11.3.24
It is half past five in the morning. Well, technically it is half past four in the morning since the clocks were turned back last night. However, my body still thinks it is half past five and I know my milk cow Lass will be expecting me down there at the usual time which will now be an hour earlier if one went by the clock in the house! Animals do not follow this Daylight Savings Time rigamarole, they are on their own cycle. It is we humans who end up getting them adjusted to our schedule if that is what suit us. Although I must admit, as the days start to shorten and I know the time change will soon be upon us, I slowly start to change my milking schedule. Whereas in the middle of summer I am down there by six o’clock in the morning with my milker, by this time of the year I have extended it to seven o’clock which of course with the time change last night is back to 6 o’clock in the morning again. Whew! That was a brain teaser this early in the day!
Now on to a slightly different topic! This week has, as usual, been quite a busy one. With the holiday bazaar season just around the corner, now is the time to make sure all my soap storage boxes are full. Each year my goal is to have every box full to the brim with bars of soap but also have my reserve boxes topped off too! So right now, soap making has been a priority although I did take time to make a couple batches of candles since they are a big hit in our Christmas tin selections! Another batch of Christmas cakes sit maturing in the pantry and we will soon turn our thoughts to peanut brittle making if Mother Nature ever decides to drop her nightly temperatures a bit! For yes, orders for that sweet seasonal treat are coming in left, right and center!
For the past couple of days we have had rain, glorious rain. It is very soggy and chilly damp outside, but I am not complaining. We need this moisture and besides, it is far easier to bundle up against the cool dampness with more clothes than to be sweltering hot and not be able to take anything else off to relieve the heat! So, I will happily pull my wellies on, gladly don a heavier wooly jumper and plop my trusty old hat on my head before setting off for morning chores.
Of course, this sort of weather makes one greatly appreciate all the effort my dearest puts into cutting and splitting cords and cords of wood each year to fill our woodsheds before the cold weather hits. Right now, a fire crackles merrily in the old wood cookstove which fills the house with warmth as the kettle sings away on the hob. As the temperatures start to drop and winter chill becomes the norm, I am even more grateful for all Darrell’s hard work for as I return to the house after milking Lass, chilled to the bone, I know a flood of warmth – and a waiting cup of tea – will greet me.
I love my old wood cookstove. Being rather old, it eats up more wood than its newer styled contemporaries, but there is an untold history in its cast iron shell. What stories it could tell, I am sure! It is a Majestic stove, well a Great Majestic to be exact. As the label on the oven’s temperature gauge states, “The Great Majestic. A stove with a reputation.” This old cooker which was manufactured in the early 1900’s, is still going strong today. Nothing beats a loaf of bread or tasty pie baked in its oven and Yorkshire puddings are beyond comparison to being cooked in a regular modern oven! Of course, one has to know just how to adjust the various dampers, which size pieces of wood to pop in the fire box to obtain a certain steady heat. There is no temperature degree numbers on the oven indicator, rather just numbers from one to twelve. It can therefore be a challenge to maintain say a 350-degree temperature over an extended period of time when baking certain cakes for example, but with practice and persistence you soon become adept.
There is something so rewarding about the morning ritual of coming into the darkened kitchen, turning on the light then starting a fire in the old wood cooker. Popping the kettle on and hearing it come to a boil all the while savouring the warmth emanating from the solid cast iron stove. This morning, the sound of the rain on the roof and the wind in the trees plays counterpoint to the snap and crackle of wood burning in the cooker and the gentle singing of the kettle on the hob.
As I sit here, sipping my second cup of tea of the morning, the deep black darkness outside is slowly giving way to the navy blue that heralds the coming of dawn. Once my tea is finished, I will head out to milk my girl, Lass. While I am down at the milkhouse, the sky will lighten even more although with the rain today I know the sight of a glorious sunrise will be hidden from me. When milking is done and Lass turned in with her calf, eager for his breakfast, I head back to the house where I know my dearest will be waiting, ready to carry the milker inside for me. As I enter the front door, welcoming warmth greets me courtesy of our old wood cooker and a cup of tea sits on the brew. Winter’s chill may be just around the corner, but with our Great Majestic and a full woodshed, we are ready for it.