We had our first flakes of snow yesterday. I have been here nearly a month and have spent a good deal of time winterizing the farm but I can’t say I’m excited about snow coming. Last night gave me a taste of what winter might hold. The power started going off and on at dusk. Finally at around 6:00, my second cousin up the road called to say the power company was at her farm and were preparing to go back up on the hill to fix the line and were preparing to turn off the electric. She wanted to make sure we had our flashlights at hand. The thing about losing electric in the country is…it could be an hour or all night or next week before power is restored. It’s just part of rural living.

We made coffee and toasted honey buns by flashlight. I got out grandma’s oil lamp and put it on the dining room table. We sat around and talked way past what we thought we would. We discussed love and longevity. Loss and recovery. Assisted suicide and faith. Heavy, dark subjects approached honestly with a woman on her way to 83 who has buried two husbands. She is from a different time, a different generation, and offers me insight I may not find on my own. We lost a family member a couple of days ago and that prompted the “heaviosity”. My uncle in Chicago passed away on Wednesday after a couple of strokes and a no-win battle with dementia. God rest his soul and be with his family.

One of my jobs yesterday was preparing winter beds for our two barn cats. I had made a trip to town Wednesday to buy two electric “pet pads” (outdoor “heating pads” for under the cat’s bedding). That evening I watched a video on Facebook about making beds for feral cats out of plastic tubs, styrofoam coolers and straw….items we already had in the basement. I had two cat beds put together in half an hour so I took the heating pads back yesterday. I bought a bale of straw and a French pie pumpkin, half price. I got a little cap to put on the valve on the line to the new gas wall heater. I got new work gloves and working girl’s heavy duty hand cream to battle the painful cracks in my skin. Ahhhh, the life of a farm girl. The work may never be done but the days are always interesting! <3