I rest this evening and listen to the rumblings of autumn winds just outside. If I quiet my mind and close my eyes, I can almost return to the Rocky Mountains and a time when I felt more free than I appreciated, but less of the woman I am today. It's amazing how service can render one more free than the ideological paths our hearts sometimes chase. I think most Veterans would agree that our time in the service was free because of the structure, the purpose, and the trust we had with our comrades. While I'll not say I feel sorry for those who did not take an oath of service to the country, I will say that I would hope everyone could experience an environment of peers where they felt equally assured. Autumn breezes always bring to mind my years in the Air Force Reserves and Air National Guard. It was in autumn that I first chose to enlist -- just after a few tall towers were erased from the skyline. It was in autumn that I first departed US soil for lands untold. It was in ...

The phrase "putting by" often conjures thoughts of canning and cold storage, thoughts of days gone by. For this little chapter, "putting by" also implies preparing for the weeks ahead, for my family. As many of you know, we've recently relocated our farm and had a new baby. The to-do list is likely as long as the list of transitions that we've all gone through. While progress feels slow, we inch away at carving out a new home and settling into a new groove by the hour. Our oldest recently started school outside the home and I grew some new parenting muscles as I prepared lunch and snack and packed a bookbag for a teacher who didn't regularly dine at our dinner table. Some days I feel a bit like an imposter when I say we homeschool; some days I feel a bit like an imposter when I say my child attends school outside the home. We are they hybrid. We are the in-between and while it may not always work this way, this way works well for our tribe. Now, th...