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNFO2IuYWKnUncX6eYIRSYrHcbfezsHCueOlnUmS_kHiZmAu2sn9QW5DjdmMb5k_Eq8VfNIISPPsaFUSKTu_7B6fHUbqKP69kZ1FIlc77sLzEvlXbL2vAF8bFT5Wg7eLf3fZSlFg77E_2DJCEvj7s4EP-5MjvErzYETeWlFI3E-RoQ-yNZ8350l6g/s320/IMG_20231012_205833524.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>The end of the visits came so fast! Now we are dreaming of a visit to their home in the spring!</div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-41760501929140649412023-10-23T10:42:00.003-07:002023-10-23T10:42:55.328-07:00A sampling of land and garden updates Since I mentioned the frost in the last update, I thought I'd give a few end of the growing season updates, including preparations for our first freeze - the final harvests, cover cropping and tucking in gardens for the winter. There's still more to be done and I made the unwise move of looking at our 2022 calendar last evening when Jason and I were already mostly spent for the day. Our first frost was 2 weeks earlier last year so after a quick glance over things I felt about 2 weeks behind on all the things that will need to be done in the coming days/weeks. I'm glad Jason can be mostly focused on the home front for a little stretch here. <div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-23mWqaTRRy7Y3YganJzoUI6qbhYGu_359d4ZPsgyZ5H0hyphenhyphenNgt0o3K6yl8GAz3RgrttHCckEhisuSwWca2NLbmbznKATI3LkJtAUF-gVtCFehA8eDbfFzdRsJpPZ7_IE7GjaAPlc6cFXIYYtwxWscF0cPjNA7R-sEfy_ncUCDygn69U3ADLOnOXA/s4080/IMG_20231008_124401744.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB-23mWqaTRRy7Y3YganJzoUI6qbhYGu_359d4ZPsgyZ5H0hyphenhyphenNgt0o3K6yl8GAz3RgrttHCckEhisuSwWca2NLbmbznKATI3LkJtAUF-gVtCFehA8eDbfFzdRsJpPZ7_IE7GjaAPlc6cFXIYYtwxWscF0cPjNA7R-sEfy_ncUCDygn69U3ADLOnOXA/w200-h151/IMG_20231008_124401744.jpeg" width="200" /></a>When I last wrote, I was home from a concert due to Terah being sick. Unlike the previous cold that made its way through most of us over the course of a few weeks, this one was quick and really only impacted Terah. She missed out on much of a family gardening day, but even felt good enough (thanks medicine!) to come out for a bit of the sweet potato digging and a little tree climbing. I was gearing up for a lot of logistical rearranging and some sad cancellations when it became apparent that this particular virus was gonna exit about as fast as it arrived. </div><div><br /></div><div>So here's a smattering of updates from the land in no particular order! </div><div><br /></div><div>We did round 1 of our PA Dutch Squash harvest when the first frost threatened (but didn't materialize).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQnOxouB0qM5e7DVb_Igtd1XedNW85rqk6RtnqN5xGAkai7vpE_HeNRhnnpN5p7dRGNMAowqOlPVxDwJeMHOsCtIu2nmteaulBUeWdyF7E3nt08wQreBMESA00NRLSR6dIXSzt12t_P8jKpYnbMEBkyWJywhlf6KT7TisVWtiU4YlGNkUEwAUdzSK/s4032/IMG_7352.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQnOxouB0qM5e7DVb_Igtd1XedNW85rqk6RtnqN5xGAkai7vpE_HeNRhnnpN5p7dRGNMAowqOlPVxDwJeMHOsCtIu2nmteaulBUeWdyF7E3nt08wQreBMESA00NRLSR6dIXSzt12t_P8jKpYnbMEBkyWJywhlf6KT7TisVWtiU4YlGNkUEwAUdzSK/s320/IMG_7352.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>We also got in all the mature Trombone Squash. We are still VERY impressed by this plant! I just cut one open recently from LAST year and it was solid all the way through with nice plump seeds (the flavor was lacking in sweetness after sitting in our root cellar for over a year, but we aren't holding that against it).<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QrBxRSd04K6EfvzFfsc3Zv9WA2z82oaPlKF_ZqBvNZCjjxbJmmTXEasRyzOxW7ZUZ0rd5m6xio-WPa_A51t2zD335BUpNJI9kGzCixTKAOzJQ5g-PEjr8djwFugYIhQZ8PfZgP1U6BZTamrDxIVi2GRxsw5TPm6sSTXVJSnLLPbxcmBIIy8gkcXM/s4032/IMG_7353.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0QrBxRSd04K6EfvzFfsc3Zv9WA2z82oaPlKF_ZqBvNZCjjxbJmmTXEasRyzOxW7ZUZ0rd5m6xio-WPa_A51t2zD335BUpNJI9kGzCixTKAOzJQ5g-PEjr8djwFugYIhQZ8PfZgP1U6BZTamrDxIVi2GRxsw5TPm6sSTXVJSnLLPbxcmBIIy8gkcXM/s320/IMG_7353.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>It's always fun to download photos from Jason's phone and see what strikes his fancy. He gets the credit for these perky little barley plants coming up. Most of the fall cover cropping is in as of dark last evening, but there will still be the final section of the pig paddocks to plant in rye once we get them moved to their winter quarters. Jason spent much of a day with our neighbor getting the new hog panels welded and ready to make their corral in the dryland garden. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3q4ltoCgwgMnmf1nqoz1QvbRhbppWhRT6wCThujyZs08hqXYNhCIrlyyZKfmaRTnVpZWZQx5vjbd68kanGEuXEZ9c28QERKhsUCvJdu0EAlM8Qq6A96JLT6-WKQ6YaOxHo_MSO2Dvvdyr7V1g6KL5xASKuoueLhPyJFf7RqHTiy9MCd84QJj0KrM/s4032/IMG_7361.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT3q4ltoCgwgMnmf1nqoz1QvbRhbppWhRT6wCThujyZs08hqXYNhCIrlyyZKfmaRTnVpZWZQx5vjbd68kanGEuXEZ9c28QERKhsUCvJdu0EAlM8Qq6A96JLT6-WKQ6YaOxHo_MSO2Dvvdyr7V1g6KL5xASKuoueLhPyJFf7RqHTiy9MCd84QJj0KrM/s320/IMG_7361.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>While we've been mostly focused outside, there's been some seed processing happening inside in the nooks and crannies of the days. Here Jason is showing the impressive variation in two types of buckwheat grown this year. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYzPM05yiOKmGVh-Ii3yX8pbU6F5ryRy6K4VCjM5CouHPUjsU7CwzRIO87fXJbQe70RoaqdkrxaMbGFJhQdJhTE9_xqciIbxn1xP2eC4PSaCc4d7wMNvXtW6znD3oGXLZjJVRugpq3kO56XSql2ur_9AAdhU9610I-USkdvYb5mvJX90pDB3SvPQ2/s4032/IMG_7367.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibYzPM05yiOKmGVh-Ii3yX8pbU6F5ryRy6K4VCjM5CouHPUjsU7CwzRIO87fXJbQe70RoaqdkrxaMbGFJhQdJhTE9_xqciIbxn1xP2eC4PSaCc4d7wMNvXtW6znD3oGXLZjJVRugpq3kO56XSql2ur_9AAdhU9610I-USkdvYb5mvJX90pDB3SvPQ2/s320/IMG_7367.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>And here he is showing off some dry beans. We can give thanks to his dear friend Craig for many of these photos, as they are often taken with the intention of shooting a text off to him with a seed breeding thought or challenge or excitement or...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebB_3iMcoskwTrUd0lHMamnrxHJ7SGq8Y0cFEfSktYW10lSQ-HQX5XYEtWza6_o3i42hxQpodoIrzcXRIA_IhBaGXzN751hSdPYTMK8gjgHZcaNJw1VSI7RPMWJ-iLfkdsQ6V4dq9xdTKkzJ5Y6qoumK7lPIiwAx0VsrUqhqNO1T2676J-g-N1KgP/s4032/IMG_7370.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhebB_3iMcoskwTrUd0lHMamnrxHJ7SGq8Y0cFEfSktYW10lSQ-HQX5XYEtWza6_o3i42hxQpodoIrzcXRIA_IhBaGXzN751hSdPYTMK8gjgHZcaNJw1VSI7RPMWJ-iLfkdsQ6V4dq9xdTKkzJ5Y6qoumK7lPIiwAx0VsrUqhqNO1T2676J-g-N1KgP/s320/IMG_7370.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>We waited just as long as we could (until this past weekend) to harvest all the corn. It could have used a bit more time, but had we left it in the field much longer the chipmunks would have stolen (I can call it that, right??) even more of the girls' popcorn. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQMNHKYmWlNR8Oi0GPNLHc6aPnau-JIT7XT5Z6GpF8t_F3H8ntEhgJVNycgyBZ8lw8IA0wNGthI5vTkwjpT0hZ2aJyJXL13kraZJPNJb2gj0-Kv2lORHnyrnEI6KhNTEYg40MAhctFLGKTKGU9U9VopOseaqi_MR6Tydl3msAfcyou65buZdhfRw1/s4032/IMG_7514.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQMNHKYmWlNR8Oi0GPNLHc6aPnau-JIT7XT5Z6GpF8t_F3H8ntEhgJVNycgyBZ8lw8IA0wNGthI5vTkwjpT0hZ2aJyJXL13kraZJPNJb2gj0-Kv2lORHnyrnEI6KhNTEYg40MAhctFLGKTKGU9U9VopOseaqi_MR6Tydl3msAfcyou65buZdhfRw1/s320/IMG_7514.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcCEmUs-xzdwKl10gc-wJOUxOs2L0p2fsTW5frOUAx7-y2ewF4dUgc-BlS5ehF0ZITPVBrII8h36auKLe70TuKyefsqXEmOJ4aa5U4v4W8dFkjvNVXB8eaY8dOSNxCHMxPT8uVH8NU0ayZMyw_KgD6EBctAY_onvxbBJXX68hbZagEZMwssVSYb58/s4080/IMG_20231021_173403939.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZcCEmUs-xzdwKl10gc-wJOUxOs2L0p2fsTW5frOUAx7-y2ewF4dUgc-BlS5ehF0ZITPVBrII8h36auKLe70TuKyefsqXEmOJ4aa5U4v4W8dFkjvNVXB8eaY8dOSNxCHMxPT8uVH8NU0ayZMyw_KgD6EBctAY_onvxbBJXX68hbZagEZMwssVSYb58/s320/IMG_20231021_173403939.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7qXVPXVnb6Pcr2D5JPzMPq42an8UFxU5WVU2iLN5W7Ahm1KyFU6-SKye5rvhC4_y4bdhZdnHYRvzoRfI0fSoIxSFX5Dy1U2uVoefCZ-LoAxGehfMQhxS-1Sy8BFVjz8wdnOhR2mfPQlc4hQkX21Q6I2s7HsP6ynB4vRaudbeNeWv6NYn_53eIsbm/s4080/IMG_20231021_142339845.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7qXVPXVnb6Pcr2D5JPzMPq42an8UFxU5WVU2iLN5W7Ahm1KyFU6-SKye5rvhC4_y4bdhZdnHYRvzoRfI0fSoIxSFX5Dy1U2uVoefCZ-LoAxGehfMQhxS-1Sy8BFVjz8wdnOhR2mfPQlc4hQkX21Q6I2s7HsP6ynB4vRaudbeNeWv6NYn_53eIsbm/s320/IMG_20231021_142339845.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>We had a lunch picnic on the corn harvesting day and the row of raspberries, muscadine grapes, last cherry tomatoes, jujubes and kiwis I harvested that morning made me very happy! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsZ8fGdpNP-402M707zAfR0aqU6v2AlqdM94-tq4DtxtwXfjwDDKJrKlKh60mAM3ZqXuH-QkuEdc3KPpSrNFhtUX5564fLeIShzW3aRTRvtyvwvoWAw6KaSNHC4_stgjbkK-DGW4H0uPZ4hywTm2KorLiOlLKQl7coCO9ayMdkGmx0gHsugqlm-pa/s4032/IMG_7527.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsZ8fGdpNP-402M707zAfR0aqU6v2AlqdM94-tq4DtxtwXfjwDDKJrKlKh60mAM3ZqXuH-QkuEdc3KPpSrNFhtUX5564fLeIShzW3aRTRvtyvwvoWAw6KaSNHC4_stgjbkK-DGW4H0uPZ4hywTm2KorLiOlLKQl7coCO9ayMdkGmx0gHsugqlm-pa/s320/IMG_7527.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>We've been savoring roasted delicata squash, while simultaneously testing them to see which we want to keep seeds from for next year's planting. We are not breeding for triplet squashes, but we did get one this year. We are starting in on our taste testing much earlier this year and there have been some winners. I do think I found one that must have crossed with something else (a gourd?) as I cannot cut it with our sharpest butcher knife.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW66fXqDT6UoGD18ZavlaYV1aQpqHiMV7fn5g02uAPHzNnwoH7-XF5hYjgk0xgVtfOGNiPvLW4d-J-ce9tXL8dJM328GqC56QRCuVBOrgIXd-bZ4BaPZESd_VtjYCYtxXcC5r1Cl-uJZXYVDM7FuVjN1HsirRTJJ9qPa0IlhyphenhyphenLNXqiovuTlNpWzXLB/s4080/IMG_20231008_124237513.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW66fXqDT6UoGD18ZavlaYV1aQpqHiMV7fn5g02uAPHzNnwoH7-XF5hYjgk0xgVtfOGNiPvLW4d-J-ce9tXL8dJM328GqC56QRCuVBOrgIXd-bZ4BaPZESd_VtjYCYtxXcC5r1Cl-uJZXYVDM7FuVjN1HsirRTJJ9qPa0IlhyphenhyphenLNXqiovuTlNpWzXLB/s320/IMG_20231008_124237513.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>This year prior to digging the sweet potatoes and after we had gotten any of the growing tips of the vines for our own eating, we cut out the vines and gave the pigs a hearty helping (a couple wheelbarrow loads) daily until they were used up. I absolutely love taking weeds and vegetable matter we aren't using to our piggies. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvK4t7zm16AOz8zjB8AcmEs9aXS76q3V2GyaAJRqQJ-EtQb6AH-eMJNhph3tZWHvVu6mh_V5HLmBO1OBmQ7W65JTklWBtIql92tUKoqNRneW2aN6XHAgvyAn5nB9WWUvDZv3m4myy2CjKqXMyJz2_a2HtxtjZ1D4s0Vw-u5WSXLsZboz05yfQrynp/s4080/IMG_20231008_132242012.