In Charge

8They are right where Jack wants them, and right where we asked him to put them.  Good boy!

Merry Christmas

SkyFrom our home to yours.

The Peanut Gallery

6Our goats find me fascinating.  Or maybe they want treats.  I’m going with fascinating.

Away To Me

10It means run counterclockwise, and yes, Jack knows his right from his left.  He’s fast, like a marsupial, and loves to bring us our sheep.

Staying Warm

5When she’s not in a lap or under a blanket, Bindi can be found snuggled next to a heating vent.  One of her favorites is in the kitchen, between the stovetop and dishwasher.  Yep, right underfoot.  Good thing she’s cute.

Out With The Old

Spa1 Spa2When Brian and I were dating some 28 years ago, we took a ski vacation to Colorado and spent the majority of the trip in a hot tub out by the ski slopes.  We decided it would be heaven to own one and it was one of our first purchases after we got married.  As it turns out, we used it every night.  We wore it out, bought a new one and moved it to NC, wore that one out, bought a new one and moved it here when we bought the farm in VA.  That one just died and we had a shiny new one delivered from Roanoke.  Brian plans to build real steps for this one, but the cinder blocks have worked just fine.  We still use our spa every night.  We live so remotely there is no ‘light pollution’ from businesses or neighbors.  We can see the milky way, shooting stars, occasionally the international space station and once the northern lights.  Merry (early) Christmas to us!

Three Season Harvest

2This morning the greenhouse yielded a summer vegetable (red pepper) a fall fruit (our first fig from a seedling I planted in a pot 7 months ago) and a winter fruit (a tart little orange).  I should have picked some spring buttercrunch lettuce for the photo because we have that growing in there, too.

Al Fresco Dining

1The best place to have dinner and a movie is on our back deck.  We’ve had a few mild December days which make it possible.  During warmer days, we enjoy fireflies coming through.  Last night, it was a possum that strolled through.  What?  I don’t think they have very good eyesight but they can surely hear?!  Maybe it smelled our dinner and wanted us to share.

Grow Your Own

3We cut our Christmas tree down from our back yard this year.  We planted 50 seedlings when we first moved here.  Only a handful survived, and this is the last one.  Despite obviously not being tree farmers, we’re considering planting more.  Maybe we’ll even water the next batch.  🙂

Shoo

Deer1A deer tried hiding behind our replacement weeping willow tree and was almost successful at being undetectable.  Until he stepped out and started eating it.  We lost our first one to a beaver, I’m not ready to lose another!

Deer2