Barefoot Wednesday

Do you ever have those days that are simply amazing?  Like it just feels so right and good, and you end the day with such a light and satisfied heart?

Today was one of those days.  We woke up, quickly fed the chickens and watered the gardens.  Then, our big project: harvest the potatoes.

The gardens (there is an upper and a lower) both are stocked full of potato plants.  The plants can produce anywhere from one to eight potatoes, each buried at varied depths along the root.  Harvesting potatoes is like digging for buried treasure.  Your hands are covered in wet mud (well, so are your feet and pants for that matter), and you dig around in the soil after rooting the plant, and then: jackpot!  A large red potato reveals itself, like a piece of gold hidden away.  Sometime you'll even find three or four clustered together.

Kindra and I harvested barefoot.  Wet soil feels so soothing and refreshing between your toes, and I spent the day wandering barefoot, whether drying potatoes in the sun or chasing the chickens back into their pen.  I feel God made us barefoot creatures, connecting to His earth and living like a child running through the fields without a care or worry (what kid ever wants to wear shoes?). 

We worked until mid day, finishing both gardens, and then had a lunch of delicious Mexican grub.  I made a quesadilla with broccoli from the garden (we had fresh kale infused backyard bowls for breakfast, a little taste of Santa Barbara cuisine).  The day was pleasant, cooler than Tuesday and with a soft breeze.  Nap attack came after lunch, and then I canoed carelessly around the lake, soaking in the peace of the trees and colors around me.

Twilight brought orange and yellow hues strewn across the sky.  We successfully got ALL four goats to walk with us through the woods, without too much prodding at all.  It has been a challenge building trust with both the adult and baby goats, but our time spent intentionally petting and being around them has really paid off.  Its like any relationship, trust building is paramount to going deeper.  Heck, if I was a goat, I would be terrified of walking into the woods with a stranger, too!

Kindra is now warming up leftover pasta, Sherry is off working on various projects upstairs, and I am sitting here in our downstairs suite, staring at our tulikivi (fancy fireplace) and breathing in the peace of the day.

What a great journey we are on.