With so many critters depending on our care, it's tough to find time to dodge out for a while. But morning and evening chores have been light because we're not milking the cow or the goat (a twice daily chore) and no one is getting hay. The fields still have plenty of grass growing and we let the new pony, Rio, out of quarantine and into the main pasture with the other pony, Patchy, and the goats and the cow. So it was a perfect opportunity to step away from the farm for a couple of days.
I heard a caller recently on a radio show talk about how he and his wife were shutting down their business. When asked why he remarked that they were simply exhausted. He explained they had lived and breathed this new company for years and couldn't do it anymore. Our farm is more of a way of life than a business but it can still be overwhelming at times. We all come back better for the experience if we take time off the farm.
The drive up to the cabin was beautiful. It was just past peak leaf watching time but not very cold yet.
The cabin was beside a large lake. It was too cold to swim but the children enjoyed fishing. Thankfully they didn't catch anything so I was spared having to fry up fish!
The cabin was cute and comfortable. We spent evenings around the nearby campfire.
A nearly tame chipmonk allowed DD to photograph him.
A six mile hike offered a lot of great views of the woods and the lake.
We also rode mountain bikes and went horseback riding at a nearby stables. Between our activities we were able to squeeze in a lot of reading and lounging by the fire. DD declared it was our best vacation ever. I was surprised at how refreshed I felt considering we were not gone that long.
Sadly, we've not seen Lucky, the bluejay, since we've been back. Three of our friends who were watching the farm while we were away reported seeing her at least the first day that we were gone. She had been spending more and more time outside. We set her up with a feeding station for while we were gone but we couldn't tell if she'd been eating the food or not. One of our friends mentioned they'd seen two bluejays so we're thinking she found a mate and took off. It was a ton of fun to have her - she was a constant source of entertainment - but, I have to say, it's nice to have my house back and it was wonderful to spend time with DH and the children away from the farm!
dd has a really good eye for a good shot! that chipmunk was very nicely done. and very cute. - carla
ReplyDelete