Farm Wife Photo Essay

Some folks have been asking for pictures, 

so let me offer you a little voyeurism into my sabbatical life here 

on Frankie's farm in North Carolina. 

My day starts with Qigong on the hill in the centre of the property.

Then meditatiooooooooooooon.

Meet the Ruckus Pack - 4 great bitches.
(L to R: Bean, Sophie, Mishkami, Pearl)  

After breakfast we take them for training in the play yard.

Who is training who is often the question.

Then I head to work in the space-cabin. I try to write 1000 words a day.

The desk easily converts to a reading backrest. Here I am studying up on theatre games for an upcoming Theatre of the Oppressed workshop.

Everyday I improve at 'rural chic' fashion.

At least once a day Jacquie, one of the rescued cats, gets a massage.

It took several weeks to get over my fear of the chickens. Now sometimes I even help tend to them a bit! Here I am holding Millie the Mighty.

About once every week or two we go driving into town for errands.
 I like to stop and chat with the locals as much as possible.

A few times we've taken the ruckus pack on longer outings.
This was on our camping trip to the South Carolina coast, pretty, long beaches.

I've experimented with tons of new recipes, aiming to use as few processed foods as possible. I've been falling even more in love with my slow cooker.
 I usually cook four big meals from scratch each week and a dip and salad dressing. Most fun is getting to include Frankie's garden produce now that's it's all getting big.

I'd love to say I run everyday, but I haven't done as well with this goal. Some weeks I'll go a few times, then other weeks zip. Better some than none though!

Pretty hard to beat this trail, often it's my main motivation. Frankie inspired me by making creative trails through the fields. Around sunset these west facing trees are always a beautiful glow, and check out that moon!

In the late afternoon or evening I practice my new instrument - the recorder.

Sometimes I'll do another session of writing at night when I'm feeling inspired. 
Or I'll do crafts in the house, (sorry no pic) - I'm learning felting and zine-making right now. 

These photos serve to paint my idealized day for you, of course the actual path is up and down, explorations in self-will, reprogramming some desires and following others into their depths. It's amazing how much stress and resistance can emerge when you remove the external barriers and there are no excuses left. There are no pictures of the conflicts inner and outer... but this vision for the backbone of a day is what has been guiding me through the fall.

Peace to you in your days,

~sab