Focus

While we were in California, Charles got an opportunity to spend a few minutes getting a chess lesson from his Uncle Bill (former competitive chess player).  It was fun to watch how completely both of them could block out an entire, very active, room around them.  Charles came away with a few new moves, and a desire to spend more time learning from Uncle Billy (because really he'll always be Billy to me :)

Yesterday was a long travel day and leading up to it there was very little sleep.  The kind of day that leaves everyone punch drunk, and sleep was a welcome reward.  I had one of those dreams last night, full of nonsensical components that should never go together like bike rides in the snow, tractor repair, and old soothsayers, but somehow it all made total sense.  I was even focused enough on a few words from the soothsayer to have thought, 'Oh!  I need to write down these words of wisdom so that I remember them!'  Too bad that I wrote them down in my dream and not in real life!

This morning we woke up to snow!  That beautiful gentle kind of snow fall that slowly blankets everything and inspires dreamy gazes out the family room window while curled up in a blanket.  Sidney will be thrilled when she wakes up as yesterday in the car she was wondering if she would ever see enough snow to cover the ground this winter.  I believe today they will get to put on their snow pants for the first time this season and enjoy.

Yesterday B said we should sit down and make some goals for the new year.  Not really resolutions, mind you, just priorities for the farm etc.  One such priority will be to re-do the Chicken barn one final time to segregate out laying hens from meat birds, from babies.  It will be the first priority as the snow tore down the netted roof of the outdoor enclosure last night.  Nothing like a sudden reality to bring you quickly into focus, it gets those juices of motivation flowing and a snowy day is the perfect time to start putting priority to paper.  What are you focusing on moving into the new year?