Gratitude for Shoes and Other Simplicities
This theme of gratitude for the little things is a recurring motif in my life lately. I keep bumping into it...in Ann Voscamp's book, a friend's blog, a facebook post, my bible study. Whenever that kind of repetition happens in my life I always wonder what God is up to.
This phrase, "gratitude for shoes" has been rolling around in my head since Saturday afternoon when I went to town and purchased a pair of much needed work shoes. A small thing, not terribly expensive, not a luxury but a needed item, yet I found myself feeling extremely grateful to be carrying a box of new shoes out of the store. I was reminded of the book, Gratitude For Shoes, by local author Cleo Hicks Williams which I read over a year ago. The book has much to recommend it, but I think what spoke to me, what keeps speaking to me, is the author's grateful spirit for even the smallest of blessings and a complete absence of self-pity in the midst of the harshest circumstances.
I am convicted that deprivation of even the mildest kind sometimes tends to rake up a feeling of entitlement in me even though I am steeped in blessing. I need teachers like the late Ms. Williams who can teach me this discpline of gratitude for shoes.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Chicken Run
After attending a training session this morning, I came home to work on the chicken run some more. My chicken population is still under attack by some "fowl" serial killer. We're thinking now it's probably a raccoon. On Monday after school I spent some time tightening up the hen house and putting the electronet back up around it. The net won't keep the chickens in because they can almost all fly over it, but I am hoping it will keep the killer out. Right now it isn't even electrified, but I do plan adding a charger as soon as I can.
Today I made the chickens a run so they don't have to be cooped up all the time. ( I had to drive six fence posts--pumpin' iron, farm-girl style!) This is the first of probably three runs which I will attach around the coop. That way I will be able to rotate them from run to run by opening and closing the pop doors. It's a far cry from truly being free-range like they were, but on the other hand, they very possibly get to see more of the outdoors than those labeled "free range" in the grocery store. (The label "free range" means only that the chickens have to have some access to an outside yard, not that they ever actually figure out how to get out there. "Cage Free" just means that they are not kept in battery style cages, but they are still raised inside. Just FYI.)
I took pictures while I was out there:
After attending a training session this morning, I came home to work on the chicken run some more. My chicken population is still under attack by some "fowl" serial killer. We're thinking now it's probably a raccoon. On Monday after school I spent some time tightening up the hen house and putting the electronet back up around it. The net won't keep the chickens in because they can almost all fly over it, but I am hoping it will keep the killer out. Right now it isn't even electrified, but I do plan adding a charger as soon as I can.
Today I made the chickens a run so they don't have to be cooped up all the time. ( I had to drive six fence posts--pumpin' iron, farm-girl style!) This is the first of probably three runs which I will attach around the coop. That way I will be able to rotate them from run to run by opening and closing the pop doors. It's a far cry from truly being free-range like they were, but on the other hand, they very possibly get to see more of the outdoors than those labeled "free range" in the grocery store. (The label "free range" means only that the chickens have to have some access to an outside yard, not that they ever actually figure out how to get out there. "Cage Free" just means that they are not kept in battery style cages, but they are still raised inside. Just FYI.)
I took pictures while I was out there:
"Whatcha Doin'?"
Farm Girl Weight Machine
Checkin' Out the new Digs
A Good Afternoon's Work
Local Old Timers say that when a snow lies around like this one has, it's waiting on another one.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Snow and other Gifts
Just so you know, I do have other things to write about. I've been reading Wendell Berry, Charles Spurgeon , and a new writer I just discovered who is as deep and fresh as well, snow. With this eclectic group presently residing in my head, I am not at a loss for topics.
But they will have to wait for another day. I seem to be stuck, metaphorically and actually, in the snow. Every phase of it-falling, sticking, melting, refreezing, drifting, sparkling- has had a mesmerizing quality to me. I'd like to be blase about it, maybe complain about it a little, but I just can't. And apparently I can't stop writing about it either.
I have been trying to incorporate a little exercise into my daily trip to the barn. Walking up and down the hill is always a bit of a challenge. Walking in snow over my boots wearing heavy snow pants and a thick sweater has to qualify as actual exercise, so after chores I decided walk around the north end of the pasture to
check the fence and get in my 30 minutes.
The fence is a mess. Hardly a fence at all, and it is on "the list" of things that have to be done "when the snow melts". But I soon forget the sad state of the fence, lost in the maze of rabbit and deer tracks that cross through the pasture's edges. Can we possibly have that many rabbits? I notice that now in some places on south sloping hills, when I step I am actually pressing clean through to bare ground. The snow is melting.
