Loner's Leap

I used to call the little farm we had on our acreage Loner's Ridge, fashioned loosely after the Ridge in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander Series of books. That whole time seems like eons ago- no more husband, no more rushing to get to high school in the morning, no more little kids- they all tower over me now with Jake pushing 6'3". There is a season of peace- more time to sit around a bon fire and less time spent worrying about silly stuff. See the lounge chair in this picture? It came from the lake house in Buffalo, Indiana when my mom sold the house. My father made those chairs and they are more precious than gold to me.
I like living here unfettered, though the lonliness creeps in and I miss having a special someone, it is nice to have things the way I want them most of the time. There is a freedom in having a couple of acres to walk through in the morning.

Today was a perfect example- I got up with the dawn, made coffee, fed the dogs and then went out to the yard with my pruning shears. My privet bushes are over 6'tall now, so they needed a little trim. My cherry and nectarine trees are spreading out over the paths, so they needed a little trim as well. The fruit trees have been a pleasant surprise since moving to Georgia, they really grow well. I even took some peach pits from my canning adventure last year and planted those, to see what would happen. Not all of them took, but four of them did, and I have 4 lovely peach sapplings to show for it. So now we have: 1 Nectarine, 10 peach, 2 cherry, 4 pear, 3 apple, 2 plum, 3 fig, 2 pecan, and 2 persimmon trees. Thank God we have 3 acres. As I typed this I just realized that I am really making my dream of having a little orchard a reality. Huh, funny how those little things all add up. There are muscadine vines, elderberry bushes, blueberry bushes and blackberry canes all waiting for next year's harvest. The whole yard seems to be settling in for the winter, ready for rest, ready for the peace that is winter here, and awaiting the possibilities of spring. Seems like the garden has the right idea. We have renamed the house to Loner's Leap- as each day is a leap of faith- trusting in the Lord's provision. And He never disappoints us.