Writer's Retreat

Last weekend, we had the 1st Annual Oakdale Farm Writer's Retreat! Attendees were from Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri.

Just as half the women arrived, a calf was being born. The women enjoyed watching and seeing the newborn calf. One author, Dori Butler, helped with chores and bottle feeding a calf. Her last two blogs were about the weekend as well (with lots of photos). Go here: http://dorihbutler.livejournal.com/

Several of us wrote in the "portable writer's cabin" (which was a tent!) next to the pond. Two ladies writing under the pear tree (not in the tent) had pears dropped near them by a squirrel. The fish and frogs were jumping a lot. The weather was very cooperative and beautiful.

We wrote a lot, ate some terrific food and award-winning pies, played several loud games, and just had fun getting to know each other better. The women, perhaps, got an appreciation for farming - or at least some some fodder for future writing projects! I got some work done on the biography I'm writing (rewriting).

Farm news: haven't had many periods of three dry days in a row. We should be on the third cutting of hay and we are still on the first! The garden has suffered a little from not being able to get in there and weed, the tomatoes have some blight from all the rain, but overall it's doing pretty well. Will be canning beets, pickles, green beans, corn, salsa, tomato juice, in the next couple of weeks.

Colossians 3:23-24 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."