The air is crystal clear and the sky is a surreal blue. I stop, plop down in a snowbank in the pines and just breathe it in. Tiny flakes of snow are falling out of the trees and sifting to the ground. On the way down, the sun is catching each one, turning them to diamonds. Breathtaking. I am mesmerized again.
But I can't sit in the snow forever, and eventually I get up and for some reason it seems right that I should hike back up to the house via the north trail through the woods. Crossing out of the fence I come into a little clearing that is still completely unmarked, no tracks of any kind. It seems almost like desecration to cross it, but I must. Further on, more rabbit and deer tracks cross back and forth across the steep hill, smarter than I am--I am trying to go straight up it. Along this north-facing trail through thick woods very little snow has melted. As the treads of my boots fill with packed snow, I lose traction, slip, slide back, grab onto low limbs, pull myself along. I make the last ten yards to the house on hands and knees, breathless. This definitely qualifies as exercise. I reach the warmth of the house, shucking boots and snow pants in the mud room, enjoying a sense of accomplishment. It was good to be out among the snow and sun and pines.
Just so you know, I do have other things to write about. I've been reading Wendell Berry, Charles Spurgeon , and a new writer I just discovered who is as deep and fresh as well, snow. With this eclectic group presently residing in my head, I am not at a loss for topics.
But they will have to wait for another day. I seem to be stuck, metaphorically and actually, in the snow. Every phase of it-falling, sticking, melting, refreezing, drifting, sparkling- has had a mesmerizing quality to me. I'd like to be blase about it, maybe complain about it a little, but I just can't. And apparently I can't stop writing about it either.
I have been trying to incorporate a little exercise into my daily trip to the barn. Walking up and down the hill is always a bit of a challenge. Walking in snow over my boots wearing heavy snow pants and a thick sweater has to qualify as actual exercise, so after chores I decided walk around the north end of the pasture to
check the fence and get in my 30 minutes.
The fence is a mess. Hardly a fence at all, and it is on "the list" of things that have to be done "when the snow melts". But I soon forget the sad state of the fence, lost in the maze of rabbit and deer tracks that cross through the pasture's edges. Can we possibly have that many rabbits? I notice that now in some places on south sloping hills, when I step I am actually pressing clean through to bare ground. The snow is melting.
The air is crystal clear and the sky is a surreal blue. I stop, plop down in a snowbank in the pines and just breathe it in. Tiny flakes of snow are falling out of the trees and sifting to the ground. On the way down, the sun is catching each one, turning them to diamonds. Breathtaking. I am mesmerized again.
But I can't sit in the snow forever, and eventually I get up and for some reason it seems right that I should hike back up to the house via the north trail through the woods. Crossing out of the fence I come into a little clearing that is still completely unmarked, no tracks of any kind. It seems almost like desecration to cross it, but I must. Further on, more rabbit and deer tracks cross back and forth across the steep hill, smarter than I am--I am trying to go straight up it. Along this north-facing trail through thick woods very little snow has melted. As the treads of my boots fill with packed snow, I lose traction, slip, slide back, grab onto low limbs, pull myself along. I make the last ten yards to the house on hands and knees, breathless. This definitely qualifies as exercise. I reach the warmth of the house, shucking boots and snow pants in the mud room, enjoying a sense of accomplishment. It was good to be out among the snow and sun and pines.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
And Still It Snows...
Out of school again today due to weather...no surprise there. The main roads are clear but every little hollow and hill in the mountains has its own private road and those are still, as I understand it, impassable. I know ours is still snow-covered.
After a relatively warm (it got up to 34) day yesterday, temps dropped to the teens last night and today it hasn't been out of the twenties. The result it that some places that had managed to melt yesterday are now frozen solid and everywhere the snow has a layer of crunchy ice on top. When I walked down to the barn today, I enjoyed the sensation of breaking through the crust with every step. Underneath, the snow is no longer snowball-making consistency, but has frozen into a fine powder that won't stick together at all.
The birds have been very active at the feeders today so I know it must be getting difficult for them to find anything else to eat out there. I've seen thirty or so at time at the feeders today with more stationed nearby in the trees.
Out of school again today due to weather...no surprise there. The main roads are clear but every little hollow and hill in the mountains has its own private road and those are still, as I understand it, impassable. I know ours is still snow-covered.
