Happy Holidays!

This Christmas letter begins with the answer to a question that Lance and I have been asked multiple times this year: “When are you moving back into the farmhouse?” From close friends and family to neighbors and co-workers, everyone seemed interested in the ETMI (Estimated Time of Move-In)—and the best answer that Lance and I could give was “soon.” Last October, when we moved in with my mother to seek refuge from the messiness of construction, “soon” was “after the holidays.” But spring came, and “soon” had not arrived. Summer was no more promising: when my grandfather moved to Mom’s to recuperate from hip replacement surgery, the whole family was under the same roof at Hotel Brenda. Come fall, we celebrated our 5th anniversary wondering if “soon” would ever come. It did—and at a most appropriate time: Thanksgiving weekend. The week before, our faithful contractor Mike had put the final touches on the original farmhouse and connector addition and sealed it off from the cabin. The house was again livable…and WARM. (One of our favorite new “toys” is the outdoor woodstove that Lance installed over the summer. Now, instead of hovering by the fire, we enjoy a flow of steady, sustainable warm air when the temperature drops.) So, while most Americans were breaking wishbones, Lance and I were breaking open dusty boxes of books (always books!), clothes, and bedding. Then, we packed up Beaker for the two-mile trip back to Walnut Grove. (No doubt, he was already pining for “Mamaw’s” wall-to-wall carpet and generous tuna treats!)

Though we have settled back in, the project is far from complete. Mike is just beginning work on the cabin. Right now, he is building the porch and will soon begin chinking and dobbing the logs. A completed restoration project is the goal for next Christmas. I think we can handle one more year.

This year has not been all about the restoration, though. In February, Lance, Lance’s sister, Kim, and I traveled to Honduras for a two-week medical mission trip. There, in the little mountain village of Yaruca, we joined with other doctors, dentists, nurses, translators, and “general helpers” to provide vitamins, cough syrup, and toothbrushes to the grateful and gracious residents. In preparation, Lance had spent the previous six months learning Spanish, so he would know what to do when a patient exclaimed, “Picazon! Picazon!” (itchy!). I, on the other hand, was content to speak only to the animals!

When we returned from Honduras, I set to work on the garden, which provided us with a bounty of sustenance and satisfaction. We even had enough produce to sell at the local farmer’s market. As always, Mom and I spent many hours canning tomatoes, vegetable soup, salsa, and beans. Now, in the bare winter months, we can be fed by a jar of summer.

A warm house and steaming bowl of homemade soup cannot make up for the companionship of Poe, our “fearless warrior cat” and wisest denizen of Walnut Grove, whom we lost in March. After his annual trip to the vet, he went missing. We searched every inch of the farm, every nook and cranny, every fallen tree, but nothing. Finally, a week later, Mike found him in the attic, where he had burrowed into the insulation, curled up for a long nap—and never woke up. Lance and I had dreamed of the day when we would all be back together again at the farm. But it was not to be.

Alas, the farm continues to be a lesson in love and loss. Not long after losing Poe, we rescued a little black cat, whom we named “Oliver” (“Ollie,” for short). He is quickly filling Poe’s paws as “lord of the manor,” though Pippin, our other barn cat, won’t quite let him wear the crown yet! The chickens too are a bit hesitant to kneel to him since he likes to chase them around the farm and eat their scratch grain (yes, apparently, cats like cracked corn). And as always, Billy, our old goat, and Jezebel, our boss mare, think that they are king and queen of the farm. Lance and I don’t tell any of them that the farm is a democracy, not a monarchy!

As I close out this letter, I would like to look forward to a bright future. 2009 is already full of promise. Lance is planning to continue studying Spanish so he can better serve the Hispanic community in this country and abroad. I have recently taken a job as Educational Coordinator at Exchange Place, the living history museum where I have volunteered for the last few years—so I will be taking a break from teaching at ETSU. I will, however, continue my beloved hobby of playing violin in the local symphony. Even more exciting news is that in January, Lance and I are going to brave the cold and crowds and attend the inauguration of Barack Obama. In a serendipitous twist of fate and through the generosity of a friend, Lance scored two tickets, and we are looking forward to being a part of such a momentous moment in our nation’s history. Washington D.C. is always a stimulating place to visit—a place to learn from our successes…and failures. Let us hope the new president will inspire us all to be more educated, responsible, and compassionate citizens and stewards of the earth.

Wishing you and yours a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year!

Here are some current pictures of the restoration project: the new kitchen, the wood stove, and Mike working on the cabin porch.