It’s been a rough few weeks; months… hell, years for us all. Did 2020 even exist? What happened to 2020? Maine got quiet; too quiet.

Priories, family, commitments, and grace have been tested — I mean TESTED.

I’ve been tunneling myself into remembering the 1% rule, and giving myself grace AND celebration. Working to achieve balance in the day-to-day has been quite the challenge. I’m learning a LOT about my limitations, flexibility, patience, and priorities.

I’ve been missing photographing. I miss mountains and creeks and sunsets and wind and movement and lashes and tangled-up fingers.

My reverie lately has been this old metal swing that has been with this house since well before we bought it. The first spring we were here, we unearthed inches (literally) of sludge and earth to reveal a beautiful red-brick patio which we’ve now began dressing with large blooming planters, huge rhododendron bushes, and triangular veggie gardens.

The veggie gardens are one of my favorite elements in our backyard. I’ve built brick-surround gardens around some of my larger trees, and then the triangular gardens around a MASSSSSSSSIVE stump I turned into a fire pit.

I came home with six chickens not long ago; definitely not mad about it! I visited my local tractor supply for their throw-away lumber (score!) and then I got to go to Home Depot and grab a new DeWalt product to the collection.