Hello again friends, happy Friday! Happy Friday the 13th to all who celebrate, and Happy Valentine’s Day weekend, too. There’s quite a bit happening here, both around the farm and inside my heart, so I am excited to sit down and find words for some of it.
ONE: Dusty is home!! After a five night stay at the equine hospital in Edmond, our sweet, sturdy boy is home, and we are so relieved.
You might remember that back in October we took Dusty to a vet in Shawnee to address some mysterious blood I found on his hind legs and on the ground. It was so scary, an emergency we felt at the time, because we had just never seen anything like it, absent an obvious wound. It turned out to be a tumor on the shaft of his penis that burst and bled. That vet took great care of Dusty but warned us it could regrow and suggested that if it did, we should take him to this other hospital for hopefully a more permanent solution.
Well, we got through the holidays and The Great Big Shock on December 26, then Dusty started bleeding again. It took a maddeningly long time to get an appointment, but we stayed in touch with the new vet and trusted his asuurances. Thankfully Dusty barely seemed to be aware of the problem.
He underwent a more invasive surgery last Wednesday. There were a few setbacks, and once he started feeling better he actually busted out of his stall and took himself on a little run aroudn their property, ha! We picked him up this Monday, and he has seemed more and more like himself every day since.
The next two weeks will be crucial to say he is fully recovered, but for now everything is going great. He doesn’t love taking his medicines twice a day, but he has not missed a dose and remains sweet and cuddly. He is visibly happy to be reunited with Chanta, and that feeling is mutual. We have caught them napping nose to nose several times the last two days.
TWO: We have deconstructed the original downhill food garden! This is a pretty big decision, and it’s been both refreshing and challenging. Before last year, I tried my best to grow most of our food on a west facing hill and in part shade, near some oak trees. I sure learned a lot doing it that way! But now, having this beautiful new flat, full-sun space up by the house is just pure magic, like brand new freedom. As an added gift, clearing the aging wooden fence and collapsing compost bins over by the old garden has fully opened up that space, visually. Now we just have a wire fence there that will almost disappear, so we will be able to more fully enjoy the susnset and the pond view. Very fun to reimagine everything.
THREE: I am still enjoying my twin devotionals experiement every morning but after two enlightening conversations recently I decided to unearth my actual Bible and have been spending time in there, too. It’s really terrible to admit this, but I had just forgotten how hydrating, how nourishing it is to read the actual tissue pages, dotted with my own notes and dates, answered prayers over the years, revelations, messages just for me. Everything. This is a welcome and much needed change in my daily routine.
By the way, if you’re interested in the twin devtionals experiement, let me know! Or just follow along on Facebook. Since January 1st I have been reading essay compilations from both C.S. Lewis and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It’s been fascinating to see the perspectives of two brilliant and prolific men with vastly different life experiences during the same bizarre chapter in history.
FOUR: The Chinese New Year is right around the corner, and this year I am weirdly excited about it. Next Tuesday, February 17th (which also happens to be Mardi Gras!) we start the year of the Fire Horse. I am so intruiged by the traditional features of this year and the fact that it only occurs every 60 years. They say we should be mindful of what energy we bring to this threshold, to choose a good path worth taking to fruition, and to control our impulses while following instincts. Like a horse I think, ha!
Last but certianly not least, a huge announcement…
FIVE: My insanely smart and driven husband took the leap and launched a new consulting business!! We have talked about this for years, more in the context of dreaming about a second career or his post retirement chapter, but recent life surprises brought everything to a head and made this the perfect moment. He will offer a variety of consulting services to make good use of his ocean of knowledge and experience in management and organization, the regulatory side of public utilities, legislative work, and much more. Honestly, there is so much I could say about this. This has been quite a season for deep reflection and big unknowns, and every day that passes my heart feels more amazed by the possibilities of this new chapter. Today we met with a builder to start the process of adding a small office building to the property. Stay tuned!
“If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire.
If you want to be wet you must get into the water.
If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life,
you must get close to, or even into,
the thing that has them.”
XOXOXO
C.S. Lewis