Glowing embers crackled softly in the fireplace as the last fire of 2023 burned to ashes. The young woman lay camped out on a woolly sheepskin rug before the hearth in the otherwise darkened farmhouse. It was the longest night of the year─the Winter Solstice. For farmers such as she, this was….
We woke to a marshmallow world on Monday, farm and landscape blanketed in white. The cold and snow of winter fully upon us now. These are the Darkest Days of the year stretching out ahead…
Welcome December. The days have become frigid, the nights downright bitter, as we descend into the darkest days of the year. Here in the western mountains of Maine, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of new snow, the Winter Solstice, and the bright and shiny New Year. Or─I am anyway, …
Heaving a sigh of relief, this farmer stood outside watching snowflakes as they cascaded from the heavens above. Winter preparations began in August, with an eye toward this inevitable day. Now it is here, I welcome our first Snow Day with open arms, and an open heart. I am ready …
The Earth’s orbit around the sun has brought us once more to this─the shortest day and the longest night─the Winter Solstice. For all of Earth’s creatures, nothing is so fundamental as the length of daylight. It drives warmth, weather, and life itself on our planet. Today we know that the …
As the Wheel of the Year turns the seasons and we move deeper into the darkest half of the year I want to pause for a moment to reflect on the journey that has brought me to where I am today. I’ve spent a lot of time this fall looking …
There were times when the obstacles seemed insurmountable, times when I all but despaired of ever reaching my goal–when the dream of returning to the forested hillside where I found my salvation appeared forever out of reach; but I am finally able to say that yesterday, Friday, December 13th of …
As it is for many families, the holiday season is a fun time here at Runamuk. While we don’t celebrate Christmas (check out this post here for more info on that!) we still do many of the same holiday traditions that most families enjoy at this time of the year. …