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvK4t7zm16AOz8zjB8AcmEs9aXS76q3V2GyaAJRqQJ-EtQb6AH-eMJNhph3tZWHvVu6mh_V5HLmBO1OBmQ7W65JTklWBtIql92tUKoqNRneW2aN6XHAgvyAn5nB9WWUvDZv3m4myy2CjKqXMyJz2_a2HtxtjZ1D4s0Vw-u5WSXLsZboz05yfQrynp/s320/IMG_20231008_132242012.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItlJ2LI-pv2xK3lyyPYtMkHsQJTl92n08TPgiHaM1Rfx2jsmVh9F3MeQDBpuPdgrPSrnzVlyibE2IBf_-odNNRJDPCy7XOz8_xB80hLvKcvKq3_E3j1D4OKwHfBHFFAEH82i6zKwu_w9e1CJYSY0p7fm1U_H1TZKe66qdtYm-6bXHEYEedJnFW84X/s4080/IMG_20231008_132507691.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiItlJ2LI-pv2xK3lyyPYtMkHsQJTl92n08TPgiHaM1Rfx2jsmVh9F3MeQDBpuPdgrPSrnzVlyibE2IBf_-odNNRJDPCy7XOz8_xB80hLvKcvKq3_E3j1D4OKwHfBHFFAEH82i6zKwu_w9e1CJYSY0p7fm1U_H1TZKe66qdtYm-6bXHEYEedJnFW84X/s320/IMG_20231008_132507691.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>Our sweet potato harvest was much less than other years (they had a slow and rough start, along with a few groundhog visits), but way better than the white potatoes. We will still have lots of bushels of delicious tubers to take us through the winter.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cRzG9Gqz7U1YLNl0THx4whIP0dWQwaRV8rgjp9I49LPUV2PwUOLUMANwrB8B5D1N3alLjqhcc2QcLRv1vbjQznZWcFF-K2f6coOTFE0DdU04FUAz2UnJ-8ptOEQMcUJosGI7nZaJDHe8veMbiTgm3xI2Huz6LcNCtThWwOdpQcI3QvXyAzBb3duL/s4080/IMG_20231008_142853180.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4cRzG9Gqz7U1YLNl0THx4whIP0dWQwaRV8rgjp9I49LPUV2PwUOLUMANwrB8B5D1N3alLjqhcc2QcLRv1vbjQznZWcFF-K2f6coOTFE0DdU04FUAz2UnJ-8ptOEQMcUJosGI7nZaJDHe8veMbiTgm3xI2Huz6LcNCtThWwOdpQcI3QvXyAzBb3duL/s320/IMG_20231008_142853180.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLYToX8SB8Sn6kl3vD3UaHD8ezuuwDItvZo9O7mnf8RlXylwZPiTPrsf979wqozCiA_lWsaRtp1n4Ke3lauA3Zdr6QNFhFYtkgKWEWt0Gkd5WaonEuOOmrGchugkT7M6TfN6V46kPvZz9XN5yxzgWhBaY7bpRcYIVlubJUPksSbkDzHnT_tVISPAR/s4080/IMG_20231008_143231549.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHLYToX8SB8Sn6kl3vD3UaHD8ezuuwDItvZo9O7mnf8RlXylwZPiTPrsf979wqozCiA_lWsaRtp1n4Ke3lauA3Zdr6QNFhFYtkgKWEWt0Gkd5WaonEuOOmrGchugkT7M6TfN6V46kPvZz9XN5yxzgWhBaY7bpRcYIVlubJUPksSbkDzHnT_tVISPAR/s320/IMG_20231008_143231549.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvtlWmCpAL6KvbOzKN9mX-Sy4iZHLMx4XeCfBiU-yORlkI49QpZNhUwJGFKpgCIoA85lsp37qgYMkt-LG-0oViyWzlG21c_jR2xKdbeGHaq0-NsvFd3V6FzIVXAlAiamx800G3us62U6olO8WfjRs5FM4s0uOYe18IiAy8ALlH-4lQ5m4jVPDeJXL/s4080/IMG_20231008_181835439.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvtlWmCpAL6KvbOzKN9mX-Sy4iZHLMx4XeCfBiU-yORlkI49QpZNhUwJGFKpgCIoA85lsp37qgYMkt-LG-0oViyWzlG21c_jR2xKdbeGHaq0-NsvFd3V6FzIVXAlAiamx800G3us62U6olO8WfjRs5FM4s0uOYe18IiAy8ALlH-4lQ5m4jVPDeJXL/s320/IMG_20231008_181835439.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div>The food processing has slowed down (right as the milk supply has picked up, so I've got my first cheddar in months going today). It's down to drying paprika peppers, cutting up the last of the sweet peppers and using up some immature winter squash in whatever creative ways I can. Oh, I guess we are going to a neighbor's farm today to get several bushes of broccoli and cabbage so there may be some broccoli freezing and sauerkraut making in my future!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtMZZbQoK4sO_0iA4AUQja3vrmq2_1Wvg-ECdR0KUZuhdSMerUhemZx_cFSay_kiichwOvNSy8qlrVCR3ygSjiw5N35ErT_nKU3-shLtOAq7OHu5of3gYKUDoaH0MCweBhyPlArWa5o1HN2019B5RIpEXiroLnwn9VAE0vpYUPWgQE_6rCamNMpVc/s4080/IMG_20231013_203216928.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtMZZbQoK4sO_0iA4AUQja3vrmq2_1Wvg-ECdR0KUZuhdSMerUhemZx_cFSay_kiichwOvNSy8qlrVCR3ygSjiw5N35ErT_nKU3-shLtOAq7OHu5of3gYKUDoaH0MCweBhyPlArWa5o1HN2019B5RIpEXiroLnwn9VAE0vpYUPWgQE_6rCamNMpVc/s320/IMG_20231013_203216928.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Even after this freeze, we'll still have a smattering of fruits to harvest. The kiwis are almost done 😢 but there are still lots of persimmons and jujubes on the tree and the white raspberries look like they'll give us a few more flushes of fruit (especially since we'll be in the high 70's much of the rest of this week). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP5_Iy1MBkBTTu3ailN-LTHTtdqL8ngtUr8gbYmfI24UsB_NLHcnoxN8JQP3pyRRkA8RONNNOkdB49Y3u6rDCDxcZwDB3nywhJdrH9uAv6sthG76QzOdW0nalHN6dxs9AwDyAH_M8Py-bcwRR3a0p7t5vll-npcH5xBT0pZP3qMFtWWlk5VnrmD43/s1600/IMG_20231014_085357131.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjP5_Iy1MBkBTTu3ailN-LTHTtdqL8ngtUr8gbYmfI24UsB_NLHcnoxN8JQP3pyRRkA8RONNNOkdB49Y3u6rDCDxcZwDB3nywhJdrH9uAv6sthG76QzOdW0nalHN6dxs9AwDyAH_M8Py-bcwRR3a0p7t5vll-npcH5xBT0pZP3qMFtWWlk5VnrmD43/s320/IMG_20231014_085357131.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjils8P-3XS5jruccbqEaxK4Kf-it1wWV7EC0MdJOOJTb2GxrkKLRIl0uqR0j_k3NkVfGeByWkyOX0L5iz8M1vKqOgWoTShAoon7ZPX-ApN81WzilK1u_0FZzT3dfpDlRYJvO8dLT9qBHLliYGBw0WnE6vqrayaxt1cexj6GYVoBtIHL4wI2Pnholuf/s4080/IMG_20231019_171652528.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjils8P-3XS5jruccbqEaxK4Kf-it1wWV7EC0MdJOOJTb2GxrkKLRIl0uqR0j_k3NkVfGeByWkyOX0L5iz8M1vKqOgWoTShAoon7ZPX-ApN81WzilK1u_0FZzT3dfpDlRYJvO8dLT9qBHLliYGBw0WnE6vqrayaxt1cexj6GYVoBtIHL4wI2Pnholuf/w151-h200/IMG_20231019_171652528.jpeg" width="151" /></a>Jason bought a new ladder for his business but it has already earned its keep along the front walk. For those that do not know the story of our jujube tree pictured here: There was a beautiful large tree beside the front walk of our first basement apartment on Hamlet Dr. We didn't know what it was at the time but it dropped these interesting little fruits on our sidewalk in the fall. When we purchased our first home on Wolfe St, I was pregnant with Kali and we dug up a little shoot of this tree and planted it at a baby blessing event with friends and family after Kali's birth. Then when we moved to Fruit Farm Lane we dug that little tree up and planted it in our front flowerbed. Now 18 years later, it drops its interesting fruits (which we now know by name) on our walkway just like it did at our first apartment. And this year there is a bumper crop AND the fun of climbing high to harvest it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It could also be a bumper crop of black walnuts this year too, if we had the time/energy to make use of them all. We were going to let them go entirely but we had a family competition (friendly and more or less collaborative) to see how many buckets we could fill in 10 (or was it 15) minutes. We now have 8 5-gallon buckets of black walnuts waiting to be processed...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ911dbG2TptM_PfEytUTUHp9AoBSaTnB5QSggNWyucaRm2mDjtWDcpt0rlC2PK6tzFLyclh5Uysh2u2X0hZLqG0FhUzgDGsis3lI0vzx-yck0mGDvjpklK41u7R3CTzXTbngWSs1VlIEwMFkNqwT5OSkbu3Q5k3uqEd47SL3oTacbOpPSipn1vZ04/s4080/IMG_20231015_144121323.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ911dbG2TptM_PfEytUTUHp9AoBSaTnB5QSggNWyucaRm2mDjtWDcpt0rlC2PK6tzFLyclh5Uysh2u2X0hZLqG0FhUzgDGsis3lI0vzx-yck0mGDvjpklK41u7R3CTzXTbngWSs1VlIEwMFkNqwT5OSkbu3Q5k3uqEd47SL3oTacbOpPSipn1vZ04/s320/IMG_20231015_144121323.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our home is full of marigold bouquets right now. It was VERY hard to cut up these plants still full of buds and blossoms. But after harvesting more seed than we could ever plant, we chopped them up for mulch to make way for seeding the winter wheat. Jason was away working that day, so it was a Tangly Woods' gals' gardening afternoon. We chopped up LOTS of plant material and got the tomato trellising disassembled and stored away in the "wire yard." Yep, we were kinda proud of ourselves!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dGyIiAE2stesGMQmCPQVVzwJYXx5OKvR-eV9kx9zLELByID-X7jS9qRX8U7IZLrAs3pACfM5KMmT-U0TMtpyZvETvuNH-wcOA1NeoM2gBdSvfEMyHPRS4Tw2xXv04_5BnS7ivtOTunJKY347EkitaBXluPbcTStJhVAyTjOFORTVBA-xI5bA0jAO/s4080/IMG_20231017_123611606.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dGyIiAE2stesGMQmCPQVVzwJYXx5OKvR-eV9kx9zLELByID-X7jS9qRX8U7IZLrAs3pACfM5KMmT-U0TMtpyZvETvuNH-wcOA1NeoM2gBdSvfEMyHPRS4Tw2xXv04_5BnS7ivtOTunJKY347EkitaBXluPbcTStJhVAyTjOFORTVBA-xI5bA0jAO/s320/IMG_20231017_123611606.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAuTRYwma95XMC0X3YYuug_UzUf3nR0w4wWlgAIYVrgPGQKwki6xpYwYNzzpm6owIbvZILBzW4QbO4vtIdM3gdsYtfChHVkamCCM4WWhn6xrUA0LUgWk-U3jZtGPchjSb9-4leowOGEx78iApjRtgd5o5MfclDqsKwrGrrM9J3lWAoWGx5lxLCCl-/s4080/IMG_20231017_122311032.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBAuTRYwma95XMC0X3YYuug_UzUf3nR0w4wWlgAIYVrgPGQKwki6xpYwYNzzpm6owIbvZILBzW4QbO4vtIdM3gdsYtfChHVkamCCM4WWhn6xrUA0LUgWk-U3jZtGPchjSb9-4leowOGEx78iApjRtgd5o5MfclDqsKwrGrrM9J3lWAoWGx5lxLCCl-/s320/IMG_20231017_122311032.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmPgAYGXfwhCTVOJlNvwPlzNZLdEZput7tMvQJVng_hazOXgcPsevDgPATklw7zLEpijWiKCg_7kP2qh0iCqDe9Eyuh2QvRKQ5xG095nGS-f1M1bSdLXSTcCD2NicP-pG20P1mXFPcS_nMPuTcQZIr0-G5oOubDA1SZUiZ-WPCqQaiQlrl65bMkax/s4080/IMG_20231017_130559635.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmPgAYGXfwhCTVOJlNvwPlzNZLdEZput7tMvQJVng_hazOXgcPsevDgPATklw7zLEpijWiKCg_7kP2qh0iCqDe9Eyuh2QvRKQ5xG095nGS-f1M1bSdLXSTcCD2NicP-pG20P1mXFPcS_nMPuTcQZIr0-G5oOubDA1SZUiZ-WPCqQaiQlrl65bMkax/s320/IMG_20231017_130559635.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnejNqroPXlNW5O15IVePCkhinnF4DM3GjixdCIXplJpt_p8ne8HcJtq-UklEXV4nZBbRUccBa6An4MZ1b49PPa0ihZxlUpZyuSwy2QjYvEHgCFR4IZnzQ7906vHmRk9Np-Fda6z1fXO4q68Bi7FAdy5HgffUchfU-g2JnKCZSq15kZsAkvYZfScgP/s4080/IMG_20231017_145421704.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnejNqroPXlNW5O15IVePCkhinnF4DM3GjixdCIXplJpt_p8ne8HcJtq-UklEXV4nZBbRUccBa6An4MZ1b49PPa0ihZxlUpZyuSwy2QjYvEHgCFR4IZnzQ7906vHmRk9Np-Fda6z1fXO4q68Bi7FAdy5HgffUchfU-g2JnKCZSq15kZsAkvYZfScgP/s320/IMG_20231017_145421704.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jason has done most of the actual cover cropping (other than me helping the some peas/wheat last night when we were racing the sun). Here he's getting our fall spinach seeded where the sweet peppers and mahon yams were.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje33SjfE2lOLd9DnacUTDCE4On8qt16nC2GcAmVDfMukYGoGawsN2XHRXj8bFRdVc5e88aHxKKwvZRntsrZh1fnUzT8aFe19udNwsRDQBj4Y5XDd8HbRFPqZXXWz3LYvV-jtFJgOa8TKwQqedravkx2Pv2n4_DaCpAz7uIDLMKZDNYzwapW-bRP2Oi/s4080/IMG_20231022_090919517.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje33SjfE2lOLd9DnacUTDCE4On8qt16nC2GcAmVDfMukYGoGawsN2XHRXj8bFRdVc5e88aHxKKwvZRntsrZh1fnUzT8aFe19udNwsRDQBj4Y5XDd8HbRFPqZXXWz3LYvV-jtFJgOa8TKwQqedravkx2Pv2n4_DaCpAz7uIDLMKZDNYzwapW-bRP2Oi/s320/IMG_20231022_090919517.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div>Much more could be said about this, but that gives you/us an idea of what we've been up to. And to end, can you tell I just do not tire of the mountain in our backdrop and the way the clouds change its appearance so much from day to day?! