Or at least in two hours, and 42 minutes. For anyone living in the Eastern Time Zone of the United States. So if you have already experienced your New Year celebrating, Happy New Year, and if you are going to celebrate much later than three hours from now, well, have fun celebrating!
Now, if you think that this is going to be a long reminiscing of all the things that have come to pass this past year and my hopes for the next year to come, well you're right.
Well it's not going to be too long. But it is amazing how quickly a year passes. And all the changes it brings. Friends getting married, friends and family getting pregnant, friends having babies, friends and family moving homes, friends changing jobs, and, sadly, losing a beloved family member. The normal cycles of life that we all experience, yet each experience opens us up to life and it's vast, well, experiences.
I have gone through many life changes during the tumulus year, from changing jobs and needing to move, to experiencing the highs and lows of trying to get pregnant, to losing loved ones, and seeing loved ones come together. Crying my eyes out when I heard about the Boston Marathon bombings, and then crying my eyes out when everyone stood and sang the National Anthem at the Bruins after the bombings. Waiting excitedly with millions of others when Duchess Cate gave birth to a healthy son. And jumping up and down yelling at the top of my lungs when the Red Sox won the World Series. About almost as exciting as winning my Fantasy Football League this year.
So I can say this from my heart, that I am so appreciative of all the memories, both sad and happy, that created the year 2013 for me. And my hope is that 2014 will bring in many more wonderful memories, including a new home with my husband and (fingers crossed) a new addition to our family.
Happy New Year everyone!
And here's to another incredible year full of great memories called 2014!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Merry Yule Everyone!
With the craziness that is the holiday season, it's sometimes surprising to remember that it's beginnings really is about the coming of the light. The darkest day of the year is happening today, at least in the Northern Hemisphere.
But that has alot to say about what exactly this holiday season is about. A celebration of joy and happiness of another year over, the beginning of a new year to come, and not allowing the darkness to consume you, but rather realizing the balance that's needed to create change.
And if that's to philosophical then I guess that winter is the perfect time to party because it's cold, thereis more inclination to eat good foods and drinking alcohol to warm the body. And, if you eat seasonally like I do, then you realize the abundance of meat and breads of this time of year coincides with harvest and meat slaughtering seasonality.
But really in the end it's one of my favorite Wiccan holidays. And I'm going to celebrate with making cookies, eating pork, and drinking cider. And hopefully, with our imminent move, we'll find a place where next Yule I can have a Yule log to truly bring in the Yuletide season.
Here's to the darkest night! And to the coming light!
Blessed Be!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Baby It's COLD COLD COLD Outside!
I think the title of this post says it all.
It has been FREAKIN COLD out for the past week or so!
And we've had more snow storms in the past week than we had for the whole month of December and January combine last year. And that's been a total of two.
But this hasn't stopped me from having to work outside, even on the coldest days. Though it has made me very thankful for warm wood stoves, hot cups of tea, and very large water heaters that allow for very long and hot showers. But it also made me realize how to work in very cold temperatures. It's not something that is taught very often in our climate controlled world that we live in.
So here are five lessons that I've learned this past week about working outside in the cold, so that hopefully others will learn from the mistakes I made to learn the lessons I state here. Does that make any sense? No? Good! Moving on!
1.) DO NOT SWEAT while working outside in below freezing temperatures.
I remember Les Straud favorite saying on Survivor Man "You sweat, you die." Well maybe it's not his favorite, but it's one he often says. And I have to say, it's totally true! Not to say that I'm dead, but I certainly was in the early stages of hypothermia on several occasions because I decided to plow through my work, without thinking that my underclothing would get wet from the sweat. Then, later, when I was sitting in a some what warm office, or even driving home in my warm car, I would start shivering because I was cold at the skin. After the third time this happened I brought with me a warm sweatshirt that would warm my body back up, but really only moving around again would get my body temperature up. But I also began to realize that I needed to slow down my movements and be conscious of how warm my body was getting. Which then led me to my next lesson....
2.) Wear layers.
Layers are a person's best friend when they are working outside on a very cold day, especially if the day starts cold, ends up warm, and then gets cold again. The ability to take off layers when I'm doing some of the more intense work, and then putting layers back on when you are not moving around so much. And it's more than just layers of shirts or coats, it's also removing a hat or scarf if it's still cold but you don't want to sweat. The cold air on the back of the neck will certainly cool you down quickly. But you also want to be warm after, so make sure you have a scarf or warm hat or gloves to put back on. And if it's dirtying work, like what I do, then make sure it's not something you would want to wear out on the town. Honestly my farm outfit looks like a hippy hobo splattered themselves with mud, rolled their hat and scarf around in hay, and then made kittens walk on their shoulders to put their muddied paw prints on their coat. Ok, I didn't make them do it, they like to stay on my shoulder while I work. Ummmm, moving on......
3.) Take several breaks to warm up in between.
Nothing is harder than going back outside into the biting cold after warming up by a warm wood stove. Especially if your feet get nice and toasty, and you boss makes you apple pancakes with a nice cup of tea. Really, REALLY hard to go back outside. But if you need to get your farm chores done, you have to do it. And believe me, the time it takes to do farm chores in the winter is twenty times longer than it is in the summer. At least the faucets didn't freeze this time around. But once you're back out, and you stop feeling so warm and good, it becomes easier just to get your work done. But that's bad too, because you don't want any appendage to get too cold either. Especially if you don't have coveralls and are wearing long johns with jeans. My husband was especially surprised how cold my legs were even after being in a warm car for an hour. So, even though you will never want to step foot out of your warm house again, it's very important to stop, walk back inside, and warm yourself up.
4.) Try to work behind a wind block.
Though the air itself can be cold, it's the biting wind that truly makes you cold. And there was nothing better than walking into the barn and being out of that wind, except warming up near the stove. Now, the flip side, it's hard to walk about in the exposed areas even though you have to. But the more work you can do out of the wind, the better.
And last but not least.......
5.) Do NOT underestimate the power of hot water!
Hot water is my friend. I feel so sorry for the people who lived in the time periods where they didn't have hot running water in their houses that would coming out of shower heads. And I pretend to be these people all the time. It just makes me respect it more that I have access to a wonderful water heater, and all I have to do is turn a knob and VOILA, hot water pouring down! Isn't it great?!?! Especially after a very cold day. There is nothing that will get you warm again like a long, hot shower. Even if I didn't get dirty that day, a shower has become a necessity to feel completely warm that night.
Also a cup of tea. I found that drinking cold water was horrible if you're trying to warm up. It was a catch twenty-two though because dehydration is more of a problem this time of year than on the hottest days in summer. The dry air just sucks the moisture right out of you. But, at the same time, people don't usually think that they need to drink water during the cold days because they are not sweating. I think that's why so many people get sick at this time of year. So what do you do when you need to drink water but you're freezing? Make sure that water is warm. Nothing better than that warmth of a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate spreading through your belly. Except a hot shower.
Now there are many other things I can add to this, like wearing the right types of clothing and footwear, don't spill water on yourself, having extra clothing if you do spill water on yourself, and have a nice cushy job in a warm office to name a few. But then again, there is nothing prettier than a sunset in winter. And there is nothing better than sitting your warm pjs, drinking a hot cup of tea, after a hot shower, after working in the bitter cold all day, sinking to the euphoria of warmth, then promptly falling asleep.
Did I also mention to have two or three days after working in the cold to recover?
It has been FREAKIN COLD out for the past week or so!
And we've had more snow storms in the past week than we had for the whole month of December and January combine last year. And that's been a total of two.
But this hasn't stopped me from having to work outside, even on the coldest days. Though it has made me very thankful for warm wood stoves, hot cups of tea, and very large water heaters that allow for very long and hot showers. But it also made me realize how to work in very cold temperatures. It's not something that is taught very often in our climate controlled world that we live in.
So here are five lessons that I've learned this past week about working outside in the cold, so that hopefully others will learn from the mistakes I made to learn the lessons I state here. Does that make any sense? No? Good! Moving on!
1.) DO NOT SWEAT while working outside in below freezing temperatures.
I remember Les Straud favorite saying on Survivor Man "You sweat, you die." Well maybe it's not his favorite, but it's one he often says. And I have to say, it's totally true! Not to say that I'm dead, but I certainly was in the early stages of hypothermia on several occasions because I decided to plow through my work, without thinking that my underclothing would get wet from the sweat. Then, later, when I was sitting in a some what warm office, or even driving home in my warm car, I would start shivering because I was cold at the skin. After the third time this happened I brought with me a warm sweatshirt that would warm my body back up, but really only moving around again would get my body temperature up. But I also began to realize that I needed to slow down my movements and be conscious of how warm my body was getting. Which then led me to my next lesson....
2.) Wear layers.
Layers are a person's best friend when they are working outside on a very cold day, especially if the day starts cold, ends up warm, and then gets cold again. The ability to take off layers when I'm doing some of the more intense work, and then putting layers back on when you are not moving around so much. And it's more than just layers of shirts or coats, it's also removing a hat or scarf if it's still cold but you don't want to sweat. The cold air on the back of the neck will certainly cool you down quickly. But you also want to be warm after, so make sure you have a scarf or warm hat or gloves to put back on. And if it's dirtying work, like what I do, then make sure it's not something you would want to wear out on the town. Honestly my farm outfit looks like a hippy hobo splattered themselves with mud, rolled their hat and scarf around in hay, and then made kittens walk on their shoulders to put their muddied paw prints on their coat. Ok, I didn't make them do it, they like to stay on my shoulder while I work. Ummmm, moving on......
