The vintage green dress hung in the closet years before I arrived, rescued by my in-laws at a yard sale in Nebraska. It was tacky and garish and not my style at all, not unlike my surroundings. Month after month, my husband tried to coax me into it just for kicks, but I stubbornly said no, repelled by the idea of me in that dress. As the days passed and my pace slowed, my hands busy with a garden instead of a computer, the resistance slowly began to melt, and what was his, gradually became ours. After months of resilience, I discovered I had made peace with this place, and, more importantly, found a peacefulness within myself, and the homestead became my home. And then one day, while I was alone, and for no particular reason I can remember, I reached deep into the closet and stepped into the green dress. It fit perfectly. And the Green Dress series was born. - aleza**