We came, we crafted, we had a ball!

This is our logo, the symbol of Strong Women who are Passionate About Yarn!

We braved the Texas Summer Heat and arrived at the Lone Oak Ranch & Retreat near Gainesville, Texas, on August 7, 2015, to experience the wonderful community of crafting, fiber, fun, and friendship!  We were not disappointed. There were 37 of us this time, more than ever before.  New faces, familiar faces, sharing, laughing, eating, learning, crafting in the inviting atmosphere that is Lone Oak Ranch Retreat.  And the WiFi signal is strong and well-used, I must say. What would we do without our electronics and our knitting needles?  I do not know, but suffice it to say we can have it all here at the Chix Packin Stix Retreat, twice a year, and that is definitely a Good Thing!

It is a five-hour trip for me to get from Nacogdoches to Gainesville, so I got up before the sun and left home around 6:30 am on that Friday.  I have figured out ways to cut almost an hour off the trip by trying different county roads and highways.  There is absolutely no direct path to the destination from anywhere, but that doesn't mean it is hard to find. Along my route are horse farms, hills, prairie, and lots of beautiful bodies of water to cross.  It is a very satisfying and peaceful road trip for me.

Some of the Committee members and helpers met at a sweet little restaurant, Sarah's On The Square in Gainesville, Texas, for lunch, before heading a few miles south and east to our destination. Upon arrival at the venue, we immediately got to work, unloading cars and trucks, setting up tables and chairs, and getting organized for registration and the weekend's events.

As the self-proclaimed Goodie Goddess of Chix Packin Stix, I set about organizing all the donated "goodies" I had collected for our weekend.  For each and every attendee, in addition to door prizes, there was a "Bag O' Goodies" stuffed with a project bag, samples of recycled sari yarn, wool wash samples, stitch gauges, and other "freebies" from the wonderful shops and businesses that were kind enough to donate to our retreat.  Later there would be door prizes and some bright pink bags filled with the yarn and pattern to either crochet or knit a little sheep! What fun!

Cyndi and Joyce came up with this adorable idea of

a Survival Kit for our Retreat.  Enlarge the photo and 

read what is on the card!  Quite clever, I must say!

Setting up for the weekend.

In the midst of setting up, the attendees began to arrive, and, as sisters in crafting are inclined to do, pitched in to help after they had moved their things into their sleeping assignments. Foodstuffs, Ott lamps, knitting/crochet project bags, and spinning wheels began occupying spaces around the tables. Our buffet-style supper of baked potatoes and all "the works" was organized and set up along one wall, and large containers of tea and water, coffee pots and K-cups, and soft drinks appeared on the counter of the bar.

After supper, we had a fun "getting to know you" activity, then went straight into learning how to do our first planned project - shawl pins made of metal, taught by Terri.  Simple, fun, and lovely!  I am working on a prayer shawl for my friend, Judy, and I think one of these would be just perfect for holding it in place. And, I can definitely see myself playing with metal wire quite a bit in the future.

The first project of the weekend, a pair of metal shawl pins!

After finishing this first project, beginner knitters and crocheters were invited to learn the basics  of those yarn crafts, while the rest of us got busy on projects, or just making the rounds and visiting.  This really is a weekend of doing whatever you want, or nothing at all.  And there are always plenty of snacks!

I spent most of the evening visiting with old friends, and meeting and getting better acquainted with others. Smiles and laughter were everywhere.  And so ..... I didn't make it to bed until .....  3:48 am! Thanks, Gracie Lou, for my pink sheep pj's and the late night sharing!

As you can imagine, our continental-style breakfast at 8 o'clock Saturday morning came just a bit too soon for this old gal after such a late night. Our first door prize drawings were scheduled to start at 8:30 and I needed to be alert! Thank goodness for a couple of cups of coffee from the Keurig machine is all I have to say.  Caffeine totally ROCKS!

Breakfast time and relaxing before the beginning of activities on Saturday.

Door prize give-aways started off with my donning my Goodie Goddess Hat, which is quite the Attention Getter.  It is huge and, as I found out during this retreat, quite hot if worn for more than 5 minutes during this time of the year. This hat of mine is part of my costume when attending the Texas Renaissance Festival in late Autumn, when the weather is decidedly cooler and I have had a few tankards of Guinness.  I think it must be a lot cooler then!  I may have to reconsider my headpiece for the future ....

