It has been a beautiful and joyous winter! The clear days begin with a star-studded sky, followed by a rose glow on both the east and west. I always let the children sleep in, because I enjoy the quiet of the morning to myself.

The last couple of days, I made a big pot of oatmeal, and enjoyed my bowl with raisins, apples, bananas, chopped walnuts, a touch of honey and fresh, thick jersey cream, cozied up in front of the fireplace, with snow flakes gently falling outside, and the kids still snuggled in their beds around me. The simple pleasures in life!

Each day, we have been spending a lot of time outside, shoveling snow and playing with the horses. One of the new mares that we got was very high strung at first, and Mary thought she would NEVER overcome that and get to riding her. Following simple practices of natural horsemanship, staying patient and calm and persistent, she has gotten SO MUCH better. She is really a beautiful mare, with a sweet and strong spirit. It's hard not to fall in love with her. Today, Mary had an almost perfect day with her. She rode very lightly, doing all that she was asked in just a rope halter. Mary and I were both ecstatic, and felt that we had accomplished a great deal together.

Now, we're starting the other mare. We've been playing games with her, saddling her up and sitting on her. She's very calm and good and eager to please. She'll make a great kids' horse very soon. We're hoping to have her trail ready within the month.

I also want to work more with the mules, and their ground driving. They are really getting close to being able to pull a cart, but unfortunately, we don't have one. We also want to get them riding.

The girls and I are on a huge fiber kick. We are trying to find a spinning wheel and carders, as we have a huge box of alpaca fiber that needs to be spun. Meanwhile, we're honing up our knitting and crocheting skills, and Mary has even learned how to knit socks!

Andrew and Bill have been doing the electrical and plumbing in the house, and the other kids and I do the laths and plaster when they get a wall ready for us, which is rather infrequent. The rocket stove seems to be keeping the house quite warm.

I took a "vitality test" for kicks this past week, and it said I will live till 95! And they didn't even ask about the healthy foods I eat, except for servings of fruit, veggies, whole grains and nuts. There were questions about how often I felt angry, sad or depressed, or stressed or anxious in the past month... "0" to all of them... as a matter of fact, "0" to all of them for as many months as I can remember since we've lived here, except for a little stress over a few external things here and there. I am deeply at peace. The rest of the family is as well, though sometimes Bill worries about money. The whole family agrees that it has been the best 1-1/2 years of our lives!