Life is Better on the Farm

Farm Update
As I sit down to write this, the wind is howling outside, and Hendrix the Cat, aka, Fatty, has been banging at the kitchen door, pleading his case to come in for the evening so he can sleep on the heat register and sip some warm milk. (I'm sure he's also entertaining thoughts of hopping in bed with Eliza or me as well.) Eliza's doing her homework while talking on the phone (hmmmm..is that considered multi-tasking??); Annie and Molly, our two corgis, are snoring like two ole' geezers in the big room, and Loonis, the farm's feline princess, is insisting that I stop my work here at the computer to play fetch with her. (For those who don't understand, Loonis likes for anyone who is occupied at the computer to toss her small felt ball down the hall. If one doesn't comply, she hops up on the computer and dances on the keyboard.) The other cats have sought refuge in the warmth of the barn, and Luther, the beta fish, continues to rejoice that I moved him from the cold kitchen. When I noticed he had been in suspended animation in his bowl atop the refrigerator for 48 hours or so, I feared he had gotten too chilly and placed him on the pie safe in the dining room amidst the Christmas decorations. Thank goodness he quickly returned to life and began to flirt with the images of Mrs. Claus on the Christmas card I stuck behind his bowl.

The holidays have come and gone. This year's Christmas tree got moved out of the house last weekend to begin its year-long wait for the 2006 New Year's bonfire. We're three weeks into January now, and ---Samuel is well into his second week of spring semester at Appalachian State. He's registered for 20 hours; his classes, particularly The Science and Cultures of Wine, sound extremely fascinating to me-- Eliza's finished her first semester of 8th grade (with a 4.0 GPA) --Tanya's joyfully (?) juggling schedules at both Washington State Community College and Marietta College-- Bobbi reports that she's been dealing with Isabella's recent bout of earaches but is otherwise thriving and loving life in Philadelphia---Brett has returned to Olney Friends School to finish out the year. The smile on his face over the holidays indicates that "hay romance en el aire"--Joe can hardly find time to breathe outside of his clay studio at Ohio University (but loves every moment of the grad school experience and the creative spirit that surrounds him)--LoriBeth's doing things like sunbathing on the beach every day on Maui, whale watching, and nanny-ing ( And yes, I am envious!)--Meera's returned to California where she's working before beginning grad school (probably at Stanford) in the near future.It was so good to see her New Year's Eve! Meera, the thought of working with you on educational reform keeps my wheels turning!--Dana and James, future writers and eco-poets, continue their doctoral studies at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln--Seth spent the holidays in Utah, I think, before returning to Tennessee for New Years--

While everyone else is away doing their thing, Eliza and I hold down the fort and look forward to the next round of visits from all of the farm family. It will only be a couple of months until the longer days return, the crocuses pop up, and many of you will be back at The Farm for a visit... Warm hugs and a beer on the deck await you all....

Until then...always love, infinite love.....Tanya