On Christmas Eve, with foot-deep snow on all sides, we hunkered down and opened a few more presents. I wrote five clues, one for each child, and sent the children out to find their presents. The sheep had tried to open the one I left in the jug, but we had a good time.
In the photos you can see three children filing out to find a gift under the tarp covering the hay; several of us returning to the house to open a gift hidden in the sheep pen (notice Isaiah petting the ewe lamb as she nurses); Jadon getting his gift off the pump house, with a tower of wood chips to the right of him; Abraham asleep in the middle of the afternoon, characteristically resting his head on his hands; and Phil playing pirate Playmobil with the boys.
At 9pm, we went to the Bessettes for dinner (prime rib from their Jersey!), and the children hung in there well until midnight.
The ram lamb was, thankfully, dead that morning. Emotionally, it was not as bad as the death of the first two chicks back in Boulder—that was the worst. Or maybe I had worked through the grief the day before.
UPS was unable to deliver some of our boxes. There are disadvantages to living four miles down a country road. That was a bummer.
Christmas Day was rainy and chill. We opened (more) presents, until our little trailer looked like a Lego and Playmobil factory exploded all over. In the evening, we headed to the Doug Bushes for six hours, where we sang and snacked and talked and laughed.
Today reached the 50s, which, combined with the rain from yesterday, finally started to reduce the snowpack. Abigail and I spent the morning at Johanna Bush’s house, where we had girl time with her and her daughter. This afternoon Phil and I walked down to see how high Hog Creek has risen. It hasn’t overflowed the banks yet, but is definitely running high.
We are talking about where we want to site our house; we’re thinking we’ll put it below the clearing, in the deciduous trees on a steep slope. This will be more central to the entire property, as well as leave some extra area for the orchard. And it will be further off the road, so more private.
The best homestead thing of these past days is the little lamb. Phil and I watched her chase chickens today—she did the adorable lamb leap! Oh, what a cutie!
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