Washed Denim Skies

With Spring being about a month away our days are lenghtening as the sun climbs back toward the front of our house. Causing all kinds of changes in the view around us. Buds are beginning to swell on the fruit trees and spring flowering bushes. There is a twinge of green mingling in with the dry brown grass. The daffys are pushing up from their slumber and peeking above the still cold earth. I've seen bluebirds in the yard already, looking for those newly hatched bugs. We have even been getting a hint that warmer weather is on it's way. For our day temperatures are most pleasantly in the upper 50 -low 60.


Today was a nice day for porch sitting and since it was Sunday. There is no heavy work to be done outside of feeding chores. I have been trying to be sure I make use of every opportunity to sit a spell. Even if it means a lap quilt wrapped around me and a mug of tea to ward off the cool stubborn winds of Winter. But today I hadn't a need for any of those things, for it is in the high 60's. Sunny, with blue skies in every direction I looked. Not many will gaze upon the sky to see the subtle shading it offers throughout the year. Most glances upward are for checking out whether there are any clouds ~ is rain on the way, will it be sunny?



For as long as I can remember I've searched the skies, judging their color. Yes, I know it is blue for the most part, except for the gray colored skies of Winter. But it shows varying shades of blue throughout the year, giving us a full spectrum of blue. My husband doesn't always see the variations and shakes his head when I call out a specific name of blue for the day. But he's learning to "really see" the sky. When he takes the time to be still and open his eyes to take it in. Each phase of color will tell you something about the natural world around us, if we take the time to consider it's message.


Today, we were given what I term washed denim blue. It's a color seen in the changing skies from Winter to Spring. The blue gray of winter is softened with the higher latitude of sunlight. Giving a warm, sun drenched blue, soft in intensity, with a light scattering of see through clouds. Looking just like a favorite pair of comfy denim jeans, showing the wear in little patches of thin fabric. Regardless of how they look, we wear them because they feel good. Yep! that is what I had overhead as I lounged on the porch. A perfect time to spend reading and writing.


So I gathered up my favorite purple pen, paper and settled in. I have been sending notes of encouragement to my Mom, who is staying at a rehab facility while recovering from back surgery. She and daddy were in an automobile accident back in the middle of January. Where she received 2 critical spinal fractures. I spent 10 days by her bedside, while Lon held down the farm in my absence. Thank you, Baby! One would never plan for times such as those, but they happen none the less. Disappointment set in when she learned she would not be able to go home after surgery. Learning to walk and move safely around with a back brace on was needed first. She had been receiving cards during her hospital stay. So I thought something with more than just a quick greeting would give her the chance to escape mentally the boundaries set upon her. So, I decided to write about the happenings here on the farm. Trying to describe word pictures for her to see. Walking her through my week, day by day with little messages of love and encouragement mixed in. I've yet to send one with less than 7 pages tucked in the envelope. I'm not sure who benefits more, me or her. In the writing I am reminded of the blessings I have enjoyed and have the pleasure of sharing my corner of the world with my mom in an unhurried manner.


Hand written letters in years past were the norm, instead of the oddity they are today. As a society most have rushed into what is seen as a convenience of instant messaging through emails, texting, and voice mail. Even to the point of giving special occasion cards by hand, rather than putting a stamp on them and mailing. To me these are not a signal that I have been on any one's mind for very long. Yes, they get the information past to the recipient, but they are impersonal forms of communication. I love getting mail, especially personal mail. I'm not talking about the multitude of junk mail or bills we find waiting for us in the mailbox. I mean "this is just for you" mail. I have a friend who is the best at sending cards to everyone she knows that needs a little encouragement. Or a reminder that she loves them and is praying for them. I believe we all would be a lot happier if we received hand written tokens of love more frequently. Boxes of inexpensive cards can be found at the nearest discount store, a book of stamps has risen in price over the years, but the cost is still minimal. Taking the time to write a brief note instead of just signing your name carries such a wealth of love in it. I would challenge you to take the time to try it. It will brighten some one's day I can assure you. If you doubt me, send me your address and I'll drop you a line. Then you will be smiling when you reach into the mailbox instead of dreading what you will find. Writing to mom has inspired me to do more of it and to take the time to stick a stamp on a card and mail to my family and friends more often.