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFu05dLuI834H44YhbS5LAYc6-4daGS8GO_14iSV_qt1jgyLoMMjcVrBQ8JDDQ0L25s22lKs3NGwjHfO3FItyq0Djw-xOwURWpSPJgfU40gSKO6smiDsTpVAU-yl7hbDDgDb3J3JqmhIFuKRzQHNjRguAHmUV4EiXcRUOXzCpbKMhgE4aNoGJ0cQM/s4080/IMG_20231014_084855208.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFu05dLuI834H44YhbS5LAYc6-4daGS8GO_14iSV_qt1jgyLoMMjcVrBQ8JDDQ0L25s22lKs3NGwjHfO3FItyq0Djw-xOwURWpSPJgfU40gSKO6smiDsTpVAU-yl7hbDDgDb3J3JqmhIFuKRzQHNjRguAHmUV4EiXcRUOXzCpbKMhgE4aNoGJ0cQM/s320/IMG_20231014_084855208.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwX7t1Q2KS_IQsZ3y-Vfr2TPYJPzKFvYjRpuj7LcdAyPiI0pm7IOIbs33cmKNTjUP2uvxiFH_GOjpIoxwIVkZdASs0-s58YB9H5jYUWp0702e_QHntvUWsOCcNo3Wo00ArzwWSvKt89aCI-oYJcwe_ukSQZt-8uhgzkI5vV9-WnUF9ovl-SVvodzhk/s4080/IMG_20231014_084925144.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwX7t1Q2KS_IQsZ3y-Vfr2TPYJPzKFvYjRpuj7LcdAyPiI0pm7IOIbs33cmKNTjUP2uvxiFH_GOjpIoxwIVkZdASs0-s58YB9H5jYUWp0702e_QHntvUWsOCcNo3Wo00ArzwWSvKt89aCI-oYJcwe_ukSQZt-8uhgzkI5vV9-WnUF9ovl-SVvodzhk/s320/IMG_20231014_084925144.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-85536147756797962702023-10-23T09:35:00.001-07:002023-10-23T09:35:50.573-07:00Soccer season coming to a closeI'm gonna tackle the scrapbook catch up by topic today rather than chronologically because my brain is all over the place and there have been so many things woven throughout our days in the last 2 weeks. Some of the mental and emotional backdrop of these posts is wondering how to integrate our beautiful experiences of celebration and connection and family, not to mention safety and having all our basic needs met, with the extreme violence and trauma that many are experiencing around the world, but particularly in the Middle East. My heart breaks for a friend who lost touch with her family in Gaza many days ago, and I feel so angry for the media portrayals of what it happening (negating the humanity of millions, among other things)! I'm thankful to those who have lived experience and connections in the region who are willing to share that, as well as bringing it home to those of us who live in this colonized land - if you have instagram, I recommend this <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CyhBhVjPVim/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==" target="_blank">silverrunforestfarm </a>post for starters!<div><br /></div><div>SO...life gives so many opportunities to hold multiple seemingly conflicting things in our hands and hearts simultaneously...still not a pro at that myself!<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vl_AdBlVEPZfIvznbwGbACCALYsI8n-FgzXWjlGkAdiJuwfBdc5aaiz43NqaY5qIKYnQ7ihVqrV-IRoBwzno3bsS140zW2_6-MHwt91OOycFp7Re2ZT58Nz0GXqWEsP2gYmwEfqrtACDsl_JylG7C96rcGebvt5moE-nSh-hivDp3RoEr0Ll84Nd/s4080/IMG_20231023_090023582.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vl_AdBlVEPZfIvznbwGbACCALYsI8n-FgzXWjlGkAdiJuwfBdc5aaiz43NqaY5qIKYnQ7ihVqrV-IRoBwzno3bsS140zW2_6-MHwt91OOycFp7Re2ZT58Nz0GXqWEsP2gYmwEfqrtACDsl_JylG7C96rcGebvt5moE-nSh-hivDp3RoEr0Ll84Nd/w200-h151/IMG_20231023_090023582.jpg" width="200" /></a>The girls were at Ivy's for a sleepover last night (a belated celebration with them of Terah turning 8!) as Jason and I scurried around until dark (and a bit after) getting ready somewhat frantically for the first frost of the year. We got it (the frost) and were mostly ready (phew)! </div><div><br /></div><div>I've seen some pictures as proof of the fun our kiddos are having. Sadly, Jason and I were not able to soak up much time together this particular kiddo-free stint since Jason was taking off before 5 a.m. this morning to make his way into DC for a grain conference. I am hoping he is making good connections and enjoying himself today, and I feel certain from the updates already that he won't be getting any ideas that city living might suit him better than our little rural spot!! While he navigated (only somewhat successfully) the DC metro system, I enjoyed morning chores in the crisp autumn air!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G60FQhBKHUtUx-ypAioql6udaA-HYwzPuM75Nd8Ofe2lRVA7Xw7d7rT2uN4nwB803fw0aDTDxnhya1a9CnPuSZGJxhYD0PoLYQiMx4dBqBA0fZxsLRJDOdpmQqQMLb6yA_cK2aaotGF4QHOGD5_i8Ehat5RD1tp5k0dWR0VDHk03Aa62GLuvQjj5/s4080/PXL_20231022_215702221.MP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_G60FQhBKHUtUx-ypAioql6udaA-HYwzPuM75Nd8Ofe2lRVA7Xw7d7rT2uN4nwB803fw0aDTDxnhya1a9CnPuSZGJxhYD0PoLYQiMx4dBqBA0fZxsLRJDOdpmQqQMLb6yA_cK2aaotGF4QHOGD5_i8Ehat5RD1tp5k0dWR0VDHk03Aa62GLuvQjj5/w320-h242/PXL_20231022_215702221.MP.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NOYwI8bl6pTqVjaZNYbbiAKGfvNrXlR22q4IspAMVOHpiL2yh8ULDFW5Fd1JTcR-rVKK_Z7Wq83136uieaTMZmDlN_ILi5lA6i2004YhVeqfkKczdR3s8qhPBSeuj_LPkbUXzqKd7FsgTn4tc_ja6hyphenhyphenG16dijXnb9uM0bwcGbsSH1cpryManBY7K/s4032/IMG_7399.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1NOYwI8bl6pTqVjaZNYbbiAKGfvNrXlR22q4IspAMVOHpiL2yh8ULDFW5Fd1JTcR-rVKK_Z7Wq83136uieaTMZmDlN_ILi5lA6i2004YhVeqfkKczdR3s8qhPBSeuj_LPkbUXzqKd7FsgTn4tc_ja6hyphenhyphenG16dijXnb9uM0bwcGbsSH1cpryManBY7K/w150-h200/IMG_7399.jpeg" width="150" /></a>It's good Jason made it to the soccer games on Terah's birthday since it ended up being the only games he made it to this season. Between the fall crunch and needing to have someone at home in the evening on predator watch with chickens free ranging, the stars just didn't align. But he made good use of the games he was at and took MANY photographs. So photo credits to him for the smattering I picked out to share here. The night he was with us, we also had the pleasure of having my great aunt, second cousin and her son with us on the sidelines (more on that in another post!). Tonight will be the last games of this season and, while I think we all might appreciate some easing of our evening schedules, I know the girls are gonna miss playing. Alida and Terah have LOVED the season, and I think Kali has enjoyed coaching well enough (she's a bit less effusive about it than they are about playing!). I think I've been pretty good about not been too obnoxious on the sidelines, though Alida still tells me I'm loud. I aim to follow Kali's tip of avoiding verbs (so as to not "coach") and I also try to just sit back and enjoy it, but it's hard for me to not be expressive about that enjoyment. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7OdnxPdvlEY8MBM5Bn4d95oR-4wbrHu1FcBll1OW0qsmw6tlkyxqTqwQsi6YM8Y80s1yKreuspQTtnyj02ov3ShNxw5URCKtf9Uod3x49MgrOkoyK6Ns8YKpPrGYP2LRrID9-iKFfx-Mzsbm3sI3OuLNn5TlJGu3XoKpSrCPbx9eLWrwTZRQv9cB/s4032/IMG_7374.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7OdnxPdvlEY8MBM5Bn4d95oR-4wbrHu1FcBll1OW0qsmw6tlkyxqTqwQsi6YM8Y80s1yKreuspQTtnyj02ov3ShNxw5URCKtf9Uod3x49MgrOkoyK6Ns8YKpPrGYP2LRrID9-iKFfx-Mzsbm3sI3OuLNn5TlJGu3XoKpSrCPbx9eLWrwTZRQv9cB/w200-h150/IMG_7374.jpeg" width="200" /></a>As long as the kids are having fun, I really don't have other priorities for them playing soccer. They clearly find it to be joyful movement (while exhausting) and a fun way to interact with their peers. However, I have had some moments of awe in seeing Alida's footwork and the power of her body to propel the ball from one end of the field to the other. She would cream me in one-on-one soccer at this point. The other night we were on time for her practice and her coach was delayed by 10-15 minutes. I made a rash decision to place myself in the goal so the girls could start practicing by shooting on goal. What was I thinking? I was a tad sore the next day (clearly, I needed a full body suit to protect me from their shots).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSO5WlgUPpepnBVdh-oDtLf9ZKdXmCeBJoom01dHilCBzgP45ZG7F2NT3odvq1aX-l0iYIhsxDTT56qDzMtLBOH3186DlIWEvIqs1TS18gZalMeMIXGhsOt5Y_7v28hABvzN06TtpeT6LS2C8dj2rmVIIZusY0UJbyCA8PyO3wlEPC6Mu5imnRLbN/s4032/IMG_7385.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSO5WlgUPpepnBVdh-oDtLf9ZKdXmCeBJoom01dHilCBzgP45ZG7F2NT3odvq1aX-l0iYIhsxDTT56qDzMtLBOH3186DlIWEvIqs1TS18gZalMeMIXGhsOt5Y_7v28hABvzN06TtpeT6LS2C8dj2rmVIIZusY0UJbyCA8PyO3wlEPC6Mu5imnRLbN/s320/IMG_7385.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielR34NsoYgUbEGLe7pT9ASUAiceWaLW7fhZLWrS2Wn7LkYRqkgZQ9rVrt4HDRPXexj1fuE-48FMpnBM1RClefnTZcNsET6LChl_kYi7AuM3_JvydBPctGtgwJ-sBf_urXgXlQoDJiAQ20Ue5Dx-7JY2Rmn7TreAuN9IneqLGl8bdeKAkrk5uS89u1/s4032/IMG_7394.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielR34NsoYgUbEGLe7pT9ASUAiceWaLW7fhZLWrS2Wn7LkYRqkgZQ9rVrt4HDRPXexj1fuE-48FMpnBM1RClefnTZcNsET6LChl_kYi7AuM3_JvydBPctGtgwJ-sBf_urXgXlQoDJiAQ20Ue5Dx-7JY2Rmn7TreAuN9IneqLGl8bdeKAkrk5uS89u1/s320/IMG_7394.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYp1r6LkAf8CvvOLObjjWHSAPzBUsMFPZpol4V2MKNFkD-wzgTtw0_Otgu-C1Jq0NNMTTlSOOhcU5QHroOi2Um_WJ9xojV6_2i-E0DqY2Xtazf9HqK5XkwZHX8zSl-BQCx829XlhMgC5v297DRb-P_tvMhkmAq5IQMBATfnuyIZgyZ6sLjyf8jWBT/s4032/IMG_7401.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNYp1r6LkAf8CvvOLObjjWHSAPzBUsMFPZpol4V2MKNFkD-wzgTtw0_Otgu-C1Jq0NNMTTlSOOhcU5QHroOi2Um_WJ9xojV6_2i-E0DqY2Xtazf9HqK5XkwZHX8zSl-BQCx829XlhMgC5v297DRb-P_tvMhkmAq5IQMBATfnuyIZgyZ6sLjyf8jWBT/s320/IMG_7401.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDw2v9HeQ_1uDT7hb1aVgNGAaFvIH9v1aQS405O1YpGuZ67j6M0MlM7ZfSpLwvuLPtgEwJXdtYyznS35gNAcYveo5DPjD0Ai3x3FpJzd9BPKf4P7R-qy3bxQcYok0Cx3zhA3T-pEIfu-OQ0d589H2Hi8T0g7eFQ7iS_QdZ5MPSjQUub1BntIedo2ti/s4032/IMG_7436.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDw2v9HeQ_1uDT7hb1aVgNGAaFvIH9v1aQS405O1YpGuZ67j6M0MlM7ZfSpLwvuLPtgEwJXdtYyznS35gNAcYveo5DPjD0Ai3x3FpJzd9BPKf4P7R-qy3bxQcYok0Cx3zhA3T-pEIfu-OQ0d589H2Hi8T0g7eFQ7iS_QdZ5MPSjQUub1BntIedo2ti/s320/IMG_7436.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>Alida has enjoyed a combination of positions this fall, including giving goalie a try a few times. I think the main attraction there is getting to punt the ball a lot!</div><div><br /></div><div>At Terah's age, we still affectionately call the sport "bunch ball" and it's so cute to see the kids all jumping up and down to be chosen for each throw in or corner kick or kick off. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbxGn2DaaZz7xTui_weIv3soAtHZPSa2Q26zPw8en6Q60f47LRPQ0GL312Y0Ugf1Rbc6GdtIML0lem0Aw4lbLlsBpSGboCNg0npsn2_WwJt2xvvJqBuwW1Pp8_SdNo9vvNwvsTiId18kCvzh-WyGqg37Dlg-hZIq8aArteGXQKhE4rTJYbM8nuWl6/s4032/IMG_7446.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtbxGn2DaaZz7xTui_weIv3soAtHZPSa2Q26zPw8en6Q60f47LRPQ0GL312Y0Ugf1Rbc6GdtIML0lem0Aw4lbLlsBpSGboCNg0npsn2_WwJt2xvvJqBuwW1Pp8_SdNo9vvNwvsTiId18kCvzh-WyGqg37Dlg-hZIq8aArteGXQKhE4rTJYbM8nuWl6/s320/IMG_7446.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81mIWwzdJv9YkCw3wMYwhFEdqLr-sRvZwZSZv0SJO7E9lIUa05xFd9UFQ1YwKrte-6NknWngQ0XPcME8kP3b5j_CKsSuwQj1gNw-veWFwlTdP18E_Z9Nhr376DDEKViDS_KwXcaL_Zay6fML4gfvm5pPDW6ZpsC1PGWoKwI7p4Rdt6IPZ6whVM4Wm/s4032/IMG_7478.