Our farm fronts on a state highway, but has 17 acres out behind the farmhouse, separated from the pasture by a stream and now, a fence to keep the sheep and donkeys in. We hope to expand that fence one day when we can afford to, but this afternoon, as the storm began to ebb a bit, we decide to walk through the woods to the rear of our property, bounded by an old stone wall on a rise. We had taken some short hikes to the back, but we were just too busy moving in to really explore the property. What better time, we decided, than in a biting winter storm.

I don’t believe I have ever walked all the way back before, and it was not simple going in hills and high drifts. We walked the dogs (Frieda on a leash) through the pasture, and we were both delighted by the forest, beautiful trees, brooks, brush and quiet open spaces and gentle hills. We both had the same idea – what a great spot back there for a small cabin, a retreat, a place to walk, think, perhaps meditate. A meditation cabin. I’ll picture it in my head every morning, perhaps it will come true for us one day.

The dogs loved romping through the forest – Lenore was excited by all the snow and raced up and down, Red keeping up with her. We kept Frieda on a leash and she picked up sticks and tossed them in the air. We had to find planks to get across some water and we curved too far on the North and ended up behind a neighbor’s house, to the North of our property. How wonderful to have these woods. Once we cut a path through the brush, we can walk back there every day, a perfect place for the dogs, for us.

The woods opened up a whole new world for us, a new kind of path, a connection to nature.

We saw two deer hunting stands, there is a pond, some open spaces, birds nests and dens. It is pristine back there, undisturbed for more than a century. A new dimension of our new house seemed to open up, right behind us. When we walked through the pasture, Simon tried to walk with us, he followed right behind me until we shooed him away from the fence. But one day I will take him on a walk through those woods, perhaps he can join us every day.

One day, perhaps I will have a meditation cabin there. Maria would love that too. I could write there sometimes, we could eat back there, even camp there sometimes. And right there, in our back yard. These woods are our back yard.