Me and my feathered hat at the Texas Ren Fest!

For this Retreat, whenever you saw me don my huge feathered
hat, it indicated that it was TIME FOR DOOR PRIZES!

Some of the awesome door prizes I was handing out.

At the Chix Packin Stix Retreats, everyone is the lucky winner of a door prize!  No one is left out of the goodness of donated gifts.  We are truly grateful to all of the wonderful shops and vendors who made a donation of something from their businesses for our weekend!  We couldn't believe all the wonderful things we received for this August event. There were hand-painted yarns, coloring books for adults, jewelry, chocolate, knitting books, handmade goat milk soaps, needles in various sizes and styles, notions and so much more!  AWESOMENESS!

Some hand-painted yarns for door prizes from Paradise Fibers. 

Darn Good Yarn not only sent a skein of their recycled chiffon sari yarn, they also sent each of us a
5-yard sample card of their sari ribbon, enough for using in a project.

When contacting the various shops to ask if they would participate, I would tell them we would have about 40 lovely crafty ladies attending and using that information, some sent 40 little gifts for our "Bag of Goodies" along with their business cards. One of those was Happy Ewe in Jonestown, TX, who sent a humongous box full of little pink bags.

A huge box arrived in the mail from Happy Ewe!

Inside each of the little pink bags was a pattern and the yarn to either crochet or knit a little sheep!  ADORABLE!

Joanna R. has finished her hot pink "sheepie" from Happy Ewe already.

I haven't made mine yet.  But when I do, it will be pink like Joanna's and it will find a home right up there on one of the window shelves in my den, along with the rest of my "flock".  It will really stand out, I think!  I really do need to get crackin' on that project ....

One of my window shelves in the den at HeartSong Farm. 

For every Chix Packin Stix Retreat, we have a Project For Charity.  I really love this aspect of our group dynamic.  We can give so much from what we have, and it is also quite a bit of fun for us to create something that is so appreciated.   

This was my contribution for our charity project - fleece  blankets for babies and kids in one of the
Dallas-area hospitals.

Saturday morning, after the first round of door prizes, it was Astrid's time to teach us all about rug hooking, traditionally done with wool fabric strips.  Wool fabric is quite expensive, so we were going to throw in some yarn and some other types of fabric strips for our creations this weekend.  There were traditional designs as well as some more modern looks to the projects the ladies were inspired to work on.

Astrid brought some of her finished work along with her expertise.

Mounds of fabric strips for the rug hooking class.

Intent, yet Conversational!  That's what it is all about!

Looks like the beginnings of a sheep to me!  

And here we have a Dominiker hen, I believe!

And a black cat .....

.... a llama with a hat and bandanna?!!!!  Why not?!

And .....  a mermaid under the sea!

As you can see, rug hooking can be anything that strikes your fancy ....  traditional designs or not.  We had some really wonderful interpretations of this very old craft.  I was too busy visiting to really get started on mine and am still contemplating what I want to make.  At the time, I was much more interested in going around and seeing what others were doing than sitting and concentrating on crafting that day.

A gorgeous pine needle basket creation was inspiration for the Saturday afternoon project class.

Rapt attention on Rachel B. as she introduced us to the craft of pine needle basket making.

Pine needles prepped and ready to be woven, walnut pieces for basket bottoms, and sinew to hold

it all together.

Basket weavers sporting our Retreat tee-shirts.

Around and around we go ....

I see the beginnings of a basket there!  Whoo Hoo!

There were a greater number of spinners at this Retreat than ever before.

And a new spinner being created right before our eyes!

Sunday morning it was time to learn our last project for the weekend:  crochet/felted flowers!

Diane P. showed us how to make some cute flowers using felted wool, yarn, and buttons.  As she remarked, the sky is the limit on the creativity this project can encompass.  Lots of almost instant gratification!

Quick and easy to make, these would be cute on a vintage hat or .... make two alike and put them

on a pair of flip flops!  And matching ones on a beach bag and sun hat????!!!

So pretty!  I can see this on a hat or scarf or barrette, can't you?!

After a wonderful lunch on Sunday, it was time to start packing it all up and heading home.  The time had come for Gracie Lou to part with her tree babies as she passed them on to me to care for on HeartSong Farm!  She brought me 6 seedling pines and 3 seedling pomegranates.  The pomegranates came from seeds from her grandmother's original tree in Laredo, TX, and the "mother tree" of the pine seedlings had been transplanted many years ago from Nacogdoches, TX, near where I live (and where Gracie Lou had attended college) to the Dallas area.  Now its babies are coming back to their "roots!"  Pun intended!

