It is a new, unwritten page today, as a new year begins.
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| The Oasis |
I loved 2013. Wonderful people wandered into our lives and we deepened old friendships. The dirt became something, a small garden at first, that grew and flourished, and then an ugly corner of the yard became an oasis. From there came dawning hope for a someday yard with imagined fruit trees and lavender and a sprinkler system and fence.
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| Our Little Slice |
We got the hang of the tractor and riding mower, and those tools helped ideas take shape. Mistakes were made and fixed. We had little pup-friendly getaways - Mendocino for the Hubs' birthday, Monterey for mine, and a Tahoe Thanksgiving.
We hurtled ourselves into things unimaginable a year ago - fostering a pit bull for instance, and learning to live with copious amounts of bunnies and birds. We learned how to fight back hard against frozen pipes, coyotes and ground squirrels.
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| Shrimp Veggie Saute |
Harvesting things from the yard was a thrill: pomegranates and figs and garden veggies. We learned all sorts of things about storing and canning and cooking more organically. This winter's olive harvest was much better than the last, and we saw the payout from all those months of fertilizing and watering. We planted and watch the fruit trees struggle, and now we are invested in learning more to help them grow. As we find balance, the earth transforms us.
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| Red Pepper Jelly |
I hated 2013. It was a brutal reminder of how fleeting life is, as things we clung to were swept away. We faced the truth that the hippie generation never envisioned themselves to be the elders and are now old and gray. It is up to us to remember the old ways and family folklore and pass it down along with our own stories.
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| Great Horned Owls |
It was an unsettling year as retirement looked us straight in the eye. It was a year of preparing for it just outside the door, and for thanksgiving to be standing on this little piece of land and in a more affordable, sustainable life before than inevitable knock.
What 2013 gave us was the chance to accept the never ending nature of change, and the hard purposeful work ahead. Admittedly we know very little of the reciprocal world of plant/grow/yield/repeat, but that will come.
We will change, pace ourselves, adapt, and thrive. Here's to 2014.