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81mIWwzdJv9YkCw3wMYwhFEdqLr-sRvZwZSZv0SJO7E9lIUa05xFd9UFQ1YwKrte-6NknWngQ0XPcME8kP3b5j_CKsSuwQj1gNw-veWFwlTdP18E_Z9Nhr376DDEKViDS_KwXcaL_Zay6fML4gfvm5pPDW6ZpsC1PGWoKwI7p4Rdt6IPZ6whVM4Wm/s320/IMG_7478.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSbb3n9L4sPBHss347zBGp13vlXIh8qo1KlP0DA-mQiQPFcKjVbGLVl83CNNIimCP7iA7p9IXtLL0O2GSpmXpzVtdfjdHdQmkjDchW4zQTo34o1mAT4EJwUTjoUKDcBTKjVExtux_o3EdrsuFLVLcV_qo3r2YRHAkOXtKYN7UBbViJpDycR5UTFEr/s4032/IMG_7488.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPSbb3n9L4sPBHss347zBGp13vlXIh8qo1KlP0DA-mQiQPFcKjVbGLVl83CNNIimCP7iA7p9IXtLL0O2GSpmXpzVtdfjdHdQmkjDchW4zQTo34o1mAT4EJwUTjoUKDcBTKjVExtux_o3EdrsuFLVLcV_qo3r2YRHAkOXtKYN7UBbViJpDycR5UTFEr/s320/IMG_7488.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhpt5PIuf7L-9n6ZITj_COX2CxIlc2VfhngpvZn2RsP4JwBGC_7sA0FfXXL0nd5vTXV6QdCdq5Wp4mXUilgx7LLMsSI_VnpmMN2tagKVfI5-TydRz8TYH0LxqAEughGxJfAiv_oQpOoyFqSpGsvQIe75LdlgenFU57ZJ6OfGXZx3tWGEr1nSEYVK4/s4080/IMG_20231011_184439390.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhpt5PIuf7L-9n6ZITj_COX2CxIlc2VfhngpvZn2RsP4JwBGC_7sA0FfXXL0nd5vTXV6QdCdq5Wp4mXUilgx7LLMsSI_VnpmMN2tagKVfI5-TydRz8TYH0LxqAEughGxJfAiv_oQpOoyFqSpGsvQIe75LdlgenFU57ZJ6OfGXZx3tWGEr1nSEYVK4/w151-h200/IMG_20231011_184439390.jpeg" width="151" /></a></div>It's getting dark earlier and earlier as well as colder and colder on the sidelines! Tonight, Terah's team will have the honor of playing under the new lights for the first time (and last time) this season. I know they will likely want me to sign them up for the spring season just as soon as it is possible to do so. Alida officially "ages out" since you need to be 12 on April 1 and she turns 13 just a handful of days before that. But it looks like there will be enough wiggle room on the dates for her to enjoy one more season with Harrisonburg Parks and Rec and then we'll have to make a decision about where to from there! </div></div><div><br /></div><div>But first, I'm looking forward to the longer, darker, colder fall/winter evenings by the wood stove. Then I'll be ready to welcome spring again!</div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-994196008695532207.post-60085638338554407292023-10-07T19:03:00.004-07:002023-10-08T06:48:39.779-07:00Where did September go? And what a start to October...Well today certainly didn't go quite as planned! Rather than being at the Paramount Theater in Charlottesville right now for a Paula Poundstone comedy show, I'm sitting here on our futon next to a sleeping (but whimpering) wilted almost 8 year old! At the very last minute Jason successfully found another "date" and so the free (for us...but valuable in price) will not go to waste - we had gotten them from someone who had won them and couldn't use them. I don't really have the ability to go away when my kiddos are sick and enjoy myself very much. And they don't really enjoy when I go away when they aren't feeling well. So I'm right where I need and want to be. <div><br /></div><div>I hope we aren't embarking on another virus that takes its good old time making its way through all of us. Once again we aren't clear where this one originated. That said, as the photos will attest to below, we are interacting (joyfully) with a handful of little people these days AND we are involved in the outdoor rec soccer season AND masks indoors aren't any kind of completely full proof strategy anyway. So here we are again. I hope it is short lived and doesn't cause a reworking of the coming week, most importantly the extended family coming to visit AND Terah's birthday festivities. <div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLbTA0fnqNO4tMG2dB-hKh8PiRD1ewumh7ECQniW_s2o4P5M57WAqVmjC0mxZMWi3gJVGG7WXQ62i7DMTDdIWEUgN23f8XxWXqOTGrrtIayGmeLG9qQfH1g6NV-8rOY-Qn4PzU2zBhZ7IwF-g6Or-AWjnalZwN5qyG1_ERtq-6dWnXJnJNeeNZJGk/s1600/IMG_20231007_193642.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLbTA0fnqNO4tMG2dB-hKh8PiRD1ewumh7ECQniW_s2o4P5M57WAqVmjC0mxZMWi3gJVGG7WXQ62i7DMTDdIWEUgN23f8XxWXqOTGrrtIayGmeLG9qQfH1g6NV-8rOY-Qn4PzU2zBhZ7IwF-g6Or-AWjnalZwN5qyG1_ERtq-6dWnXJnJNeeNZJGk/w200-h150/IMG_20231007_193642.jpeg" width="200" /></a>The older girls didn't have any change of plans today and will probably be burning the midnight oil. They are volunteering in Staunton for a "double header" at the American Shakespeare Center. They did one show, had enough time to snag a pizza and are back at the theater for the second show. Jason's plans for the day also went unchanged, other than who his date is for the comedy show. Earlier today, he took a short trip over the mountain to attend the memorial service for the mom of one of his college roommates. It was a friend that drove a long way to give Jason a hug at Nora's memorial service and it felt fitting and right for Jason to be present to him in a similar way. So I guess it is just me and Terah that had our Saturday reworked a bit. I did still manage to savor a hike with friends this afternoon while a smattering of videos entertained Terah as Tylenol worked its magic.</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAAgEjzbdBw-fIMxv0QzMgps9o_hOp-gy7BILoxRrtz0dlvGBc0YSSc0YN6VFZiKQmUZzaLal54iSMojUPkXQH7lES0nlwudVelWI02b3Q4hoDB_YXsTE68LyhU_WRDphBnNCSvjg9q608J0b_4V1myO_LoQUjz2buX_FkhOlYLoXLnbw5wiGOaMb/s3264/IMG_20231007_170358414.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbAAgEjzbdBw-fIMxv0QzMgps9o_hOp-gy7BILoxRrtz0dlvGBc0YSSc0YN6VFZiKQmUZzaLal54iSMojUPkXQH7lES0nlwudVelWI02b3Q4hoDB_YXsTE68LyhU_WRDphBnNCSvjg9q608J0b_4V1myO_LoQUjz2buX_FkhOlYLoXLnbw5wiGOaMb/s320/IMG_20231007_170358414.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now backing way up to the last time I posted. I was noting that we were headed out to see what we would find in the potato patch that afternoon. I'll pick up there by saying, "In short...not much!"</div> </div><div><i>Thursday, September 21<br /></i><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaXJoLnvpB_p3k3I7gBO1knBvZHJNU9mNq9pu9kk6DAq7DxmnV4kNmD-DRIUotQ9HvEqn3bmbIQvmlZZIzHnW2JTcbrSSsTAfleFDQMQ5OGZIa339jv5JDZeZkIcgP-0_Nt6NfrLSqHFzuLjFUhGHedhb39ALgsF2-x7zSCnjUUnqWdVAl26DxVSZ/s4080/IMG_20230921_182919778.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvaXJoLnvpB_p3k3I7gBO1knBvZHJNU9mNq9pu9kk6DAq7DxmnV4kNmD-DRIUotQ9HvEqn3bmbIQvmlZZIzHnW2JTcbrSSsTAfleFDQMQ5OGZIa339jv5JDZeZkIcgP-0_Nt6NfrLSqHFzuLjFUhGHedhb39ALgsF2-x7zSCnjUUnqWdVAl26DxVSZ/w151-h200/IMG_20230921_182919778.jpeg" width="151" /></a>Our potato yield has been going down about 1/2 bushel a year for a number of years now. This year it went down a whopping 2 bushels - meaning we dug up the entire patch for a generous half bushel (hardly more than we planted). I guess it is still free exercise, but since I'm giving up exercise for joyful movement, this is not exactly the way I would choose to move my body for fun! So we have made this firm commitment to each other - we will eat every last potato we grew this year and we will start fresh with some new seed next year. We hope to try out some varieties that might be less susceptible to viruses and might work better in our systems. Wish us luck...we all LOVE potatoes! And it is amazing how improved the soil is so now it is dreamy to dig in BUT there's just not many potatoes to dig up. While the work was depressing, it was almost so ridiculous as to be somewhat amusing (at least for a portion of the time). We started to almost feel surprised anytime we would find a potato!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDcOSvR-2sW3oGhCwvcEJZ9-pvdmRXhSUAoqwgldGotlz5nrA80wET-NTvPV8L7R_C6A1gn0GZtPZUMZlEcDVZGnCu-kpf3ML9sT4sfnF5ShMdn9vhOGjENq1GcpyR3CFjcEs4SBM9i7A98oZHEZEQ6AsD01Zz-qz7XcKdTcfeo5UWLCRduVbDbO0/s4080/IMG_20230921_182923797.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfDcOSvR-2sW3oGhCwvcEJZ9-pvdmRXhSUAoqwgldGotlz5nrA80wET-NTvPV8L7R_C6A1gn0GZtPZUMZlEcDVZGnCu-kpf3ML9sT4sfnF5ShMdn9vhOGjENq1GcpyR3CFjcEs4SBM9i7A98oZHEZEQ6AsD01Zz-qz7XcKdTcfeo5UWLCRduVbDbO0/s320/IMG_20230921_182923797.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><div><i>Friday, September 22</i></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkKoTapNMiNKSbTiXSECBNQ5I08ekoe6mmjihsIcvudhvKUFg25HiHLuV3HiovI1U6qv_NlJGF3b5qTe-1YujXXfln_EAJMXnY2EK0Cw0Ra6DNkYtb8wySe2jP4xc32W34dLqiO_gPSSxNVu2W8xApN3zKIbkkHLROBpWgM78Fb5yxF6zZtwtI18q/s4032/IMG_7242.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZkKoTapNMiNKSbTiXSECBNQ5I08ekoe6mmjihsIcvudhvKUFg25HiHLuV3HiovI1U6qv_NlJGF3b5qTe-1YujXXfln_EAJMXnY2EK0Cw0Ra6DNkYtb8wySe2jP4xc32W34dLqiO_gPSSxNVu2W8xApN3zKIbkkHLROBpWgM78Fb5yxF6zZtwtI18q/w150-h200/IMG_7242.jpeg" width="150" /></a>In more encouraging news, the bike shed project moved along in some substantial ways in recent weeks. Jason was finally able to give time to getting the bond beam poured. This opened the possibility for a cascade of other projects to be worked on (e.g. the wood used for the bond beam frame was now able to shift in purpose to the shelving for his construction trailer... and the remaining concrete could be used for a much needed ramp into the garden shed...and the remaining sand could be distributed around the fire ring...and the remaining gravel for the parking spot by the bike shed....you get the idea!). </div><div><br /></div><div>In the evening we had our first meal with Mom and Dad since we landed the long lasting/slow moving colds. It still didn't feel wise to be indoors together but pizza pockets around an outdoor fire felt fun and safe enough!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z_SpiUDb2z6wccfsNg6r6KfIUDgxAzxQ9lhftfObKbM_cCktTh64esae5kbEvpIu6rKhw3Csn1j5FjXIIAO7vvyPKiXyHQbd0CclNM1Bz-_SAEGG9Jci9fnsQFedtbfnuqZRZ7ZY1PAg0ZhAhz8QheOKBOA4dLzRuVz1o0BdBz1jSjKgNNQBlrwh/s4032/IMG_7259.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z_SpiUDb2z6wccfsNg6r6KfIUDgxAzxQ9lhftfObKbM_cCktTh64esae5kbEvpIu6rKhw3Csn1j5FjXIIAO7vvyPKiXyHQbd0CclNM1Bz-_SAEGG9Jci9fnsQFedtbfnuqZRZ7ZY1PAg0ZhAhz8QheOKBOA4dLzRuVz1o0BdBz1jSjKgNNQBlrwh/s320/IMG_7259.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWIOoqoQ71BmdylC5sIsdMrTOBQYSMZ77qpxqb6uN3ZHGL5PwwH1dRTBsXetjZpTAwGyi5542IfPnE99RlEyoqYKImfLKRXvatB-hjREmDm5602zihE87sSxnQR5EItXU17NFWFRVRApbmMrXpwttfy6WVbbqieEmHUxpAZVOMCIEjq0b9wOjg3Hy/s4080/IMG_20230922_190220342.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaWIOoqoQ71BmdylC5sIsdMrTOBQYSMZ77qpxqb6uN3ZHGL5PwwH1dRTBsXetjZpTAwGyi5542IfPnE99RlEyoqYKImfLKRXvatB-hjREmDm5602zihE87sSxnQR5EItXU17NFWFRVRApbmMrXpwttfy6WVbbqieEmHUxpAZVOMCIEjq0b9wOjg3Hy/s320/IMG_20230922_190220342.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Saturday, September 23</i></div><div>We welcomed a RAINY day (and an unexpected day at home due to our day trip being cancelled because of the storms in the area). So instead we had a nuts and bolts kind of day at home and the younger kiddos made our first fire in wood stove and enjoyed lots of snuggling beside it.