I drove to Madison last Wednesday (the same day my pint-sized beautician decided she needed a trim–more on that later). It’s not a bad drive–just eight hours–and really, I can’t even tell you the last time I had that kind of time to myself.
Of course, though, I cried for 30 minutes after I dropped off Olivia at daycare that morning. When I hit Kansas City, I realized that I was completely unencumbered and totally free for four whole days. Then I immediately felt guilty and cried a bit more for good measure.
Despite the near blinding tears, I managed to find my way up I-35 to I-80. I even stopped at the outlet mall Bryan always zooms by (not that great, but I enjoyed the break). I had reasonably clear roads until I crossed the Wisconsin border, and even then, they weren’t too bad.
I stayed overnight with Chuck and Lori at their farm near Mt. Horeb. They treated me to a really incredible dinner and amazingly cozy guest room. On Thursday morning, I slept through chores, but Lori took me on a hike around the gorgeous farm a bit later.
There’s more than 80 acres for Duke to roam:
Here’s Lori with the horses. I quickly found that my winter wear is sorely lacking, but Lori loaned me a pair of boots and warmer gloves.
The farm is fenced by a soon-to-be stocked trout stream.
One of the beautiful old barns…
The corn crib:
And, my personal favorite, the chicken coop, with condos just waiting to be filled this spring!
I can’t wait to come back–maybe when it’s a bit warmer, though.
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