A Snowy Day

It is snowing, and it is lovely – fat flakes floating down, covering the grass, transforming the common, beautifying the world outside my windows. For my family, here in the South on a Saturday, this is a treat. We will be indoors except for feeding the animals, staying warm by the fire, waiting for reports from kids who will manage, somehow, to go sledding. But for my friends and former neighbors in New England, this storm is a different story. There, they have dangerous cold, heavy snow, strong winds. And there are many who cannot stay home: snow plow drivers, police officers, fire fighters, health care workers, and more. 

How you interpret an event often depends on where you sit. For those who can sit inside, a snow storm is wonderful.  It is a delight for those who rarely experience it and get to choose whether to stay in or go out and play. But that same snow can be a trial and a danger to others. I give thanks today for all who brave the elements to protect and care for others. I grieve for those who are unhoused. I rejoice for the children who will bundle up and play outside. And I know that I have the privilege of being warm and well-fed, staying inside, watching the flakes fly.

And next week, the forecast is for temps in the 70s.....

 

The Girls Are Back!

My chickens all had a hard molt in the late fall. They completely stopped laying in mid-October – not one single egg. I fed them dehydrated worms as a source of high protein and lots of good snacks. And their feathers grew as they ate the extras. And still they did not lay any eggs. All through November – no eggs. All through December – no eggs. But in January, they have returned to giving me eggs! In the lower right nesting box they have been leaving one, two, or three eggs every day. We are once again eating deviled eggs for lunch and omelets for supper.  The hens are fat and fluffy, their feathers filled out again.  My girls are back at work.  And all is right with the world -- at least in this tiny corner!

 

January Storm

Tiny icicles hang from the broad, bright green magnolia leaves. There is a sheen of ice on the outdoor surfaces. It is cold. Folks here were hoping for snow and there might have been a few flakes in the wee hours. But mostly this storm is rain for us, cold, soaking rain. As the temps creep up, the ice begins to melt. It is a rainy Sunday, gray and dreary.

 

Confusion

 

It is January. It is supposed to be – if not cold – then at least cool. But we have had many days with temps above 70, even some 80 degree days. The dandelions have popped up in the yard; the forsythia is starting to bloom. Today it is 55 and sunny, and the bees are out and about, foraging, some of them coming back to the hive with loaded pollen baskets. The queen is probably starting to lay. They will all need food, so they will eat up their stored honey. And if this goes on, they will not survive what passes for winter these days. So I am feeding them sugar and hoping they make it. They are so confused. We are all confused….

Perspective

J's sunset (posted with her permission)

My sister has joined me in painting with watercolors. It is an activity that is challenging and comforting, freeing and frustrating. There is some technique that we practice but mostly we experiment with various combinations of water and paint. A few days ago, we painted a sunrise, a morning sky with pale sun and purple and pink clouds. Her colors were vibrant and lively, but she was critical of her work, thinking that it did not look “right,” that it was not like the picture we were using for our guide. And then she turned her paper upside down and it was a sunset instead. And it was perfect! 

And it makes me think that sometimes when I am dissatisfied with something, when I think things are not quite right, I just need to turn them upside down and change my perspective...

 

Detour

The main route from our farm to “town” is closed for road work, so yesterday when I went to a doctor’s appointment, I had a detour. That way around has soaring bridges over the river, and it winds through wide stands of pine trees. The dome of the sky was pearlescent blue, melting into pink along the horizon. The sun was just beginning to rise. It was so beautiful – one of those moments that makes you catch your breath. I had the radio on, listening to the morning news. There were stories about tragic deaths, violent dictators, hatred acted out in streets and governments sickness and poverty and despair. So much of the news was evil and ugly, and yet I had detoured into the midst of goodness and beauty. What a contrast ... and a whispered commandment to seek beauty, to live in the light, to overcome evil with goodness (Romans 12:21).

Pine trees at sunrise near Wilmington --
not quite what I saw, but I was driving and did not take a photo!