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCM7sG81FwS3bJSCwCmJbw1KoMW_wXPoqCsPcLe_-JakCLWxQjE67YZjhXZL3_AxbZ3BtpcMGhQAk6xIhOgtXSFswT4Dqbr7l6CyTWqyaW7-MQSsEB3DiX-d8mIh6DS06llFB8jnv6gdZCAfM__1sIjlJlTO0fM-Ox78jsPIjTGs8UezjPU1zccPG/s4080/IMG_20230923_123936376.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfCM7sG81FwS3bJSCwCmJbw1KoMW_wXPoqCsPcLe_-JakCLWxQjE67YZjhXZL3_AxbZ3BtpcMGhQAk6xIhOgtXSFswT4Dqbr7l6CyTWqyaW7-MQSsEB3DiX-d8mIh6DS06llFB8jnv6gdZCAfM__1sIjlJlTO0fM-Ox78jsPIjTGs8UezjPU1zccPG/s320/IMG_20230923_123936376.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-AcQuKAmNAugxw-Mx2vQs6MaYF0JYcjnjR1OQsBkOpXs0mbt5hev83_TNp5kxS0tyKROOhS41DhJQ0kdci8txpCzZKvFE2Ev6pOp-uuseDxrvcAGUbvJbD0urX4Y88u-gkZQl-TGPurzIgpe3QniaB-BmechSNfyskTRb-IXVztnZoH44fLjca1S/s4080/IMG_20230923_131234895.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV-AcQuKAmNAugxw-Mx2vQs6MaYF0JYcjnjR1OQsBkOpXs0mbt5hev83_TNp5kxS0tyKROOhS41DhJQ0kdci8txpCzZKvFE2Ev6pOp-uuseDxrvcAGUbvJbD0urX4Y88u-gkZQl-TGPurzIgpe3QniaB-BmechSNfyskTRb-IXVztnZoH44fLjca1S/s320/IMG_20230923_131234895.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Sunday, September 24</i></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfsdMQH38qlfV62hl8qnemtWrT6RLdknVZbjaqVwBhUnEyrlNt5syXLg89wiMRCh6UvLfSKrr9h3EBjj8CgnY9FRcFCmDSs1VSnbtjvz2FATb4pg8ICcWGyQqz2tKhvLgEtx3X5JYP_UNtaTAXPW9lGv3E9CM6iGVMMrazYG8ZMgpEv9RSLXbsa_F/s4080/IMG_20230924_155208275.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHfsdMQH38qlfV62hl8qnemtWrT6RLdknVZbjaqVwBhUnEyrlNt5syXLg89wiMRCh6UvLfSKrr9h3EBjj8CgnY9FRcFCmDSs1VSnbtjvz2FATb4pg8ICcWGyQqz2tKhvLgEtx3X5JYP_UNtaTAXPW9lGv3E9CM6iGVMMrazYG8ZMgpEv9RSLXbsa_F/w151-h200/IMG_20230924_155208275.jpeg" width="151" /></a>Unfortunately, Kali and I were still not able to check the "Yes" for the "Do you feel healthy and well today?" question on the American Red Cross rapidpass sign in for donating blood. So Jason gave platelets and we rescheduled (for tomorrow, so we'll see if we have to reschedule again...). </div><div><br /></div><div>Most of my spare time these days is working on the final dregs of food processing (e.g. using the FINAL tomatoes to get some tomato paste on the canning shelves for next year's salsa making or filling the dehydrator with some combo of drying tomatoes, paprika peppers and raspberries). A good number of Kali's spare hours are going to her college class and sometimes she finds creative spots to do her assignments! Photo credit to my dad who spotted Kali on the roof and snapped a photo!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnu_iZz4yiESSOy-RXHBLNOOgZL9gRnUwZHHUShHq1-tsnbRAZL7GiFajTUFpARrBhgxnRERNYhDf0BDkz6eJ3hi7NZGTuR-tPLRx5XK2OovkHoVeqj2-Dovnj3bx-HCVDwiu82E-0UDtCmFXku0oAkNzL_UfKM_iK72uJPAb9wxUgF9OY41oUTx9Z/s4624/20230924_161311.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4624" data-original-width="3468" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnu_iZz4yiESSOy-RXHBLNOOgZL9gRnUwZHHUShHq1-tsnbRAZL7GiFajTUFpARrBhgxnRERNYhDf0BDkz6eJ3hi7NZGTuR-tPLRx5XK2OovkHoVeqj2-Dovnj3bx-HCVDwiu82E-0UDtCmFXku0oAkNzL_UfKM_iK72uJPAb9wxUgF9OY41oUTx9Z/s320/20230924_161311.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAj9kzpxPgUGNj-zzXHjYhS0AgUtT-nKwoe9GmelXir8pGpvkVCgHKrjlWkqp9I9xNpu_1Skx3XKgHTS3rDUZwl_YFqlrSLiI2_mOHp6ifj3tuxweI18ubfDoaawVuC8VcUsyPHasYoFcOr70DTtj7Pz9kIiTKgm1tHApsfLETkvviHVlUdqkmRAm/s4080/IMG_20230924_104525874.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDAj9kzpxPgUGNj-zzXHjYhS0AgUtT-nKwoe9GmelXir8pGpvkVCgHKrjlWkqp9I9xNpu_1Skx3XKgHTS3rDUZwl_YFqlrSLiI2_mOHp6ifj3tuxweI18ubfDoaawVuC8VcUsyPHasYoFcOr70DTtj7Pz9kIiTKgm1tHApsfLETkvviHVlUdqkmRAm/s320/IMG_20230924_104525874.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><i>Monday, September 25</i></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EHSW3YR8H7NVIEA0GHhIaTL2-9_zjWVZswvksnp5XkbQt9FnKXfaaBhmmRiklCV8pTWbJ3bteGb6Kxp6DyV5rduH5R1Ay1iVIy3ztX6o0u4nwFI86E4R87xM_M4QzAUBhxCBwyxZsiYa43AUPV8Av8z9S5r0KeGUIyjb-ye784vTSQumLRQm19Qy/s3264/IMG_20230930_165618127.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4EHSW3YR8H7NVIEA0GHhIaTL2-9_zjWVZswvksnp5XkbQt9FnKXfaaBhmmRiklCV8pTWbJ3bteGb6Kxp6DyV5rduH5R1Ay1iVIy3ztX6o0u4nwFI86E4R87xM_M4QzAUBhxCBwyxZsiYa43AUPV8Av8z9S5r0KeGUIyjb-ye784vTSQumLRQm19Qy/w150-h200/IMG_20230930_165618127.jpeg" width="150" /></a>We are still in the rhythm of Mon/Wed/Sat harvest days but the amount coming in on those days is decreasing. Tomatoes are ALMOST done! Okra never really got started!! We are still getting a little mess of pole beans every few days, lots of trombone squash, plenty of sweet peppers for abundant fresh eating, some muscadine grapes and kiwis (which I normally eat before I get back to the house), and then both white and red raspberries. The chestnut trees had a much smaller crop this year, but I don't think the same is true for persimmons. I try to get out to pick them off the ground each morning before we let the chickens range because it is one of their first and favorite spots to come! I'm happy with the slowing of the regular harvests! The root cellar shelves are brimming with jars of so many different colors. I think it is probably the most beautiful room in the house!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojGgBFVxa27Rk6DyVX0jjxPrOow0_22JfHi4liwKRFtESNzzOxEdO35OmsXJcIewffaGbM_mWQRouUv5YpDzzNwt45KVxrDKObOoT7hDYKMGXYKL2JIq3_AkJRb1Am3rsAg2iokC98k-GUXGK2xXk9-kY3EA7YZT4wsnjGmiRZGHZ4wMtVGTezwb2/s4080/IMG_20231002_084546653.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgojGgBFVxa27Rk6DyVX0jjxPrOow0_22JfHi4liwKRFtESNzzOxEdO35OmsXJcIewffaGbM_mWQRouUv5YpDzzNwt45KVxrDKObOoT7hDYKMGXYKL2JIq3_AkJRb1Am3rsAg2iokC98k-GUXGK2xXk9-kY3EA7YZT4wsnjGmiRZGHZ4wMtVGTezwb2/s320/IMG_20231002_084546653.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Tuesday, September 26</i></div><div>Jason continued the clean up from the bike shed wall project on this day and commenced on the trailer work (by putting all the contents of his work trailer into the garage!). In the evening we enjoyed a little jaunt down the road to join Jonathan, Christen and Luca for some cider pressing. I mostly meandered around with Luca and so don't have good cider pressing pictures but do have a good "Luca with a watermelon" photo!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwyGI87TnQ-bJyS8OtTtpiXjrMhABlkQPfplwpYKeQd9OrQuPjsxlE1k7eXXdzH0OF79Py6VcSpMIr_b6SPTBY7sMfWxXLZ0VOwIz5IIGuZy2JICAULbgvoMdbpE5fcgfbuIkN4yTQxLNFSs0heeSq0PSSGyY9Nqoms-mjT3JD_3nQbecuxDpBd8h/s4080/IMG_20230926_174128205.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwyGI87TnQ-bJyS8OtTtpiXjrMhABlkQPfplwpYKeQd9OrQuPjsxlE1k7eXXdzH0OF79Py6VcSpMIr_b6SPTBY7sMfWxXLZ0VOwIz5IIGuZy2JICAULbgvoMdbpE5fcgfbuIkN4yTQxLNFSs0heeSq0PSSGyY9Nqoms-mjT3JD_3nQbecuxDpBd8h/s320/IMG_20230926_174128205.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><i>Wednesday, September 27</i></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2yBTcxvDwisBogBjp2G81-7aRwNc34JZWwoHAFLUL06psbJkGbuQmBRv8bfJJf878y2YPm8SoqqqwBjSt-vh3y4_85qCLsailHeZ1JiSclB903D66d6csER672hlGn1UJsYnqZ0MmR8hpHOWZbDFgfYkHv2jHwAoZATHZS6M1Zj9lT3X07aKSm8B/s3264/IMG_20230927_124127146.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2yBTcxvDwisBogBjp2G81-7aRwNc34JZWwoHAFLUL06psbJkGbuQmBRv8bfJJf878y2YPm8SoqqqwBjSt-vh3y4_85qCLsailHeZ1JiSclB903D66d6csER672hlGn1UJsYnqZ0MmR8hpHOWZbDFgfYkHv2jHwAoZATHZS6M1Zj9lT3X07aKSm8B/w200-h150/IMG_20230927_124127146.jpeg" width="200" /></a>I got an early birthday present on the eve of my birth! While Jason and the girls stayed home (Jason working on the trailer and Jason and Kali doing what might be the final mowing), I took a day trip to visit with a dear childhood friend in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. We found a lovely meeting spot halfway between our homes. We walked and talked as fast as we could for four hours straight and then parted ways determined to do it again much sooner than the years that had passed since we had last met up in the same spot. It was a gorgeous day on a beautiful trail, but I honestly would not have cared all that much about the scenery. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MDJ-f5QxS1VAcNiZtfEeUak94MSxKF_LMJep6rGSEbHMDdUqGaES6fZjz46TsM0mC1ZJvQBeKSCLMYw7QMo4bJB5V98KojJqZ559eHbRlU7XLU2EjqycBDiOJnKoU566bNPRag9nw7t3BYCTl4VJK9Ig7bAuDNosOVK1auXrQIQwePzJrvat_knR/s4080/IMG_20230927_124742089.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9MDJ-f5QxS1VAcNiZtfEeUak94MSxKF_LMJep6rGSEbHMDdUqGaES6fZjz46TsM0mC1ZJvQBeKSCLMYw7QMo4bJB5V98KojJqZ559eHbRlU7XLU2EjqycBDiOJnKoU566bNPRag9nw7t3BYCTl4VJK9Ig7bAuDNosOVK1auXrQIQwePzJrvat_knR/s320/IMG_20230927_124742089.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div></div><div>I got home in time for the mad rush of getting snacks, filling water bottles, donning soccer uniforms and getting out the door. The girls are loving the soccer season again so much!</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Thursday, September 28 & Friday, September 29</i></div><div>What a sweet day marking turning 45! I will be honest and admit that for many years I worked hard to have as few expectations around my birthday as possible. I focused on planning/preparing things for Jason's the next day and then trying to brace myself to not be disappointed if I didn't feel all that special to anyone on my birthday. Yep, it wasn't a great way to mark and celebrate another year of life. This year I had fun planning something for me and Jason that spanned my birthday and his and it was just lovely! </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rufUF6MUWrTKh8oIwyaoYXahD1zfTFGaTO8Nj0_odEKk1SWFDMk19IGoqCN2l8tzFYqIw2zCzx1y3gEZ40DsLTlmyRTrh9TZLShWxDxNeX0fZ6pGfKJJjXKwTIuQZ7MqdF-_U0ihaP8DpfJ6EVuNY9LW1wRvqu6-JoSlngnM8HdVB9ghoLH8ALnh/s4080/IMG_20230928_093031046.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0rufUF6MUWrTKh8oIwyaoYXahD1zfTFGaTO8Nj0_odEKk1SWFDMk19IGoqCN2l8tzFYqIw2zCzx1y3gEZ40DsLTlmyRTrh9TZLShWxDxNeX0fZ6pGfKJJjXKwTIuQZ7MqdF-_U0ihaP8DpfJ6EVuNY9LW1wRvqu6-JoSlngnM8HdVB9ghoLH8ALnh/w200-h151/IMG_20230928_093031046.jpeg" width="200" /></a><div><br /></div>As I walked down the driveway Thursday morning, the view gave me my first present of the day. Then I kicked off my bday morning with some friend time with Christen before bringing Luca back to Tangly Woods with me. The girls played with him while I scrambled to prepare brunch for all of us. That was the hectic part of my day, but I knew what was coming next so I endured! 😉 It was a lovely day for a picnic outside and the chickens were VERY happy to join us, especially once they realized there was a little person in the mix who was happier tossing things from his tray than he was eating the things.