Winter Preparedness

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We carefully build

on our stash of Winter Preparedness.

These are long term issues.

We are not completely there,

but this is what we have so far:

Wood Stove in the Family Room,

Wood Stacked there too

(that means it will be warm and dry),

Gas Stove whose Burners

work with Matches as starter

(Oven won't),

Candles and Matches,

Flashlights with Batteries,

Radio with Batteries,

Old Phone

which does not require Electricity,

Plenty of Food and Water

(for Humans, 4 Leggeds and Chickens),

Plenty of Bird Food for the Wild Ones

(we must not forget them),

Ability and Contentment

to stay put,

Sense of Adventure,

Books,

Knitting,

A couple of Good Movies

(if there is Electricity),

Blankets (Wool),

Warm Slippers,

People we love

and with whom

we work as a Team.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2010

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Places Everyone!

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We Humans seem

more than a little Self Absorbed

in Human Doings.

We forget

we are imbedded

in a larger Natural System

which holds us.

Usually, She is relatively quiet.

Some days She roars.

Such days are coming.

Blizzard is forecast.

We 3 C's try to go

with the flow of such things.

We work on preparedness.

The North Dakota Experience

taught us to hunker down,

let Nature do Her Thing.

We 3 Humans try to sit quietly

in our Front Row Seats

for a Grand Play,

observing the Wonder and Awe

of Something Far Greater

than we can comprehend,

embracing the Smallness

of what it means to be Human.

And, Dear Melanie reminds

those of us who have been Adults a little too long

to remember to play.

"Places, Everyone!"

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2011

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24 Cardinals

Word has it we are in for and in the middle of a Winter Storm. That Storm will start out with sleet and ice, which we have already had. Then it will turn to Snow. Up to 10 inches are projected for tomorrow. And how do we know such things? We check into WeatherUnderground.

After checking out such things, Richard and I headed into town to make some quick purchases: Water, Onions and Green Peppers for Chili (which is now in the Crockpot). Richard stopped to top off the gas tank of his Car. We also stopped by a farm store to pick up Sunflower Seeds for the Little Birds and Chickens. We didn't tarry. And the other Humans didn't seem intent on tarrying either. We were doing what we needed to do and then we were out of there.

After lunch, Richard noted 24 Male Cardinals off the Deck. I think that is a record for us. Their brilliant Red makes them stand out against Winter's Subtlety, which includes Sleeping Plants and White Snow. A number of other Songbirds are there too.

Just before Storms, Songbirds, who have their own Weather Prediction systems, feed fast and furious in the backyard. Somehow they know. The Old Timers (of Human Persuasion) used to know. I think many of us yearn for that kind of knowing. Maybe, just maybe, it is coming back.

We're Not Alone

January 28:

Fog came in during the night. Under its soft Cloud, Fairies could be imagined to be touching almost everything with that beautiful and delicate Frost.

In the meantime, other Critters were busy doing their thing. On such amazing days, everything and everyone leaves tracks. The exception would be the Fairies making the Frost; at least, we Humans seem not to have the ability to see their Tracks. Or rather, is the Frost their method of Tracks?

Richard and I headed out on a walk on our Usual Path. These were some of the Tracks that greeted us. The 1st that we saw were our own.
Some Creatures seemed intent upon Whimsy. They are welcome here.Back near the House, impressions of Snow Angels were clearly visible. In fact, we caught one right there on the Ground. She requested the Camera so that she could show us the Snow Angel's View of the Sky. After she took the picture, she moved on to another Snow Angel Print.

We Humans may have our Name on the Human Title to this Land but we're surely not alone on this little Farm.

The Local Snow Report

January 23:

We have had Snow beginning last night and into the early afternoon today. At moments, when we have looked out, we have the feeling that we may be living inside a giant snow globe as the Snow swirls around us.

Many of our friends in Nature have been busy today. The Birds have been hanging close to the Feeders in the backyard. And are they ever busy feeding. I love it when they are all fluffed up and when they nestle down to cover those feet. These are sure signs that the weather outside is cold. When the Humans head outside, we should surely bundle up.

Deer have been feeding along the edge of the South Woods. It surely must be the "Twins" who are yet small but they are also growing too.

Laddie, our Shetland Sheep Dog, loves this weather. Winter is his favorite season. While he is older now and does not get around like he did when he was a Pup, he loves sniffing in the Snow, following trails of Critters who have been visiting, and taking Snow Baths. I chuckle when I see the Snowflakes on his back. His coat gives him the best insulation. Those Snowflakes just don't melt until he comes inside. When he does come inside, we rub him down with a towel. He surely must wonder why we Humans do not have Coats like he does.

Fascination

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I am fascinated by Folks

whose orientation is toward "fixing things".

OK, something breaks.

These days,

Folks just throw it away.

It wasn't so long ago

that those who came before

would just scratch their heads

and figure out a way to fix it.

