Between milking and knitting and typing, my hands are fried.  But big stuff is brewing.

Our Korean exchange student arrives at our house on Sunday afternoon, ah, tomorrow.  He will live with us for 8 weeks, during the week.  On weekends he will take a cultural break (I'm sure he'll need it, y'all!) with a Korean family.  My mind is whirring with plans and details.  For one thing, Santa has to stop for an other child here.   And Santa has never met this kid, never seen this kid.  Yes, many details to think about.

Kat and I are still working on our business plan for the Doula Partnership.  I am rereading several old favorite midwifery texts.  And rewriting an old childbirth education class series.  I'm thinking of taking an art therapy approach, teaching meditation, pain control, and maybe doing belly casts.  I am a big fan of "Birthing From Within."  Clearly, I've been influenced. 

Elderberry is elder.  Bless her heart.  She has required lots of extra care since the temperature dropped.   So we've been at the barn twice a day or more.  And tomorrow (yikes! I mean today) our work begins on the milking parlor.  Last week two drifters were living in the barn, working in exchange for food and a bit of cash for a ticket home.   They worried me at first.  But ended up being good workers and nice fellows.  Our Farm Family's open hearted, free thinking, generosity never fails to amaze me.  I think I was inspired by them when I suddenly, two days ago, decided we would host a student from Korea.  I hadn't known then he was already in the air. Ha!

I am loving the swirl of our life.   Its one huge interdisciplinary study of all good things.  If we remember what Kat reminds:  Beauty Is Harsh/Nothing Without Labor.  But I am abuzz and a whir and, for this night, too jangled and jiggy for sleep.   Scott B showed up here yesterday with a dead sassafras tree from Mumzer's yard.  Who but Scott would see the beauty and worth there, and then cover it in Christmas lights to hang in a bigger yet tree?  Who but Scott would care it is a sassy?