It was only a little while ago Lance and I were living in the warmth of the Australian sun. We dove on the Great Barrier Reef, 4 wheeled on Moreton sand island, dove with sharks, jumped out of airplanes and generally lived an adventurous life. Then God sent us back to America.

Since coming back from Oz, the Lord has blessed us with a beautiful home on five acres in the sometimes sunny, mostly rainy, state of Washington. We have more than we could ask for or thought to ask for. Our children are close to us both geographically and emotionally. We have hosted three sleepovers so far with some of our 13 grandchildren. We’ve gone from sun-soaked adventurers to rain-soaked hobby farmers.

The plan is to achieve some sort of self-sufficiency. There are seven raised garden beds in place and mature fruit trees on the grounds. We have our own well, and are moving slowly to solar powering everything, starting with a solar pool heater for the inground pool. It’s a little more challenging here- solar power, when the sun plays hide and seek most of the day, but the sun does come out and even if it’s not working, it would power solar. In addition to the solar power and the gardens, we’ve acquired chickens and this weekend will bring home two sheep. We are looking at pasture pigs and goats as well.

In Oz, in the warm sun, we were active and warm. Since coming to Washington, the flux in the weather is playing havoc with our arthritic bodies! But, we’re sure to get used to it, and ‘farming’ is more physical than ‘adventuring’, so we’re sure to lose pounds and gain muscle, which of course will help. But, still, like in Oz, we’re soulfully happy and content. Peace filled.

It’s a bit of a free fall, going from ‘adventurer’ to ‘farmer’, but free-falling is easy when you know it’s where God would have you. So here we are. Hope you’ll join us in the ups and downs of hobby farming/homesteading or whatever it is we’re doing. It’s going to be an interesting journey.