Gracie Lou and her tree babies.

Kissing her babies goodbye!  I promise I will take great care of them!

Gracie Lou and I believe that by sharing living things with each other we are also sharing a spiritual connection.  I have shared seeds and plants with my friends Jo, Judy, Astrid, Wanda and Ellen in recent years, and I plan on doing even more in the future with others.

The August 2015 Chix Packin Stix Retreat Group Photo.

With hugs and fond farewells to new friends and old, we packed up this version of the Chix Packin Stix Retreat and vowed to meet again in March of 2016 for more fun, sharing, learning and laughter.

Some of what happens at Retreat must stay at Retreat .....  for next time!

And back here at HeartSong Farm, we are anxiously awaiting the advent of Autumn and some much cooler temperatures.

Neighbors, friends and pomegranates

Fresh homemade bread and oranges right off the tree!

Recently, I drove through a cold January rain to visit a dear friend in Houston that I had not seen in quite a while. Veta was my next door neighbor when I was growing up, and I have always thought of her as my second mother.  She and her husband, Rob, were just starting their family when they moved into our neighborhood in 1957, and my youngest brother, David, and I  were completely fascinated by our new neighbors!

You see, Veta is Italian, second generation from Sicily, and that meant that there were all sorts of relatives and get-togethers going on at the house next door.  David and I, brimming with curiosity, would peek through the slats of the redwood fence that separated our backyard from theirs, and marvel at all the activity, laughter, food, and people that overflowed from her home.  It appeared that her family and friends celebrated EVERYTHING!  The grass definitely seemed much greener on the other side of our fence.

Not only all of that, but they had a television set (black & white, of course!), a huge refrigerator in the kitchen and a "deep freeze" in the laundry area at the back of the carport, TWO cars (and one was a Nash Rambler station wagon!), AND an aquarium in one of the den walls!  Plus, they were growing strange vegetable in their backyard, like Swiss chard and a very long green squash that they called a "gugutza."  And in the brick planter of the carport was a cute little bush called a "pomegranate."

David and I would often sneak over and watch television through the window on their backdoor.  No sound, of course, but we could figure out what was happening on the "Shirley Temple Show" or the "Walt Disney Show" well enough for us.  When we were spotted by someone in the house, we were always invited in and a phone call made to our house (on a party line, of course!) to let my parents know where we were.  My grandparents in Mississippi had a television, too, and to us it was pure magic!

We were neighbors for almost ten years, and as I grew up, Veta would take me here and there with her, let me babysit with her four children, and welcome me with an open heart and arms whenever I needed to escape my own home, no questions asked.

She is 20 years my senior, but we have always had a very special friendship and connection, even though we have rarely visited in the past 40 something years.  It is amazing how friends can just pick up where they left off, as if no time has passed at all.  And that is exactly what happened that recent Saturday morning, from the moment I rang her doorbell, to the moment I made myself get back into my car for the return trip to HeartSong Farm!  

My second mother and dear friend, Veta, in mid-sentence!

I arrived a tad bit before one o'clock in the the afternoon and greeted with a wonderful welcoming hug (ahhhh!), and then two more!  Then we began to talk.  And we talked non-stop for twelve hours!!!!  In between, we sat down for some of her freshly baked bread (she let me have the end slice!) and some homemade jams and jellies.  We talked while she made us meatballs and spaghetti, roasted eggplant, and a berry cobbler for dinner and I sat on a stool at the counter.  Kitchens are wonderful places to share and visit.  Don't you agree?!

We finally crashed just before 2 am Sunday morning, then got up and started talking again at 8 am until I finally had to drag myself away at noon in order to get home to wash the weekly clothes and rest up for the work week ahead.

As is her way, Veta had packed me a "goody bag" to take home. Inside was a loaf of that freshly baked bread, a plastic bag full of pecan pieces from her neighbor's yard, some of the leftover spaghetti and meatballs, a jar of homemade chicken chili, jasmine teabags, a  pound of ground meat, and two rib eye steaks!  And a bag full of oranges from the tree in her backyard.  Wow!

