Life is thriving. The past week or so has had me up to my eyeballs in our pecan orchard (literally actually, as the grass down there has gotten to be 6 feet high in some places). I find myself filfthy dirty, sweaty, smelly, and incredibly exhausted at the end of each day. If I manage to work up the energy for a shower, I usually fall to sleep immediately after lying down in bed...no matter what time it is. I absolutely love it!

Though I'm daily struggling with aches, exhaustion, blisters, cuts, and simple ignorance for farm lingo and procedure, I'm constantly catching the beauty in this type of life--of being completely meshed with God's creation and in absolute appreciation for the intricate ecosystem and food chain that is in place. A goat or rabbit becomes so much more to you when you daily take care of it, feed it, brush it, milk it. Knowing that it will provide drink, and eventually meat forces a relationship you won't be able to find by running to Wal-Mart to grab a gallon of skim milk and cold cuts!

That said, some friends of ours who once lived at the farm, Micah and Etta, are now living in Haiti. They're keeping a blog of their time there. Do read it. Here it is: The Pascuccis in Haiti.