Just like an old friend...

There are a few lyrics from one of my favorite songs by Watchhouse that go:

Just like an old friend

Kinder than expected

Just like an old friend

Bathe me in the light of understanding

And try to help me share the trouble

Hummingbird Ranch is an old friend that always delivers peace, acceptance, and a genuine sense of belonging. I’ve talked often about it being a living, breathing thing - an entity capable of stirring one’s soul, prompting joy, and committing overt acts of honest-to-god seduction.

Upon arrival, Charles and I always walk up the hill to the water tank to stretch our legs and open the water spigot. From this vantage point I can almost see our entire 40 acres, a panorama of nearly 360 degrees. Its beauty always catches my breath and makes me slightly teary. When we walked up there yesterday, the neighbor’s donkey brayed on cue and two circling hawks shrieked in jubilation. I yelled a silent “Hello old friends!” into the wind and thanked my lucky stars for the gift of this moment.

It’s been pretty dry this winter, but recent rains have encouraged some green sprouts, showing the promise of a potentially verdant springtime. It’s also been cold. Charles-under-the-covers cold. Last night I slept in sweats and a beanie. We do have heat in the trailer, but we forgot to turn on the propane before we went to bed, and neither of us could brave getting out of our warm nest to go outside and turn it on. When I took the dog out this morning, there was little difference between the temp of the trailer and the outside morning chill. The sun quickly came up, however, and its warmth swept over the hill, bathing the trailer in a cozy hug.

Hummingbird Ranch turned four on February 1. Our tenure as stewards has been a typical love affair - hot and heavy at first, blindly cloud talking through wild, absurd dreams. And then there’s the moment you are faced with hard truths, forced to work out the kinks, make compromises and decide how to move forward. The lasting and enduring stage of love is when you settle into a deep meaningful partnership, a mutual understanding that this is a marathon not a sprint. As gutted as I am that things aren’t where I need them to be, the space and time has given me valuable insight into what really needs to happen here.

My old friend continues to be kinder than expected, continues to bathe me in the light of understanding, and continues to help me share the trouble of this chaotic and unsettling moment in time.