Community

The first of the year happened with little fanfare around here. It is bitterly cold, I closed the chickens all the way at night for the first time in weeks. We spent the morning hours eating croissant leftovers from the freezer and reading The Doll People for the umpteenth time. The late morning was spent cleaning (me), playing with neighbors (Evie) and working o the computer (Scott). The rest of the afternoon happened at the annual New Year's Day party of some friends. There are some people I only see once a year at the this party, others whom we see regularly, and still others that are on the periphery of our circle and I love to catch up. It is nice to recognize folks and be recognized in return. We heard about trips to the South Pole, Pirelli horsemanship, Hadron collider, ultimate frisbee, day spa experiences, and the trials and tribulations of living in small houses. We talked about politics, what it will be like when all our kids are teenagers, what are parents were like when we were teenagers, how good the food was (our little community ROCKS at potlucks), how all our chickens are doing and what we hope for 2008.

I have a lot more purging and cleaning to do to start my 2008 off with a clean start. Our days are very busy in the coming months, Evie is spreading her wings more than ever with log rolling, volunteering and horses (which means I am driving a lot). I need to remember to plan down time and to stay in touch with my community, the ones I see regularly and those I only see once a year.

Bring on 2008, it will be a year well lived!