Not only have Chris, Ellis and I had the immense pleasure of being HOME for a whole WEEK, but we've been spending this glorious fall stretch with our good friend Matt here at the farm. On what I hope is his annual September visit to the farm, Matt is like our long lost roommate, fitting in to our home life seamlessly while gracing us with his cooking, conversing, crossword-doing, project-assisting, child entertaining skills.
We went on a hike over the ridge to our local abandoned farm. It's like a new adventure with each season - the way the woods look and smell, the way the grasses move, and the way the dilapidated buildings are set against the valley.
On Friday we celebrated Ellis's 2nd birthday with fresh tomato-orange soup & green beans, oatmeal bread, Tillamook cheese, crispy apples from the tree, and apple crisp for dessert. It's apple season and we're enjoying them in many ways every day. Watch out, though, every other apple has a little nibble or two taken out of it, courtesy of our apple-lovin' boys.
Matt's been helping with a big priority project: the hot tub redux. After months of dealing with a leaky tub, it's been taken apart, re-leveled, and put back together in new and improved ways. Keep your fingers crossed! Our men have labored over that tub to make it water-tight and keep that fire hot, so we're hoping 
for more mid-winter soaks before bed.
The chicken-coop/greenhouse is going to be one killer structure... after the 4 foot deep trench is filled with gravel, an insulated frame, dirt, and posts, then the structure disassembled, moved to its new location, and rebuilt. Chris and Jay are
diligently moving on this project, for which I am forever grateful. I vow to pluck eggs from our future chickens' cozy coop cubbies daily, and to savor them, each and every one. In the meantime, the boys are LOVING the trench. Who needs a state of the art swingset or treehouse when you can have your very own TRENCH to run around in?! The dirt pile out back and the trench out front have seen more of our boys than any toy or game we own. It's a messy, beautiful thing. I've learned to embrace it whole-heartedly...when Ellis looked up from racing cars in the dirt pile with his tongue covered in dirt, I thought, "where else is the dirt so sweet and full of goodness?"
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Vacation at Home
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3 comments:
There's just something about little boys and dirt. I caught the quote from All the Places to Love. I think of you all out there on the farm every time I read that book. My mental images of your place are all shaped by the picture in that beautiful book. Someday, I'd love to see the real thing!
I just love that book too, Karen! Only, I wish we had a blueberry barren like the one in the story...Mama's favorite place. If you ever find yourself in the midwest, we'd love to have you out to the farm!
OH! Happy Birthday Ellis!!!
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