78 degrees Fahrenheit, and climbing!

My dear friend and former companion, visiting us for saturday afternoon bird watching! I love you and miss you, Berkana.


It feels like summer! It was almost too hot for me yesterday as I battled clotheslines. We made the (lazy) mistake of leaving the lines up all winter - even though I had promised the anchoring trees that I would take them down. Oops! The wind whipped sheets and t-shirts, and in cooperation with the sun, dried everything in record time (seriously... 5 minutes for the bedsheets!). And, of course, not to make my laundry task so easy, 4 clotheslines broke and 2 of the newly hung ones came down, and again today. It makes me laugh. I step back and watch myself climbing the ladder and trees, battling the very poke-y pine needles, getting tangled in rope, sweating, and the occasional exclamation, "Aw, are you kidding me?!" Where are Laurel and Hardy when you need them?
It was worth it, though. The sheets smell like wind, the towels soft, and I lay in a heap of beautifully fresh laundry.

It has been a very busy life for our family since Jayson's injury. The home rhythm has become a bit uneven. I have put in a lot more hours at work than I had originally envisioned (it's really hard to say no to making more chocolate). With the sudden onset of very dry earth and intense sun, there is much to do on the land. I have so many projects bursting out of me, but am very limited on places to create them in.

I resumed work on making a refrigerator for Leaf's kitchen, and finally had to let go of a lot of my vision and the details just to get it done. This was a great find of a little cabinet/shelf $2 at a garage sale last spring, but it sat lonely on our deck all year. The wood has seen better days, but I feel that it is about to see its best days! I am still short a tool - I need a grinding disk for the Dremel to cut off the screw ends. Thankfully, Leaf is not picky about the grain of the wood or the remaining paint that would not sand off - I will not use a chemical to strip the wood. So, Leaf and I made beeswax and olive oil polish and coated the multi-surfaced little fridge. She is very excited. Until I get the screws filed down, I have candle stubs over them (photos to follow when I have more light).

We are taking a mini vacation this weekend, close to home, but truly a retreat. A good time to re-balance.

I look forward to sharing more about our continued evolution toward sustainability with the One Small Change Project and our upcoming April changes.

Enjoy these beautiful days and star-filled nights!