Evening time

The blue sky is fading into pale shades of yellow as the sun sinks below the horizon. The trees are taking on a silhouette appearance and its nearly time to light the lamps. The windows are still open, it was a warm day of 85 degrees F. The milking has been done, the milk pail and milk strainer scrubbed and put away until morning. The fresh milk, cooling in the refrigerator. Baby goats fed, chickens fed, dog fed, hay manger filled, eggs gathered, washed and put in the fridge. My hands look like a farm lady's hands. Short nails, cracks in the skin along my thumb and index finger. Traces of dirt embedded in the cracks from garden work earlier. There is laundry to be folded, just pulled in off the lines. The only sound is that of Harry barking at who knows what. Emery is not home yet from working on the fence at Melanie and Casi's house. Melanie and Casi worked on the fence this afternoon, but there is so much of it to put up, they needed some help.

The gate is up, a good solid welded farm gate. Just like we have on our land.

We will eat late, small meal because we are both tired from working hard all day. Maybe too tired to eat more than a bowl of cereal.

I can hear the clock ticking in the living room and love the sound... it's steady and familiar.

My skirt has dirt around the hem, proof of my digging in the soil today, planting with love each tiny seed and each tender plant, knowing it will bring food for the table. It feels like love made visible this work in the garden.... actually all the work I did today feels that way.

My apron hung up for one more day. Time now to sit and read until Emery walks through the door. There is a hushed peace that cannot be put into words as the sky has darkened even more. It is dark in the east with a touch of that pale yellow light still hanging on in the western sky. I am planning what things I want to do for tomorrow. Plenty of milk and eggs so maybe some tapioca pudding and time again to bake some bread. Iron shirts, and look through my stack of summery cotton fabrics for a skirt or two. Pinks appeal to me right now and always blues. Emery likes me to wear blue, he grabs me in his arms when I have blue on and says things like, "blue makes your eyes bluer sweet girl of mine" as if I was 24 again. Our love has blinded one another from the fact that we are aging and hidden from view the wrinkles and the graying hair.

Cars now go down the road with headlights on and the door just opened...."hello beautiful" is the greeting I get. Love is wonderful and so too this life of ours .