Their Creativity

was a source of their Genius.

These days,

my Kind can't fix much of anything.

Our inability to fix stuff

and our dependence on someone else

will surely be the stuff of legend.

These little scissors

don't work as well as they did,

but they do work.

They crafted a smile

on my face too.
~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2011

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Floor Covering

January 20:

Today, the installers are here to put down the floor covering in the west half of the basement. We are using, Marmoleum, a natural linoleum product with jute backing.

Once again, we are on another adventure in choosing a less toxic alternative. We have chosen that alternative because we choose to create a less toxic home environment which has the path of least harm for the Earth, those who make and install the product, and those who may be on the other end at its disposal (which we hope will be many years down the road of course). And yes, once again, we have gone to Green Building Supply in Fairfield for the source of products.

And yes, once again, we find ourselves in a place of assisting craftsmen in the installation, since most products are the more toxic varieties these days. This is new for them and we are ever so grateful that they have said "Yes, we'll do it."

Some day and hopefully very soon, such choices will be commonplace. And we Humans in formerly what was called an advanced civilization will be left to ponder and scratch our heads: "What was that about? Why did we ever choose any other kind of product? Why didn't we take time to care?"

Melanie took the lead on this project. Richard chose the pattern which is called Caribbean. Folks at Green Building Supply are standing by to answer questions of the installers. Here we go.

Adventures, adventures, always adventures, inside and out, right here on our little Farm.

Precautionary Principle

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The precautionary principle states that

if an action or policy has a suspected risk of causing harm

to the public or to the environment,

in the absence of scientific consensus,

that the action or policy is harmful,

the burden of proof that it is not harmful

falls on those taking the action.

~~~~

Source: Wikipedia, January 20, 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precautionary_principle

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Enchanting

January 8:

I find some simple things to be quite enchanting, even mesmerizing. Melanie's Uncle Gerald gave her this old timey hand mixer. I get excited every time I get it out. On this day we had Apple Pancake for Breakfast. Gluten Free, of course. In this frame, I am delightfully mixing up the Eggs.

Quote

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Permanent good

can never be

the outcome

of untruth and violence.

~~~~

Mahatma Gandhi

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Quote

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Learn to do

common things

uncommonly well.

~~~~

George Washington Carver

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Smiles

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The Bins of Seeds

and Seed Catalogs

are making their presence known

as they take space

in the Family Room.

Richard and Melanie

have already done their inventories.

They have checked Seed Catalogs.

They are poised to order.

I have 1 more little project

waiting in cue

before I too dive

into those Bins and Catalogs.

Our orders will be posted soon.

Gardening Season 2011

is making its presence known.

The Seeds smile.

The 3 C's do too.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2011

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Simplify

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The events

of the last few months and years

have stretched us.

We are worn

and we are weary.

Hopefully we are a little wiser too.

We are looking ahead

to Gardening Season 2011.

How could it be that time once again?

Those 1st 4 Gardening Seasons

on this Little Farm,

we were set on expansion.

We had successes

and we wanted more.

So we overdid it.

It took the outside stresses

of this last year

to see that

we simply could not care

for it all.

We could not enjoy it

in the way that desire.

This year,

we ask:

What is essential?

And, what can be just set aside?

Simplify.

Simplify.

Simplify.

These days,

that is a kind

and nurturing balm.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2011

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No Room

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This evening,

I went through Holiday Cards and Letters.

It's a loving ritual of spending time with Loved Ones,

putting the Cards away,

and moving into the deep of Winter

and looking ahead to the Spring.

I checked addresses carefully

so we have all of the updates.

I posted pics on the Fridge,

which now is covered with smiles,

magical,

and full.

I noted

that the B's, C's, and S's

of my address book

are overflowing.

Subsequently,

I whimsically announced to my Family

we are no longer accepting family and friends

who are either B's, C's, or S's.

There is no room.

Perhaps you would go

by another name,

I would alphabetize by your 1st name

or your middle initial?

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2011

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A Time of Rest

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Winter is Nature's time of rest.

We Humans are just beginning

to relax into that space.

It is replenishment and renewal

inbetween the intensity of this last year

and gardening season 2011.

Unwinding is good.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2011

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Book Friend

2011 Llewellyn's Moon Sign Book: Conscious Living by the Cycles of the Moon. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

We use this for a variety of functions: hair cuts, setting posts. It is an amazing resource. We have not even scratched the surface for its use.
~~~~
http://www.llewellyn.com/product.php?ean=9780738711331

Calendar Friend

Stella Natura: Working with Cosmic Rhythms: Inspiration & Practical Advice for Home Gardeners & Professional Growers. (2011). Kimberton Hills, PA: Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.

Detailed charts help in choosing best times to sow seeds, transplant, cultivate crops and harvest according to natural forces, mostly notably the influence of the moon. Calendar includes interesting reading as background for such approaches.