Rain was dripping off the roof, but I just had to get a photo of the orange
tree in Veta's back yard!  She has gotten over 200 oranges already this year!

When I told her thanks and what a surprise it was, she said:  "I just did what I would do for one of my children."  Wow, again! I am so blessed with this wonderful friendship.

During the week prior to my visit with Veta, I received an interesting package in the mail from a fiber friend that contained a tiny pomegranate and a photo of her grandparents.  There was also a very sweet card asking me if I would please plant the seeds of this pomegranate on HeartSong Farm in memory of her grandmother, Sofia.  My friend had wonderful memories of the pomegranate tree and fruit that had grown in her grandmother's yard.  The house was being sold and there was no way that she could bring the big tree to her house, but she could pass the seeds on to me to plant for her here on HeartSong Farm!  She had recognized one of the aspects of my farm, and I felt such a rush of Joy to have the privilege of doing this for her and the memory of her grandmother.

The pomegranate and a photo of my friend's grandparents.

The seeds are in the process of drying out, and soon I will plant several small pots and wait for some sprouts to appear.  Another reason why this is so special to me is the memory of that small pomegranate bush that grew in that brick planter at the house next door growing up.  I find the timing for the arrival of that package and my trip to visit Veta rather interesting!  

Pomegranates are considered a super food these days, and are quite expensive in the grocery.  But, pomegranates have other uses than food.  For instance, a red dye can be extracted for the pretty flowers, a yellow dye from the fruit's skin, and a black dye from the roots.  You can bet that I will be trying this out on some fibers at some future date!

My research tells me that pomegranates are very east to grow, have lovely flowers, and are well suited to hot, dry conditions, although plenty of water is necessary for larger fruit.  The Spanish brought them to Mexico, California, and Arizona in the 16th century.  My friend's grandparents lived in Laredo, Texas, and were originally from Mexico.  Maybe, just maybe, these seeds came from seeds from a family tree that started out, long ago, in Spain!  Wow!

It will take 3 - 5 years to produce fruit, so I can't wait to get started.  I am also going to be trying my hand at rooting some fig twigs from my two trees this February.  My own grandmother grew figs in her Mississippi back yard, which is one reason I have fig trees on HeartSong Farm.  The bees and the butterflies really love the figs, and I hope they like the pomegranates, too!

Meanwhile, the 50 garlic cloves that I planted in October are doing very well.  Looks like I will have quite a nice harvest come May.

Garlic rows doing quite nicely in the garden!

Remember the leopard frog tadpoles I found this past Fall in one of my wheelbarrows?  Well, they are still alive and are slowly growing even in this cold weather.  I had feared that they would not make it through the freezing temps we have had this Fall and Winter, but apparently they just slow down their metabolisms, and go dormant in the cold water, even under a bit of ice.  After all, they are cold blooded creatures.  Well, duh!  We just always had them in the hot summer time when I was a kid, and I guess I didn't think past that.  Silly me!

A video of my cute little tadpoles!  My first attempt at movie
making with my new camera.  Not sure if I have done it right.

It has been a lot of fun keeping an eye on the tadpoles in their plastic container on the back porch.  I have tried to share some of them with friends and co-workers, but no one except me wants them.  I can't wait for them to become tiny froggies!  I have named them all "George, " so that I can tell them apart.

This week at HeartSong Farm, I am getting ready for the Chix Packin Stix Winter Retreat up in Gainesville, Texas.  My friend, Wanda, and I will be traveling together on Friday, and it is looking to be a lot of fun.  Photos will definitely follow as soon as possible!

I have been hearing the orchard oriole's call this last week, seen flashes of blue in the pastures, and this morning came the drumming of the red-bellied woodpecker in the Bradford pear tree near my bathroom window.  With all the cold and rain and mud the last few weeks, I am beginning to look forward to Springtime here on HeartSong Farm.

Restoration of the Peace

Recently, the lovely Peace and Tranquility of HeartSong Farm was violently disturbed by the savage and murderous attack on my sweet young llama, Jagger, followed by an attack on me the very next day by the same dogs as I walked to my mailbox.  First shock, then anger, then a constant state of anger/shock took over my whole being until the following Sunday afternoon when I realized I could not let these feelings hijack me and erase everything I had worked so hard to create here in my own little piece of the World.

