whatever is foreseen in joy

must be lived out from day to day

(wendell berry)

hello loved ones,

as most of you know, jonathan and i have made a home for our young family out west. we are the proud renters of a 1910 bungalow with lop-sided floors that is sandwiched in the elbow created by I-25, the train yard and a do-it-yourself carwash in the highland neighborhood of denver, co. needless to say: it’s got plenty of character. and we couldn’t be happier.

we call it our homestead. it’s given us the space to experiment with being a little more self-sufficient. between the kitchen, shed, backyard, tool room and basement we’ve been able to set up many types of shop: bakery, brewery, cheese shop, bike shop, pickling factory, coffee roaster, charcuterie, seamstress, carpenter’s shop, restaurant, and—our personal favorite—hen house. though we could do without the ladies’ early morning squawks begging us to let them out of the coop, it is a delight to gather the eggs each day and watch them be, well, chickens. (if you’ve never given yourself over for some chicken watching we highly recommend it).

jonathan is re-discovering his passion working as a cook, first at root down and now olivéa--two very reputable restaurants in denver. to help feed the piggy bank, i work with a real estate agent negotiating short sales and as a hostess at duo, another restaurant worth visiting. our beloved--albeit ornery--companion, ottoman, holds down the fort at home, sometimes accompanied by his new friend, roman.

come visit us sometime. we’d love to share the bounty.

happy valentine’s day.

love,

emily and jonathan