The first week of December tightens the world a little… pastures settle into straw and shadow, animals move with earned economy, and the kitchen shifts toward food that actually sustains rather than performs. Winter strips the farm to its frame and leaves the essentials exposed… frost, breath, woodsmoke, the quiet rhythm of work that never really stops. This is the season when meals deepen, gatherings simplify, and attention returns to what endures. If a Christmas ham belongs on your table, now is the moment… they won’t last long.

When the rain turns to needles and the wind comes off the lake, it’s not shelter that saves the flock—but timing, instinct, and a handful of hay or square of good stockpile.

Barbecue isn’t just something to do on a Sunday. It’s a rebellion. It’s a return. It’s a reaffirmation of everything good and grounded about food. So fire up that smoker, invite your neighbors, and bring out the lamb chops from your local grass farm, the beef brisket that grazed on native pasture, and the pork shoulder that rooted through the woods like nature intended.

The debate over free speech reveals that while we have the right to speak freely, our greatest responsibility lies in using that freedom to uplift, protect, and cultivate a better world for all.