did another sweat lodge yesterday, and again, it felt really good. aiyana came too this time, and she went in the lodge with me the entire time. sena and ed stayed outside. at one point, it started snowing hard, and hale was coming down, and the wind was blowing fierce. inside the lodge is was hot and steamy, peaceful and protected. it felt so good to be in there like that, listening to the voices of the wind outside. after the lodge was over, it felt invigorating to come out into the cold, and as i rummaged around in the darkness, looking for my clothes and boots and all my belongings, i just could not stop laughing. i just felt so free and light and good. today i'm still feeling really good, and i do believe that sweating like that is very beneficial for my health, getting rid of toxins, not to mention clearing the mind. i'm also glad that aiayana was in there with me. it was a special thing to share. i held her little hand most of the time, not because she was afraid, but because i wanted us to feel close.

other that that, the last week and a half has been really busy. lots of changes and new additions. we cleared another 1.5 acres of our land, which was all brushy and tangled with bittersweet vines. we're going to put down a covercrop in the next couple of weeks, and then the plan is to put in an orchard. it's a long term plan, but one that is very exciting. we're thinking of a variety of fruit trees and bushes, as well as some nuts. we hired ed's cousin and his crew for clearing the land, and they did a grood job.

we also got more animals: 3 new cats, for rodent control, and 25 baby chicks, which are now in the house under a heating lamp, but will be going outside with the rest of the flock in a few weeks.

the CSA is just over 90% full. i already started soil blocks in the greenhouse, for onions, and some brassicas and they're germinating. our new unheated greenhouse already has spinach, lettuces, radishes, carrots, beets, and greens growing in the ground, which is incredible (i planted on february 2nd). what a winter!
this coming week, we're going to try to plant more vegetables outside, since the ground is not really frozen.

we've been doing some maple syrup as well, just for fun with the kids. we won't get much, just something for our family.
that's about it for an update.

peace