Quick Note

We don't have internet on the farm currently.  Writing this quick note from a restaurant.  Thank goodness for "free wifi for customers!"  Trying to figure out when and from where to blog.  All is well!

Saturday Snapshot

I see dissarray.  We are painting the kitchen ceiling, so all of the kitchen furniture is in the living room where I am sitting.  The clutter makes it difficult for me to relax... so I take a deep breath and ignore it!

I hear the noisy percolator.  The coffee maker chatters and gurgles as it makes my morning cup of hazelnut.

I smell the blended aromas of wood smoke and coffee.

I taste a wedge of un-frosted carrot cake, left over from dinner last night.  It tastes satisfying with my first mug of coffee.

I feel content, enjoying the quiet of morning before the busyness of the day.  

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

Healing...

One of my poems has been reprinted, with my permission, on this lovely blog:

http://healinghamlet.com/healing-quotes-and-poems/a-farm-style-fairy-tale/

Take a peek, if you wish.  I have found the content of the blog to be very lovely and uplifting.

Remants of Autumn

 Remnants of Autumn remain

 As Winter hangs her art in unexpected places.

 I wonder who walked the woods and fields before me,

 leaving footprints and artifacts behind?

These photos are from yesterday, when the balmy 31 degree F thermometer reading lured me outdoors.  Today, an arctic blast is settling in... and I am settling myself in indoors with a woodfire crackling and a tea kettle humming.  Let the wild wind roar!

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

New

For just this moment, the sun is shining. Sparks of light glint off the many inches of snow that blanket the ground in these crisp-cold days of early January.   In the past few days, I have noticed with joy the lengthening of the days, but until now there have been no blue skies to revel in.

I am beginning the new year with a round of deep cleaning, setting aside items to donate or pass along as I work.  I am trying to begin with a clean slate.

Looking ahead, I expect to try collecting sap and making maple syrup for the first time in February, just before launching into this year's gardening season with seed starting in all the sunny windows of this old farm house.

For now, I will sit quietly and enjoy this brilliant light.  It is a truly welcome blessing in the heart of winter.

Where ever you are, whatever the weather, I wish you blessings and light.

Slow

Things slow way down on the farm in winter.  The pace settles into a gentle, determined rhythm... and to that steady beat, you do all that you must... and, sometimes, little else.

It is time to pull close to the fire.

It is an introspective season.

This year, winter is at my doorstep and has been for several weeks, despite what the calendar proclaims, and yet, I am still a bit frenzied and frantic.  I have learned over the years that I become scattered and unfocused if I do not maintain certain practices.  Because of the demands of the farm these past few seasons, I have sadly neglected the following healthy habits:  a daily walk in nature, yoga and meditation.

Sometimes, people suggest that I have been "shot out of a canon" because I spring to life each morning and tackle my tasks with energy... but without the quiet moments of reflection so abundant in walking, yoga, and meditation, I notice that I can be quite busy, scurrying about, and yet not accomplish much.  Sometimes, my thoughts dart about as I try to listen to someone I care about, which troubles me greatly.  I need to take a deep breath.

This winter will be my season to re-establish my commitment to quiet moments, to slow food, slow living, and deep listening.

Note to self:

Breathe slowly and listen.

Breathe and slowly consider.

If you must speak, 

speak slowly and gently.

Then be quiet.

Be still.

Listen.

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

A Farm Style Fairy Tale

Before she moved to the farm,

She did not know whether she was made more of

Daisies and dreams

Or mystery and moss…

Or perhaps mostly of midnight and memories.

She came to the farm so that she could sprinkle radish seeds on cool soil

And then pull them up a few weeks later with the joy of a child opening a gift,

And then roast them slowly and stir them into a soup to feed to her loved ones.

She came to the farm so that she could sing native water songs

To friendly chickens as she fed them. 

She came so that, when the world became too tangled and complex,

She could walk through the quiet forest and slowly unravel

Then sit un-moving on a sun-dappled slope

And listen as the wind whispered endearments to the Earth.

After a while, she realized that she was made of 

Much more than just daisies and dreams;

She was an elemental,

Undefinable,

Sweetness 

In the song that Life sings.

by Aisling, December 10, 2013