Spring was not a time for growth and regeneration this year. In fact, it's been one of the tougher seasons of my adult life. We said goodbye to Bitsy the Wonder Dog, then we said goodbye to my Grandpa Pete and then we lost my Dad. It was bitter, it was cold and the storm front didn't pass until about last week when the sun finally peeked out from behind the clouds and the daily temperature shot from the 60's into the 90's. I'm not going to pretend that it hasn't been rough. It's been hell. The important part is that we found our way through it and we did it as a family.
Things are different around here now. The story continues but it's a definitely new chapter and the newness of it hasn't quite worn off yet. There's a new crow from the chicken coop, the sound of a puppy yapping while she plays in the yard and the husky bark of my Dad's dog as he adjusts to his new home. We have the bottom hay fields leased out to a neighbor, most of the cows have been moved to a different pasture closer town and even Tinkerbell has a date with the auction block in the next few months. I'm slowly but surely decreasing the size of my chicken flock, I don't work as many overtime hours and I spend a few minutes of every one of my days literally watching our green grass grow -- yes, you read right, we finally have a lawn.
So yes, things are getting back to normal around here. It's a new normal but we're all adjusting to it and embracing what it brings.
