It being Thanksgiving - a day devoted to gratitude, when we take a break from killing people to share our bountiful harvest instead - I found myself wondering what I'm thankful for. And when I say that I am thankful to be alive, I could mean it in terms of general gratitude for my life, which I do try to remind myself of on particularly downer days. But today, I am actually thankful to be living, breathing, moving - I survived my first solo voyage in traffic with the giant diesel manual transmission truck. After a very long morning with the cows and chickens, I took the farm owner to the airport in Albuquerque. I didn't plan the whole eating/resting thing very well, and between exhaustion, hunger, not really knowing where I was going, and not having driven any vehicle regularly in at least five years, let alone a stick-shift, I was shaking in my boots - literally. I was so completely drained when I got home that I went straight to the fridge, grabbed some deli meat (local and organic of course) to make a sandwich, but didn't exactly get to the sandwich part. All of a sudden I start giggling to myself, realizing it's 4:00 in the evening on Thanksgiving and I'm standing by myself at the kitchen counter scarfing down sliced turkey directly out of the bag. So poetic. Oh well. I've had plenty of harvest-sharing I suppose. And I didn't kill anyone today!

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location: near Santa Fe, NM climate: semi-arid elevation: 7000 feet annual rainfall: 14" annual snowfall: 32" prevailing winds: 7 mph SW January average high/low: 40/19 July average high/low: 91/57 average date of first frost: Oct 10 average day of last frost: May 1 property size: 500 acres, mostly wilderness also used for cattle grazing water supply: rainwater catchment with backup well and active water conservation electricity supply: off-the grid, photovoltaics with backup generator, along with passive systems dwelling: straw-bale construction farmed land: 2 acres biodynamic organic vegetables and herbs harvest distributed to: about 100 CSA members farm animals: 400 chickens, 20 ducks, 2 turkeys, 19 cows, 4 llamas, 2 dogs, 2 cats local animals: mice, tarantulas, snakes, lizards, gophers, owls, coyotes crops: cucumbers, summer squash, delicata squash, acorn squash, butternut squash, hakurei turnips, daikon radishes, kohlrabi, scorzonera, carrots, rutabaga, tatsoi, bac choy, spinach, kale, collards, chard, cabbage, butterhead lettuce, arugula, salad mix, yellow onions, bunching onions, scallions, tomatoes, peppers local vegetation: pinion trees, juniper trees, grasses, cacti people: 7