3.) Take several breaks to warm up in between.
Nothing is harder than going back outside into the biting cold after warming up by a warm wood stove. Especially if your feet get nice and toasty, and you boss makes you apple pancakes with a nice cup of tea. Really, REALLY hard to go back outside. But if you need to get your farm chores done, you have to do it. And believe me, the time it takes to do farm chores in the winter is twenty times longer than it is in the summer. At least the faucets didn't freeze this time around. But once you're back out, and you stop feeling so warm and good, it becomes easier just to get your work done. But that's bad too, because you don't want any appendage to get too cold either. Especially if you don't have coveralls and are wearing long johns with jeans. My husband was especially surprised how cold my legs were even after being in a warm car for an hour. So, even though you will never want to step foot out of your warm house again, it's very important to stop, walk back inside, and warm yourself up.
4.) Try to work behind a wind block.
Though the air itself can be cold, it's the biting wind that truly makes you cold. And there was nothing better than walking into the barn and being out of that wind, except warming up near the stove. Now, the flip side, it's hard to walk about in the exposed areas even though you have to. But the more work you can do out of the wind, the better.
And last but not least.......
5.) Do NOT underestimate the power of hot water!
Hot water is my friend. I feel so sorry for the people who lived in the time periods where they didn't have hot running water in their houses that would coming out of shower heads. And I pretend to be these people all the time. It just makes me respect it more that I have access to a wonderful water heater, and all I have to do is turn a knob and VOILA, hot water pouring down! Isn't it great?!?! Especially after a very cold day. There is nothing that will get you warm again like a long, hot shower. Even if I didn't get dirty that day, a shower has become a necessity to feel completely warm that night.
Also a cup of tea. I found that drinking cold water was horrible if you're trying to warm up. It was a catch twenty-two though because dehydration is more of a problem this time of year than on the hottest days in summer. The dry air just sucks the moisture right out of you. But, at the same time, people don't usually think that they need to drink water during the cold days because they are not sweating. I think that's why so many people get sick at this time of year. So what do you do when you need to drink water but you're freezing? Make sure that water is warm. Nothing better than that warmth of a hot cup of tea or hot chocolate spreading through your belly. Except a hot shower.
Now there are many other things I can add to this, like wearing the right types of clothing and footwear, don't spill water on yourself, having extra clothing if you do spill water on yourself, and have a nice cushy job in a warm office to name a few. But then again, there is nothing prettier than a sunset in winter. And there is nothing better than sitting your warm pjs, drinking a hot cup of tea, after a hot shower, after working in the bitter cold all day, sinking to the euphoria of warmth, then promptly falling asleep.
Did I also mention to have two or three days after working in the cold to recover?
Monday, December 9, 2013
Stepping From Darkness Into The Light
“When you get to the end of all the light you know and it's time to step into the darkness of the unknown, faith is knowing that one of two things shall happen: either you will be given something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly.”
― Edward Teller
― Edward Teller
This time of year is often described as the holiday season. As the days get shorter, and the world gets colder, the holiday season brings in light and joy, getting us through the darkest days full of hope and happiness. Yule, in fact, is a celebration of the coming of the light again, the rebirth of the sun king. Knowing that even in the darkest times that there is always the promise of light to come.
Through the craziness of this time of year, I think we at times forget exactly why we celebrate the holiday's that we do. Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, Kwanzaa are all celebrations of the light, the coming of better things, that in the darkest times and moments gifts of love and happiness are still there.
This year, I've realized that more than anything this season. Right now my husband and I are facing the trial of having to move. Where? We don't know yet. How? We really don't know that either. And as each day passes, and as we get closer to our time to leave, it seems like what we seek will never come. But then I think about all those other times that we faced hardships together. All the times when it didn't seem like we could figure out how to get out of a situation, a solution would appear just as we had given up. Sometimes right at the 11th hour. But every single hardship, every "emergency", every time we felt we should panic and that things would never be solved, the answer came. Whether it's through the help of family or friends, or a new opportunity, or even shear dumb luck we always figure it out, and always will.
I'm not writing this to receive sympathy or asking for help. I'm writing this more as an epiphany that I've just had. And it's surprising that it's taken me so long to realize it. Of course everyone is told the true meaning of this season is being with family and friends and creating happy memories with them and giving thanks for having them in our lives. And it's very true. But it also has a deeper meaning. A spiritual meaning, beyond just a "religious" connotation. It's a focus on the idea of hope coming through the cold darkness. A light, shining and guiding us out of the darkness. That, no matter how much things fall apart, or how dark it gets, light always needs to shine through so that we can find our way.
That light is faith.
In this season of hopes and dreams I know that I have my light. And maybe that's why I'm not panicking, or getting angry, or living in great fear of the unknown. I know that light, that faith, is all around me and there is no reason to fear. It's in my family and friends. It's in my cats. It's in my wonderful husband who I love dearly. And it's that faith that has helped us through so much in the past, and will keep helping us in the future.
So thank you to all my loving family and friends. Thank you to my two wonderful fur balls. And thank you, to the man who has always been by my side through thick and thin. With you I can do anything.
And thank you for everyone who's lovingly read my ramble and appreciated it for what it is, an epiphany of light in darkness.
Hoping that everyone has light of faith this holiday season.
Monday, November 25, 2013
Thanks For The Roots Of Our Labor
Even though the ground has frozen, it doesn't mean there still isn't work to be done in the garden. Or that there is still access to food from the garden. This past weekend I got to, for the first time, get root vegetables ready for the root cellar at Coggeshall Farm Museum.
Now I've never had a root cellar before. So this was all new to me. I have grown root vegetables before. Carrots, parsnips, beets, and turnips! I know onions are a root veggie as well, but they certainly don't belong in a damp root cellar. And though I was not there in the spring to start the growth of these particular root veggies, I know how time consuming they can be. Having the right soil texture to grow straight and true. And how parsnips seem to decide whether or not they truly want to grow from seed, or in the garden bed you plant them in. And the great turnip saga that I have every year, and I'll update everyone on in the spring when I probably, once again, do something stupid to jeopardize the existence of my turnips only to find that they are resilient suckers and will not die because of my stupidity. And carrots, it wasn't until this year, in a different garden, that I was able to successfully grow some excellent carrots on my own. Only 6 years!
But those were other gardens and this time our parsnips did excellent, our beets did alright, our carrots were incredible, and our turnips numbered six in total. But like anything in gardening, it could be the complete opposite next year.
So Shelley, farm manager at Coggeshall Farm Museum and gardener extraordinaire, and I started in the late morning of this past Saturday, battling wind and a head cold. At least I was battling a head cold. They're not fun. But the biggest battle was to come. We had to get all the root vegetables in before dark because it was supposed to get down to the teens in temperature. Now you're supposed to wait till the first frost happens for the root veggies before preparing them to go into the root cellar. But a ground freeze wouldn't be good. I guess the integrity of the vegetable.
So Shelley, pictured here, and I had our work cut out for us. The first bed we tackled was the parsnip bed, and you can see in the baskets the fruit of our labor.
A labor that took several hours because, unlike the beets and carrots, the parsnips didn't want to be pulled out of the ground by hand. So a shovel and a pitchfork became our best friends as we loosened the soil and prayed we didn't cut up too many of them. Cuts would just make them rot in the root cellar.
Then we pulled out the beets and carrots. By this point the warmer weather of the morning (if you call high thirties warm) was turning colder and windier and warmer hats and gloves became a necessity. By now you must have notices that every picture has had a knife in it. If you take a look at some of the carrots in the basket you'll notice the tops have been mostly cut off. When you are putting up root vegetables you need to leave some of the top on, to trick the vegetable into a dormant state, without wanting it to rot.
Look at this carrot! Please leave all lewd comments to yourselves. I know what it looks like, to man who doesn't need to overcompensate. I technically thought it was cool that there was three carrots in one. But, now seeing it a second time, I can now see the other side of the carrot story.
Once the veggies were prepped and carried to the root cellar they were laid out on the ground to allow the shallow roots that grow off the sides of the root veggies themselves, sorry I don't remember the name, to die off, also causing the root veggies to grow dormant. That way they don't continue to grow leaves or rot. Those are the carrots in the picture above.
And those are the beets and the parsnips we picked earlier. Again laid out on the floor to cure for a few days. Now they only cure for a few days until they are packed in clean sand and kept for the winter, to be used as needed. It was a really great feeling, once everything was laid out and it still was light out and we got in all the root veggies in that needed to be brought in, even though my hands were frozen and my head was fuzzy from phlegm. It truly made me thankful for the "roots" of our labor. (Sorry for the pun.)
And, to end the post on a good note, cute kitties staying warm by the fire.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Coming Full Circle
So, even though it was rainy and cold, I went to Old Sturbridge Village today. And I did not take the above picture today, but in spring about two years ago at Old Sturbridge Village. Just thought I would clarify that.
I was at Sturbridge Village to do some shopping for the museum I work for now. So technically it was a business trip. But the nice people at the admissions booth allowed me to come in for free because I was also a fellow historical interpreter, and they realized how little one gets paid for that. But it was also because of the love of the work that we do that also sparked this comradeship. At least I hope it is.
Now I've been to the Old Sturbridge Village many times before this. In fact, on a famous day in July (called the 4th) in the year 1976, a very important event happened at Old Sturbridge Village. Though everyone will think it was that famous Kennedy visit, they may be right. But that's because they might not have known that an even more important group of people was also at Old Sturbridge Village that day. (Wow, no wonder they use OSV everywhere. So much easier.) Yes, that's right, that very important couple that was there that day happened to be my parents, newly married just two days before and visiting during their honeymoon. Now little did they know that this seemingly innocuous act would change the course of the life of their then unborn daughter. Because in that day a tradition was born, one that was kept every single anniversary while I lived under their roof, and even a few after that. The annual visit to Old Sturbridge Village. (Ok, from now on I'll use OSV).
