Memphis Democrat Column from December 10, 2006

Let it snow and freeze! We have been staying cozy and warm in our nests the past couple of weeks,. This weather really makes us understand and appreciate the effort that it takes to keep us snug. There is the labor that goes into our firewood and the attention that is needed to make our houses tight and weatherproof so that the labor is not wasted. It makes a complete circle that many hands contribute to. Our official snow fall total at the farm was 7 inches as reported by Michael to the weather bureau in Burlington, Iowa. I'm not sure how much ice we got beforehand, but it certainly made everything sparkle for a couple of days. Fortunately, we had minimal ice damage with a few large branches coming down in inconvenient places. The full moon after the snow storm also created its own kind of beauty and it reminded me of scenes from my childhood. I talked to my daughter Melina in Wooldrige the weekend after the storm and she said they got 16 inches that came down in near blizzard conditions. Because of the heavy snow and the dangerous conditions on I-70, she was not able to go to work in Columbia for a few days. Our four year old granddaughter Chloe had a great time playing in the snow drifts with her Grand Pyrenees puppy Yeti. Ceilee also reported that 14 inches of snow fell in Columbia and that it took a while for things to get back to normal.

It has been a bit quieter at the farm lately. Stan left on November 28 for his annual visit to his family in Manitoba. He stopped for an overnight visit at Wiscoy Valley Community in Winona, Minnesota on the way up. Laird caught the train to Albuquerque the next day for a visit with Ma'ikwe and to do some work. Jo drove up to Chicago with Ceilee last Tuesday for a family get-together and returned on Thursday evening. Sue and her mother are in central Missouri taking care of her sister's children for a few days while their parents are away. Sue said her mom was calling it their "nanny gig", but it sounded like both of them were looking forward to it. Since we have been forced to stay indoors more, we have used the opportunity to clear some of our to-do lists. There has been an outbreak of shelf building, closet cleaning, office reorganizing and repairs to cranky mechanical devices and pesky plumbing. Sewing projects and mending have been keeping the community sewing machine in the living room of Karma humming We also have been taking the time to visit a little longer over coffee and tea in the morning, play games and cards in the evenings and do more reading. We have a good community library and the magazine rack in the sitting room is well-stocked and well-used. All of us also have personal bookshelves and we patronize the local library in Memphis. In spite of the less than ideal weather, there have been a few excursions off the farm. Gigi, French and Rowan from Dancing Rabbit went to see the production of "Scrooge" at the elementary school the other evening. Renay was in the chorus and was also one of the dancers. Jo went bowling in Memphis last night with a group from Dancing Rabbit. Betsy and Sue went up to Fairfield last Wednesday to have a day out and celebrate Sue's birthday. Gigi, along with Rachel and some other Rabbits, participated in the annual Christmas Bird Count that is sponsored by the Audubon Society. They went out with a group from Truman State in the Kirksville area. Gigi was impressed by the ability of some of the people participating to identify birds by their songs or quickly glimpsed markings. She is interested in observing what birds and other wildlife we have on the farm and hopes to organize walks on a regular basis so others in our group can join her. Before I finish, I want to note the recent passing of our good friend Duane Courtright. He was someone who was always generous with a good word, his time and his vegetables. We are still eating the winter squash he gifted us with early this fall. I first met Duane when I was a visitor at Sandhill during the summer of 2001. Our conversation on that occasion was about yellow tomatoes and it was the first of many such conversations. Duane was truly the salt of the the earth and all of us are richer for having known him.