Baby, it's warm inside.

It has been a long time since I have written of our adventures here on the prairie in the shadow of the Greenhorn Mountain. Please don't be fooled. Our days have not been adventureless. On the contrary, these have been six weeks of being so tired that when I finally sit down, I fall asleep almost immediately. Complete sentences are at times a thing of the past.

The last time that I wrote the leaves were changing. Those said leaves are gone-- gone to Kansas perhaps in the 85+ mph winds. We have not leaf one left to rake. There is a booth in the mall in Pueblo that is a wind tunnel that has 78 mph winds. You can pay money to stand in the hurricane force winds. My kids get the biggest kick out of seeing that booth. They tell me that we should charge people to come to our house and walk from the house to the stable in the wind. Powerful does not begin to describe the feel of those winds--- not to mention the noise. There is no such sweet sound as the absence of the wind after it has been blowing non-stop for ten or twelve hours. I hear tales of pioneer women going mad from the winds-- I believe it. The noise and the force of the wind is a beating of the body and the mind. What a beautiful and very small glimpse of the might of God followed by a momentary "aaahhh" at the peace and stillness He provides.

In the midst of the still and the windy days, our chores remain as before. There are animals to care for and the winter brings with it the addition of the chopping and stacking of firewood, moving around 100 pieces of wood to the stack on the front porch, bringing in 10-15 pieces each evening to have next to the wood-burning stove, keeping water in the cast iron kettle on the top of the stove, and starting a fire and keeping it going. We have been able to use only the stove so far this fall/winter (not our propane furnace) even through a few pretty good snows and many very cold days and nights below freezing. It has become a part of everyday life and is a warm and comforting part of our home. We are all continually learning that sometimes things that take some effort bring much joy.

Speaking of effort, my husband has put in almost eight years of effort toward a PhD. There is much joy in finishing something that has been much work. He will officially no longer be a student in a month and life beyond his studies is beginning to come over the horizon.

The winds of change are always around. There is much joy in the work and the rest and in the noise and the silence.

Isaiah 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."