Reflecting on my thirty five years with Tomaso and my life long relationship with my brother Delaney, who passed five months to the day of Tomaso, requires solitude and quiet. It is time to begin reviewing the year, and to intentionally visualize how we plan to move forward in 2021. The holidays are fast approaching. Cold weather is ebbing and flowing, here in Pennsylvania. Soon the garden must be put to bed.

Pearlie and I will take our daily walks no matter what- rain, snow, or freezing temperatures. In this moment, the chill of Autumn refreshes and invigorates. Each breath is a reminder that even as 2020 was (and is) a tragedy for many, this one step and breath need not reflect the angst that has gathered around our collective heart.

What was Tomaso’s favorite season? We moved from a farmhouse several years ago. Mowing in the summer, splitting wood in fall and winter plus all else needing attention was becoming too much for Tomaso’s ever fragile heart condition. We moved to our simple rancher soon after the third heart attack.

Yesterday, our farm tenants and I signed a lease/purchase agreement for the eventual sale of the farm. Even the pandemic can’t stop forward progress.

Every time I visit my dear tenants, major transformation greets me. The once plain patio Tomaso and I built together is now a Moroccan Mecca. A new kitchen in the basement has begun a business of catering mid eastern food near and far.

Tomaso hand picked our tenants. He had a vision for the farmhouse. And now his dream for the property, bordering on the beautiful Conestoga River, has come to fruition. OM