Yes, I visited OSV every summer for as long as I could remember. And I loved it every year. Often times, as historical interpreters, people figure out the turning point that showed the world that we were destined to an impoverished state while dressing up as people from another time period and speaking in long, historical terms, or in funny accents. And for me going to OSV every year was that point. The point when I realized that I wanted to live in the past, for real. This began the addiction to pretending to be on the Oregon Trail. The hours spent reading and rereading Little House on the Prairie and every American Girl book available at that time. Many days running around in a long green skirt and apron, surviving off acorns and a stew made from leaves and mud in the dog's water bowl. My mom always loved that one.
And, for one day every year, I got to run around a village that was fully immersed in the 1830's New England and totally feel like I had finally an opportunity to live in the past. I got to walk through historic homes, smell woodsmoke, see farm animals, and run around on dirt roads pretending I was actually living there. I have a very vivid memory of when I went to OSV in third grade. I remember they had a pretend classroom set up and we were all pretending to have a day at school in 1830 and it made me so excited. I was fully immersed in the past. It was heaven for me.
But, at some point we all have to grow up. We all have to move on, realize that we can't live in the past, really far back in the past. Or so I thought.
So I went to college, met my husband, graduated from college, married my husband, worked at several jobs. Completely normal for an adult in her mid-twenties. But it was during my internship at the New Bedford Whaling Museum that I stumbled upon the Plimoth Plantation website. And, just for giggles, I thought I would check and see if they had any offerings. How cool would that be. To work outside while still working in a museum. Yeah, that was my thought process at that time. I had been doing alot of museum research and document recording and the one thing I realized was I hated having to sit at a desk all day, inside, with stale air and bad lighting. So the concept of doing work outside, yet still following my interest in museum work and research into preservation and material documentation. So, I thought, why not try it out.
Needless to say, this was the beginning of a childhood dream, come back to me in my adult life. I not only got to work outside, and do research, I got to pretend to live in the year 1627! Fully immersed in not only the year 1627, but also with a very select group of people, the Pilgrims. And so, everything came full circle. I got to run around in a green petticoat (for at least one season, till it was replaced with my blue one) and make really tasty "pottages" in real cast iron pots (rather than a dog's water dish) and got paid for it! Everything had come full circle, in a way I never had thought of.
And now, having spent six years at the Plantation, I've now moved on to another museum and another time period, Coggeshall Farm Museum and the 1790s. Not only do I get access now to chocolate, coffee, and rum, I also get to expand my interpretation work in embracing another time period in history. And I can still work outside! Though to be honest working in these time periods has made me realize hot showers, air conditioning, and comfortable cotton clothing are definitely good reasons to not to truly live all the time in the past.
And that doesn't mean I'll stop there. It seems my desire to live in historical time periods has rubbed off to my husband as well. As we've started to visit recreations of Civil War battles, I'm beginning to see our family's future weekends, Mark going off the pretend to shoot at other people while I mind the kids dressed up in prairie dresses and civil war hats and cooking over a wood fire. So there's another time period to add to my "I'm going to pretend to live in you but be really thankful for hot running water and toilets" work days and weekends.
But I can truly say that this all started when a newly married couple decided to go to Old Sturbridge Village on their honeymoon and decided to make it a yearly tradition. A tradition that still made me excited even going around that village today.
It's funny how it all comes full circle.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
The Contents of My Freezer
There are many different signs that the seasons are changing.
The colors of the leaves turn from light green, to dark green, to vivid hues of red or yellow or orange, then turn brown and fall off the trees. The sun grows in heat and in brightness only to fade into golden hues and bring in the colder temperatures. The soft rains of spring turn to tumultuous thunderstorms to a cold rain that will soon turn to snow.
And the contents of my freezer change as well.
So not as romantic or poetical as the last few sentences. But it was an epiphany that I had a few nights ago as I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner from the hodge podge of frozen meats and past cooked meals. The things I started to pull out were not from my summer time menu. Chicken breasts in frozen in seasoned olive oil or frozen green beans from the farmer's market, frozen blueberries from a u-pick. No, I dug a little deeper and found meals from my winter reserve. Chili, pot roast gravy, my famous beef and barley soup. It's time for winter foods.
It's amazing how the body just knows what it wants. In this day and age it's very easy to get anything out of season. You can get strawberries in February. You can eat red meat in the middle of summer with out it going bad. You can even have ice cream in January. And like any true New Englander I will always eat ice cream, even when it's snowing. The point is that when you have access to everything you could possibly want for food at any time of year, you don't really need to think about the seasonality of it all.
Even with all this access though, I think we are still in tuned to the seasonality of our food. When we think of summer we think salads, watermelon, and fish. Foods that are light and cooling in the hot and humid summer days. But as the cold of winter comes in the thought of a hearty stew or a good hot pot roast seems more appetizing than a tomato salad. And it warms you up much better.
I know it doesn't seem like an epiphany. I've already categorized these foods as summer and winter. But it is a realization that even the habits of what I freeze, the habits of what I eat each season, change as surely as the weather, the trees, even the sun does.
Never gonna look at the contents of my freezer the same way again.
The colors of the leaves turn from light green, to dark green, to vivid hues of red or yellow or orange, then turn brown and fall off the trees. The sun grows in heat and in brightness only to fade into golden hues and bring in the colder temperatures. The soft rains of spring turn to tumultuous thunderstorms to a cold rain that will soon turn to snow.
And the contents of my freezer change as well.
So not as romantic or poetical as the last few sentences. But it was an epiphany that I had a few nights ago as I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner from the hodge podge of frozen meats and past cooked meals. The things I started to pull out were not from my summer time menu. Chicken breasts in frozen in seasoned olive oil or frozen green beans from the farmer's market, frozen blueberries from a u-pick. No, I dug a little deeper and found meals from my winter reserve. Chili, pot roast gravy, my famous beef and barley soup. It's time for winter foods.
It's amazing how the body just knows what it wants. In this day and age it's very easy to get anything out of season. You can get strawberries in February. You can eat red meat in the middle of summer with out it going bad. You can even have ice cream in January. And like any true New Englander I will always eat ice cream, even when it's snowing. The point is that when you have access to everything you could possibly want for food at any time of year, you don't really need to think about the seasonality of it all.
Even with all this access though, I think we are still in tuned to the seasonality of our food. When we think of summer we think salads, watermelon, and fish. Foods that are light and cooling in the hot and humid summer days. But as the cold of winter comes in the thought of a hearty stew or a good hot pot roast seems more appetizing than a tomato salad. And it warms you up much better.
I know it doesn't seem like an epiphany. I've already categorized these foods as summer and winter. But it is a realization that even the habits of what I freeze, the habits of what I eat each season, change as surely as the weather, the trees, even the sun does.
Never gonna look at the contents of my freezer the same way again.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Slivers of Serenity
God, grant me the Serenity
To accept the things I cannot change
The courage to change the things I can
And the wisdom to know the difference.
There are times in my life where I find that the worries of the world just come over me. Like I'm drowning in a sea of expectations and can't figure out if what I'm doing is what I truly want or if it is what I feel I need to do.
That's when I find I need to escape. To step back and breathe for a minute. To really think about things. Where I am, and where I'm going, and where I want to be.
This past week was a time to breathe. Being amongst the glory of nature and tranquility that is the mountains, looking over the peace and serenity of a beautiful lake, finding myself appreciating all of what nature has to provide us with, I was able to truly look inside myself and discover where I am going, what it is I desire, and who I want to be.
Thank you nature for granting me the serenity I need. Now time to find the courage to pursue it, with the wisdom to accept what can not be changed and change was can be for the best.
Thank you for helping me find my sliver of serenity.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Remember, Remember.....
.... the Fifth of November.
The Gunpowder Treason Plot.
Ok, so it's not a picture of a huge bonfire, and there is no straw man being burned in effigy.
But it's still a beautifully warming fire. And it certainly is the time of year of nice warm fires.
Nice, in control, not burning straw men fires.
Except for tonight.
Happy Gunpowder Treason Plot day!!!
The Gunpowder Treason Plot.
Ok, so it's not a picture of a huge bonfire, and there is no straw man being burned in effigy.
But it's still a beautifully warming fire. And it certainly is the time of year of nice warm fires.
Nice, in control, not burning straw men fires.
Except for tonight.
Happy Gunpowder Treason Plot day!!!
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Traditions, Old and New
Happy Halloween Everyone!
And Merry Samhain to all my fellow Wiccans out there!
As you've noticed from my previous posts, I've often declared that this time of year is my favorite, and that includes this holiday! And holidays, of course, bring about traditions.
Now here's the interesting thing about marriage. Ok, ONE of the interesting things. Being happily married to my wonderful husband Mark for seven years now he and I have created a new family unit. And in that new family unit comes the need to create new traditions for, well, everything. But mainly holidays. Now, new traditions are also influenced by old traditions. Like the ones that are your fond, childhood memories of your own family traditions. The ones that you should keep with your new family unit because they are such fond memories. And your other half, also wanting to keep those happy, childhood memories of their own going with their new family with you, will bring their traditions as well. And those will be new to you.
That was a really complicated way of saying that my husband and I both had some old traditions that we did for this Halloween season, and they were ones that neither of us had done before.
Here, I'll tell the full story, with pictures as well!