After a relatively warm (it got up to 34) day yesterday, temps dropped to the teens last night and today it hasn't been out of the twenties. The result it that some places that had managed to melt yesterday are now frozen solid and everywhere the snow has a layer of crunchy ice on top. When I walked down to the barn today, I enjoyed the sensation of breaking through the crust with every step. Underneath, the snow is no longer snowball-making consistency, but has frozen into a fine powder that won't stick together at all.
The birds have been very active at the feeders today so I know it must be getting difficult for them to find anything else to eat out there. I've seen thirty or so at time at the feeders today with more stationed nearby in the trees.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
No Need to Knead
The no-knead, dutch oven bread is out of the oven, while there are a few things I will have to tweak, all in all it is a very good loaf of artisan-type bread. The dutch oven method does indeed give it that desirable crunchy crust and soft inside that is hard to achieve in a regular pan. It has a more rustic texture than my "everyday" whole wheat loaf, and the long rise time gives it a slightly sourdough flavor. Also, there is no sugar or sweetener of any kind in the recipe--very simple, basic ingredients that you probably have on your shelf right now. If you want to give it a try, you can find the recipe here.
Now for a confession: the recipe says that you should let it cool for at least an hour before cutting. An hour? Really? You have got to be kidding. Everyone knows bread is best warm right out of the oven, right? So no, of course I didn't wait. I sliced off the end, spread on a little butter and ate it for lunch. And then I had another piece. And right now I am fighting the temptation to have yet another. I wonder if my husband remembers that I was baking bread today. Would he notice if there was none here when he gets back home? Bread? What bread? :-)
Meanwhile, the temp has dropped a little, the drip-drip-dripping from the eaves has slowed down and it is snowing again. More bread anyone?
The no-knead, dutch oven bread is out of the oven, while there are a few things I will have to tweak, all in all it is a very good loaf of artisan-type bread. The dutch oven method does indeed give it that desirable crunchy crust and soft inside that is hard to achieve in a regular pan. It has a more rustic texture than my "everyday" whole wheat loaf, and the long rise time gives it a slightly sourdough flavor. Also, there is no sugar or sweetener of any kind in the recipe--very simple, basic ingredients that you probably have on your shelf right now. If you want to give it a try, you can find the recipe here.
Now for a confession: the recipe says that you should let it cool for at least an hour before cutting. An hour? Really? You have got to be kidding. Everyone knows bread is best warm right out of the oven, right? So no, of course I didn't wait. I sliced off the end, spread on a little butter and ate it for lunch. And then I had another piece. And right now I am fighting the temptation to have yet another. I wonder if my husband remembers that I was baking bread today. Would he notice if there was none here when he gets back home? Bread? What bread? :-)
Meanwhile, the temp has dropped a little, the drip-drip-dripping from the eaves has slowed down and it is snowing again. More bread anyone?
Monday, January 10, 2011
Embracing The Snow
We woke up this morning to another foot or so of snow, and immediately there was a decision to be made. I could (A) fret about the fact that we would now miss several more days of school that will have to be made up, OR I could (B) just embrace the snow: the beauty of it, the novelty of it after so many years without a lot of snow, the coziness of a snow day, the fact that snow adds moisture and minerals to the soil in ways that rain does not.
I chose "B".
So today I have put a big pot roast in the oven, filled up all water containers and the bathtub in case we were to lose power,which thankfully has not happened yet, fed the birds, worked on my blog--see even my blog is embracing the snow--and did step one of a no knead bread recipe I am trying out.
In a little while I will walk, or maybe slide, down to the barn to feed the animals. And my other big plans are to re-season my dutch oven and maybe try to make a cover for my new kindle. So, I will keep busy. And the snow is really beautiful.
I chose "B".
So today I have put a big pot roast in the oven, filled up all water containers and the bathtub in case we were to lose power,which thankfully has not happened yet, fed the birds, worked on my blog--see even my blog is embracing the snow--and did step one of a no knead bread recipe I am trying out.
In a little while I will walk, or maybe slide, down to the barn to feed the animals. And my other big plans are to re-season my dutch oven and maybe try to make a cover for my new kindle. So, I will keep busy. And the snow is really beautiful.
