It's November 20 and 60F outside at dusk tonight. Wow. We took a walk up on the ridge an hour ago and  loved the way the warm wind blew the dry leaves. Came back to see the sun setting over Mt. Aeolus -- pinks and golds. Sometimes I can't believe how lucky we are.

The last several days I've been working hard on a new funding proposal for our policy work. Multiple projects, aiming to improve the lives of thousands of Vermont children and their families. I'm such a bleeding heart, do-gooder - the saving grace is I want to make sure public investments are transparent, sustainable, and come with a high return on investment.

ROI is my new buzz word -- what's the ROI of raising your own chickens or cows for meat and eggs? For all the effort I put into cooking and growing our own food -- what do we actually get out of it? What my kids have shown me as each one applied to college is that a key part of who they are (as reflected in those application essays), has come from having responsibilities around our farm. All I know is that it's been fun. And, the food is pretty good.

I wish you all a lovely week - and a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'll be making pies for the family feast - and I'll let you know about how Screwdrivers make the whole pie crust thing a success!