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.
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