the quiet pattern

As we wait for the barn building to go up, we find ourselves in a bit of a quiet holding pattern. After the start of the year, things will begin picking up with the land again. Right now everyone's got holiday brain!! The barn shell will be built & house meetings will begin again. The house floor plans were one of the first things we had to complete, but there are a ton of decisions left to be made!! Sigh.

Until then, we are enjoying winter's beauty and dreaming of the day when we live with our horses. I miss them! Between life and the weather, I've only been seeing our horses once a week. Big change from riding four nights a week! Brad goes a second day for a lesson. I opt out. It's too darn frustrating to ride in the winter where we board...needless to say Koda & Nemo are getting fat & sassy. Me too!

Before winter temps dropped to what it must feel like when hell freezes over, we found a use for some of our alfalfa bales. Don't cringe, I did...

Brad spread bales all over the house building site to keep the frost from going too deep. My hubby guarantees it will save us a lot of money in the spring...it pained me to watch, but I believe him. The bales we used got some rain on them while stacking. Plenty of good bales still stored inside, if we ever find anyone to buy them! Everyone in this area is very overstocked. Guess it's a good problem to have.

The quiet pattern finds me walking in our woods. Even in the winter. Here are some early December views...

Looking out of our woods, towards building site

It is pretty funny listening to someone describe where they saw something...

this tree, on that path

Not sure why, but the tree above stops me every time I walk past it. Looks like a heart. Might just carve some initials, or a year, or not. It's on the lower path. You know, the lower path. Towards the east. No, not that one, the other one. Right before you turn. Where it forks off, in the shape of a Y. The lower path, before you get to the other lower path. Yep, that one! Ha ha!! 

winter view from the house site
the only thing missing is the horses
and um, the house

Near the road it says we have permission to build our dreams. Interestingly enough, people ask us a lot if we have permits...guess it's because it means, this is really happening.

By the middle of December, our views looked more like this...

winter view from the house site
further West

Walking towards the woods, it was all about the trees...

natures way of painting

and then something red stopped me in my tracks...

beauty in a simple weed

Woods are incredible after a snowfall!! Silent. Untouched. Surreal...

then, out of no where...soft snow randomly falls, gently from the tree tops, like a sprinkle of powdered sugar, floating down from high above...

...it was like walking in a fairytail!!! I can't even imagine what it would be like riding a horse through the woods when it's like this?? But I am going to find out!! I have never ridden in fluffy snow & can't wait to try!

Shortly after the beautiful snowfall, a bitter cold front moved in. And stayed. The kind of cold that is good for nothing, and dangerous.

We usually trim our house with festive lights. Some years outdoor trees are also lit up. This year, the only thing that got decorated outside was a little tree at the new house site. Lit by solar panels, and love.

home is where the heart is