The last few days have been hectic.  Jim used the bobcat to start clearing some of the debris from the yard directly behind the back door.  Here’s what it looked like when he started.

Then he surprised me.  He brought over our picnic table and some chairs and set it up in the newly cleared yard.  What tickled me to pieces is the umbrella.  It an old one he found buried in the bushes.  He cleaned it up, attached some pvc pipe to it, and put it in the center of the table.  Now we have a shady spot to rest during the day when we take breaks.

The weeds and piles of old branches outside the fence were a hazard.  In the past several years there have been auto accidents because people couldn’t see around the corner.  So, we worked on clearing some of that up today.  I worked like a fiend gathering up all the piled dried branches and used the wood chipper inside the fence.  A small mountain of debris is now about one garbage bag of usable mulch.  Jim tackled the nightmare outside the fence.

By the end of two days, here’s the results.  Obviously, there’s still more clearing to do, but at least now folks can use that intersection without fear of crashing and burning! Tomorrow we hope to finish clearing out the debris and weeds around this section of the property.  For now, however, I’m taking a long, hot bath, heating up some soup for dinner, and then crawl into bed.

Although the big storm that brought New Mexico to a standstill has past and almost all the snow is gone (except for shady spots where the sun rarely hits), it is still winter.  We don’t have the northern chill (with temps averaging at or below freezing), but to us wimps, hovering between 45 and 55 degrees is cold.  Our humble home is primarily heated with a wood burning stove.  We have a few little electric heaters, but the wood burner is the focal point.

Our critters don’t seem to particularly enjoy the cold either, and they all have their own tactics.  Chamako dragged his favorite blanket into a box that had been destined for the woodburner and is enjoying his “secret” corner.

Brutus hovers around the little electric heater.

Pinky stays close by the sheepskin blanket on the sofa.

Me, I move around a lot with multiple layers of thermal clothing.  I can’t wait til Spring!

So much has been happening.  By an act of life’s Creator, a new beginning has emerged.  Not only has my life’s goal of having an organic homestead continued to develop, but I’ve found a partner with a similar goal.  Neither of us has much to work with, but together we foresee the very real probability of accomplishing the goal.

In short, I recently met and married a gentle giant.  Jim complements my abilities and shortcomings beautifully, we share similar ideals and hopes, and we both love our families.  

Our wedding was a simple affair.  We married at the library where we met and rather than a catered affair, we asked everyone invited to share in the festivities by contributing to an after-wedding potluck.  Instead of a “gift list,” we told everyone that wanted to provide a gift to make it a dish to share at the wedding and/or a gift certificate for materials to build with (like Home Depot, etc.)

It was wonderful — and my Mom was here to share the joy!