"I like to shimmy, kick, stretch and KICK! Because I'm 50! Fifty years old..."

A vibrant summer sunflower in my garden...before the frost, of course.

I just had to get on here and crow and sing about reaching this milestone in my life. Dare I say that I feel younger because my heart is warmed by the love of dear family and friends today? That it has been a grand fifty years so far? Or because I have been blessed with not one but two trips back to New England in the past few months (one with each son) to reconnect in "real time" (this lack of Internet on the ridge is going rather well except for one thing: I'm not blogging as much as I'd like––but writing more for publication, yes!)? Because I'm feeling blessed that my daughter's health is back on track after a difficult year for her? That, with her leaving for the next part of her life––at almost twenty-five––in a few more days is a liberation for her, and for me, too, however bittersweet it will be? Because our farm is chugging along and I'm feeling more rooted and more content in the world? Because I seem to be at last heading out of perimenopause? (Sparing you those actual details...but the timing is interesting.)

Yes, there are so many reasons to crow and sing and to be blessed in this life. I embrace the next part of it full force and with every conviction to put my health and writing first for a change.

I will blog more in the coming months as it is that more inward part of the year––something that I also embrace with all of my heart and soul. I no longer dread the darkness and the quieter months. Sometimes I welcome them. And now I welcome the next decade as a time to really shine on and to prioritize what is important.

You come back when you're ready!

Catherine