Christmas at the Farm

Welcome to the farm. It's beautiful right now, covered in snow. This huge tree stump on the edge of the woods looks like an enormous bird in a nest. I am spending a few days out here enjoying the beauty and thought it was a good time to share it with you all.

Welcome to our porch. It wraps around three sides of the house. We are happiest at the farm when there are cars everywhere. That means we are sharing it with people we love.

Come on inside and hang up your coat. The pictures on either wall are of a blue and a white heron, native to these tidelands, and a sight to behold when they are walking by our pond. We bought this place unfinished, and it is a work in progress. We have finished the electricity, the gas, the heating, and painted the barn and the outbuildings. It's starting to have some presence.

Welcome to the cozy living room. This room was the entire original house, built 110 years ago. The pine plank floors are the original wood, but the fireplace was rebuilt a few years ago. The fire is hot, and Christmas music is playing. On the mantle are precious pictures of Joey surfing and boating. It brings him here with us. He would have loved this place.

It's difficult having Christmas without him. But we are at least doing better than the previous two years. The focus of our Christmas tree is the best news of all: "there's a good time coming".

That's where our hope lies--in a bright new shining world where we will all be reunited again.

Have a seat. Joe's is the red one, mine is the leather one. I know it's kind of a role-reversal, but that's just the way we prefer it. But we share both chairs with whoever wants to sit and stay awhile.

The windows behind the dining table look out on the woods. It is so renewing to watch the trees. They give me comfort and strength.

This is my rustic, roomy farm kitchen. Notice the farm sink, the wood counters and the 48" stove. Cooking here is a real treat, especially if someone is sitting at the island counter, talking to me. If not, I put the country music channel on the tv and get all swept away with mixing and stirring and the charm of the lyrics. I never knew I was such a country girl till I moved to the South.

At the bottom right corner is my bicycle. I found it at the Goodwill. It was born the same year I was born, so it gets a place of honor inside the house. It's red and blue and has a brown leather seat. It really deserves a post of its own, so one of these days I will do that.

Thanks for visiting. More pictures later!

Merry Christmas to you all.