Amber ~ says "do I look slimer from this angle?"

On the farm front, we are still WAITING for babies. Can you tell I'm getting a little impatient? Having had 2 to give birth almost 6 weeks ago, has me ready for some more cuties to arrive. Our closes candidate is Amber, who gave birth on February 13th of last year. She has already bagged up in preparation for nursing little ones. But I have her due date down for latter in the month. I think it would be neat to have her do a repeat performance on the same date this year, though I'm not sure she agrees with me. Last year she birth twins as she had her previous 2 times. From the grandeur of her statue I'd say we could probably count on twins again this year.

Comfy in my denim blue day,

Deborah

Cold Chill

The house is uncomfortably cool this frosty morning. Night time temps dropping down into the 14* range the past two nights has served to put a heavy chill in the air. The folks up in the North East are seeing deeper drops in their weather coupled with snow. To them 14* lows would probably been welcomed. Just a physical reminder that we are still in the heart of winter. A season generally to be spent in less activity, a time set aside for rest, renewal of energies & restoration from the busy season preceding and following this quieter time of the year. Especially true for those living on a farm life where all the crops are in, new livestock births are yet to be, outside chores are fewer than in other seasons. Every thing; animals, plants and man mindful of the coming Spring and the flourishes of activity and growth that it brings.

Applicable to every person who walks this earth, but this is often not the case for most of mankind. This season set aside for quiet pursuits for the most part goes by with hardly a notice. Except for a complaint here and there about the weather. Each day blurs into the next in a repetitive activity that varies very little. When society lost it's connection with the land, turning from being "farmers" to industrial workers, something important slipped from our view. . . . . . . mindfulness of the seasons and our need for them.

God gave mankind a charge in the "garden" to see over it, use it, enjoy it and I believe to learn from it. Throughout history man has been seen running away from the very thing he was called to do. With each mechanical invention we have lost a piece of what it means to be connected to something bigger than the labor involved. Now very few people get their hands dirty, much less get satisfaction from it. A missed opportunity to be in touch with the rich blessings available in being in step with the seasons and the One who created them. The worst part is they don't even realize what they have lost. I believe that we, each one is born with the capacity to not only understand but to relate to this basic concept. I am more at peace within my person with each step I take towards nurturing that which God placed within me. I have lots to learn as it is not generally a concept handed down through lifestyle teaching any more. There are always exceptions to the rule and I hope to be gleaming from the experiences of others.

The simplistic acts of growing crops, raising livestock, noticing weather details and seasonally changes, will lead to a greater dependency on God I believe. There is no way around it, for our success or failure hinges on His active involvement. A grateful spirit is born out of a dependency on someone else to provide what you can not supply. I am looking forward with anticipation for the day we can set up our farm in the rural countryside. Away from the distractions of city life, the noise, traffic and the hustle bustle of the always busy, but ultimately getting less in return for the effort. Not that we haven't enjoyed some of the benefits of urban gardening already. Having a small garden, fruiting vines, bushes & trees, raising a few chickens, harvesting honey, growing flowers for beauty and feeding the birds of land and water for pleasure have ALL served as a learning ground for us. I only wish I could convince others of the benefits of doing something likewise. I wonder how many dinning rooms across America houses a box of baby chicks in them? Much less in our county, like ours does. They bring a wonder to the eyes at the miracle of growth and a melodious music as we listen to their song of life. Having them there feels as natural to me as the warm wrap around my shoulders this morning.

Which is a real need as we are without the added heat from our fireplace gas logs. The fire from 2 days ago removed that convenience from us. Dependent on a flip of a button, has left us without the necessary tools to return to the "old" ways of heating a home ~ wood. Which is not in short supply around here. Being right outside our doors standing tall and also stacked in neat little rows out back. We are learning a lesson first hand about relying on something that may be a quicker way to heat but may not be the best choice. I am sure there are many more lessons similar to be learned "down on the farm".

I want to walk side by side with the Creator of the garden, this side of heaven and beyond. What sweet fellowship to be anticipated, experienced and remembered.

