the first day of november

I had to go easy on Isis this night. In my most difficult week, he had stayed low. Often, he'd avoid the farmhouse. As if he knew that I just hadn't the energy for his foibles. When he came this might, I petted him profusely. He'd earned it.

Not to say that he was humble in his acceptance of my gratitude. He sprawled on the bed, between my limbs and refused to move.



photo by Ed


I was so tired, that mostly, I payed no attention.
See?? Ed tells me… You can sleep through anything! Storms at sea, anything!
We'd been having this discussion -- whether I am capable of ever enjoying a long boat ride (it's part of our winter break planning). I say no, he says yes. In our life together, vetoes usually prevail.






This morning, I set out on Rosie feeling chilled, rushed and tired. But knowing, too, that the toughest work period of the entire year is (mostly) behind me. So that's a good thing. And anyone out and about today would have noticed and given a nod to our great Midwestern sky. Nowhere in the planet is it more expansive, beautiful, humbling than here, for us, standing in Wisconsin fields of grain (and other more interesting crops).






Then follows the hellishly busy Thursday. Teach, work, work, teach, teach, work work work, office hours, office hours, office hours, phew. Done.

I thought I'd be stumbling home now, depleted, desensitized, but no! It is a gorgeous evening!






Full of... sky!






At the farmette, we have s surprise gift. Farmer Lee left this for us.






Ed tells me we should winter them over in our root cellar. I didn't even know we had a root cellar.  Isis looks on.






It is the evening of a promised dinner out. Not a big deal dinner out, but a "you don't have to cook" dinner out. The kind where we each take along good reading matter (no kidding) and we look for a place to sit at the bar (at our local Dane Pub). There is a pool table behind us and as we wait for our food, Ed asks -- you want to?  Of course, it's one of those things that he's done quite a bit of in the past and I've done hardly at all and so our talents are mismatched, but that's fine -- it makes for a quick game, after which we can go back to our reading materials.



another Ed photo


We ride his motorbike back to the farmhouse when it's good and dark, good and cold too. At home, he asks if I want a hot shower to warm up. No, just turn on yesterday's Jon Stewart and sit next to me. And of course, very quickly, in mid-sentence, I doze off.