Admittedly we 3 C's are mostly novices on these things and have not used the calendar to its fullest. It is our trusty resource for planting and we do our best to follow it. During really busy times, we are not quite as rigorous. We do make exceptions for weather. "The rain's comin' and we gotta get those seeds in the ground." We do think that "planting in the sign" makes a huge difference and try to be respectful of that energy.

The calendar has a great space for keeping notes on what to plant and when. It is a guide for a time that really gets pretty busy and needs a bit of structure to help things flow.

Yikes. We better gets those seeds ordered. I need to begin planting Leeks and Pansies (among others) by the end of January. Gotta go.
~~~~
http://www.stellanatura.com/

Calendar Friend

We'Moon 2011: Gaia Rhythms for Womyn: Groundswell.
~~~~
http://www.wemoon.ws/

Book Friend

Shafer, Jay. (2009). The Small House Book. Boyes Hot Springs, California: Tumbleweed Tiny House Company.

Since 1997, Jay Shafer has been living in "houses smaller than some people’s closets". His decision to inhabit 89 square feet arose from desires to live more simply, live closer to needs, reduce environmental impacts, reduce unused or unusable space, among others. His 1st house was called "Tumbleweed"; it was tiny and built on wheels.

His initiatives have resulted in many other such houses and a movement with others seeking to live small in a time when some folks seem to favor gargantuan. This book includes reasons why, living within city codes (which, not surprisingly, favor big houses), pictures and drawings of houses and plans.

I find the tiny houses to be quite pleasing aesthetically. They bear resemblance to other historical houses on the landscape. They are based on what he calls sacred geometry. Visually, the structures just seem to flow. The use of natural materials is beautiful and calming too.

Part of me would like to live in a such a house, but the other part says that is not for me now. We would like to have a guest cabin or residence for interns/apprentices. Just maybe a tiny house will be in our future.

I also chuckle that such structures are probably not too far removed from the homesteads of our forebearers. I think about my Great Grandparents house, which still stands on W. Burton. Built around the 1870s, the house has surely had add-ons, especially in the last few deades. For me as a 3rd grader in the 1950s, that house was teeny. I remember sitting on that little love seat across from Aunt Della's chair and the coal stove. That house was surely no tiny tumbleweed. And at one time it housed 6 people.

http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/

Book Friend

Hamilton, Carl. (1974). In No Time at All. Ames, Iowa: The Iowa Sate University Press.

Carl Hamilton recalls memories of growing up in the Midwest from 1910 to 1940. I bought this for Mother's birthday in 1975 when we were leaving Iowa State for the North Dakota Chapter of 32 years.

We 3 C's had a copy too. I was always drawn to it but never read it. The book just kept beckoning me from its place on the shelf over the years. I guess I needed to have some other life experiences before I chose to open it. I wonder if I bought one for Richard's Mother. I also wonder if Richard's brothers and their wives have seen it. It is a treasure.

Richard and I began reading it aloud last night. It awakened many sleeping memories and stories. You could call it tender connections to rural and farm living in bygone times. While neither Richard or I were "on the scene" during that time period, he could relate similar stories from his childhood growing up on the farm. Plus, those stories were frequently shared by our families when we were both growing up. The book also poses some questions and answers about earlier times in the histories of our families. I just love books like that.

Dance

December 27:

I woke in the Night and stared outside into a Blanket of White. "Good," the Little Voice inside of Me said. Frost will touch every little thing outside in the Morning. We will be greeted by a Winter Wonderland that will cause the Fairies and even the Humans who too often seem bent on seriousness to dance.

Stretching and Growing

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Sometimes Life seems too full.

Maybe we are simply being stretched,

we are being asked to grow.

Circumstances beyond our control

enter, intrude, erode,

demand space.

Stress increases.

Certain usual and customary foundations of Life

are overlooked,

forgotten.

Balance has changed.

Essential elements

are missing.

Over the last months,

we had not spent as much time

preparing Food.

Meals were quick,

an afterthought.

Meal times

lost their usual rhythm.

Blessings at Meals faded,

sometimes forgotten.

I missed our daily walks.

My usual focus and balance

in Nature

had softly faded.

In the swirl of the moments demands,

I had not even noticed changes.

~~~~

In the noting,

a subtle shift is happening.

~~~~

I am making a conscious effort

to reclaim

those foundations of our Lives.

I am saying "no" to some things

that can be set aside for now.

I am letting go

of the extensive and exhaustive list

of "to do's"

and my usual high expectations of myself.

That's hard,

but I am doing it.

I began fixing

our most favorite, nurturing meals,

those meals that wrap us in love.

I have been looking out into Nature a little,

which is more than I was doing before.

The Squirrels dance in the Trees

and tease me to come outside.

I am open to the growing.

I am grateful for all that is.

~~~~

Glinda Crawford, 2011

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