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhudKNPsnx4ClkXCB3CJKKQV2Bz_8OS8Cz61HmZ2vbmsE2YwCejjg0XyRuUhcjjvHP145c9dGIc3Hbnt9MQaqFhyHnuO9jXEiGZPb0xXslbREhql02Cbxhfi_TPrEOn8b0uaPzRnGInbZ7tbxSrOeGcS8u4F9kE8AYUMETtkAwix6uhqbjo0_VEge/s3264/IMG_20230928_091238465.jpeg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdhudKNPsnx4ClkXCB3CJKKQV2Bz_8OS8Cz61HmZ2vbmsE2YwCejjg0XyRuUhcjjvHP145c9dGIc3Hbnt9MQaqFhyHnuO9jXEiGZPb0xXslbREhql02Cbxhfi_TPrEOn8b0uaPzRnGInbZ7tbxSrOeGcS8u4F9kE8AYUMETtkAwix6uhqbjo0_VEge/w320-h240/IMG_20230928_091238465.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic13BPCh6ZHKLH-pMA40tX_4Yf3ekD7_MDNKAOSUUlSTYzEEtwZBAokUUIqqDaGMkrjfhrkwlcm6YX3WKtxUvq9OuFvck4wIDu8Ur7lNAyXE_yztnxsz1YDJ0FIEw2o5axub7d0zVOLsGrRvPlEJLJlfGjJKmlAD_qk3XwdR0QiXjTRcwEwONEjltr/s3264/IMG_20230928_092246062.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic13BPCh6ZHKLH-pMA40tX_4Yf3ekD7_MDNKAOSUUlSTYzEEtwZBAokUUIqqDaGMkrjfhrkwlcm6YX3WKtxUvq9OuFvck4wIDu8Ur7lNAyXE_yztnxsz1YDJ0FIEw2o5axub7d0zVOLsGrRvPlEJLJlfGjJKmlAD_qk3XwdR0QiXjTRcwEwONEjltr/s320/IMG_20230928_092246062.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_YWV3LwjfyrsAYGORFCdKCnE9dUerBCL4KKEq5cOtwFXd_W_ZwkH4d8yjMyQFkLv9YhF7EWCrvAsZRaDpDqzLd9dm_i8YP4nOLySjAsmbShFkoNI5HiSVPRdldtTGs9fsW3t-xswhy19t-ka2ocGlNJyuV_M8ihRTECMacTqxEV07_l4KIV1zXXl/s4080/IMG_20230928_115250300.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH_YWV3LwjfyrsAYGORFCdKCnE9dUerBCL4KKEq5cOtwFXd_W_ZwkH4d8yjMyQFkLv9YhF7EWCrvAsZRaDpDqzLd9dm_i8YP4nOLySjAsmbShFkoNI5HiSVPRdldtTGs9fsW3t-xswhy19t-ka2ocGlNJyuV_M8ihRTECMacTqxEV07_l4KIV1zXXl/s320/IMG_20230928_115250300.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk75WVvtxk_5B59T89wSmLv54NiXPrahIaOFUhE82jthiYDOCSLEcI7g5ERkYlcED6TnPU3vRw82_TBY10lDIWDd7j30e_8QsrZYUZ_-rBsM8JuMoHHlXi73YjGnPBwkEjZ8hRY7PwpuIguj76jA_CMYncQFn2_wBUYUgxvshzxSUSShGqCpHnUV1_/s3264/IMG_20230928_120756995.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk75WVvtxk_5B59T89wSmLv54NiXPrahIaOFUhE82jthiYDOCSLEcI7g5ERkYlcED6TnPU3vRw82_TBY10lDIWDd7j30e_8QsrZYUZ_-rBsM8JuMoHHlXi73YjGnPBwkEjZ8hRY7PwpuIguj76jA_CMYncQFn2_wBUYUgxvshzxSUSShGqCpHnUV1_/s320/IMG_20230928_120756995.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtRbKZNuafc77DzmEXvTeSi5pHlJkUktTI0-lr9uu3LOdsqHpKZeI4SIXWdG7bu9hQDWh0aojkgIzmfDKrFMJByGp_pAr0v9ccqNVZo2u6hgAEO0UmGm9lvjflRGLXxS6CmMN0j8b6btvejJYw5TXaw1TUXwGOvKV5Yyd9mIJhvpIaqW1y34olYHg/s4080/IMG_20230928_122124160.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqtRbKZNuafc77DzmEXvTeSi5pHlJkUktTI0-lr9uu3LOdsqHpKZeI4SIXWdG7bu9hQDWh0aojkgIzmfDKrFMJByGp_pAr0v9ccqNVZo2u6hgAEO0UmGm9lvjflRGLXxS6CmMN0j8b6btvejJYw5TXaw1TUXwGOvKV5Yyd9mIJhvpIaqW1y34olYHg/s320/IMG_20230928_122124160.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib519eoJdAQW6OXoCy5BZfvFUpd5m_9qX9FLrB_EDsDrZScLkoAsBXL8A1HyrNFtyeCfzC987xdWgP60y4EZMKSBswshxupQPFQC4PJdZ6a1x3J8vP77axvvEfIsvGgp06Xbu8JG4m7_amndI7CCiMb17L3-y4qiDwFjRuh7Yg5bjGimdBauMTqef_/s4080/IMG_20230928_120922408.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib519eoJdAQW6OXoCy5BZfvFUpd5m_9qX9FLrB_EDsDrZScLkoAsBXL8A1HyrNFtyeCfzC987xdWgP60y4EZMKSBswshxupQPFQC4PJdZ6a1x3J8vP77axvvEfIsvGgp06Xbu8JG4m7_amndI7CCiMb17L3-y4qiDwFjRuh7Yg5bjGimdBauMTqef_/w200-h151/IMG_20230928_120922408.jpeg" width="200" /></a>It is worth noting that I made a funny cake pie in honor of Jason's birthday and it was the funniest funny cake pie I've ever made. It looked like a shoo fly pie but I did not get confused on the recipe. Somehow the chocolate sauce didn't sink to the bottom like it is supposed to but mixed all throughout the pie. There were no leftovers, so I guess it was not too much of a flop.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Following brunch and doing all the corresponding dishes, Jason and I packed up and left our kiddos to fend for themselves for the night. Back in the summer, I was a back up doula for the owners of the Friendly City Inn in downtown Harrisonburg. As a thank you they offered Jason and I a night at the BnB. They did not have to twist my arm for me to accept. I decided to keep it a surprise for Jason and planned it for my birthday night into his. The girls were in on the surprise and got a good chuckle when Jason was packing some snacks as if it was a lengthy road trip (it took us about 15 minutes to get there!). I went from scurrying around to this:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTG4QRBVNKwbratLG948YB1NegGHvGuBxkALmREAhccaKsIo32ax-dba8LhJynaSOPJ1gB6VltlVTBYenWBfhUjsuYJUeCxe-QM6B-Bkm35I04YK6FeDSTtV8OayG06sFEyJBOunlknAcNkDyxLmuSxGzZj3b5yf1WJbzBVZxP-6XhOXr8SjZyEQZ/s4080/IMG_20230928_160313522.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTG4QRBVNKwbratLG948YB1NegGHvGuBxkALmREAhccaKsIo32ax-dba8LhJynaSOPJ1gB6VltlVTBYenWBfhUjsuYJUeCxe-QM6B-Bkm35I04YK6FeDSTtV8OayG06sFEyJBOunlknAcNkDyxLmuSxGzZj3b5yf1WJbzBVZxP-6XhOXr8SjZyEQZ/s320/IMG_20230928_160313522.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4f1Kf941p3iCAelXfAOezVoLdjZF8rrHTK35HVFpGwwvhXWGH3HGBWLQ0hJCBbnlQGdNHwL4hGQF382zZG0Z-PrKroQlzvklIef6lU3mhkVU7Q6H3866E3CbO9PAclRNY5OqvKa00kxV9Ddic1x5FT8SEn4EgLa783JCDezDTYitvHN9vJ9mzNCN/s4080/IMG_20230929_093350132.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp4f1Kf941p3iCAelXfAOezVoLdjZF8rrHTK35HVFpGwwvhXWGH3HGBWLQ0hJCBbnlQGdNHwL4hGQF382zZG0Z-PrKroQlzvklIef6lU3mhkVU7Q6H3866E3CbO9PAclRNY5OqvKa00kxV9Ddic1x5FT8SEn4EgLa783JCDezDTYitvHN9vJ9mzNCN/w200-h151/IMG_20230929_093350132.jpeg" width="200" /></a>We were the only guests with reservations that night when we showed up. The owners met us there with their adorable baby so I got some baby snuggles to kick off our time away - big bonus!! They also gave us a tour and told us we could poke around and look at all the suites and even switch if we wanted to (which we did end up doing!). The shareable details of our sweet time together includes enjoing walking downtown to pick up Bella Luna pizza/pasta, finishing the final season of Sex Education (what an amazing show!!!), dreaming about getting started on pavilion plans/construction in the next year, and being served a delicious breakfast before checking out in the morning!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qnM_OHlmplUaPv6hJfs_xMVO2kiEwZmdSUPj_u50bqxs91lI7m5U2veUhzjvBl0R9zjPtxa3fjfqT-9C7PM6xaIXi29RijvBu02iDAdtzajMSMIOUZvNxcikqZHOWPTVHKhVTU-pV1Z2m_m7dQT6-9qTIE3-vggz5Sna9bgaapaGceZ57nI4p3uh/s4080/IMG_20230929_143923470.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0qnM_OHlmplUaPv6hJfs_xMVO2kiEwZmdSUPj_u50bqxs91lI7m5U2veUhzjvBl0R9zjPtxa3fjfqT-9C7PM6xaIXi29RijvBu02iDAdtzajMSMIOUZvNxcikqZHOWPTVHKhVTU-pV1Z2m_m7dQT6-9qTIE3-vggz5Sna9bgaapaGceZ57nI4p3uh/w151-h200/IMG_20230929_143923470.jpeg" width="151" /></a>The fun didn't end there though. Jason graciously did the town/farm errands on his birthday while I took my weekly walk with Virginia. Then we both went to Ivan and Corey's for the afternoon. I got to savor Bear snuggles and smiles while Jason helped put together some pre-fab cabinets. At one point I was at the house alone with Bear and love how once everyone else departs the animals come find me. First the cat climbed up on my lap and then the dog didn't want to miss out. We had a big old cuddle party!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And if that wasn't enough! We landed home in the evening and enjoyed a home cooked meal and presents from our kiddos. There was a lot of laughter in the present opening since I had given the girls some money to buy presents from me for daddy and presents from daddy for me (without letting him in on it). I think that might be a new yearly tradition! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQwS8g2HNy0MP9rX4nblqFXzjEUooNOjolFBELarXx8aP0t1Uj-0cwznr0dzJxOLJOMlB-FtEYhWOddr5nr8x6n9bRKul8mH7c-u8yKXIJ-L9bC-UMZtul_N6I7dPBh734dNNzaLuWCy8PmL7jkwvjiZqYrD9kcy-fxenor5eFeDcnzX5I5fhr6XA/s3264/IMG_20230929_155500471.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDQwS8g2HNy0MP9rX4nblqFXzjEUooNOjolFBELarXx8aP0t1Uj-0cwznr0dzJxOLJOMlB-FtEYhWOddr5nr8x6n9bRKul8mH7c-u8yKXIJ-L9bC-UMZtul_N6I7dPBh734dNNzaLuWCy8PmL7jkwvjiZqYrD9kcy-fxenor5eFeDcnzX5I5fhr6XA/s320/IMG_20230929_155500471.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPzap55-DRz_dH-eXXVQeZrcYsZJaVbQHACAsbhsizx1-QWYC1DbPrJwYWFC2nHUZu3j0RGHCvLZSACRXp5IyF4pSvsNBjuZh5R5kUf3QQkfM6O45jLc251IAiJ1gRGL6enNMe9i8dLjhCNZMHM1u4KAL5S8QwqAqCogo6Fhm1y0yvkY9c8AxA9bb/s4080/IMG_20230929_193432141.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHPzap55-DRz_dH-eXXVQeZrcYsZJaVbQHACAsbhsizx1-QWYC1DbPrJwYWFC2nHUZu3j0RGHCvLZSACRXp5IyF4pSvsNBjuZh5R5kUf3QQkfM6O45jLc251IAiJ1gRGL6enNMe9i8dLjhCNZMHM1u4KAL5S8QwqAqCogo6Fhm1y0yvkY9c8AxA9bb/s320/IMG_20230929_193432141.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjp3QrmBkR52_vD4xEFK91oIVyTz-HYoxYDFmDrr5JtXre4qhzlHwBoV0XdPlWTpz7B52MdsR_3ttiF_J3tqYLKaA0nDVwTQbDpMltuapZVgerD1JI5sMTGLdDB8bniwvAoDCYx7GHXFXRSvuJ10eFqcVuGYwdZWWie2v9XC5qLkryfgIzYbiAbaX/s4080/IMG_20230929_204939068.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjp3QrmBkR52_vD4xEFK91oIVyTz-HYoxYDFmDrr5JtXre4qhzlHwBoV0XdPlWTpz7B52MdsR_3ttiF_J3tqYLKaA0nDVwTQbDpMltuapZVgerD1JI5sMTGLdDB8bniwvAoDCYx7GHXFXRSvuJ10eFqcVuGYwdZWWie2v9XC5qLkryfgIzYbiAbaX/s320/IMG_20230929_204939068.jpeg" width="241" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Terah made me a wooden spoon in the shop with Jason. I love it!!</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6prnygp0Cwtek3G3kZlDmlML2JAnVTWsQmKZjtYjiPtGITkZevvj0DVKoxXSHWEhljn5wnJvTN8BsNo1UbjCHWn5ADHtdy86RW1bEi48SXnB5io3MdWLxQqqIQ9rE7vQFjEwF6Q3vnqsgshKmCnOa80dUppfpjOR3ZbDA9FWj1nQR5_2mHYuct5gD/s3264/IMG_20230929_205432672.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6prnygp0Cwtek3G3kZlDmlML2JAnVTWsQmKZjtYjiPtGITkZevvj0DVKoxXSHWEhljn5wnJvTN8BsNo1UbjCHWn5ADHtdy86RW1bEi48SXnB5io3MdWLxQqqIQ9rE7vQFjEwF6Q3vnqsgshKmCnOa80dUppfpjOR3ZbDA9FWj1nQR5_2mHYuct5gD/s320/IMG_20230929_205432672.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div><i>Saturday, September 30</i></div><div>As if all that celebrating wasn't enough, we had one more birthday dinner made by my mom on Saturday evening. We felt very well celebrated getting 45 and 47 off to a good start. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwtoH6V5XBBd3LjH7p91QBRDDKs8VpsyWm1cqFA9zdGHVI-bM3ldHa0fFuzBBOapjH0qlYnR73W41V6MSwe9TRjvB9Y3p8rUZH7eZxcyAehDzebuYJT8apvV5JKHw9MnHQMho0cStMK5wDRGnQeOvVxXpX51azFw4Ud6aHk4-_TAiu2YoSbbzharu/s3264/IMG_20230930_180846034.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNwtoH6V5XBBd3LjH7p91QBRDDKs8VpsyWm1cqFA9zdGHVI-bM3ldHa0fFuzBBOapjH0qlYnR73W41V6MSwe9TRjvB9Y3p8rUZH7eZxcyAehDzebuYJT8apvV5JKHw9MnHQMho0cStMK5wDRGnQeOvVxXpX51azFw4Ud6aHk4-_TAiu2YoSbbzharu/s320/IMG_20230930_180846034.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTb68oDVdmnxJSmHkHaMXddFDYemsVNRv4akf7xA8Hh54pyc846iKhgotKA91AOAI5UzXiqIg0k8Y7qmdBtO6mnUPKVNnvliDF-Z4NVNsCttmbN12lE7AoN0O4Bec3EazL-YqoH4ZZ5Q_btIryN22VzaTn5U36Y1uR_oDeNewRC2UMXkjuLoXPXIn/s4080/IMG_20230930_181051452.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdTb68oDVdmnxJSmHkHaMXddFDYemsVNRv4akf7xA8Hh54pyc846iKhgotKA91AOAI5UzXiqIg0k8Y7qmdBtO6mnUPKVNnvliDF-Z4NVNsCttmbN12lE7AoN0O4Bec3EazL-YqoH4ZZ5Q_btIryN22VzaTn5U36Y1uR_oDeNewRC2UMXkjuLoXPXIn/s320/IMG_20230930_181051452.