Everyone, Welcome Lyle

She took off like a bolt toward the bottom of the yard. Squirrel, I thought, as I walked to the garden to get the sprinkler and water the green roof. Dad stood on the front patio, watching Meander zoom down the hill. “Bear.” Did I just hear him say,...

The Lean-To with the Green Roof

It took some planning, some learning, and some grunting hard work, but here it is – our lean-to. The stone is reclaimed from an old bank barn, much like the one we want to build.  The front posts are cedar, harvested from a local farm. The beans are American...

When the Barn Is Filled with Music

As I write, Over the Rhine’s new album Meet Me at the Edge of the World is playing, and I find myself dreaming of the day when they might play in my backyard. Almost nothing makes me feel as at peace, as invigorated, and as solidly myself as sitting in a room...

Wedding Plans With My Man

This is what it looks like when your fiance is as excited about the details of your wedding as you are.  Today, while I edit, Philip is working through lists and seeing what we still need to pick up – wire to hang mason jars, black paint for hand-made signs,...

The One-Year Anniversary

It seems impossible that one year ago yesterday I moved into this house, that my friends were trying to figure out how to position a huge trunk full of yarn in my bedroom, the biggest room in the farmhouse, that I mowed the yard with my shoulders by ears for fear of...