RESOLVED:  I will not allow the Evil That This Was to take control of my Joyful Existence here on HeartSong Farm. If I do, then the irresponsible neighbors win, and I lose.  I lose not only my Joy, Peace, Tranquility and Way of Life, but I will have allowed myself to be victimized one more time, and I will have lost my True Self. I feel like this has been a test by the Universe to see if I really have learned to stand up for myself, and my Self.  To see if I have really grown past the mental and emotional abuse that was my marriage, as I claim to have done.  A karmic reality test, mayhap?

Those first five days after Jagger's tormented death were spent in sleepless shock.  Thankfully, a week from the attack on me I woke up almost completely restored to my feeling of peace and tranquility after days of reaching out toward the strength and truth that would make that feeling happen.  Emails and phone calls from friends during the traumatic week helped me so much in regaining the wonderful atmosphere of my beloved HeartSong Farm.  Friends are definitely a Necessity of Life, aren't they?!

During that initial week following the attacks, I tried to find joy in my garden and with my remaining llamas.  I found I couldn't sit still long enough to find it.  Restless and unfocused at that point, weeding and cultivating and watering my garden was a chore instead of a pleasure.  And so the weeds had somewhat of a reprieve. Fortunately, we had quite a few nice rains, so that my lack of watering did not cause any harm to my vegetable plants.  I also had to keep my wounds clean and free from dust and dirt, so shearing the final two llamas was out of the question, as was mowing the yard.  Hanging my clothes on the line did little to lift my spirits, and I didn't even notice the heat and humidity coming through my open windows.

At this time, however, I can share that I have finally and successfully put all those negative feelings behind me, and I am once again at peace .... or at least 98% at peace .... I still have a twinge of fear several times a day, but the anger is gone and the fear that is left will just keep me on my toes, and will fade in time.

My longtime friend, Debbie, ordered Ben and me some pepper spray canisters from Amazon.com, and they arrived on the 19th with a message to "carry these and use them".  Yes, ma'am, I responded!  She said she likes my attitude!

My very own pepper spray, ready to use!

And for the time being, all is quiet on the Western Front, where the dogs and their owners live with their children. I was notified by animal control that the male dog had been released to the owners on the tenth day after the attack, with no evidence of rabies.  Nice to know!  I received my copy of the attorney's letter to the neighbors and it is eloquently written.  It states the facts succinctly, and is in no way combative or antagonistic. It states that they should not have contact with me about the situation, that I want to be reimbursed for my bills, and the pain and suffering of my young llama, and requires that the two dogs responsible be removed from the premises since nothing had been done to remedy the situation of the dogs getting out when I had originally requested it several times and several months ago. 

We have not seen either of the pit bulls in almost a week now, but I have heard dogs whining and yelping from inside the neighbors' home several times at night.  The people have mowed their lawn three times since returning from vacation (we haven't finished once!) but, since early this week, Ben and I have seen absolutely no outside activity over there at all.  We are grateful for the peace and quiet!

SO ..... are you ready for what is happening otherwise around here?!  I sure am ready to change the subject!

First harvest of 2014 Summer Season!  Two zucchinis, two patty pan
squash and one long bean.

Amidst all the drama around here with the pit bulls and their owners, that first week I was out in the garden only long enough to harvest the first veggies of the season.  At first I thought that I had left this zucchini on the vine a bit too long, but this variety of zucchini naturally grows much larger than the little skinny ones we see in the grocery.  I sliced these up and sauteed them with some purple onion and olive oil, then garnished it with grated Parmesan cheese and some slivered Greek basil from my garden. Talk about yummy! I later roasted the other squashes with a garlic, sea salt and olive oil drizzle in my little toaster oven and they were quite tasty, too.  Bring on the veggies, I say!  I am ready to enjoy!

The second harvest, last weekend:  beans, basil,
tomatoes, patty pan squashes, and the first yellow

squash of the season.

Yesterday's harvest:  crisp corn salad greens, a
tomato, and a couple of the patty pan squash.

Today's harvest was a few more beans, some Thai and purple basil,
a mess of chard.  This became my supper alongside some new

potatoes from my friend Judy's garden, and a small batch of the shelled

asparagus beans.

Shelled asparagus beans.  They seem to go through several color
stages as they grow in the pod.  The smallest looking much like a

black-eyed pea, then turning red, and finally black at the largest.

