A full farm is a better farm

We have been exceedingly blessed. Yes, I know in everyway possible, but we had two groups of visitors recently that nailed the point home to me - The farm is even better and more complete when it is full of people. My brother's family - wonderful wife and two gorgous daughters, and yellow lab - and my mom and dad visited over Memorial Day weekend. The house and farm vibrated with life; kids running in the grass, riding horses, making daisy chains, swinging on the tire swing; the dog hauling as fast as possible everywhere at once; mom playing the piano as it rang across the field. That is how the farm is suppose to be.

Then blessing of blessings, Julianne, Corrie, Stephanie and Christa came to visit. What a gift. I am still overjoyed with our time with them, but also extremely sad to have them leave (early this morning from the Minneapolis house). Another true blessing to have such dear friends that you can instantly pick up with them right where you left off and not grow bored or tired with each other. They stayed 10 days and that was NOT enough.

I do not want to rob my three roommates of telling great stories we had with them, but will say a few things.

We laughed a lot, we ate amazing food and we all got sunburned. We now have 5 inner tubes, and I will get more soon, and we floated down the Red Cedar River. The water was warm and the banks were lush with trees and rock formations. What we thought was a three hour float became a six hour float. We watched the sun set as we arrived at the pick up spot, but we made it and had a blast. Corrie and Julianne kept me in amused company the last two hours and I donated four of my chest hairs to Julianne. Monday we went again with Chris, but only for 3 and a half hours. I drank a Deschutes Brewery Black Butte Porter on the Red Cedar! We are mapping out the river and figuring out the time for each ride, and the beauty factor too - all amazing.

We blazed a trail for Charis, we weeded and squashed tons of the Colorado Beetle trying to eat our potatoes - damn those things - and most importantly we ate a lot of good food and just hung out and talked and laughed. Mornings, afternoons, evenings sitting on the front porch - soon to be deck - or the picnic table laughing and/or watching thunderstorms. We had two big ones blow through - watering the gardens and making us go uh or ahh. I can not forget the other awesome light show we had each night of fireflys. The little bugs flew around in our yard and pasture blinking their green/yellow tail. So many on Tuesday night that Charis refered to it looking like a darkened football stadium where everyone is taking pictures with their flash cameras. No five minute half-time show, this lasted for hours.

Steve arrived - I'll let Charis tell you about that.

"I hate it." "I don't know, God Damnit." "I do not understand the difference between creepy and sexy." "Applebees" "Can we smoke it?" and so many more joyful new sayings.

Thank you for visiting - Julianne, Corrie, Stephanie and Christa!!! On one of our walks, Corrie asked me what I like and dislike about living in Wisconsin. The top dislike (which is huge and above any other dislike) was being away from our friends in Portland. What a treat to be together with some of people I miss so much for this time and remove some of the sorrow of the moving away. (It did howeverf make me miss the others still in Portland even more.) If I get a job, we plan on visiting around New Years. I hope I get a job. I hope I get a job.

All to say, the farm is bliss with Charis and I, but the farm vibrates with joy, truth, spirit and LIFE when it is full of people, friends, children, dogs and horses.

Jay