So, this first tradition is one from my childhood, one that I love dearly. The hayride out to the pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin!!! Who wouldn't love that tradition!
So I was surprised, when I suggested that I wanted to do this, that my husband was not as remotely excited about it as I was. Was there some sort of hayride trauma? Was there no pumpkins in that patch he went to?
Then I learned the hard, cold truth. He had never BEEN on a hayride to a pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin! The poor soul! I realized I needed to fix this pronto!
So I did, by making him pose for a picture, which I know he hates. And then we were off to find that perfect pumpkin!
And the ironic thing was that this wasn't the one. But Mark did get a good workout carrying this one around for me till I did find my perfect pumpkin, which was on the other side of the pumpkin patch. Thanks hon!
But after the pumpkin was found, brought back and safely stored in our vehicle for the ride home, we indulged in our new tradition of Corn Mazes! This is something that we never did as children, probably because they weren't really around much. But we discovered them last year and love it!
And Mark got to shoot corn into a barrel using a homemade-pressurized-corn gun. Right up his alley.
So, after several days traveling in the back seat of my car, the perfect pumpkin came home to sit on our front stoop, and within the first 24 hours was being nibbled on by squirrels. So it was then brought into our front hallway until we were ready for my husband's Halloween tradition, one I had never done myself.....
...... Carving a Pumpkin! Now, I know what you're all thinking, how could you get a pumpkin every Halloween since childhood and NOT carve it! Well, my mom did things a little differently. As she recently confessed, she wasn't so good with "the whole carving thing", but she is an excellent painter. So we painted faces on our pumpkins. Something that is fun as well, but not as cool as putting a candle in a carved pumpkin. So I was wicked excited to be shown how it's done.
Of course, the first thing I learned is the knives I picked out for the initial cutting-the-top-of-the-pumpkin-off were too dinky. So he went and got a big knife out of the cutlery drawer and we began. Well, he cut and I took pictures. But still, it was very exciting!
Once the top came off, the schmutz had to come out. Yeah, you heard me, schmutz. And my husband graciously gave me this job to do. I made him take pictures.
I found a flat ice cream scoop worked really well getting all the seeds out.
And then, as Mark put it, came the hardest part of the whole pumpkin carving experience, what to carve on the front! Now I deliberated long and hard about this one. I wanted my first pumpkin carving to be incredible. I wanted it to be a huge statement. I wanted the creativity of the season, the weather, the epitome of decorative gourd season to shine through with my carving of this decorative, well, gourd.
Even my cat Merlin had ideas on how to do this, which he vocalized quite loudly while I was sitting and thinking. Or maybe he wanted to have some treats which were right next to the chair I was sitting in. I'd prefer to think it was the first reason.
So this is what I came up with!
Don't get me wrong, I had an elaborate fall festival scene in my head, but Mark pointed out that, it being my first pumpkin carving ever, I should probably stick to straight lines and simplicity.
Then the fun part! Cutting out the eyes..... and nose...... and mouth......
.....till we got this! Isn't he beautiful?!? YES!
I was so excited I wanted to name him. But them Mark pointed out that he had already named it Squirrel Food, and since that's what it will become after today I guess that name fits!
You are beautiful Squirrel Food!
And you look wicked cool in the dark!
Happy Halloween/Samhain/CelebrateRedSoxWorldChampions Day!
And Merry Samhain to all my fellow Wiccans out there!
As you've noticed from my previous posts, I've often declared that this time of year is my favorite, and that includes this holiday! And holidays, of course, bring about traditions.
Now here's the interesting thing about marriage. Ok, ONE of the interesting things. Being happily married to my wonderful husband Mark for seven years now he and I have created a new family unit. And in that new family unit comes the need to create new traditions for, well, everything. But mainly holidays. Now, new traditions are also influenced by old traditions. Like the ones that are your fond, childhood memories of your own family traditions. The ones that you should keep with your new family unit because they are such fond memories. And your other half, also wanting to keep those happy, childhood memories of their own going with their new family with you, will bring their traditions as well. And those will be new to you.
That was a really complicated way of saying that my husband and I both had some old traditions that we did for this Halloween season, and they were ones that neither of us had done before.
Here, I'll tell the full story, with pictures as well!
So, this first tradition is one from my childhood, one that I love dearly. The hayride out to the pumpkin patch to get a pumpkin!!! Who wouldn't love that tradition!
So I was surprised, when I suggested that I wanted to do this, that my husband was not as remotely excited about it as I was. Was there some sort of hayride trauma? Was there no pumpkins in that patch he went to?
Then I learned the hard, cold truth. He had never BEEN on a hayride to a pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin! The poor soul! I realized I needed to fix this pronto!
So I did, by making him pose for a picture, which I know he hates. And then we were off to find that perfect pumpkin!
And the ironic thing was that this wasn't the one. But Mark did get a good workout carrying this one around for me till I did find my perfect pumpkin, which was on the other side of the pumpkin patch. Thanks hon!
But after the pumpkin was found, brought back and safely stored in our vehicle for the ride home, we indulged in our new tradition of Corn Mazes! This is something that we never did as children, probably because they weren't really around much. But we discovered them last year and love it!
So, after several days traveling in the back seat of my car, the perfect pumpkin came home to sit on our front stoop, and within the first 24 hours was being nibbled on by squirrels. So it was then brought into our front hallway until we were ready for my husband's Halloween tradition, one I had never done myself.....
...... Carving a Pumpkin! Now, I know what you're all thinking, how could you get a pumpkin every Halloween since childhood and NOT carve it! Well, my mom did things a little differently. As she recently confessed, she wasn't so good with "the whole carving thing", but she is an excellent painter. So we painted faces on our pumpkins. Something that is fun as well, but not as cool as putting a candle in a carved pumpkin. So I was wicked excited to be shown how it's done.
Of course, the first thing I learned is the knives I picked out for the initial cutting-the-top-of-the-pumpkin-off were too dinky. So he went and got a big knife out of the cutlery drawer and we began. Well, he cut and I took pictures. But still, it was very exciting!
Once the top came off, the schmutz had to come out. Yeah, you heard me, schmutz. And my husband graciously gave me this job to do. I made him take pictures.
I found a flat ice cream scoop worked really well getting all the seeds out.
And then, as Mark put it, came the hardest part of the whole pumpkin carving experience, what to carve on the front! Now I deliberated long and hard about this one. I wanted my first pumpkin carving to be incredible. I wanted it to be a huge statement. I wanted the creativity of the season, the weather, the epitome of decorative gourd season to shine through with my carving of this decorative, well, gourd.
Even my cat Merlin had ideas on how to do this, which he vocalized quite loudly while I was sitting and thinking. Or maybe he wanted to have some treats which were right next to the chair I was sitting in. I'd prefer to think it was the first reason.
So this is what I came up with!
Don't get me wrong, I had an elaborate fall festival scene in my head, but Mark pointed out that, it being my first pumpkin carving ever, I should probably stick to straight lines and simplicity.
Then the fun part! Cutting out the eyes..... and nose...... and mouth......
.....till we got this! Isn't he beautiful?!? YES!
I was so excited I wanted to name him. But them Mark pointed out that he had already named it Squirrel Food, and since that's what it will become after today I guess that name fits!
You are beautiful Squirrel Food!
And you look wicked cool in the dark!
Happy Halloween/Samhain/CelebrateRedSoxWorldChampions Day!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
It's Been A While....
So you know it's been a while since you've downloaded pictures off your phone when you have pictures from 8 months ago. Like I did when I was downloading photos from my phone so I could create my Halloween post for this week. (Halloween is this week!) And then I found all of my photos that I took during the power outage we had during Winter Storm Nemo. That's last February!
So yeah, it's been a long time.
But I thought I'd share those photos here with you all, mainly because it was an interesting time and one where I had to put my good homesteading skills to work.
That didn't stop my husband or my cats from spending time in the other cold rooms of the house. Since the living room was open to the kitchen it remained a tad warmer than the rest of the house. So my husband and cat Hagrid used blankets to keep warm.
My cat Merlin decided to use the sun, though our bedroom was really cold. But that's where he always takes his afternoon nap. Old habits I guess.
The saving grace of the situation was that our gas stove and oven were working. So we were able to at least have a good hot meal, which is heaven during really cold weather.
Though our hot water heater wasn't working. We do have well water that is gravity fed so our water was running which was good. So cold water heated on the stove, put in a large bowl to wash dishes or hands, just like a pilgrim housewife.
Though plastic plates and silverware did help keep the amount of dishes to a minimum.
And though the cold would get to you it was lovely reading or playing games by candle light. That's if the cold didn't make you so tired that you went and slept under four blankets for fourteen hours.
Though this little foray into life without electricity was exciting and did bring out my homesteading skills, there was nothing like that first hot shower after several bone-chilling days to make you feel alive and grateful for electricity.
So yeah, it's been a long time.
But I thought I'd share those photos here with you all, mainly because it was an interesting time and one where I had to put my good homesteading skills to work.
So this became the main room of the house, due to the fact that we have no wood stove or fireplace but we do have a gas oven. So that oven became our heat source for the four days the power was out.
That didn't stop my husband or my cats from spending time in the other cold rooms of the house. Since the living room was open to the kitchen it remained a tad warmer than the rest of the house. So my husband and cat Hagrid used blankets to keep warm.
My cat Merlin decided to use the sun, though our bedroom was really cold. But that's where he always takes his afternoon nap. Old habits I guess.
The saving grace of the situation was that our gas stove and oven were working. So we were able to at least have a good hot meal, which is heaven during really cold weather.
