From where I sit beneath a blanket I’m sharing with Meander on the couch, I can see all the goats munching away on the tall stalks of late summer flowers. Wilma leads the way – with her slightly stiff gait – while Olive and Acorn waddle up behind her. It’s a peaceful sight . . . one I will miss this week.
Bella raspberries you.
I’m headed out on book tour for The Slaves Have Names, and I’ll miss everyone here, especially Philip, of course. I’ll be traveling the back roads of Ohio this week, and I”m very excited and nervous.
But it’ll also be a nice break from all the moving-related work- or at least from the surprise visits that bring me to the door in my pjs. I’m hoping to get ahead on some work for October so that when I come back, I can jump in with both feet on the moving prep.
This week, Dad offered to build us the mobile coop we want for the new farm, so he’ll do that at his place and we’ll load it up on a flatbed when we sign the paperwork for the new place. Philip and his dad are planning away on the goat fencing we’ll need, and I am looking forward to the car ride with all 3 dogs. 🙂
Plus, I’m talking with a friend about how we will honor the enslaved people who once lived and worked in this new place. Our first act as the owners of this farm will be to pour our libation in honor of them. I am awed and honored by that responsibility.
Still, the stress of all of this is weighing on us. We’ve both had trouble sleeping of late, and we are eager to get the final pieces – inspections and appraisals – settled so that we can sit easy with our plans. Moving is – as I should have remembered – quite the big deal.
But overall, we are beyond blessed – all the animals are healthy as are we. We have enough means to buy a house – a privilege many in our world do not have. Our families and friends support us and take joy in our plans. And we have each other, which is a gift each of us thought we might never find. So even in the stress – in the busyness of a book tour and the packing of books, in the weight of moving 30 critters safely, in the worry of waiting for an appraisal – we take our joy . . . because that’s one of the things we’ve learned here in droves – joy comes when you look for it . . . in the crow of a rooster or the thundering tumble of kittens. We just have to see it.
What’s bringing you joy today?