8.26.23
Here we are nearing the tail end of August and the mornings are starting to feel more and more as if autumn is just around the corner. Over the past few days Mother Nature has seen fit to give us the gift of rain. Some of the showers have been brief while some have been true soakers! All are welcome. There is nothing quite like waking up in the wee hours of the morning to the sound of gently falling rain. Of course, back in the day when we were raising our own hay, having such downpours always seemed to coincide with hay being on the ground so it was not quite so welcome! Darrell, who is busy splitting wood for winter, has been kept on his toes, alternating between covering and uncovering the growing stack with a big tarp in order to keep the split wood dry as the rain showers pass through. The house woodshed almost filled to the brim and soon the shop and bunkhouse will be well supplied too. Since we primarily cook with wood and of course heat with it, a goodly supply needs to be stockpiled before the weather turns cold.
This rain is a boon for the garden. Albeit the weeds have gone to town too, but that is okay since the veggies are more than holding their own. Today we will have fresh peas and corn plus new potatoes chunked, seasoned, and roasted on the bar-b-que along with a hearty steak for dinner. There is nothing quite like a meal made from things one has grown and harvested oneself. Yesterday morning we had tomatoes – from the garden – and bacon sandwiches for breakfast. What could be better!
This spell of cooler weather and the gift of rain has made our onions, Brussel sprouts and cabbages very happy. I am not sure if I will make more sauerkraut this year, but it is tempting since a couple of our cabbages are whoppers! Maybe it will just be a corn and tomato canning season instead. There really is nothing like a pantry shelf full of jars of golden corn or bright red tomatoes to make you feel ready for winter. Plus, as soon as the weather cools down a tad more, the gallons of strawberries I have sitting in the freezer will find themselves made into delicious jars of jam. Nothing beats homemade strawberry jam in my humble opinion!
The other day I was getting myself into a bit of a stew, thinking of all the things that need to be done before winter sets in. The more I thought about things the more in a stew I found myself. On top of that, the past fortnight has been challenging as our grandson, who is staying here for the summer working for the Oregon Department of Forestry, wrecked his vehicle. He was one lucky young man as he came out of it without a scratch, it could have been much, much worse. His jeep was totaled and now sits by the bunkhouse where he will soon need to decide what to do with it. Thankfully, he was able to find another vehicle this week to get him back and forth to work. So, between the kerfuffle of Evan’s wreck, the seasons starting to change, hay to be hauled, beef to be dispatched and everything else going on, I was starting to feel a tad overwhelmed.
Yesterday morning, Darrell and I sat on the front porch drinking our respective morning beverages of coffee and tea before the day’s work began. As I relayed to him my worries about Evan and all that had to be accomplished sooner rather than later, as always, his words of wisdom calmed my troubled mind. As we sat there talking, he reminded me there are only so many hours in a day and what does not get done today will always be there for tomorrow. It is okay to just take the time to sit and relax. It is okay to have a day to read a book or write or just do nothing at all. The past fortnight had been a very hectic and stressful one, and there comes a time when one just needs to take a deep breath and relax. I was at that time and Darrell’s words made me see that.
Sometimes we just need to remind ourselves to live day by day, hour by hour, living in the moment of time that is “now”. Gosh is that hard to do or what? Yet when we take the time to calm our minds, to take that deep and cleansing breath, letting the sounds of nature surround us, looking up at the sky and feeing thankful for being able to do so, it is as if a huge weight has lifted from our shoulders. Yes, the chores are still there to be done, the garden needs weeding, the steer needs dispatching, the wood needs splitting and stacking, soaps and lotions need making, hay needs hauling. They will get done and be none the worse for waiting an extra day or so for the doing. We only get this one life to live. Each day is a gift and is precious. Every day I wake up beside my dearest Darrell I am blessed and grateful. Now and then when life seems overwhelming, I just need to gently remind myself of that.