Deborah

Ready, Set, Go!

Today wrapped up my preparations for Christmas and with 4 days to spare. Yahoo! I can't recall at present ever being ready this early before. Might have in past years, as I always sought to be done early in the month of December. My success this year is probably due to the scaling back and simplifying of our idea of what Christmas should be about. For the past several weeks I have felt freedom from the preconceived notions of past expectations and what is being pushed by the media. To hear other people talk about their shopping excursions, baking, decorating, etc. only fueled my resolve to kept it simple this year. A challenge for myself on several occasions, as I would think of a particular decor item not being displayed or activity engaged in. Then the old "I need to get that put up" feeling would creep into my thinking quicker than a heartbeat. I am glad to say that I resisted each temptation and told myself "enough is enough". Reminding myself that what goes up, has to come down later. I did not want to create more work for myself than the enjoyment of the idea would bring.

A room by room clean-a-thon freshened the house today. From end to end and side to side, every room received what it needed. Working for 15 minutes and then resting for 15 minutes helped me to accomplish the tasks at hand and allow me to stretch my energies so that playing through out the day could also be accomplished. After all this is suppose to be one of my off days. Something cold to drink and catching up on my emails was a large portion of play time for me. Reading a favorite blog was a special treat as well. The fact that I have had the house to myself for 48 hours since Friday morning was a plus in getting everything finalized. No one was under foot, not even Tigger, our cat. Lon and Jason both have been on duty, due to each of them working an extra shift on each other's scheduled day.

Christmas shopping was completed and all packages were wrapped last evening. The tree now sports a fluffy skirt of colorful packages. Grocery shopping for the house and our Christmas dinner was also completed yesterday as well. It helped to have leftovers in the fridge to eat for my dinners these two days, instead of having to cook. Another blessing towards getting done what I needed to. So here I sit with all in readiness to start the count down to Christmas next week. Tomorrow we will have our Christmas musical at church and all that will be left is to enjoy Mom & Dad's visit. They arrive tomorrow afternoon to spend the week with us and other than some cooking for our Christmas dinner, I have no other plans than to relax and chat.

In the midst of cleaning this afternoon there arose such a cladder that I had to spring to my feet to see what was the matter. No, it was not a jolly figure dancing on my roof. It was not even someone come to spread good cheer. But destruction instead! Instantly, I recognized the distress call from one or more of our girls. Quick movement down the front steps revealed the visitor was not at all welcomed and was intent on some Christmas dinner for itself.

A small Marsh Hawk had one of our chicken in a tissy and pinned behind the azalea bushes out front. As I called to her if flew to a nearby tree, intent on trying to recapture it's meal. That is until I made a ruckus myself, convincing it to move on to find other hunting grounds. Capturing the frighten hen was of little trouble, as she collapsed behind a bush and allowed me to pick her up. Missing and ruffled feathers off her back and wings spoke of a struggle to get free. Whether they were removed by the hawk or the tangle of limbs under the bushes, it remains to be seen. She did receive an injury to her right eye, that was bleeding. But for now it is hard to tell whether she has any internal injuries that I can't see. Placing all the girls back into their play yard for safe keeping for the rest of the day, hopefully will persuade the chicken thief to look else where for a free meal. Upon inspection tonight as I closed up their coop, she was sitting quietly with the injured eye closed, which for now is a good sign. Earlier she was only laying on the ground not moving, but now she was up on the roost for bedtime. Tomorrow morning her activity will let us know if she will recover or not.

All the warm, wet weather of the past week has been unseasonably for this time of year. A trend that does not lend itself to keeping the Christmas ideal of frosty window panes, carolling in the snow, heavy coats, scarves and mittens, Christmas sweaters, mugs of hot chocolate and stockings hung by the fire. All may change tomorrow if the weather forecasters are correct in calling for a big dip in our temperatures, with highs in the 40's and lows in the 20's. The change will require a flip not only of the outside thermostat, but the inside one as well. For we have been having temperatures in the 70's for several days now. A chance to cuddle up in front of the fireplace may be in our future after all.

I'm ready, all set and waiting to go.

