christmas letter

Greetings

What a wild year we have lived. We have a new son, Anatoly Gustav Wren O’Melay (born 10.10.06). We live an enchanted life filled with hard work and all the fruits of it. The children are thriving, growing and learning. Our day is full of animals: a Jersey cow named Nimue (nim-oo-ay) and her calf Merlin, laying hens and roosters and many other chickens destined to become dinners, a new puppy named Rosie that we rescued from the shelter a few months ago, our cat Sylvia, and a whole garden full of food and bugs and spiders and dirt.

Most of Anatoly’s gestation was spent gardening, milking and canning tomatoes. He is a strong little guy who is rearing to go and become part of the pack. His birth, so easy and natural, was a glimpse into our future. His life so far has blended effortlessly into our own.

Kassiopeia (born 6.18.04) is two: she is tall and thin and wily. Her new baby brother is the center of her attentions as she grows into a little mama. Her favorite color is Pink: all things Pink, including Ponies and Princesses and Pirates (yes, pink pirates!).

Tristan (born 08.09.02) is 4: he is starting to read and write. His love for the computer and all things technology inspires him to learn. Recently he started a Tae-Kwon-Do class and excels in it. his competitive boyish nature is balanced easily by his compassion and empathy for his siblings.

Karl devotes his life to building this utopia for our family. His work now is akin to the job that was his passion in the city, and that feels right. There is plenty of time at home with the family. A barn and fences and a garden built from nothing are new projects over this past year. There is always more to come, which reminds us to live in the moment.

Tabitha found peace this year in the garden, meditating on growth, birth, death, and life in the shade of huge tomato vines. Anatoly grew inside while the fruits of her labor in the garden were ready to harvest. There has been lots of canning and freezing, saving for the winter of indoor baby-holding and knitting. Milking Nimue gives a pleasant rhythm to the days. The highlight of the year was of course the birth of Anatoly. He has been a sweet reward for the year’s work.

Everything that we ever dreamed of, as we moved blindly from the city, is slowly coming our way. Perhaps not as we planned it, not *when* we planned it. The fullness of life reveals itself through our hard work and dedication.

It is our dearest wish that our life here will build our children a strong foundation of respect for our earth and all its creatures.

Peace and Love,

The O’Melay Family