The asparagus beans are really growing fast now, and each measures about 26 inches in length.  I have discovered that you can either harvest them to eat as green beans, or wait a day or two and harvest them as shelling beans. I have already shared with you that one of my favorite things to do is hang clothes on the line to dry.  Well, another one of those favorite things is to shell peas and beans!

I do not know exactly why these activities bring me such joy, but they do.  I feel the same way when I am spinning, weaving and working with fibers and fabrics, as well as chopping and cooking in the kitchen.  They seem to cause me to stop and breathe slowly and experience what is going on around me, and to appreciate the little things that I love so much. The hectic pace of the world seems to slow down, and I am in a world of my own.

Blossom of the asparagus bean. They bloom early morning, and by
noon they have closed up.  The bees love them!

I harvested my garlic and was pleased enough with the results considering that I planted cloves from garlic bought at the grocery store just to see what would happen.  They are drying out on my back porch for a week or so in order for them to cure before using them.  I knew that the possibility of getting a large harvest was far less using the grocery store garlic due to the probability that they were a hybrid that would not reproduce well, if at all.  This is something that can be avoided by purchasing "sets" from a seed supply company.  

First ever garlic harvest on HeartSong Farm

In the fall, I will order and plant garlic sets, and that way I will be sure of what I will harvest come this time next year.  I can then save some of the smaller buds or cloves from that harvest to continue my year to year plantings. I must say, though, that the garlic I planted last fall was very easy to grow and if you have just a little bit of space for growing anything, and don't want to invest in purchased sets, it is well worth having fun growing some garlic from the grocery for yourself!  You can grow them in pots as well as the ground.

A new and quite interesting friend came visiting two Saturday afternoons ago to pick up some of my "rogue" chaste trees that the bees and butterflies love on my farm.  When Ellen arrived she said she would "just be here for 30 minutes, tops."  But two hours later, we were still having a wonderful time on the back porch sipping iced tea, swatting flies, and sharing stories before she left with 8 little trees to take home and plant for the bees!  We met through a mutual friend on Facebook.  Thanks, "Gracie Lou!"  And thanks, Ellen, for planting more trees for the bees! 

Crepe myrtles and the original chaste tree, quite large now.  You cannot see, but all of the above are just covered with honey bees, bumble bees, and several other varieties of bees.

One of the "rogue" chaste trees that pop up in my yard near the original tree.

Readers, are you doing your part for the bees?  They need us!  They really do.  On HeartSong Farm, two of the current bee attractions are the chaste tree and the crepe myrtles.  Butterflies are also attracted to these popular trees. Why not plant some in your yard to help attract and sustain our winged visitors?!   A list of bee-loving plants is forthcoming here on my blog, but for the time being you can "google" and discover them for yourself.  Be careful, however, where you purchase your plants!  I suggest to get them from a friend, neighbor, farmers market or a plant nursery because the major retailers such as Walmart, Home Depot and Lowe's (yes, my dear sweet Lowe's!) have plants that are treated with a substance that kills bees along with the actual pests the substance is touted to keep out of your garden!  Be wary!  Without bees there would be no pollination, and with no pollination, no good veggies to enjoy!

Chaste trees can be kept small and bush-like, or allowed to grow as tall as they can, which you can see is quite tall. It is best to trim them during the fall if you wish to keep them small.  They grow very quickly, and they have a second, smaller bloom in August.  I got my original one at the end of the season in 2001 at Sutherlands for $1.19 with no tag and no one knew what it was!  What a deal, huh?!

Butterfly on one of the small chaste trees in the pasture.  I should know the name of this winged lovely, but I can't think of it right now!

Tried to capture a photo of a Giant Swallowtail but it kept moving away from me, a bit wary of the human with her camera!

During this past week, I also spotted a kingfisher on an overhead line next to a large pond near the highway. Folks, I was overjoyed at the sight!  These interesting birds are solitary, and when I first moved here in 1998, I regularly saw one on my way to and from town.  After Hurricane Rita blew through here in 2005, I no longer saw it, and I was so sad.   So, this sighting has brought me immense joy to know that they have returned to my environment.    



AND, 

I have finally finished getting everything sorted out, filled out, applied for, and received, and I am now 100% ready to be on Medicare come July 1st.  It is a Rite of Passage, don't you know, and I am excited.  And, only 24 months to Retirement, Glorious Retirement!


And so, thankfully, Life is getting back to normal here on HeartSong Farm....