Deborah

Cold is on the Way!

The skies one morning recently looked as if they might give way to some stormy weather. Looking out the window at the break of dawn told me that it was going to be a cold day, just like the weather people predicted. We have been experiencing some freezing temperatures for over a week now. The day time temps would not be so bad without the chilling winds blowing in your face and seeping through our clothes. Lows at night have caused us to cover the garden more than once in an effort to save the rest of our fall harvest. Dipping down into the low 20's caused the few tomatoes on the vines to freeze. Some of the less than hardy plants in the flower beds succumbed as well. Winter is not officially here till the 21st. of December, but one look at the landscape around the house would speak of something different. Fluffy white clouds I love to see in the season to come, as they hold the possibility of snow. Not that we get it very often in our neck of the woods. But the grey skies are not so pleasant to look at in winter. Devoid of color they lead to a gloominess that matches the flatness of the world around us and I get tired of so quickly. So accustomed to color through out the rest of the year we seem to walk around in shock. So I have decided that making, finding, enjoying the list of Fall Favorites should be repeated this winter season as well. I plan to start compiling the new list and will post it a few days before December 21st, so look for it. In the mean time start your own list and let me know in the comment area, what you will be looking forward to, as all creation goes into hibernation. We can compare notes, inspire each other and look for the blessings in this season of life as well.

It is surprising to me that the chickens are still eager to get out of the pen for some foraging with the COLD winds blowing these last few days. Feathers are easily ruffled with each blast of air, their little yellow legs exposed with out warm coverings. Makes me shiver just looking at them and the trek across the yard in the cold doesn't help. Egg production has dropped a little as the daylight hours have dwindled with the setting of the sun coming earlier with each passing day. I too hate to loose the evening hours to darkness. After all these years, you would think I would have come to grips with darkness falling at 5 - 5:30 this time of the year. The girls may be suffering from diminished light or as the poultry books have stated, they maybe getting ready to molt. Not that their feathers are worn or anything, but dropping them at this time of the year doesn't sound like good planning on their part. I haven't seen any stray feathers floating around though. Could be because of the strong winds or the fact that they are looking for what few bugs that are still above ground, deeper in the woods that separate us from our neighbor. We have had as low a count as 6 eggs one day, averaging around 9-11. Every so often that will kick back into gear and our egg basket will be filled with 12.

The gas logs in the fireplace are lit every morning to chase away the cold and warm our toes as we shuffle into the kitchen for some hot tea. Lon has joined me in my delight for the beverage and to the amazement of friends, has stopped drinking coffee all together. We frequently encourage the other in another cup throughout the day. Green tea is a given, along with a box of "Apple Cinnamon" and "Constant Comment", we have been going through quite a number of boxes. Supplies are getting low and I have the desire to order some favorites from the "Republic of Tea" company, like "Blackberry Sage", "Cinnamon Plum" and "Pomegranate Green" tea I am out of right now. Though with the start of December I always pull out my Christmas favorites to enjoy, so I can probably hold off on that order till some time in January. That is when I will really need a lift to my spirits in endless days of grey.

Reading has been come the norm for our evenings here, as we have fully forgotten about t.v. viewing. Watching an occasional movie is the only change we have made. Acquiring an old VHS player has pleased Leah as well and we have enjoyed some old Disney films I had purchased for my future grandchildren before DVD's took over. "Aladin' seems to be her favorite so far and has been watch by us all more times that I care to count. All the dancing and singing really captures her attention. I am sure as the days go by, Lon and I will find ourselves also engrossed in an some old VHS tape from our collection. Maybe we will make Friday nites our Movie and homemade popcorn date night.

It won't be too long before the garden will be closed for the winter. Our time will be spent instead with seed catalogs and making plans for our Spring garden. But that is another 2 seasons away, so for now I will focus on the highlight of next week. . . Thanksgiving. Turkey, dressing, veggies, salads, cranberry sauce and the favorite desserts of yester year. Then before I can catch my breath it will be time to decorate the tree and add the trimmings that turn our home into a Christmas celebration.

Enjoy the time as you have it, it is a gift.

Deborah