Passing the Torch

Mondays are never easy for me.  I have to scramble to get the farm ready to be without me for a day.  It's like leaving a giant day care center unattended, with dogs to take care of everything.   I'm still reliving my walk Friday night, in the dark, up the hill, with snow crunching under my feet.  The air was crisp and clear.  When I started up one star had emerged to the north, with the last rosy glow fading on the other side of the valley to the west.    As we reached the top of the hill I turned to find barnyard lights turned on down the valley and up the Edmeston hill, a very long way off.   Stars were dotting the sky.  I don't have the same sky view I had when moving here eight years ago.  The massive Chobani yogurt factory complex glare has put a shadow on the sky.  The little village of Brookfield has new street lights, way too bright, three miles away.    Hamilton, seventeen miles from me, contributes to the glare.  I remember opening my trailer door one moonless night eight years ago and feeling my way to the picnic table so I could lie on my back and take in the magnificence.  The Milky Way was a white streak across the sky.  It's not quite so well defined now.  Too bad.  I spent most of the weekend on the farm, working in the barn,   I made Peppermint soap and did some spinning.  I'm very excited about Mia coming tomorrow night.  I'm teaching her how to make Shepherd's Friend Hand Creme.  Passing the torch.  I've made it for ten years and now she wants to make it.  She has some excellent business plans and a partner to help her.  I've decided to get out of the soap and hand creme aspect of my farm and concentrate on fibers and fabric.  I have a giant stockpile of beautiful fabrics that I hardly have time to touch.  I'm expecting more sheep this spring and my angora rabbit population is growing.   I want to make yarn, not soap.   I've made it for twenty years.  Time to pass on that torch, too.  How lucky I am to have a talented and energetic daughter who wants to learn from me.  It will take a bit of time for her to hone her skills and I will be happy to pass on her contact info when she's ready.