Our kids were taught in school that the first Thanksgiving was a celebration to thank the Indians for helping us. Nothing could be further from the truth. The pilgrims were thanking God for his favor, a biblical celebration that God himself ordained after the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. They were to celebrate the harvest, and were to acknowledge once again that it was God's favor that allowed them to prosper yet another year. "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." The pilgrims knew that if they acknowledged the source of their abundance then God would continue to bless them, and their offspring. May we never lose sight of this.

We planted 2 apple, 2 cherries, 1 peach, and a bunch of chokecherries - wild cherries, for those of you unfamiliar with our mountain chokecherries. Chokecherries are pretty bitter if eaten right off the tree, but mixed with sugar they make a delightful jelly or syrup. The trees we planted are already about 4 years old so they should produce some fruit next year. Allan and I are very excited about this addition as having a small orchard has always been a dream of ours. We will keep you posted on their progress. If anyone out there has orchard experience and can pass on some tips they would be greatly appreciated.

In case you are wondering about our meat program, the lambs we process are raised by our producing partner, Justin, who lives in the San Juan Valley, south of Alamosa, Colorado. We are so very grateful to him for the wonderful job he does raising the sheep, allowing us to offer lamb to all of you. We regularly get compliments on the lamb, and it is so rewarding to know that we are able to sell such a great product. Thank you, Justin!

While this was a year of building, we hope next year is a year of reaping the benefits of all the ground work that was laid. We are already planning for a better garden and kicking around ideas on how to better market the harvest. We seriously need to get younger, not older, but that is not likely to happen. Allan has been working through some pretty severe shoulder pain, but even that is on the mend. Life is good, and winter will bring some much needed time for rest.

We harvested quite a few acorn squash and although the early one that I cooked was just okay, the one I harvested much later was quite sweet and yummy. I had to pick some of the pumpkins a little green and some of the squash not quite ripe, but I am giving them a chance to ripen in a sunny back room of the house. Another experiment!

Lois & Allan