I can’t believe it’s Christmas again already! We do have snow on the ground, however, with temps in the 50’s and rain the next couple of days, we’re not sure it will last through Christmas Day.
Christmas has become a time for reflection for us, as it lies at the beginning of what has become our quiet time. Resting from a busy summer of restoration work, gardening, and all that comes with living on a historic homestead, we have time to look back, and plan ahead. This will be our third Christmas in this old house, and it’s no less special. If anything, we’ve grown to love it even more. We’re even more familiar with its creaks and groans, the tilt of its floors, the smell of 240 years of wood smoke in the hearth, and we’re even more familiar with Daniel and Abigail. We did learn more about them this past year, which will be revealed in a later post, but they have become like dear friends to us, and we feel we’ve grown even closer this past year.
This past year was a good one for us as a family, in spite of what has been going on in the world. Our daughter Allison, has just completed the first semester of her junior year at UNH, after switching her major last year from nutrition to history, with an education minor. While she is working towards becoming a high school history teacher, she has discovered a love of historical architecture, and would also like to pursue her Real Estate Broker’s license. Her favorite style, within the “Victorian” umbrella, is the Queen Anne Style, and specifically, Shingle Style. After seeing how beautiful an old, run-down, neglected house can look and feel like with some love and attention, she’s learned to see the potential in older homes. She’s learned that old homes, built by craftsman, often by hand, have souls.
Jenny and I have learned about raising and keeping chickens, planting and caring for a garden, canning and processing food, weaving, and all sorts of basic homesteading skills. Our renovation skills have also grown this year- we’ve re-sided parts of the barn and ell, installed one new door, and restored some old doors. We built a chicken coop and some raised bed gardens, planted an orchard, and cut and split cords and cords of firewood. It’s been hard work, but some of the most rewarding work we’ve ever done. I honestly believe we could never go back to suburban living. While we haven’t travelled much this year, we’ve taken some fun, scenic drives, and we got out for some hikes. But mostly, we find we truly enjoy just being at the farm, and the cycle of our days here- the everyday chores and work of running a homestead.
We thank you all for following along on our adventure- offering your ideas, support, or well-wishes. We appreciate all of the comments and notes, and truly enjoy sharing with you all. We hope that this Christmas card finds you and your family in good health and spirit. We wish you a warm and joyous Christmas, and a blessed New Year.
God bless!
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