The direct flight to Philadelphia was fine. However, the walk through the airport in Philadelphia is interminable! Adam and Stephen took a personal day for Friday, December 22nd so they could leave Woodbury, New Jersey immediately after work on Thursday, meet me at the airport and drive me to Lancaster County. They were waiting for me at the luggage pick-up, so I had nothing to carry to the car, thank goodness. We talked nonstop the entire one and one-half hour trip home. However, having just recovered from pneumonia, I was exhausted and took a nap as soon as I could after arriving at Orchard Hill Farm.

The days leading up to Christmas were crazed! However, I did have a marvelous time. Ruth and I did not argue much because we weren’t allowed to. Each time one of us would start, Samuel, or Sam Junior, Nichole, or another family member interrupted with either an admonition and/or a distraction. It was a conspiracy because we were never allowed to be alone together for more than a few minutes.

Abraham and Naomi were strangely silent concerning Adam’s, Stephen’s, and my sexuality, though I caught Naomi squinting at the boys through furrowed brow, as though she were performing some queer (pun intended) telepathic evangelical exorcism on them. Samuel, as head of the house asked Abraham to say grace at several of the evening meals, and each of his prayers were short and sweet, including the part in which he asked God to bless every member of the family. However, Abraham did look as though he might cut and run when embraced by Stephen during introductions when he and Naomi arrived at Orchard Hill Friday evening.

It didn’t feel much like Christmas during my stay in Lancaster County with temperatures ranging from the low fifties to mid-sixties in the daytime, and the thirties to mid-forties at night. We did all the usual Christmas stuff, shopped, wrapped packages, visited family and friends, ate too much, and some of us drank too much. I managed to find some time alone to write this entry and another for my political journal, titled “I Told You So.” I also walked around the farm and took pictures of animals, out buildings, and fields. I’ve included one that I especially like with this entry.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were without snow, almost spring-like, but were otherwise better than perfect - more about that next time, dear journal.

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