Snapshot

I see snow falling... bright bits of lace falling on an eastward angle.  One large flake rolls upward a few inches and then drifts to the east while another soars in a long lazy arc, like a shooting star.  I make a wish... just in case.

I hear wind against the windows and fire crackling in the woodstove; the sound of cold and the sound of heat. A log falls with a rustle.  Another snaps.  I hear my son sorting through his papers, as he sits on the warm slate close to the woodstove, looking for a blank sheet to start a drawing.  His pencil scratches across the page energetically.

I smell chai in my mug, as I take a break from deep cleaning the kitchen.

I taste the vanilla spice of my tea.

I feel comfortable... happy... blessed.

It is bitterly cold here today, as it must be in many other places.  It feels good to be tending the fire indoors... out of the wind and yet listening to her song.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you comfort and joy.

November Lullaby

November Lullaby

Gray and brown November

Where blue overhead is unexpected

And cold white blasts unwelcome.

It is so hard to roll easily

from Indian Summer

To deep November slumber.

And so I make of myself a seedpod

Keeping all my green freshness

Tucked inside

Awaiting spring.

On the inside I practice unfurling,

While I settle into the leaf drift

That hums softly

Beneath the bare-branches of your days.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you peace.

poetry by Aisling

Snapshot

I see the wind sculpture on the deck slowly turning and branches swaying in a dance that never seems to end on this windswept ridge.

I hear my sons chatting... one voice deep and the other still lilting in the sing-song tones of childhood. I am adding to the cheerful clutter of sound as I hum some of the music from the Native American drumming group I sang with this morning.

I smell acorn squash roasting and fragrant steam rising from chickpeas, freshly cooked in the pressure cooker and ready to be made into falafel as soon as I get motivated!

I taste warm, spicy tea.

I feel glad for the social activities which keep us active and entertained, and even more glad for the quiet comfortable retreat of home.

It continues to rain... on and on and on.  We are adjusting and especially joyful at every glimpse of sunlight or blue sky.  There have been no glimpses of sunshine today, so we are making our own light and warmth in the kitchen.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you comfort and light.

Sunday Stroll - A Long Walk

Finally, a blue sky day.  

With so many shades of blue beckoning

I just had to go for a long walk.  

We still have autumn color, but recent winds are bringing the leaves down.  

Some flutter to the ground. 

 Others are caught, as if the tree is trying to hold on to autumn...

 just a little bit longer.

The creek is laughing and skipping with the pure joy of an autumn full of rain.  

I walked quietly beside her, but my heart was skipping along.

The light was amazing.

 I lay down in the heart of a wide open meadow

 just to feel the sun's warmth

and to look up and get lost 

in those many shades of blue.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you joy.

Warm Comfort

It is another gray day, though no rain or snow so far.  I can't seem to gather enough energy to get things done.  Rather than check things off my long to-do list, I decided to cook a great big pot of Red Lentil and Root Vegetable Stew.  As usual, I didn't refer to a recipe (though I love cookbooks as inspiration!)... rather I wandered around pulling richly colored root vegetables and let the garden write my ingredient list. These photos give you an idea of what went in my soup pot.

A little pan of flat stovetop bread topped with olive oil, garlic and thyme paired nicely with my soup. Though I was eating alone, I took the time to serve myself in the china I inherited from my maternal grandmother, and I garnished my bowl with a spring of thyme and a wedge of beet. Aren't the insides of these Chioggia beets beautiful?   I craved this infusion of color on such a gray day.

Feeling satisfied, I sip my nettle tea and enjoy the quiet.  The house smells warm and comfortable, as the earthy aromas of the stew mix with the scent of the wood fire.

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you warmth and comfort.

Bounty

This week the emphasis on the farm is on preserving peppers and cleaning up the garden rows.  These bells are being made into stuffed peppers for instant gratification, and roasted red pepper puree to savor in the winter.  There are also hot peppers to pickle and to string up for drying.

Apparently, this is monsoon season in our neck of the woods... We are on our fifteenth or twentieth day of rain.  The extended forecast predicts rain and snow for the next ten days as well.  We get a little damp around the edges gathering our harvest, but the house is warm and comfortable... and with tomato sauce in the crockpot and peppers roasting in the oven it smells good too!

Wherever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you comfort, color, and joy!

all photos by Aisling, 10/20/2013

Autumn Busyness

I have not posted since early September.  It has been a busy month on the farm.  Also, our rural internet connection has been very unreliable.  We have so few options here for internet!

The month has included:

• Canning Tomatoes
• Canning Green Beans
• Canning Pears
• Cleaning up the garden
• Harvesting and shelling dried beans
• A new part time job
• Substitute teaching
• Canning Tomatoes
• Walks in the woods
• Gathering Wild Apples
• Making Salsa
• Putting away summer clothes
• Pulling out sweaters and hats
• Going to the Homecoming Football Game
• Canning Tomatoes

Yes, lots of tomatoes and it wasn't even a very good year for them here, but we planted so many!   October is nearly upon us, and I am contemplating mulled cider and pumpkin bread, and cozy weekends!