Though our hot water heater wasn't working. We do have well water that is gravity fed so our water was running which was good. So cold water heated on the stove, put in a large bowl to wash dishes or hands, just like a pilgrim housewife.
Though plastic plates and silverware did help keep the amount of dishes to a minimum.
And though the cold would get to you it was lovely reading or playing games by candle light. That's if the cold didn't make you so tired that you went and slept under four blankets for fourteen hours.
Though this little foray into life without electricity was exciting and did bring out my homesteading skills, there was nothing like that first hot shower after several bone-chilling days to make you feel alive and grateful for electricity.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Warm Days of October Fade Into Rainy November Days
And that is the essence of fall in New England.
One of the main things I love about fall is the weather at this time of year. And when I think of the weather what I'm really thinking about is the Indian summer weather. Warm days where you can still run around in a tee shirt and jeans yet cool evenings where a sweatshirt is needed.
But then....... duh duh DUH...... the rainy November days come.
And so begins the rainy, cold weather that proceeds winter. That time of autumn that you usually forget about, until it happens. And that weather came today.
It started with me leaving in the morning to go to my job and, realizing that it was going to rain today, I was wearing a light rain jacket. Two seconds out the door and I realize that my wardrobe was going to have to change. It was FREEZING! Like "I can see my breath in the air and their is some kind of ice covering on the hood of my car that I haven't seen in a while, I think it's frost" cold. So right back into the house I went and came out two minutes later with a much heavier rain coat, gloves, and my farm scarf which makes me look like a hippie. But my husband says I can't be one because I actually shower. Thanks hon!
And though it didn't rain till late afternoon, I still had to go back and forth between wearing a jacket to not to putting my scarf and mittens on to not depending on what work I was doing. Sitting at the computer in an unheated room? Jacket, scarf and mittens. Wrangling with cows, a donkey, and a horse while getting them to move into another pasture, though all they want to do is eat the grass that is in front of them? No jacket or mittens or scarf, just jeans, tee shirt and long sleeve shirt under the tee shirt. Walking back from the pasture you put set animals into? Still just jeans, tee shirt and long sleeve shirt but wishing you hadn't left your scarf, jacket and mittens all the way back at the barn because the exertion made you sweat and now you're cold. Now I understand why farmers dress in layers.
But it really hit home today not only that the Indian summer we have been experiencing is done and over with, but now the pre-winter weather is here. Now it's going to get colder, and greyer, and less colorful, and did I mention colder? And nothing chills you to the bone more than a cold, wintery rain. Except when you spill water on your jeans and a below freezing wind suddenly picks up. That's when you drop everything and get to the nearest heat source, and change your pants. It's very unpleasant if you don't.
With this sudden onset of pre-winter cold and rain came the realization that winter is actually coming. (Yes I changed that up for all my Game of Thrones fans. I could have said winter is coming and then I would totally show how geeky I am.) But it really is. I think the warm, crisp days of early fall seem to make us have a false sense of security. Like the grasshopper who played all summer long because winter seemed so far away. And then you experience a day like this and you realize you need to batten down the hatches and get that firewood set and get out those long johns.
And this is what I thought about today while I was moving wood piles around during the cold rain. It really does sneak up on you. And I hate to say it, but I've been more like the grasshopper than the industrious ant.
Time to get ready because, dare I say it, winter is coming (ok, I admit, I'm a geek).
On a side note, I probably have been lured into that false sense of security because baseball is still going on and it's the World Series! Go Red Sox!
One of the main things I love about fall is the weather at this time of year. And when I think of the weather what I'm really thinking about is the Indian summer weather. Warm days where you can still run around in a tee shirt and jeans yet cool evenings where a sweatshirt is needed.
But then....... duh duh DUH...... the rainy November days come.
And so begins the rainy, cold weather that proceeds winter. That time of autumn that you usually forget about, until it happens. And that weather came today.
It started with me leaving in the morning to go to my job and, realizing that it was going to rain today, I was wearing a light rain jacket. Two seconds out the door and I realize that my wardrobe was going to have to change. It was FREEZING! Like "I can see my breath in the air and their is some kind of ice covering on the hood of my car that I haven't seen in a while, I think it's frost" cold. So right back into the house I went and came out two minutes later with a much heavier rain coat, gloves, and my farm scarf which makes me look like a hippie. But my husband says I can't be one because I actually shower. Thanks hon!
And though it didn't rain till late afternoon, I still had to go back and forth between wearing a jacket to not to putting my scarf and mittens on to not depending on what work I was doing. Sitting at the computer in an unheated room? Jacket, scarf and mittens. Wrangling with cows, a donkey, and a horse while getting them to move into another pasture, though all they want to do is eat the grass that is in front of them? No jacket or mittens or scarf, just jeans, tee shirt and long sleeve shirt under the tee shirt. Walking back from the pasture you put set animals into? Still just jeans, tee shirt and long sleeve shirt but wishing you hadn't left your scarf, jacket and mittens all the way back at the barn because the exertion made you sweat and now you're cold. Now I understand why farmers dress in layers.
But it really hit home today not only that the Indian summer we have been experiencing is done and over with, but now the pre-winter weather is here. Now it's going to get colder, and greyer, and less colorful, and did I mention colder? And nothing chills you to the bone more than a cold, wintery rain. Except when you spill water on your jeans and a below freezing wind suddenly picks up. That's when you drop everything and get to the nearest heat source, and change your pants. It's very unpleasant if you don't.
With this sudden onset of pre-winter cold and rain came the realization that winter is actually coming. (Yes I changed that up for all my Game of Thrones fans. I could have said winter is coming and then I would totally show how geeky I am.) But it really is. I think the warm, crisp days of early fall seem to make us have a false sense of security. Like the grasshopper who played all summer long because winter seemed so far away. And then you experience a day like this and you realize you need to batten down the hatches and get that firewood set and get out those long johns.
And this is what I thought about today while I was moving wood piles around during the cold rain. It really does sneak up on you. And I hate to say it, but I've been more like the grasshopper than the industrious ant.
Time to get ready because, dare I say it, winter is coming (ok, I admit, I'm a geek).
On a side note, I probably have been lured into that false sense of security because baseball is still going on and it's the World Series! Go Red Sox!
Friday, October 18, 2013
Whatcha Been Readin'?
I love to read. And I'm a book buying addict.
I can't walk out of a bookstore without buying a book.
The preferred decorations on my walls are bookshelves full of books.
I don't have any space on top of any table/bookcase/box/other flat surface because they are covered with piles of books. (And, unlike what my husband thinks, they are organized in fully functional piles according to topic and newness.)
A good day out involves a good restaurant and several used book stores.
I weep that I get motion sickness because I can't read on long road trips. That and having motion sickness is not pleasant.
And I've found hours just past by mysteriously when I suddenly realize that one more chapter has turned into the rest of the book.
So, long story short, I love to read. And I love books.
And I love reading about topics I'm interested in. While others spend hours reading the latest mystscificantic books, I spend time reading about homesteading, and cooking, and historical diaries of random, middle class, women from Long Island during the Revolutionary War. Because everyone is interested in that!
The point is that if it's a topic I find interesting, I'm going to read about it. If it's something I want to study, I will definitely want to read about it.
So, this very long introduction to my reading habits now leads me to something I hope to do many times during this blog. I want to tell the world what I'm reading, and what I think about it. Because I know that's what the world really wants to know about.
Now, there is also my series of self improvement books that I'm reading which I'll be talking about in my other blog "The Pursuit of Happiness" which I have a link to on this website! (I know, shameless plug.) But, that doesn't stop me from the nasty habit of reading several books at once. So, while I'm reading my monthly self-help book, I've also been tackling my homesteading pile.
Title: "Gaining Ground"
Author: Forrest Pritchard
Where did I get this book? From the Barnes and Noble, on the "New to Paperback" table.
What's the book about? Forrest is a seventh generation farmer who works to save the family farm by using rotational grazing techniques and farmer's markets to sell his organic, grass fed meats.
And in one sentence I have made this sound like the most boring book in the world. Or, if you're like me and love to read about farming techniques or homesteading lifestyles, then you think this is going to be a great book! But it truly isn't as boring as I've made it sound. It's not just Forrest saying "I'm going to save the farm" and then *POOF* it's saved. He talks about the process he went through. The stories of all the mistakes he made, and how he made the most of them. And it doesn't end with "...and they all lived happily ever after." It more is a revelation of that the process of managing and keeping a farm viable is constantly changing. And it's about evolving with the times, and also about thinking outside the box as well. Though his grazing techniques, his views on butchering, and the availability of his products seem to be readily available now, when he was starting out they were almost non existent in the main stream. He saw the unconventional farming ideas and went with them anyway, because they seemed to make sense with what he was trying to achieve, which was organic, grass fed beef.
Would I recommend this book? Yes I would. I know it may not be everyones cup of tea, but I found it refreshing to read a book about farming and how it's not all rural simplicity and pastoral elegance. It's about hard work, equally hard standards, and a realization that while that sunset is beautiful I'm also noticing that fence needs to be repaired by that tree over there, and the sun is setting and I haven't finished feeding and what's going on with the truck now that I can't get it started again.
But farming and cute animals and broken-down trucks aside, it really is a story about how Forrest had the idea to save his family dairy farm in West Virginia. And he realized that to do that he had to stop trying to follow the standards that were set by commercial farmers all over America at the time. In fact, the first year he tried that way, he received a whopping $18.16 in profit for that year. Well, at least he got a profit. Now I'm not saying that there are not people who are successful with commercial farming techniques out there. I just admire how Forrest decided to see if there was another way, not only to make a profit but also to make a better, healthier meat product, and a more personal way to get that product to his customers. By thinking outside of the box, he has truly worked to make his farm viable for the future, as well as not lowering his standards he set out for himself to begin with.
