It’s a grey January day. I haven’t written a post in almost a year and a half. Last I wrote, I’d been living a month on a raw piece of farmland and woods in a camper with my partner and one kitten. We knew starting from scratch would be both challenging and fun, and our expectations were definitely accurate.
Eighteen months on the Jasper farm; I hate to put it as a list because I feel that diminishes each addition to our life. But here goes: one kitten turned into five kitties, currently sprawled in different corners of our off grid home. Kellen gave me my first farm animal, Gertie, a Nigerian Dwarf goat, in early March of last year. She was a gift of life, someone to care for and draw my focus away from the dreary winter that had been taking a considerable toll on my mental health on last winter. Little did we know about a week or so prior another little one began her journey of life in my womb.
Gertie sparked our love for goats and we now have seven goats in the farm family, with two more doelings coming in March. In August, we took a family vacation to Tennessee and returned with our Great Pyrenees LGD Charlotte, better known as Charlie, from a sheep farm in Virginia. Charlie takes her patrolling and animal protection 85 percent seriously, with fifteen percent reserved for just chasing everyone because she can. Ah, a dog’s life.Near Christmas we had a some of the coldest, windiest days I’ve ever experienced from the edges of a storm that devastated the Buffalo area. The week before, Kellen announced he’d found a cow calf pair he’d really like to buy. They joined our farm family the day before the frigid days, and through much love and diligence on Kellen’s behalf (that man sure loves cows!) they not only survived but are thriving in their Jasper home. Just last week, we bought a pair of rabbits from a friend, and a few days ago we made a deal with a customer to trade three piglets for wood delivery. Phew!
So yes- it’s been quite a year and a half- and that’s just the animal additions.
On November 17, Kellen and I welcomed our daughter, Millie Jean Warriner, into the world. She is- miraculously- napping next to me as I write. I am so blessed to have this baby girl at 40, and I am truly trying to take each day with her as the gift it is. I am so excited to watch Millie live the good life on the farm, and hope she enjoys the opportunity of a lifetime as much as her daddy and I have had preparing it for her.
I’ve had writing on the fringes of my thoughts for months. Writing has always been important to me, not only for self-expression, but as a way to track my journey and marvel at the wonderful miracles in my life. Writing keeps me mindful; it is a time I reflect on what I’ve accomplished since last penning a post. This can be particularly helpful on the grey January days when my focus gets narrow and a messy house overwhelming.
I can’t say I have been too busy to write all these months; it was more that loving took priority. I wouldn’t call our life hard, I’ve had more fun and relaxing times than any other in my life. But it is a life of constant challenge and growth. One I’ve been more interested in living than writing about. While I’m still very much engaged in the living aspect, having a baby slows down my pace, and I know there are moments and memories I want to capture in my writing. It’s as much for my own benefit as for my readers. And so I make the conscious effort to give space for my writing, among the other precious activities I choose in this fabulous life. But now my daughter’s eyelids flutter, and so I shift from one love activity to another.
