Many things have changed,
most notably my outlook on life.
I still have passion,
it has been redirected towards different dreams and pursuits.
..................
..................
We were married alongside the late summer fields
under an oak tree
All of our closest family and friends were there.
People came from as far as
Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Houston, Syracuse, Nashville
The brass quintet played "Claire de Lune"
as the woman I love the most made her way towards me.
My eyes were misty.
Being surrounded by everyone that you have ever loved in your life
is intoxicating.
Strung lights illuminated the summer evening
as the sun sunk lower.
The jazz ensemble's big band hits flooded the warm night air.
We ate fried chicken and collard greens,
mashed potatoes and gravy,
green beans and cornbread.
"Our Love is Here to Stay" started to play,
everyone gathered around,
and we danced the foxtrot in the middle of barn.
There were rumors of pie,
but we never saw any of it.
Apple, Blueberry Crumble, and Peach Cobbler.
After our dance, she was pulled into the crowd.
I made my way for the tables outside.
I had a bottle of bourbon waiting,
set aside for the only quiet moment of the night
that I might know.
As I poured myself a glass,
old friends started to make their way to me.
We passed the bottle around, laughing,
telling stories of how things used to be.
It was time to exit.
As a double-line formed outside the barn door,
I shared the last drink and toast of the night
with her Uncle Dan.
She grabbed my hand and we made our way.
Sparklers lit the night,
as our friends and family lit the one's next to them
down the line.
My father was at the wheel of his idling Jeep Wrangler
with the top off.
The stars were so bright,
there was nothing between us and them.
The wind rushed all around us.
We couldn't stop smiling at each other.
That was our first night in our new home,
with nothing but a bed and the clothes on our backs.
We slept soundly inside of our empty farmhouse.
..............
The next few days were full of excitement,
the fever of new beginnings still lingering.
We sat on the hardwood floors
as we opened our wedding gifts.
Wrapping paper was thrown all around
with nowhere else for it to go.
I ate leftover fried chicken right off of the pan.
............
We spent an entire morning in Tim Hortons,
drinking coffee and deciding how to furnish our house.
.............
A few months later
we had planted our late fall crops
in 25 foot rows.
Beets, Kale,
Carrots, Lettuce,
Radishes, Spinach,
Garlic
We got our chickens moved
from my parents orchard.
I plan to fix up the coop
that came with the property,
with hopes that we can order
50 chicks come early Spring.
My workshop is in our turn-of-the-century barn.
It seems that I will have enough projects to keep my hands busy.
Kate recently cooked and froze the last of our corn.
We didn't have much other food to preserve,
but we are planning on it for next year.
A good friend gifted us a decent-sized crock
and I hope to make a large batch of sauerkraut next year.
We have home-cooked meals every night that we can.
Kate is an incredible cook and I love all that she brings to this life.
Freshly-washed laundry can often be seen hanging outside of the kitchen window.
Blowing in the mid-day breeze.
We listen to our radio shows every Saturday night and play word games in the evenings.
...............
I have begun to move towards fully embracing my agricultural, ancestral traditions.
My grandfather was a farmer, and his before him, and so on.
It was easy for me, at one time, to look at such a simple life as paltry.
But now it is hard to imagine why anyone would want anything else.
It is in my blood.
It is my plan to acquire more land
and to continue working towards growing the lion's share of our food.
Nothing has made me happier than a long day of farm work,
sun up to sunrise.
My hands dark from the sun and soil.
.................
We took two weeks off to drive out West.
I built a fire and we cooked over it
with the vast Rocky Mountain range as our backdrop.
We awoke the next morning to a glistening, heavy frost
as the sun rose.
We backpacked and backcountry camped in Yosemite,
alongside Lake May one night,
and at the top of North Dome the next,
near the timberline.
It was windy and there was little wood to gather,
but I was able to get a good fire going before nightfall.
We cooked another delicious meal.
It was the most beautiful sunset that I have ever witnessed.
The deafening silence
and the stars that followed.
We kept the fire going late for warmth.
It was a rainy, foggy day as we drove through Kaibob National Forest.
Our destination was the Grand Canyon.
We hoped to hike down to the Colorado River,
but the weather wasn't going to clear for a few days.
..............
Shortly after our return to our little farm,
I got a job working at a custom woodworking mill.
We also adopted a five-year-old, bluetick coonhound.
I am reading a biography of Theodore Roosevelt
and so we decided to name him after the Rough Rider himself.
Teddy fits in well with our lives
when he isn't chasing the chickens or trampling the lettuce.
................
I rarely think of hitchhiking, anymore.
I have to care for the vegetables, chickens, and dog.
Travel, in general, is somewhat out of the question for us now.
But I always have a fairly inarguable reason to leave social events early.
I've found other forms of escapism, if you will.
A good book and a cup of tea after a long day at the mill.
Working in my barn until long after the sun has set.
Sharing a bottle of cider as we cook and share the stories of our day apart.
..............
With a winsome wife and a handsome hound to keep my bed warm at night,
my life is so very different than I ever imagined it would be.
But it is so beautiful.
I never thought that I could be this happy.
