I love this photo. It doesn’t need a lot of explanation.

The new farm is coming together in so many ways, inside and outside of the farmhouse. I’ve put the inside aside for now, as there is so much happening outside. Today was Rocky’s first day inside the new sheep pasture, and as usual, Red guided his blind friend in and sat by him. He has never been in this pasture, it was not fenced before. Rocky grazed for a bit, got anxious and then returned to the pole barn.  Soon the donkeys and other dogs will join these animals and a part of our lives will have come full circle. The farm is coming to life.  It is a calm and deliberate process, it is falling into place naturally and comfortably and appropriately.

After Ben finishes Maria’s studio, we will complete the electrical work in the house, order a new washer and dryer, paint my office, install our funky old wood stove and move in. I was joking to a friend that we’ll have little money and lots of life, a good trade-off always. And this, of course, is why the term down-sizing, used to celebrate often brutal corporate cost-cutting, is not the one for my life or our lives. This place is filling up.