Many Happy Returns!

The Piper and I have a running joke. "Marry me," she says, "and I'll take you away to all this."

Well, 47% of Maine voters would be perfectly happy to let us do just that, but it looks like we'll have to wait--and work--a while longer before that particular dream comes true.

And so we work. We rise each morning and greet the rising sun together. We let the Border Collie out of her kennel and she guides us through the door, down the steps, and over to the waiting chickens inside the wee barn. The Piper lifts their little hatch and they come hopping and spilling and fluttering out in a laughable, feathery rush.

We check their feed and water. We gather the eggs--softly brown and sometimes still warm to the touch. We stop to admire the cows, all shaggy and complacent in their neatly-fenced pasture. We hear the contented sounds of creatures all around. We are in love with this place, these creatures, this dear old storied plot of land.

Happy Birthday, my Beloved. Married or not, thank you for taking me away to all this!