I have missed writing, however. Between starting a new job and all the travel we have done over the past few weeks, there just hasn't been time.
Most of our travel was football trips to Bozeman. The Bobcats finished the season in disappointing fashion, losing their last two games. They should have been better than they played. Sometimes even with a talented roster, there are intangibles that don't fall into place the right way. If you're asking my humble opinion (which you really probably shouldn't) it was all due to the DESTRUCTION sign on the back of the scoreboard.
From the moment I saw it, I did not like that sign. Bad JuJu, if you ask me. One look at it and I just had an inexplicable feeling that the destruction might be of us and not by us. I shudder to admit that my completely irrational, fleeting thought may have been right. Ugh.
Anyway. We also traveled to Minot, ND about a week and a half ago for our most recent FUE Leadership Couples training, in conjunction with the North Dakota Farmers Union Convention. If you don't remember what the FUE thing is all about, catch up to speed by reading this post: Welcome to FUE! It was so, so good to see our FUE friends again-- I wish we all lived closer!! It was so interesting to hear about all their respective harvests and farm projects, and also extremely enlightening to drive through western North Dakota. I'm hoping for another post soon with some more in-depth info on ND and the training we did. As always, stay tuned.
Thanksgiving was low-key for Jeff and I as we traveled with Tom and Carol all the way to town (Rudyard) for dinner with some dear friends. We feasted and played silly board games all afternoon long. It was great to spend time with family and friends, even if it meant tearing my reclusive self away from the home I had been missing all month long due to incessant travel.
Jeff and I have been giving considerable thought to the amount of time we have spent away from home this fall. We are thinking pretty hard about letting our Bobcat Football season tickets go for next year. Before you judge us as fair-weather-fans feeling glum after a disappointing season, hear me out. Our future is here, on the Hi-Line, on the farm. We have spent so much time away, that we have come to feel like our priorities have not aligned with the way we have been spending our time. It would be one thing if Bozeman was close by, but it's a five hour drive. Not exactly a day trip. When you're always gone, you just can't get as much done at home. I personally have declined to join the Christmas Cantata this year because I just couldn't justify spending another several hours away from home when that was often my only time of the weekend to do laundry or cleaning or anything else around the house. The underlining theme to our ongoing conversation is that it takes much community involvement to keep activities alive and rural areas thriving. When it comes down to it, we feel like we have been spending too much time away from the community that is our home. The decision has not been made yet, but is definitely pending.
That is all why it was so good this weekend to Just. Be. Home. I helped Jeff a bit with cow chores this morning and also did some garden maintenance. I have felt so disconnected from the farm lately, so it was nice to do something productive in the yard, even if only for a short while.
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| Harvey looking on as I pulled dead plants and hoed the raised beds. |
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| Added a bit of compost and raked through the soil. Should have asked the hubby for a layer of straw over the top I suppose. |
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| Jeff, Harvey and Abby, wrestling in the grass. Good to be home! |
I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I am Thankful for Home.