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw03cuYGtwFiJtdtZqW4OZVHTwvOPulmkG-s6AjnA4TJIF48Omf4EDI9jGl8338glokNO962HWg9TtuJS-TA8ZlSbYN2_zA_34HrVx3yhn2VlzKn1NeRkby-FykyAfhXz0GfPyZena51alhxStlM1hgKnG6zzRX6arL9aM2rBm40Usj-wfRF1r0c_/s4080/IMG_20230930_184143466.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPw03cuYGtwFiJtdtZqW4OZVHTwvOPulmkG-s6AjnA4TJIF48Omf4EDI9jGl8338glokNO962HWg9TtuJS-TA8ZlSbYN2_zA_34HrVx3yhn2VlzKn1NeRkby-FykyAfhXz0GfPyZena51alhxStlM1hgKnG6zzRX6arL9aM2rBm40Usj-wfRF1r0c_/s320/IMG_20230930_184143466.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeu7OZ5nFXAYr8AuW5O9GynJVov3kWf-SRX6zovVlXMmcWCWQ1fI6I9B9OMgFFX0_jpeNFVjmWaCwNsmvH_7PGEQebwnLFjLbvSMnYadNuJLbC6-m_J4A2U8u7scdHp_DBsXAmfYyAr3vlKyHAZvg-Uj-0gH9BTkB8AHe-TQHs7___k0xGqGvVNM0T/s4032/IMG_7280.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeu7OZ5nFXAYr8AuW5O9GynJVov3kWf-SRX6zovVlXMmcWCWQ1fI6I9B9OMgFFX0_jpeNFVjmWaCwNsmvH_7PGEQebwnLFjLbvSMnYadNuJLbC6-m_J4A2U8u7scdHp_DBsXAmfYyAr3vlKyHAZvg-Uj-0gH9BTkB8AHe-TQHs7___k0xGqGvVNM0T/w150-h200/IMG_7280.jpeg" width="150" /></a>Prior to our Tangly Woods birthday dinner, Jason was busy getting the barley cover cropping in. It's mostly in now except for the pig paddock area. Most of it is already coming up in cute green rows (and clearly the slugs think it is not just cute but also tasty)...I was occupied much of the day making A LOT OF HOT SAUCE! Friday's farm errands netted us two boxes of hot peppers from the co-op and the pigs will not eat them. So over two days I made more hot sauce than we will be able to use for quite some time. The orange stuff looks really innocent but it packs a punch. My hands and Jason's were burning just after washing the dishes after I finished up (I used gloves for the whole process). And things I've made since then keep tasting hot if I use the same cutting board! So we may do some adjustments on our garden plans for 2024 and skip hot peppers once again!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4RSJPbTibbdkofZeXWgkdXF_JAMGJHX_mL8hrTT-Qe5MpIiRjFBxfPkrO-0ExxfnrjGxiJx8reYBDZ3QkYUFxHtVIhgffXNrQSrzT6z7r2-XE-oUI7w5aBFgnHpiCxMjbhu_CJAsgiTllhk_O0sCoIcS4HlRWlJ-rcoDrjjcQMmFGeM0zRV3K-Uk/s4080/IMG_20231002_084531415.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy4RSJPbTibbdkofZeXWgkdXF_JAMGJHX_mL8hrTT-Qe5MpIiRjFBxfPkrO-0ExxfnrjGxiJx8reYBDZ3QkYUFxHtVIhgffXNrQSrzT6z7r2-XE-oUI7w5aBFgnHpiCxMjbhu_CJAsgiTllhk_O0sCoIcS4HlRWlJ-rcoDrjjcQMmFGeM0zRV3K-Uk/s320/IMG_20231002_084531415.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Sunday, October 1</i></div><div>After more hot sauce making, we got to enjoy a lovely fall hike with some of the first beautiful leaf colors with Emily, Jonas and Ivy. And then I ended my day with my first in person meeting with a new couple I'm working with prenatally. I really do not get tired of talking about birth, parenting, babies, life... It's a good fit!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qvL8BPXN51YdAxyuwZSnOkY-d2tuDYt7sMVak72T-NxfnDMDbCvQI-fKql6BTUcFgGu5elIt5PSadk8GVe7eYmsLcx8I4OSozxddQyrva_yIB_ld7sRdfcMOWy1OmsZ9Y2aoMm20ZHuGpVy7X1PSJbFkk4fqxKexELfr3_t2d9JcXXJVZuj4puhE/s4080/IMG_20231001_141754658.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-qvL8BPXN51YdAxyuwZSnOkY-d2tuDYt7sMVak72T-NxfnDMDbCvQI-fKql6BTUcFgGu5elIt5PSadk8GVe7eYmsLcx8I4OSozxddQyrva_yIB_ld7sRdfcMOWy1OmsZ9Y2aoMm20ZHuGpVy7X1PSJbFkk4fqxKexELfr3_t2d9JcXXJVZuj4puhE/s320/IMG_20231001_141754658.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzD3Eg-2ARonRplm82ttg6A4bnASC2VIaqvwCvDhnOtTNL0r8bt_lCyO7_e6DUCUQrWmEPq2pffuoMyLka85V1SkXpmjJPUF-E79s1uyI5TVVY8uZGzDh4_EvffWVcLi5zF6afjSz-pdzB205h3VdCzdC895vnt75dfTfhvRgmx0ypel_nYgxRP3kf/s4080/IMG_20231001_150347916.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzD3Eg-2ARonRplm82ttg6A4bnASC2VIaqvwCvDhnOtTNL0r8bt_lCyO7_e6DUCUQrWmEPq2pffuoMyLka85V1SkXpmjJPUF-E79s1uyI5TVVY8uZGzDh4_EvffWVcLi5zF6afjSz-pdzB205h3VdCzdC895vnt75dfTfhvRgmx0ypel_nYgxRP3kf/s320/IMG_20231001_150347916.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWcHR0jngvlkjlBx1sUJpIfPX-KPPyHOa3NRqnrSQhebsc6vb16GoU6P3XDGJVjNNGRiv95IpWi1cdO0vUptARWCNB1KxbQC2rAp05yBU0_nO1Txf-Ct1ZLFdB_-l19xUo5AVhyphenhyphenDyALG6h-mU47DV2DkZA-VzJVkLWUmoBlMGb7lKObvILLwKCK-6/s4080/IMG_20231001_141933271.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMWcHR0jngvlkjlBx1sUJpIfPX-KPPyHOa3NRqnrSQhebsc6vb16GoU6P3XDGJVjNNGRiv95IpWi1cdO0vUptARWCNB1KxbQC2rAp05yBU0_nO1Txf-Ct1ZLFdB_-l19xUo5AVhyphenhyphenDyALG6h-mU47DV2DkZA-VzJVkLWUmoBlMGb7lKObvILLwKCK-6/s320/IMG_20231001_141933271.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Monday, October 2</i></div><div>Another week got under way and Jason focused on getting his work trailer finished up and restocked before he pulled it to a new job. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPamK0n74PArl45lHx6l6o6XiG3oS8SDhubzzzx4bOicv-7T-32cQ4ETFeMkMPQVVRVYktaQUtxu6RAx1oPQ66znrbiDc6PzestPainmB1yOgMslMg_2m0le6ep7DJksR8dB5ok-aegnFO_go__O_RzbGoL1w5NFX-pgU-8nbA5sM7200PdxUDz0d3/s4032/IMG_7285.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPamK0n74PArl45lHx6l6o6XiG3oS8SDhubzzzx4bOicv-7T-32cQ4ETFeMkMPQVVRVYktaQUtxu6RAx1oPQ66znrbiDc6PzestPainmB1yOgMslMg_2m0le6ep7DJksR8dB5ok-aegnFO_go__O_RzbGoL1w5NFX-pgU-8nbA5sM7200PdxUDz0d3/s320/IMG_7285.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div>I took Terah to a second orthodontist for a first appointment (a place that takes Medicaid AND has a lot of large fish tanks!). We had it confirmed that we have taken the right steps to date and we are in a waiting time now to see what her mouth and teeth do AND we learned a lot about how their fish give birth (after holding the eggs/developing babies in their mouth for 3 weeks without eating, the mom fish spits the little fish out into the water!). </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr77Y-pVsWRHIFnmJzGauuu0Q99Rr9Y1UebsHdJcKNcNhKCQffONunFoW2VjOeuCI91asd6CNI97r-g1TCwaOeriUs88DSB6wNq8WzFmZwSzc3DZ4bveiN2ZDyxvnUw3w-Mly7QxhnHHjFPSrWmUOZyHR482jmJpjK22Bof8m9CX_9ddOQt8X_qGhl/s4080/IMG_20231002_093158349.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr77Y-pVsWRHIFnmJzGauuu0Q99Rr9Y1UebsHdJcKNcNhKCQffONunFoW2VjOeuCI91asd6CNI97r-g1TCwaOeriUs88DSB6wNq8WzFmZwSzc3DZ4bveiN2ZDyxvnUw3w-Mly7QxhnHHjFPSrWmUOZyHR482jmJpjK22Bof8m9CX_9ddOQt8X_qGhl/s320/IMG_20231002_093158349.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div>I enjoyed a delightful afternoon visit with my dear friends Don and Margaret (and neglected to take any photos) before we scurried off to soccer practice.</div><div><br /></div><div><i>Tuesday, October 3</i></div><div>This was Jason's last day at home for the week before putting his Sassafras Enterprises hat on for the remainder of the week. It was another day with a variety of odds and ends, ending with a fun evening at Jonathan, Christen and Luca's. So maybe I'll include a few odds and ends that haven't fit neatly anywhere else in this post!</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWOagpA01DFe_E3edLG7aBQrKOCTJuEvKAWrUmUfhzcS3AxE1-qZhxsrcoNd1T44ON99ECPYo2imuDjVbrjBsNPtyM06oBzgoZJPE3PDjjCRIuLJ56_gq82m4rvqKvdbR0PtrY6zfEy7N8fPwSWECDRzdfKoU6n8TXx12oqKNqlhVhR1dIVNFg_pp/s4080/IMG_20231004_102437120.jpeg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCWOagpA01DFe_E3edLG7aBQrKOCTJuEvKAWrUmUfhzcS3AxE1-qZhxsrcoNd1T44ON99ECPYo2imuDjVbrjBsNPtyM06oBzgoZJPE3PDjjCRIuLJ56_gq82m4rvqKvdbR0PtrY6zfEy7N8fPwSWECDRzdfKoU6n8TXx12oqKNqlhVhR1dIVNFg_pp/w200-h151/IMG_20231004_102437120.jpeg" width="200" /></a>The pigs are getting lots of greens these days as I have started harvesting sweet potato greens for us and them. I've been trying to saute some most days to boost my iron stores (in hopes that I will pass my hemoglobin screening for blood donation). The pigs should be doing great on their iron stores with how many greens they are consuming daily. They are also getting squash vine trimmings. We'll keep giving them daily doses until frost comes!</div><div><br /></div><div>I've got a new winner with my kiddos. Even though my <i>So Easy to Preserve</i> recommends against drying raspberries, I tried it! And they keep their shape and get crispy and are a tasty tart delicious snack. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSx_pXDU_Cfz16BoP4W7fLqVJ63Cnm5P06CcnMvna9UNPJAINJxeLzsFQi99MtyVTftGWa5tuMU5RBNbg25a_vcG-0MQKTx8cSPucGLfbSoCWu7K7o4Q0WxTj2dZI7fSopv0ZPARmEfWKReTLVNm-OzLQ0_mCvwZqTZlGbDk0SgHWTSDSeNzDb1JG/s4080/IMG_20231001_182948042.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgSx_pXDU_Cfz16BoP4W7fLqVJ63Cnm5P06CcnMvna9UNPJAINJxeLzsFQi99MtyVTftGWa5tuMU5RBNbg25a_vcG-0MQKTx8cSPucGLfbSoCWu7K7o4Q0WxTj2dZI7fSopv0ZPARmEfWKReTLVNm-OzLQ0_mCvwZqTZlGbDk0SgHWTSDSeNzDb1JG/s320/IMG_20231001_182948042.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div>And I can't get to the end of this post with no chicken updates. So before I move to our trio of days with little people, I'll just note that Terah and Alida often take forever to go out for chores in the morning <u>and</u> then take forever to come in! They get very distracted with their chicken friends - giving them treats and working on their chicken training. And I'm on a streak of doing the morning chicken chores most days and my favorite stop is definitely the mama and our "Iowa chicks." They are growing so fast and are so perky!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWaQs5PRYLl3XNNKUqEAVXC8kchqxWxYhVjxYCUdud4qOkYpRRyidOOc3tYWzRAzsCckzbsX41fjUElBvuhi5oILoa3a6e_8z4uvJrUOXJ9Dgfj_7-y-EL3WYjVgCeyiZipPD8W7dx488PaNIDl-vtiP3nAntWccNRrnykp2SNU0xHvK_6oEcNNkX/s4080/IMG_20230925_111316670.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKWaQs5PRYLl3XNNKUqEAVXC8kchqxWxYhVjxYCUdud4qOkYpRRyidOOc3tYWzRAzsCckzbsX41fjUElBvuhi5oILoa3a6e_8z4uvJrUOXJ9Dgfj_7-y-EL3WYjVgCeyiZipPD8W7dx488PaNIDl-vtiP3nAntWccNRrnykp2SNU0xHvK_6oEcNNkX/s320/IMG_20230925_111316670.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_3jMJFj2Furd-K8l1zLTg7Mp8Erc58jTsLZraYiw11l2_A0lJkv-AisfVv7-82ujKp7sPnJi7b4R38PYQejI9TAqI3eIZkfB5TXIOkMoYh6y21WCpLBBU2xc6HeFjl3J5-gS4Bkl98fi18JgBvXQ8aj4bGlid_xoXkQZ0GxKwx5shdhuGrvF3rYl/s4080/IMG_20230926_114126821.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7_3jMJFj2Furd-K8l1zLTg7Mp8Erc58jTsLZraYiw11l2_A0lJkv-AisfVv7-82ujKp7sPnJi7b4R38PYQejI9TAqI3eIZkfB5TXIOkMoYh6y21WCpLBBU2xc6HeFjl3J5-gS4Bkl98fi18JgBvXQ8aj4bGlid_xoXkQZ0GxKwx5shdhuGrvF3rYl/s320/IMG_20230926_114126821.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Wednesday, October 4</i></div><div>So for the days that Jason was working away from home, me and the girls got to tend, snuggle, adore, play with, and love on some very special little people. And for Alida she got to read to, rock, and swing a little person to sleep three days in a row. She was VERY pleased about this! I don't know if their love of little people is nature or nurture, but either there's a gene for it they've gotten from me or maybe I've rubbed off on them. I love their sweetness with babies and children, but it does mean I have to do a lot of sharing! And it also means that sometimes I'm rejected at nap time and Alida is the requested book reader/snuggler!