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
are starting to arrive, and that is a problem because, you see, I am an addict. Basically, I want one of everything--every bright flower, every juicy tomato, every green, crunchy lettuce. The irony of that is that with only two of us to feed, my garden is teeny tiny. But I am enamored with seeds just the same. All that life and beauty and potential packed into nifty little envelopes. Who can resist...especially on a day like today that is so chilly and gray and damp? I think I will brew a cup of coffee after dinner, curl up somewhere and start planning the spring garden.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Long before the USDA started advising all of us to "eat half our grains whole", we began hearing about the benefits of homemade whole wheat bread, especially bread made from freshly ground grain. Convinced, we bought a grain mill and have been baking most of our own (and a few friends') bread ever since.
The flavor of this bread is nutty and complex, and of course it fills the house with a heavenly aroma. All whole wheat bread is high in fiber, but the freshly ground flour also retains more of the wheat's orginal nutrition. With all the holiday baking I hadn't made any of our basic bread in weeks. This is our first loaf in awhile and it is calling my name!
If you'd like to read more about white versus wheat and the value of freshly milled flours, check out the informative articles at Breadbeckers.com.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Taking Back the House
I love the holidays. I love decorating the house, cooking the foods, enjoying friends and family, being on my own schedule. BUT strangely I also love the day we take down the tree, put away the decorations, get rid of whatever is left of cookies and rich food and prepare to return to normalcy. Today was that day.With everyone helping we had it done by early afternoon.
We have had a wonderful Christmas break, prolonged for me by all the snow before Christmas, but this evening I am craving my routine, looking forward to getting back to the TLC! kitchen, back on a saner eating plan, back to some regular exercise and back out of my "fat pants". ( Celebratory foods are a wonderful aspect of food traditions, and my family embraces them...I think the problem for me is that the celebration goes on a little too long.)
So back to school tomorrow. I will bet the kids are ready and I know the parents are. ( I remember. ) Looks like we have several days of more moderate temperatures ahead and some sun. What a great way to start the year.
I love the holidays. I love decorating the house, cooking the foods, enjoying friends and family, being on my own schedule. BUT strangely I also love the day we take down the tree, put away the decorations, get rid of whatever is left of cookies and rich food and prepare to return to normalcy. Today was that day.With everyone helping we had it done by early afternoon.
We have had a wonderful Christmas break, prolonged for me by all the snow before Christmas, but this evening I am craving my routine, looking forward to getting back to the TLC! kitchen, back on a saner eating plan, back to some regular exercise and back out of my "fat pants". ( Celebratory foods are a wonderful aspect of food traditions, and my family embraces them...I think the problem for me is that the celebration goes on a little too long.)
So back to school tomorrow. I will bet the kids are ready and I know the parents are. ( I remember. ) Looks like we have several days of more moderate temperatures ahead and some sun. What a great way to start the year.
 |
| Once the Christmas decorations are down, out come the snowmen at our house. This little guy is from the Ukraine. |
Saturday, January 01, 2011
"Further Up and Further In"
I woke up this New Year's morning with rain pounding on my roof and this quote from C.S. Lewis echoing in my head. Since I went to sleep last night in the middle of a prayer (yes, it happens all time) for the new year, I don't think the words are random. I had to look up the exact context to refresh my memory, but in The Last Battle Aslan encourages Peter and the others to go "further up and further in" and experience the "real" Narnia and his presence in a new way.
As I stand at the entrance to 2011, I find that though making plans and setting goals is all well and good, what I really want for this year is to move further up and further in to my relationship with the Lord. Now, I have no idea of the specifics of the journey He has planned, but I have walked with Him long enough to be absolutely sure of a few things. I know that it will be surprising, and delightful, and maybe sometimes terrifying. I know that He will go with me every step, and that if I cooperate, at the end of the year I will know Him better , know myself better and be better equipped to handle the next stage of the adventure.
For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
I woke up this New Year's morning with rain pounding on my roof and this quote from C.S. Lewis echoing in my head. Since I went to sleep last night in the middle of a prayer (yes, it happens all time) for the new year, I don't think the words are random. I had to look up the exact context to refresh my memory, but in The Last Battle Aslan encourages Peter and the others to go "further up and further in" and experience the "real" Narnia and his presence in a new way.
As I stand at the entrance to 2011, I find that though making plans and setting goals is all well and good, what I really want for this year is to move further up and further in to my relationship with the Lord. Now, I have no idea of the specifics of the journey He has planned, but I have walked with Him long enough to be absolutely sure of a few things. I know that it will be surprising, and delightful, and maybe sometimes terrifying. I know that He will go with me every step, and that if I cooperate, at the end of the year I will know Him better , know myself better and be better equipped to handle the next stage of the adventure.
For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11
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