And he talks about all this in a book that doesn't lecture on the topic of cows or rotational grazing habits, but it's a fun narrative of stories that link together. And he doesn't mind making fun of his mistakes, and yet learning from them as well.
So yes, I would recommend this book even to people who aren't interested in farming because I feel it does a great job keeping you entertained even if you don't care about the rotational grazing habits of cows, or why chickens shouldn't be given the option for freedom, or why farmers of old would put rings into pig's noses.
Overall Grade: A
I can't walk out of a bookstore without buying a book.
The preferred decorations on my walls are bookshelves full of books.
I don't have any space on top of any table/bookcase/box/other flat surface because they are covered with piles of books. (And, unlike what my husband thinks, they are organized in fully functional piles according to topic and newness.)
A good day out involves a good restaurant and several used book stores.
I weep that I get motion sickness because I can't read on long road trips. That and having motion sickness is not pleasant.
And I've found hours just past by mysteriously when I suddenly realize that one more chapter has turned into the rest of the book.
So, long story short, I love to read. And I love books.
And I love reading about topics I'm interested in. While others spend hours reading the latest mystscificantic books, I spend time reading about homesteading, and cooking, and historical diaries of random, middle class, women from Long Island during the Revolutionary War. Because everyone is interested in that!
The point is that if it's a topic I find interesting, I'm going to read about it. If it's something I want to study, I will definitely want to read about it.
So, this very long introduction to my reading habits now leads me to something I hope to do many times during this blog. I want to tell the world what I'm reading, and what I think about it. Because I know that's what the world really wants to know about.
Now, there is also my series of self improvement books that I'm reading which I'll be talking about in my other blog "The Pursuit of Happiness" which I have a link to on this website! (I know, shameless plug.) But, that doesn't stop me from the nasty habit of reading several books at once. So, while I'm reading my monthly self-help book, I've also been tackling my homesteading pile.
Title: "Gaining Ground"
Author: Forrest Pritchard
Where did I get this book? From the Barnes and Noble, on the "New to Paperback" table.
What's the book about? Forrest is a seventh generation farmer who works to save the family farm by using rotational grazing techniques and farmer's markets to sell his organic, grass fed meats.
And in one sentence I have made this sound like the most boring book in the world. Or, if you're like me and love to read about farming techniques or homesteading lifestyles, then you think this is going to be a great book! But it truly isn't as boring as I've made it sound. It's not just Forrest saying "I'm going to save the farm" and then *POOF* it's saved. He talks about the process he went through. The stories of all the mistakes he made, and how he made the most of them. And it doesn't end with "...and they all lived happily ever after." It more is a revelation of that the process of managing and keeping a farm viable is constantly changing. And it's about evolving with the times, and also about thinking outside the box as well. Though his grazing techniques, his views on butchering, and the availability of his products seem to be readily available now, when he was starting out they were almost non existent in the main stream. He saw the unconventional farming ideas and went with them anyway, because they seemed to make sense with what he was trying to achieve, which was organic, grass fed beef.
Would I recommend this book? Yes I would. I know it may not be everyones cup of tea, but I found it refreshing to read a book about farming and how it's not all rural simplicity and pastoral elegance. It's about hard work, equally hard standards, and a realization that while that sunset is beautiful I'm also noticing that fence needs to be repaired by that tree over there, and the sun is setting and I haven't finished feeding and what's going on with the truck now that I can't get it started again.
But farming and cute animals and broken-down trucks aside, it really is a story about how Forrest had the idea to save his family dairy farm in West Virginia. And he realized that to do that he had to stop trying to follow the standards that were set by commercial farmers all over America at the time. In fact, the first year he tried that way, he received a whopping $18.16 in profit for that year. Well, at least he got a profit. Now I'm not saying that there are not people who are successful with commercial farming techniques out there. I just admire how Forrest decided to see if there was another way, not only to make a profit but also to make a better, healthier meat product, and a more personal way to get that product to his customers. By thinking outside of the box, he has truly worked to make his farm viable for the future, as well as not lowering his standards he set out for himself to begin with.
And he talks about all this in a book that doesn't lecture on the topic of cows or rotational grazing habits, but it's a fun narrative of stories that link together. And he doesn't mind making fun of his mistakes, and yet learning from them as well.
So yes, I would recommend this book even to people who aren't interested in farming because I feel it does a great job keeping you entertained even if you don't care about the rotational grazing habits of cows, or why chickens shouldn't be given the option for freedom, or why farmers of old would put rings into pig's noses.
Overall Grade: A
Monday, October 14, 2013
Feelings of Fall!
I have to say Fall is my favorite season.
Now I do like many things about the other seasons. Nothing is better than walking through the woods after a beautiful snowfall and then return to your warm home to sit with a hot cup of tea and a kitty. And when the springtime comes and the earth warms, the sun shines longer, and you get the sweet smell of the earth as it thaws you are so happy to have spring fever. And when you sit on a summer's evening outside, listening to the insects, feeling the warmth of the summer sun radiating from the stone outside, there is nothing more relaxing.
But fall seems to combine all the things you love from all the other seasons into one time of year. You have the cool evenings where you need a sweater. But you can still hear the peepers as you sit by the outdoor fire pit (or wish your husband would build the one you got two years ago). And the sun still warms enough during the day that the smells of the earth are not lost yet.
There are so many more things to love about Fall in New England. The foliage is only the tip of the iceberg. The beauty of the sky and sunlight at this time of year takes my breath away just as much as the many colors of leaves in the landscape. It's golden, making everything around it golden. And the sky is such a deep blue that any clouds floating by seem to stand out even more. And, with the coolness of the evenings, the sweaters come out, though you still need a short sleeve shirt during the day since the sun still warms the earth. And the food at this time of year! This is the time when my cooking changes from salads and chicken dishes to pot roasts and root vegetables. And the apples. I love apples! And I love apple picking! And corn mazes, and Halloween, and......
Well, lets just say I love Fall!
It makes me feel warm and cool and golden and fuzzy and hungry and good inside and out.
Now I do like many things about the other seasons. Nothing is better than walking through the woods after a beautiful snowfall and then return to your warm home to sit with a hot cup of tea and a kitty. And when the springtime comes and the earth warms, the sun shines longer, and you get the sweet smell of the earth as it thaws you are so happy to have spring fever. And when you sit on a summer's evening outside, listening to the insects, feeling the warmth of the summer sun radiating from the stone outside, there is nothing more relaxing.
But fall seems to combine all the things you love from all the other seasons into one time of year. You have the cool evenings where you need a sweater. But you can still hear the peepers as you sit by the outdoor fire pit (or wish your husband would build the one you got two years ago). And the sun still warms enough during the day that the smells of the earth are not lost yet.
There are so many more things to love about Fall in New England. The foliage is only the tip of the iceberg. The beauty of the sky and sunlight at this time of year takes my breath away just as much as the many colors of leaves in the landscape. It's golden, making everything around it golden. And the sky is such a deep blue that any clouds floating by seem to stand out even more. And, with the coolness of the evenings, the sweaters come out, though you still need a short sleeve shirt during the day since the sun still warms the earth. And the food at this time of year! This is the time when my cooking changes from salads and chicken dishes to pot roasts and root vegetables. And the apples. I love apples! And I love apple picking! And corn mazes, and Halloween, and......
Well, lets just say I love Fall!
It makes me feel warm and cool and golden and fuzzy and hungry and good inside and out.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
I'm Back!
3200 miles, 7 states, 4 days of driving, 1 week away.
It was a trip full of happiness to see family I haven't seen in quite a while, sadness for the reason why we were there, and relief when the driving was all over. My husband and I now know that no trip across America should include a day of driving lasting more than 8 hours at a time. And I should next time check out the World's Biggest Wind Chimes in Indiana.
There will be many stories coming from this very interesting journey. And there are many things that I've learned from this trip. And many memories that I will hold dear, and will tell you all about.
But first, I'm going to take a nap. All this traveling is certainly tiring.
It was a trip full of happiness to see family I haven't seen in quite a while, sadness for the reason why we were there, and relief when the driving was all over. My husband and I now know that no trip across America should include a day of driving lasting more than 8 hours at a time. And I should next time check out the World's Biggest Wind Chimes in Indiana.
There will be many stories coming from this very interesting journey. And there are many things that I've learned from this trip. And many memories that I will hold dear, and will tell you all about.
But first, I'm going to take a nap. All this traveling is certainly tiring.
Monday, September 16, 2013
Our Anniversary Dayventure!
Well, for those of you who haven't seen my many facebook posts today, it is my seventh anniversary! It was seven years ago today that I married the love of my life. It was seven years ago that we said our vows to each other. It was seven years ago that I wore my wedding dress, and haven't worn it since. It was seven years since I had a cupcake smashed into my face getting frosting up my nose and it was my new husband's aunt who did it and then I was forever to have the nickname "Mrs Cupcake".
But that's another story.....
This anniversary my husband and I decided to have a little dayventure. We love to have dayventures. My husband loves to explore. And I like to look at new scenery and see new things. So I guess that makes us perfect for having dayventures together.
So what is a dayventure? Well, as you probably all guessed, it's a day adventure. We usually pick a place we've never been before, try to find a center point to aim for (like a specific town) and just drive towards it. On the way if we see a neat place to stop for lunch we do, if we see an interesting event happening we join in, if we end up at our ending point and it's closed because we didn't do our research, oh well! It's all about the journey and what we'll find.