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj809SD4gpxg3ycSTFjPk8_lMqDL7KDPn9ctFvSwzW23s34xjYYcIkyq872tn3t-Vn7KppwTvEH9IjfByonDRD-nfmnjz2M6gyaRPxC-4ybbFVc3H1Xyg44TDIO7tNyH5eCkKNfjIckJr0MgtqBi2CTFvbsLTydSBzVIOQ5OdCD_TZxWWCGfwEcK2aG/s4080/IMG_20231004_131111484.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj809SD4gpxg3ycSTFjPk8_lMqDL7KDPn9ctFvSwzW23s34xjYYcIkyq872tn3t-Vn7KppwTvEH9IjfByonDRD-nfmnjz2M6gyaRPxC-4ybbFVc3H1Xyg44TDIO7tNyH5eCkKNfjIckJr0MgtqBi2CTFvbsLTydSBzVIOQ5OdCD_TZxWWCGfwEcK2aG/s320/IMG_20231004_131111484.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByLf_sNZZ20omDqOT9wTVKzqIMPosHGhTM99y62yCuZa5Zx1wBrzlgi1kKfNWKj777jBRX6URle43_EMX1Jbn5mrFRoIh0RmV7ZPI5RMlyPM0bXvCsHBXAxn8yg5qMsZ1-gy9p6KRRUzHVfzT6mP4qeciYxf6tSjY7MJvUJlxn3VEJTZgaJ7L-itq/s4080/IMG_20231004_151929950.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByLf_sNZZ20omDqOT9wTVKzqIMPosHGhTM99y62yCuZa5Zx1wBrzlgi1kKfNWKj777jBRX6URle43_EMX1Jbn5mrFRoIh0RmV7ZPI5RMlyPM0bXvCsHBXAxn8yg5qMsZ1-gy9p6KRRUzHVfzT6mP4qeciYxf6tSjY7MJvUJlxn3VEJTZgaJ7L-itq/s320/IMG_20231004_151929950.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEKb1peAltYEJ95P8o3Q3MQvDMCTo3i4DSbUM_bYRKPrvGZas2jTQJEp3zERV_pel522d7kr5IZ9JW0L3vbSgWtgr1JnpAvwunWJtWVIUjaSCHaVAx2c6URK_oEIqIRO9XhJQAc7pX3tuKwJ_7U1Uo_6ZI3dyHsQBOnmKOwDF24ToTg6HPHzKWWaN/s4080/IMG_20231004_172411822.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqEKb1peAltYEJ95P8o3Q3MQvDMCTo3i4DSbUM_bYRKPrvGZas2jTQJEp3zERV_pel522d7kr5IZ9JW0L3vbSgWtgr1JnpAvwunWJtWVIUjaSCHaVAx2c6URK_oEIqIRO9XhJQAc7pX3tuKwJ_7U1Uo_6ZI3dyHsQBOnmKOwDF24ToTg6HPHzKWWaN/s320/IMG_20231004_172411822.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div>As you can see, we were keeping our little friend up until the time that we were dressed and headed to the soccer fields again for their weekly games! </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Thursday, October 5</i></div><div>Our Luca day! We had some additional guests/playmates with us for parts of our time with Luca. It was a full and fun time! I sent Jason a few pictures here and there and he sent me one of his work. I replied that my photos were definitely cuter! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vMi6S4ywrEdJ_24ZDifBcJNI3eVuzkWnxzxi-3VPvcxnAWDYOmgWLIOAnCUY5i4PdtPvSKhTQLV2fqrr3efYAJopUKUu-MZ_3Quhp0fwFRRBzAyU2Zb86lFdvKNn6qcDMJ-qr_3s3TxxHJQh3GHxOvr20IAxuWoU4xBdSuXNewDsehx2Zq1QY1eT/s4032/71822609117__C0758AF7-6DB6-452B-A311-6C417D70A8D1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vMi6S4ywrEdJ_24ZDifBcJNI3eVuzkWnxzxi-3VPvcxnAWDYOmgWLIOAnCUY5i4PdtPvSKhTQLV2fqrr3efYAJopUKUu-MZ_3Quhp0fwFRRBzAyU2Zb86lFdvKNn6qcDMJ-qr_3s3TxxHJQh3GHxOvr20IAxuWoU4xBdSuXNewDsehx2Zq1QY1eT/s320/71822609117__C0758AF7-6DB6-452B-A311-6C417D70A8D1.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI3GO4sm0P0_rBGucMoyfBQKNFw614wyYKyi1nB2qpbHrCzy8kFjv2RU1zQ9DU9GEJsiE5rt3VL1pVVMuuOQFV_MI68uR6QA_MBABQBHZNAsno4u2n5HfViZZgbjlaCWi0LmUzPuf54nE-5E2faX5BNoCVg_AU8Vc3eBnHNytShZVNLxmMKvm5eK6/s4080/IMG_20231005_102746195.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMI3GO4sm0P0_rBGucMoyfBQKNFw614wyYKyi1nB2qpbHrCzy8kFjv2RU1zQ9DU9GEJsiE5rt3VL1pVVMuuOQFV_MI68uR6QA_MBABQBHZNAsno4u2n5HfViZZgbjlaCWi0LmUzPuf54nE-5E2faX5BNoCVg_AU8Vc3eBnHNytShZVNLxmMKvm5eK6/s320/IMG_20231005_102746195.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09b-Z5BXE7XLg2NZrMd3LkBHzg_r5borjpVGADaiDJ1hWK48wjQTqK8ikq5fJ4N9gL6xTwlLwYWhodhs4XOhkcabkVkukJrp9tSuAhPYtP2th3UP38WCMLTnjgG2H5ShkluM19ar_0Gphyphenhyphen2DonrBra0ZOdfmhXTyMo1_iyM2AFOnbZ1br203U7_eD/s4080/IMG_20231005_105253878.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg09b-Z5BXE7XLg2NZrMd3LkBHzg_r5borjpVGADaiDJ1hWK48wjQTqK8ikq5fJ4N9gL6xTwlLwYWhodhs4XOhkcabkVkukJrp9tSuAhPYtP2th3UP38WCMLTnjgG2H5ShkluM19ar_0Gphyphenhyphen2DonrBra0ZOdfmhXTyMo1_iyM2AFOnbZ1br203U7_eD/s320/IMG_20231005_105253878.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7xnNMHUZU3iyHfiId0phJs_sojpUBJJ_3bqtOAXYqlBWcIdFgtzrS6ainaP5rfVgPL2aJAbEwnelSbeJPpMVrJQPdpT4Yqs4gDfME6wDJP2guB8XmPVkxgl2fkbeVhwX1FOY3Qz9ASlnkjmfW9cERmHlINeZxRLbXG_mAxI2ywHfWre6jPknhpre/s4080/IMG_20231005_110624622.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7xnNMHUZU3iyHfiId0phJs_sojpUBJJ_3bqtOAXYqlBWcIdFgtzrS6ainaP5rfVgPL2aJAbEwnelSbeJPpMVrJQPdpT4Yqs4gDfME6wDJP2guB8XmPVkxgl2fkbeVhwX1FOY3Qz9ASlnkjmfW9cERmHlINeZxRLbXG_mAxI2ywHfWre6jPknhpre/s320/IMG_20231005_110624622.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3aT-fVj7OVLG7ZX65wx4JfgcHb7EfiRCK3_8ADdUjbjYeGNsr-9SDHl6ey1MW7TAC4jvAFs8x7jlkVKAb96IvKp_YA33o6Ko9fjxAaYHuP7J5MBlETD5z_mIq4qucjk3GH0D2H2JEZ2eAJ7GGBUpcwfcsJzyYJpW8I44fGyLoamvt5gweHqJKj4S/s4080/IMG_20231005_113958166.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3aT-fVj7OVLG7ZX65wx4JfgcHb7EfiRCK3_8ADdUjbjYeGNsr-9SDHl6ey1MW7TAC4jvAFs8x7jlkVKAb96IvKp_YA33o6Ko9fjxAaYHuP7J5MBlETD5z_mIq4qucjk3GH0D2H2JEZ2eAJ7GGBUpcwfcsJzyYJpW8I44fGyLoamvt5gweHqJKj4S/s320/IMG_20231005_113958166.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>In the evening we kicked off the first of several birthday celebrations for Terah. Since my parents will be away all of next week, we celebrated early (much to Terah's delight). She requested and helped decorate her very chocolately chocolate cake and chose pizza for the meal. Thankfully she was feeling just fine and able to enjoy it thoroughly. Hopefully she'll be her normal chipper self by her next birthday celebration Tuesday...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWQIWLyRchwhV9sKCVkdCmdec1goDY4lAiY1kPTdsI2kBpAV7QYb0ICCshxrntOMoQxzh2p-fDZ3PZqK0rjEsubNYtiGcA9EPHXlq6ffsV5BW_1unznVdEfuLVGOgNkRYULRuQhtYKRycdMf9J_X8RgsqW4MZw1j2TquVlDQnSPdf0jdvjTuHPKxJ/s4080/IMG_20231005_180835484.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigWQIWLyRchwhV9sKCVkdCmdec1goDY4lAiY1kPTdsI2kBpAV7QYb0ICCshxrntOMoQxzh2p-fDZ3PZqK0rjEsubNYtiGcA9EPHXlq6ffsV5BW_1unznVdEfuLVGOgNkRYULRuQhtYKRycdMf9J_X8RgsqW4MZw1j2TquVlDQnSPdf0jdvjTuHPKxJ/s320/IMG_20231005_180835484.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRL451eDjm62bLcgaLK2f4u13wrJX3lCCfY53CEVkhNeRIqvMBdVGJUrJMB951UAr7z0S-hbUx0WmXOC2i4Huch_SVapBKi_YJa8m0aWZjs67whIp29G7PXYG_Rijd3H_nqWFzquaENUGrIwSnS9Z0MhU0yY8F6L71uwR3m6zePG1MIYXo922XlYic/s4160/1.%20Terah%20icing%20her%20chocolate%20birthday%20cake.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRL451eDjm62bLcgaLK2f4u13wrJX3lCCfY53CEVkhNeRIqvMBdVGJUrJMB951UAr7z0S-hbUx0WmXOC2i4Huch_SVapBKi_YJa8m0aWZjs67whIp29G7PXYG_Rijd3H_nqWFzquaENUGrIwSnS9Z0MhU0yY8F6L71uwR3m6zePG1MIYXo922XlYic/s320/1.%20Terah%20icing%20her%20chocolate%20birthday%20cake.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div><i>Friday, October 6</i></div><div>And then yesterday we had our first stint of what I love to call "Bear Care" out at Tangly Woods. Bear seemed to thoroughly enjoy his first visit and did not disappoint us with his fascination with the ceiling fans and the black and white cloth in the front room. I've been asked multiple times since by Alida and Terah when they will see him next and there have been many "Bear is so adorable" utterances too! I could not agree more!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2zdbjIhFP6LfnGSThrpD5zMw1fk4zsI0fhzuEidRC3oZEMB-7zqsh3UAHgav4akG_WOgrAlHkC8MvPjS7wZeeOesqxJume8dEuk8hk3YxR1vr4V9akdqlqz-cceNWFG3pJPeqqaQ3LmsyiNlvXLy0fvq1bh0hwX9nyaPraliLLbOPCmFX4MKoCFM/s3264/IMG_20231006_132207568.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2zdbjIhFP6LfnGSThrpD5zMw1fk4zsI0fhzuEidRC3oZEMB-7zqsh3UAHgav4akG_WOgrAlHkC8MvPjS7wZeeOesqxJume8dEuk8hk3YxR1vr4V9akdqlqz-cceNWFG3pJPeqqaQ3LmsyiNlvXLy0fvq1bh0hwX9nyaPraliLLbOPCmFX4MKoCFM/s320/IMG_20231006_132207568.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddTdCRCmDrvFpYUT4yJTqwVTPWg1gP4oQjOve7HV0UQEdXFdE61B-qP24PT1CcgbcSaMLazyOB5UwuQCTrMUAmxdEd002hnan_kkayk6pb6YP2npX9PojS2ypzX8EKSTnJgov9gfUsIWovT5yul2fdSG_7fl62TARPNO2VV_4lvFshwkU5Iw50tlx/s4080/IMG_20231006_145408206.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhddTdCRCmDrvFpYUT4yJTqwVTPWg1gP4oQjOve7HV0UQEdXFdE61B-qP24PT1CcgbcSaMLazyOB5UwuQCTrMUAmxdEd002hnan_kkayk6pb6YP2npX9PojS2ypzX8EKSTnJgov9gfUsIWovT5yul2fdSG_7fl62TARPNO2VV_4lvFshwkU5Iw50tlx/s320/IMG_20231006_145408206.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGYFvjshMTmZBks-4HJcaurHW2okz5d-jPkCfHr9pLijXa0BIMPqvGZoPGjsnksqzUQXcnqfUrhOPeKEFV1-3qC028-ORA12Y2jP6KJUsQmr0T4r_iBjN8EmCwwb1ceKiU3kLnfZn1a0GrL-mJ005LWwIq6ffmgYEgkdsD8P9vU4JM_HAWuS4u8nu/s4080/IMG_20231006_145738426.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNGYFvjshMTmZBks-4HJcaurHW2okz5d-jPkCfHr9pLijXa0BIMPqvGZoPGjsnksqzUQXcnqfUrhOPeKEFV1-3qC028-ORA12Y2jP6KJUsQmr0T4r_iBjN8EmCwwb1ceKiU3kLnfZn1a0GrL-mJ005LWwIq6ffmgYEgkdsD8P9vU4JM_HAWuS4u8nu/s320/IMG_20231006_145738426.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4cS-voFZnBCp9JuUvvJbOWW6sNn9aCvpwe9m4RdKXUykI8jbmmqDaRLCsBVj2exXoQ2LPMXuEF7b261kUlMyMpPA1HpanPwiTA_DhWZFotc_AvnZs7i9LYfsma25gwcWZ9fFj4O0uAdbtdjh0yt7nvl8pfVhifV-fZrUpkXHul827GuWVlEQd8XJ/s4080/IMG_20231006_162446472.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4080" data-original-width="3072" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4cS-voFZnBCp9JuUvvJbOWW6sNn9aCvpwe9m4RdKXUykI8jbmmqDaRLCsBVj2exXoQ2LPMXuEF7b261kUlMyMpPA1HpanPwiTA_DhWZFotc_AvnZs7i9LYfsma25gwcWZ9fFj4O0uAdbtdjh0yt7nvl8pfVhifV-fZrUpkXHul827GuWVlEQd8XJ/s320/IMG_20231006_162446472.jpeg" width="241" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Well I think it is time to carry my moaning sleeping little one back to bed and try to get a start on my night of sleep too because something tells me it might be full of interruptions! I can kinda blog with whimpers and moans in the background but am not quite as skilled at sleeping through that kind of thing and she definitely is requesting to have her mommy at her side!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>Ps. I'll end with one more morning mountain view, just because!</div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXbPXTeK_Ao_8gDWBvIiKM_HBYE0VA4GVmGsFQfGNC4RfZgxq6T8cOM_h9ZFoZFt8FoGraR6O5CKsHLy0c1TpdBvP5OZQn947jZ8fQ4Z50UaC664MdGdEcMDd5w64pu5abmKLKedQuaJJAv6jVTBEPHzHx0LH9FIhLlG7yr61m6ZNurtCsyf1TapR/s4080/IMG_20231005_070659915.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWXbPXTeK_Ao_8gDWBvIiKM_HBYE0VA4GVmGsFQfGNC4RfZgxq6T8cOM_h9ZFoZFt8FoGraR6O5CKsHLy0c1TpdBvP5OZQn947jZ8fQ4Z50UaC664MdGdEcMDd5w64pu5abmKLKedQuaJJAv6jVTBEPHzHx0LH9FIhLlG7yr61m6ZNurtCsyf1TapR/s320/IMG_20231005_070659915.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div></div></div></div></div>Janelle and Jason Myers-Bennerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00395452909845692098noreply@blogger.com0