December 17th, 2010
We have almost 2 feet of winter wonderland here!! One cat was brave enough to go out and disappeared to his ears.....seemed like he kind of liked it. His brother looked on from inside with horror. For Zia, it's about as close as he'll come out here to water. The horses are up to their knees and were very happy to get their hay this morning.
This storm welcomes in our 3rd winter here....the kids are in the local school system and thriving. Chris and I work together at the local Community Health Center, are both loving the work and being able to contribute to our community. Life is good with it's usual bumps and hiccups---We got broken into last week which didn't feel good--Mom had a serious stroke in October and is now slowly working to get back some of what she lost at a Rehab on the Cape--Dad is dealing with worsening symptoms of Alzheimer's--Chris's folks are going strong in Iowa--and we're getting all of our meds really cheap from Canada!!!!!
Our Haflinger mare, Morgan (the blondie pictured above) is 8 months pregnant and you can see the foal kick away inside of her. She is due in April and we can't wait for the little bundle to come. We think Sarmin, our 19 year old Arabian, will be a great Uncle. The two are inseparable. We're ready to start our next chapter as horse midwives and raisers- we're avidly reading and talking to everyone on what to expect. Teslin is especially excited about what is to come!
We give great thanks for our numerous friends and neighbors out here in the hills....we have become very close and share horse rides, sweat lodges, and great meals often with our friends across the creek. It is amazing to have moved so far out from things and to have landed near such like-minded friends. There is a great little community out here, all very committed to helping our kids navigate through high school...perhaps home schooling. There are a number of retired teachers who have expressed interest in teaching again....so far we have a geologist, a philosopher, a math, and a science teacher. We'll see how it all comes together. Poca a Poca...
Life has been good to us. Christmas/Solstice is often a time of reflection- looking back at the last year, the past decades, wondering how life all came together to make this "whole" that we are living now. "What a long, strange trip it's been" comes to mind. We still have the "vagabundo" bug and hope to hit the road once more as a family and have more adventures from Alaska to the Yucatan before the kids venture off on their own life journeys. We all share this desire- yes, even the teens! We'll see how this comes together- life has been kind to us so far. I'm sure she'll point us in the right direction one more time!!! Time will tell.
May this coming year bring Peace to all of you and our little family,
The Rugees