Today our beginning point was in Tewksbury, mainly because of my husband's work. But, once we were free of that, we made our end point Manchester, NH for two very important reasons. One, it was close by, only 45 minutes away. And two, there was a highly recommended BBQ place up that way that we just had to try out. Now I could have chosen any form of dining experience today that I wanted. My husband promised me that I could pick the restaurant, no matter what the cost. So I could really have gone to the nines on this one. Here's a snippet of the conversation that ensued.
My husband: "So I'll be right back. Why don't you pick out a place for us to eat and tell me where we have to go. Your choice, whatever you want!"
*short time later*
My husband: "So what did you pick."
Me: "How about this BBQ place!"
My husband: *look of disbelief* "I love you!"
Yep, I'd pass up fine dining for a good BBQ brisket any day! But we also had a grand ol time looking for used book stores, our other weakness besides good food, and in gaming stores where we treated ourselves to an expansion for Dominion. Because yes we are geeks and we are certainly proud of it. And when we become homesteaders we will be homesteading geeks that run about barefoot like hobbits. Ok, so that's only me. But my husband will still be a geek.
On our journey home from our dayventure I came to realize how much my life has changed in seven years. How much both of our lives have changed in seven years. Between different jobs and moving and law school and building up my husband's law practice. It's going to be amazing how much more will change in the next seven years. Hopefully in the next seventy years.
I'm just happy to have such a wonderful man to be my companion thrue life. And hoping to have many more anniversary's and dayventures with him!
Happy Anniversary Hon! I Love You!
But that's another story.....
This anniversary my husband and I decided to have a little dayventure. We love to have dayventures. My husband loves to explore. And I like to look at new scenery and see new things. So I guess that makes us perfect for having dayventures together.
So what is a dayventure? Well, as you probably all guessed, it's a day adventure. We usually pick a place we've never been before, try to find a center point to aim for (like a specific town) and just drive towards it. On the way if we see a neat place to stop for lunch we do, if we see an interesting event happening we join in, if we end up at our ending point and it's closed because we didn't do our research, oh well! It's all about the journey and what we'll find.
Today our beginning point was in Tewksbury, mainly because of my husband's work. But, once we were free of that, we made our end point Manchester, NH for two very important reasons. One, it was close by, only 45 minutes away. And two, there was a highly recommended BBQ place up that way that we just had to try out. Now I could have chosen any form of dining experience today that I wanted. My husband promised me that I could pick the restaurant, no matter what the cost. So I could really have gone to the nines on this one. Here's a snippet of the conversation that ensued.
My husband: "So I'll be right back. Why don't you pick out a place for us to eat and tell me where we have to go. Your choice, whatever you want!"
*short time later*
My husband: "So what did you pick."
Me: "How about this BBQ place!"
My husband: *look of disbelief* "I love you!"
Yep, I'd pass up fine dining for a good BBQ brisket any day! But we also had a grand ol time looking for used book stores, our other weakness besides good food, and in gaming stores where we treated ourselves to an expansion for Dominion. Because yes we are geeks and we are certainly proud of it. And when we become homesteaders we will be homesteading geeks that run about barefoot like hobbits. Ok, so that's only me. But my husband will still be a geek.
On our journey home from our dayventure I came to realize how much my life has changed in seven years. How much both of our lives have changed in seven years. Between different jobs and moving and law school and building up my husband's law practice. It's going to be amazing how much more will change in the next seven years. Hopefully in the next seventy years.
I'm just happy to have such a wonderful man to be my companion thrue life. And hoping to have many more anniversary's and dayventures with him!
Happy Anniversary Hon! I Love You!
Friday, September 13, 2013
Not So Silent Night
I love this time of year. When the summer heat and humidity (except for the past three days) has gone away, and you can turn off your air conditioner and allow the cool night time breezes of early fall to move through the house.
And with the turning off of that air conditioner, you can finally hear the nice sounds of peepers, and leaves rustling, and rain drops (if it's raining), and the motorcycles across the bay (if you live across the bay from a biker bar like I do).
But, when the restless motorcycles finally quiet down, and the cops don't have to chase them any more, you can lay back in bed and just listen to the not-so-silent nighttime noises that were masked by the wonderfully cool, but deafeningly loud, air conditioner a few days ago. Or in my case, yesterday. And those soothing sounds bring a peace like no other. Till the motorcyclists need to ride again.
Oh, and did I mention the high pitched, loud tones of the fire brigade alarm? Can't forget about that!
Ahhhh, lovely nighttime sounds!
And with the turning off of that air conditioner, you can finally hear the nice sounds of peepers, and leaves rustling, and rain drops (if it's raining), and the motorcycles across the bay (if you live across the bay from a biker bar like I do).
But, when the restless motorcycles finally quiet down, and the cops don't have to chase them any more, you can lay back in bed and just listen to the not-so-silent nighttime noises that were masked by the wonderfully cool, but deafeningly loud, air conditioner a few days ago. Or in my case, yesterday. And those soothing sounds bring a peace like no other. Till the motorcyclists need to ride again.
Oh, and did I mention the high pitched, loud tones of the fire brigade alarm? Can't forget about that!
Ahhhh, lovely nighttime sounds!
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Ode de Farm Girl
One of the things I love about my job is that I get to be a farm girl.
Yep, that's right. I get to muck stalls, and carry hay bales, and milk a cow, and brush down animals, and chase chickens, and look for turkeys, and be chased by geese..... you know, farm girl stuff.
And I love every part of it. I know that many people would go running the other way as fast as they can at the thought of having to shovel cow and horse poop every morning. Or having to take an hour of your day to find chickens and turkeys to put them away. Or having to carry hay bales through ice and snow while your feet become numb and the animals impatient. But I have done all of those things, and I still love it. I find it rewarding. Though it can be tough at times, you can see the product of your work. A clean barn for your animals. All of your poultry safe from predators. Everyone fed and content. And nothing beats working outside, even if the weather is bad.
But all of this farm work has had one unforeseen consequence.
The SMELL!
Now, I guess if everyone is doing farm work with you, then we will all smell the same. Then it won't matter too much. But when you're doing this work all day and then come home to your husband, who is a lawyer and hasn't been near a horse stall all day, well lets just say the smell of the barnyard is very apparent.
Now my husband is very supportive and loves that I'm doing work that I love. But when I come home from work, with my dirty jeans and mucky boots and hair all over the place, he comes to the door with a big smile on his face, hugs me while holding his breath, and then points to the bathroom so I can take a shower. This also made me aware that other people who don't work on a farm might also be repelled of the strong odor of muck, donkey, cow and horse. So the other day, when I had a chiropractic appointment after work, I made sure to take a shower and change my clothes so that I wasn't scorned by the rest of society. Or at least they could talk to me while not holding their breath. And I think my chiropractor appreciated it. But it did lead to a discussion about having a line of farm perfumes. Something that people could put on to make it seem like they are farmers when they've gotten out of their 9-5 desk jobs. Or people who are already farmers and want to emphasize their farmy smells.
So, I've thought about it long and hard and here is my line of Farm Girl Perfumes!
Ode De Muck: The quintessential Farm Girl scent. The farm begins and ends with muck. Whether it's fresh and smelly right from the horse's behind, or broken down into beautiful soil to put in your garden to grow many good veggies. And nothing says summer like the smell of fresh manure in the air.
Essence of Horse (or Cow, or Sheep, or Chickens): Really it's going to be several different perfumes, though we can have one that is a combination called Farm Menagerie. But nothing reflects better the meaning of being a farm girl better than having the heavy odor of horse or cow in your hair. Musks will be available like Ram Odor and Essense of Buck for men. Really REALLY potent. Everyone will notice that, and every farm girl will know what animal you've been around.
Making Hay While the Sun Doth Shine: Now this one actually sounds nice. If you've ever been in the middle of a hay field on a hot summer's day, raking hay and sweating all over, the smell of that grass drying is almost like an aphrodisiac. It's intoxicating. Unless you get hay fever. Then you won't be smelling much of anything out there.
Wet Wool: For those days when you have been in some really bad, wet weather and your clothing has gotten so damp it will take years for it to properly dry out. But really you only have two hours. So your house, or at least near the stove where everything is drying out, starts to smell like a wet dog has come to stay. And I know Pilgrims can also attest to this smell, with their damp wool clothing.
And there probably are more of them that I haven't thought of yet, but there is also the possibility for a whole line of Farm Girl beauty products.
Smokey Essence: A shampoo that allows your hair to smell like smoke, all the time! And you don't have to worry about making a smokey fire in your house to get the same effect.
Gardener's Nails: Nail polish that looks like dirt, so that you can have that "I've got dirt under my nails constantly because I'm digging around in it all the time" look for your nails.
Hay Hair Ties: You don't have to go for a roll in the hay to get hay all stuck in your hair. You can use these hair ties to have that "You know where I've been...." look. But who wouldn't want to roll in the hay.
I think I've got something here. I'll let you all know when the line is up and running.
Yep, that's right. I get to muck stalls, and carry hay bales, and milk a cow, and brush down animals, and chase chickens, and look for turkeys, and be chased by geese..... you know, farm girl stuff.
And I love every part of it. I know that many people would go running the other way as fast as they can at the thought of having to shovel cow and horse poop every morning. Or having to take an hour of your day to find chickens and turkeys to put them away. Or having to carry hay bales through ice and snow while your feet become numb and the animals impatient. But I have done all of those things, and I still love it. I find it rewarding. Though it can be tough at times, you can see the product of your work. A clean barn for your animals. All of your poultry safe from predators. Everyone fed and content. And nothing beats working outside, even if the weather is bad.
