I have several wonderful, vivid childhood memories of being at White Water Bay in Oklahoma City, nearly drowning in the wave pool. You know it, right? The enormous rectangular pool that seemed much deeper than it probably was and was periodically suffused with strong, artificially generated waves. The waves started small and easy then grew into ever more powerful, churning, almost violent, successive attacks that tested your swimming mettle. They must have been trying to drown us, and I loved it. I absolutely could not resist the wild, body-thrashing energy; and the barely out of adolescence lifeguards must have frequently rolled their eyes and considered just letting me go. Too many hook rescues. Too much gasping desperately for oxygen, my green-blonde, chlorine-bleached hair matted against my forehead. This summer brown, lonely fish just coughing, laughing, gurgling for help, but still going right back in so I didn’t miss the final and most glorious waves.
That’s a little bit how life feels lately. Overwhelming, a bit dangerous and scary, and truly exhilarating, all at once. I keep needing to be rescued in different ways, from the ever-increasing and scarier waves; but I keep diving right back in for more because I don’t want to miss a thing.
Here are some farm updates!
ONE: We finished the new office building! I want so much to share these photos and details, plus a few dozen great stories about the process. Memories that will last the rest of our lives. But I will give my good-looking guy a chance to share it first. Bottom line: God’s timing is amazing, and we are surrounded by loving helpers. If you don’t yet know about this new venture, follow “Wreath Consulting” on Facebook!
TWO: Dusty gave us another scare last week but is doing well now, and in fact all four of the middle field Farmily Members are thriving in this mild, extended springtime. Scareltta Jones continues to enjoy all the benefits of being Little Sister in the group, and she is looking extra svelte and velvety these days, having shed her winter hair and grown completely out of her baby shape. Rhett’s horns are long and magnificent, and he knows how to use them. Chanta needs help biting hard carrots now but can still manage watermelon rinds just fine, thank you very much.
THREE: The ten March Peeps have officially joined the flock at large and are discovering more and more ways to be real, true chickens. Boss Lady in particular has imprinted on Handsome as her main person, and they lavish each other with special attention and sweet, whispery conversation daily. This is an unhappy development for Klaus, who has so far believed the chickens to be his and his alone and also understood his Daddy was his Daddy and no one else’s. Bless.
FOUR: My large vegetable garden is messy but most certainly producing food, a fact you can only discern by squatting down and peering closely between the jungle green. My new schedule allows precious few minutes to pull weeds or improve edges, but God has smiled on this circumstance by keeping the soil soft with rain. Also, flowers from last year’s prairie strip reseeded themselves and are making me look like a better gardener than I am. Whew!
FIVE: The upstairs Apartment looks and feels better than it has in maybe forever. I have decluttered the space by at least half (a Herculean feat, because this room had for over fifteen years been a catchall for all kinds of inherited and collected supplies). I have also begun and nearly finished redecorating it, just applying a few creative ideas that have been floating around in my head since roughly Pandemic. While I am nowhere finished, nor do I expect to ever be, it feels incredible to have started and made so much progress. The timing is great, too, because the first person who will stay in this space post-cleaning is a precious friend soon visiting from the PNW. I am beyond excited for her to arrive! More on this very soon. I promise.
Life lately is so full of changes, pain, relief, excitement, growth, disappointment, and fertile imagination that truly I could sit here for a few hours every single day and share it all. But I also have to keep my head above water, because the waves are not stopping. Thank God for hook rescues and strongholds, thank God for legs that can kick against the current, and thank God for a deep and abiding love for the challenge and thrill of it all. More soon, friends. Just keep swimming!
“You cannot be bitter and expect your life to be sweet.”
~Unknown source but for sure directed right at me
XOXOXO
