Yesterday, winter decided to throw a full blown temper tantrum. The wind howled, the snow blew sideways and life in this area kind of shut down while we all hunkered down. I kind of laughed when I saw friends who posted on Facebook yesterday. It seemed that there was a lot of baking going on. I know I did the same, but my purpose was two fold. I liked the fact that we ended up with chocolate cake, pumpkin pie and banana bread, but I really liked the fact that having the oven going also warmed up the kitchen. The chickens did not get outside at all yesterday and to feed them I needed to scoop ..read more

Today was the day we finally got ourselves dug out from the last round of snowstorms. It would have been yesterday but the tractor did not wish to cooperate at all. After a summer of very little rain, it seems we can once again get some form of precipitation. The schools in the area are hoping to get back to classes tomorrow after having a longer than expected Christmas break. I suspect the kids and teachers are ready to be back…maybe not quite as ready as the parents? Snow is a lot of work, but there is a unique beauty about the pristine whiteness of a new snowfall. It is kind of fun to see ..read more

We woke up, this morning, to a world encased in white. The trees hung heavy with the snow that had fallen during the night and a beautiful layer of glistening white coated everything in sight. I went to let the chickens out of their coop, but soon realized I would have to shovel some trails this morning so they would not have to walk through snow that was too deep for them. They cheered me on in the shoveling process….at least I choose to take their chatter as cheering and not complaining that I was taking to long! It took a bit of doing to shovel, as the snow was a heavy snow. I told my husb ..read more

We have had good weather for getting into the fields and the sound of tractors come from all directions. This is a really good time of year….new expectations, new hopes for the coming season, renewal and sunshine, mixed with a bit of rain, make for a lot of hope for the future. I probably love this time of year, because it is a time of new beginnings. That seems kind of an odd thing to say when the same stuff gets done year after year. Fields get prepared, seed gets purchased and equipment is whipped into shape for the planting season. Things we do every spring. And yet, it is new beginnings ..read more

In the last 6 weeks I have come to gain a great new respect for those who type with one finger. In January I had a joint replaced in my left little finger….yes they can do that! I also had the carpel tunnel issue in my left hand fixed. I came home from same day surgery with a wrapped hand and a finger that resembled a snowman with all the white gauze that was wrapped around it. I also was cautioned not to sign any legally binding documents for the next 24 hours….I am still not sure where they thought I would be going or what I would be doing once I got home. I ended up with a removable splint ..read more

I am a day late but I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas from my home to yours! I was hoping this year would be a normal Christmas but, expectations do not always come to pass. All the kids and grandkids were supposed to make it to our house for Christmas day. The day before Christmas our son called and we found out our daughter in law was not feeling well and had pneumonia. We did make it to my parent’s home for Christmas Eve and it was a house full of laughter and love. Four generations all under one roof; make for a very special evening. Food, games, gifts and fun were all rolled into ..read more

Yes….I realize Father’s Day is over and that I missed it by one day. But I kind of feel like we should maybe celebrate dads more than just one day…at least the good ones. I decided I would give a quick shout out to the dads in my life. My dad was a great example of what a dad and husband should be like. Once he became a grandpa he excelled at that job also. His grandkids love him dearly. He taught me what men should act like and how men should treat others…with respect and integrity. It never mattered to my dad (and still doesn’t) what someone possesed or what someone looked like….you treated ..read more

Mom Fox My girls are not happy with me. I don’t blame them for feeling that way as I am never happy when I am cooped up either. A little back history as to why they are stuck in the chicken coop/run these last days….. A while back we noticed a fox hanging around our place. My husband was pretty excited as the last years fox have been very scarce in our area. Coyotes had moved in and the fox population had moved out. This particular fox seemed to have taken a fancy to the old schoolhouse that is on our acreage. We would see her darting under the building at random times of the day. Last week my ..read more

Clivia The plant with the beautiful orange flowers was given to me as a starter piece many years ago by my mom-in-law. She got her first piece from her mom and I am not sure how far back this plant really goes. I have given pieces to my children so they can also enjoy them. I found out it is a Clivia and it blooms once a year around Easter (at least that is how mine seems to bloom).  This plant always reminds me of our lives….most of the time we just do ordinary, everyday things–plain green leaf kind of things.  Every so often, we are called to be extraordinary–to bloom with a beauty ..read more

Planted Potatoes Some things in life never seem to change. The passing of the seasons is one of them. My husband and I like to try get our potato crop in on the Easter weekend. I am not sure of the reason why, but it seems this is the traditional time to do so. Fortunately, this year the weather cooperated with that goal. After some extremely cold weeks this winter, late winter snows….some more cold weather…some drizzly weather (I will not say rainy because for us it wasn’t enough to really qualify as rain), another bit of snow….we finally came to the Easter weekend. This was a glorious Easter ..read more