But all of this farm work has had one unforeseen consequence.
The SMELL!
Now, I guess if everyone is doing farm work with you, then we will all smell the same. Then it won't matter too much. But when you're doing this work all day and then come home to your husband, who is a lawyer and hasn't been near a horse stall all day, well lets just say the smell of the barnyard is very apparent.
Now my husband is very supportive and loves that I'm doing work that I love. But when I come home from work, with my dirty jeans and mucky boots and hair all over the place, he comes to the door with a big smile on his face, hugs me while holding his breath, and then points to the bathroom so I can take a shower. This also made me aware that other people who don't work on a farm might also be repelled of the strong odor of muck, donkey, cow and horse. So the other day, when I had a chiropractic appointment after work, I made sure to take a shower and change my clothes so that I wasn't scorned by the rest of society. Or at least they could talk to me while not holding their breath. And I think my chiropractor appreciated it. But it did lead to a discussion about having a line of farm perfumes. Something that people could put on to make it seem like they are farmers when they've gotten out of their 9-5 desk jobs. Or people who are already farmers and want to emphasize their farmy smells.
So, I've thought about it long and hard and here is my line of Farm Girl Perfumes!
Ode De Muck: The quintessential Farm Girl scent. The farm begins and ends with muck. Whether it's fresh and smelly right from the horse's behind, or broken down into beautiful soil to put in your garden to grow many good veggies. And nothing says summer like the smell of fresh manure in the air.
Essence of Horse (or Cow, or Sheep, or Chickens): Really it's going to be several different perfumes, though we can have one that is a combination called Farm Menagerie. But nothing reflects better the meaning of being a farm girl better than having the heavy odor of horse or cow in your hair. Musks will be available like Ram Odor and Essense of Buck for men. Really REALLY potent. Everyone will notice that, and every farm girl will know what animal you've been around.
Making Hay While the Sun Doth Shine: Now this one actually sounds nice. If you've ever been in the middle of a hay field on a hot summer's day, raking hay and sweating all over, the smell of that grass drying is almost like an aphrodisiac. It's intoxicating. Unless you get hay fever. Then you won't be smelling much of anything out there.
Wet Wool: For those days when you have been in some really bad, wet weather and your clothing has gotten so damp it will take years for it to properly dry out. But really you only have two hours. So your house, or at least near the stove where everything is drying out, starts to smell like a wet dog has come to stay. And I know Pilgrims can also attest to this smell, with their damp wool clothing.
And there probably are more of them that I haven't thought of yet, but there is also the possibility for a whole line of Farm Girl beauty products.
Smokey Essence: A shampoo that allows your hair to smell like smoke, all the time! And you don't have to worry about making a smokey fire in your house to get the same effect.
Gardener's Nails: Nail polish that looks like dirt, so that you can have that "I've got dirt under my nails constantly because I'm digging around in it all the time" look for your nails.
Hay Hair Ties: You don't have to go for a roll in the hay to get hay all stuck in your hair. You can use these hair ties to have that "You know where I've been...." look. But who wouldn't want to roll in the hay.
I think I've got something here. I'll let you all know when the line is up and running.
Friday, September 6, 2013
Hearth Cooking and Homeschooling
Two things that don't seem to go together, but yesterday, for me, it did.
I'm very lucky that I have a job that allows me to do all of the activities I love to do. Like gardening, and hearth cooking, and chasing around chickens, and being chased around by turkeys. All fun activities! And what makes it even better is that I can teach it to others. That makes it extra fun as well as extra special.
So yesterday, all afternoon, I taught a group of nine home school students, ages eight to thirteen, how to cook a five course hearth cooked meal. Say that three times fast. And believe me it was just as much a learning experience for me as it was for these kids.
I showed them how to cook hard-boiled eggs without a timer. They showed me how exciting cracking an eggshell of a hard-boiled egg is. I showed them how to make biscuits from scratch and cook them in a dutch bake oven. They washed dishes faster than I've seen any group of kids. I let them make the johny cakes, and they came out excellent. I sent them on a turkey wrangling expedition in the middle of johny cake making, and though it took 5 of them 45 minutes to hunt them down, they still got all the turkeys in and finished working in the garden.
But most of all they got to experience a pretty tasty meal, if I don't mind saying so myself, and I got to witness a group of children who had a better work ethic, more common sense, and a great ability for solving problems than most adults I know of. Through my work I've come to interact with lots of children. And by lots I mean LOTS of children. Thousands of them. And many of them were nice and curious. But these children impressed me to know end with their intelligence, their politeness, and their desire to always have something productive to do.
I'm not going into a rant whether homeschooling or public school is better for a child's upbringing. I think each has it's place and I'm still deciding what I wish to do with my future children. But I have to say, with this recent interaction with these very industrious, inquisitive and polite home schooled children, I think homeschooling has got a few more points over public schooling right now.
I'm very lucky that I have a job that allows me to do all of the activities I love to do. Like gardening, and hearth cooking, and chasing around chickens, and being chased around by turkeys. All fun activities! And what makes it even better is that I can teach it to others. That makes it extra fun as well as extra special.
So yesterday, all afternoon, I taught a group of nine home school students, ages eight to thirteen, how to cook a five course hearth cooked meal. Say that three times fast. And believe me it was just as much a learning experience for me as it was for these kids.
I showed them how to cook hard-boiled eggs without a timer. They showed me how exciting cracking an eggshell of a hard-boiled egg is. I showed them how to make biscuits from scratch and cook them in a dutch bake oven. They washed dishes faster than I've seen any group of kids. I let them make the johny cakes, and they came out excellent. I sent them on a turkey wrangling expedition in the middle of johny cake making, and though it took 5 of them 45 minutes to hunt them down, they still got all the turkeys in and finished working in the garden.
But most of all they got to experience a pretty tasty meal, if I don't mind saying so myself, and I got to witness a group of children who had a better work ethic, more common sense, and a great ability for solving problems than most adults I know of. Through my work I've come to interact with lots of children. And by lots I mean LOTS of children. Thousands of them. And many of them were nice and curious. But these children impressed me to know end with their intelligence, their politeness, and their desire to always have something productive to do.
I'm not going into a rant whether homeschooling or public school is better for a child's upbringing. I think each has it's place and I'm still deciding what I wish to do with my future children. But I have to say, with this recent interaction with these very industrious, inquisitive and polite home schooled children, I think homeschooling has got a few more points over public schooling right now.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Where Is Walden?
Hi! Welcome to my new blog!
Having been blogging for several years, and more recently blogging about my challenges in, The Pursuit of Happiness, I'm finding it refreshing starting a new blog for my primary passion, the simple life.
Now, the funny thing is that the work I've been doing for the last six years has immersed me in historical time periods close to 400 years ago. And the comment "Oh, it was so simple back then!" would make me cringe. SIMPLE?!?! These poor people had so little in the way of conveniences it wasn't even funny. Something that takes us five minutes would take them hours! And they didn't have coffee to wake them up in the morning! AHHHHHH!!!!
But, every once in a while, I would agree with this comment. Those times when all was quiet and you just sat listening to the birds. When you just stopped because you felt the wind change. When you watched the rain rather than TV, because it wasn't even around. When you feel the warm earth in between your fingers after a spring thaw, or a summer's rain on a hot day, or watch geese flying in for the evening on a crisp fall's eve, or catching snowflakes on a cold winter snap. That is what I think those people meant.
And that's what I'm going in search for right here. And you, dear readers, are invited to come along for the ride.
I'm hoping to record all the ups and downs that comes with searching for, as I have come to phrase it, "My Walden". Now it's been years since I've read Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden", I believe it was my junior year of high school. So it's been many years then. But in thinking about what I wanted to achieve in this venture, and particularly the name of this blog, I came across this quote.
“Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.”
It was from Thoreau's famous work Walden. And it seemed to just touch my heart. It encompassed what I wanted to achieve. To find my own concept of simplicity in my everyday life.
To find my own Walden.
Having been blogging for several years, and more recently blogging about my challenges in, The Pursuit of Happiness, I'm finding it refreshing starting a new blog for my primary passion, the simple life.
Now, the funny thing is that the work I've been doing for the last six years has immersed me in historical time periods close to 400 years ago. And the comment "Oh, it was so simple back then!" would make me cringe. SIMPLE?!?! These poor people had so little in the way of conveniences it wasn't even funny. Something that takes us five minutes would take them hours! And they didn't have coffee to wake them up in the morning! AHHHHHH!!!!
But, every once in a while, I would agree with this comment. Those times when all was quiet and you just sat listening to the birds. When you just stopped because you felt the wind change. When you watched the rain rather than TV, because it wasn't even around. When you feel the warm earth in between your fingers after a spring thaw, or a summer's rain on a hot day, or watch geese flying in for the evening on a crisp fall's eve, or catching snowflakes on a cold winter snap. That is what I think those people meant.
And that's what I'm going in search for right here. And you, dear readers, are invited to come along for the ride.
I'm hoping to record all the ups and downs that comes with searching for, as I have come to phrase it, "My Walden". Now it's been years since I've read Henry David Thoreau's book "Walden", I believe it was my junior year of high school. So it's been many years then. But in thinking about what I wanted to achieve in this venture, and particularly the name of this blog, I came across this quote.
“Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.”
It was from Thoreau's famous work Walden. And it seemed to just touch my heart. It encompassed what I wanted to achieve. To find my own concept of simplicity in my everyday life.
To find my own Walden.
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