Another Piece of My Heart, Claimed!

Hello, Friends!  How about this crazy Northeast warm-up?  It's not even March, yet!  It feels strange to me, not to be collecting sap right now.  To be preparing for the long hours of boiling in the sugar shack...

Fortunately, we have a few connections from whom we can buy syrup, because I've grown so accustomed to using it in place of sugar in so many recipes.

The property we are most likely buying in PA doesn't have maple trees, so we've been talking about the possibility of starting a little apiary...making honey, instead!




So, this was Friday morning:  

And, this was Sunday morning:

Quite a difference between 29 degrees and 48 degrees!






It's been six weeks since our loss of our labs, Ginger and Mac.  Since they loved being with us in the woods so much, we felt it only appropriate that their ashes be out there.  Truly, two pieces of my heart will be left here on this property in NY forever.





Several weeks ago, Don and I began an open-ended conversation about when we might be ready to add another canine to our family and what dog breeds we might consider.  We agreed that either a golden retriever, like our first dog, or another Aussie shepherd would be the best choices for us, but only if we could find a female... from the right breeder, of course.  

As for the timing?  We left that open, but I was thinking in the fall.

Then, one evening a couple of weeks ago, I arrive home from work, exhausted.  As I withered into a chair at the dining room table, Grace plopped a laptop in front of me opened to Facebook: "Look! Brianne must've bred Reagan and she had pups just recently!"     WHAT?!   

If you followed my previous blog, you know that Brianne is Tig's breeder...And, Reagan is Tig's litter-mate...sister!  

Excitedly, I messaged her, asking about the females...only to learn that they had been claimed already.  I was crushed.

"Well, Brianne will probably breed her again next year," I thought, hopefully. "I'll just make sure she knows I'm interested.  I can wait a year for another Aussie, if Don can..."




When I called Don to tell him, he detected the extreme disappointment in my voice....and he confessed:



HE had claimed one of the females already, seeing Brianne's Facebook post 5 hours before me!

He was going to try to keep it a secret until a week or two before she's ready to leave her mama, but my disappointment...and his excitement...got the better of him!


It was a huge relief for Brianne... ...She didn't know how she could keep it a secret from me, other than avoiding me.



But, she had major surgery a few days after the pups were born, and the girls and I were planning to go visit her during her convalescence...to entertain her and check out the pups.  Avoiding me would not work!  

Today was the day of my visit!



Major puppy therapy! 💗💗













And, my sweet new pup, Penny, claimed a piece of my heart!

She's a beautiful red merle, just like her mama!  And, already she's proving to be calm and easy-going...the perfect disposition to balance out Tig's.

And, to my husband:  You tried to play it off by saying, "I did it for selfish reasons, really.  Our home seemed so empty without the labs."  However, I know you were thinking of me and I love you for it!  Thank you so much!  She's going to be a great addition to our family.

Stay tuned, Friends:  Our new addition joins us the last week in March!  And, we are still anticipating our move to happen shortly after Easter.  More on that in a couple of weeks....

Moving Forward...

Twelve days into February,  Folks.  NY's groundhog did not see his shadow.  Spring is right around the corner!  "But, wait!" says Jack Frost. "Not so fast!" 

...We awoke this morning to...

Yup.  More snow.  In fact, more days than not in the last two weeks my teens and I have peered out the window at 7am to find a fresh 3 or 4 inches of snow blanketing our homestead!  And, today it's been snowing 
                                                                                              
                                                                                              ...All...Day...Long...

                                                             It's those giant, fluffy snowflakes, too.  So...

Since traveling anywhere in my little car seemed out of the question, I decided to make the best of it and head to the beauty and serenity of the woods with my snowshoes and my faithful canine companion.

                                                                                                                               William has done a great job keeping the main path out to the woods clear, so my real workout begins once I'm surrounded by trees...there's a hefty 10-inch snow cover out there presently.  There will be over a foot by tomorrow's hike!

Our move back to Pennsylvania became very real and imminent this week....we had an offer on this property!  We countered and tossed our remaining maple equipment into the deal...and they accepted, much to our delight!  

This young family has exactly the kind of vision for this property that Don always did, actually...to make it into a working homestead, or "micro-farm", possibly with a roadside farmstand in the near future.  

We'll definitely become loyal customers when we vacation in this area! 

Lady, our "outdoor" cat, looking quite content... on the couch!

But, this means we have less than 10 weeks now to secure a new home for our family.  YIKES! A couple of posts ago, I shared my photos of a property that Don thought to be "The One".  That property is still on the table and a very real possibility, however, it's a tad farther away from Don's work and parents than we originally wanted to be, and, logistically, it's a huge challenge.  

In order to make it happen, we'd need to put up pasture-fencing and get the barn ready before we leave this home, of course...And, we'd all have to live in a trailer on the property, with our furniture and such in storage, while the house is gutted and restored.  

The girls and I are pretty adaptable (definitely couldn't have said that 15 years ago!), so, although it could be a bumpy ride, it is do-able.

However, a couple of other possibilities have presented themselves in the last few days, so Don is looking into those this week.  We shall see...

In the meantime, Don keeps working hard at his job in PA, and I am "holding down the fort" with the help of Will, Grace and Rosie in NY.  I'm growing more comfortable in the salon with each passing week, and I really love cutting and styling hair.  I'm even getting really good at eyebrow waxing and shaping!  I certainly wouldn't have thought that 5 years ago!  

One of my friends in PA has recently opened a gift shop in Strasburg...Lancaster County.  She suggested that I might create notecards and greeting cards from some of my photos to sell in her shop.  The artist and entrepreneur in me is seriously considering this...What do you think?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Well, since it is still snowing outside, I think I'll bake something....maybe a chocolate cake?  (Which I'm sure will be devoured over the next 48 hours - Sorry, Don!  I'll bake another for you, your next weekend at home!)

Next post in about two weeks:  I'm going to tell you all about Don's amazing, sweet surprise to me...the one that he planned to keep a secret until late-March, but his excitement...and the sadness in my voice one recent morning... broke him!