Hello everyone! I’ve been missing you! So you might be wondering where I’ve been all this time? Some family members inquired about the lack of blog posts lately. I was talking to my sister Samantha on the phone the other day and she asked me too. So I told her that our camera broke and that I hadn’t felt inspired to write blog posts without those pretty pictures to go along with them. She laughed, “you don’t need pictures to write a blog post!” I laughed too and realized she was right. I’ve been holding myself back from writing all this time, waiting until we saved up money for a brand new camera. I’ve been visualizing the camera and all the beautiful pictures I’ll take with it. So I guess I’ll just have to get creative and write pictures with my words so I can still share my world with all of you.

Here are some of the pictures I wanted to share with you:
—-Our harvest of winter squash from the garden this year. All the different colors and textures are so beautiful. We have them stored in the pantry now, adding bright color to our fall meals.
—-The chickens free ranging all around the yard (yep, you heard me! The dogs and chickens made peace and now the chickens are happier and healthier than ever before, making the yard so nice and enjoying some good eatin’!)
—-Our gorgeous new Toggenburg goat, Brandi. Things were going well in the goat yard with our little herd and then our neighbor told us about wanting to find a home for Brandi. We couldn’t pass it up! We’d met her before and even milked her when our neighbor was on vacation. She gets into the perfect milking position for strangers and loves loves loves people. Three milkers is our ideal number so it’s perfect!
—-Clearing some brush out of our front yard and it completely opened up the view! Now you can see the mountain on the other side of the river, the view is breathtaking! Every morning when we walk down to milk the goats, I am in awe of the new view and the beauty around me.
—-The house lit up at autumn twilight. When we walk up from tucking the goats in for the night, our house is aglow with lights from within and looks like a little cozy cottage tucked into the mountains. It looks more beautiful to me at this time than any other. The light it radiates look so golden and warm, I can’t wait to get inside and tuck myself in!

That is some of the beauty I’ve wanted to share.

In the end of October/early November I flew back to Iowa to visit family. It was my favorite trip back yet. It felt good to connect with my midwest roots and I felt a deep appreciation for my loving family. I had a great time, treasuring every moment and feeling grateful to spend time with people I love so much.
Jeff had a full time job while I was gone- running this little farm, taking care of the animals, housework, hauling firewood and making artwork for our Holiday Market coming up (where we sell his art every year.)
When I got home, it felt so good to be back! Home had never felt so sweet! I had missed Jeff and the animals like crazy! The night of my return, November 4, we got a phone call from Jeff’s mom saying that his father, Ritchie, had passed away. I was so grateful I had just gotten home when Jeff found out the news so I could be with him. Months before, Ritchie had sent Jeff a card saying that he felt his time was coming soon and he wanted to tell Jeff how much he loved him and how proud he was of him. This was a treasure to Jeff and made parting with his father a lot easier because he had some time to prepare. Now we are creating a garden memorial for Ritchie Henry Wilson in our front yard, by the beautiful pond Jeff built. Here we will honor him and remember him. I never had the pleasure of meeting Ritchie, but feel that I know him through all the stories Jeff has told me and the fondness in his voice when he speaks of his father’s generous heart. Jeff has been dreaming of his dad constantly and he wakes up with a look of peace on his face.
Also, when I was on my trip, Jeff called with the news that our orange garden cat, Abu, passed away. We had raised him from a kitten. He was constantly by my side whenever I was in the garden, always reminding me to slow down, take a break, and give him more attention darnit! 🙂 I loved Abu and will miss him immensely. But living on this little farm has taught me so much about life and has made it easier to deal with loved ones passing on. Here there is constantly new life and there is also death. The cycle continues, everything eventually moves on to make room for new life. There is a balance and beauty to everything, even when it can be hard to see.

I got sick after I returned from Iowa and then Jeff got what I had. So we’ve been taking care of each other and still getting ready for Holiday Market. In a funny way, being sick has allowed us with some regeneration time before our super busy holiday season (even though it’s driving Jeff crazy because he wants to be in his workshop creating!) I find that we get over it faster when we surrender to it and allow ourselves to slow down. If we fight it, it only lasts longer. It can be hard to slow down around here when there is so much to do. The goats need to be milked, the animals fed, no matter if we’re sick or not. But my inner rebel gets excited when I look at the pile of laundry and long to do list and just don’t do it!
Find joy wherever we can!

All My Love,
Taryn