Moving Right Along

Went to town last Wednesday and used the a/c in the van. Friday morning it was 54 in the house when I got up, so I turned on the heat pump. Although the trees are beautiful, and the garden has been plenteous . . . I don't mean to whine, but I did expect autumn to last longer than Thursday . . .
To make the season change all the more startling and stark, I cracked ice for the first time this past Sunday morning. That's right, ice in October. That doesn't happen often, but by the looks of my Toggenburg Queen Bee, Stella, I'd say winter will either be early, or bitter cold, or both! I'm planning on keeping record this winter, of just how many mornings I crack ice in the water tubs. Although it will be a personal perspective, I'll maintain the most objective observation I can, in regard to the intensity of winter compared to other years, as I count the mornings of ice cracking.
I'm celebrating tonight as I type this blog. There are gutters all around the homestead! I'm not just talking about the house. There are gutters on the milking parlor, the Tabernacle, even the chicken houses. I'm ready to catch some rain, G-d willing. So if He sends rain in the spring, or even some serious snow this winter, I'll be gathering water for next year's garden.
With a broken arm, now for the second time this year, the green house idea isn't exactly on schedule, but I still have high hopes that I will get some of it operational before February! Some things just don't work out the way I plan, but I think for some reason that makes me even more determined in this homesteading concept. I feel so earthy and spiritual at the same time, and yet it requires intelligence too. Not to sound too quirky, oh well, what the heck . . . Homesteading is such a total experience! It involves all my senses and all of who and what I am . . . And no, I've had nothing to drink or smoke, it's just that life on the homestead is truly living! Trusting G-d and living off the land truly used to just be a way of life, no label needed. It's such a part of me, someone else had to give me the label!
Living this way is a passion. It can be shared and embraced, but homesteading is not one of those "fake it til you make it" deals. Thank G-d I've had some alternatives when my Plan A didn't come to fruition, but I couldn't just let it lie and walk away. It was in my soul to discover HIS Plan A that I knew would work! So, come spring, I'm ready for rain in it's season. I've got that in writing, if I keep my end of the deal . . .