Barnheart (Humpday Giveaway!!!)

Ever had something you long for? Something you pine for so deeply it aches? An itch you just can't seem to scratch, no matter how hard you try? My buddy Jenna had that particular affliction something fierce. She had a desire so strong, a yearning so profound that she called it a disease, seemingly without cure. "Barnheart" was what she had, and a farm of her own was what she wanted.

In her new memoir, Jenna chronicles her journey of moving from one rental property in Idaho to another in a Vermont cabin. After a series of snafus left her yearning for a place of her own, she took an enormous leap of faith, secured a mortgage, and became the proud overseer of a stellar farm on 6 acres in Upstate New York.

Barnheart bears witness to Jenna's processes of becoming a shepherd to a small herd of sheep, a handler to her very own sheep dog, a gardener dealing with the inevitable triumphs and travails befalling such a pursuit, and so much more. For about a week in December, I would curl up in bed with Huxley at night and, as he drifted off to sleep, savor a chapter or more in Barnheart. It's the sort of read you want to draw out and linger with, to mull over and ruminate on.

To celebrate Barnheart, I'd like to give one fortunate small measure reader a copy of their own. To enter, simply tell me what your own longing is. What do you "hanker" for, as it's said here in the south? Me, I want an orchard on our property. Nothing massive, just a small orchard with a number of fruit and nut trees. I know we'll get there, eventually, but in the meantime, every time I walk or drive down by our lower field, I see my future orchard in my mind's eye and hanker for it. Big time.

So, what about you? Leave a comment telling me what thing, or place, or person stirs pangs of longing within you. I'll leave the giveaway open for a week (I'm thinking that Wednesdays will be the new standard small measure giveaway day, a sort of "Humpday Giveaway", to move us all sanely through the week's remainder), concluding midnight EST January 18th. Canadians, pine away, your longings are welcome here, too. Please leave a means of contacting you in your reply should you be the winner, either via an email address or a link back to your own blog or website.

Either way, winner or not, do check out Barnheart. Jenna has written a beautiful, sincere, heartening book, packed with inspiration. Whether you aspire to a farm of your own or not, her tale proves that whatever the heart wants, the heart wants and that, with perseverance, fortitude, courage, and sometimes a few tears, it can be had.


*Image from here.

UPDATE: The winner of the Barnheart giveaway is lucky number 131, LJ of No Children, No Cry. Thank you SO much for your enthusiastic replies. I loved reading everyone's comments. Keep pining, folks. You'll make your dreams happen that way!