It snowed again this week. Thus another snow day. I only teach twice a week, and both times it has snowed have been on days I would teach. I love teaching, but I also love the unexpected bonus of a day at home catching up on things, and also the sense of being ahead of myself in terms of class preparations.

We've been having guests for dinner most Friday nights - because it's Sabbath, I make challah. I'm sure it's one of the reasons my stepchildren love me. We usually have 8-12 people sit down to dinner. And they usually get through two loaves of bread. Quite honestly, it wouldn't matter what else we served, the bread carries the day. Last night, we made baked tilapia that had been marinated in garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. It was delicious. And we had salad made with the lettuce that Nataw and I had picked at the farm we went to this week for our Organic Vegetable Growing class. And fingerling sweet potatoes from the same place. We eat well in this house.

The gardening class is at a community college 30 minutes from here, and taught by a guy who is extremely knowledgeable. We discovered on the first night that our friend Brian is also doing the class. He is an expert in composting - that's his job - and is the one who set us up with our worms - the worms that eat the waste food that the chickens won't eat.

This afternoon, Nataw and Paul and I worked outside, fencing in the expanded vegetable garden - we have added on an area that is about 5 times the size of the garden we had last year! The fence is over 6 feet high - high enough to keep out the deer, and flush to the ground to keep out the rabbits. We ordered 15 different kinds of vegetable seeds this week, and have some seeds starting inside already. And as soon as we get the ground ready, we'll be putting carrots and peas in the new garden. I wonder how I got through 50-odd years without the joy of owning a garden. It is such a big part of our lives now.