Did I mention it's pretty spectacular?
Both these shots are from the field where we park every day. They work best enlarged, just click the image.
Lamborne Mountain with her head in the clouds
Looking off toward "The Ruggeds", which are hidden behind that bright cloud bank
Life here for us is very full.
Farm work proceeds apace, since winter still hasn't prevented working in the afternoons. It does get very cold now at night, sometimes in the teens, but lately the sun has been out and by afternoon I'm in my T-shirt.
Dance goes well, we have some very devoted students and we make new contacts every week. We had our first second Saturday dance in November, and those that came had a great time. We are learning how to structure events and are making more contacts and getting the word out, so hopefully the December dance will be packed. We took the long drive to Montrose last Saturday to check out their bi-monthly dance and had a blast. Everyone was very welcoming. Margot misses all the fabulous, talented, and creative leads we left behind in Seattle.
We are coming up to Seattle in February, for those who don't know, speaking of dancing. We are going to run Jodi's Valentine's dance on the second Saturday of February. I hope you all can come so we can dance together!
We had trouble in the coop in early November. We discovered a chicken dead one morning, and later that night found another that had obviously been horribly abused. It was quite a crisis for us and we did lots of research and sought out lots of good advice from more experienced chicken farmers, and we ultimately decided we had to cull the flock by two. Two of the mature Rhode Island Reds were found to be the instigators and were modelling bad behavior, so with John's help, we killed and plucked and butchered them, leaving us now with twenty seven. Both Margot and I feel that the energy in the hen house now is way more relaxed and positive.
We got a studio in town. We realized the plan to build or buy a shed or a structure to put here on the farm to paint in was going to be super scary expensive, considering we'd also have to insulate and heat it, so we looked around in town and found a shared arrangement that will work out great! We have it mostly set up, now the trick is to schedule the time and get the work in.
Mark accepted a job yesterday. Yes I went ahead and did it. I've been hired by the Delta School District for a part time custodial slash maintenance position at the Paonia Elementary School. One's earning potential here in the valley is frankly pretty grim, especially compared to what we were used to in Seattle, but I think it will be a good thing. It is only three and a half hours a day, which will leave time for farm work and the dance business, and it is very convenient from here, so I can ride my bike or even walk if the weather is too gruesome.
We finally got it together to take a trip out to the north rim of the Gunnison Gorge last week, and took the camera and some drawing stuff and a picnic lunch. Unfortunately the road had just been closed for the season. Missed it by that much! So we drove up towards Gunnison instead, and had a great afternoon though it was bitter cold and the light wasn't that conducive to photogrphy or art work right then.
On the road to Gunnison
A chilly self portrait
We hope you are all thriving and are healthy and happy.
Best wishes from all of us (including the two cats and the 27 birds.)
Cheers
Both these shots are from the field where we park every day. They work best enlarged, just click the image.
Life here for us is very full.
Farm work proceeds apace, since winter still hasn't prevented working in the afternoons. It does get very cold now at night, sometimes in the teens, but lately the sun has been out and by afternoon I'm in my T-shirt.
Dance goes well, we have some very devoted students and we make new contacts every week. We had our first second Saturday dance in November, and those that came had a great time. We are learning how to structure events and are making more contacts and getting the word out, so hopefully the December dance will be packed. We took the long drive to Montrose last Saturday to check out their bi-monthly dance and had a blast. Everyone was very welcoming. Margot misses all the fabulous, talented, and creative leads we left behind in Seattle.
We are coming up to Seattle in February, for those who don't know, speaking of dancing. We are going to run Jodi's Valentine's dance on the second Saturday of February. I hope you all can come so we can dance together!
We had trouble in the coop in early November. We discovered a chicken dead one morning, and later that night found another that had obviously been horribly abused. It was quite a crisis for us and we did lots of research and sought out lots of good advice from more experienced chicken farmers, and we ultimately decided we had to cull the flock by two. Two of the mature Rhode Island Reds were found to be the instigators and were modelling bad behavior, so with John's help, we killed and plucked and butchered them, leaving us now with twenty seven. Both Margot and I feel that the energy in the hen house now is way more relaxed and positive.
We got a studio in town. We realized the plan to build or buy a shed or a structure to put here on the farm to paint in was going to be super scary expensive, considering we'd also have to insulate and heat it, so we looked around in town and found a shared arrangement that will work out great! We have it mostly set up, now the trick is to schedule the time and get the work in.
Mark accepted a job yesterday. Yes I went ahead and did it. I've been hired by the Delta School District for a part time custodial slash maintenance position at the Paonia Elementary School. One's earning potential here in the valley is frankly pretty grim, especially compared to what we were used to in Seattle, but I think it will be a good thing. It is only three and a half hours a day, which will leave time for farm work and the dance business, and it is very convenient from here, so I can ride my bike or even walk if the weather is too gruesome.
We finally got it together to take a trip out to the north rim of the Gunnison Gorge last week, and took the camera and some drawing stuff and a picnic lunch. Unfortunately the road had just been closed for the season. Missed it by that much! So we drove up towards Gunnison instead, and had a great afternoon though it was bitter cold and the light wasn't that conducive to photogrphy or art work right then.
We hope you are all thriving and are healthy and happy.
Best wishes from all of us (including the two cats and the 27 birds.)
Cheers
