Author Archives: Katie

Oh, spring — you beguiling, changeable season. I have to smile at spring’s vagaries. Perhaps more than any season, we just don’t know what to expect from a spring day, except that it will probably change — probably more than … Continue reading →

Ah, spring. The official start is still later next week, but this week has represented a profound shift in our experience on the farm. Some notes from the week: The turkey vultures returned. Frogs sang at night. We skipped building … Continue reading →

First of all: good news — our tractor is running again! Just thought I’d give an update on that bit of the farm. On to this week’s ponderings … As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, the universe brought us … Continue reading →

We experience moments out here when hard things happen at exactly the right time. Because, of course, hard things will happen (such as the river flooding), and it is a blessing when we are in some way in a better … Continue reading →

Have you ever watched a whole colony of ants busily transporting their eggs from one spot to another? It’s something that the kids and I stop to watch when we notice the activity under foot — hundreds of tiny ants, … Continue reading →

Context changes so much. On any other February Sunday, a persistent dripping noise could pass unnoticed. Just another day of winter rain in Oregon. Today, however, the dripping signifies change. Movement. Thaw. As I noted in last week’s newsletter, February’s … Continue reading →

This last week brought us Groundhog Day, Imbolc, and the Chinese New Year — three different cultural celebrations that all celebrate/observe another significant shift in the calendar. We’re now officially in the second half of winter (or the first bit … Continue reading →

I did the math this evening — we’ve now been inhabiting this bit of land in some way for just over seven years. That seems like an appropriate amount of time to have passed before feeling a need to freshen … Continue reading →

[Disclaimer: I wrote this newsletter yesterday (Sunday), when the sun continued to hide behind fog. Today (Monday), it came out, and how wonderful that sunshine felt. Regardless, these words about winter continue to ring true …] Perhaps the locals prefer … Continue reading →